scholarly journals What errors do peer reviewers detect, and does training improve their ability to detect them?

2008 ◽  
Vol 101 (10) ◽  
pp. 507-514 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Schroter ◽  
Nick Black ◽  
Stephen Evans ◽  
Fiona Godlee ◽  
Lyda Osorio ◽  
...  

Objective To analyse data from a trial and report the frequencies with which major and minor errors are detected at a general medical journal, the types of errors missed and the impact of training on error detection. Design 607 peer reviewers at the BMJ were randomized to two intervention groups receiving different types of training (face-to-face training or a self-taught package) and a control group. Each reviewer was sent the same three test papers over the study period, each of which had nine major and five minor methodological errors inserted. Setting BMJ peer reviewers. Main outcome measures The quality of review, assessed using a validated instrument, and the number and type of errors detected before and after training. Results The number of major errors detected varied over the three papers. The interventions had small effects. At baseline (Paper 1) reviewers found an average of 2.58 of the nine major errors, with no notable difference between the groups. The mean number of errors reported was similar for the second and third papers, 2.71 and 3.0, respectively. Biased randomization was the error detected most frequently in all three papers, with over 60% of reviewers rejecting the papers identifying this error. Reviewers who did not reject the papers found fewer errors and the proportion finding biased randomization was less than 40% for each paper. Conclusions Editors should not assume that reviewers will detect most major errors, particularly those concerned with the context of study. Short training packages have only a slight impact on improving error detection.

Author(s):  
Yu-ke Qin ◽  
Jie Zeng ◽  
Li Peng

ABSTRACT To explore the impact of functional training on completion quality of body difficulty, 24 rhythmic gymnasts aged 10-11 years old were randomly and averagely divided into functional training and control group and trained 2h/day for 1 month. Body difficulty – including balance, rotation, and leap difficulties – was measured before and after training. The results showed that the total score, the score of 360° passé pivot and the score of split leap for the functional training group was respectively 1.87, 0.77, and 0.42 points higher than those for the control group (P<0.05) after 1 month of training. Therefore, it can be concluded that functional training based on Functional Movement Screen (FMS) can clearly improve completion quality of body difficulty in juvenile rhythmic gymnastics within a short period of time.


2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-17
Author(s):  
Rr. Tutik Sri Hariyati ◽  
Made Sumarwati ◽  
Hanny Handiyani

AbstrakSerangan stroke di masyarakat sering dianggap bencana karena menimbulkan kegagalan fungsi tubuh. Hal ini berdampak pada kehidupan biologi, psikologi, sosial, ekonomi, dan spiritual. Stres juga dapat muncul pasca serangan akut stroke berupa penolakan diri, rendah diri, marah, depresi, dan dihantui bayang-bayang kegagalan fungsi atau kematian. Stres pada pasien dan keluarga umumnya disebabkan karena kecemasan dan ketidaktahuan tentang kondisi penyakitnya. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengidentifikasi pengaruh manajemen stres terhadap kesiapan pasien stroke dan keluarga dalam merencanakan perilaku adaptif pasca perawatan di rumah sakit. Desain penelitian adalah eksperimental dengan post test control group di mana pasien dan keluarga mendapatkan manajemen stres yang dikembangkan dalam penelitian dan dinilai perencanaan perilaku adaptif pascaperawatan di rumah sakit. Data primer diperoleh dari 84 responden (42 pasien dan 42 keluarga) melalui kuisioner, pengkajian fisik, dan wawancara. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan 93,1% partisipasi keluarga dan pasien saat perawatan di rumah sakit nilainya baik, hanya 6,9 % yang mempunyai partisipasi sedang, dan 0 % partisipasi kurang. Perencanaan perilaku adaptif menunjukan 50% mempunyai perencanaan yang baik dan sisanya punya perencanaan yang cukup serta 73,35% responden punya perilaku yang baik dalam mengantisipasi kekambuhan. Perbandingan koping terhadap stres pada kondisi sebelum dilakukan manajemen stres dengan kondisi setelah diberikan manajemen stres dari 78,9 % meningkat menjadi 88,9 %. Responden juga melaksanakan perencanaan perilaku adaptif sesuai dengan kondisinya. AbstractStroke attact is considered to be a serious problem since it affects human biology, psychology, social, economic, and spirituality. Stress after acute attack can be manifested by depression, self-rejection, low self confident, and anger. Many stroke client feel afraid of loss of their functional ability and death. Anxiety and lack of knowledge abaout the disease is a common source of stress. This study investigated the impact of stress management to readiness of client and family in order to plan adapting behaviors after hospitalization. The experimental design with posttest conrol group was chosen. Primary data were collected through questionnaire, interview, and physical assesment from 84 respondent (42 clients and 42 families). Finding indicate that the quality of clients and families paticipation are 93,1% good, 6,9% moderate and none low quality. Half of respondent develop a good plan of adaptive behavior and the rest of them are fair. Majority of respondents (73,3%) constructed a good plan in anticipating stroke recurrent. Coping stress ratio before and after intervention increase from 78,9% to 88,9%. Respondents implement their adaptive behavior plan according to their condition.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Xuepei Li ◽  
Jianqiang Lin ◽  
Zidong Chen ◽  
Guangming Jin ◽  
Danying Zheng

Purpose. To determine the changes in vision-related quality of life and psychological distress after cataract surgery in monocular patients and to compared these with a control group of age- and gender-matched binocular patients. Methods. We enrolled 40 monocular patients and 40 binocular patients who underwent cataract surgery from August 2017 to December 2018. All participants undertook eye examinations and answered questionnaires (the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire, Self-rating Anxiety Scale, and Self-rating Depression Scale) before and after cataract surgery. Result. The monocular patients had significantly worse mean CDVA than the binocular patients before and after surgery. However, there was no significant difference between the increases gained by the two groups. Mean composite VFQ-25 scores of the monocular group were significantly lower than those of the binocular group before and after surgery, but the improvement experienced by the monocular group was statistically larger than the binocular group (37.20 ± 12.84 vs. 19.11 ± 5.13, P < 0.001 ). Mean standard SAS scores of monocular patients were significantly higher than those of binocular controls before and after surgery, while monocular patients experienced a significant greater decline of SAS scores (−9.41 ± 5.39 VS −3.84 ± 1.61, P < 0.001 ). Mean standard SDS scores of the monocular group were significantly higher than those of the control group before and after surgery, but the monocular group experienced a significantly greater decline of SDS scores following cataract surgery (−11.91 ± 6.38 VS −4.78 ± 1.79, P < 0.001 ). There was a significant correlation between the preoperative logMAR CDVA and both the postoperative logMAR CDVA (r = 0.63, P < 0.001 ) and the changes in the logMAR CDVA (r = −0.881, P < 0.001 ) for monocular patients. Linear regression analyses suggested that higher postoperative VFQ-25 scores had significant associations with better preoperative CDVA and the absence of systemic comorbidity (both P < 0.05 ). Age and ocular comorbidity were significantly associated with postoperative SAS scores (both P < 0.05 ). Age and systemic comorbidity remained significant impact factors for SDS scores (both P < 0.05 ). Conclusion. Monocular patients reported greater improvement in vision-related quality of life and greater decline in the level of anxiety and depression than binocular control subjects, despite having similar CDVA gains after cataract surgery. We argue that it is not a better choice for monocular patients to delay cataract surgery until the cataract is very advanced. A clear understanding of the impact of cataract surgery on vision-related quality of life and psychological distress in monocular patients is needed by ophthalmologists when making surgery decision.


2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 271-274
Author(s):  
Samir Salim Daher ◽  
Monica Paschoal Nogueira ◽  
Mauro Ferreira ◽  
Marcia Regina Martinez Tedeschi ◽  
Lilton Rodolfo Castellan Martinez ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the impact of physical activity on the use of the health system and the quality of life in sedentary elderly. Methods: A prospective interventional study was carried out between March 2010 and February 2011 with 100 subjects (60-90 years of age,) divided into active group (AG) and control group (CG). During this period, AG performed physical exercise twice a week in 60-minute sessions and the CG remained sedentary with observation of their activities. Before and after the study, all subjects were clinically evaluated and completed a quality of life questionnaire. Results: Eighty-nine subjects (AG = 44; CG = 45) were analyzed. AG had fewer visits to emergency room (p = 0.0056), hospitalizations (p = 0.0011), length of hospital stay (p = 0.0012) and fewer subsidiary tests (p = 0.0236) compared to the CG. The quality of life score analyzed before and after physical activity increased in AG compared to CG (p < 0.0001) and among subjects in AG (p < 0.0001), with no change in the CG. Conclusion: The intervention of a physical activity program for sedentary elderly can contribute to reduce the use of the health system and improve the quality of life. Level of evidence II, Therapeutics Studies. Prospective comparative study.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (Sup2) ◽  
pp. S24-S31
Author(s):  
Sara Fahimi ◽  
Maryam Allahbakhshian ◽  
Amir Sadeghi ◽  
Atefeh Allahbakhshian ◽  
Malihe Nasiri

Background: Peptic ulcers can have a major negative impact on patients' quality of life (QoL), especially if patients do not adhere to prescribed medication. Aim: This study was carried out to investigate the impact on QoL and adherence of an educational programme for peptic ulcer patients, delivered by a variety of methods. Methods: The population in this single-blind randomised control experimental study included 120 peptic ulcer patients randomly assigned to four groups. Data were collected using the Gastrointestinal Patients' Quality of Life Index and the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale. Findings: A significant increase was observed in the mean scores related to QoL (p=0.001) and medication adherence (p=0.003) compared with the control group after the educational intervention in the intervention groups. One-way ANOVA test for four independent groups indicated a significant difference between the mean scores related to QoL and medication adherence in the four groups after the intervention (p<0.05). In addition, a significant difference was reported in the mean score changes before and after the intervention in QoL and medication adherence between messenger group and face-to-face, web and control groups. Conclusions: Although all three methods of face-to-face, web-based and messenger-based education improved the QoL and medication adherence in peptic ulcer patients, the last method enhanced these patient-related outcomes more effectively than the other two.


2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-72
Author(s):  
Herlin Hamimi ◽  
Abdul Ghafar Ismail ◽  
Muhammad Hasbi Zaenal

Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam which has a function of faith, social and economic functions. Muslims who can pay zakat are required to give at least 2.5 per cent of their wealth. The problem of poverty prevalent in disadvantaged regions because of the difficulty of access to information and communication led to a gap that is so high in wealth and resources. The instrument of zakat provides a paradigm in the achievement of equitable wealth distribution and healthy circulation. Zakat potentially offers a better life and improves the quality of human being. There is a human quality improvement not only in economic terms but also in spiritual terms such as improving religiousity. This study aims to examine the role of zakat to alleviate humanitarian issues in disadvantaged regions such as Sijunjung, one of zakat beneficiaries and impoverished areas in Indonesia. The researcher attempted a Cibest method to capture the impact of zakat beneficiaries before and after becoming a member of Zakat Community Development (ZCD) Program in material and spiritual value. The overall analysis shows that zakat has a positive impact on disadvantaged regions development and enhance the quality of life of the community. There is an improvement in the average of mustahik household incomes after becoming a member of ZCD Program. Cibest model demonstrates that material, spiritual, and absolute poverty index decreased by 10, 5, and 6 per cent. Meanwhile, the welfare index is increased by 21 per cent. These findings have significant implications for developing the quality of life in disadvantaged regions in Sijunjung. Therefore, zakat is one of the instruments to change the status of disadvantaged areas to be equivalent to other areas.


Background: Integrated disease management with self-management for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is effective to improve clinical outcomes. eHealth can improve patients’ involvement to be able to accept and maintain a healthier lifestyle. Eventhough there is mixed evidence of the impact of eHealth on quality of life (QoL) in different settings. Aim: The primary aim of the e-Vita-COPD-study was to investigate the effect of use of eHealth patient platforms on disease specific QoL of COPD patients. Methods: We evaluated the impact of an eHealth platform on disease specific QoL measured with the clinical COPD questionnaire (CCQ), including subscales of symptoms, functional state and mental state. Interrupted time series (ITS) design was used to collect CCQ data at multiple time points. Multilevel linear regression modelling was used to compare trends in CCQ before and after the eHealth intervention. Results: Of 742 invited COPD patients, 244 signed informed consent. For the analyses, we only included patients who actually used the eHealth platform (n = 123). The decrease of CCQ-symptoms was 0,20% before the intervention and 0,27% after the intervention; this difference was statistically significant (P=0.027). The decrease of CCQ-mental was 0,97% before the intervention and after the intervention there was an increase of 0,017%; this difference was statistically significant (P=0,01). No significant difference was found in the slopes of CCQ (P=0,12) and CCQ-function (P=0,11) before and after the intervention. Conclusion: The e-Vita eHealth platform had a potential beneficial impact on the CCQ-symptoms of COPD patients, but not on functional state. The CCQ-mental state remained stable after the intervention, but this was a deterioration compared to the improving situation before the start of the eHealth platform. In conclusion, this study shows that after the introduction of the COPD platform, patients experienced fewer symptoms, but their mental state deteriorated slightly at the same time. Therefore, health care providers should be aware that, although symptoms improve, there might be a slight increase in anxiety and depression after introducing an eHealth intervention to support self-management.


Mathematics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 558
Author(s):  
David Valiente ◽  
Héctor Campello-Vicente ◽  
Emilio Velasco-Sánchez ◽  
Fernando Rodríguez-Mas ◽  
Nuria Campillo-Davo

University education approaches related to the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), have generally particularized on teaching activity and learning programs which are commonly understood as reoriented lessons that fuse theoretic concepts interweaved with practical activities. In this context, team work has been widely acknowledged as a means to conduct practical and hands-on lessons, and has been revealed to be successful in the achievement of exercise resolution and design tasks. Besides this, methodologies sustained by ICT resources such as online or blended approaches, have also reported numerous benefits for students’ active learning. However, such benefits have to be fully validated within the particular teaching context, which may facilitate student achievement to a greater or lesser extent. In this work, we analyze the impact of attendance modalities on the learning performance of a STEM-related course on “Machines and Mechanisms Theory”, in which practical lessons are tackled through a team work approach. The validity of the results is reinforced by group testing and statistical tests with a sample of 128 participants. Students were arranged in a test group (online attendance) and in a control group (face-to-face attendance) to proceed with team work during the practical lessons. Thus, the efficacy of distance and in situ methodologies is compared. Moreover, additional variables have also been compared according to the historical record of the course, in regards to previous academic years. Finally, students’ insights about the collaborative side of this program, self-knowledge and satisfaction with the proposal have also been reported by a custom questionnaire. The results demonstrate greater performance and satisfaction amongst participants in the face-to-face modality. Such a modality is prooven to be statistically significant for the final achievement of students in detriment to online attendance.


Trials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Ye ◽  
Dawei Zhu ◽  
Siyuan Chen ◽  
Xuefeng Shi ◽  
Rui Gong ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Hearing loss is quite prevalent and can be related to people’s quality of life. To our knowledge, there are limited studies assessing the efficacy of hearing interventions on quality of life in adults. Therefore, we aim to conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to determine the impact and cost-effectiveness of community-based hearing rehabilitation on quality of life among Chinese adults with hearing loss. Methods/design In this two-arm feasibility study, participants aged 16 and above with some degree of hearing loss (n = 464) will be recruited from Linyi City, Shandong Province. They are randomly assigned to the treatment group or the control group. Those in the treatment group are prescribed with hearing aids, while those in the control group receive no intervention. Reinstruction in use of devices is provided for the treatment group during booster visits held 12 months post-randomization or unscheduled interim visits when necessary. Data are collected at baseline and the follow-up 20 months later. The primary outcome is changes in quality of life over a 20-month study period. Secondary outcomes include sub-dimensions in quality of life, physical functioning, chronic diseases, cognitive function, depression, social support, hospitalizations, falls, and healthcare costs. Finally, we will evaluate whether hearing aids intervention is cost-effective to apply in a large scale. Discussion The trial is designed to evaluate the impact and cost-effectiveness of a community-based rehabilitation intervention on quality of life among Chinese adults with hearing loss. We hope that it would help improve the well-being for Chinese adults and provide references in policy and practice for China and other countries. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR1900024739. Registered on 26 July 2019.


2021 ◽  
pp. 025576142110272
Author(s):  
Oriana Incognito ◽  
Laura Scaccioni ◽  
Giuliana Pinto

A number of studies suggest a link between musical training and both specific and general cognitive abilities, but despite some positive results, there is disagreement about which abilities are improved. This study aims to investigate the effects of a music education program both on a domain-specific competence (meta-musical awareness), and on general domain competences, that is, cognitive abilities (logical-mathematical) and symbolic-linguistic abilities (notational). Twenty 4- to 6-year-old children participated in the research, divided into two groups (experimental and control) and the measures were administered at two different times, before and after a 6-month music program (for the experimental group) and after a sports training program (for the control group). Children performed meta-musical awareness tasks, logical-mathematical tasks, and emergent-alphabetization tasks. Non-parametric statistics show that a music program significantly improves the development of notational skills and meta-musical awareness while not the development of logical-mathematical skills. These results show that a musical program increases children’s meta-musical awareness, and their ability to acquire the notational ability involved in the invented writing of words and numbers. On the contrary, it does not affect the development of logical skills. The results are discussed in terms of transfer of knowledge processes and of specific versus general domain effects of a musical program.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document