Effect direction (evidence to indicate improvement, deterioration, or no change in an outcome) can be used as a standardized metric which enables the synthesis of diverse effect measures in systematic reviews. The effect direction (ED) plot was developed to support the synthesis and visualization of effect direction data. Methods for the ED plot…

Traditional visualization in meta-analysis uses forest plots to illustrate the combined treatment effect, along with the respective results from primary trials. While the purpose of visualization is clear in the pairwise setting, additional treatments broaden the focus and extend the results to be illustrated in network meta-analysis. The…

This paper addresses psychological factors that might interfere with informed consent on the part of stable patients as potential early-phase clinical trial participants. Thirty-six semistructured interviews with patients who had either diabetes or gout were conducted. We investigated stable patients' attitudes towards participating in a…

The Confidentiality Advisory Group (CAG) is a specialised body that advises the Health Research Authority (HRA) and the Secretary of State for Health on requests for access to confidential information, in the absence of informed consent from its owners. Its primary role is to oversee the safe use of such information and to counsel the governing…

This note outlines some connections between projective geometry and some designs used in clinical trials in the health sciences. The connections are not immediately obvious but they widen the scope for enrichment work at both the senior high school level and for capstone subjects at the undergraduate level.

The involvement of non-researcher contributors (eg, stakeholders, patients and the public, decision and policy makers, experts, lay contributors) has taken a variety of forms within evidence syntheses. Realist reviews are a form of evidence synthesis that involves non-researcher contributors yet this practice has received little attention. In…

Lexical bundles (LBs) are frequent groups of words that appear repeatedly in different academic texts. A plethora of research has explored their distribution and usage in general, particularly in academic texts. However, to our knowledge, the extent of research investigating LBs in the discussion sections of Medical Research Articles (MRAs) is…

Mathematical modeling studies are increasingly recognised as an important tool for evidence synthesis and to inform clinical and public health decision-making, particularly when data from systematic reviews of primary studies do not adequately answer a research question. However, systematic reviewers and guideline developers may struggle with…

Mixed methods (MM) involve combining qualitative (QUAL) and quantitative (QUAN) methods in program evaluation, primary research, and literature reviews. MM are being increasingly used in health and social sciences (in multiple fields and in an inter-field manner). Over the years, several strategies to integrate QUAL and QUAN phases, results, and…

Introduction: Registration of clinical trials has been initiated in order to assess adherence of the reported results to the original trial protocol. This study aimed to investigate the publication rates, timely dissemination of results, and the prevalence of consistency in hypothesis, sample size, and primary endpoint of Dutch…

During drug development, a biomarker is sometimes identified as separating a patient population into those with more and those with less benefit from evaluated treatments. Consequently, later studies might be targeted, while earlier ones are performed in mixed patient populations. This poses a challenge in evidence synthesis, especially if only…

Collaboration between industry and universities is a driving force for scientific and technological advancements. Due to the role of AstraZeneca (AZ), a British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company, in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, an analysis of the collaboration between the company and universities in the UK is of…

Workplace learning is fundamental in contextualizing theoretical concepts into practice, making it opportune for professionals to learn emerging concepts. With genomic testing transitioning from the research space into healthcare, there are more opportunities to engage with workplace learning related to genomic medicine. We therefore aimed to…

Background: Dissociative Trance Disorder (DTD), is a complex psychological condition characterized by abrupt trance-like states and altered consciousness, commonly seen in young women throughout various regions of India. Currently, there is a lack of research on the experiences of Indian adolescent girls with DTD and how inaccurate medical…

Hofmann and Holm's (2019) recent survey on issues of research misconduct with PhD graduates culminated with a notable conclusion by the authors: 'Scientific misconduct seems to be an environmental issue as much as a matter of personal integrity'. Here, we re-emphasise the usefulness of an education-based countermeasure against toxic research…