Increasing the efficiency of medical research with dynamic research summaries for researchers and consumers.

Literature reviews are usually the first step in conducting medical research projects. They often lead to the creation of a useful research question. However, this initial step in medical research contains inefficiencies, which if removed, could speed up the research process and thereby enhance development of innovative health related products. In addition, existing research article databases offer information which is inaccessible to most lay consumers. This article proposes an alternative approach for allowing researchers to assess the state of research in a particular area called "dynamic research summaries." These summaries would offer a regularly updated narrative of existing research in any given area. They could increase the speed at which researchers of all levels review literature and develop useful research questions. In addition, this article proposes translating this information into a consumer friendly form that enhances the ability of non-expert consumers to review existing research relevant to their illness or a loved one's illness. This consumer friendly version could also be translated into other languages, such as Spanish in the US, to increase accessibility for minority groups that speak other languages more proficiently. Finally, the article discusses the potential of either the public or private sector leading efforts to develop dynamic research summaries for experts and consumers.