Question 1

Which assessment scales should a geriatrics thesis use?

Accepted Answer

Instruments with published validation in Indian populations and available in the language of administration. The Katz and Lawton scales for activities of daily living, the Mini Mental State Examination or Montreal Cognitive Assessment for cognition, the Geriatric Depression Scale for mood, the Mini Nutritional Assessment for nutrition, and established frailty phenotype or index criteria are all in routine use. Check licensing before committing, since a few carry fees.

Question 2

What consent issues arise in geriatric research?

Accepted Answer

Capacity is the recurring one. Where cognitive impairment is present or suspected, the protocol must describe how capacity will be assessed and how proxy consent from a family member will be obtained and documented. Assent from the participant should still be sought where possible. Committees also look at whether the assessment burden is reasonable, since a battery of six instruments is tiring for a frail elderly participant.

Question 3

Where are participants recruited for a geriatrics thesis?

Accepted Answer

Three settings, each with different implications. Hospital inpatients give the sickest population and the easiest recruitment but the least generalisable findings. Outpatient attendees are more representative of care-seeking elderly. Community sampling through a field practice area gives the most generalisable result but demands the most time and travel. State the setting clearly, because it determines how the findings can be interpreted.

Question 4

How is a thesis topic different from a thesis protocol?

Accepted Answer

The topic is the title — the question a study sets out to answer, together with the population and the design. The protocol is the full document built around it: background, review of literature, aims and objectives, inclusion and exclusion criteria, sample size calculation, methodology, statistical plan, ethics considerations, consent documents and references. A topic is agreed with a guide first; the protocol is written afterwards and submitted to the institutional ethics committee.

Question 5

When does a postgraduate thesis have to be submitted?

Accepted Answer

For most Indian postgraduate programmes the protocol is submitted within the first six months of joining, and the completed thesis is submitted at least six months before the final examination. Exact deadlines are set by the university, so the departmental circular for the current session takes precedence over any general timeline.

Question 6

How is sample size decided for a postgraduate thesis?

Accepted Answer

Sample size follows from the primary objective, not the other way round. A prevalence study is powered from an expected proportion and an acceptable margin of error; a comparative study is powered from the expected difference between groups, the standard deviation, alpha and desired power. The figure should then be checked against the institution's actual case load for the study period, because a statistically ideal sample that cannot be recruited in the time available is not a workable plan.

Question 7

Does a thesis topic need ethics committee approval?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Every postgraduate thesis involving human participants, human data or human samples requires clearance from the institutional ethics committee before data collection begins. Approval is granted on the protocol rather than on the title, and the submission usually includes the protocol, the participant information sheet and the consent form in English and in the local language.

Question 8

What makes a topic realistic for a three-year postgraduate programme?

Accepted Answer

A workable topic can be completed at a single centre, with equipment and investigations that are already available in routine practice, within roughly eighteen months of data collection. Topics that depend on external funding, specialised assays, multicentre coordination or long follow-up tend to stall. Choosing a condition the department already sees in volume matters more than choosing a novel one.

Question 9

Can a thesis be published as a research paper afterwards?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and it is generally expected. A thesis is usually condensed into a paper of around three to four thousand words, restructured into the standard introduction, methods, results and discussion format, with the review of literature shortened considerably. Journals differ in their requirements, and the ethics approval number from the original thesis is normally cited in the methods section.

50 MD Geriatrics Thesis Topics

Choosing a MD Geriatrics thesis topic

Thesis and protocol questions