Welcome to 'blogademia': Daniel Jolley, Fleur-Michelle Coiffait, and Emma L. Davies on purpose, positives and pitfalls

The British Psychological Society’s Public Engagement and Media Award in 2015 went to Mindhacks, a blog led by psychologists Dr Vaughan Bell and Dr Tom Stafford that has featured over 5000 posts across the past decade. Example posts include descriptions of visual illusions, a self-test for synaesthesia, and tips on the best way to win an argument. Accepting the award at the Society’s Annual Conference, the pair urged: ‘Each one of you has probably got those 5000 posts inside you. Make use of the resources on the internet, but put your own thoughts online too.’ We share their passion for ‘blogademia’ (a term coined by Saper, 2006), and here we aim to reflect on its purpose, positives and pitfalls, moving on to some general tips and guidance on blogging specifically for psychologists

Availability of evidence on cataract in low/middle-income settings: a review of reviews using evidence gap maps approach.

BACKGROUND: Despite high-quality evidence being essential for planning and delivering eye health programmes, evidence on what works is relatively scarce. To address this need, we developed eye health Evidence Gap Maps (EGMs) with the first one focusing on cataract. These maps summarise, critically appraise and present evidence in a user-friendly format. This paper presents experiences of developing the cataract gap map and discusses the challenges and benefits of the process. METHODS: Following a comprehensive search of relevant databases, we sifted and extracted data from all relevant reviews on cataract. Critical appraisal was conducted by two reviewers independently using Supported the Use of Research Evidence checklist and a summary quality assessment was shared with the authors for comments. RESULTS: A total of 52 reviews were included in the map. The majority of the reviews addressed quality of clinical care (20) and types of treatment (18). Overall, 30 reviews provided strong evidence in response to the research question, 14 reviews showed weak or no evidence and in 14 reviews the results were inconclusive. 14 reviews were regarded as high quality, 12 were medium quality and 26 were graded as low quality. To verify the validity of the Supporting the Use for Research Evidence (SURE) checklist, studies were also appraised using the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) tool. Based on the κ statistics test, results showed excellent agreement between the two checklists (K=0.79). DISCUSSION: EGMs support policy makers and programme managers to make informed decisions and enable researchers to prioritise future work based on the most evident gaps on knowledge

Mixed methods evaluation of a primary eye care training programme for primary health workers in Morogoro Tanzania.

BACKGROUND: There are 285 million people with visual impairment (VI) worldwide including 39 million who are blind; 15 % of those with VI live in Africa, and around 80 % of VI is preventable or treatable with the right equipment, information and skills. The scarcity of human resources for eye health, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, is a key challenge towards achieving this goal. Therefore training primary health workers (PHW) in providing eye-care services has been seen by some authors as a way to improve access to eye-care services in remote communities. However, the package of interventions which could be effectively delivered for eye-care at the primary-care level or the set of skills and competencies that PHWs need has not yet been delineated. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a four day training programme of PHWs in primary eye-care conducted in Morogoro, Tanzania in 2010/2011. METHODS: A mixed methods study using pre- and immediate post-training knowledge assessment of 60 trainees, and in-depth face to face interviews with 20 PHWs and 8 service managers 2 to 3 years after the training. RESULTS: Pre-and immediate post-training assessments indicated improvement in health worker knowledge about eye-care in the short term. Qualitative investigations 2 to 3 years after the training showed that although staff could make the correct management decisions when presented with eye-health problems, they often could not make a correct diagnosis. PHWs and managers reported satisfaction with the content of the training but some of the less well qualified staff found it overwhelming. Theoretical teaching was appreciated by most participants but almost all suggested increasing the time spent on acquiring skills. The training manual was accepted by many and some improvements were recommended. All interviewed PHWs were keen to improve their skills and knowledge. Acquired skills and knowledge were used for identification, referral of patients and for eye-health promotion. CONCLUSION: The training program in Morogoro was considered by PHWs as broadly successful and satisfying in terms of content, methods and duration of training. However, any future programme needs to be considered within the context of strengthening wider health systems

Welcome to ‘blogademia’

The British Psychological Society’s Public Engagement and Media Award in 2015 went to Mindhacks, a blog led by psychologists Dr Vaughan Bell and Dr Tom Stafford that has featured over 5000 posts across the past decade. Example posts include descriptions of visual illusions, a self-test for synaesthesia, and tips on the best way to win an argument. Accepting the award at the Society’s Annual Conference, the pair urged: ‘Each one of you has probably got those 5000 posts inside you. Make use of the resources on the internet, but put your own thoughts online too.’ We share their passion for ‘blogademia’ (a term coined by Saper, 2006), and here we aim to reflect on its purpose, positives and pitfalls, moving on to some general tips and guidance on blogging specifically for psychologists

Factors affecting cataract surgical coverage and outcomes: a retrospective cross-sectional study of eye health systems in sub-Saharan Africa.

BACKGROUND: Recently there has been a great deal of new population based evidence on visual impairment generated in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), thanks to the Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness (RAAB) survey methodology. The survey provides information on the magnitude and causes of visual impairment for planning services and measuring their impact on eye health in administrative "districts" of 0.5-5 million people. The survey results describing the quantity and quality of cataract surgeries vary widely between study sites, often with no obvious explanation. The purpose of this study was to examine health system characteristics that may be associated with cataract surgical coverage and outcomes in SSA in order to better understand the determinants of reducing the burden of avoidable blindness due to cataract. METHODS: This was a descriptive study using secondary and primary data. The outcome variables were collected from existing surveys. Data on potential district level predictor variables were collected through a semi-structured tool using routine data and key informants where appropriate. Once collected the data were coded and analysed using statistical methods including t-tests, ANOVA and the Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance test. RESULTS: Higher cataract surgical coverage was positively associated with having at least one fixed surgical facility in the area; availability of a dedicated operating theatre; the number of surgeons per million population; and having an eye department manager in the facility. Variables that were associated with better outcomes included having biometry and having an eye department manager in the facility. CONCLUSIONS: There are a number of health system factors at the district level that seem to be associated with both cataract surgical coverage and post-operative visual acuity outcomes. This study highlights the needs for better indicators and tools by which to measure and monitor the performance of eye health systems at the district level. It is unlikely that epidemiological data alone is sufficient for planning eye health services within a district and health managers and study coordinators need to consider collecting supplementary information in order to ensure appropriate planning can take place

Netrin-3: Tracking the Elusive Antimitotic Signal on the Western Frontier

Netrin-3 is a guidance protein expressed throughout the animal kingdom, and involved in the development of branched structures such as the nervous system, lung, and mammary gland. We have previously shown that peptides derived from this protein serve as chemorepellents and mitotic inhibitors in Tetrahymena thermophila. Our previous work shows that Tetrahymena synthesize and secrete a netrin-3-like protein, as detected by ELISA. In this study, we find that a netrin-3-like protein is present in whole cell extract and secreted protein, as detected by Western blotting. A protein of approximately 48 kD is consistently detected in our Western blots. In addition, we often detect a protein of 52 kD, which may be the netrin-1-like protein of Tetrahymena that we have previously described. Further studies will enable us to determine whether the 52-kD protein is indeed the netrin-1 like protein of Tetrahymena

Estimated Prevalence of Disability and Developmental Delay Among Preschool Children in Rural Malawi: Findings from Tikule Limodzi, a Cross-sectional Survey

RLOsEarly childhood development (ECD) is a critical stage in children's lives, influencing future development and social integration. ECD research among children with disability and developmental delay in low‐ and middle‐income countries is limited but crucial to inform planning and delivery of inclusive services. This study is the first to measure and compare the prevalence of disability and developmental delay among children attending preschool centres in rural Malawi

Evaluating Livelihood Strategies and the Role of Inland Fisheries in Rural Development and Poverty Alleviation: The Case of the Yaéré Floodplain in North Cameroon

It is usually assumed that most, if not all, small scale fishing communities, particularly in tropical countries, represents the poorest and most disadvantaged part of rural societies. As a result, these populations have been targeted for poverty alleviation by fisheries development programmes since the early 60's. Unfortunately many of these programmes have failed in achieving their objectives due to a lack of understanding for the complex livelihood strategies and networks of socio-economic and institutional relationships which characterise the different strata of these societies. In the present paper, we attempt to address the issue of poverty and rural livelihood strategies for the fishing communities of the Yaéré floodplains of the Lake Chad Basin (Cameroon, Africa). For this, we carried out an socio-economic assessment of the Yaéré floodplain population through a wealth / activity ranking exercise combined to an analysis of the land / water tenure systems. The result shows that the floodplain population is made up of different wealth groups characterised by distinct livelihood strategies. In particular it is shown that the poorest rely in a larger proportion on fishing activities while the better off mainly rely on farming. The analysis emphasises the key-role of the local water tenure system in this livelihood strategy distinction. The relation between wealth and food insecurity as well as the different factors governing the wealth differentiation process are analysed. The implications for poverty alleviation and rural development programmes at the micro-level are briefly discussed