EDITORIAL

Research is good for the physician and his patients
Rodrigo M. Torres MD

Director of OCE

Contact
Dr. Rodrigo M. Torres
Argentinian Council of Ophthalmology
Tte. Gral. Juan Domingo Perón 1479
(C1037 ACA) Buenos Aires
Argentina
+54 (11) 5199-3372
romator7@gmail.com

Oftalmol Clin Exp (ISSNe 1851-2658)
2023; 16(3): e220-e221.

If I think I have an original idea, if I think I am doing something different that is useful for patients and for my colleagues and that distinguishes me, what is the way to communicate it?
First validate it; then: disseminate it.
OCE is a scientific publication focused on the area of vision sciences. We have the role of collaborating in the research process and in the peer validation stage. In addition, we can advise colleagues in both the research plan development stage and in the execution of a study. Once the peer review and validation time is passed, it is only when scientific information is disseminated and made available to the community. To post on social networks before passing this stage is not scientifically valid. It is not the same to make the effort to publish in a scientific journal and then communicate it on social networks, as it is to publish directly on social networks. Medicine today is evidence-based. What is published in a scientific journal is evidence of greater or lesser quality; on the other hand, what is published directly on a social network is not considered scientific evidence.

Does it mean that everything published after scientific validation is true?
No, it certainly does not. It means that something that passed a peer review phase meets the requirements of the scientific method and of an editorial management process to ensure its reproducibility, and from that moment onwards and forever what is published is exposed to be used by others and can, therefore, be confirmed or refuted. No truth is absolute. No scientific publication will be consistently valid over time. But every scientific publication will remain over time, transcending its authors as a contribution of greater or lesser impact to the community.

Does publishing an article serve as sufficient stimulus to encourage physicians to research and subsequently publish?
It is not enough, so the Argentine Council of Ophthalmology supports the effort made by the authors, granting them a highest score at the time of certifying or recertifying their specialist degree. We know that carrying out research activities in the political economic context of Argentina is very complex. But we also think it is possible and we are convinced that it is necessary. Also, OCE is currently one of the few ophthalmology peer-review journals that accepts papers in our language but also those written entirely in English. We mainly encourage, care for and disseminate studies developed in Latin America because we understand the importance of the epidemiological problems of our region beyond the borders of one country. We are not only united by language but also by the many realities of clinical activity and the barriers we must overcome in order to be able to carry out research in environments that are not always the most favorable.

Can I write a scientific article even if I have had no training in that area?
You can do it, because you can always learn and you will see that it is very rewarding to overcome new intellectual challenges. To be able to develop a research properly and then publish in a peer-reviewed journal is not achieved with money or contacts or with political or business background. There is no favoritism. That is why in OCE the review process is masked. Ideas are evaluated and validated in their context of methodological implementation, regardless of where you live and practice. Even apart from your current training, you can improve your practice by practicing evidence-based medicine and training yourself to perform your care work using the scientific method. Whether or not you do research, acquiring this knowledge will add value for you and your impact community - your patients.

Research motivates us to continuous training and learning as a team
We all can learn to be better every day. We all can continue learning even when we have advanced in age in our lives. Learning as we grow older is hard but it will make gray hair or baldness gain academic recognition at the highest level. The world in general and our Hispanic-American ophthalmological world in particular are constantly changing. Rethinking today whether what one has done in life is always right and necessary. Nothing is everlasting and the possibility of revalidating our truths on a daily basis is part of the thinking mechanism we practice in research methodology and evidence-based medicine. Our opinion is ephemerally valid and irrelevant in the scientific universe, but at the same time, indispensable for that universe to evolve favorably and to promote the growth of knowledge.
All this is easier if it is done as a team and you can count on the editorial board of OCE and a great number of resources provided by the support of the Argentine Council of Ophthalmology.