Development of a data classification system for preterm birth cohort studies: the RECAP Preterm project

Background The small sample sizes available within many very preterm (VPT) longitudinal birth cohort studies mean that it is often necessary to combine and harmonise data from individual studies to increase statistical power, especially for studying rare outcomes. Curating and mapping data is a vital first step in the process of data harmonisation. To facilitate data mapping and harmonisation across VPT birth cohort studies, we developed a custom classification system as part of the Research on European Children and Adults born Preterm (RECAP Preterm) project in order to increase the scope and generalisability of research and the evaluation of outcomes across the lifespan for individuals born VPT. Methods The multidisciplinary consortium of expert clinicians and researchers who made up the RECAP Preterm project participated in a four-phase consultation process via email questionnaire to develop a topic-specific classification system. Descriptive analyses were calculated after each questionnaire round to provide pre- and post- ratings to assess levels of agreement with the classification system as it developed. Amendments and refinements were made to the classification system after each round. Results Expert input from 23 clinicians and researchers from the RECAP Preterm project aided development of the classification system’s topic content, refining it from 10 modules, 48 themes and 197 domains to 14 modules, 93 themes and 345 domains. Supplementary classifications for target, source, mode and instrument were also developed to capture additional variable-level information. Over 22,000 individual data variables relating to VPT birth outcomes have been mapped to the classification system to date to facilitate data harmonisation. This will continue to increase as retrospective data items are mapped and harmonised variables are created. Conclusions This bespoke preterm birth classification system is a fundamental component of the RECAP Preterm project’s web-based interactive platform. It is freely available for use worldwide by those interested in research into the long term impact of VPT birth. It can also be used to inform the development of future cohort studies.

Improving anthelmintic treatment for schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiases through sharing and reuse of individual participant data

The Infectious Diseases Data Observatory (IDDO, https://www.iddo.org) has launched a clinical data platform for the collation, curation, standardisation and reuse of individual participant data (IPD) on treatments for two of the most globally important neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), schistosomiasis (SCH) and soil-transmitted helminthiases (STHs). This initiative aims to harness the power of data-sharing by facilitating collaborative joint analyses of pooled datasets to generate robust evidence on the efficacy and safety of anthelminthic treatment regimens. A crucial component of this endeavour has been the development of a Research Agenda to promote engagement with the SCH and STH research and disease control communities by highlighting key questions that could be tackled using data shared through the IDDO platform. Here, we give a contextual overview of the priority research themes articulated in the Research Agenda—a ‘living’ document hosted on the IDDO website—and describe the three-stage consultation process behind its development. We also discuss the sustainability and future directions of the platform, emphasising throughout the power and promise of ethical and equitable sharing and reuse of clinical data to support the elimination of NTDs.

Stylized case-study descriptions for use in stakeholder/ public engagement activities

This is the stylized description of our ocean liming case study, which we are using the introduce our life-cycle assessment to stakeholders in our consultation process

INFORMATION SYSTEM DESIGN FOR FINAL PROJECT CONSULTATION

This Final Project is one of the graduation requirements for Industrial Engineering students at the Islamic University of Bandung. Currently. The final project consultation process is conducted manually using physical documents owned by each student as proof of consultation in the form of a consultation card. The problem faced was the difficulty in monitoring consultations and recording consultation discussions which were not well organized. The purpose of this study is to design a consulting information system using the prototyping method. The prototyping method is a system development method used to describe the system. The stages in this method consist of: (1) The planning stage is the identification of system requests. (2) the analysis phase analyzes the existing business processes in the final project section and identifies functional and non-functional requirements, (3) the design phase includes the interaction design of systems, processes, data and logical systems and physical interfaces. (4) Implementation phase of database and website development using PHP language and MySQL database. The results obtained from this study are business process consulting for the Final Project after the implementation of the proposed information system; final project consulting information system design which is expected to facilitate the consultation process in terms of time and consultation file documentation

The Northern Drakensberg Cableway: An Unworkable yet Immortal Development

This study explores the proposed ‘Drakensberg Cableway’ in the Northern Drakensberg. This cableway project is mired in ongoing controversy with both the consultation process and feasibility study heavily criticised. The proposed site of the cableway borders a world heritage site, is within a culturally sensitive area and prone to highly variable weather, including thunderstorms and high winds. The purpose of this study was to garner the views of a mountain user group in South Africa regarding the proposed cableway using a questionnaire survey. Respondents were overwhelmingly not in favour of the development. Users noted several serious concerns ranging from economic, environmental, statutory and political impacts. In particular, the proposed cableway appears financially unsustainable due to low tourist numbers. Additionally, the infrastructure required will have a deleterious effect on the natural environment. It appears that lessons from South Africa’s other two cableways, in terms of economic impacts, environmental issues and weather-related risks, have not been considered. While the provincial KwaZulu-Natal government may punt the proposed cableway as a ‘silver bullet’ solution for the development and social issues bedevilling the area; the project may instead even exacerbate already fraught social and environmental conditions, both at the proposed lower cableway and upper cableway station. Government officials touting this project need to recognise that tourism development in peripheral mountain areas has to proceed within a much wider social and cross-sectoral economic development context.

Views and Perceptions on Telemedicine by Consumers in Delhi

Telemedicine, also known as telehealth, has been around for decades, but despite its many perceived benefits, its adoption has remained low. The objective our study was to know how consumers felt about telemedicine service during COVID -19 and to find out factors influencing consumers' perceptions of telemedicine services, a survey was done using a questionnaire. Social media and e-mail were used to inform people about the research due to onset of pandemic. An e online survey was done from the period of April 1st to June 30th, 2021 in India’s capital Delhi and adjoining areas, 122 service users were sampled for the survey. A 10-item scale was used to assess telemedicine satisfaction, revealing that all participants were satisfied with their telemedicine experience(s) in general. The elements of perception were studied using factor analysis. The results of the analysis revealed that an individual's intention to utilize a system or technology may be influenced not only by factors affecting the user's direct encounter with the system or technology but also by factors affecting the service provider. Patients place a high value on these qualities, thus service providers can design their interface, appointment procedure, and consultation process around them.

Nutrition Policies in Germany: A Systematic Assessment with the Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI)

Objective: To systematically assess Germany’s nutrition policies, to benchmark them against international best practices, and to identify priority policy actions to improve population-level nutrition in Germany. Design: We applied the Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI), a methodological framework developed by the INFORMAS network. Qualitative content analysis of laws, directives and other documents formed the basis of a multi-staged, structured consultation process. Setting: Germany. Participants: The expert consultation process included 55 experts from academia, public administration, and civil society. Results: Germany lags behind international best practices in several key policy areas. For 18 policy indicators, the degree of implementation compared to international best practices was rated as very low, for 21 as low, for 8 as intermediate, and for none as high. In particular, indicators on food taxation, regulation of food marketing, and retail and food service sector policies were rated as very low to low. Identified priority actions included the binding implementation of nutrition standards for schools and kindergartens, a reform of the value added tax on foods and beverages, a sugar-sweetened beverage tax and stricter regulation of food marketing directed at children. Conclusions: The results show that Germany makes insufficient use of the potential of evidence-informed health-promoting nutrition policies. Adopting international best practices in key policy areas could help to reduce the burden of nutrition-related chronic disease and related inequalities in nutrition and health in Germany. Implementation of relevant policies requires political leadership, a broad societal dialogue, and evidence-informed advocacy by civil society, including the scientific community.

Welfare of Farmed Crocodilians: Identification of Potential Animal-Based Measures Using Elicitation of Expert Opinion

Animal-based measures are the measure of choice in animal welfare assessment protocols as they can often be applied completely independently to the housing or production system employed. Although there has been a small body of work on potential animal-based measures for farmed crocodilians, they have not been studied in the context of an animal welfare assessment protocol. Potential animal-based measures that could be used to reflect the welfare state of farmed crocodilians were identified and aligned with the Welfare Quality® principles of good housing, good health, good feeding and appropriate behaviour. A consultation process with a panel of experts was used to evaluate and score the potential measures in terms of validity and feasibility. This resulted in a toolbox of measures being identified for further development and integration into animal welfare assessment on the farm. Animal-based measures related to ‘good feeding’ and ‘good health’ received the highest scores for validity and feasibility by the experts. There was less agreement on the animal-based measures that could be used to reflect ‘appropriate behaviour’. Where no animal-based measures were deemed to reliably reflect a welfare criterion nor be useful as a measure on the farm, additional measures of resources or management were suggested as alternatives. Future work in this area should focus on the reliability of the proposed measures and involve further evaluation of their validity and feasibility as they relate to different species of crocodilian and farming system.

An introduction to chemical peels for the body

This article has been written for medical practitioners who wish to incorporate chemical peels for the body within their daily practice. It will provide the reader with a sound knowledge of what a chemical peel is and why they are useful, and their key ingredients will be identified. Their clinical indications and contraindications will be discussed, as well as what the patient can expect post-procedure. The author concludes that a chemical peel on the body is ideal for combatting moderate problematic acne, reducing hyperpigmentation and treating keratosis. Used appropriately, skin peels can effectively treat these conditions. During the consultation process, the clinician can offer a broader range of treatments, rather than focusing exclusively on the face. In the long term, this will increase profit margins and build good practitioner/patient relationships.

Measuring Satisfaction in Breast Cancer Patients Receiving Ambulatory Care: A Validation Study

Introduction Patient satisfaction constitutes a vital service quality indicator. It provides a measure of the gap in health-care requirements and patients' expectations. Objective The aim of this study was to perform linguistic validation of the questionnaire assessing satisfaction with outpatient care. Materials and Methods A tool for measuring patient satisfaction was developed and validated at our institute in the English language. This tool was translated into Hindi and Marathi. Subsequently, 339 patients diagnosed with breast cancer consulting in the outpatient department from the different parts of India and having diverse linguistic and socioeconomic backgrounds were enrolled. Patients were asked to complete the satisfaction tool after consultation at a single point of time in a prospective manner. Results All patients completed the questionnaire. The questionnaire was filled by 120, 116, and 103 patients in Hindi, Marathi, and English, respectively. Both convergent validity and discriminant validity were supported as the correlation coefficient was >0.4 for all items within a scale and <0.7 between different scales. Factor analysis was valid for all except for open-end questions. The internal consistency was >0.9 for all the questions. The mean overall satisfaction score was 88.35 (standard deviation: 19.63). Patients were satisfied in all the aspects of the consultation process, including appointment scheduling, assistant medical staff and faculty, and treating physician. However, some expressed dissatisfaction toward long-waiting times. Conclusion The translated tool is reliable and valid and effectively measures the satisfaction of patients receiving ambulatory care.