Biomedical subjects

Alex Broom

Publications and source records attributed to Alex Broom.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Ethical issues in social research.

There are numerous ethical issues that one must consider when developing a research project; however, much discussion about ethics in health research has focused on experimental studies such as clinical trials. As a result, there remains some ambiguity as to the ethical issues that need to be considered in health-related social research. This paper outlines a number of important ethical issues that CAM researchers should be aware of when developing, running and writing up social research. Maintaining high ethical standards is extremely important in social research as it protects participants and researchers, improves the quality of the data retrieved and ensures that future researchers will have access to participants within the community.

Complementary Therapies↗

PubMed2005

Using qualitative interviews in CAM research: a guide to study design, data collection and data analysis.

Qualitative methods, such as the in-depth interview, offer a potentially powerful means of uncovering the complex experiences of patients, carers and clinicians within treatment and decision-making processes. In the context of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), qualitative interview-based projects allow for subjectivity and complexity within human experience, making them a powerful tool for increasing our knowledge of important processes within CAM. However, qualitative interview-based projects are often poorly designed, carried out and analysed. This article provides a guide for CAM researchers on how to use qualitative interviews to produce meaningful, and methodologically sound, research findings.

Complementary Therapies↗

PubMed2005

Virtually he@lthy: the impact of internet use on disease experience and the doctor-patient relationship.

In the current study, the author explores the complex effects and contradictory roles of the Internet as a source of empowerment and control, and as a site of "risk management." Drawing on a study of the Internet usage of Australian men with prostate cancer, the author investigates how access to information and online support affects men's experiences of disease and, in particular, the possible implications of Internet-informed patients for the doctor-patient relationship. The data reveal that accessing information and/or support online can have a profound effect on men's experiences of prostate cancer, providing a method of taking some control over their disease and limiting inhibitions experienced in face-to-face encounters. However, it is also clear that some medical specialists view Internet-informed patients as a challenge to their power within medical encounters and, as a result, employ disciplinary strategies that reinforce traditional patient roles and alienate patients who use the Internet.

Australia↗

PubMed2005

Medical specialists' accounts of the impact of the Internet on the doctor/patient relationship.

In the context of health service delivery, deprofessionalization denotes a trend towards a demystification of medical expertise and increasing lay scepticism about health professionals, suggesting a decline in the power and status of the medical profession. This process has been linked to increasing consumerism, the rise of complementary medicine and the emergence of the Internet. Drawing on data from in-depth interviews with prostate cancer specialists, this article explores their experiences of the Internet user within the context of the medical consultation. Results suggest that the deprofessionalization thesis is inadequate for capturing the complex and varying ways in which specialists view, and respond to, the Internet-informed patient. It is argued that the ways in which these specialists are adapting to the Internet and the Internet user should be viewed as strategic responses, rather than reflecting a breakdown in their authority or status. 'Enlistment' and 'translation' are presented as useful conceptual tools for understanding specialists' experiences of the Internet.

Humans↗

PubMed2005

Patient assessment of effectiveness and satisfaction with traditional medicine, globalized complementary and alternative medicines, and allopathic medicines for cancer in Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: Virtually no research has been conducted on patient assessments of traditional medicines and allopathic medicines for cancer care in poorer countries marked by pluralistic medical environments. Pakistan represents an excellent case for such a study because of the coexistence of culturally and historically specific indigenous traditional medicine, the strong presence of allopathic medicine, and, to a lesser extent, the availability of some globalized complementary and alternative medicines. AIM: To gain a preliminary understanding of cancer patients' perceptions of effectiveness and satisfaction with traditional medicine, globalized complementary and alternative medicine, and allopathy in the context of a pluralistic medical environment. STUDY DESIGN: Structured survey of 362 cancer patients, from diverse regions in the Punjab province and Northwest Frontier province, who were being treated in 4 different hospitals in Lahore, Pakistan. RESULTS: Use of traditional medicine remains high among cancer patients, with traditional healers used by the majority of those surveyed. Although patients' perceptions of the overall effectiveness of traditional medicines for treating cancer are low, those patients who do use traditional medicines still have high levels of satisfaction with these modalities. This is distinct from levels of satisfaction with, and perceptions of effectiveness of, Western cancer treatments, which were synonymous in this group of patients. Important differences in patient perceptions were found within groups (eg, between different forms of traditional healers) as well as between them. CONCLUSION: This study showed considerable support for complementary and alternative medicine/traditional medicine but also significant variation in usage of and perceptions of local traditional medicines. More research needs to be done to explore the social processes underlying this variation in cancer patients' preferences for particular traditional medicines.

Complementary Therapies↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Introduction to the research methods in CAM series.

There is increasing awareness of a need for rigorous research into complementary and alternative medicine, but as yet, limited guidance has been given to researchers, practitioners and students as to the range and scope of the various methodologies available and how existing methods can be modified for CAM research. This research methods series provides an outline of the main methods for researching CAM-related issues, including clinical trials, cross-sectional studies and qualitative methodologies. Drawing on the experiences of a range of experts in CAM research, each article in this series addresses the scope and strengths of a particular methodological approach. This series aims to convey the basis and objectives of particular methodologies within the context of CAM research, and thus, each paper will draw on actual examples of CAM research. It is intended to be of value both to inexperienced researchers and to those who are more experienced but are looking to broaden their range of knowledge. In this introduction, we outline some of the fundamental concepts for researching CAM, providing an overall sense of where each methodological approach outlined in this series fits in the 'order of things'. We outline different design strategies, the philosophical differences underpinning particular approaches to collecting data, and the issue of bias in research design and analysis.

Bias↗