Understanding barriers and facilitators to palliative and end-of-life care research: a mixed method study of generalist and specialist health, social care, and research professionals.

BACKGROUND: Palliative care provision should be driven by high quality research evidence. However, there are barriers to conducting research. Most research attention focuses on potential patient barriers; staff and organisational issues that affect research involvement are underexplored. The aim of this research is to understand professional and organisational facilitators and barriers to conducting palliative care research. METHODS: A mixed methods study, using an open cross-sectional online survey, followed by working groups using nominal group techniques. Participants were professionals interested in palliative care research, working as generalist/specialist palliative care providers, or palliative care research staff across areas of North West England. Recruitment was via local health organisations, personal networks, and social media in 2022. Data were examined using descriptive statistics and content analysis. RESULTS: Participants (survey n = 293, working groups n = 20) were mainly from clinical settings (71%) with 45% nurses and 45% working more than 10 years in palliative care. 75% were not active in research but 73% indicated a desire to increase research involvement. Key barriers included lack of organisational research culture and capacity (including prioritisation and available time); research knowledge (including skills/expertise and funding opportunities); research infrastructure (including collaborative opportunities across multiple organisations and governance challenges); and patient and public perceptions of research (including vulnerabilities and burdens). Key facilitators included dedicated research staff, and active research groups, collaborations, and networking opportunities. CONCLUSIONS: Professionals working in palliative care are keen to be research active, but lack time, skills, and support to build research capabilities and collaborations. A shift in organisational culture is needed to enhance palliative care research capacity and collaborative opportunities across clinical and research settings.

Food and nutritional education in rural quilombola communities in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil: methodological aspects / Educação alimentar e nutricional em comunidades quilombolas rurais do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil: aspectos metodológicos

Background: The construction of programs to promote healthy eating should be guided by the culture and living conditions of people. Objective: To describe the methodology for a community intervention in food and nutritional education (FNE) carried out in rural quilombola communities (QC) in Rio Grande do Sul. Methods: Two communities were included. The FNE actions consisted of six workshops with a focus on the concepts of food culture, adequate and healthy food, and health promotion, focusing on food rather than nutrients. The actions were planned from the production of strategies that could be replicated by the participants to the other residents. Results: The workshops were attended by people of various ages and the participation of women was more expressive. Each workshop had specific objectives and different dynamics employed. Conclusion: This approach sought to emphasize the experiences, culture, and opinions of the people residing in the QC included in the study. It is hoped that this FNE community intervention can guide and subsidize the planning and execution of similar initiatives in other QCs in Rio Grande do Sul or even the country.

Introdução: A construção de programas de promoção da alimentação saudável deve ser pautada sobre a cultura e as condições de vida das pessoas. Objetivo: Descrever a metodologia para uma intervenção comunitária de educação alimentar e nutricional (EAN) realizada em comunidades quilombolas (CQ) rurais do Rio Grande do Sul. Métodos: Foram incluídas duas comunidades. As ações de EAN consistiram na realização de seis oficinas com abordagem pautada nos conceitos de cultura alimentar, alimentação adequada e saudável e promoção da saúde, com foco em alimentos e comida ao invés de nutrientes. As ações foram planejadas a partir da produção de estratégias que pudessem ser replicadas pelos participantes aos outros moradores. Resultados: Participaram das oficinas pessoas de várias idades e a participação das mulheres foi mais expressiva. Cada oficina teve objetivos específicos e diferentes dinâmicas empregadas. Conclusão: Essa abordagem buscou enfatizar as experiências, a cultura e as opiniões das pessoas que residem nas CQ incluídas no estudo. Espera-se que essa intervenção comunitária de EAN possa nortear e subsidiar o planejamento e execução de iniciativas similares em outras CQ do estado ou até mesmo do país.

The Evolution of Phenomenology in Korean Nursing Research: A Scoping Review.

PURPOSE: Phenomenological methods are used to capture human experience, and nursing research has long attempted phenomenological approaches in many studies. This study explored the 22-year trends (2001- 2022) in phenomenological research within Korean nursing science and identified the types of journals where research is published, common phenomenological data analysis methods, phenomena of interest, and standards of rigor applied to phenomenological studies. METHODS: This scoping review followed the six stages recommended by Arksey and O'Malley's (2005) and utilized the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) for reporting guidance. A total of 4,354 articles acquired through systematic searches across seven search engines PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, Research Information Sharing Service (RISS), Korea Citation Index (KCI), Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI), and Korean studies Information Service System (KISS) were reviewed. Key search terms and inclusion and exclusion criteria were used as strategies to identify relevant articles. RESULTS: In the final review, 568 Korean phenomenological studies were included. Among the phenomenology research, 50.4% of the total work was performed between 2016 and 2020, and the Colaizzi method of study was the most common (62.9%). Most researchers were published in nursing journals (55.8%). Nurses constituted the majority of participants (24.5%), followed by people living with illnesses (23.1%) and people of all ages. The primary focus included participants' experiences: the disease experience of the sick, the job-related experience of the nurses, and the learning-related experience of the nursing students. The median sample size of reviewed papers (i.e., 9) is relevant to phenomenological research saturation. The most rigorous studies applied Lincoln and Guba's criteria (54.0%). CONCLUSIONS: Advancing phenomenological research in nursing entails giving priority to diverse perspectives, rigor, and the foundational essence of phenomenology. Ensuring transparency and reliability requires reinforcing rigor through the integration of phenomenology, philosophy, and effective data analysis methods.

Design and psychometric properties of the acute care quality in trauma emergency units scale.

BACKGROUND: Systematic trauma care scale could be designed and used by nurses to completely and adequately fulfill a complex care to improve trauma care quality. The purpose of this study was to design and evaluate the psychometric property of the Nursing Care Quality in Trauma Emergency Units and trauma care promotion. METHODS: This methodological study was conducted in 2022. The process of designing and psychometric assessment of the scale was performed in two steps such as Generating an Item Pool and Validity and Reliability evaluation (Item reduction). The construct validity was determined using the experimental intervention; for determining the reliability of the scale and internal consistency, we measured the inter-rater reliability (IRR). Data were analyzed using the SPSS software, version 22. RESULTS: Based on our findings, the CVI and CVR of the scale were 1 and 0.83-1, respectively. A significant difference between the pre- and post-intervention scores in group 1 supports the inference that the construct has been appropriately represented, and the instrument has construct validity (p < 0.001). We found that there was a significant difference in the scores of Patient assessment, Planning and Implementations, and Evaluation of the care plan. The inter-rater reliability method allows the optimal reliability assessment of observational instruments, which was used in this study, and the results confirmed excellent reliability of the instrument. CONCLUSIONS: The validity and reliability of the Nursing Care Quality in Trauma Emergency Units Scale were confirmed. The instrument could successfully assess the process of nursing care in the trauma emergency ward. The use of this checklist is recommended as a valid observational tool for other researchers. STUDY TYPE: Therapeutic/care management.

Joint Display of Integrated Data Collection for Mixed Methods Research: An Illustration From a Pediatric Oncology Quality Improvement Study.

PURPOSE: Researchers often struggle to integrate quantitative and qualitative data. Joint displays of data collected using mixed methods provide a framework for supporting integration, yet the literature lacks methodologic articles illustrating in detail the iterative nature of constructing such displays. We demonstrate the process for creating a joint display for integrating the collection of data obtained by qualitative and quantitative methods. METHODS: Within a convergent mixed methods cohort study, the Early Discharge of Febrile Neutropenic Children with Cancer Study, we constructed a joint display to inform integrated collection of 2 forms of data (quantitative and qualitative) from 2 sources (a patient-caregiver mixed methods survey and a manual abstraction of medical records). RESULTS: In a first step, we used a data sources table to align related quantitative and qualitative data. The resulting table consisted of 2 side-by-side columns based on the mixed survey data. After several additional iterative steps, we constructed a final 6-column joint display. This final display delineated the separate data sources, linked constructs to the quantitative and qualitative variables within each source, and integrated the constructs across the separate data sources. CONCLUSIONS: Challenges of integration, though not unique to prospective mixed methods cohort studies, stem from the sheer volume of qualitative and quantitative information and the need to logically organize the data in preparation for integrated data analysis. Tailoring joint displays to specific studies is challenging, but mixed methods researchers who embrace the methodologic malleability can produce effective joint displays to illustrate the mixed data collection linkages and create a preliminary structure ultimately for organizing mixed data findings.

Cross-Cultural Adaptation of the Instrument "Nurse-Physician Relationship Survey: Impact of Disruptive Behavior in Patient Care" to the Spanish Context.

Disruptive behavior in the healthcare context has an impact on patient care, healthcare personnel, and the health organization, and it also influences the therapeutic relationship, communication process, and adverse events. However, there is a lack of instruments that could be used for its analysis in the hospital care environment in the Spanish context. The objective of the study was to culturally adapt and perform a content validation of the tool "Nurse−Physician Relationship Survey: Impact of Disruptive Behavior on Patient Care", to the Spanish content (Spain). An instrumental study was conducted, which included an analysis of conceptual and semantic equivalence. A panel of experts analyzed the translations, by analyzing the Content Validity Index (CVI) of the group of items in the scale through the Relevance Index (RI) and the Pertinence Index (PI). Only a single item obtained an RI value of 0.72, although with PI value of 0.81, with consensus reached for not deleting this item. The CVI of all the items was >0.80 for the mean value of the RI, as well as the PI. The instrument was adapted to the Spanish context and is adequate for evaluating the disruptive behaviors on nurse−physician relationships and its impact on patient care. However, the importance of continuing the analysis of the rest of the psychometric properties in future studies is underlined.

In vivo methods for evaluating human midpalatal suture maturation and ossification: An updated review.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to perform an updated review of the in vivo methods to evaluate human midpalatal suture maturation and ossification, since this evaluation process remains an unsolved and critical problem in orthodontic treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Scopus and Web of Science databases were searched up to November 30, 2021. Literature selection was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA, 2020 Edition) statement and was based on predetermined inclusion criteria. The overall and methodological characteristics of the selected studies were collected. The risk of bias was evaluated mainly through inter- and intra-evaluator agreement outcomes reported in each study. As there was a high heterogeneity among methodological studies, meta-analysis of the included studies was not applicable, and results were analysed descriptively. RESULTS: Nine articles met the inclusion criteria. Maxillary occlusal radiograph and computed tomography (CT), especially cone beam CT (CBCT), were reported. The occlusal radiograph is not adequate for evaluating the status of midpalatal suture maturation, and has been replaced by CBCT. Qualitative and quantitative CBCT evaluation methods provide limited evidence; however, opinions differ regarding the efficacy of these methods. CONCLUSIONS: For midpalatal suture maturation and ossification status evaluation, evidence for the current methods is still limited. Further methodological studies should use image information comprehensively and provide verification evidence on larger samples.

A methodological study on the combination of qualitative and quantitative methods in cognitive interviewing for cross-cultural adaptation.

AIM: The aim of this study is to explore the use of the Questionnaire Appraisal System with a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods in cognitive interviewing for cross-cultural adaptation. DESIGN: This is a descriptive methodological study. METHODS: Using the Mandarin version of the Post-Stroke Checklist as an example, cognitive interviews were conducted with 27 stroke survivors in Guangzhou between November 2020 and February 2021. The Questionnaire Appraisal System was applied as a codebook in focus group discussions to perform quantitative data collections and quantitative content analysis. RESULTS: Thirty-eight problems were proposed in focus group discussions and identified all but four of the 30 questions that emerged in the cognitive interviews. A new item was added to the Questionnaire Appraisal System for better categorization. Four categories and six subcategories of problems in the checklist were revealed.

Validation of a search strategy for randomized clinical trials related to periodontitis.

BACKGROUND: Systematic reviews, considered the gold standard for the assessment of scientific evidence, may present conflicting findings for the same clinical issue, and such dissent may be justified by the forms of elaboration of the electronic search strategy. This paper aims to validate a search strategy to identify randomized clinical trials related to periodontitis. A gold standard reference set was developed to validate the identified clinical trials using the relative recall method. The choice of periodontitis is due to the fact that this disease has a high prevalence among chronic non-communicable diseases, is considered the second most common oral disease in the world, is associated with several health problems, such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, and, principally, has not been investigated sufficiently to prevent possible damages resulting from it. METHODS: A validation study was developed in MEDLINE/PubMed. In Stage 1, a methodological filter recommended by the Cochrane Collaboration to identify randomized clinical trials was applied. Stage 2 identified articles related only to periodontitis (gold standard reference set) from among the articles retrieved using the eligibility criteria. In Stage 3, a search statement for the retrieval of periodontitis-related articles was elaborated by experts. Stage 4 defined the proposed search strategy comprising of the combination of the search statement developed with the aforementioned methodological filter and subsequent application in MEDLINE/PubMed. The obtained data were analyzed using the set of articles identified in Stage 2, as the gold standard reference set. The following performance values were calculated - sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and number needed to read - with their respective 95% confidence interval (95%CI). RESULTS: The search strategy under evaluation compared to the gold-standard showed a sensitivity of 93.2% (95%CI, 83.8-97.3), specificity of 99.9% (95%CI 99.8-99.9), and a precision of 77.5% (95%CI, 66.48-85.63). In addition, the number needed to read was 1.3. CONCLUSION: According to the proposed methodological approach, the search strategy under evaluation performed well in the identification of randomized clinical trials related to periodontitis.

Adaptación y validación preliminar de la Escala teoría cultural de cosmovisiones ambientales en población chilena / Preliminary Adaptation and Validation of the Cultural Theory of Environmental Worldviews Scale in Chilean Population

Resumen El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo adaptar y aportar evidencias preliminares de validez de la Escala de teoría cultural de cosmovisiones ambientales en el contexto latinoamericano. Se analizaron evidencias de validez de contenido mediante el juicio de cuatro expertos, validez discriminante y convergente, estructura interna a través de análisis factorial exploratorio y confirmatorio, y consistencia interna a través del coeficiente Omega. Mediante un muestreo no probabilístico por conveniencia, se seleccionaron 500 participantes en edad adulta que residían en la región del Ñuble, Chile. Se obtuvo una versión revisada y adecuada lingüísticamente del instrumento, que presentó coeficientes de concordancia de Kappa que fluctuaron entre considerable y casi perfecto en cuanto a su contenido. Los análisis estadísticos dan cuenta de la idoneidad del instrumento de 15 ítems y un análisis factorial confirmatorio que apoya la estructura interna de cuatro factores (individualismo, igualitarismo, jerarquismo y fatalismo); igual que la versión original. Los coeficientes de consistencia interna fueron aceptables para las cuatro subescalas. Respecto a la validez discriminante se obtuvieron medidas de varianza extraída adecuadas para igualitarismo, jerarquismo y fatalismo (sólo individualismo presentó valores levemente bajo lo esperado), y respecto a la validez convergente se obtuvieron valores adecuados en fiabilidad compuesta para los cuatro factores. Estos hallazgos avalan el uso de la versión en español de la Escala de teoría cultural de cosmovisiones ambientales en población de habla hispana, contribuyendo a la potencial ampliación de estudios socioculturales sobre el medioambiente en Latinoamérica.

Abstract The objective of this study was to adapt and provide preliminary validity evidence of the cultural theory and environmental worldviews scale in the Latin-American context. Content validity evidence was assessed by the judgment of four experts, discriminant and convergent validity, internal structure through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, and internal consistency using the omega coefficient. The sample consisted of 500 participants from the Ñuble region, Chile. Regarding the results, a revised and linguistically adapted version of the instrument was obtained, which presented a kappa coefficient ranging from substantial to almost perfect regarding the content. The statistical analysis shown the adequacy of the 15-item instrument and a confirmatory factor analysis which supported the four-factor internal structure (individualism, egalitarianism, hierarchy, and fatalism), as in the original version. The internal consistency assessed using the Omega coefficient was acceptable for the four subscales. Regarding discriminant validity, adequate average variance extracted was obtained for egalitarianism, hierarchy, and fatalism (only individualism presented values slightly lower than expected), while convergent validity showed adequate composite reliability values for the four factors. These findings support the use of the Spanish version of Cultural Theory scale of and Environmental Worldviews in Spanish speaking population, contributing to potential further sociocultural studies about the environment in Latin America.

Validation of the 30-item nurses' observation scale for inpatient evaluation and mental health-care promotion.

CONTEXT: The 30-item nurses' observation scale for inpatient evaluation (NOSIE-30) developed for the behavioral and observational rating of psychiatric inpatients. AIMS: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validation of the NOSIE-30 and mental health-care promotion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The participants with psychiatric disorders were selected from 310 inpatients referred to the military educational hospital in Iran. This study was carried out in two phases: First, translation of the NOSIE-30 into Persian followed the stepwise, iterative procedures developed by the International Quality of Life Assessment project approach. Second, face validity, criterion-related validity and construct validity, and reliability of the Persian version were determined. The concurrent validity was assessed by using the global assessment of functioning (GAF) instrument. Data were analyzed with the SPSS software of version 22. Exploratory factor analysis, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient, and interrater agreement with intraclass correlation coefficient and Pearson's correlation coefficient were used to data analysis. RESULTS: Pearson's correlation coefficient between the NOSIE and GAF was 0.75. The interrater reliability for subscale scores and structure of the NOSIE were ranging from 0.70 to 0.94 and Cohen's kappa = 0.74. Furthermore, the internal consistency of the scale's total scores was estimated by Cronbach's alpha = 0.85. CONCLUSIONS: The finding indicated that NOSIE-30 Persian version scale has the desirable validity and reliability for evaluating the nursing care of inpatients. Thus, nurses can promote mental health care by applying this scale in the psychiatric setting.

Husserlian phenomenology in Korean nursing research: analysis, problems, and suggestions.

PURPOSE: This paper is a critical review of the descriptive phenomenological methodology in Korean nursing research. We propose constructive suggestions for the improvement of descriptive phenomenological methodology in light of Husserl's phenomenological approaches. METHODS: Using the keywords of 'phenomenology,' 'experience,' and 'nursing,' we identify and analyze 64 Korean empirical phenomenological studies (selected from 282 studies) published in 14 Korean nursing journals from 2005 to 2018. The PubMed and the Korea Citation Index were used to identify the studies. RESULTS: Our analysis shows that all the reviewed articles used Giorgi's or Colaizzi's scientific phenomenological methodology, without critical attention to Husserl's philosophical phenomenological principles. CONCLUSIONS: The use of scientific phenomenology in nursing research, which originated in North America, has become a global phenomenon, and Korean phenomenological nursing research has faithfully followed this scholarly trend. This paper argues that greater integration of Husserlian phenomenological principles into scientific phenomenological methodology in nursing research, such as participant-centered bracketing and eidetic reduction, is needed to ensure that scientific phenomenology lives up to its promise as a research methodology.

The logic of equivalence testing and its use in laboratory medicine.

Hypothesis testing is a methodological paradigm widely popularized outside the field of pure statistics, and nowadays more or less familiar to the largest part of biomedical researchers. Conversely, the equivalence testing is still somehow obscure and misunderstood, although it represents a conceptual mainstay for some biomedical fields like pharmacology. In order to appreciate the way it could suit laboratory medicine, it is necessary to understand the philosophy behind it, and in turn how it stemmed and differentiated along the history of classical hypothesis testing. Here we present the framework of equivalence testing, the various tests used to assess equivalence and discuss their applicability to laboratory medicine research and issues.

Instructions for using the MInCir Scale to assess methodological quality in diagnostic accuracy studies / Instrucciones para utilizar la Escala MInCir para valorar calidad metodológica de estudios de diagnóstico o pruebas diagnósticas

Globally, the assessment of methodological quality (MQ) in biomedical research is an area of dynamic development over recent years. Understood as a complex and multidimensional construct, various groups have proposed tools for its assessment. Our team has designed and validated scales to assess MQ of therapy and prognosis studies. However, as with other instruments, it is necessary to specify in detail how it is applied, in such a way as to be able to standardize the measurements made with this instrument. A detailed description is presented of the 3 domains (type of research design [single item domain], size of population studied [single item domain], and methodology 7 items) and 9 items comprising the scale, specifying for each item how to assess the characteristics and score articles of diagnostic accuracy studies. The application of this instrument requires critical evaluation of each of the items to assign the respective score, which sum to give a total score of between 9 and 45 points. The cut-off point to define the construct MQ (dichotomous) for this type of study is 20 points. This article provides an application guideline that may help to improve inter-observer and intra-observer reliability of the MInCir MQ scale for diagnostic accuracy studies. The aim of this article is to provide a guideline for the standardized application of the MInCir MQ scale for diagnostic accuracy studies.

La evaluación de la calidad metodológica (CM) en la investigación biomédica es un área de desarrollo dinámico en los últimos años. Entendida, como un constructo multidimensional y complejo; diversos grupos han propuesto herramientas para su valoración. Nuestro equipo de trabajo ha diseñado y validado escalas para valorar CM de estudios de terapia y pronóstico. Sin embargo, como ocurre con otros instrumentos, es necesario especificar detalladamente la forma en que se aplica, de forma tal de poder estandarizar las mediciones. De este modo, se presenta una descripción pormenorizada de los 3 dominios (tipo de diseño, tamaño de la población en estudio y metodología) y 9 ítems que componen la escala, precisando para cada uno de ellos las características a evaluar y puntuar en los artículos primarios de diagnóstico o pruebas diagnósticas. La aplicación de este instrumento requiere de la evaluación crítica de cada ítem para asignar una puntuación final que en su sumatoria puede variar entre 9 y 45 puntos, con un punto de corte de 20 puntos que define el constructo CM para este tipo de estudios. Este artículo aporta una guía de aplicación que permite otorgar una adecuada confiabilidad intra e inter observador a las mediciones que se realicen aplicando la escala MInCir de CM para valorar estudios primarios de escenarios de diagnóstico o pruebas diagnósticas. El objetivo de este artículo es proporcionar una guía para la aplicación estandarizada de la escala MInCir de CM para valorar estudios primarios de escenarios de diagnóstico o pruebas diagnósticas.

Instructions for the use of MInCir scale to assess methodological quality in therapy studies / Instrucciones para la utilización de la escala MInCir para valorar calidad metodológica de estudios de tratamiento o procedimientos terapéuticos

The assessment of methodological quality (MQ) in biomedical research is an area of dynamic development over recent years globally. Understood as a complex and multidimensional construct, various groups have proposed tools for its assessment. Our team has designed and validated scales to assess MQ of therapy, diagnosis, and prognosis studies. However, as with other instruments, it is necessary to specify in detail how it is applied, in order to standardize the measurements made with this instrument. The aim of this article is to provide a guideline for the standardized application of the MInCir MQ scale for therapy or therapeutic procedure studies. A detailed description of the 3 domains and 6 items comprising the scale, specifying for each of them how to assess the characteristics and score articles on therapy or therapeutic procedures is presented. This article provides an application guideline that may help to improve interobserver and intraobserver reliability of the MInCir MQ scale for therapy or therapeutic procedures.

La evaluación de la calidad metodológica (CM) en la investigación biomédica es un área de desarrollo dinámico en los últimos años a nivel global. Entendida ésta, como un constructo multidimensional y complejo; diversos grupos han propuesto herramientas para su valoración. Nuestro equipo de trabajo ha diseñado y validado escalas para valorar CM de estudios de terapia, diagnóstico y pronóstico. Sin embargo, como ocurre con otros instrumentos, es necesario especificar detalladamente la forma en que se aplica, de forma tal de poder estandarizar las mediciones efectuadas con dicho instrumento. El objetivo de este artículo es detallar la aplicación de la escala MInCir de CM de estudios de terapia o procedimientos terapéuticos. De este modo, se presenta una descripción pormenorizada de los 3 dominios y 6 ítems que componen la escala, precisando para cada uno de ellos las características a evaluar y puntuar en los artículos primarios de terapia o procedimientos terapéuticos. Este artículo aporta una guía de aplicación que permite otorgar una adecuada confiabilidad intra e inter observador a las mediciones que se realicen aplicando la escala MInCir de terapia o procedimientos terapéuticos.

Instructions for the use of MInCIR scale to assess methodological quality in prognosis studies / Instrucciones para la utilización de la escala MInCIR para valorar calidad metodológica de estudios de pronóstico

The assessment of methodological quality (MQ) in biomedical research is an area of dynamic development over recent years globally. Understood as a complex and multidimensional construct, several groups have been proposed tools for its evaluation, between them our group has designed and validated scales to assess MQ in therapy, diagnosis and prognosis studies. However, as with other instruments, it is necessary to specify in detail how the measurement is performed. The aim of this article is to provide a guideline for the standardized application of MInCir MQ scale for prognosis studies. A detailed description of the 11 items and 4 domains of the scale, indicating for each of them how to assess and rate the characteristics in primary prognosis articles is presented. This article provides an application guideline that may help to improve interobserver and intraobserver reliability of MInCir MQ scale for prognosis studies.

La evaluación de la calidad metodológica (CM) en la investigación biomédica es un área de desarrollo dinámico en los últimos años a nivel global. Entendida como un constructo multidimensional y complejo, diversos grupos han propuesto herramientas para su valoración, entre ellos nuestro equipo de trabajo ha diseñado y validado escalas para valorar CM de estudios de terapia, diagnóstico y pronóstico. Sin embargo, como ocurre con otros instrumentos, es necesario especificar detalladamente la forma en que se aplica, de forma tal de poder estandarizar las mediciones. El objetivo de este artículo es explicar la aplicación de la escala MInCir de CM para estudios de pronóstico. Se presenta una descripción pormenorizada de los 11 ítems y 4 dominios que componen la escala, precisando para cada uno de ellos las características a evaluar y puntuar en los artículos primarios de pronóstico. El presente artículo aporta una guía de aplicación que permite otorgar una adecuada confiabilidad intra e inter observador en las mediciones con la escala MInCir Pronóstico.

Panning for the gold in health research: incorporating studies' methodological quality in meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Systematic reviews now routinely assess methodological quality to gauge the validity of the included studies and of the synthesis as a whole. Although trends from higher quality studies should be clearer, it is uncertain how often meta-analyses incorporate methodological quality in models of study results either as predictors, or, more interestingly, in interactions with theoretical moderators. OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: We survey 200 meta-analyses in three health promotion domains to examine when and how meta-analyses incorporate methodological quality. RESULTS: Although methodological quality assessments commonly appear in contemporary meta-analyses (usually as scales), they are rarely incorporated in analyses, and still more rarely analysed in interaction with theoretical determinants of the success of health promotions. The few meta-analyses (2.5%) that did include such an interaction analysis showed that moderator results remained significant in higher quality studies or were present only among higher quality studies. We describe how to model quality interactively with theoretically derived moderators and discuss strengths and weaknesses of this approach and in relation to current meta-analytic practice. CONCLUSIONS: In large literatures exhibiting heterogeneous effects, meta-analyses can incorporate methodological quality and generate conclusions that enable greater confidence not only about the substantive phenomenon but also about the role that methodological quality itself plays.

Evidence in public health: steps to make it real.

This study addresses the methodological trends in the development of systematic reviews in public health, and examines the reviews of the Cochrane Public Health Group in order to exemplify syntheses of evidence in public health and its implementation and impact on practice and research.

Instrucciones para la utilización de la escala mincir para valorar calidad metodológica de estudios de terapia / Instructions for the use of mincir scale to assess methodological quality in therapy studies

La calidad metodológica (CM) es un constructo multidimensional complejo que evalúa diferentes variables. Una aproximación al tema fue la generación de escalas para valorar CM de estudios de terapia, diagnóstico y pronóstico por parte de nuestro grupo de trabajo; todas ellas validadas. El objetivo de este artículo es entregar una pauta para estandarizar la aplicación para la escala MINCir, para valorar CM de estudios de terapia. Se realiza una descripción detallada de cada ítem y dominio que conforman la escala MINCir Terapia, junto con una guía de cómo dar respuesta a cada uno de ellos. Se generó una guía de usuario para aplicar la escala MINCir Terapia.

Methodological quality (MQ) is a complex multidimensional construct that tests different types of variables. An approach to this issue was the potential to generate a group of valid scales to assess MQ in therapy, diagnosis and prognosis studies. The aim of this article is to provide a guideline to standardize the implementation of a MinCir scale to assess MQ in therapy studies. A detailed description of each item and discipline of the therapy MinCir scale is provided, along with guidelines on how to respond each query. A user guide for applying the therapy MinCir scale was generated.

Methodological and Applicability Study of Rat Skin Anaphylactoid Test / 中国中医药信息杂志

Objective To study the sensitivity and reliability of rat skin anaphylactoid test method, detect and evaluate the anaphylactoid reaction of traditional Chinese medecine injection. Methods The condition of rat skin anaphylactoid test was optimized by studying the influencing factors of sensitivity and reliability of test with C48/80 as a tool drug, Tween80, endotoxin, China cobra toxin, trichosanthin injection, Tanreqing injection and Xuesaitong injection were investigated. Results The best conditions of rat skin anaphylactoid test was as follows:intrademal inject the drug with insulin syringe, 50-100μL per point, immediately inject 0.5%Evans blue dye 1 mL though caudal vein, 15 min later, kill the rat by carotid artery bleeding, clip dorsal skin to do the test. With this method, Tween80, endotoxin, China cobra toxin and trichosanthin injection all can induce blue stain in rat skin. Tanreqing injection showed no blue stain at the clinical dose. Xuesaitong injection although can induce blue stain in rat skin at the clinical dose, but the results cannot exclude the interference of its pharmacological function. Conclusion The method is simple with short test cycle, less dose of test drug, high detection sensitivity and good reproducibility, but some drug can show false positive result due to its own property.