Transurethral radiofrequency collagen denaturation for the treatment of women with urinary incontinence

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Assessment of the learning curve in health technologies: a systematic review

Objective: We reviewed and appraised the methods by which the issue of the learning curve has been addressed during health technology assessment in the past. Method: We performed a systematic review of papers in clinical databases (BIOSIS, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, HealthSTAR, MEDLINE, Science Citation Index, and Social Science Citation Index) using the search term "learning curve:" Results: The clinical search retrieved 4,571 abstracts for assessment, of which 559 (12%) published articles were eligible for review. Of these, 272 were judged to have formally assessed a learning curve. The procedures assessed were minimal access (51%), other surgical (41%), and diagnostic (8%). The majority of the studies were case series (95%). Some 47% of studies addressed only individual operator performance and 52% addressed institutional performance. The data were collected prospectively in 40%, retrospectively in 26%, and the method was unclear for 31%. The statistical methods used were simple graphs (44%), splitting the data chronologically and performing a t test or chi-squared test (60%), curve fitting (12%), and other model fitting (5%). Conclusions: Learning curves are rarely considered formally in health technology assessment. Where they are, the reporting of the studies and the statistical methods used are weak. As a minimum, reporting of learning should include the number and experience of the operators and a detailed description of data collection. Improved statistical methods would enhance the assessment of health technologies that require learning

Assessing the learning curve effect in health technologies: Lessons from the non-clinical literature

Introduction: Many health technologies exhibit some form of learning effect, and this represents a barrier to rigorous assessment. It has been shown that the statistical methods used are relatively crude. Methods to describe learning curves in fields outside medicine, for example, psychology and engineering, may be better. Methods: To systematically search non–health technology assessment literature (for example, PsycLit and Econlit databases) to identify novel statistical techniques applied to learning curves. Results: The search retrieved 9,431 abstracts for assessment, of which 18 used a statistical technique for analyzing learning effects that had not previously been identified in the clinical literature. The newly identified methods were combined with those previously used in health technology assessment, and categorized into four groups of increasing complexity: a) exploratory data analysis; b) simple data analysis; c) complex data analysis; and d) generic methods. All the complex structured data techniques for analyzing learning effects were identified in the nonclinical literature, and these emphasized the importance of estimating intra- and interindividual learning effects. Conclusion: A good dividend of more sophisticated methods was obtained by searching in nonclinical fields. These methods now require formal testing on health technology data sets

Revising a Doctor of Nursing Practice Program in Response to Student Focus Group Feedback

Throughout the history of professional nursing, changes in practice environments have guided changes in nursing educational systems. Over the past 50 years, advanced practice nurse roles have progressed in clinical practice and professional role requirements. The need to enhance the educational preparation in response to these requirements was addressed by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN, 2006). These formative years in the development of the DNP resulted in several programs across the country with varying approaches to both advanced practice specialization and doctoral degree education. Although extensive work was done by faculty to develop the program, prepare for accreditation, and provide a quality program, continued data collection and response to student feedback is a necessary component of quality education and continuing accreditation. The purpose of this project is to describe the continued data collection process of the program, specifically regarding the immersion hours and development of the final project

Community Memories: A Glimpse of African American Life in Frankfort, Kentucky

Community Memories is a fascinating look into life recalled by African Americans who consider Frankfort their home. Featuring unique oral history recollections and over two hundred candid personal photographs collected from community residents, the book provides an enlightening expression of the black experience in Kentucky’s capital. The memories focus on the elusive concept of community—that which binds together individuals in the living of everyday life. A satisfying blend of public history and local accounts, Community Memories explores the neighborhood, familial, religious, occupational, social, and educational components of the daily community experience of twentieth-century African Americans in Frankfort. Published by the Kentucky Historical Society and distributed by the University Press of Kentucky Senior Editor Winona L. Fletcher is professor emerita of theater and drama at Indiana University. Associate Editor Sheila Mason Burton is assistant director for research coordination at the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission. Associate Editor James E. Wallace is assistant director of the Kentucky Historical Society. Photographs Editor Mary E. Winter is special collections branch manager and photographs archivist at the Kentucky Historical Society. Oral History Editor Douglas A. Boyd is oral history and folklife archivist at the Kentucky Historical Society.https://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_african_american_studies/1024/thumbnail.jp

Interventions for treating people with symptoms of bladder pain syndrome : A network meta-analysis

Funding Information: • National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), UK. This review was commissioned by the NIHR Systematic Reviews Programme as project number 16/59/01. • National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), UK. This project was supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), via Cochrane Infrastructure funding to Cochrane Incontinence. The views and opinions expressed therein are those of the review authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Systematic Reviews Programme, NIHR, National Health Service or the Department of Health. The NIHR is the largest single funder of Cochrane Incontinence.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Study of amorphous dielectric optical coatings deposited by plasma ion assisted electron beam evaporation for gravitational wave detectors

Coating thermal noise (CTN) in amorphous coatings is a drawback hindering their application in precision experiments such as gravitational wave detectors (GWDs). Mirrors for GWDs are Bragg’s reflectors consisting of a bilayer-based stack of high- and low-refractive-index materials showing high reflectivity and low CTN. In this paper, we report the characterization of morphological, structural, optical, and mechanical properties of high-index materials such as scandium sesquioxide and hafnium dioxide and a low-index material such as magnesium fluoride deposited by plasma ion-assisted electron beam evaporation. We also evaluate their properties under different annealing treatments and discuss their potential for GWDs

Surgical treatments for women with stress urinary incontinence : a systematic review of economic evidence

Acknowledgements We would like to acknowledge all those involved in the wider study exploring the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of surgical treatments for women with stress urinary incontinence. Funding This research was commissioned by the NIHR HTA Programme as project number 15/09/06. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care, UK. The funders were not actively involved in the research process at any stage. The study design, collection, analysis and interpretation of data, the writing of the manuscript and the decision to submit it for publication were all performed independent of the funders.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Effectiveness and efficiency of methods of dialysis therapy for end-stage renal disease : a review

Peer reviewedPublisher PD