Formal Literature Review Research Articles

A Formal Literature Review: The Roles of Cross-language Similarity and Context in Adults’ Idiom Learning of a Second Language

This essay reviews some existing papers to understand how the similarities between a person’s native language and the new language they are learning, and the context affects adult learners’ ability to acquire idioms in a second language. Idioms are a common form of communication in any language. Therefore, it is essential for truly mastering a new language. However, due to their rich cultural connotations and the need for communicative contexts, learning these idiomatic expressions can be quite difficult. Previous studies have shown that in the process of learning a second language, idioms in the new language are easier to master when they are very similar in meaning or structure to those in the learner’s first language. In addition, the rich context can also help learners better understand and use them. Future studies should delve into the influential mechanisms and create more effective strategies to help adults become proficient in using idioms of a second language.

The Colourful Masks of Emotion in Multi-Language Switching: A Formal Literature Review

During the process of language learning, we automatically invest our emotions in perceiving and understanding words and sentences, which is a quite natural motivation for human to create interest on new matters. But how does emotion relate to language learning exist various phenomena full of complexity. This research aims to discuss the relationship between emotion and language learning with resources from previous literature, and unfolds a thematic classification with respect to measuring morality line between native and foreign language(s), anxiety in foreign language learning, how emotional intelligence helps build language competency, emotional difference when using native language and foreign languages, a close look at emotion in second language learning, cross-linguistic self-cognition, and reflection on Emotions and Multilingualism, a typical book including charisma of emotion in learning different languages. This paper concludes several featured types of emotion stimulating or inspired by multi-languages, confirms the effect of emotion in language learning, and provides foundation for further studies in exploring one’s mental power to learn languages.

Reverse Transfer in Chinese Adolescents: Implications for Language and Cultural Identity Preservation

This literature review examines the phenomenon of reverse transfer (RT) among Chinese adolescents, focusing on its implications for the preservation of their mother tongue and cultural identity. Reverse transfer, a subtype of cross-linguistic influence (CLI), occurs when a later-acquired language affects an earlier one, challenging the traditional view of language learning as unidirectional. The study of RT is particularly pertinent for Chinese adolescents, who are often exposed to multiple languages due to globalization and educational policies, potentially impacting their linguistic and cultural heritage. This article employs the method of a formal literature review. The review synthesizes recent research on RT among Chinese adolescents, with a focus on how additional languages, particularly English, influence their Mandarin proficiency. Findings suggest English has had a significant impact on the mother tongue of Chinese adolescents. Moreover, RT’s impact extends to cultural identity, with some adolescents navigating multicultural spaces effectively, while others experience cultural dissonance, suggesting RT’s role in shaping cultural self-perception and connections to Chinese heritage. The paper underscores the complexity of RT’s effects on language and cultural identity, highlighting the need for educational practices that support multilingual development without compromising the mother tongue. It concludes with a call for longitudinal studies to explore the long-term effects of RT on language and cultural identity among Chinese adolescents, aiming to inform language education and cultural preservation policies.

Advancing AI Data Ethics in Nursing: Future Directions for Nursing Practice, Research, and Education.

The ethics of artificial intelligence (AI) are increasingly recognized due to concerns such as algorithmic bias, opacity, trust issues, data security, and fairness. Specifically, machine learning algorithms, central to AI technologies, are essential in striving for ethically sound systems that mimic human intelligence. These technologies rely heavily on data, which often remain obscured within complex systems and must be prioritized for ethical collection, processing, and usage. The significance of data ethics in achieving responsible AI was first highlighted in the broader context of health care and subsequently in nursing. This viewpoint explores the principles of data ethics, drawing on relevant frameworks and strategies identified through a formal literature review. These principles apply to real-world and synthetic data in AI and machine-learning contexts. Additionally, the data-centric AI paradigm is briefly examined, emphasizing its focus on data quality and the ethical development of AI solutions that integrate human-centered domain expertise. The ethical considerations specific to nursing are addressed, including 4 recommendations for future directions in nursing practice, research, and education and 2 hypothetical nurse-focused ethical case studies. The primary objectives are to position nurses to actively participate in AI and data ethics, thereby contributing to creating high-quality and relevant data for machine learning applications.

Applying intersectionality to address inequalities in nursing education

AimThe aim of this paper is to discuss the significance of the intersectionality framework for addressing prejudices, racism and inequalities in nursing education and clinical learning environments. BackgroundDiscrimination and racism against nursing students and educators based on their gender, ethnicity, race and social identities is well-documented in the nursing literature. Despite documented discrimination and incivility based on intersectional factors, it is reported that often nurse educators show limited interest in the culture, diverse experiences and values of nursing students with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. DesignDiscussion paper MethodsThe discussion was based on contemporary literature about intersectionality, discrimination and racism in nursing. We completed a cursory search of literature in nursing education journal and selected nursing and health science databases. This was not a formal literature review. Using a fictional example, the application of intersectionality to address inequalities in educational settings is illustrated. ResultsIntersectionality is an invaluable tool for examining interwoven power relations and power struggles arising from racial, gender, ethnic, religious and sexuality and disability-related differences. Nurse educators, students and leaders should be more cognizant of their preconceived views, sociocultural stereotypes and varied forms of sociocultural oppression affecting their interactions with each other in clinical learning environments. ConclusionsIncorporating intersectionality can address prejudices, racism and inequalities arising due to sociocultural, ethnic, power-related and intergenerational issues among educators, students and other personnel involved in creating clinical learning environments.

Back to the basics: Guidance for designing good literature searches

The number of scientific publications is growing at an unprecedented rate. Failure to properly evaluate existing literature at the start of a project may result in a researcher wasting time and resources. As pharmacy researchers and scholars look to conceptualize new studies, it is imperative to begin with a high-quality literature review that reveals what is known and unknown about a given topic. The purpose of this commentary is to provide useful guidance on conducting rigorous searches of the literature that inform the design and execution of research. Guidance for less formal literature reviews can be adapted from best practices utilized within the formalized field of evidence synthesis. Additionally, researchers can draw on guidance from PRESS (Peer Review of Electronic Search Strategies) to engage in self-evaluation of their search strategies. Finally, developing an awareness of common pitfalls when designing literature searches can provide researchers with confidence that their research is designed to fill clearly articulated gaps in knowledge.

UK and Ireland Joint Advisory Group (JAG) consensus statements for training and certification in diagnostic endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)

Background and aimsInternational endoscopy societies vary in their approach for credentialing individuals in endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) to enable independent practice; however, there is no consensus in this or its implementation....

Exploring the outcomes of research engagement using the observation method in an online setting

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to explore the outcomes of research engagement (patient engagement, PE) in the context of qualitative research.DesignWe observed engagement in two groups comprised of patients,...

Recommendations for the management and rehabilitation of patients with a tracheostomy

Tracheostomy is a common procedure in critically ill patients who require mechanical ventilation. Tracheostomies have several advantages over endotracheal tubes, including less sinusitis or pharyngeal injuries, fewer sedative drugs, improved oropharyngeal hygiene, easier communication, more comfort, preservation of vocal cord function, and so on. However, patients with a tracheostomy require high quality care and often suffer from dysphagia, dysphonia, tracheal stenosis, or excessive airway secretions, etc. In China, there are currently no comprehensive evidence-based clinical guidelines or consensus documents on the management and rehabilitation of patients with a tracheostomy. Approaches to tracheostomy care are inconsistent among different institutions and clinicians. Therefore, a group of top experts specialized in this field in China were gathered to draft this document to reduce variations in practice in the management of patients with a tracheostomy and to minimize complications. Panel members were asked to complete surveys on various aspects of adult tracheostomy care, followed by a conference at which the results were presented and a number of themes outlined for a formal literature review and a preliminary draft. Several conferences were then held to discuss the differences of opinion among the panel members. In general, the panel reached a consensus and a total of 9 issues were covered in the document. At first, the importance of a standardized management protocol, pathophysiological characteristics, indications, complications, contradictions, and techniques used for tracheostomies were discussed. Then, more emphasis was placed on post-operative care such as airway clearance therapy, tube changes, and decannulation criteria, etc. In addition, the most important topic was elaborated, namely the methods used to promote the rehabilitation and decannulation of patients with a tracheostomy, including respiratory and other skeletal muscle training, dysphagia and verbal communication intervention, ventilation support, chest physiotherapy, and specifically the traditional Chinese medical therapies that were excellent in this area, such as acupuncture, moxibustion, and herbal medicine, etc. Finally, a flow chart was created to summarize the suggestions for managing and promoting rehabilitation or decannulation of patients with a tracheostomy. Proposed by Respiratory Equipment Committee of China Association of Medical Equipment, Young and Middle-Aged Pulmonary Rehabilitation Group of Pulmonary Rehabilitation Committee of China Association of Rehabilitation of Disabled Person, and Critical Illness Rehabilitation Group of China Association of Rehabilitation Medicine, and sponsored by several national or provincial natural science research projects, this work is expected to provide clear guidance for the general treatment of adult patients with a tracheostomy in China in the future.

The Role of Inclusion in Increasing Diversity and Retention Across Surgical Residencies: a Literature Review.

Across surgical specialties, residencies are incentivized to improve program diversity, most often through recruitment of underrepresented minority (URM), women, LGBTQ, and disabled applicants. However, residency attrition remains high in these groups, highlighting the need for specific inclusion initiatives to improve retention and support for these cohorts. A better understanding of previous efforts at retention is paramount. This paper reviews the existing literature on inclusion and retention efforts in surgical residencies. A literature search was conducted using PubMed Central. Published articles were filtered based on date (2018-2023) and relevancy. Articles were evaluated holistically and focused on methods in increasing diversity and inclusion in residency retention. Through formal literature review focusing on pertinent research topic terms (i.e., inclusion, diversity, residency, surgery, retention), efforts that included inclusion initiatives, improving residency retention, and diversifying leadership were overarching themes. In recent years, there have been marked strides and improvements in encouraging resident diversity and inclusion. However, more widespread efforts with proven efficacy are needed in order to improve residency retention and toincrease and maintain diversity in leadership in surgery.

Determining Critical Topics for Undergraduate Surgical Education in Rwanda: Results of a Modified Delphi Process and a Consensus Conference.

Background Developing a contextually appropriate curriculum is critical to train physicians who can address surgical challenges in sub-Saharan Africa. An innovative modified Delphi process was used to identify contextually optimized curricular content to meet sub-Saharan Africa and Rwanda's surgical needs. Methods Participants were surgeons from East, Central, Southern, and West Africaand general practitioners with surgical experience. Delphi participants excluded or prioritized surgical topic areas generated from extensive grey and formal literature review. Surgical educators first screened and condensed identified topics. Round 1 screened and prioritized identified topics, with a 75% consensus cut-off based on the content validity index and a prioritization score. Topics that reached consensus were screened again in round 2 and re-prioritized, following controlled feedback. Frequencies for aggregate prioritization scores, experts in agreement, item-level content validity index, universal agreementand scale-level content validity index based on the average method (S-CVI/Ave) using proportion relevance, and intra-class correlation (ICC) (based on a mean-rating, consistency, two-way mixed-effects model) were performed. We also used arithmetic mean values and modal frequency. Cronbach's Alpha was also calculated to ascertain reliability. Results were validated through a multi-institution consensus conference attended by Rwanda-based surgical specialists, general practitioners, medical students, surgical educators, and surgical association representatives using an inclusive, participatory, collaborative, agreement-seeking, and cooperative, a priori consensus decision-making model. Results Two-hundred and sixty-seven broad surgical content areas were identified through the initial round and presented to experts. In round 2, a total of 247 (92%) content areas reached 75% consensus among31 experts. Topics that did not achieve consensus consisted broadly of small intestinal malignancies, rare hepatobiliary pathologies, and transplantation. In the final round, 99.6% of content areas reached 75% consensus among31 experts. The highest prioritization was on wound healing, fluidand electrolytemanagement, and appendicitis, followed by metabolic response, infection, preoperative preparation, antibiotics, small bowel obstruction and perforation, breast infection, acute urinary retention, testicular torsion, hemorrhoids, and surgical ethics. Overall, the consistency and average agreement between panel experts was strong. ICCwas 0.856 (95% CI: 0.83-0.87). Cronbach's Alpha for round 2 was very strong (0.985, 95% CI: 0.976-0.991) and higher than round 1, demonstrating strong reliability. All 246 topics from round 4 were verbally accepted by 40 participants in open forum discussions during the consensus conference. Conclusions A modified Delphi process and consensus were able to identify essential topics to be included within a highly contextualized, locally driven surgical clerkship curriculum delivered in rural Rwanda. Other contexts can use similar processes to develop relevant curricula.

STUDIES ON CENTIPEDE ECOLOGY (MYRIAPODA: CHILOPODA) A BIBLIOMETRIC REVIEW

As predatory soil macroinvertebrates, centipedes are often considered groups used for soil community studies. However, research explicitly targeting centipede ecology remains relatively scarce. This paper addresses this gap by conducting a formal literature review and scientometric analysis of worldwide publications on the ecology of centipedes, specifically focusing on research studies conducted in Romania. We utilized articles published after 1990 and available in Web of Science collections under Ecology Research Area. As supported by the authors’ keywords co-citation networks, classical aspects of centipedes ecology, such as environmental requirements and tolerances of a particular species, seem to be hidden mainly within taxonomy and faunistic papers. Community ecology approaches are better delimited under the umbrella of biodiversity. Among these, ecotoxicology and food webs topics stand out, the latter being the subject of some of the most cited papers. The study also investigated collaboration groups and the countries supporting research in the field of centipede ecology. In Romania, Zachiu Matic studied the altitudinal distribution of centipedes in two mountain ranges, providing valuable insights into elevation limits for certain species. Additionally, Matic discussed synecological data on centipede communities in oak forests. Another researcher, Radu Gava, compared centipede diversity in different forest types, including oak, beech, and alder forests. Overall, the analysis revealed that the growth of articles on the ecology of centipedes had not followed a growing trend over the years, both internationally and locally. This stagnation suggests that certain limitations may still hinder research development in this field. However, the study sheds light on the existing research landscape and highlights specific areas for further investigation.

Machine Learning Applications in Malware Classification: A Meta-Analysis Literature Review

With a text mining and bibliometrics approach, this study reviews the literature on the evolution of malware classification using machine learning. This work takes literature from 2008 to 2022 on the subject of using machine learning for malware classification to understand the impact of this technology on malware classification. Throughout this study, we seek to answer three main research questions: RQ1: Is the application of machine learning for malware classification growing? RQ2: What is the most common machine-learning application for malware classification? RQ3: What are the outcomes of the most common machine learning applications? The analysis of 2186 articles resulting from a data collection process from peerreviewed databases shows the trajectory of the application of this technology on malware classification as well as trends in both the machine learning and malware classification fields of study. This study performs quantitative and qualitative analysis using statistical and N-gram analysis techniques and a formal literature review to answer the proposed research questions. The research reveals methods such as support vector machines and random forests to be standard machine learning methods for malware classification in efforts to detect maliciousness or categorize malware by family. Machine learning is a highly researched technology with many applications, from malware classification and beyond.

Management of Patients with Advanced Prostate Cancer. Part I: Intermediate-/High-risk and Locally Advanced Disease, Biochemical Relapse, and Side Effects of Hormonal Treatment: Report of the Advanced Prostate Cancer Consensus Conference 2022

BackgroundInnovations in imaging and molecular characterisation and the evolution of new therapies have improved outcomes in advanced prostate cancer. Nonetheless, we continue to lack high-level evidence on a variety of clinical topics that greatly impact daily practice. To supplement evidence-based guidelines, the 2022 Advanced Prostate Cancer Consensus Conference (APCCC 2022) surveyed experts about key dilemmas in clinical management. ObjectiveTo present consensus voting results for select questions from APCCC 2022. Design, setting, and participantsBefore the conference, a panel of 117 international prostate cancer experts used a modified Delphi process to develop 198 multiple-choice consensus questions on (1) intermediate- and high-risk and locally advanced prostate cancer, (2) biochemical recurrence after local treatment, (3) side effects from hormonal therapies, (4) metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, (5) nonmetastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, (6) metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, and (7) oligometastatic and oligoprogressive prostate cancer. Before the conference, these questions were administered via a web-based survey to the 105 physician panel members (“panellists”) who directly engage in prostate cancer treatment decision-making. Herein, we present results for the 82 questions on topics 1–3. Outcome measurements and statistical analysisConsensus was defined as ≥75% agreement, with strong consensus defined as ≥90% agreement. Results and limitationsThe voting results reveal varying degrees of consensus, as is discussed in this article and shown in the detailed results in the Supplementary material. The findings reflect the opinions of an international panel of experts and did not incorporate a formal literature review and meta-analysis. ConclusionsThese voting results by a panel of international experts in advanced prostate cancer can help physicians and patients navigate controversial areas of clinical management for which high-level evidence is scant or conflicting. The findings can also help funders and policymakers prioritise areas for future research. Diagnostic and treatment decisions should always be individualised based on patient and cancer characteristics (disease extent and location, treatment history, comorbidities, and patient preferences) and should incorporate current and emerging clinical evidence, therapeutic guidelines, and logistic and economic factors. Enrolment in clinical trials is always strongly encouraged. Importantly, APCCC 2022 once again identified important gaps (areas of nonconsensus) that merit evaluation in specifically designed trials. Patient summaryThe Advanced Prostate Cancer Consensus Conference (APCCC) provides a forum to discuss and debate current diagnostic and treatment options for patients with advanced prostate cancer. The conference aims to share the knowledge of international experts in prostate cancer with health care providers and patients worldwide. At each APCCC, a panel of physician experts vote in response to multiple-choice questions about their clinical opinions and approaches to managing advanced prostate cancer. This report presents voting results for the subset of questions pertaining to intermediate- and high-risk and locally advanced prostate cancer, biochemical relapse after definitive treatment, advanced (next-generation) imaging, and management of side effects caused by hormonal therapies. The results provide a practical guide to help clinicians and patients discuss treatment options as part of shared multidisciplinary decision-making. The findings may be especially useful when there is little or no high-level evidence to guide treatment decisions.

Understanding clinician barriers to providing equitable healthcare for ethnic minority populations

Abstract Background It has long been recognised that ethnic minority groups have worse health outcomes in the UK. Social determinants of health (SDH) contribute significantly to these inequalities. However, inequalities persist, even after controlling for these determinants. As well as being less likely to engage with healthcare services, ethnic minority groups are more likely to report poor experiences. The majority of healthcare in the UK is delivered through patient: clinician interactions (PCI), therefore a good working relationship with patients is paramount. Recent focus has been placed on ensuring “cultural competence”. Whilst this is important, we suggest also examining the culture within healthcare itself. Healthcare professionals are not immune to bias, preconceptions and the stresses of work and this must be taken into account. A seminal piece of work on this is the “culture of medicine” framework proposed by Boutin-Foster et al, which examines the impact of these factors. Aims and Methodology This paper aims to examine barriers within PCI that impact healthcare for ethnic minorities. A formal literature review was conducted and 131 relevant studies were identified. Grounded theory was used for analysis and data was categorised into themes with Boutin-Foster’s framework used as a structure. Results The review found that the concept of implicit bias was paramount in PCI. Three major barriers resulting from this bias are suggested: its impact on clinical decision making, the impact on clinician-patient communication and finally the resultant lack of trust in clinicians and poor perceived quality of care by ethnic minority groups. Conclusions Clinician implicit bias is a major barrier to equitable healthcare for ethnic minority populations. A solution we propose is to acknowledge our own preconceptions. Awareness of our own culture, preconceptions and the pressures around us will allow us to find solutions to these barriers, including further research and education. Key messages • Clinician implicit bias within the “Culture of Medicine” is a barrier to equitable healthcare for ethnic minority populations. • Awareness of our own culture and preconceptions is paramount to addressing these barriers.

Harnessing practitioner knowledge to inform the conservation of a protected species, the hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius

Abstract Conservation decisions are typically constrained by the availability of published evidence. Practitioners and non‐academic experts often possess additional knowledge, including about the practical plausibility of conservation actions, which may lead to more effective planning and outcomes. However, practitioner knowledge is rarely considered during formal evidence syntheses. Alongside a formal literature review, we conducted 26 interviews involving 38 conservation professionals to elicit their knowledge of the conservation of a protected and declining species in England, the hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius. Practitioners and non‐academic experts provided additional insights about dormouse ecology and conservation, beyond those synthesized from the published literature, though we found few contradictions between these different information sources. Instead, practitioner knowledge helped to verify, clarify and expand upon evidence from empirical studies. In general, practitioners emphasized that dormice are far more adaptable than traditionally perceived, with thriving populations found in hedgerows, scrub, road verges and railway verges, rather than solely within broadleaf woodlands. Proposed opportunities for restoring dormouse populations included improving hedgerow management, creating new woodlands, bringing existing woodlands back into management, setting aside unproductive land and improving habitat connectivity. However, participants emphasized the need for landscape‐scale approaches, accounting for the impacts of climate change, and better surveying and monitoring. Key practical considerations included overcoming time and financial constraints, providing better advice, knowledge and training, changing attitudes of land owners and managers and balancing other demands such as agricultural productivity and the requirements of other species. Despite the insights they provided, participants highlighted many remaining knowledge gaps. These included uncertainties arising from the published literature, as well as scarcely studied topics that are of major practical importance, namely the effectiveness of dormouse mitigation measures in planning and development, and the impacts of anthropogenic disturbance and pollution on dormice. Our findings improve the evidence base for restoring hazel dormouse populations and for further empirical evidence gathering. More generally, the study highlights how practitioner knowledge can help both to supplement traditional published evidence and to better frame conservation programmes, which may lead to more successful outcomes.

Blockchain Applications in Agriculture: A Scoping Review

Blockchain is a distributed, immutable ledger technology initially developed to secure cryptocurrency transactions. Following its revolutionary use in cryptocurrencies, blockchain solutions are now being proposed to address various problems in different domains, and it is currently one of the most “disruptive” technologies. This paper presents a scoping review of the scientific literature for exploring the current research area of blockchain applications in the agricultural sector. The aim is to identify the service areas of agriculture where blockchain is used, the blockchain technology used, the data stored in it, its combination with external databases, the reason it is used, and the variety of agricultural products, as well as the level of maturity of the respective approaches. The study follows the PRISMA-ScR methodology. The purpose of conducting these scoping reviews is to identify the evidence in this field and clarify the key concepts. The literature search was conducted in April 2021 using Scopus and Google Scholar, and a systematic selection process identified 104 research articles for detailed study. Our findings show that in the field, although still in the early stages, with the majority of the studies in the design phase, several experiments have been conducted, so a significant percentage of the work is in the implementation or piloting phase. Finally, our research shows that the use of blockchain in this domain mainly concerns the integrity of agricultural production records, the monitoring of production steps, and the monitoring of products. However, other varied and remarkable blockchain applications include incentive mechanisms, a circular economy, data privacy, product certification, and reputation systems. This study is the first scoping review in this area, following a formal systematic literature review methodology and answering research questions that have not yet been addressed.

Past and future uses of text mining in ecology and evolution.

Ecology and evolutionary biology, like other scientific fields, are experiencing an exponential growth of academic manuscripts. As domain knowledge accumulates, scientists will need new computational approaches for identifying relevant literature to read and include in formal literature reviews and meta-analyses. Importantly, these approaches can also facilitate automated, large-scale data synthesis tasks and build structured databases from the information in the texts of primary journal articles, books, grey literature, and websites. The increasing availability of digital text, computational resources, and machine-learning based language models have led to a revolution in text analysis and natural language processing (NLP) in recent years. NLP has been widely adopted across the biomedical sciences but is rarely used in ecology and evolutionary biology. Applying computational tools from text mining and NLP will increase the efficiency of data synthesis, improve the reproducibility of literature reviews, formalize analyses of research biases and knowledge gaps, and promote data-driven discovery of patterns across ecology and evolutionary biology. Here we present recent use cases from ecology and evolution, and discuss future applications, limitations and ethical issues.

UK Joint Advisory Group consensus statements for training and certification in endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography.

Background and study aims Despite the high-risk nature of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), a robust and standardized credentialing process to ensure competency before independent practice is lacking worldwide. On behalf of the Joint Advisory Group (JAG), we aimed to develop evidence-based recommendations to form the framework of ERCP training and certification in the UK. Methods Under the oversight of the JAG, a modified Delphi process was conducted with stakeholder representation from the British Society of Gastroenterology, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, trainees and trainers. Recommendations on ERCP training and certification were formulated after formal literature review and appraised using the GRADE tool. These were subjected to electronic voting to achieve consensus. Accepted statements were peer-reviewed by JAG and relevant Specialist Advisory Committees before incorporation into the ERCP certification pathway. Results In total, 27 recommendation statements were generated for the following domains: definition of competence (9 statements), acquisition of competence (8 statements), assessment of competence (6 statements) and post-certification support (4 statements). The consensus process led to the following criteria for ERCP certification: 1) performing ≥ 300 hands-on procedures; 2) attending a JAG-accredited ERCP skills course; 3) in modified Schutz 1–2 procedures: achieving native papilla cannulation rate ≥80%, complete bile duct clearance ≥ 70 %, successful stenting of distal biliary strictures ≥ 75 %, physically unassisted in ≥ 80 % of cases; 4) 30-day post-ERCP pancreatitis rates ≤5 %; and 5) satisfactory performance in formative and summative direct observation of procedural skills (DOPS) assessments. Conclusions JAG certification in ERCP has been developed following evidence-based consensus to quality assure training and to ultimately improve future standards of ERCP practice.

The Functional Resonance Analysis Method: A Performance Appraisal Tool for Risk Assessment and Accident Investigation in Complex and Dynamic Socio-Technical Systems

This article aims at systematically reviewing the entire collection of papers published on the development and application of the functional resonance analysis method (FRAM) in the last decade. The Preferred Reporting Item for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology has been utilized as a formal systematic literature review standard for data gathering. The analysis encompassed 47 documents devoted to this subject matter, systematically retrieved from the online database Scopus. The findings revealed the necessity for the development of systemic safety assessment approaches to explain performance variability of complex and dynamic socio-technical systems (risk assessment or accident investigation). Indeed, it is crucial to rigorously assess the performance variability throughout safety appraisal since unexpected performance variability can combine in undesirable manners and consequently denotes a threat for safety and losses of human life. However, the FRAM process has some pros and cons as discussed in this review. Consequently, other assessment methods exist to complement the FRAM process.