Using evaluation techniques and performance claims to demonstrate public relations impact: An Australian perspective

Public relations professionals use many methods to demonstrate their contribution to organizational goals, yet it is unclear how their attitudes towards evaluation and the reporting of success matches real outcomes. Ten years after the International Public Relations Association produced an evaluation gold paper, this study combines research on Australian practitioners’ evaluation practices and attitudes, and data from industry awards to identify how practitioners demonstrate their accountability. Data suggest that despite the attention paid to evaluation by the academy and industry, practitioners still focus on measuring outputs, not outcomes to demonstrate performance and continue to rely heavily on media-based evaluation methods

Defining the gap between research and practice in public relations programme evaluation - towards a new research agenda

The current situation in public relations programme evaluation is neatly summarized by McCoy who commented that 'probably the most common buzzwords in public relations in the last ten years have been evaluation and accountability' (McCoy 2005, 3). This paper examines the academic and practitioner-based literature and research on programme evaluation and it detects different priorities and approaches that may partly explain why the debate on acceptable and agreed evaluation methods continues. It analyses those differences and proposes a research agenda to bridge the gap and move the debate forward

The evolution of public relations measurement and evaluation

The measurement and evaluation of public relations effectiveness has long been a major professional and research issue. In the first half of the 20th century, there were two research methods applied, opinion polls and basic media analysis. These were used to plan campaigns and monitor progress of media relations activities. In the second half of the century, as the practices of public relations expanded, greater emphasis was given to media analysis but the evidence of many practitioner studies was that measurement and evaluation was more discussed than undertaken. In the final 25 years of the century, the academic voice began to become more prominent in the discussion and development of methodologies and in nationally-based education programmes aimed at practitioners. The Internet and social media also began to change practices. There were mixed results from this clamour: more practitioners began to evaluate public relations activity (but many still applied discredited measures) whilst new techniques began to be introduced. Document analysis has prepared a timeline of the development of public relations measurement and evaluation. This paper explores the academic and professional themes that have characterised the development of this important public relations practice over the past 110 years

Data from: Lasmiditan is an effective acute treatment for migraine A phase 3 randomized study

Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of lasmiditan in the acute treatment of migraine. Methods: Adult patients with migraine were randomized (1:1:1) to a double-blind dose of oral lasmiditan 200 mg, lasmiditan 100 mg, or placebo, and were asked to treat their next migraine attack within 4 hours of onset. Over 48 hours following dosing, patients used an electronic diary to record headache pain, and also the presence of nausea, phonophobia, and photophobia, one of which was designated their most bothersome symptom (MBS). Results: Of the 1,856 patients who treated an attack, 77.9% had ≥1 cardiovascular risk factor in addition to migraine. Compared with placebo, more patients dosed with lasmiditan 200 mg were free from headache pain at 2 hours after dosing (32.2% vs 15.3%; odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 2.6 [2.0, 3.6]; p<0.001); and similarly for lasmiditan 100 mg (28.2%; 2.2 [1.6, 3.0]; p<0.001). Furthermore, compared with placebo, more patients dosed with lasmiditan 200 mg (40.7% vs 29.5%; 1.6 [1.3, 2.1]; p<0.001), and lasmiditan 100 mg (40.9%; 1.7 [1.3, 2.2]; p<0.001), were free from their MBS at 2 hours after dosing. Adverse events were mostly mild or moderate in intensity. Conclusions: Lasmiditan, dosed at 200 mg and 100 mg, was efficacious and well tolerated in the treatment of acute migraine among patients with a high level of cardiovascular risk factors

Table e-1. Baseline cardiovascular risk factors

Baseline cardiovascular risk factor

Endothelin-1 attenuates increases in hydraulic conductivity due to platelet-activating factor via prostacyclin release

We previously showed that endothelin-1 (ET-1) and prostacyclin (PGI2) similarly attenuate increases in microvascular permeability induced by platelet-activating factor (PAF). This led us to hypothesize that ET-1 attenuates trans-endothelial fluid flux during PAF through PGI2 release. We tested this hypothesis in three phases. First, bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells were exposed to 0.008–8 μM ET-1 and assayed for PGI2 release. Second, to determine whether increased transmonolayer flux after PAF could be attenuated by ET-1 or PGI2 and reversed by PGI2 synthesis inhibition or PGI2 receptor blockade, we measured endothelial cell transmonolayer flux after cells were exposed to 10 nM PAF plus 10 μM PGI2 or 80 pM ET-1, with or without 500 μM tranylcypromine (PGI2 synthase inhibitor) or 20 μM CAY-10441 (PGI2 receptor blocker). Finally, hydraulic conductivity (Lp) was measured in rat mesenteric venules in vivo after exposure to 10 nM PAF and 80 pM ET-1 with or without tranylcypromine (100 and 500 μM) or CAY-10441 (2 and 20 μM). We found that in vitro, ET-1 stimulated a dose-dependent increase in PGI2 production (from 126 to 217 pg/ml, P < 0.01). Compared with PAF alone, PGI2 plus PAF and ET-1 plus PAF decreased transmonolayer flux similarly by 52 and 46%, respectively (P < 0.01), while tranylcypromine and CAY-10441 reversed these effects by 92 and 47%, respectively (P < 0.05). In vivo, PAF increased Lp fourfold (P < 0.01) and ET-1 attenuated this effect by 83% (P < 0.01). Tranylcypromine and CAY-10441 reversed the ET-1 attenuation in Lp during PAF by 55 and 45%, respectively (P < 0.01). We conclude that ET-1 may stimulate endothelial cell PGI2 release to attenuate the increases in transmonolayer flux and hydraulic conductivity secondary to PAF