Search

Our previous work identified that nine leading guidance documents for seven different types of systematic review advocated the same process of literature searching. We defined and illustrated this process and we named it 'the Conventional Approach'. The Conventional Approach appears to meet the needs of researchers undertaking literature searches for systematic reviews of clinical interventions. In this article, we report a new and alternate process model of literature searching called 'A Tailored Approach'. A Tailored Approach is indicated as a search process for complex reviews which do not focus on the evaluation of clinical interventions. The aims of this article are to (1) explain the rationale for, and the theories behind, the design of A Tailored Approach; (2) report the current conceptual illustration of A Tailored Approach and to describe a user's interaction with the process model; and (3) situate the elements novel to A Tailored Approach (when compared with the Conventional Approach) in the relevant literature. A Tailored Approach suggests investing time at the start of a review, to develop the information needs from the research objectives, and to tailor the search approach to studies or data. Tailored Approaches should be led by the information specialist (librarian) but developed by the research team. The aim is not necessarily to focus on comprehensive retrieval. Further research is indicated to evaluate the use of supplementary search methods, methods of team-working to define search approaches, and to evaluate the use of conceptual models of information retrieval for testing and evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A common methodological limitation of research that guides surgical procedure selection for children's elective lower limb orthopaedic surgeries is inconsistent outcome selection. Improving outcome consistency can be achieved through the development of a core outcome set (COS). The aim of this study is to identify which outcomes are considered important for children's elective lower limb orthopaedic surgeries by allied health professionals (AHPs) and explore why they select these outcomes, to inform a COS development project. Online semi-structured interviews were conducted with relevant AHPs. Participants were selected using maximum variation purposive sampling; selection was based on profession and inpatient/outpatient role. The data set was analysed using an inductive and deductive approach to thematic analysis. Four physiotherapists, three orthotists, three prosthetists, and two occupational therapists were interviewed. Most identified outcomes of importance related to "activities and participation". From the data, we conceptualised that AHPs with effective multidisciplinary communication focused on child-centred outcomes, while clinicians with limited multidisciplinary teamwork focused on role-based outcomes. There is concurrence between outcomes identified as important in this study, and other qualitative studies in similar populations. These important outcomes were seldom measured in previous studies or in routine clinical practice. Allied health professionals (AHPs) prioritise activity and participation outcomes after children's elective lower limb orthopaedic surgery. It is important to the rehabilitation of children after elective lower limb orthopaedic surgery that all involved AHPs collaborate with the wider multidisciplinary team. Multidisciplinary team communication encourages collaborative outcome identification, and discourages role defined outcome focus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives Understanding how older people experience independence has implications for person-centered care. Existing understanding of older people's experience of independence, generated through methods that provide a "snapshot" view of a person's independence at a given time point, provides little insight into the process of maintaining independence through time. The aim of this study was to explore older participants' perceptions to understand the processes and resources that were most important for maintaining independence. Research Design and Methods Two semistructured interviews were conducted longitudinally to explore the perspectives of 12 community-dwelling, older people, aged 76–85 years. A social constructivist approach, using dramaturgical and descriptive codes, facilitated the interpretation of the data. Sixteen analytical questions guided the exploration of participants' perceptions of independence through time. Results Older people suggested that objective representations underestimated, and omitted, important aspects of their independence through time. Some participants perceived "snapshot" judgments of their independence as insensitive to their individual values and context. Change over time required some participants to adapt their methods for maintaining independence. The stability of participants' sense of independence was value dependent and informed by the purpose a participant ascribed to maintaining independence. Discussion and Implications This study augments the understanding of independence as a complex and multifaceted construct. The findings challenge the congruence of common interpretations of independence with older people's views, showing areas of commonality, and discrepancy. Exploration of independence in terms of form and function provides an important understanding of how function takes precedence to form in determining the maintenance of independence through time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rehabilitation EnAblement in CHronic Heart Failure (REACH-HF) is a home-based cardiac rehabilitation intervention designed for patients with heart failure and their caregivers. We present a pooled analysis of patients >18 years with a confirmed diagnosis of HF recruited to two REACH-HF randomized controlled trials. Where identified by patients and consented to participate, caregivers were randomly assigned with patients to receive the REACH-HF intervention plus usual care or usual care alone. Our analysis demonstrated that compared to control group, the REACH-HF group had a greater gain in their disease-specific health-related quality of life at follow-up. Graphical Abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9566.2007.01019.x Byline: Julia Frost (1), Harriet Bradley (2), Ruth Levitas (2), Lindsay Smith (3), Jo Garcia (4) Keywords: miscarriage; bereavement; death; motherhood; pregnancy; scientisation Abstract: Abstract This paper explores the special nature of bereavement in the case of first trimester miscarriage. It is theoretically informed by the sociological literature concerning death and bereavement and is empirically grounded in interviews with 79 women. We argue that the 'scientisation of death' in modern societies contributes to the uncertainty and isolation which distinguish early miscarriage as a unique form of loss. In the absence of clear cultural scripts to draw upon, many women interviewed gave meaning to their loss as 'what might have been' or what we call 'the loss of possibility'. Some women juxtaposed the failure of their pregnancy with that of modern medicine either to prevent the loss or provide a credible explanation for their miscarriage. Little research has been conducted in this area, since the pioneering work of Lovell (1983) and Cecil (1984). Our research draws on one of the largest and most systematic bodies of data ever collected on early miscarriage, and provides continued evidence of the traumas of miscarriage. The strategies employed by women to make sense of, and come to terms with, their experience of miscarriage are explored, employing a typology of pre-modern, modern and postmodern responses. Author Affiliation: (1)School of Nursing and Community Studies, University of Plymouth (2)Department of Sociology, University of Bristol (3)East Somerset Research Consortium (ESReC) (4)Social Science Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of London Article note: Address for correspondence: Harriet Bradley, Department of Sociology, University of Bristol, 12 Woodland Road, Bristol BS8 1UQ. e-mail: harriet.bradley@bristol.ac.uk