Being able to merge the resources of a variety of different specialists is one strength of the Memorial Herman approach. In the future, as the interrelationship between the body and the brain, and psychological disorders and overall functioning has become an accepted part of mainstream science: studies such as these will be even more important for research institutes. Memorial Herman is clearly on the cutting-edge of the field in this regard.
Because of its impressive outreach, the hospital is also able to draw upon a wide array of specific populations, as in the case of studies such as the "Evaluation of cardiovascular effects of smoking cessation in HIV-infected patients" (Bell 2009). Few other hospitals would be able to draw from a large amount of HIV-positive patients who were smokers and willing to participate in research studies. The study may prove beneficial to the research subjects as well as to the researchers, as all test subjects received free smoking cessation counseling.
One ethical consideration that always arises in research study is the need for research to be beneficial for the community being studied. It is not considered ethical, for example, although it may be legal, to study a low-income population with a drug that is too expensive for the majority of them to afford, for a medical condition that is not common in that population. This HIV study is an example of a mutually beneficial study. It is a reciprocal act of research, where knowledge is gained by the researchers, but the participants also gain as well. However, Memorial Herman does not specifically state that this is a goal of its overall research program. Although it has a FAQ section on the ethics of participation, it does not detail the ethics of community-based research.
The greater proportion of the research conducted by Memorial Herman involves acute or chronic conditions. For example, the neuroscience research center is currently conducting a pilot study investigating the safety and feasibility of treating stroke patients with caffeinol when subjecting patients to hypothermia. Caffeinol is hoped to improve the patient's tolerance of the practice of cooling the body, one method of treating stroke patients. However, as cutting-edge as its technologies may be, Memorial Herman could and should engage in more wellness promotion efforts. Strategies to encourage members of the community to engage in positive behaviors...
According to Bales, 1999, the concept behind SYMLOG is that "every act of behavior takes place in a larger context, that it is a part of an interactive field of influences." Further, "the approach assumes that one needs to understand the larger context -- person, interpersonal, group, and external situation -- in order to understand the patterns of behavior and to influence them successfully." With SYMLOG, measurement procedures are
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