Business Research Applications Paper
RES/320

Research is used in every profession. Whether it is used to take a consensus for interest in juice bar flavors, or to isolate the blood type required for a successful transfusion, it is how all necessary questions get the appropriate and most accurate answers. I work for an organization that provides medical care. Specifically, I work for an ophthalmic clinic and surgical center. Our physician specializes in ocular diseases and refractive correction. Ocular, meaning eyes, is our specialty. Research has been used in this business by almost every person, at all times. From the initial purchase of facilities, to the expansion of facilities, to the care, diagnosis, and treatment of the patients, research is a vital part of our sustainability. Research is a key factor aiding in the physicians ability to diagnose and treat patients. However, additional consideration may need to be taken into account when providing care. When my family first had the idea to start this business, we had no idea where to begin. It was important to do some market research of our own. My father, who would be the physician, had been practicing medicine for years. However, he was no more than a shareholder in the practices he was employed by. He had never started his own practice. However, he knew from experience what type of facility he wanted to work out of and what type of diagnostic equipment would be required. My mother, who would be the CEO, was using a traditional research method herself. She was actually meeting with and interviewing the CEO’s of successful, non-competing medical practices. I was tasked with site acquisition and functionality. As the office manager and lead ophthalmic assistant, it would be my job to make sure that we set up our facility in an area with the appropriate demographics. According to the United States Census Bureau (n.d.), " The DA population estimates are constructed using vital statistics, estimates of net international migration, and for the population aged 65 and over, data from Medicare.” (Population Estimates). Through my research with the U.S Census, I found that Yuma, only three hours from our home in Phoenix had an overwhelming elderly population. After contacting the hospital, I found that a large number of their patients needed treatment for age related disease. By doing a quick Google search, I found that there was only one other ophthalmologist working in Yuma who was a hospital referral. Yuma was our city. Once we began to open, we needed to make sure that our office was functional and ready. Quite a bit of research was required to make sure that our building and our employees were compliant with OSHA and Hippa requirements. Since we have been successfully practicing and expanding our facilities for the better part of 3 years, we must maintain the standards we have set for ourselves. We see over 8o patients a day. This requires a lot of testing, diagnosis, and treatment on a daily basis. Our physician, technicians and patients work together to come up with the proper diagnosis and the most appropriate and effective course of action for the patient. It begins with the patient. When they come in, the first person they see is the front office staff. They state their complaint and the staff member will relay that information to an ophthalmic assistant. When in the work-up room the ophthalmic assistant with check the patients central and peripheral vision at intermediate, near, and distance ranges. Certain symptoms act as red flags for the assistant. For example, if the patient complains of flashes of light, little black flecks or holes in their vision; the ophthalmic assistant knows to dilate the patient and can anticipate special diagnostic testing. There are various diagnostic exams that pertain to every complexity of the human eye. All of these tests and practices act as a type of research for the physician. Diagnostic testing is an excellent research method for the physician. It provides hard evidence of clinical findings. It is a key factor the physician can use when uncertain of a diagnosis. Consider the following scenario: Patient “X” complains of having “eye goop.” They describe a film over their vision. Two tests could be ordered to clarify the patient’s diagnosis. The first test would be a fundus photo. This test would give a picture through the posterior chamber of the patient’s eye. This would show any clouding of the cystaline lens, indicating a cataract. The second test would be an external photo of the cornea. This would show any object on the anterior chamber obscuring the patient’s visions. These tests are the type research that could be the difference in eye drops and eye surgery. This is the type of research that aids in proper diagnosis and treatment. Though these diagnostic tests can be essential in the proper diagnosis of ocular disease and ailments, they also can be misleading. It is essential that the ophthalmic assistant performing the tests have a detailed understanding of the tests and their results. Concerning the treatment of patients, little error occurs because of testing. When performing ocular surgeries based on test results, accuracy is vital. There are a few types of diagnostic tests that generate numbers associated with ocular implants. These numbers represent the correct size and refractive ability of the lenses being implanted into the patient’s ocular cavity. If these number are off it could result in dissatisfaction with the implant, discomfort, and vision loss. It is my opinion that these types of tests should be on an average. Statistical research would be most beneficial when choosing appropriate intra ocular implant sizes and refractive devices. The potential for human error should be reduced as much as possible. These tests are performed by an ophthalmic assistant. An assistant must perform a series of tests in which he or she must properly align a sonar device on the eye in order to produce an accurate reading. The technician could have a shaky hand, an incorrectly placed probe or a blinking patient.
The Panko (1997-2008) website, “Thanks to the way that human cognition operates, errors are inevitable. This makes the detection and correction of errors critical. The questions are what percentage of errors are detected and corrected and what the final residual undetected error rate is…Both studies found that as subjects worked, they frequently stopped to check for errors. In some cases, the error detection happened immediately after an error or the suspicion of an error.”
A system of averages in addition to check systems throughout the chain of command should be put in place for this type of testing. The first test should be twice preformed by the ophthalmic assistant. Then, a third test should be performed by the ophthalmic assistant supervisor. An average of the results should then be presented and approved by the physician. This way the test has been viewed by three separate trained professionals. This will help eliminate small errors. A signature of each viewer should be on the document. This will hold them accountable to the viewing of the document. This will help ensure that the tests are not blindly passed along the chain of command.
Research is used every day. In the medical field, is vital that this research is accurate and frequent. There are many methods of research used. In my profession, research is vital as it help diagnose and treat ocular disease and refractive issues. It is important to keep research and current as possible. Taking a constant inventory of deficiencies is an excellent way to be aware of necessary improvements.

Resources:
United States Census Bureau. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/popest/research/demo-analysis.html
Panko, Dr. R. R. (1997-2008). Theories of Human Error. Retrieved from http://panko.shidler.hawaii.edu/HumanErr/Theory.htm