Study of Severe Asthma

¶ … Asthma When it comes to the risks and benefits in a study, a researcher has to use the proper methods to balance these issues. There are algorithms that can be used in order to determine whether something will provide enough of a benefit to be worth doing, or whether there is too much of a risk (Burns & Grove, 2012). Most of the risk issues that appear in studies are based upon the use of human subjects in research (Burns & Grove, 2012).

It can put the personal and medical information of participants at risk when they agree to be part of a study, and it is very important the participants understand these risks. Additionally, the researcher has to be aware of the types of risks involved and mitigate them as much as possible for the safety of the participants and their information (Burns & Grove, 2012).

When considering whether there is too much risk to a participant to try a particular medication or treatment method, one way the risks and benefits are determined and weighed is through a quality of life study (Burns & Grove, 2012). This examines the quality of life the participant currently has, and weighs that against the quality of life he or she would have if the planned treatment were to be successful (Burns & Grove, 2012). Then the risks of the treatment are also scrutinized.

The "principle of threes" is also something used in order to determine the level of benefit based on the level of risk when it comes to treatments and medications for a medical condition (Burns & Grove, 2012). This principles examines the seriousness of the illness, the duration of it, and the incidence related to it and how it affects the participant (Burns & Grove, 2012).

Then the value of the medications or treatments being considered are looked at based on whether they would alleviate symptoms, provide short- or long-term "cure," relief, or benefit, and what possible side effects may be seen in a participant (Burns & Grove, 2012). It is only through doing a careful risk benefit analysis that a researcher can really determine what should be done for a participant and whether he or she would be a good candidate for a particular treatment.

As an example of balancing risks and benefits in an actual study, one can examine a journal article written by Toole (2013), that dealt with helping children gain asthma control at schools. This study was based in Cincinnati, Ohio and addressed the value of school-based health centers (SBHCs) when it came to various inner-city schools around the region.

Cincinnati Public Schools had SBHCs, but a few members who had originally been part of the initiative to create them decided they would take that initiative and the information they gained from it and put it to good use at poverty-stricken schools that did not have SBHCs (Toole, 2013). The benefit of this would be more children who learned about their asthma and the importance of control.

They could also learn a great deal about how to control it better, so they were not at as much risk of adverse events (Toole, 2013). However, there were also important risks associated with the study. When it comes to medical care and information, one has to be very careful what is presented and to whom. Giving school-aged children information about medication and treatments without parental consent could be problematic, especially if any of the children had an adverse medical event related to their asthma.

The parental issue could be mitigated, though, by sending home permission slips and requiring parental signatures before providing the children with information. The participants in the initiative had to weigh the benefits of helping these children with the risks that could come about from doing so (Toole, 2013).

By providing parents with the proper information regarding asthma and ways their children could help to control their symptoms, the initiative members may have saved lives, especially in schools where an SBHC was impossible due to lack of funding and where both children and parents may not have the money to see a doctor regularly about any medical conditions they may have. In this.