scholarly journals Data Services for Cohort Studies: Increasing the impact of existing research studies and epidemiological readiness

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura North ◽  
Christopher Orton ◽  
John Gallacher ◽  
Ronan Lyons ◽  
David Ford ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Studies ◽  
Feasibility Studies ◽  
Research Impact ◽  
Working Space ◽  
Cohort Data ◽  
Central Platform ◽  
Data Portal ◽  
Rich Data ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

IntroductionThe Dementias Platform UK (DPUK) Data Portal is a secure, accessible environment facilitating provision of rich data towards the largest Dementia, cognition and ageing community of cohort studies in the world. DPUK is also providing services for cohort studies and researchers to maximise the research potential of the programme’s community. Objectives and ApproachAs part of the engagement of DPUK cohorts with the Data Portal, cohorts will upload data onto the DPUK instance of UK Secure eResearch Platform infrastructure. The Data Portal allows access to a collaborative working space that allows cohorts to enrich their own data, perform their own analysis, and enhance the research potential of their data whilst making use of expertise at various DPUK sites, such as data linking, curation and multi-modal specialism. Cohort data divided into ontologies allows researchers to access data specific to their study needs and can be requested from multiple cohorts simultaneously. ResultsBy utilising the Data Portal researchers have access to cohort data that has been prepared for dementia epidemiology using the agreed ontologies, providing more rapid access to cohort data that otherwise may be large and complex. The knowledge and experience of DPUK staff and collaborators can also help to guide nascent cohorts and feasibility studies into producing research-ready datasets, enabling them to achieve greater impact with their data. A range of analytical tools are provided on the Data Portal making analysis of a cohort’s own data or multiple independent datasets more accessible. Alongside data curation, DPUK also facilitates data linkage to routine sources, beginning with a Wales-wide use case that will expand to the UK over the course of the project. Conclusion/ImplicationsData from international sources accessible using a central platform permits international collaboration, with ontologies allowing previously disparate data to be combined and analysed to build knowledge and research impact. DPUK projects create policy leading results and operational research standards, enhancing cohort impact and discovery of benefits for Dementia patients.

scholarly journals Differential research impact in cancer practice guidelines’ evidence base: lessons from ESMO, NICE and SIGN

ESMO Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. e000258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Pallari ◽  
Anthony W Fox ◽  
Grant Lewison
Keyword(s):  
Practice Guidelines ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Geographic Location ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Research Impact ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Effective Decision Making ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

BackgroundThis is an appraisal of the impact of cited research evidence underpinning the development of cancer clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) by the professional bodies of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN).MethodsA total of 101 CPGs were identified from ESMO, NICE and SIGN websites across 13 cancer sites. Their 9486 cited references were downloaded from the Web of Science Clarivate Group database, analysed on Excel (2016) using Visual Basic Application macros and imported onto SPSS (V.24.0) for statistical tests.ResultsESMO CPGs mostly cited research from Western Europe, while the NICE and SIGN ones from the UK, Canada, Australia and Scandinavian countries. The ESMO CPGs cited more recent and basic research (eg, drugs treatment), in comparison with NICE and SIGN CPGs where older and more clinical research (eg, surgery) papers were referenced. This chronological difference in the evidence base is also in line with that ESMO has a shorter gap between the publication of the research and its citation on the CPGs. It was demonstrated that ESMO CPGs report more chemotherapy research, while the NICE and SIGN CPGs report more surgery, with the results being statistically significant.ConclusionsWe showed that ESMO, NICE and SIGN differ in their evidence base of CPGs. Healthcare professionals should be aware of this heterogeneity in effective decision-making of tailored treatments to patients, irrespective of geographic location across Europe.

Academic life in the impact vanguard: the view from knowledge exchange organisations

2020 ◽  
pp. 137-160
Author(s):  
Katherine E. Smith ◽  
Justyna Bandola-Gill ◽  
Nasar Meer ◽  
Ellen Stewart ◽  
Richard Watermeyer
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Translation ◽  
Knowledge Exchange ◽  
Research Impact ◽  
Interview Data ◽  
Academic Life ◽  
Types Of Knowledge ◽  
Knowledge Brokerage ◽  
Experimental Subjects ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

This chapter focuses on academics working in university-based groups that have been charged with, and funded to achieve, knowledge translation and research impact. These are, we suggest, academics working at the vanguard of the impact agenda, who we might consider as experimental subjects from whom we can learn. This chapter includes a summary of the types of knowledge brokerage roles and organisations that have been created in the UK and the perceived and stated rationales for these new roles and organisations, and an analysis of interview data providing insights into the perspectives of academics working within two such groups.

Introduction: critical reflections on research impact

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Katherine E. Smith ◽  
Justyna Bandola-Gill ◽  
Nasar Meer ◽  
Ellen Stewart ◽  
Richard Watermeyer
Keyword(s):  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Empirical Investigation ◽  
Research Impact ◽  
Research Impact Assessment ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Critical Reflections

This chapter briefly explains what we mean by ‘the impact agenda’ and what the UK approach to research impact assessment involves. This chapter also makes the case for why an empirical investigation of the recent changes associated with research impact assessment is required and provides key definitions and an overview of the rest of the book.

scholarly journals Evaluating the implications of Brexit for research collaboration and policy: a network analysis and simulation study

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. e025025
Author(s):  
George Garas ◽  
Isabella Cingolani ◽  
Vanash M Patel ◽  
Pietro Panzarasa ◽  
Ara Darzi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Research Collaboration ◽  
Research Impact ◽  
Collaboration Network ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Research And Innovation ◽  
Strategic Relationships ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Eu

ObjectiveTo evaluate the role of the European Union (EU) as a research collaborator in the UK’s success as a global leader in healthcare research and innovation and quantify the impact that Brexit may have.DesignNetwork and regression analysis of scientific collaboration, followed by simulation models based on alternative scenarios.SettingInternational real-world collaboration network among all countries involved in robotic surgical research and innovation.Participants772 organisations from industry and academia nested within 56 countries and connected through 2397 collaboration links.Main outcome measuresResearch impact measured through citations and innovation value measured through the innovation index.ResultsGlobally, the UK ranks third in robotic surgical innovation, and the EU constitutes its prime collaborator. Brokerage opportunities and collaborators’ geographical diversity are associated with a country’s research impact (c=211.320 and 244.527, respectively; p<0·01) and innovation (c=18.819 and 30.850, respectively; p<0·01). Replacing EU collaborators with US ones is the only strategy that could benefit the UK, but on the condition that US collaborators are chosen among the top-performing ones, which is likely to be very difficult and costly, at least in the short term.ConclusionsThis study suggests what has long been argued, namely that the UK-EU research partnership has been mutually beneficial and that its continuation represents the best possible outcome for both negotiating parties. However, the uncertainties raised by Brexit necessitate looking beyond the EU for potential research partners. In the short term, the UK’s best strategy might be to try and maintain its academic links with the EU. In the longer term, strategic relationships with research powerhouses, including the USA, China and India, are likely to be crucial for the UK to remain a global innovation leader.

A Study on Methodologies for Research Impact Assessment: Responses of the UK Research Councils to the Warry Report

2010 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 393-397 ◽  
Author(s):  
André Luiz de Campos
Keyword(s):  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Research Funding ◽  
Research Impact ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Impact Studies ◽  
Research Impact Assessment ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Research Councils ◽  
The Impact

The experience of the UK Research Councils in assessing the impacts of their research funding is discussed, including a report on the findings of research which reviewed the impact studies implemented by the Research Councils. The response of the Councils to the challenge of demonstrating the impacts of their funding and the main methodologies used are presented and the implications of both for the Research Councils and policy makers elsewhere are outlined.

Learning in lockdown: exploring the impact of COVID-19 on interprofessional education

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (11) ◽  
pp. 648-652
Author(s):  
Alison Power ◽  
Michael Palapal Sy ◽  
Maggie Hutchings ◽  
Tracy Coleman ◽  
Alla El-Awaisi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Interprofessional Education ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Global Perspective ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Perceptions And Attitudes ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Rich Data ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the learning experiences of students undertaking health and social care programmes across the globe. In the UK, the Nursing and Midwifery Council introduced emergency standards for undergraduate programmes in 2020, making significant short-term changes to programme delivery. However, the mandate for all students to undertake interprofessional education remained. Interprofessional education is key to preparing students on health and social care programmes, as it enables students to work as effective members of multi-agency/multi-professional teams on qualification. It is an important element of training, as it has a direct impact on quality of care and service user experience. This series of articles will explore the experiences of ‘lockdown learning’ from the perspective of academics, students and service users from a global perspective in relation to the delivery of interprofessional education during the pandemic, which necessitated a wholesale move from face-to-face, blended and online learning to include emergency remote teaching. The series was written by members of the Centre for the Advancement of Interprofessional Education Research Subgroup (Interprofessional Education Experiences) and aims to identify barriers and facilitators to successful shared learning and provide suggestions for how lessons learned can be taken forward to further enhance this important element of pre-registration education. The perceptions and attitudes of academics and students on such comprehensive changes are a unique and rich data source to explore and inform future provision.

The Impact Agenda

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Smith ◽  
Justyna Bandola-Gill ◽  
Nasar Meer ◽  
Ellen Stewart ◽  
Richard Watermeyer
Keyword(s):  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Research Impact ◽  
Empirical Examination ◽  
Societal Benefit ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Research Impact Assessment ◽  
Academic Practices ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

As international interest in promoting and assessing the impact of research grows, this book examines the ensuing controversies, consequences and challenges. It places a particular emphasis on learning from experiences in the UK, since this is the country at the forefront of a range of new approaches to incentivising, monitoring and rewarding research impact achievements. The book aims to understand the origins and rationale for these changes and to critically assess their consequences for academic practice. Combining a review of existing literature with a range of new qualitative data (from interviews, focus groups and documentary analysis), The Impact Agenda is unique in providing a comprehensive, cross-disciplinary empirical examination of the ways in which various forms of research impact assessment are shaping academic practices. Although the primary focus of the book is on the UK, the book also considers the different approaches that other countries with an interest in research impact are taking (notably Australia, Canada and the Netherlands). While noting the benefits that the increasing emphasis on outward facing work is bringing, the book draws attention to a wide range of challenges and controversies associated with research impact assessment and, in particular, with the UK’s chosen approach. It concludes by using the insights in the book to propose an alternative, more theoretically robust approach to incentivising and rewarding efforts to undertake and use academic research for societal benefit.

scholarly journals Recognizing, reporting and reducing the data curation debt of cohort studies

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 1067-1074 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver W Butters ◽  
Rebecca C Wilson ◽  
Paul R Burton
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Cohort Studies ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Data Curation ◽  
Cross Domain ◽  
Existential Risk ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Skills Shortages ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Good data curation is integral to cohort studies, but it is not always done to a level necessary to ensure the longevity of the data a study holds. In this opinion paper, we introduce the concept of data curation debt—the data curation equivalent to the software engineering principle of technical debt. Using the context of UK cohort studies, we define data curation debt—describing examples and their potential impact. We highlight that accruing this debt can make it more difficult to use the data in the future. Additionally, the long-running nature of cohort studies means that interest is accrued on this debt and compounded over time—increasing the impact a debt could have on a study and its stakeholders. Primary causes of data curation debt are discussed across three categories: longevity of hardware, software and data formats; funding; and skills shortages. Based on cross-domain best practice, strategies to reduce the debt and preventive measures are proposed—with importance given to the recognition and transparent reporting of data curation debt. Describing the debt in this way, we encapsulate a multi-faceted issue in simple terms understandable by all cohort study stakeholders. Data curation debt is not only confined to the UK, but is an issue the international community must be aware of and address. This paper aims to stimulate a discussion between cohort studies and their stakeholders on how to address the issue of data curation debt. If data curation debt is left unchecked it could become impossible to use highly valued cohort study data, and ultimately represents an existential risk to studies themselves.

scholarly journals E-cigarettes: promise or threat?

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (9) ◽  
pp. 3059
Author(s):  
Arun C. Nachiappan ◽  
T. S. Selvavinayagam
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Studies ◽  
Nicotine Addiction ◽  
Accidental Poisoning ◽  
Cigarette Use ◽  
Local Data ◽  
Recent Trial ◽  
Carcinogenic Substances ◽  
Long Term Impact ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Use of the electronic cigarette or electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) is increasing globally. Its vapour delivers nicotine without the 6000 odd chemicals released during cigarette smoking and the associated harm. Experts are divided on whether ENDS promise reduction in tobacco use or threaten tobacco control. This review presents up-to-date evidence. Two trials showed an increase in cessation, but not a reduction in cigarette use. Eight cohort studies showed no increase in cessation, and two cohort studies and a recent trial showed an increased reduction in cigarette use. A US population study showed association between ENDS use and smoking cessation. Nicotine addiction and potential harm to non-smokers who use ENDS are key concerns. Nicotine affects lung and brain development. An increase in accidental poisoning, though mild, is reported in children. No significant short term health effects are reported. When heated, ENDS may emit potential toxic and carcinogenic substances such as aldehydes, acrolein, flavouring agents etc. at very low levels - but their long term impact is not known. ENDS bring potential benefits to smokers, but there are concerns about their potential for nicotine addiction, gateway effect and renormalisation of smoking. However, in the UK and the US, a rise in ENDS use is associated with a fall in the prevalence of smoking. Countries differ in their approach to ENDS. India seems to be edging towards a total ban. India should collect local data and conduct research to monitor the impact and make informed, evidence based decisions, where needed. 

scholarly journals Examining educational technology and research impact: the two roles of e-learning and related terms in the 2014 REF impact case studies

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katy Jordan
Keyword(s):  
Educational Technology ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Research Impact ◽  
Unique Case ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Related ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Data Source ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

The need to demonstrate the impact of research has become an important issue in the Higher Education sector in the UK. This has been taken care of through the introduction of ‘impact case studies’ as part of the research excellence framework (REF). The aim of the study presented in this paper was to understand the role that educational technology (and related terms) played in the 2014 REF impact case studies, using the public online database of case studies as a data source. Searches for 11 educational technology-related terms yielded a sample of 125 unique case studies. Although this represents only 1.9% of the total case studies, educational technology is clearly playing a role. The cases comprised two major subgroups: those where educational technology was the focus of the research (mainly associated with cases in education and computer science), and those where educational technology was used as a route to achieving impact (mainly in health-related subjects). The findings have implications for the contributions that educational technology and educational technologists can make in enhancing and supporting this important issue within their institutions.

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