Vol.3 No.1 2010

71/110

Research paper : A field-scientific approach to Clinico-Informatics (Y. Kinoshita et al.)−68−Synthesiology - English edition Vol.3 No.1 (2010) Basic Research are stored in the warehouse of knowledge, according to Kawakita, and are supplied to the Type 2 Basic Research process in the following cycle.There were considerable amount of discussions to clarify what Full Research is, but it seems there has not been enough discussion on how Full Research is done. On the other hand, the KJ method, which was initially proposed as a method to support abduction, is now extended to the method to support the whole processes in the Kawakita W-model. The reviewer informed us of Reference [10] by Nakashima. Although it is interesting that the importance of abduction is also discussed in [10], we wish to discuss about it from our viewpoint in detail in another, proper context.3.3 Qualitative research and quantitative researchQualitative research nowadays is often discussed in contrast to quantitative research. In physics and chemistry, qualitative research tends to be undermined as being less accurate or not very precise. This is wrong. There is accurate and precise qualitative research and it often even provides foundations of quantitative research. The validation of selection of parameters used in a quantitative research, for instance, is inherently qualitative, so all arguments which follow the selection of parameters are based on qualitative research. Incidentally, real numbers are often used to represent quantity, but there are other mathematical objects which could be used here. There are many cases where the quantitative argument can be carried out by means of only the ordering (comparisons) and limits (maximum and minimum). In such cases, the argument can be given by only using the structure of partially ordered sets, lattices or complete lattices, but not by using the whole structure of real numbers.Nevertheless, qualitative research can be conducted without losing preciseness, and are actually used widely in ethnology, sociology, and nursing. Common to these fields are the facts that they deal with phenomena which are related to human beings, that the subjectivity is involved in the subject of studyNote 7), that they deal with phenomena which are not reproducible or hard to reproduce, and that the subject of study is complex. Parameters used to examine complex subject of study, in general, should be chosen with care. The validity and adequacy of the selection must be thoroughly and carefully studied, but such is only done by qualitative research, as we explain above. Qualitative research is important here and we need a methodology for it. The KJ method[1][2][3] by Kawakita and the grounded theory approach by Glaser and Strauss[11] are examples of such methodologies.It would be appropriate, in the study of technology transfer from the viewpoint of clinico-informatics, to take the qualitative research approach to grasp the right direction of the research. The reason is that technical transfer involves human beings and, like other such humanistic subjects, it concerns with wide and complex variety of phenomena. The decision of whether a specific enterprise employs the new technology is entirely subjective, like all other decisions. Moreover, technology transfer in an individual enterprise is a non-reproducible process.So, qualitative research plays a large role in the study of clinico-informatics, at least in its earlier phases. There can, however, be much use of quantitative research in the study of clinico-informatics. The authors are not totally negative about quantitative research, but qualitative research must come before it. It is only necessary to give serious thought about the selection of quantities to be investigated before starting quantitative approach, and such thought would unavoidably lead to qualitative research.4 A scenario of technology transferWe present, in this chapter, a typical scenario for the technology transfer process abstracted from our fieldwork experience in transferring the model checking technology.1. [Interview] At first, the research team interviews its industrial partner in order to collect detailed explanations of the situation.2. [Trial experiment] The participant observation process is repeated through the trial experiment where the model checking (technology to be transferred) is applied to development projects conducted by the industrial partner. This is done jointly by the research team and its industrial partner.3. [From engawa (entrance) to oku-zashiki (backyard)] The trial experiment is started targeting system development with smaller risks of failure; this we call the entrancestage. As the trials are repeated several times, the target developments are chosen from those with larger risks of failure, and we call this process being introduced backyard. An example of development with little risk is a prototype which was once developed some years ago; the experiment can be done using left records of the prototype project. Development of test products has more risk, and that of commercial products for sale would have the largest risk for industrial partners.4. [Training of engineers] The trial experiment is initially conducted solely by the research team, but in due course it should be taken over by the industrial partner, because that is the goal of technology transfer. In order to enable it, training for the use of technology is given to the industrial partner. The objective is to impose technological discipline on engineers so that they can carry out the trial experiments on their own.5. [Objective achieved] The objective of technology transfer (such as manual writing and state-of-the-art engineer training) is achieved.

※このページを正しく表示するにはFlashPlayer9以上が必要です