Peer Review (in Research): From 1 Different Sources
The process by which manuscripts submitted to a publisher or research applications are evaluated by experts in appropriate fields (usually anonymous to the authors) to ensure quality.
Review by individuals from the same discipline and with essentially equal qualifications (peers).... peer review
Involves the use of non-numerical data, such as those collected in unstructured and in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, participant observation, participatory research, and the study of documents.... qualitative research
Involves the use of data in numerical quantities such as continuous measurements or counts.... quantitative research
A statutory body in the United Kingdom that promotes the balanced development of medical and related biological research and aims to advance knowledge that will lead to improved health care. It employs its own research sta? in more than 40 research establishments. These include the National Institute for Medical Research, the Laboratory of Molecular Biology, and the Clinical Sciences Centre. Grants are provided so that individual scientists can do research which complements the research activities of hospitals and universities. There are several medical charities and foundations – for example, the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, the British Heart Foundation, the Nu?eld Laboratories and the Wellcome Trust which fund and foster medical research.... medical research council
A family of research methodologies which pursue action (or change) and research (or understanding) at the same time.... action research
A review that occurs during the course of patient treatment. Concurrent review enables the medical practitioner or other health care provider to evaluate whether the course of treatment is consistent with expectations for the usual management of a clinical case. The review may also facilitate early identification of negative consequences of treatment (e.g. complications, failure to respond to therapy) that will affect the length of the care episode and outcomes.... concurrent review
A formal programme for assessing drug prescription and use patterns. DURs typically examine patterns of drug misuse, monitor current therapies, and intervene when prescription or utilization patterns fall outside pre-established standards. DUR is usually retrospective, but can also be performed before drugs are dispensed.... drug utilization review (dur)
When a woman is treated for infertility it is necessary to nurture human embryos for a few days (until the ?rst cell divisions of the fertilised egg have occurred) in a specialised laboratory. More eggs are fertilised than are usually needed because not all fertilisations are successful. Surplus embryos may be frozen for use in later attempts to implant an embryo in the womb. Research has been done on very early embryos but the practice is controversial and some countries have either forbidden it or imposed tight restrictions. In the UK such research is controlled by the government Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority (see ASSISTED CONCEPTION).... embryo research
The collection of extensive narrative data on many variables over an extended period of time in a naturalistic setting in order to gain insights not possible using other types of research. For this type of research, observations are undertaken at particular points of time. Data would include observations, recordings and interpretations of what is seen.... ethnographic research
Research on all aspects of health, the factors affecting it, and ways of promoting, protecting and improving it. It is an essential part of national health development. It includes medical and biomedical research relating to a wide variety of medical matters and involving various life sciences, such as molecular biology and biophysics; clinical research, which is based on the observation and treatment of patients or volunteers; epidemiological research, which is concerned with the study and control of diseases and of situations that are suspected of being harmful to health; and socioeconomic and behavioural research, which investigates the social, economic, psychological and cultural determinants of health and disease with a view to promoting health and preventing disease. Often a multidisciplinary combination of the above kinds of research is needed to solve a health problem.... health research
The multidisciplinary field of scientific investigation that studies how social factors, financing systems, organizational structures and processes, health technologies, and personal behaviours affect access to health care, the quality and cost of health care, and ultimately health and well-being. Its research domains are individuals, families, organizations, institutions, communities and populations.... health services research
Research dealing with the entire health system or only part of it, the object being to ensure that the system is optimally planned and organized and that programmes are carried out by the health system infrastructure efficiently and effectively and with appropriate technology.... health systems research
The study of the interrelationships between humans, the tools they use, and the environment in which they live and work.... human-factor research
A summary and interpretation of research findings reported in the literature. It may include unstructured qualitative reviews by single authors as well as various systematic and quantitative procedures, such as meta-analysis.... literature review
Research on measures of changes in outcomes, that is, health status and satisfaction, resulting from specific interventions.... outcome research
A process in which the researcher facilitates analysis by a range of stakeholder groups of the themes being investigated.... participatory research
Provision of support and advice to older persons by nonprofessional persons who are or have been in similar circumstances.... peer counselling
The systematic assessment of the relevance, adequacy, progress, efficiency, effectiveness and impact of a programme.... programme evaluation / review
Review by a government or private agency of a hospital’s or health service’s budget and financial data, performed for the purpose of determining if the rates are reasonable of the rates and evaluating proposed rate increases.... rate review
The procedures and methods, including ethical considerations, predetermined by an investigator, to be adhered to in conducting a research project.... research design
Research misconduct is de?ned as behaviour by a researcher that falls short of good ethical and scienti?c standards – whether or not this be intentional. For example, the same data may be sent for publication to more than one medical journal, which might have the e?ect of their being counted twice in any META-ANALYSIS or systematic review; or the data may be ‘salami sliced’ to try to make the maximum number of publications, even though the data may overlap. Fraud in the context of research is de?ned as the generation of false data with the intent to deceive. It is much less frequent than carelessness, but its incidence is estimated as between
0.1 and 1 per cent. A ?gure of 1 per cent means that, in the United Kingdom at any one time, maybe 30 studies are being conducted, or their results published, which could contain false information. Examples include forged ethics-committee approval, patient signatures and diary cards; fabricated ?gures and results; invention of non-existent patient subjects; or sharing one electrocardiogram or blood sample amongst many subjects.
Research fraud should be ?rst suspected by a clinical-trial monitor who recognises that data are not genuine, or by a quality-assurance auditor who cannot reconcile data in clinical-trial report forms with original patient records. Unfortunately, it often comes to light by chance. There may be suspicious similarities between data ostensibly coming from more than one source, or visits may have been recorded when it was known that the clinic was shut. Statistical analysis of a likely irregularity will frequently con?rm such suspicion. The motivation for fraud is usually greed, but a desire to publish at all costs, to be the original author of a medical breakthrough, to bolster applications for research grants, or to strengthen a bid for more departmental resources are other recognised reasons for committing fraud.
In the USA, those proved to have committed fraud are debarred from receiving federal funds for research purposes or from undertaking government-funded therapeutic research. The four Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden) have committees on research dishonesty that investigate all cases of suspected research misconduct. In the United Kingdom, an informal system operated by the pharmaceutical industry, using the disciplinary mechanism of the General Medical Council (GMC), has led to more than 16 doctors in the past ten years being disciplined for having committed research fraud. Editors of many of the world’s leading medical journals have united to form the Committee on Publishing Ethics, which advises doctors on proper practice and assists them in retracting or refusing to publish articles found or known to be false. (See ETHICS; ETHICS COMMITTEES.) Where an author does not o?er a satisfactory explanation, the matter is passed to his or her institution to investigate; where an editor or the committee is not satis?ed with the result they may pass the complaint to the appropriate regulatory body, such as the GMC in Britain.... research fraud and misconduct
A review of studies in which evidence has been systematically searched for, studied, assessed and summarized according to predetermined criteria.... systematic review
Evaluation of the necessity, appropriateness and efficiency of the use of health care services, procedures and facilities. In a hospital, this includes review of the appropriateness of admissions, services ordered and provided, length of a stay, and discharge practices, both on a concurrent and retrospective basis. Utilization review can be done by a peer review group or a public agency.... utilization review
a *special health authority of the NHS established following the Health and Social Care Act 2012 to promote and protect the interests of patients in health research and to simplify the regulation of research. The Health Research Authority inherited the functions of the National Research Ethics Service, which closed in 2012.... health research authority
(MHRT) a tribunal, established under the Mental Health Act 1959 and now operating under the Mental Health Act 2007, to which applications may be made for the discharge from hospital of a person compulsorily detained there under provisions of the Act (see compulsory admission). When a patient is subject to a restriction order an application may only be made after his or her first six months of detention. The powers of the tribunal, which comprises both legally and medically qualified members, include reclassifying unrestricted patients, recommending leave of absence for a patient, delaying discharge, and transferring patients to other hospitals. Detained patients may also apply to have a managers hearing to review their detention. The powers of the managers hearing are slightly different from those of the MHRT, but both are defined in the Mental Health Act 2007 and both can discharge a patient from a section of the Mental Health Act.... mental health review tribunal
(PAR) a radical approach to public health issues that actively involves communities in collaboration, reflection, data collection, and activities that empower them to improve their own health. See empowerment.... participatory action research
see ethics committee.... research ethics committee
a type of scientific enquiry that focuses on developing practical application from the findings from basic scientific research. The field of translational research is sometimes described as comprising T1 research and T2 research. The former focuses on developing novel clinical treatments from laboratory-based basic science; the latter on embedding the findings of clinical trials into everyday practice. See also academic health science network.... translational research
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