Recommendations For Best Practices Research Articles

Text highlighting: Three methodological studies to inform guidelines for implementation

Text highlighting was recently introduced as a method for exploring consumer attitudes and perceptions. It consists of asking participants to read a piece of text on a digital device while using highlighting functions to indicate those parts of the text that they ‘like’/feel positive about, as well as those parts they ‘dislike’/feel negative about. As with any new method, methodological research helps to develop recommendations for best practice in use. In this regard, the present research addressed three research questions (RQs) in three studies with participants from New Zealand, United Kingdom, Singapore and Malaysia (ntotal = 5381). In a qualitative approach, Study 1 (RQ1) validated the notion that the text highlighting task is not expected to induce bias. Study 2 addressed RQ2 and explored whether the process of completing the text highlighting task influence consumers’ topic- and product-related responses? There was minimal evidence of this, meaning that text highlighting can reasonably be used together with other types of consumer responses without much the risk of biasing the latter. RQ3 (Study 3) investigated whether the type of highlighting task performed influence text selection. To date the method has been implemented as a dual approach (i.e., selecting both ‘like’ and ‘dislike’ aspects of the text), however, this could tentatively bias either or both responses compared to a single response task where participants select only ‘like’ highlights or only ‘dislike’ highlights. Study 3 found no effect for ‘like’ highlights when comparing dual- and single-response highlighting. However, for ‘dislike’ highlighting, significantly fewer words were selected in the dual-response approach (although the difference in frequency of selection was < 10%). The findings were established in case studies pertaining to kiwifruit and biodynamic agriculture but require confirmation in studies with different products, texts and participants.

Modernising intra-day liquidity optimisation for commercial banks

Commercial banks are facing a period of exceptionally difficult funding conditions amidst a challenging economic environment. To address this, banks need to optimise their liquidity flows and usage. But existing liquidity optimisation and management methods fall short of materially reducing liquidity costs and can generate large operational risks. This paper describes how advanced analytics and algorithms can be used to optimise liquidity flows and usage in a real-time environment through payment resequencing. This approach can enable banks to significantly and consistently reduce liquidity usage and costs, potentially turning more effective treasuries into profit centres. This paper also describes the fundamental requirements for embarking on a modern liquidity optimisation project and also presents some recommendations for best practices in operational and technological infrastructure.

The benefits, challenges, and best practice for patient and public involvement in evidence synthesis: A systematic review and thematic synthesis.

Despite the growing evidence on patient and public involvement (PPI) in health research, little emphasis has been placed on understanding its quality and appropriateness to evidence synthesis (ES) and systematic reviews (SR). This study aimed to synthesise qualitative evidence on the benefits, challenges, and best practices for PPI in ES/SR projects from the perspectives of patients/public and researchers. We searched Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, Cochrane Library and CINAHL Plus. We also searched relevant grey literature and conducted hand-searching to identify qualitative studies which report the benefits and challenges of PPI in individual ES/SR projects. Studies were independently screened by two reviewers for inclusion and appraised using the Joanna Briggs Institute's Qualitative Tool. Included studies were synthesised narratively using thematic synthesis. The literature search retrieved 9923 articles, of which eight studies were included in this review. Five themes on benefits emerged: two from patients'/public's perspective-gaining knowledge, and empowerment; and three from researchers' perspective-enhancing relevance, improving quality, and enhancing dissemination of findings. Six themes on challenges were identified: three from patients'/public's perspective-poor communication, time and low self-esteem; and three from researchers' perspective-balancing inputs and managing relations, time, and resources and training. Concerning recommendations for best practice, four themes emerged: provision of sufficient time and resources, developing a clear recruitment plan, provision of sufficient training and support,and the need to foster positive working relationships. Highlighting the benefits and challenges of PPI in ES/SR projects from different stakeholder perspectives is essential to understand the process and contextual factors and facilitate meaningful PPI in ES/SR projects. Future research should focus on the utilisation of existing frameworks (e.g., Authors and Consumers Together Impacting on eVidencE [ACTIVE] framework) by researchers to help describe and/or report the best approaches and methods for involving patients/public in ES/SRs projects. This review received great contributions from a recognised PPI partner, the Chair of the Cochrane Consumer Network Executive, to inform the final stage of the review (i.e., interpretation, publication and dissemination of findings). The PPI partner has been included as an author of this review.

ESHRE good practice recommendations on recurrent implantation failure.

ESHRE good practice recommendations on recurrent implantation failure.

Establishing feasibility for porcine zona pellucida immunocontraception in a large population of free-roaming horses inhabiting the Virginia Range of Nevada, USA

In North America, range constraints are increasingly encroaching on wild horse habitat, necessitating effective but humane reproductive management (Kirkpatrick and Turner. J. Zoo Wildl. Med. 1991; 23:445-452). The largest free-roaming wild horse fertility control program, both in terms of population (>4,000) and territory size (≈300 000-acres), inhabits Nevada's Virginia Range. This program, commenced in 2019, provided a unique opportunity for an extended temporal field study investigating feasibility of porcine zona pellucida (pZP) immunocontraception. Vaccine is administered via remote intra-muscular dart-delivery with an initial treatment of 0.5mL native pZP formulated with 0.5mL Freund's complete (primer) and incomplete (booster) adjuvant, respectively and thereafter at intervals ≈8-12 months. A database, continuously updated from field observations, provides individual animal records including date and type of intervention and of births, deaths and movements. This ongoing study aims to establish feasibility by evaluating vaccine efficacy measurable via annual birth rates and population demographics and concurrently analyze the effects of treatment frequency and season. For this reported initial phase, analyses included monthly data (January 2019 - December 2021; 36 months) for all females. This was characterized by:number of cumulative vaccinations subset into four further classifications considering vaccine having no efficacy loss or loss within a 6-, 12-, and 18- month period post vaccination; based on foaling data, likelihood of being in-foal; based on foaling data, likelihood of conceiving in that month; and based on age, considered as mature or immature (<1-year-old). Foaling rate and population size were descriptively presented over time at monthly intervals. Results described mean numbers of vaccinations per mature mare for any month, vaccination count in relation to conception rate (within mare) and population conception rates. A total of 1,501 individual mares were treated with administration of 4,795 vaccinations. Population data showed a decreased number of immature mares, declining pregnancy rate and a seasonal breeding peak that declined dramatically from 2020. The proportion of vaccinated mares increased steadily and by 2021 showed population coverage ≈40-80%. The most salient findings showed that the system reached stability, assuming a 12-month decay rate, at an average ≈1.0 vaccination/mare/year and can be recommended as a treatment frequency. As data collection and treatment is ongoing, future analyses will provide evidence-based and robust recommendations for best management practices.

A narrative inquiry into women's experiences of menstruation at the workplace in Namibia.

Menstruation's effects on workplace productivity and its impact on women's careers are rarely discussed in public discourse. This paper presents an analysis of thirteen women's accounts of their menstrual experiences at work. The study aimed to understand women's lived experiences of menstruation in the workplace in Namibia and to make recommendations for best practices and policy formulation to help female employees cope with menstruation at work in Namibia. The study adopted a qualitative, phenomenological narrative inquiry research design, and thirteen participants working in various institutions and companies in Namibia were selected through a snowball sampling procedure. Individuals who agreed to participate in the study were given a link to a Google document containing reflective questions. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the narratives. The study findings show that most participants experienced various menstrual-related symptoms ranging from unbearable physical pain or discomfort to heavy bleeding and psychological distress. Menstruating women face workplace challenges, such as a lack of emergency sanitary products and unsupportive superiors. Based on the narratives analyzed, we conclude that menstrual-related symptoms affect work productivity. Participants highlighted that they perform better and are considerably more productive on their non-menstrual days. Participants advocated for a shift in policy to allow flexibility to work from home or get menstrual leave when experiencing severe menstrual symptoms. Such a change will go a long way in making the workplace more accommodating to women.

Machine Learning in Laboratory Medicine: Recommendations of the IFCC Working Group.

Machine learning (ML) has been applied to an increasing number of predictive problems in laboratory medicine, and published work to date suggests that it has tremendous potential for clinical applications. However, a number of groups have noted the potential pitfalls associated with this work, particularly if certain details of the development and validation pipelines are not carefully controlled. To address these pitfalls and other specific challenges when applying machine learning in a laboratory medicine setting, a working group of the International Federation for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine was convened to provide a guidance document for this domain. This manuscript represents consensus recommendations for best practices from that committee, with the goal of improving the quality of developed and published ML models designed for use in clinical laboratories. The committee believes that implementation of these best practices will improve the quality and reproducibility of machine learning utilized in laboratory medicine. We have provided our consensus assessment of a number of important practices that are required to ensure that valid, reproducible machine learning (ML) models can be applied to address operational and diagnostic questions in the clinical laboratory. These practices span all phases of model development, from problem formulation through predictive implementation. Although it is not possible to exhaustively discuss every potential pitfall in ML workflows, we believe that our current guidelines capture best practices for avoiding the most common and potentially dangerous errors in this important emerging field.

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation during maximal voluntary contraction: a Delphi survey with expert consensus

PurposeThe use of electrical stimulation to assess voluntary activation of muscle/s is a popular method employed in numerous exercise science and health research settings. This Delphi study aimed to collate expert opinion and provide recommendations for best practice when using electrical stimulation during maximal voluntary contractions.MethodsA two-round Delphi study was undertaken with 30 experts who completed a 62-item questionnaire (Round 1) comprising of open- and closed-ended questions. Consensus was assumed if ≥ 70% of experts selected the same response; such questions were removed from the subsequent Round 2 questionnaire. Responses were also removed if they failed to meet a 15% threshold. Open-ended questions were analysed and converted into closed-ended questions for Round 2. It was assumed there was no clear consensus if a question failed to achieve a ≥ 70% response in Round 2.ResultsA total of 16 out of 62 (25.8%) items reached consensus. Experts agreed that electrical stimulation provides a valid assessment of voluntary activation in specific circumstances, such as during maximal contraction, and this stimulation can be applied at either the muscle or the nerve. Experts recommended using doublet stimuli, self-adhesive electrodes, a familiarisation session, real-time visual or verbal feedback during the contraction, a minimum current increase of + 20% to ensure supramaximal stimulation, and manually triggering stimuli.ConclusionThe results of this Delphi consensus study can help researchers make informed decisions when considering technical parameters when designing studies involving electrical stimulation for the assessment of voluntary activation.

Introduction to the A&WMA 2023 Critical Review: Environmental sampling for disease surveillance: Recent advances and recommendations for best practice

Introduction to the A&WMA 2023 Critical Review: Environmental sampling for disease surveillance: Recent advances and recommendations for best practice

The silver lining of the pandemic in surgical education: virtual surgical education and recommendations for best practices.

Virtual education is an evolving field within the realm of surgical training. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the application of virtual technologies in surgical education has undergone significant exploration and advancement. While originally developed to supplement in-person curricula for the development of clinical decision-making, virtual surgical education has expanded into the realms of clinical decision-making, surgical, and non-surgical skills acquisition. This manuscript aims to discuss the various applications of virtual surgical education as well as the advantages and disadvantages associated with each education modality, while offering recommendations on best practices and future directions.

Factors Associated with Colostrum Quality, the Failure of Transfer of Passive Immunity, and the Impact on Calf Health in the First Three Weeks of Life.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate factors associated with colostrum quality and FTPI in calves from dairy farms in Austria and to assess the associations between disease occurrence and FTPI in calves. In total, 250 calves and their colostrum samples originating from 11 dairy farms were included in the study. All calves born between September 2021 and September 2022 were included. Blood samples were collected between the third and the sixth day of age. The farmers were trained in disease detection and recorded any health events within the first three weeks of age daily. Multiparous cows (>3 lactation) and colostrum harvesting within the first 2 hours after parturition were significantly associated with good colostrum quality (>22% Brix). Colostrum quantity (≥2 L) and quality (≥22% Brix) acted as protective factors against FTPI (serum Brix ≥ 8.4%) with odds ratios of OR = 0.41 and OR = 0.26, respectively. Calves facing any health event (diarrhea, navel illness, bovine respiratory disease, abnormal behavior) in the first three weeks of life had a higher probability of FTPI. Calves exhibiting diarrhea in the first 3 weeks of life were associated with having FTPI (OR = 2.69). The results confirm the current recommendations for good colostrum management practices and the impact of FTPI on calf morbidity.

The parent, child and young person experience of difficult venous access and recommendations for clinical practice: A qualitative descriptive study.

Explore the parent and child/young person experience of difficult venous access and identify ideas and preferences for changes to clinical practice. Peripheral intravenous catheter insertion is one of the most common invasive procedures in hospitalised paediatric patients. Multiple insertion attempts in paediatric patients are common and associated with pain and distress. Little research has explored the parent and child/young person experience of difficult venous access nor sought to identify their suggestions to improve clinical practice. Qualitative description. A purposive sampling approach was used to identify children and young people with experience of difficult venous access and their parents. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, with sample size based on data saturation. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. There were 12 participants, seven parents and five children/young people (five parent/child dyads and two individual parents). Analysis of the data revealed three main themes: (1) Distress-before, during and after (2) Families navigating the system: the challenging journey from general clinician to specialist and (3) Difficult venous access impacts both treatment and life outside the hospital A pre-determined theme, (4) Recommendations for good clinical practice is also described. Multiple attempts to insert a peripheral intravenous catheter are a source of substantial distress for children/young people, leading to treatment avoidance. Effective interpersonal skills, providing choice and avoiding frightening language are important to minimise distress. Clinicians without specialist training should assess each child's venous access experience and consider immediate referral to a specialist if they have a history of difficult venous access. Cultural change is required so clinicians and healthcare services recognise that repeated cannulation may be a source of psychological distress for children/young people.

'Change talk' among physicians in small group learning communities: An ethnographic study.

Physicians face uncertainties in complex clinical environments. Small group learning initiatives allow physicians to decipher new evidence and address challenges. This study aimed to understand how physicians in small learning groups discuss, interpret and assess new evidence-based information to make decisions for practice. An ethnographic approach was used to collect data from observed discussions between practising family physicians (n = 15) that meet in small learning groups (n = 2). Physicians were members of a continuing professional development (CPD) programme that provides educational modules with clinical cases and evidence-based recommendations for best practice. Nine learning sessions were observed over 1 year. Field notes documenting the conversations were analysed using ethnographic observational dimensions and thematic content analysis. Observational data were supplemented with interviews (n = 9) and practice reflection documents (n = 7). A conceptual framework for 'change talk' was created. Observations elucidated the following: Facilitators played a significant role in leading the discussion by focusing on practice gaps. As group members shared approaches to clinical cases, baseline knowledge and practice experiences were revealed. Members made sense of new information by asking questions and sharing knowledge. They determined what information was useful and whether it applied to their practice. They reviewed evidence, tested algorithms, benchmarked themselves to best practice and consolidated knowledge before committing to practice change(s). Themes from interviews emphasised that sharing of practice experiences played an integral part in decisions to implement new knowledge, helped validate guideline recommendations and provided strategies for feasible practice changes. Documented practice reflections regarding decisions for practice change(s) overlapped with field notes. This study provides empirical data on how small groups of family physicians discuss evidence-based information and make decisions for clinical practice. A 'change talk' framework was created to illustrate the processes that occur when physicians interpret and assess new information to bridge gaps between current and best practices.

Extrapolating Clinical Evidence Within Economic Evaluations

&#x0D; Extrapolation is a fundamental part of many economic evaluations, though there are numerous methods of extrapolating the same dataset. The method that is most appropriate for the decision problem is contingent on several factors.&#x0D; From the literature, recommendations for best practices when it comes to the extrapolation of clinical data have been identified. These pertain to validation of output, use of external evidence, treatment waning, proportional hazards, characterization of uncertainty, reporting of results, and choice of decision model.&#x0D; Gaps remain in the literature that require further research regarding what is the minimum amount of data to extrapolate reliably and how to robustly extrapolate relative effects for multiple treatment comparisons.&#x0D;

Clinical Sexologists' Perceptions of the Potentials, Downfalls, and Best Practices for Digitally Delivered Therapy: A Lesson from Lockdown Due to COVID-19 in Portugal.

Professionals who work in clinical sexology intervene in situations related to mental health, such as sexual dysfunctions and marital conflicts, often with vulnerable populations, e.g., people with chronic illnesses or trans people. In this work, we wanted to understand the perceptions these professionals have about using Internet interventions and how they perceive-based on their COVID-related experience and the reflections it brought about non-face-to-face interventions-the use of online interventions. During the first lockdown due to COVID-19 in Portugal, we used an online survey and collected answers from 39 Portuguese sexual health professionals to open questions about the use of Internet interventions. The data were analyzed following the summative content analysis procedures. Our results showed that sexual health professionals had several difficulties in clinical practice during the lockdown period, such as the perception that sexuality moved to the backseat in people's lives. Even so, they stated that Internet interventions have several advantages, such as easy accessibility and excellent promotion of social justice. However, disadvantages were also pointed out. The current study allowed us to understand clinicians' perception of the impact of the pandemic on sexual healthcare access and brought recommendations for good practice of sexual medicine with e-health.

Consensus recommendations for the assessment and treatment of perinatal obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD): A Delphi study

The perinatal period is one of increased vulnerability to parents experiencing the onset of, or an increase of existing, obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms. Existing OCD and perinatal mental health best practice guidelines do not detail specific considerations relevant to OCD in the perinatal period (‘Perinatal OCD’). Perinatal OCD risks being undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, and subsequently untreated or mistreated, with potential negative impacts for individuals and families experiencing this problem, highlighting the importance of specific guidance. This study employed a modified Delphi survey methodology to establish recommended best practice for the assessment and treatment of perinatal OCD. A literature review identified 103 initial best practice recommendations, and participants suggested 18 further recommendations. These recommendations were rated for importance over three survey rounds by two expert panels, comprising of 15 professionals with clinical or research expertise in perinatal OCD and 14 consumers with lived experience of perinatal OCD. One-hundred and two statements were endorsed for inclusion in the final set of recommendations for clinical best practice with perinatal OCD. These recommendations inform practice across eight themes; psychoeducation, screening, assessment, differential diagnosis, case care considerations, treatment, partners & families, and culture & diversity. This novel study is the first to collate and outline a set of clinical best practice recommendations, developed using the consensus perspectives of both individuals with lived experience and professionals with relevant expertise, for supporting individuals with perinatal OCD and their families. Differences between panel perspectives, and directions for future research are also discussed.

Single-arm, open-labelled, safety and tolerability of intrabronchial and nebulised bacteriophage treatment in children with cystic fibrosis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa

IntroductionCystic fibrosis (CF) is a multisystem condition that is complicated by recurrent pulmonary infections requiring aggressive antibiotic treatment. This predisposes the patient to complications such as sensorineural hearing loss, renal...

Evaluation of Readaction Quality of Initial Medical Certificate In An Emergency Department

Introduction:The initial medical certificate (CMI) is a medico-legal document of great importance. Writing CMIs is a frequent act in emergency medicine. In 2011, the Haute Authority of Medicine (HAS) published good practice recommendations concerning the writing and content of these certificates. Nevertheless, this practice faces a difficult reality in the emergency services. The aim of this study was to analyze the writing quality of CMIs in terms of compliance of all the criteria collected with respect to HAS recommendations.Method:This was a retrospective study, evaluating professional practices over a period of two years in Ben Arous ED. We analyzed CMIs written by EPs. The certificates were subjected to a critical reading to begin a comparative study of the quality of writing of these certificates with the HAS recommendations using a criteria grid relating to the theoretical content of the certificates.Results:207 CMIs were analyzed (Acts of violence 88%, work accidents 12% and AVP less than 1%). The medical writers were mainly represented by general practitioners (98%). Not all of the CMIs complied with writing recommendations. The identity of the physician, the identity of the patient, the date of the examination and of the facts, the nature of the lesions, the handwritten signature of the doctor and the stamp were mentioned in more than 95% of the CMIs. The presence of CNOM registration number, the profession, the address and the number of the national identity of the patient, the place of the facts, the medical history and the previous condition of the patient were absent in more than 95% of the CMIs. The duration of the ITT was written in full in 36% of the cases.Conclusion:The study revealed insufficiencies in the quality of CMI drafting written by EP. Specific training is underway to improve certificate redactions.

Updated Recommendations on Evidence Needed to Support Measurement Comparability Among Modes of Data Collection for Patient-Reported Outcome Measures: A Good Practices Report of an ISPOR Task Force

The ISPOR Task Force on measurement comparability between modes of data collection for patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) has updated the good practice recommendations from the 2009 ISPOR electronic patient-reported outcome and 2014 patient-reported outcome mixed modes Good Research Practices Task Force reports in light of accumulated evidence of measurement comparability among different modes of PROM data collection. Furthermore, with the increasing use of electronic formats of clinical outcome assessments in clinical trials and the US Food and Drug Administration’s encouragement of electronic data collection, this new task force report provides stakeholders with best practice recommendations reflecting the current body of evidence and enables them to respond to future developments in research and technology.This task force recommends an evidence-based approach to determine whether new research is needed to evaluate measurement comparability for a given questionnaire or technology. The suitability of existing evidence depends upon whether it satisfactorily demonstrates that the change in data collection mode has not affected the PROM’s measurement properties. In cases where sufficient evidence of measurement comparability exists and best practices for faithful migration are followed, this task force concludes that further testing of measurement comparability among the data collection modes is unnecessary, including cases of “mixing modes” within clinical trials such as bring your own device designs.

Community acceptability of public health measures during the coronavirus pandemic in Malawi: a cross-sectional survey of knowledge, attitudes, and practices.

The knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of people during the coronavirus pandemic are pivotal to the uptake of recommended preventative strategies. This paper describes the Malawian KAP related to coronavirus and associated public health measures. This was a multi-site cross-sectional survey where data was collected through personal one-on-one interviews in nine Malawian districts over 3 weeks (5-25 October 2020). 521 participants (>18 years) were enrolled to answer a questionnaire. We found that all respondents were aware of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic with the majority using the Radio. 75% of participants displayed knowledge of all key symptoms of coronavirus disease (cough, fever, and shortness of breath) and additionally, the majority of participants (97%) knew enough to take some sort of intervention (calling a hotline or visiting the nearest hospital) if they developed symptoms. Participants also demonstrated a high perception of the risk of coronavirus, where >60% believed to be susceptible to the coronavirus under the current preventative measures, and >50% believed they would die from the infection. Communities displayed a high perceived effectiveness of all preventative measures, with "hand hygiene using soap and water" being perceived as effective by the majority of respondents. Although the majority of the participants (>80%) were willing to self-isolate at home, various barriers to home isolation were raised which would ultimately influence their ability to do so. Baseline community psychosocial and behavioral information which influence the adoption of public health measures in Malawi has been highlighted alongside recommendations for best practices.