Last summer, Arthur Peter Morello used the Internet to track down study participants for a follow-up survey, achieving results that gained attention from the doctors with whom he worked and, subsequently, attention from those in the field
What I did last summer: Conducted research in a new way that may help researchers working on future follow-up studies.
Arthur Peter Morello’s summary of his summer internship may not be that simplistic, but he did have to get to the point quickly in penning his experience as an abstract for a scientific conference.
Last summer, Morello (right) used the Internet to track down study participants for a follow-up survey, achieving results that gained attention from the cardiac doctors with whom he worked and, subsequently, attention from those in the field.
Morello’s use of the Internet resulted in a greater success rate of locating participants than historically achieved through the usual route in follow-up studies: calling phone numbers listed in old medical records.
He is slated to present his information in September at the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology symposium in Boston. More importantly, he said, the Internet work led to sounder findings for the doctors’ study.
"When everyone is accounted for it makes your results that much more credible," said Morello, who expects to graduate midyear with a degree in biophysics. He hopes to pursue his interest in medicine after he graduates by getting a combined degree in public health and business and applying it to the management of hospitals.
Morello worked on the study first as intern, and later as a research assistant, for Mission Internal Medical Group of Mission Viejo, Calif., located near his home in Southern California.
"Pete’s work was very important," said Christine Hayashida, electrocardiogram technician and database manager for Mission and a co-author on the study. "We found more people than we thought we could."
The study began in 1997, when Mission Internal Medical Group conducted nuclear stress tests on patients. Nuclear isotopes indicate blockages in arteries, according to Hayashida. The idea was to follow up at a later date to determine how well the test predicted the patients' medical outcomes.
At first, Morello used telephone numbers on the patients’ files to track them down, but many had relocated or died. "We had trouble," he said. And "you can’t make assumptions in science."
So Morello began using Internet sites to find the patients. He tracked people through Yahoo, Internet Yellow Pages, and even logged into the Social Security database to determine which patients had died.
"You almost get spoiled … because the information is right at your fingertips," said Morello. "I’m pretty impatient now."