PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “implementation science”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,153 records · Page 64Linked to original sources

Evolving research misconduct policies and their significance for physical scientists.

Scientific misconduct includes the fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism (FFP) of concepts, data or ideas; some institutions in the United States have expanded this concept to include "other serious deviations (OSD) from accepted research practice." It is the absence of this OSD clause that distinguishes scientific misconduct policies of the past from the "research misconduct" policies that should be the basis of future federal policy in this area. This paper introduces a standard for judging whether an action should be considered research misconduct as distinguished from scientific misconduct: by this standard, research misconduct must involve activities unique to the practice of science and must have the potential to negatively affect the scientific record. Although the number of cases of scientific misconduct is uncertain (only the NIH and the NSF keep formal records), the costs are high in terms of the integrity of the scientific record, diversions from research to investigate allegations, ruined careers of those eventually exonerated, and erosion of public confidence in science. Existing scientific misconduct policies vary from institution to institution and from government agency to government agency; some have highly developed guidelines that include OSD, others have no guidelines at all. One result has been that the federal False Claims Act has been used to pursue allegations of scientific misconduct. As a consequence, such allegations have been adjudicated in federal courts, rather than judged by scientific peers. The federal government is now establishing a first-ever research misconduct policy that would apply to all research funded by the federal government regardless of which agency funded the research or whether the research was carried out in a government, industrial or university laboratory. Physical scientists, who up to now have only infrequently been the subject of scientific misconduct allegations, must nonetheless become active in the debate over research misconduct policies and how they are implemented since they will now be explicitly covered by this new federal wide policy.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗

Holistic risk assessment: an emerging process for environmental decisions.

A holistic risk assessment (HRA) strategy is proposed as an alternative, inclusive paradigm which builds upon the traditional risk assessment process described by the National Academy of Sciences. This proposed process expands beyond the traditional process in that it: (i) includes parallel and integrated assessments for ecological risk and human health risks; (ii) recognizes the presence of competing risks that may arise from implementation of risk management decisions; (iii) is an iterative and nonsequential process that highlights the importance of risk characterization and the need for comparisons; (iv) has focus on presenting a series of risk choices that take into consideration parameters specific to exposed populations and ecosystems; and (v) involves communication as the first step between risk assessors and risk managers, with subsequent communication of the results of the assessment to clients and the public. This HRA strategy is illustrated by a case study on methyl mercury. Specific research is proposed for future improvements in this area.

Animals↗

An oscillation-based model for the neuronal basis of attention.

We propose a model for the neuronal implementation of selective visual attention based on the temporal structure of neuronal activity. In particular, we set out to explain the electrophysiological data from areas V4 and IT in monkey cortex of Moran and Desimone [(1985) Science, 229, 782-784] using the "temporal tagging" hypothesis of Crick and Koch [(1990a) Cold Spring Harbor Symposiums in Quantitative Biology, LV, 953-962; (1990b) Seminars in the neurosciences (pp. 1-36)]. Neurons in primary visual cortex respond to visual stimuli with a Poisson distributed spike train with an appropriate, stimulus-dependent mean firing rate. The firing rate of neurons whose receptive fields overlap with the "focus of attention" is modulated with a periodic function in the 40 Hz range, such that their mean firing rate is identical to the mean firing rate of neurons in "non-attended" areas. This modulation is detected by inhibitory interneurons in V4 and is used to suppress the response of V4 cells associated with non-attended visual stimuli. Using very simple single-cell models, we obtain quantitative agreement with Moran and Desimone's (1985) experiments.

Action Potentials↗

Childhood obesity: a school-based approach to increase nutritional knowledge and activity levels.

Although the incidence of childhood obesity is rising at an alarming rate, weight loss programs for children are few and often inaccessible for various reasons, including cost, transportation difficulties, and lack of parental involvement. School-based programs, offered free of charge, make weight management more accessible. School-based health centers have a unique opportunity to assure that schools stay in the forefront of obesity prevention and management. This article discusses one such program that was designed and implemented by the staff of a Louisiana school-based health center.

Adolescent↗

Autoantibodies against type I interferons in patients with zoonotic H7N9 influenza: an observational case-control study.

BACKGROUND: The determinants of the species barrier preventing human infections with avian influenza A viruses (IAV) are incompletely understood. We previously identified loss-of-function variants of the interferon-regulated antiviral factor MxA as a genetic factor for increased susceptibility to infections with the H7N9 subtype. Given the central role of type I IFNs (IFN-I) in antiviral defence, we hypothesised that IFN-I-neutralising autoantibodies may similarly predispose to zoonotic H7N9 infection. METHODS: In this observational case-control study, serum samples collected between 2013 and 2017 from 199 Chinese patients with laboratory-confirmed H7N9 infection and 531 healthy, uninfected controls (269 poultry workers, 262 close contacts) were screened for IgG autoantibodies binding IFN&#x3b1;2, IFN&#x3b2;1b, or IFN&#x3c9; using a multiplex bead-based assay. Positive samples were tested for IFN-neutralising activity in a luciferase-based reporter assay. To confirm their ability to block IFN&#x3b1;2-mediated antiviral activity, selected samples (n = 19) were analysed in IAV infection experiments. Associations between age, sex, H7N9 case status, case fatality, and the presence of neutralising autoantibodies were evaluated by logistic regression. Available whole-genome sequencing data from 26 individuals with neutralising autoantibodies were screened for variants in genes linked to IFN-I autoimmunity. FINDINGS: Neutralising autoantibodies against at least one IFN-I were detected in 19.1% (38/199) of patients but in only 1.1% (6/531) of controls, consistent with published general population data. Most patient sera targeted IFN&#x3b1;2 and/or IFN&#x3c9; (35/199), and 18.1% (36/199) neutralised even high IFN-I concentrations of 1-10 ng/ml. The presence of neutralising autoantibodies was associated with 8.2- to 25.3-fold higher odds of H7N9 infection (p < 0.0001), depending on antibody specificity and reference group. Autoantibody prevalence increased significantly with age in patients (44.8% &#x2265;70 years; OR = 1.05; 95% CI 1.02-1.07; p = 0.0001), but was not associated with sex (OR for males vs. females = 0.52; 95% CI 0.23-1.14; p = 0.106). All selected sera containing neutralising autoantibodies blocked IFN&#x3b1;2-induced antiviral activity in cell culture. No known genetic predisposition for IFN-I autoimmunity was identified. INTERPRETATION: Our findings suggest that IFN-I-targeting autoimmunity is associated with susceptibility to zoonotic IAV infection with the H7N9 subtype, and possibly also other subtypes, including panzootic H5N1. Given the ease of implementation, screening for anti-IFN-I autoantibodies could be readily integrated into surveillance or targeted testing. This could be relevant in environments with increased exposure to zoonotic IAVs. FUNDING: Shenzhen Medical Research Fund, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Non-profit Central Research Institute Fund of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Science and Technology Program, Program for Youzuzhikeyan of Shenzhen University, German Research Foundation, Swiss National Science Foundation.

Humans↗

A systematic review identifies a lack of standardization in methods for handling missing variance data.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To describe and critically appraise available methods for handling missing variance data in meta-analysis (MA). METHODS: Systematic review. MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, MathSciNet, Current Index to Statistics, BMJ SearchAll, The Cochrane Library and Cochrance Colloquium proceedings, MA texts and references were searched. Any form of text was included: MA, method chapter, or otherwise. Descriptions of how to implement each method, the theoretic basis and/or ad hoc motivation(s), and the input and output variable(s) were extracted and assessed. Methods may be: true imputations, methods that obviate the need for a standard deviation (SD), or methods that recalculate the SD. RESULTS: Eight classes of methods were identified: algebraic recalculations, approximate algebraic recalculations, imputed study-level SDs, imputed study-level SDs from nonparametric summaries, imputed study-level correlations (e.g., for change-from-baseline SD), imputed MA-level effect sizes, MA-level tests, and no-impute methods. CONCLUSION: This work aggregates the ideas of many investigators. The abundance of methods suggests a lack of consistency within the systematic review community. Appropriate use of methods is sometimes suspect; consulting a statistician, early in the review process, is recommended. Further work is required to optimize method choice to alleviate any potential for bias and improve accuracy. Improved reporting is also encouraged.

Data Interpretation, Statistical↗

Effective promotion of healthy nutrition and physical activity in Europe requires skilled and competent people; European Master's Programme in Public Health Nutrition.

Scientists in basic research and epidemiology deliver messages to policy makers. Effective population based strategies then require people trained and competent in the discipline of Public Health Nutrition (PHN). Since 1997, a European Master's Programme in PHN has been undergoing planning and implementation with the aid of funding from the European Commission (DGV). PHN is used as a broad term covering Nutrition and Physical Activity as well as Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. The partners in this project are academic departments from 17 countries. The students will undertake core modules and electives for a year and a half, followed by a research project for six months. In order to set up formalised procedures for the evaluation of the quality assurance of individual modules from across Europe, a quality assurance system has been set up. The academic year 1999-2000 will allow an opportunity for Universities and Institutes to start new modules, to develop other modules, assess the movement of students between modules, tackle funding issues and allow further marketing of the programme. Future activities include strengthening of the European Network for Public Health Nutrition (ENPHN), the establishment of a consortium with universities, the co-ordination of programme activities with other European Master's Programmes in Public Health, and the incorporation of new Member States from Eastern Europe. We can look forward to a new brand of professionals, who are truly European in their training, but who also have an integrated view of nutrition and physical activity, health promotion and disease prevention and who are prepared for policy making, action planning, implementation and evaluation.

Education, Graduate↗

Screening: the legal view.

Screening has become central to the effective prevention of several diseases, but implementation suffers from difficulties with targeting and rates of compliance. Such issues are also complicated by the need to consider legal provisions regarding confidentiality of patients and other human rights issues. Screening has been an inexact science in relation to, e.g., faecal occult blood testing for colorectal cancer, false positive and false negative tests for HIV, and there have been inadequate quality controls in breast cancer screening programmes. The public need to be made aware of what the screening programmes really offer, balanced against the expectations they may have. There needs to be a clearer understanding of the nature of the contractual and other legal rights of patients/consumers as against providers. A positive screening test may carry adverse consequences as well as benefits. It could alert an insurance company to a risk and lead to additional weighting or even outright rejection for life insurance policies. Job prospects may also be affected for employees. The method of informing patients in relation to screening and screening failure has already been considered by the courts. Realistic information about both screening and treatment efficiency needs to be offered to patients so that they can have a real understanding of what can and cannot be achieved by current science. The development of understanding of the human genome makes the need for clearer legislation in this are more urgent.

Confidentiality↗

Sociocultural assumptions of federally sponsored Follow Through programs.

Time and money have been invested in the implementation and evaluation of the national Follow Through Project in the United States. Although the project has been successful in many respects and has generated a fairly extensive literature within psychology, education, and the other social sciences, relatively little theoretical attention has been directed toward sociocultural factors. The present article provides a critical retrospective analysis of the sociocultural assumptions, dynamics, and implications of Project Follow Through within a psychological framework.

Behavior Therapy↗

The effect of induced mood states on performance profile areas of perceived need.

The performance profile technique is now widely used by a range of sports scientists, usually as the first step in implementing a training programme. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of altered mood states on areas of perceived need for an individual identified by the performance profile. Sixty-seven university sports science students (30 females, 37 males) participated in the study. They completed their performance profile and a shortened version of the Bi-polar Profile of Mood States before and after four separate mood manipulation treatments (happy, sad, neutral, control). The participants were allocated at random to one of four groups and completed the treatments in a counterbalanced order. Mood manipulation checks identified that both the happy and sad manipulations were successful. Profile areas of perceived need, identified through discrepancies in an individual's perceptions of ideal and current state, were not affected by the sad and neutral manipulations or by the control condition. However, areas of perceived need were significantly lower after the happy mood manipulation than before the treatment. Our results show that asking individuals to complete their profiles when in a happy mood state is likely to affect judgements and result in an underestimation of perceived need for improvement.

Adult↗

United States nuclear industry perspective on useful improvements to radiation protection principles.

The current radiation protection framework provides an adequate basis for protecting workers, the public and the environment. Nevertheless, international and national radiation protection organizations are presently engaged in updating, clarifying and enhancing radiation protection principles-and rightly so, given our culture of pursuing excellence in radiation safety through a process of continuous improvement. Accordingly, the nuclear energy industry appreciates the opportunity to provide its perspective on this effort. The nuclear energy industry's perspective is shaped in several ways-as an operator, we carry out a primary responsibility for protecting human health and safety and the environment; as a licensee, we are responsible for complying with government regulations; and as an energy producer, we are responsible for the safe, reliable, and economic generation of electricity for consumers. Our objective in regard to improving radiation protection principles is to help promote an outcome that has a clearly articulated basis in science, is flexible in regard to how it might be applied to a very wide range of current and future regulated activities, and is practical and cost-effective in terms of how it can be implemented and maintained.

Environmental Exposure↗

Creative nursing: processive care and more?

The authors describe a crisis point which led them from considering a reorientation of the present BSc (Nursing) curriculum at the University of Cape Town, South Africa to undertaking a radical revision of the degree programme. While examining final year students they realized that the nurses' excellent personal qualities apparent in everyday relationships, were not being used in their professional practice on hospital wards. It is suggested that this is due partly to an educational programme which neglected what the students already had (common sense and logic) and what they already knew from life experience and from instinct and intuition. It is also supposed that when hospital wards are their first clinical learning areas, nurses divorce patients and disease from the 'real' world, from the essentials of daily living and from the components of an individualized lifestyle. A staged process of learning experience, to include looking after healthy, elderly and disabled individuals in homes and institutions--with minimal nurse supervision--before exposure to hospital life, is advocated. In its present form the nursing process is seen as limiting the creativity of nursing practice and the authors suggest that further development of this approach is necessary if nursing science is to be interpreted as an art. Finally, the authors outline an experimental curriculum which takes cognisance of their experiences and syllogistic reasoning, together with a brief description of the first few months of its implementation at the University of Cape Town.

Creativity↗

Effective interventions for lifestyle change after myocardial infarction or coronary artery revascularization.

PURPOSE: This science clinical paper reviews medical literature and examines interventions that are currently used to assist patients in achieving lifestyle change after myocardial infarction or coronary artery revascularization. Interventions that focused on both provider- and patient-implemented strategies were included. The effectiveness of these interventions to significantly reduce coronary heart disease risk factors was explored. DATA SOURCES: Original longitudinal research studies or reviews indexed in PubMed between 1999 and 2004 were included. Eight studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria and presented successful interventions to increase participants' adherence to recommended lifestyle changes. CONCLUSIONS: Current strategies for achieving recommended risk factor reductions include frequent follow-up, intensive diet changes, individualized and group exercise, coaching, group meetings, education on lifestyle modification and behavior change, and formal cardiac rehabilitation programs. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Nurse Practitioners can help close the gap between evidence-based recommendations and clinical practice by implementing education programs in their practices and in the community. Recommendations include frequent follow-up visits, negotiating personalized treatment plans, and a general emphasis on therapeutic lifestyle change as an essential component of the treatment plan.

Aftercare↗

[Simulation as a method for solving medical technical problems].

The present paper first presents a comprehensive overview of the methodological aspects of simulation. It lists the various approaches to the modelling of real-world systems and emphasizes the respective constraints on the interpretation of model data. For this purpose, a classification of typical applications of simulation models is given, and is followed by a discussion of three structurally different ways of constructing a model. The correct matching of these modelling concepts to the particular application problem in hand is discussed, with special consideration being given to the drawing of conclusions from, and the interpretation of, the simulation results. To round of the classification, the simulation models are differentiated in accordance with the nature of their implementation. By defining application type, modelling concept and model implementation, an understanding of the validity and appropriate application of any industrial model is derived.

Computer Simulation↗

[Descriptive study of 43 nutritional education programs in Venezuela].

This study aimed to determine the existing resources and specific characteristics of non-formal nutrition education programs in Venezuela. Of the 174 institutions initially contacted, 43 were involved in these activities-22 official and 21 private institutions. The bulk of the programs fell under the official health sector and the private food industry. While objectives of the former were to motivate and educate the audience, the latter's goal was basically commercial. Forty-three per cent of the program content dealt with basic nutrition concepts; only 19% of programs included information on breast feeding, and maternal and child nutrition. There is a significantly greater use of interpersonal communication (65%) as compared to mass media (35%), irrespective of the type of institution. In the majority of programs, the nutritionist-dietitians and medical doctors carry out their activities, primarily oriented towards homemakers and school-age children. The official health sector gears its programs toward the poor, while the main interest of private industry are the middle and upper class communities. A total of 46% of the official programs and 55% of the private institutions do not include an evaluation component. It is concluded that the nutrition education programs in the country appear to follow traditional concepts as far as objectives, program content, media and target groups are concerned. This could have contributed to the apparent lack of impact of non-formal nutrition education in the country; thus the re-planning of existing programs, is suggested. This should be based on well-defined and measurable objectives: include messages geared toward the practical solution of specific nutrition problems, and the use of combined techniques of social communication with as much participation of the community as possible, not only in program implementation but also in its conception and planning.

Communication↗

Stress and job satisfaction of clinical laboratory scientists.

Fifty-eight medical technologists currently working in laboratories in upper South Carolina hospitals were randomly selected and surveyed to determine job satisfaction and stress levels. Of the 27 (47%) technologists who reported job satisfaction, 3 (5%) were neutral and 29 (48%) were dissatisfied with their jobs; a total of 18 (31%) reported stressors checklist scores of 36 or more, which implies high stress levels. Since almost half (48%) of those surveyed reported job dissatisfaction, this study supported other studies showing that there is a high level of job dissatisfaction among clinical laboratory scientists. The chi-square probability distribution correlation of job stress and job satisfaction showed a significant relationship between the two within the profession. The results of this study indicate that management should implement strategies to increase the job satisfaction and decrease the job stress of clinical laboratory scientists.

Humans↗

Disaster medicine.

The American College of Emergency Physicians defines a medical disaster as occurring when the destructive effects of natural or man-made forces overwhelm the ability of a particular region to meet the demand for health care. The science of disaster medicine is continually improving, and significant progress has been made in defining how to provide a comprehensive response to disaster sites. The management of a disaster involves an activation phase, followed by the implementation and recovery phases. The success of each phase depends on coordinated on-site and off-site communication systems. This paper presents an overview of this new subspecialty and discusses the fundamental components of an effective disaster response.

Disaster Planning↗

[Juan Negrín López (1892-1956). His scientific and universitary contribution (1892-1936)].

Juan Negrín's political activities during and after the Spanish Civil War, that gave rise to much controversy, have unjustly overshadowed his valuable contribution as an organizer and reformer of the scientific institutions of his time. In his capacity of Head of the General Physiologic Laboratory of the Residence of Students in 1916, Negrín's links with the Board for the Development of Scientifical Studies and Research (J.A.E.) allowed him to make an outstanding contribution to a renewal and updating movement in the f*eld of sciences. A modern "school" of experimental physiologists developed under his wing and was sponsored by the Chair of Physiology of the Central University which Negrin held in 1922. Concomitantly, Negrin's access to executive posts (Secretary of the Faculty of Medicine and of the Governing Board of the University City), that enabled him to implement very healthy initiatives, drew him into an ever more active engagement in the Spanish political life of his time as a result of which he relinquished his promising scientifical career. The present work intends to redeem from undeserved oblivion the huge human and intellectual personality of a man who can unmistakably be qualified as one of the historical and scientifical leaders of the twentieth century.

History, 20th Century↗