Longitudinal Study of Children's Reintegration in Moldova

This report documents a 22-month longitudinal study of the reintegration of children in residential care in Moldova. This research was carried out by Partnerships for Every Child, a Moldovan Non- Governmental Organisation (NGO), with the support of Family for Every Child, a network of national NGOs. The overall study -- which also examines the reintegration of street children in Mexico and of child domestic workers in Nepal -- aims to identify successful elements in strategies to ensure the sustainable reintegration of children without parental care by examining the reintegration process over four phases.Moldova leads the region in the proportion of its children living in residential care: 2.2 per cent of boys and girls live without parental care, with over 6,000 in residential care and more than 10,000 in family-based care (out of a population of approximately 750,000). Loss of parental care is caused by a complex array of underlying and immediate factors, which are detailed in the report

Acute medical beds could be cut?

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Recorded vignettes: a novel method for investigating documentation in the Electronic Healthcare Record (EHR)

Background: 360 million consultations documented annually in England1 Accurate descriptors required for secondary data functions: Computerised decision support; Financial reimbursement; Audit; Disease prevalence monitoring and research Coding is not explicitly taught within the GP curriculum How do you research how clinicians document? Previous studies: use real patients2/actors3 interacting with clinician studied; Lack standardisation; Expensive. Why Allergy? Growing clinical problem; 2014 NICE guidelines4: Poor clinical documentation is a major issue in allergy; EHR can’t distinguish between intolerance and allergy; Incorrect labelling of patients; Adverse impact on patient care? Little known about coding practices in non-incentivised condition such as allergy. Method: A novel method developed to standardize research of EHR use. Filmed 6 short vignettes (21-50 secs) Monologue of common allergic presentations as if in consultation with a doctor. Digital photographs were included to replicate rashes. Electronic distribution of study files Documented vignettes in their own EHR Returned screen-prints to the researcher for analysis - Codes, free text and EHR functions Questionnaire - Exploring decision-making and validation of method Initially piloted on 1 GP and 2 trainees leading to refinements. Results 7 GPs and 15 GP trainees were recruited All successfully completed Data was returned from 4 different EHRs SystmOne (6), EmisLV (2), EmisWeb (6) and Vision (8) Screen prints effectively captured data with minor technical difficulties reported by 2 participants The study took 1 - 2 hours to complete: longer than expected from the pilot study

Illness perception, mood and coping in patients with rhinitis

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Assessment Strategy to ‘Future Proof’ Students as Computing Practitioners

Unavoidable questions occur about the best way to equip computing students for the inherent professional and technical challenges facing them when building and/or working with computing systems. Here we are reporting on our experiences in addressing such questions with successive cohorts of both graduate and undergraduate students. This comprised simulating working as practitioners in team-based software engineering projects. It illustrates practical-based assessment strategies ‘future proofing’ students, e.g. for Industry 4.0 by equipping them with skills transferrable across industry sectors. This entailed adopting a tool-based approach which supports constructivist principles of learning with real-world case studies.Peer reviewe

Issues of validity and reliability in qualitative research

Evaluating the quality of research is essential if findings are to be utilised in practice and incorporated into care delivery. In a previous article we explored ‘bias’ across research designs and outlined strategies to minimise bias.1 The aim of this article is to further outline rigour, or the integrity in which a study is conducted, and ensure the credibility of findings in relation to qualitative research. Concepts such as reliability, validity and generalisability typically associated with quantitative research and alternative terminology will be compared in relation to their application to qualitative research. In addition, some of the strategies adopted by qualitative researchers to enhance the credibility of their research are outline

The Blurred Line between Physical Ageing and Mental Health in Older Adults: Implications for the Measurement of Depression

Objectives: Depression in older adults is assessed using measures validated in the general adult population. However, such measures may be inappropriate in the elderly due to the similarities between ageing and the symptoms of depression. This article discusses whether these measures are fit for the purpose and the implications of using inappropriate tools. Methods: A commentary on measuring depression in older adults. Results: Depression symptoms may be mistaken for signs of ageing. Several measures of depression include items that may have a physical cause and thus generate measurement error. Those studies that have assessed the psychometric properties of depression measures in older adults have failed to conduct appropriate assessments of discriminant validity. Discussion: Research is needed to determine whether the conceptual similarity between some symptoms of depression and the effects of ageing translate to factorial similarity. If so, there may be a need for a specific depression measure for older adults that prioritises psychological symptoms

Clusters, human capital and economic development in Oxfordshire and Cambridgeshire

Oxfordshire and Cambridgeshire are two of the most high tech economies in the UK (see for example DTI, 2002 and Garnsey and Lawton Smith, 1998). They are home to world class research universities and public and private research laboratories as well as a full range of business and professional services which support the development of their clusters. Building on previous work (Lawton Smith and Waters, 2011) this paper draws on national datasets to review the continued development of these economies. The paper considers issues such as new firm formation, sectoral composition and gross value added and relates them to social inclusion and worklessness. The paper draws on literature which emphasises the endogeneity of processes within regions, but also on studies which show that there are different kinds of high tech regions with varying industrial structures. Conclusions are drawn on the extent to which the presence of successful clusters (Spencer et al, 2010) influences outcomes for the local economy more generally, and how Oxfordshire and Cambridgeshire have performed over the last ten years

Greenhouse gas budgets of crop production : current and likely future trends

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Keratoprostheses for corneal blindness: a review of contemporary devices

According to the World Health Organization, globally 4.9 million are blind due to corneal pathology. Corneal transplantation is successful and curative of the blindness for a majority of these cases. However, it is less successful in a number of diseases that produce corneal neovascularization, dry ocular surface and recurrent inflammation, or infections. A keratoprosthesis or KPro is the only alternative to restore vision when corneal graft is a doomed failure. Although a number of KPros have been proposed, only two devices, Boston type-1 KPro and osteo-odonto-KPro, have came to the fore. The former is totally synthetic and the latter is semi-biological in constitution. These two KPros have different surgical techniques and indications. Keratoprosthetic surgery is complex and should only be undertaken in specialized centers, where expertise, multidisciplinary teams, and resources are available. In this article, we briefly discuss some of the prominent historical KPros and contemporary devices