[Introduction to clinical research in dermatology: the link between clinical practice and research]

Clinical research involves studying patients with a view to improving their care. It enhances the health system, benefits both patients and physicians, and represents the "natural" form of investigation for physicians. It can be conducted at both large and small sites. On initiating a line of research, a specific question should be formulated in terms of PICO (patient, intervention, comparison, and outcome). Each of these components should be precisely defined.The question will subsequently be assessed using the FINER mnemonic (that is, whether it is feasible, interesting, novel, ethical, and relevant). If shortcomings are detected, the research question can be refined or rejected directly. When we have an appropriate question,the next step will be to write our protocol with the assistance of someone trained in clinical research methodology.