Confronting diversity in the production of clinical evidence goes beyond merely including under-represented groups in clinical trials

<p>There is increasing evidence that outcomes of health care differ by patient characteristics, such as gender and ethnicity. If evidence-based medicine is to improve quality of care for all patients, it is essential to take this diversity into account when designing clinical studies. So far, this notion has mainly been translated into recommendations for including minority populations in trials. We argue that a more comprehensive view of the production of diversity-sensitive clinical evidence is needed, one that takes heterogeneity as a starting point in research. We call for a mix of methodological approaches aimed at identifying diversity issues that matter and analysing the impact of these diversities on clinical outcomes. Institutional changes are necessary to support this methodological reform.</p>

Dermatological preparations for the tropics. A formulary of dermatological preparations and background information on choices, production and dispensing.

This book is a formulary describing 35 preparations covering the safe treatment of a broad range of skin diseases. The formulary focuses on effective and cheap preparations, suitable for local production and use under tropical conditions. If you want to use this book, you can either download it for free (see below), or you can order your own hard copy by sending an email to [email protected], mentioning your name, address, email address, occupation and intended use of the book. It will be delivered free of charge to those working as health care professionals in developing countries or regions. Others will be charged €15,- for production and shipping costs. Skin diseases are among the most common reasons for seeking medical advice in developing countries and regions. Although skin diseases are, in general, not life threatening, they may cause considerable discomfort and often have serious social implications. The potential demand for skin preparations is very high among large sections of the world’s population, which are economically disadvantaged and have little financial security. Not much scientific work has been done to determine which effective, cheap and simple dermatological preparations are suitable for the conditions that exist in tropical environments. This formulary is a step in that direction. The recommendations in the book are based on the most current scientific information available, our own investigations and practical experience. The formulary aims to help meet the basic dermatological needs in primary and secondary health care in developing countries and regions around the world. The first part of the book focuses on dermatological indications, preparations and therapy. It provides background information for the preparations considering efficacy, stability, and simplicity. The second part is a practical manual for the preparation and dispensing of the proposed dermatologicals. It also includes basic pharmaceutical methods and standards of Good Manufacturing Practice. The third part contains monographs of the preparations and raw materials. Master production forms are included in the electronic version of the book and are found on the CD that comes with the book. This book can serve many purposes. It may be used as a textbook for teaching dermatological therapy or as a manual to set up a local production unit. More specifically, it may help medical doctors, pharmacists, nurses, clinical officers and other health care workers to jointly develop local drug policies and formularies for dermatologicals, and design local production facilities. This formulary is a publication of the Beta Science Shop of the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. The book comes with a CD containing master production forms for all preparations and a pdf file of the book itself. ISBN: 978-90-367-5698-

Public participation in genomics research in the Netherlands: Validating a measurement scale

Nowadays, new technologies, like genomics, cannot be developed without the support of the public. However, although interested, the public does not always actively participate in science issues when offered the opportunity via public participation activities. In a study aimed at validating a measurement scale, first, we investigated if public participation existed, and, secondly, we investigated how levels of public participation in genomics research varied among groups. Finally, we studied which factors predicted public participation. Results were based on a questionnaire with four subsamples. Results confirmed, first of all, the internal consistency of the measurement scale to assess levels of public participation. Secondly, the groups differed significantly with regard to their levels of participation in genomics research. Finally, the findings revealed that information-seeking behaviour, knowledge and education were main predictors of public participation, while interest, social involvement, and trust and influence had some influence together with age and gender