SICCR Science Center

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Foundation of a common centre for the management of scientific research.
Coordinators: Aldo Infantino – Marina Fiorino

Scope of development

Scientific research in the field of medicine and health-care.
The prerequisites of such research stem from the consideration that the lack of financial means hinders a more rational and worthwhile utilization of the SICCR’s valuable medical and scientific heritage, especially in the territories where the society is active (units of colon proctology).
The SICCR is in the process of preparing and setting up some multicenter trials. The major difficulty of these consists in the collection and management of data. The results of an analysis point out that there are many fields in which there is a large amount of material to work on, but what lacks is an adequate coordination of studies that could facilitate their management, and that could be solved essentially with appropriate informatics’ support.
At present , the trials under way originate from the effort made by few members with a scientific background, with a personal mark in the field of research, who have placed great trust in the SICCR; However it results,through the society’s publications that a greater number of members is capable of promoting well managed studies and of submitting them to important international journals. Finally, it has been pointed out that many members remain at the margins of research activities.
The foundation of a common centre for the management of research would give important support to members who are already engaged in it, and it would bring out in terms of planning skills and case records, resources that at present are notadequately utilized.

Objective: Development of research

The objective is to improve the organization in order to obtain maximum results making use of the often-insufficient financial supply.
This project should therefore optimize the SICCR’s research activity.

1. By collecting common resources that allows leaving behind an activity considered at times weak and fragmentary;
2. The foundation of preparatory courses in research for the spreading of a culture based on scientific requisites.

In detail: The instrument that should be developed is the foundation of a “common centre of research”.
In this perspective belongs the projectTrial Administration” (enclosure 1-document Qnet- harvest). This may take place by putting into contact, by means of a computerized system, doctors from outside structures, encouraging them to share their activities, focusing on the collaboration mentioned, that would allow the attainment of these mutual objectives.
Such a computerized system is developed and implemented through the SICCR’s official web site www.siccr.org in collaboration with QNet- Harvest and Congress systems.
With such a system it is expected to:

1. Create computerized support for the collection of data in network, with as much as a follow-up agenda.
2. Elaborate from a statistic viewpoint, data gathered.
3. Help, if necessary, the single coordinator in the drafting of his final work.

The Trial Administration is divided into the following components:

a) Infrastructure of web (internet) to host the system
b) System of database to host data
c) Web interface to insert data
d) System of statistic analysis on inserted data
e) System of reportage
f) Global consultancy on the single projects.

Moreover, the trial administration will regularly supply a number of services:
I. Availability to carry out research and to consult articles and publications needed by the various trials and studies.
II. A Database to systematically collect information on patients treated in the different centres:

a. Data can be gathered on relevant forms and inserted via computer into the server of centralized collection.
b. The single centre will remain the proprietor of the data gathered and can carry out statistics or request them from the service.
c. In this case there must be availability to elaborate statistics that can be used for the data inserted and according to the needs of the single studies or research.
d. A newsletter for doctors, in which information on the state of the art of the various studies can be given.

Only the coordinator of the single study may have access to all information, if authorized by the collaborating centres, while the single centre may dispose of complete information only if its own centre has inserted it.
The SICCR may make total use of data exclusively for scientific purposes, through an administrator of data, which is nominated appropriately, always in the respect of the law on privacy (nomination of a responsible person as imposed by the law).

TRAINING COURSES

Training courses with ECM crediting will be carried out in the perspective already introduced for the promotion of a more widespread scientific culture, and for the preparation of new recruits towards a higher level of research.
A share of posts of participation could be reserved to specializing doctors and to doctors both with a specific interest in Colon proctology.
The topics, which will be treated, should supply a basic preparation on the following arguments: Clinical methodology, EBM, informatics, Biometry, Epidemiology, Clinical risk, ethic committee, criteria for the evaluation of the quality of scientific publications, communication ethics.