My Research
Finding stuff out using formal methods – otherwise known as research
Research is a great example of how we need to establish systems and methods to keep us in line. Left to our own devices we are more than likely to fool ourselves and misinterpret the world around us – and this is especially so in the field of pain research, physical medicine and musculoskeletal therapy. Even though many incredible discoveries have been more serendipitous than designed, the formal testing of ideas using established scientific principles are essential to help people minimise systematic error.
In other words, we have a natural tendency to be wrong, and I see formal scientific methods as a way of helping us be less wrong.
And then there are those non-systematic errors; the errors of chance. And chance is why I highly rate good statisticians. I really admire this group of professionals for wrestling with chance and quantifying it. While some may say “there are lies, damn lies and statistics”, I prefer the quote by W. Edwards Deming, “In God we trust; all others must bring data”.
Diagnostic Reliability in Physical Medicine is the title of my ‘thesis’, which I am undertaking with some fantastic academics (and they’re fantastic people too!) at the Screening and Test Evaluation Program, School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Australia. I have the wonderful supervision of Les Irwig and Petra Macaskill and am also fortunate to have Nik Bogduk on board from Newcastle.
The focus has been on developing and testing a critical appraisal tool for studies of diagnostic reliability. Referred as the ’science of trashing papers’ critical appraisal tools can be used to formally critique papers for use in systematic reviews – or they can just be used to ‘rate’ individual papers in the course of everyday “BS” detection.
I’ve had a systematic review accepted for publication in the Clinical Journal of Pain on the reliability of physical examination for the identification of myofascial trigger points, and I am in the midst of writing up further papers from other studies I’ve completed.
I’m in the last phase of the PhD and am undertaking some research with a bunch of very committed radiologists (also fantastic people) at the John Hunter Hospital in the Newcastle Hunter area of NSW.
