Evidence based practice: What is it? and why does it matter

The terms `evidence' and 'evidence-based practice' are now common place in health care literature. Government reports make increasing use of these terms and seek to encourage all health professionals to base their practice on sound evidence (Department of Health (DOH) 1996, 1997, 1998; Scottish Office, 1997, 1998, 1998b). So what exactly is `evidence based practice' and where did the term come from

Academic authorship: who, why and in what order?

We are frequently asked by our colleagues and students for advice on authorship for scientific articles. This short paper outlines some of the issues that we have experienced and the advice we usually provide. This editorial follows on from our work on submitting a paper1 and also on writing an academic paper for publication.2 We should like to start by noting that, in our view, there exist two separate, but related issues: (a) authorship and (b) order of authors. The issue of authorship centres on the notion of who can be an author, who should be an author and who definitely should not be an author, and this is partly discipline specific. The second issue, the order of authors, is usually dictated by the academic tradition from which the work comes. One can immediately envisage disagreements within a multi-disciplinary team of researchers where members of the team may have different approaches to authorship order

The Importance of Pilot Studies

The term 'pilot studies' refers to mini versions of a full-scale study (also called 'feasibility' studies), as well as the specific pre-testing of a particular research instrument such as a questionnaire or interview schedule. Pilot studies are a crucial element of a good study design. Conducting a pilot study does not guarantee success in the main study, but it does increase the likelihood. Pilot studies fulfil a range of important functions and can provide valuable insights for other researchers. There is a need for more discussion amongst researchers of both the process and outcomes of pilot studies

Identifying when active labour starts: can we improve the judgement?

First paragraph: There is growing concern about rising intervention rates in childbirth. In the UK a recent consensus statement, Making normal birth a reality, highlighted the importance of avoiding interventions where possible (Maternity Care Working Party 2007), yet intervention may be increased simply by early admission to the delivery suite. Several studies have identified that women admitted when they are not yet in active labour experience increased intervention in labour compared to those who are admitted in the active phase (Hemminki & Simukka 1986, Holmes et al 2001, Jackson et al 2003, Klein et al 2003). This poses a considerable problem, both for women and for the health service. The Birthrate audit first published over ten years ago (Ball & Washbrook 1996) reported that around one third of women admitted to UK labour wards were subsequently found not to be in labour. More recent publications have suggested that admission of women who are not yet in labour or who are in early labour is a continuing trend, despite the introduction of a range of initiatives, such as triage or telephone triage (Spiby et al 2006)

Exploring the Perceived Barriers to Following a Mediterranean Style Diet in Childbearing Age: A Qualitative Study.

A considerable amount of research has focused on interventions in pregnancy to promote health in current and future generations. This has yielded inconsistent results and focus has turned towards improving health in the preconception period. Promotion of healthy dietary patterns similar to a Mediterranean diet in the preconception years has been suggested as a dietary strategy to prevent maternal obesity and optimize offspring health. However, it is uncertain whether adoption is acceptable in women of childbearing age. This qualitative study aims to investigate the perceived barriers to following a Mediterranean diet in women of childbearing age. Semi-structured focus groups were used to generate deep insights to be used to guide the development of a future intervention. Nulliparous women aged between 20 and 47 years were recruited (n = 20). Six focus groups were digitally audio recorded and transcribed verbatim by the researcher. Thematic analysis was used to analyze data, which occurred in parallel with data collection to ascertain when data saturation was reached. Five core themes were identified: Mediterranean diet features, perceived benefits, existing dietary behavior and knowledge, practical factors, and information source. The present study highlights that a Mediterranean diet is acceptable to childbearing-aged women, and the insights generated will be helpful in developing an intervention to promote Mediterranean diet adoption

Finding the right title for your article: Advice for academic author.

On reading the title of an article the reader can sometimes wonder what the author is trying to say, as the title seems so far removed from the research covered in the article.  Do such authors forget that many readers of health and medical journals browse the list of contents (in a paper or electronic format) and use titles to select the article that attracts attention? Academic authors are often not clear enough in the titles of their articles, and hence may not attract as large a readership as possible.   Any author would want their article to be read and cited, and to stand out in a crowded Table of Contents or a list of papers found in a search on electronic databases.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/nje.v4i1.10138 Nepal Journal of Epidemiology 2014;4 (1): 344-347</jats:p