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Biomedical subjects

H Davison

Publications and source records attributed to H Davison.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Use of a systematic review to assist the development of Campylobacter control strategies in broilers.

AIMS: Produce an evidence-based ranking of the major contributing factors and sources of Campylobacter occurrence in broilers produced in England, Scotland and Wales - Great Britain (GB). METHOD AND RESULTS: Relevant data were extracted from 159 research papers and findings were grouped into 14 sources of on-farm contamination and 37 contributing factors. A relevancy score was developed to take into account various measures from each study of applicability to GB broilers and strength of findings. Results indicate that major sources of Campylobacter include a depopulation event, another house on-farm, on-farm staff, and other animals on farm. The depopulation schedule (staggered slaughter) and multiple houses on-farm were identified as contributing factors associated with increasing the risk, and those decreasing the risk were use of a hygiene barrier, parent company and certain seasons of rearing. CONCLUSIONS: Although the review was more resource intensive compared to narrative studies, the system allows an increased level of transparency and the ability to investigate patterns and trends. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This paper provides the first evidence-based ranking of the major sources and contributing factors for Campylobacter presence in broilers in GB using a systematic review.

Animal Husbandry↗
PubMed1999

Case and control recruitment, and validation of cases for the MICA case-control study in England, Scotland and Wales.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the processes involved in the selection of cases and controls, and the validation of case diagnosis, in a large case-control study on the association between myocardial infarction (MI) and oral contraceptives. DESIGN: Community case-control study in England, Scotland and Wales. SUBJECTS: Cases were women aged 16-44 with a diagnosis of MI. Controls were age and general practice matched women without a diagnosis of MI. RESULTS: The proportion of interviewed cases per number eligible was 19% (95% CI 12-26%) lower in England and Wales than in Scotland. The kappa score for agreement between three cardiologists on diagnostic categories of the potential cases was 0.52 overall ('moderate' agreement). For the 35 cases resubmitted for categorization, the kappa scores for agreement between the first and second classification for the two national committee cardiologists were 0.32 and 0.23 ('fair' agreement). Age matching of controls was better in Scotland than England and Wales, the proportion of the first choice controls being 14% (95% CI 8-19%) higher in Scotland. The mean time to complete a cluster of interviews (one case and four controls) was 36 days in Scotland and 63 days in England and Wales. CONCLUSIONS: Very close age-matching was achieved overall, although the process was more efficient in Scotland than in England and Wales. Some suggestions for improvement in the case validation process are made.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1999

Community-oriented medical education in Glasgow: developing a community diagnosis exercise.

OBJECTIVES: Recent NHS changes have included an increasing emphasis on primary care settings, and hence community needs assessment. This has led to suggestions that medical education should become more community-oriented if today's medical students are to become effective medical practitioners. Recent curriculum reforms in a number of medical schools frequently involve a more student-centred approach, which encourages students to learn by intellectual discovery and critical thinking. We describe one such exercise in community diagnosis that has been developed in Glasgow's new undergraduate medical curriculum. DESIGN: The exercise has been developed as three teaching sessions, each with specific learning objectives. The first session explores the strengths and weaknesses of routine statistics, and reveals the lack of information regarding individual's and community's health and health care needs. The second session is a community-based rapid participatory appraisal arranged by general practitioners. Students interview patients, carers, and local key informants and health care professionals about their perceptions of health and health needs. In the final campus-based session, students combine and present their findings. Development included two pilot exercises involving detailed evaluation. SETTING: University of Glasgow. SUBJECTS: Medical students. RESULTS: Students valued the contrasting perspectives and information provided by different sources. After completing the three sessions, most students and tutors considered it an interesting, enjoyable and educational experience. CONCLUSIONS: This innovative community-oriented teaching programme gave students some insight into how health, morbidity and mortality are measured, why these might vary between different communities, and how different community members' perspectives might differ regarding perceived health and social needs.

Curriculum↗