scholarly journals Whither scientific debate? A rebuttal of “Contextualising UK moorland burning studies: geographical versus potential sponsorship-bias effects on research conclusions” by Brown and Holden (bioRxiv 2019; 731117)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Andrew Ashby ◽  
Andreas Heinemeyer
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Management Policy ◽  
Extreme Caution ◽  
Scientific Debate ◽  
Covariate Effects ◽  
Report Data ◽  
Valid Evidence

To read the preprint which this publication seeks to criticise, see here:https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/731117v1To read our original peer-reviewed critique of the EMBER project, see here:https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1365-2664.134761. We recently published a peer-reviewed critique of the EMBER report. In a preprint response, Brown & Holden (2019) resorted to making spurious accusations of undeclared competing interests, a series of disingenuous arguments about the robustness of the EMBER results, as well as false claims of sponsorship bias. We feel that much of what they wrote falls well outside the realm of respectable scientific debate.2. Crucially, however, Brown & Holden (2019) did not address our previous criticisms by providing a robust reanalysis of the EMBER report data that correctly accounted for site and covariate effects within the same statistical model. In our reply, we also present additional flaws which further call into question the EMBER results.3. Brown & Holden (2019) also produced a literature review to show that the EMBER results are not out of line with the broader evidence base. However, they included papers not directly relevant to the EMBER report we criticised. Therefore, we have carried out a more accurate review. Our results indicate that the quantity and quality of available literature make it difficult to contextualise the findings of the EMBER report.4. Finally, Brown & Holden (2019) present an error-stricken analysis of grouse moor sponsorship bias within the prescribed burning literature. Their claim that grouse moor funded research “should be treated with extreme caution by the policy community” goes well beyond what their data allows them to say. Not only does such a claim egregiously impugn the reputation of many scientists in the field, but it also contradicts the long-established notion that it is the quality of the science that should drive evidence-led policy. 5. Policy Implications. The results of the EMBER report remain unreliable. Therefore, for the time being, it should not be considered as valid evidence by policymakers. We suggest that the data from the EMBER report is reanalysed to address the shortfalls that we identify. Only then can the EMBER data and findings be used to inform upland land management policy. Also, to provide clarity to policymakers, we recommend that an independent audit into evidence reliability is carried out across the prescribed burning evidence base.

scholarly journals Revisiting the Determinants of Pro-Environmental Behaviour to Inform Land Management Policy: A Meta-Analytic Structural Equation Model Application

Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Murat Okumah ◽  
Julia Martin-Ortega ◽  
Paula Novo ◽  
Pippa J. Chapman
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Environmental Policy ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Behavioural Change ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Management Policy ◽  
Environmental Behaviour ◽  
Management Policies

Environmental policies in the realm of land management are increasingly focussing on inducing behavioural change to improve environmental management outcomes. This is based, implicitly or explicitly, on theories that suggest that pro-environmental behaviour can be understood, predicted and altered based on certain factors (referred to as determinants of pro-environmental behaviour). However, studies examining the determinants of pro-environmental behaviour have found mixed evidence. It is therefore important that we revisit these theories to assess if the evidence supports their postulations so that a more robust knowledge base can be established to inform land management policies. In this study, we do this using meta-analytic structural equation modelling (MASEM) to explore whether the evidence on determinants of pro-environmental behaviour supports the postulations of some predominantly applied theories of behaviour and/or behaviour change. The study analyses research in four environmental policy areas to identify implications for land management. Evidence from these related environmental areas is expected to provide insights relevant to the land management literature and to allow us to identify the extent to which lessons on pro-environmental behaviour from these other areas can be transferred to the land management context. Our findings suggest a strong evidence base for the Theories of Planned Behaviour and Reasoned Action, Attitude-Behaviour-Context Model, and the Persuasion Theory, but a weak evidence base for the Value-Belief-Norm Theory and the Norm Activation Model. We also found that type of environmental policy area moderates the relationship between different variables. This has key policy implications since, while lessons can be learnt from other environmental policy areas, land management policies aimed at influencing behaviours will need to be tailored to the specific context rather than simply ‘imported’ from other fields. Such context-specific policies may encourage pro-environmental behaviours, and potentially contribute towards improving environmental management outcomes.

scholarly journals Contextualising UK moorland burning studies: geographical versus potential sponsorship-bias effects on research conclusions

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee E. Brown ◽  
Joseph Holden
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Critical Assessment ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
List Type ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Extreme Caution ◽  
Geographical Variability ◽  
Peer Reviewers ◽  
Policy Community

AbstractIt has recently been claimed that geographical variability resulted in false conclusions from some studies examining the impacts of prescribed moorland burning, including the Effects of Moorland Burning on the Ecohydrology of River basins (EMBER) project. We provide multiple lines of evidence to contradict these claims and show that the EMBER results are reliable.A systematic review of the literature also confirms that EMBER conclusions were not out of line with the majority of other published UK studies on responses to prescribed burning of Sphagnum growth/abundance, soil properties, hydrological change, or peat exposure and erosion.We suggest that sponsorship-bias is associated with some recent research conclusions related to moorland burning. Thus, it is of grave concern when sponsorship or other potential conflicts of interest are not declared on publications related to moorland burning.We show that sponsorship and other conflicts of interest were not declared on a recent publication that criticised the EMBER project, thereby entirely undermining that critical assessment.Policy implications: The EMBER findings are robust. Our study suggests that publications on moorland burning that have been funded by pro-burning groups should be treated with extreme caution by the policy community. Publications that have been shown to have failed to declare conflicts of interest from the outset, when first submitted to a journal, should be disregarded by the policy community because peer reviewers and editors may have been unable to evaluate those pieces of work properly.

Extending Quality Life: Policy Prescriptions from the Growing Older Programme

2006 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 437-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
ALAN WALKER
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Structure And Agency ◽  
General Terms ◽  
Quality Life ◽  
The Relationship

This article provides a policy-oriented overview of the five-year ESRC Growing Older Programme of research on quality of life in old age: the largest UK social sciences research endeavour to date in the field of ageing. By way of an introduction to the Growing Older Programme, its main objectives are stated and some of its unique contributions to knowledge and research methods are summarised. Then the bulk of the article focuses on the relationship between research and policy: first in general terms and then specifically with regard to the operation of and outputs from the Programme. The particular methods used by the Programme to engage with the policy process are described, within a broad enlightenment framework. This is followed by an outline of the key elements of a multi-dimensional approach to extending the quality of later life. The five priority elements of this skeletal strategy – inequalities in old age, environments of ageing, economic and family roles, participation and involvement, and frailty and identity – are derived from the Growing Older Programme's comprehensive evidence base. In each case the policy implications of the research evidence are illustrated. Finally, the role of older people in living their own lives of quality is discussed, and the results of the Programme are used to show how aspects of both structure and agency combine to determine the quality of later life.

Systematic approaches in water management: Aquatic outlook and decision support systems combining monitoring, research, policy analysis and information technology

1996 ◽  
Vol 34 (12) ◽  
pp. 9-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. de Jong ◽  
J. T. van Buuren ◽  
J. P. A. Luiten
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Policy Analysis ◽  
Research Policy ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Management Policy ◽  
Ecological Aspects ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Water Management Plans ◽  
Life On Earth

Sustained developments is the target of almost every modern water management policy. Sustainability is focused on human life and on the ecological quality of our environment. Both aspects are essential for life on earth. Within a river catchment area this means that well balanced relations have to be laid between human activities and ecological aspects in the involved areas. Policy analysis is especially looking for the most efficient way to analyse and to overcome bottlenecks. In The Netherlands project “The Aquatic Outlook” all these elements are worked out in a nationwide scale, providing the scientific base and policy analysis from which future water management plans can be derived.

scholarly journals A scoping review of registry captured indicators for evaluating quality of critical care in ICU

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Issrah Jawad ◽  
Sumayyah Rashan ◽  
Chathurani Sigera ◽  
Jorge Salluh ◽  
Arjen M. Dondorp ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Care ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Health Care Quality ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Patient Reported Outcome ◽  
Care Quality ◽  
Patient Reported

Abstract Background Excess morbidity and mortality following critical illness is increasingly attributed to potentially avoidable complications occurring as a result of complex ICU management (Berenholtz et al., J Crit Care 17:1-2, 2002; De Vos et al., J Crit Care 22:267-74, 2007; Zimmerman J Crit Care 1:12-5, 2002). Routine measurement of quality indicators (QIs) through an Electronic Health Record (EHR) or registries are increasingly used to benchmark care and evaluate improvement interventions. However, existing indicators of quality for intensive care are derived almost exclusively from relatively narrow subsets of ICU patients from high-income healthcare systems. The aim of this scoping review is to systematically review the literature on QIs for evaluating critical care, identify QIs, map their definitions, evidence base, and describe the variances in measurement, and both the reported advantages and challenges of implementation. Method We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and the Cochrane libraries from the earliest available date through to January 2019. To increase the sensitivity of the search, grey literature and reference lists were reviewed. Minimum inclusion criteria were a description of one or more QIs designed to evaluate care for patients in ICU captured through a registry platform or EHR adapted for quality of care surveillance. Results The search identified 4780 citations. Review of abstracts led to retrieval of 276 full-text articles, of which 123 articles were accepted. Fifty-one unique QIs in ICU were classified using the three components of health care quality proposed by the High Quality Health Systems (HQSS) framework. Adverse events including hospital acquired infections (13.7%), hospital processes (54.9%), and outcomes (31.4%) were the most common QIs identified. Patient reported outcome QIs accounted for less than 6%. Barriers to the implementation of QIs were described in 35.7% of articles and divided into operational barriers (51%) and acceptability barriers (49%). Conclusions Despite the complexity and risk associated with ICU care, there are only a small number of operational indicators used. Future selection of QIs would benefit from a stakeholder-driven approach, whereby the values of patients and communities and the priorities for actionable improvement as perceived by healthcare providers are prioritized and include greater focus on measuring discriminable processes of care.

Therapeutic Affordances of Social Media and Associated Quality of Life Outcomes in Young Adults

2021 ◽  
pp. 089443932110329
Author(s):  
Paul Dodemaide ◽  
Mark Merolli ◽  
Nicole Hill ◽  
Lynette Joubert
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Perceived Quality Of Life ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
The Relationship

There is a growing body of literature exploring the general population’s use of social media for assistance in dealing with stigmatized health issues. This study presents novel research examining the relationship between social media use and young adults. It utilizes a therapeutic affordance (TA) framework. Quantitative results from this study are complemented by qualitative data. The relationships between distinct social media and their TA (a–b) are presented to highlight their potential to impact positively on social and emotional well-being outcomes. Evidence includes broad support for “connection,” “narration,” and “collaboration” TAs in this context and the relationship between the use of distinct social media and perceived quality of life (QOL) outcomes (a–c). TA provides an appropriate and valuable theoretical framework which is useful for the development of an evidence-base from the analysis of young adult’s social media usage. An analysis of the association between social media and their QOL outcomes is presented according to the TA relationship pathway (a–c–b). The adoption of a TA framework enables a nuanced analysis of significant associations between specific social media, TA, and improved QOL outcomes. This study demonstrates the significant association between social media and perceived QOL outcomes in young adults.

scholarly journals Parental Involvement Policies for Minors Seeking Abortion in the Southeast and Quality of Care

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kari White ◽  
Subasri Narasimhan ◽  
Sophie A. Hartwig ◽  
Erin Carroll ◽  
Alexandra McBrayer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Parental Involvement ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
Health Service Delivery ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Patient Centeredness ◽  
Patient Centered ◽  
Staff Members

Abstract Introduction Thirty-seven states require minors seeking abortion to involve a parent, either through notification or consent. Little research has examined how implementation of these laws affect service delivery and quality of care for those who involve a parent. Methods Between May 2018 and September 2019, in-depth interviews were conducted with 34 staff members involved in scheduling, counseling, and administration at abortion facilities in three Southeastern states. Interviews explored procedures for documenting parental involvement, minors’ and parents’ reactions to requirements, and challenges with implementation and compliance. Both inductive and deductive codes, informed by the Institute of Medicine’s healthcare quality framework, were used in the thematic analysis. Results Parental involvement laws adversely affected four quality care domains: efficiency, patient-centeredness, timeliness, and equity. Administrative inefficiencies stemmed from the extensive documentation needed to prove an adult’s relationship to a minor, increasing the time and effort needed to comply with state reporting requirements. If parents were not supportive of their minor’s decision, participants felt they had a duty to intervene to ensure the minor’s decision and needs remained centered. Staff further noted that delays to timely care accumulated as minors navigated parental involvement and other state mandates, pushing some beyond gestational age limits. Lower income families and those with complex familial arrangements had greater difficulty meeting state requirements. Conclusions Parental involvement mandates undermine health service delivery and quality for minors seeking abortion services in the Southeast. Policy Implications Removing parental involvement requirements would protect minors’ reproductive autonomy and support the provision of equitable, patient-centered healthcare.

School Catchment Zone Mergers and Housing Wealth Redistribution

2021 ◽  
pp. 0739456X2110067
Author(s):  
Siu Kei Wong ◽  
Kuang Kuang Deng
Keyword(s):  
School Quality ◽  
Housing Prices ◽  
Estimation Method ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Housing Wealth ◽  
Housing Values ◽  
Wealth Redistribution ◽  
The Government ◽  
Empirical Design

This study investigates how perceived school quality affects housing values, using a new estimation method. Our empirical design takes advantage of the mergers of school catchment zones initiated by the government to develop quasi-experiments. We find that, in zones that gained sudden access to higher ranked schools, housing prices increased by 1.3 to 4.1 percent. Larger and more expensive houses appreciated more in response to the improvement in perceived quality of available schools. The findings generate important policy implications regarding housing wealth redistribution and housing expenditures among different households. The study also enriches the literature on the capitalization effect of school quality.

scholarly journals They Do Their Best, but Their Best Isn’t Good Enough: How Social Housing Can Support Older Tenants Aging in Place

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 23-23
Author(s):  
Christine Sheppard ◽  
Andrea Austen ◽  
Sander Hitzig
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Housing ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Service Model ◽  
Building Trust ◽  
Age In Place ◽  
Access To Health ◽  
The City

Abstract Toronto Community Housing (TCH) is the second largest social housing landlord in North America, and is home to over 27,000 older adults, half of whom live in 83 “seniors-designated” buildings. There is inadequate and inconsistent delivery of services in these buildings, negatively impacting tenants’ ability to age in place. We conducted two half-day consultations with service providers (n=74) and tenants (n=100) to identify strategies to improve unit condition, promote stable tenancies (i.e., prevent evictions) and enhance access to health and support services for older adults living in TCH. Through facilitated discussion, participants identified their top two recommendations for each priority area and reflected on the strategies that were hardest and easiest to implement, as well as the ones that would have the most and least impact on quality of life for older tenants. Participants recognized the need for more education as a way to empower older tenants and reduce stigma associated with unit condition issues (e.g., pest problems) and arrears. More frequent touch points with tenants was also recommended as a way to identify older adults at-risk of eviction and work proactively (instead of reactively) to support them. Service providers and tenants believed that system navigators working directly in the buildings would be a key facilitator to building trust and helping older tenants access needed services. Outcomes of the have several program and policy implications for TCH, as they partner with the City of Toronto to design a new integrated service model for the seniors-designated buildings.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document