Using theory and reflexivity to preserve methodological rigour of data collection in qualitative research

This paper examines the place of theory in qualitative medical research. While theory’s place in research planning and data analysis has been well-established, the contribution of theory during qualitative data collection tends to be overlooked. Yet, data collection is not an asocial or apolitical process and requires reflection and analysis in and of itself. Therefore, drawing on an exemplar case study research project which focused on patients’ use of medicines, the paper argues that engaging with theory to think reflexively, throughout a project but particularly during the process of data collection can ensure the rigour and trustworthiness of qualitative data. In this case study, we draw on sociologist Erving Goffman’s theoretical framework of the dramaturgical metaphor to address the multiplicity of roles that healthcare practitioners undertaking qualitative research have to occupy and navigate. Rather than painting researchers out of their research through a naïve search for ‘objectivity’, reflexivity that is scaffolded by theory, offers a way through which researchers’ biases and subjectivities can be made explicit and their data analysis transparent. In making this argument, we encourage medical researchers to engage with, and be attuned to, theoretical perspectives outwith their own discipline.

Pendidikan Umat dan Potensi Gerakan Sosial Online di Era Pandemi COVID-19

Many issues are emerging during Covid-19 pandemic and one of them is mobility restriction. Some of society engagement research were still conducted in physical format with strict health protocols and some others were using hybrid methods of society engagement, combining offline and online activities. The purpose of this study is to provide an alternative way to deal with the pandemic. During pandemic, it is difficult to reach Indonesian society directly. This study conducted a series of full virtual interaction, in collaboration with the Leading Intellectual Network Community (JIB) supported mostly by Muhammadiyah young generation. The targeted audience of this society engagement were active members of JIB, its followers, and Islamic community in Indonesia at large. It focusses on actual discussion related to Covid-19 pandemic in the form of educative talk show to build public awareness. We invite credible speakers such as medical researchers, voluntary doctor on Covid-19, social scientists, and public policy advisor. This society engagement was based on Zoom platform that was broadcasted through JIB POST official website, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. These activities were evaluated and received feedback from WhatsApp Group JIB; expression of engagement of the audience based on subscribe, like, viewers, dan comments; and a report news on JIB POST official website. The activities presented a good result which are reaching the target of a thousand subscribers on the social media and hundreds of viewers with many positive responses from the members of JIB for every talk shows.

Searching Cytotoxic T Cells for Destroying Target Invading Cells

A groundbreaking study led by engineering and medical researchers at the California South University (CSU) shows how immune cells engineered in new cancer therapies can overcome physical barriers so that the patient's own immune system can fight tumors. This research could improve the future of millions of cancer patients worldwide. Immunotherapy, instead of using chemicals or radiation, is a type of cancer treatment that helps the patient's immune system fight cancer. T cells are a type of white blood cell that is essential for the body's immune system. Cytotoxic T cells are like soldiers searching for and destroying target invading cells. Although there has been success in using immunotherapy for some types of cancer in the blood or blood-producing organs, T cell work is much more difficult in solid tumors Keywords: Cancer; Cells; Tissues; Tumors; Prevention; Prognosis; Diagnosis; Imaging; Screening, Treatment; Management

Willingness to Participate in Biobanking: The Roles of Personality Traits and Interpersonal Trusting Beliefs

Health-related philanthropy is essential for biobanks. Nonetheless, little is known about the roles of personality and trust in particular with respect to participation in biobanking. In a sample of 600 Slovaks, the present study aimed to examine whether interpersonal trusting beliefs mediate the relationships between the Big Five personality traits and the willingness to participate in biobanking. The results showed that extraversion, agreeableness and open-mindedness were indirectly positively related to the willingness to participate in biobanking, while conscientiousness showed mixed results. Self-focused generalised trust, other-focused generalised trust, and trust in medical researchers appeared to be factors explaining these indirect relationships. The findings provide support for the theory of planned behaviour and can be applied in communication and recruitment strategies attempting to attract participants of biobanking.

Journal selection behavior among early-career academicians in Iran: how they choose the most appropriate journal for their publications

Purpose Journals are the essential tools of researchers, especially academicians, to present their scientific findings. So, choosing the right journal helps not only science development but also their academic promotion. The purpose of this study is to examine the factors that Iranian medical researchers consider when selecting scholarly journals in which to submit their work. Design/methodology/approach A self-administered online questionnaire was emailed in May 2021, with 101 responses received. The sample included all the faculty members with the role of “lecturer” in Iranian medical universities and who have 1–5 articles in the Scopus database as early-career Iranian medical researchers. The questionnaire consisted of 36 items, divided into five sections: basic information, attitudes and beliefs, ways to choose a journal, problems and familiarity with the components of scientometrics/validity metrics related to journals. Findings The findings indicate that these researchers value the expertise of experienced researchers and professionals, like librarians, when selecting publication venues. They often use journal indexes to guide journal selection. They also consider factors like the length of typical peer review and the complexity of submission guidelines when making decisions. Research limitations/implications The study of one country, though detecting requirements of journal selection behavior, cannot be generalized to the entire region. Practical implications The current study has academic implications as far as decisions on journal selection are concerned. University policymakers in Iran may consider re-examining their emphasis on academicians’ promotion policies at Iranian universities of medical sciences. Originality/value These findings may support the work of early-career researchers and those individuals (e.g., librarians) that serve them, as well as publishers and editors of scholarly journals.

The participatory turn in health and medicine: The rise of the civic and the need to ‘give back’ in data-intensive medical research

What has been called the “participatory turn” in health and medicine refers to a general shift from paternalistic and hierarchical, to more collaborative and egalitarian relationships between medical experts and patients/research participants; a shift from what the pragmatic sociologists Boltanski and Thévenot (2006) call a “domestic” to a “civic” order of worth. Critical scholarship on the participatory turn tends to emphasize discrepancies between ideals of equality and empowerment, and practices of increased individual responsibility and disempowerment. In this paper, we depart from this critical literature by suspending evaluation about authentic and inauthentic ideals and practices. Instead, we explore the issues and challenges that arise in the process of ensuring that ideal and practice align in what we call a civic-participatory style of doing medical research. Drawing on interviews and observations carried out with medical researchers, coordinators and assessors in a longitudinal cohort study called the Personalized Parkinson’s Project (PPP), we show that for study staff it is often unclear how they can meet the demands of reciprocity towards research participants that are presupposed by civic-participatory ideals. In particular, in the context of a study whose aim is the creation of a comprehensive dataset comprised of clinical, environmental and lifestyle data that study participants generously “give” over a period of 2 years, we observed a persistent concern on the part of study staff regarding what and how to “give back”. As we show, study staff negotiate and resolve this tension through recourse to creative workarounds and innovative ways of giving back, including frequent project and scientific updates, newsletters, the designation of personal assessors and pampering Event Days. The paper makes a contribution to the critical literature on the participatory turn by showing the utility of the orders of worth framework in probing the challenges and workarounds that emerge in settings where an incumbent style of organizing medical research (here, the 'civic') comes to challenge practices hitherto organized according to a wholly different logic (in this case, the 'domestic')—without making assumptions about the (in)authenticity of such ideals and practices. Moreover, we contend that this framework offers new tools for evaluating participatory research projects in the form of “good” or “successful” civic–domestic compromises.

The questionnaire as a tool for collecting information in support of medical researchers

In medical and epidemiological research, multi-item questionnaires are often used to assess changes in the health of a particular group of subjects over a certain period. They can target a selected population sample based on specific exposure characteristics or target the whole population. Also, they can constitute an objective tool to help health professionals improve the quality of life and guide patients to the most appropriate care suitable [1,2]. Trying to complete an entirely new questionnaire or translating an existing questionnaire from another language can be difficult. The biggest challenge is making a questionnaire that is effective for use in research and clinical conditions. This article tries to guide for adapting validated and translated questionnaires to apply them to various population categories. We want to support readers less familiar with the process of developing and adapting validated questionnaires. Although using an existing questionnaire will save time and resources, a questionnaire that includes all items of interest to the researcher may not be available, or the current questionnaire may not be translated into the language required for respondents. If no already validated questionnaires are available or suitable, it is necessary to design a new questionnaire. For this, there are several steps to follow that one must take into account.

Guideline for Selecting Types of Reliability and Suitable Intra-class Correlation Coefficients in Clinical Research

Introduction: Reliability is an integral part of measuring the reproducibility of research information. Intra-cluster correlation coefficient (ICC) is one of the necessary indicators for reliability reporting, which can be misleading in terms of its diversity. The main purpose of this study was to introduce the types of reliability and appropriate ICC indices. Methods: In this tutorial article, useful information about the types of reliability and indicators needed to report the results, as well as the types of ICC and its applications were explained for dummies. Results: Three general types of reliability include inter-rater reliability, test-retest reliability, and intra-rater reliability was presented. 10 different types of ICC were also introduced and explained. Conclusion: The research results may be misleading if any of the reliability types and calculation criteria types are chosen incorrectly. Therefore, to make the results of the study more accurate and valuable. Medical researchers must seek help from relevant guidelines such as this study before conducting reliability analysis.