Formal Search Research Articles

The clinical effectiveness of pre-hospital intravenous fluid replacement in trauma patients without head injury: a systematic review

Traditionally, the management of bleeding trauma patients has included early rapid fluid replacement on scene. However, evidence shows that a delay to definitive treatment (control of bleeding) may be harmful and UK policy advocates minimal delay on scene with intravenous fluids being administered in transit to hospitals. This paper systematically reviews the evidence for administering fluids in pre-hospital trauma patients with no head injury. Randomized controlled trials comparing immediate and delayed fluid replacement were sought using formal search strategies. Study selection, quality assessment and data extraction were performed independently by two reviewers using pre-defined criteria. We found no evidence to suggest that pre-hospital fluid administration is beneficial. There is some evidence that it may be harmful and that patients do comparatively well when fluids are withheld. However, this evidence is not conclusive, particularly for blunt trauma, and is not sufficient to disprove current UK policy, which recommends hypotensive resuscitation.

The Physical Inactivity Matrix: Lessons from the classification of physical inactivity interventions

Physical inactivity (PI), a leading modifiable cause of disease and injury, is endemic in industrialised nations. Although considerable research has been undertaken in this field, we lack a system to synthesise the research literature to inform policy and identify research needs. The aims of this study were to (1) develop a system to classify physical inactivity intervention studies, (2) examine the distribution of PI interventions published in the peer-reviewed health literature using the system, and (3) consider implications for future research. We developed the Physical Inactivity Matrix (PIM), with 12 intervention points, created by the intersection of two dimensions: the intervention target (individual, physical environment and social/cultural environment) and the activity focus (transport, work/school, leisure and consumer). A formal search of the health research literature identified 529 eligible studies and each was classified into one of the 12 cells of the PIM. Most studies were categorised as: individual-leisure (68%), individual-work/school (12%) or social/cultural environment-leisure (13%). Only 4% targeted the physical environment. The findings of this initial application of the PIM support the call for greater investment in policies, interventions and research that focus on the relationship between the environment and PI, and transportation in particular. There would be merit in establishing the inter-rater reliability of the PIM and applying it to a wider variety of studies, including those published in the transportation and urban planning literatures. The PIM could be a useful tool for monitoring trends in research directions and funding levels over time and across countries.

Intelligence gathering for decision making

Empirical studies of decision making seldom consider the intelligence gathering activities required for decision making. In an attempt to fill this void, this study set out to identify and assess some of the key steps in gathering intelligence, considering the difficulty of the decision and available resources. The study found performance gapping and premising to be crucial activities and explored how each is carried out. A variety of premising and gapping tactics were uncovered, with some having better success than others. These tactics were found to influence the search approach selected to uncover alternatives and the success of the resulting decision. The best results were noted when search efforts are guided by needs documented with a quantitative performance gap; and when formal search or negotiation is used to identify alternatives. These findings hold for decisions that have high and low difficulty and for those with high and low resource support. The implications of these findings for decision makers and decision making are discussed.

Comments to letter by Patrick Belfrage and Leif Gjessing on the article ‘Breech birth at term: Vaginal delivery or elective caesarean section? A systematic review of the literature by a Norwegian review team’

Dear Sir, The article which the letter comments on is a short version (1) of an extensive health technology assessment (HTA) report (2), including a systematic literature review and appraisal of the method. In this report, the appraisal includes information on Norwegian practice and the letter concerns this presentation. We also feel obligated to put forward Bergsjø's editorial (3) where he comments on our evaluation of the Stavanger study as: ‘The report from a third obstetric department, advocating more liberal use of caesarean section, was dismissed on the grounds that that particular department has a conservative practice, with only 35% of term breech births delivered abdominally.’ The study by Belfrage and Gjessing from Stavanger (4), Norway, was published after the review team had made their updated literature search on 13 August 2001. If Belfrage, Gjessing, and also Bergsjø believe that the Stavanger study was ‘…dismissed on the ground that our department had a conservative practice which made our results irrelevant.’, this is certainly not the case. The study was not included in the evidence base for formal and methodological reasons. In order to include the Stavanger study in the evidence base, the review team would have to do a formal updated literature search to comply with the methodological way a HTA report is made in order to make sure other relevant literature published in this period was not missed. The results from the Stavanger study have been presented and taken into account in the appraisal of Norwegian practice both in the full report and in our article. The choice on what to report from their study has been ours, and of course the authors may disagree in what we have presented. We can, however, not see that we through our presentation have described their results as ‘irrelevant’. There was only one published study that was relevant for the report at the start of the project. To make an adequate external validation of the Term Breech Trial to Norwegian practice, data were acquired from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway and from two regional hospitals. The review team was fully aware of the limitations of retrospective data assembled from these two hospitals and that those results did not represent all Norwegian maternity wards. However, we wished for more Norwegian data for the external validation of the Term Breech Trial, and this strategy was feasible within our time limit. The results from Stavanger were definitely relevant and were presented with the other Norwegian data. The study gave valuable information on the variations in results that can be observed between maternity wards. These four studies therefore gave results related to morbidity and mortality of some but not of all Norwegian breech births and some variations was anticipated. We are sorry if Belfrage, Gjessing, and Bergsjø feel the Stavanger study has been ‘dismissed’, as it is always the intention for review teams working on HTA reports to make extensive literature searches and report the findings in a transparent manner. The review team and the Norwegian Centre for Health Technology Assessment believe the authors have made an important contribution in bringing forward more Norwegian data on term breech deliveries.

Alternative Job Search Strategies in Remote Rural and Peri‐urban Labour Markets: The Role of Social Networks

AbstractThis paper examines the importance of informal methods (especially social networking) to the job search strategies used by unemployed people. It compares three areas: a small rural town; a larger, more sparsely populated, remote rural area; and a centrally‐located, peri‐urban labour market. The analysis is based first on survey research undertaken with 490 job seekers across the study areas. Emerging issues were then followed up during a series of twelve focus groups. The survey research showed that job seekers in the rural study areas were significantly more likely to use social networks to look for work. However, those who had experienced repeated or long‐term periods out of work, the unskilled and young people were significantly less likely to use such networks. Focus groups confirmed the perceived importance of social networking to the job search process in rural areas, in contrast to the more marginal role such methods appear to play in peri‐urban settings. For many rural job seekers, formal job search activities conducted through Jobcentres were seen as largely symbolic, lacking the practical value of social networking. These results suggest that service providers seeking to assist unemployed people in rural areas need to address the problems faced by many disadvantaged job seekers who are currently caught between their lack of social network relations and the absence of local public employment service facilities in more remote communities.

Unusual Spondylolisthesis

Literature and personal experience review of the topic of unusual spondylolisthesis To provide information to the readership on the association of spondylolisthesis with syndromic and other conditions and implications of, indications for, and details of treatment for the spondylolisthesis. From personal experience and perusal of the literature, it is known that spondylolysis/spondylolisthesis is frequently associated with various conditions with musculoskeletal abnormalities as part of their overall presentation A formal literature search revealed a number of these conditions. The underlying conditions often have a significant effect or can even be the cause of the spondylolisthesis. In light of this, there needs to be a high index of suspicion when evaluating such patients to identify this spinal deformity, if it is present so that appropriate treatment can be rendered early, before severe deformity and disability occur as indicated. A literature search was performed using search engines. The reader has been provided with discussions about a number of conditions with associated spondylolisthesis. A number of generalized conditions have as part of their presentation spondylolysis/spondylolisthesis, which should be identified as part of their initial and ongoing evaluations.

Information seeking on the Web by women in IT professions

The paper develops a behavioral model of Web information seeking that identifies four complementary modes of information seeking: undirected viewing, conditioned viewing, informal search, and formal search. In each mode of viewing or searching, users would adopt distinctive patterns of browser moves: starting, chaining, browsing, differentiating, monitoring, and extracting. The model is applied empirically to analyze the Web information seeking behavior of 24 women in IT professions over a two‐week period. Our results show that participants engaged in all four modes of information seeking on the Web, and that each mode may be characterized by certain browser actions. Overall, the study suggests that a behavioral approach that links information seeking modes (goals and reasons for browsing and searching) to moves (actions used to find and view information) may be helpful in understanding Web‐based information seeking.

An exploratory study investigating the information behaviour of line managers within a business environment

This exploratory study focused on the information-gathering behaviour of line managers within a specific business context. The context is a for-profit business unit within a major USA-based corporation. It is proposed that managers are a unique information user group and that managers tend to seek and accumulate information that is not only related, but may also be unrelated, to their role in the organization. This tendency to accumulate information enables managers to navigate their environment and to avoid the formal information search process when information solutions are needed. Three hypotheses were tested comparing line managers to non-managers. The results offer quantitative evidence as to the difference in user behaviour between the two groups. Future research planned and currently under way takes the results of this study and applies the methodology of the qualitative paradigm so these findings can be more fully understood.

Information gathering: The information behaviors of line‐managers within a business environment

AbstractThe information needs faced by managers are not always clear and straightforward. Therefore, the motivation behind a manager's information gathering behavior is not easily defined. In this research study it is suggested that managers have a tendency to seek and accumulate information for which they have no explicit or known need. This tendency to accumulate informatio enables managers to behave as they do, for example, making rapid decisions, jumping from problem to problem and foregoing the formal information search process that non‐managers may follow when seeking to close a gap in knowledge. Three hypotheses will be empirically tested by statistically comparing line managers to non‐managers. A questionnaire is used to gather quantitative data on the line‐managers' perceptions and information behaviors. The results offer some evidence to the difference in behavior between managers and non‐managers.

Searching for unrelated donor hematopoietic stem cells: availability and speed of umbilical cord blood versus bone marrow.

Unrelated donor (URD) umbilical cord blood (UCB) has several potential advantages over URD BM for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. To examine the efficiency of donor identification for each of these URD stem cell sources, we reviewed the search processes for all pediatric and adult URD transplantation referrals to the University of Minnesota during a period of 1 year. Of 171 consecutive referrals for URD transplantation, 108 patients proceeded to a formal URD search with selection of at least 1 donor. Significantly more formal UCB searches(54%) than BM searches (21%) were performed for patients who required urgent transplantation (P < .01). At least one 4-6/6 HLA-antigen matched UCB graft but no suitable BM graft was identified for 21 of the 108 patients (19%). The median time required to obtain a URD BM donor (from formal search to clearance of a BM donor) was 49 days (range, 32-293 days) compared to a UCB search time (from formal search to a donor unit chosen) of only 13.5 days (range, 2-387 days). For patients undergoing both BM and UCB searches, 29 more days (95% confidence interval, 21-37 days) were required to identify and clear a URD BM donor than a UCB donor (P < .01). For the 76 patients who proceeded to transplantation, patients receiving UCB received a transplant a median of 25 days more rapidly than did those receiving BM (P < .01). These data confirm that the availability of banked cryopreserved URD UCB grafts allows transplantations for patients with no available BM donor and that URD UCB grafts areavailable considerably faster than are URD BM grafts. Faster availability is a particular advantage for patients requiring urgent transplantation. These unique features of UCB transplantation must be considered in comparisons of the outcomes of UCB versus BM transplant recipients and in the design of prospective trials comparing URD sources.

Social Networks and Job Search Outcomes among Male and Female Professional, Technical, and Managerial Workers

Scholars have debated whether informal or formal job search methods mediate gendered employment outcomes for women job-seekers relative to men. Existing research suggests that women are disadvantaged in terms of pay and opportunities when using personal contacts or other informal methods to secure job-related information. However, these studies have focused primarily on women in gender-typical occupations. This study contributes to the debate by asking whether women in gender-atypical occupations are also similarly disadvantaged when using contacts as a source of job information; and if so, in what ways do contacts matter? Based on a sample of male and female professional, technical, and managerial workers, we examine the role of personal networks in securing job-related information.

Counseling and Monitoring of Unemployed Workers: Theory and Evidence from a Controlled Social Experiment

We investigate the effect of counseling and monitoring on the individual transition rate to employment. We theoretically analyze these policies in a job search model with two search channels and endogenous search effort. In the empirical analysis we use unique administrative and survey data concerning a social experiment with full randomization and compliance. The results show that counseling and monitoring do not affect the exit rate to work. Monitoring causes a shift from informal to formal job search. We combine our empirical results to the results from our theoretical analysis and the existing empirical literature, to establish a comprehensive analysis of the effectiveness of these policies.

Job Search Methods: Consequences for Gender-Based Earnings Inequality

We extend research on both the job search and gender inequality by examining the effects of various types of job search methods on earnings. Specifically, data from a multistage, area-probability sample of adult residents in three large U.S. cities is used to test (1) whether the types of job search methods used (i.e., “formal” versus “informal“) account for any of the gender gap in earnings and (2) whether the earnings returns to different types of search methods vary by gender. The results indicate that, net of worker characteristics, job search methods account for little of the gender gap in earnings. Thus, the idea that formal search methods play a strong role in reducing this type of gender inequality is not well supported.

Counseling and Monitoring of Unemployed Workers: Theory and Evidence from a Controlled Social Experiment

We investigate the effect of counseling and monitoring on the individual transition rate to employment. We theoretically analyze these policies in a job search model with two search channels and endogenous search effort. In the empirical analysis we use unique administrative and survey data concerning a social experiment with full randomization and compliance. The results show that counseling and monitoring do not affect the exit rate to work. Monitoring causes a shift from informal to formal job search. We combine our empirical results to the results from our theoretical analysis and the existing empirical literature, to establish a comprehensive analysis of the effectiveness of these policies.

Critical appraisal of the design and reporting of studies of imaging and measurement of carotid stenosis.

Several hundred studies have been published over the last few years on imaging and measurement of carotid stenosis. Despite all this research, there is still no consensus about how best to image and measure stenosis. One possible explanation for this is that many of the studies have not been large enough or methodologically sound enough to allow useful conclusions to be drawn. We aimed to assess the design and methods of a random sample of published studies of imaging and measurement of carotid stenosis using 9 simple criteria. A formal literature search was performed for studies of imaging and measurement of carotid stenosis. Two subsets were randomly selected for detailed assessment: 20 studies published before 1991 and 20 published between 1993 and 1997 (some years after the initial publication of the ECST and NASCET trials). The criteria used to assess the selected studies were as follows: prospective rather than retrospective study design; patient selection based on a consecutive series or a random sample; adequate detail of study population; adequate detail of imaging techniques; inclusion of all investigations, ie, patients with poor-quality imaging were not excluded; blinded assessment of images; adequate detail of derivation of measurement of stenosis from images or data; adequate data on the reproducibility of measurements of stenosis; and study powered according to a sample-size calculation. There were many basic methodological deficiencies in both subsets of studies, with relatively little evidence of improvement with time. For example, only 33% of studies were prospective, only 45% studied a consecutive or random selection of patients, and only 38% reported any data on the reproducibility of measurements. More than half of the studies satisfied < or =4 of the 9 quality criteria. However, there was considerable variation between studies, with 7 studies satisfying > or = 7 criteria and 10 studies satisfying < or =2. No study was based on a sample-size calculation. The number of patients studied was often small, particularly in the more recent studies: median sample size was 100 in the 1970-1990 studies and 58 in the 1993-1997 studies (P<0.0001). The design and reporting of published studies of imaging and measurement of carotid stenosis are poor and have not improved much in recent years. The majority of published studies are not of a sufficient standard to enable the results to be used to inform clinical practice. The utility of future studies could be improved considerably by better adherence to 9 simple methodological guidelines.

Analysis of questions asked by family physicians regarding patient care

Objectives To characterize the information needs of family physicians by collecting the questions they asked about patient care during consultations and to classify these in ways that would be useful to developers of knowledge bases. Design An observational study in which investigators visited physicians for two half-days and collected their questions. Taxonomies were developed to characterize the clinical topic and generic type of information sought for each question. Setting Eastern Iowa. Participants Random sample of 103 family physicians. Main outcome measures Number of questions posed, pursued, and answered; topic and generic type of information sought for each question; time spent pursuing answers; and information resources used. Results Participants asked a total of 1,101 questions. Questions about drug prescribing, obstetrics and gynecology, and adult infectious disease were most common, comprising 36% of the total. The taxonomy of generic questions included 69 categories; the three most common types, comprising 24% of all questions, were "What is the cause of symptom X?" "What is the dose of drug X?" and "How should I manage disease or finding X?" Answers to most questions (n = 702 [64%]) were not immediately pursued, but of those pursued, most (n = 318 [80%]) were answered. Physicians spent an average of less than 2 minutes pursuing an answer, and they used readily available print and human resources. Only two questions led to a formal literature search. Conclusions Family physicians in this study did not pursue answers to most of their questions. Questions about patient care can be organized into a limited number of generic types, which could help guide the efforts of knowledge-base developers.

Information seeking on the Web: An integrated model of browsing and searching

This paper presents findings from a study of how knowledge workers use the Web to seek external information as part of their daily work. Thirty-four users from seven companies took part in the study. Participants were mainly IT specialists, managers, and research/marketing/consulting staff working in organizations that included a large utility company, a major bank, and a consulting firm. Participants answered a detailed questionnaire and were interviewed individually in order to understand their information needs and information seeking preferences. A custom-developed WebTracker software application was installed on each of their work place PCs, and participants' Web-use activities were then recorded continuously during two-week periods. The WebTracker recorded how participants used the browser to seek information on the Web: it logged menu choices, button bar selections, and keystroke actions, allowing browsing and searching sequences to be reconstructed. In a second round of personal interviews, participants recalled critical incidents of using information from the Web. Data from the two interviews and the WebTracker logs constituted the database for analysis. Sixty-one significant episodes of information seeking were identified. A model was developed to describe the common repertoires of information seeking that were observed. On one axis of the model, episodes were plotted according to the four scanning modes identified by Aguilar (1967), Weick and Daft (1983): undirected viewing, conditioned viewing, informal search, and formal search. Each mode is characterized by its own information needs and information seeking strategies. On the other axis of the model, episodes were plotted according to the occurrence of one or more of the six categories of information seeking behaviors identified by Ellis (1989, 1990): starting, chaining, browsing, differentiating, monitoring, and extracting. The study suggests that a behavioral framework that relates motivations (Aguilar) and moves (Ellis) may be helpful in analyzing patterns of Web-based information seeking.

What do we know about the reliability and validity of physical examination tests used to examine the upper extremity?

The literature regarding the reliability and validity of commonly used clinical tests for disorders of the upper extremity was reviewed. Formal literature search, standard texts, and experts in the field of upper extremity were consulted to locate relevant articles. Range of motion and strength testing of the upper limb have been shown to be reliable, while various tests used for the diagnosis of conditions in the upper limb, such as carpal tunnel syndrome and rotator cuff tendinopathy, have been shown to have varying degrees of validity. Overall, however, we determined that there is little evidence regarding the reliability and validity of physical examination for the upper extremity and specifically less information available regarding the reliability of diagnostic physical examination tests and the validity of impairment measures used for the upper limb. Further studies in this area are warranted in view of the impact of these findings on the treatment of patients.

The Limitations of Formal Ancient Egyptian Religion

Previous articleNext article No AccessThe Limitations of Formal Ancient Egyptian ReligionAnthony SpalingerAnthony Spalinger Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Journal of Near Eastern Studies Volume 57, Number 4Oct., 1998 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/468651 Views: 65Total views on this site Citations: 3Citations are reported from Crossref Copyright 1998 The University of ChicagoPDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Scott Williams Living amongst the Dead: Life at the Ancient Memphite Necropolis of Saqqara during the Late Period/Early Ptolemaic Era, Heritage 5, no.33 (Jun 2022): 1462–1478.https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage5030077Donna Nash, Susan D. deFrance Plotting abandonment: Excavating a ritual deposit at the Wari site of Cerro Baúl, Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 53 (Mar 2019): 112–132.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaa.2018.12.002Thomas Schneider History as Festival? A Reassessment of the Use of the Past and the Place of Historiography in Ancient Egyptian Thought, (Nov 2013): 117–143.https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118412541.ch7

Consequences of Women's Formal and Informal Job Search Methods for Employment in Female-Dominated Jobs

Using data from the General Social Survey and the National Organizations Survey, this study assesses the extent to which job search methods affect gender composition in a job. In contrast to past research and the popular notion that networking maximizes job search outcomes, it is found that women who use informal job search methods had jobs with more women in them compared to not using such methods. Women using formal job search methods had jobs with fewer women in them compared to not using these methods. For men, job search methods were not associated with the gender composition of the job.