Surgical Innovation

 

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Surgical Innovation, Vol. 12, No. 2, 173-176 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/155335060501200218

The Scientific Method is Dead-Long Live the (New) Scientific Method

Richard M. Satava, MD

Department of Surgery, University of Washington Medical Center, 1959 Pacific Street NE, Seattle, WA 98195 rsatava{at}u.washington.edu; Departments of the Army, Navy or Air Force, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or the Department of Defense

The scientific method has been the mainstay of scientific inquiry and clinical practice for nearly a century. A new methodology has been emerging from the scientific (nonmedical) community: the introduction of modeling and simulation as an integral part of the scientific process. Thus, after the hypothesis is proposed and an experiment is designed, modern scientists perform numerous simulations of the experiment. An iterative optimization of the design of the experiment is performed on the computer and is seen in virtual prototyping and virtual testing and evaluation. After this iterative step, when the best design has been refined, the actual experiment is conducted in the laboratory. The value is that the modeling and simulation step saves time and money for conducting the live experiment. The practice of medicine should look to the tools being used by the rest of the scientific community and consider adopting and adapting those new principles.

Key Words: scientific method • modeling and simulation • virtual prototyping • testing


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