scholarly journals Use & Misuse of Water-filtered Tobacco Smoking Pipes in the World. Consequences for Public Health, Research & Research Ethics

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamal Chaouachi
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Tobacco Smoking ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Great Majority ◽  
Daily Practice ◽  
Public Health Research ◽  
Global Epidemic ◽  
Negative Results ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Meta Analyses

Background: The traditional definition of an “epidemic” has been revisited by antismoking researchers. After 400 years, Doctors would have realized that one aspect of an ancient cultural daily practice of Asian and African societies was in fact a “global “epidemic””. This needed further investigation particularly if one keeps in his mind the health aspects surrounding barbecues. Method: Here, up-to-date biomedical results are dialectically confronted with anthropological findings, hence in real life, in order to highlight the extent of the global confusion: from the new definition of an “epidemic” and “prevalence” to the myth of “nicotine “addiction”” and other themes in relation to water filtered tobacco smoking pipes (WFTSPs). Results: We found that over the last decade, many publications, -particularly reviews, “meta-analyses” and “systematic reviews”- on (WFTSPs), have actually contributed to fuelling the greatest mix-up ever witnessed in biomedical research. One main reason for such a situation has been the absolute lack of critical analysis of the available literature and the uncritical use of citations (one seriously flawed review has been cited up to 200 times). Another main reason has been to take as granted a biased smoking robot designed at the US American of Beirut whose measured yields of toxic chemicals may differ dozens of times from others' based on the same “protocol”. We also found that, for more than one decade, two other main methodological problems are: 1) the long-lived unwillingness to distinguish between use and misuse; 2) the consistent unethical rejection of biomedical negative results which, interestingly, are quantitatively and qualitatively much more instructive than the positive ones. Conclusion: the great majority of WFTSP toxicity studies have actually measured, voluntarily or not, their misuse aspects, not the use in itself. This is in contradiction with both the harm reduction and public health doctrines. The publication of negative results should be encouraged instead of being stifled.

Health Protection

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Communicable Disease ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Daily Practice ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Health Protection ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Environmental Public Health ◽  
Health Response

This book is an accessible and practical core text on the three domains of health protection: Communicable Disease Control, Emergency Preparedness Resilience and Response (EPRR), and protection of the public from environmental hazards (Environmental Public Health). The editors have attempted to develop an “all hazards approach” to dealing with health protection situations. Most health protection books confine themselves to one of the three domains, whereas this book presents a practical and all hazards approach, with some account of the overarching principles of health protection on which day-to-day practice rests. The target audience is health protection practitioners, students, doctors, nurses and other non-medical professionals who may encounter health protection issues in their daily practice. From a clear introduction to the essential principles of health protection work, the book guides readers through how to manage real health protection incidents using a combination of case studies and quick reference action checklists. Each case study provides a common health protection scenario which develops in stages, in the same way as a real-life case or incident. As the story unfolds, the reader will learn about the nature and significance of the specific threat to population health, the practical steps and issues involved in an effective public health response and the health protection principles underpinning that response. Other chapters outline the general principles of health protection, providing a deeper understanding of key tools and mechanisms, as well as insights into new and emerging health protection issues. A series of individual checklists dealing with a broad range of commonly-faced diseases, hazards and incidents complete the book. These give concise and practically-focused information that can be used even by non-specialists in time-pressured situations. In particular, the variety of chapters covered throughout the book, on Communicable Diseases, Emergency Preparedness Resilience and Response, and Environmental Public Health, offer a unique perspective borne out of practical experience, not easily accessible elsewhere.

scholarly journals Beyond Diagnostic Accuracy: The Clinical Utility of Diagnostic Tests

2012 ◽  
Vol 58 (12) ◽  
pp. 1636-1643 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick MM Bossuyt ◽  
Johannes B Reitsma ◽  
Kristian Linnet ◽  
Karel GM Moons
Keyword(s):  
Diagnostic Accuracy ◽  
Diagnostic Tests ◽  
Clinical Utility ◽  
Randomized Clinical Trials ◽  
Diagnostic Testing ◽  
Daily Practice ◽  
Technical Performance ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Negative Results ◽  
Definition Of

Abstract Like any other medical technology or intervention, diagnostic tests should be thoroughly evaluated before their introduction into daily practice. Increasingly, decision makers, physicians, and other users of diagnostic tests request more than simple measures of a test's analytical or technical performance and diagnostic accuracy; they would also like to see testing lead to health benefits. In this last article of our series, we introduce the notion of clinical utility, which expresses—preferably in a quantitative form—to what extent diagnostic testing improves health outcomes relative to the current best alternative, which could be some other form of testing or no testing at all. In most cases, diagnostic tests improve patient outcomes by providing information that can be used to identify patients who will benefit from helpful downstream management actions, such as effective treatment in individuals with positive test results and no treatment for those with negative results. We describe how comparative randomized clinical trials can be used to estimate clinical utility. We contrast the definition of clinical utility with that of the personal utility of tests and markers. We show how diagnostic accuracy can be linked to clinical utility through an appropriate definition of the target condition in diagnostic-accuracy studies.

scholarly journals 4.B. Skills building seminar: Participatory action research: sharing power to improve public health research outcomes

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Participatory Action Research ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Public Health Research ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Care Programme ◽  
Caregiver Support

Abstract This skills building seminar addresses the use of Participatory Action Research (PAR) as strategy to involve professionals and practitioners from (non-academic) health organizations in public health research. These so-called stakeholders possess external -experiential practice-based- knowledge important for a successful realization of a public health research project. After a short introduction on the why and when of PAR as a suitable strategy in public health research, and the why and when in a project's life cycle stakeholders can or must join, levels of participatory practices will be discussed, as well as consequences of transfer of power from academic researchers to professionals and practitioners in the field. The first part of the seminar will be followed by two real life examples from two projects in Germany: 1) a psycho-oncological care project -hospital-based-, where alarm bells went off during the external prospective evaluation of the new care programme. In the development phase of this new programme,key stakeholders had not been involved yet; and 2) the optimization, by inserting PAR cycles, of a stroke family caregiver support programme before implementation in a public health care system. The audience is invited to discuss research dilemmas, as well as pros and cons of the PAR strategy Key messages Participatory action research is about active collaboration between academics and health professionals to bring transformative change through the process of taking action and doing research. Sharing power between academics and health professionals is vital to improve public health research.

Bicycle helmet wearing is associated with closer overtaking by drivers: A response to Olivier and Walter, 2013

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Walker ◽  
Dorothy Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Statistical Power ◽  
Public Health Research ◽  
Bicycle Helmet ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Driver Behaviour ◽  
Near Misses ◽  
Original Dataset ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Sufficient Statistical Power

There is a body of research on how driver behaviour might change in response to bicyclists’ appearance. In 2007, Walker published a study suggesting motorists drove closer on average when passing a bicyclist if the rider wore a helmet, potentially increasing the risk of a collision. Olivier and Walter re-analysed the same data in 2013 and claimed helmet wearing was not associated with close vehicle passing. Here we show how Olivier and Walter’s analysis addressed a subtly, but importantly, different question than Walker’s. Their conclusion was based on omitting information about variability in driver behaviour and instead dividing overtakes into two binary categories of ‘close’ and ‘not close’; we demonstrate that they did not justify or address the implications of this choice, did not have sufficient statistical power for their approach, and moreover show that slightly adjusting their definition of ‘close’ would reverse their conclusions. We then present a new analysis of the original dataset, measuring directly the extent to which drivers changed their behaviour in response to helmet wearing. This analysis confirms that drivers did, overall, get closer when the rider wore a helmet. The distribution of overtaking events shifted just over one-fifth of a standard deviation closer to the rider – a potentially important behaviour if, as theoretical frameworks suggest, near-misses and collisions lie on a continuum. The paper ends by considering wider issues surrounding this topic and suggests public health research might be best served by shifting focus to risk elimination rather than harm mitigation.

scholarly journals Medical records confidentiality and public health research: two values at stake? An italian survey focus on individual preferences

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Virgilia Toccaceli ◽  
Corrado Fagnani ◽  
Maria Antonietta Stazi
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Medical Records ◽  
Great Majority ◽  
Public Health Research ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Italian Survey ◽  
Explicit Consent ◽  
Hospital Discharge Records ◽  
Privacy And Confidentiality

In a time when Europe is preparing to introduce new regulations on privacy protection, we conducted a survey among 1700 twins enrolled in the Italian Twin Register about the access and use of their medical records for public health research without explicit informed consent. A great majority of respondents would refuse or are doubtful about the access and use of hospital discharge records or clinical data without their explicit consent. Young and female individuals represent the modal profile of these careful people. As information retrieved from medical records is crucial for progressing knowledge, it is important to promote a better understanding of the value of public health research activities among the general population. Furthermore, public opinions are relevant to policy making, and concerns and preferences about privacy and confidentiality in research can contribute to the design of procedures to exploit medical records effectively and customize the protection of individuals’ medical data.

scholarly journals Closing the gaps in defining and conceptualising acceptability of healthcare: A synthesis review and thematic content analysis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blaise Joy Bucyibaruta ◽  
Doriccah Peu ◽  
Lesley Bamford ◽  
Annatjie van der Wath
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Public Health Research ◽  
Thematic Content Analysis ◽  
Thematic Content ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Community ◽  
Acceptability Of Healthcare ◽  
Definition Of

Abstract Background: Acceptability of healthcare is gaining ground in public health research and practice. Overlooking healthcare acceptability when designing, implementing, monitoring and assessing healthcare interventions may lead to those interventions failing. Despite the importance of acceptability, the public health community still has to agree on an explicit definition and conceptual framework of acceptability. We considered different definitions and conceptual frameworks of healthcare acceptability, and identified commonalities to develop an integrated definition of healthcare acceptability. Methods: We conducted a synthesis review and thematic content analysis of research articles that attempt to define healthcare acceptability. We searched online databases including MEDLINE/PubMed, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar for relevant articles. The retained articles were imported into ATLAS.ti 8.4. Using thematic content analysis, we deductively and inductively coded categories and themes related to definitions and frameworks of healthcare acceptability. Results: Our review of the literature described the complexity of healthcare acceptability. The concept of acceptability remains poorly defined limiting its application in public health. We propose a definition of acceptability that includes the needs and expectations of the healthcare recipient, healthcare provider as well as the capacity of the healthcare systems. We define acceptability as a multi-construct concept describing nonlinear cumulative combination in parts or in whole of expected and experienced degree of healthcare from patient, provider or health systems and policy perspectives in a given context. We provide a conceptual framework of acceptability, applicable to the public health research and practice. Conclusion: We present a definition of acceptability that can be applied to different actors of public health including patients, providers, and health systems or policy. The proposed definition of acceptability, together with the conceptual framework provides a coherent conceptualisation that can be used by the broader public health community.

Ethics of Population-Based Research

2007 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 295-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Holly A. Taylor ◽  
Summer Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Public Health Practice ◽  
Public Health Research ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Health Practice ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Definition Of

Multiple scholars and institutions have asked what distinguishes public health research from public health practice. Most often, they ask in order to have a clear definition of what one does in various public health settings to assess oversight and/or regulation of human subjects research. More importantly, however, whether something is considered public health research or public health practice has real ethical implications in terms of the general moral considerations at stake and the obligations of public health researchers/practitioners to the populations they serve or study.Numerous examples in recent history of research ethics, including the Kennedy Krieger Lead Abatement Study and EPA’s Children’s Environmental Exposure Research Study (CHEERS), suggest that an exploration of the ethics of public health, or more generally population-based research, may be warranted. Although we acknowledge that there are important ethical issues to consider in the implementation of public health practice, we leave that discussion for other authors.

The Rise of Anchor Institutions and the Threat to Community Health: Protecting Community Wealth, Building Community Power

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence T. Brown ◽  
Ashley Bachelder ◽  
Marisela B. Gomez ◽  
Alicia Sherrell ◽  
Imani Bryan
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Health Research ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Anchor Institutions ◽  
Health Related Research ◽  
Research Parks ◽  
Wealth Building

Academic institutions are increasingly playing pivotal roles in economic development and community redevelopment in cities around the United States. Many are functioning in the role of anchor institutions and building technology, biotechnology, or research parks to facilitate biomedical research. In the process, universities often partner with local governments, implementing policies that displace entire communities and families, thereby inducing a type of trauma that researcher Mindy Thompson Fullilove has termed “root shock.” We argue that displacement is a threat to public health and explore the ethical implications of university-led displacement on public health research, especially the inclusion of vulnerable populations into health-related research. We further explicate how the legal system has sanctioned the exercise of eminent domain by private entities such as universities and developers.Strategies that communities have employed in order to counter such threats are highlighted and recommended for communities that may be under the threat of university-led displacement. We also offer a critical look at the three dominant assumptions underlying university-sponsored development: that research parks are engines of economic development, that deconcentrating poverty via displacement is effective, and that poverty is simply the lack of economic or financial means. Understanding these fallacies will help communities under the threat of university-sponsored displacement to protect community wealth, build power, and improve health.

Problems in English Communicating Skills for Learners of English

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (07) ◽  
pp. 20484-20491
Author(s):  
Dr. Ishag Adam Hassan Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
English Language ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Daily Practice ◽  
Small Component ◽  
Curriculum Review ◽  
Comprehension Skills ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The University ◽  
Reading Comprehension Skills

This paper is devoted to presenting the methods in English communicating skills for Learners of English in general and the problems specific to University of Bahri. English language major’s graduates then; it discusses the notion of communicative competence, and defines strategic competence. It also briefly deals with the various definitions of communication strategies and taxonomies of conversation strategies. Also, I give brief definition of the word conversation, that is the act of talking together or exchange ideas, opinions, skills, and information. As accustomed, speaking is natural and automatic but communication is an art which must be learned and practiced. Also the aim of this paper is to present you with suitable suggestions about how you can solve problems while reading English? In order to comply with this objective: we considered two variables. The first one is that within our daily practice at the university we have students with different abilities while reading English. Therefore, we need to help them increase the ability in reading comprehension. However, we don’t have enough teachers and needed resources to supply them with the help they need. The second variable is related to the fact that at University there are different centers where the students’ skills can improve and their reading comprehension skills deficiencies could be overcome by getting help from the teachers. This study is small component of a larger curriculum review exercise. The findings of study in general suggest that both students and English language lecturers were in agreement that Sudanese students had a problem in writing and speaking English and due to that the conversational problems are raised.      Finally, the paper concludes by representing the pedagogical implications of conversation strategies.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document