1,721,052 research outputs found
Qualitative analysis of patients' feedback from a PROMs survey of cancer patients in England
No full textOBJECTIVE: This study examined how free-text comments from cancer survivors could complement formal patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), as part of the England PROMs survey programme for cancer.DESIGN: A qualitative content analysis was conducted of responses to a single open-ended free-text question placed at the end of the cross-sectional population-based postal questionnaire.SETTING: Individuals were identified through three UK Cancer Registries and questionnaires were posted to their home addresses.PARTICIPANTS: A random sample of individuals (n=4992) diagnosed with breast, colorectal, non-Hodgkins lymphoma or prostate cancer at 1, 2, 3 and 5 years earlier.RESULTS: 3300 participants completed the survey (68% response rate). Of these 1056 (32%) completed the free-text comments box, indicating a high level of commitment to provide written feedback on patient experience. Almost a fifth (19%) related experiences of excellent care during the treatment phase, with only 8% reporting negative experiences. This contrasted with experiences of care after primary cancer treatment where the majority were negative. Factors impacting negatively upon patient-reported outcomes included the emotional impact of cancer; poor experiences of treatment and care; comorbidities, treatment side effects, social difficulties and inadequate preparation for a wide range of sometimes long-lasting on-going physical and psychological problems. Mediating factors assisting recovery incorporated both professional-led factors, such as quality of preparation for anticipated problems and aftercare services, and participant-led factors, such as learning from other cancer survivors and self-learning through trial and error. The support of friends and family was also a factor in participants' outcomes.CONCLUSIONS: This analysis of free-text comments complements quantitative analysis of PROMs measure's by illuminating relationships between factors that impact on quality of life (QoL) and indicate why cancer patients may experience significantly worse QoL than the general population. The data suggest more systematic preparation and aftercare for individuals to self-manage post-treatment problems might improve QoL outcomes among cancer survivors
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Using the Framework Method for the Analysis of Qualitative Dyadic Data in Health Research
Full text linkThere are an increasing number of qualitative studies which focus on the dyad (couples, families, caregivers-patients, health care professionals-patients). However, there is limited literature regarding qualitative methodology for dyadic analysis when members of the couple have been interviewed separately. The aim of this article is to share the knowledge we gained from undertaking a novel approach to dyadic analysis. We used an adapted version of the Framework method on data gathered in a study exploring the impact of prostate cancer on younger men and their partners. In this article, we examine and reflect on the challenges of this type of analysis and describe how we analyzed the interview data from a dyadic point of view, to share what we learned in the process.</p
Prostate cancer and the impact on couples: a qualitative metasynthesis
No full textPurposeTo review and interpret existing qualitative literature on the experiences of couples affected by prostate cancer (PCa).MethodsA metasynthesis was carried out which included a systematic search of seven databases between 2000 and 2016. A modified version of Noblit and Hare’s meta-ethnographic approach was used to synthesise qualitative study findings and inform overarching interpretations.ResultsThirty-seven studies focusing on the experiences of men with PCa and their partner dyad were included producing seven interconnected constructs. The construct accepting change vs seeking continuity reflects the range of ways individuals within the dyad and couples adjust to the diagnosis. Cultivating connection vs disengaging illustrates how couples seek to manage the impact of PCa and its treatment on their relationship, which may lead to a threatened identity, including sexual insecurities. Shielding me, you and us reflects the ways in which couples strive to protect themselves as individuals and/or each other from the impact of PCa. Being a partner and its challenges highlights the responsibilities partners assume and the impact of their supporting role. Yet, partners sometimes report feeling unsupported and side-lined both by the man they are caring for and by healthcare professionals. Couples often recognise the value of facing PCa together.ConclusionsPCa affects both members of the dyad as individuals, as well as the couple’s relationship. How best to support couples and how to overcome difficulties in expressing their concerns to one another requires further consideration. Healthcare professionals should endeavour to employ a couple-focused approach where appropriate
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