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Background: Globally, a growing number of calls to formalize and strengthen evidence-support systems have been released, all of which emphasize the importance of evidence-informed decision making. To achieve this, it is critical that evidence producers and decision-makers interact, and that decision-makers' evidence needs can be efficiently translated into questions to which evidence producers can respond. This paper aims to create a taxonomy of demand-driven questions for use by evidence producers, intermediaries (i.e., people working in between researchers and decision-makers) and decision-makers., Methods: We conducted a global cross-sectional survey of units providing some type of evidence support at the explicit request of decision-makers. Unit representatives were invited to answer an online questionnaire where they were asked to provide a list of the questions that they have addressed through their evidence-support mechanism. Descriptive analyses were used to analyze the survey responses, while the questions collected from each unit were iteratively analyzed to create a mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive list of types of questions that can be answered with some form of evidence., Results: Twenty-nine individuals completed the questionnaire, and more than 250 submitted questions were analysed to create a taxonomy of 41 different types of demand-driven questions. These 41 questions were organized by the goal to be achieved, and the goals were grouped in the four decision-making stages (i) clarifying a societal problem, its causes and potential impacts; (ii) finding and selecting options to address a problem; (iii) implementing or scaling-up an option; and (iv) monitoring implementation and evaluating impacts., Conclusion: The mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive list of demand-driven questions will help decision-makers (to ask and prioritize questions), evidence producers (to organize and present their work), and evidence-intermediaries (to connect evidence needs with evidence supply)., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Developing and working through a PhD research study requires tenacity, continuous development and application of knowledge. It is paramount when researching sensitive topics to consider carefully the construction of tools for collecting data, to ensure the study is ethically robust and explicitly addresses the research question., Aim: To explore how novice researchers can develop insight into aspects of the research process by developing vignettes as a research tool., Discussion: This article focuses on the use of vignettes to collect data as part of a qualitative PhD study investigating making decisions in the best interests of and on behalf of people with advanced dementia. Developing vignettes is a purposeful, conscious process. It is equally important to ensure that vignettes are derived from literature, have an evidence base, are carefully constructed and peer-reviewed, and are suitable to achieve the research's aims., Conclusion: Using and analysing a vignette enables novice researchers to make sense of aspects of the qualitative research process and engage with it to appreciate terminology., Implications for Practice: Vignettes can provide an effective platform for discussion when researching topics where participants may be reluctant to share sensitive real-life experiences., Competing Interests: None declared, (©2021 RCN Publishing Company Ltd. All rights reserved. Not to be copied, transmitted or recorded in any way, in whole or part, without prior permission of the publishers.)

Influential studies on human thinking with the popular two-response paradigm typically ask participants to continuously alternate between intuitive ("fast") and deliberate ("slow") responding. One concern is that repeated deliberation in these studies will artificially boost the intuitive, "fast" reasoning performance. A recent alternative two-block paradigm therefore advised to present all fast trials in one block before the slow trials were presented. Here, we tested directly whether allowing people to repeatedly deliberate will boost their intuitive reasoning performance by manipulating the order of the fast and slow blocks. In each block, participants solved variants of the bat-and-ball problem. Maximum response time in fast blocks was 4 s and 25 s in the slow blocks. One group solved the fast trials before the slow trials, a second group solved the slow trials first, and a third mixed group alternated between slow and fast trials. Results showed that the order factor did not affect accuracy on the fast trials. This indicates that repeated deliberation does not boost people's intuitive reasoning performance.

Decision-makers have become increasingly interested in incorporating real-world evidence (RWE) into their decision-making process. Due to concerns regarding the reliability and quality of RWE, stakeholders have issued numerous recommendation documents to assist in setting RWE standards. The fragmented nature of these documents poses a challenge to researchers and decision-makers looking for guidance on what is 'high-quality' RWE and how it can be used in decision-making. We offer researchers and decision-makers a structure to organize the landscape of RWE recommendations and identify consensus and gaps in the current recommendations. To provide researchers with a much needed pathway for generating RWE, we discuss how decision-makers can move from fragmented recommendations to comprehensive guidance.

Objectives: Although literature exists on using qualitative methods to generate potential attributes for a discrete choice experiment (DCE), there is little on selecting which attributes to include. We present a case study in which a best-worst scaling case 1 (BWS-1) survey was used to guide attribute selection for a DCE. The case study's context was the decision making of professionals around the choice of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems for children with limited natural speech., Methods: BWS-1 survey attributes were generated from literature reviews and focus groups. DCE attributes were selected from BWS-1 attributes. The selection criteria were: include mostly important attributes; create coherent descriptions of children and AAC systems; address the project's research aims; have an appropriate respondent burden. Attributes' importance was judged using BWS-1 relative importance scores., Results: The BWS-1 survey included 19 child and 18 AAC device/system attributes and was administered to N = 93 AAC professionals. Four child and five device/system attributes were selected for the DCE, administered to N = 155 AAC professionals., Conclusions: In this case study BWS-1 results were useful in DCE attribute selection. Four recommendations are made for future studies: define selection criteria for DCE attributes a priori; consider the impact participant's perspective will have on BWS-1 and DCE results; clearly define key terminology at the start of the study and refine it as the study progresses to reflect interim findings; BWS will be useful when there is little existing stated preference work on a topic and/or qualitative work is difficult., (Copyright © 2020 ISPOR–The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Palliative and end-of-life care development is hindered by a lack of information about the circumstances surrounding dying in developing and resource-poor countries. Our aims were to develop and obtain face and content validity for a self-administered questionnaire on end-of-life care provision and medical decision-making for use in population-based surveys., Methods: Modelled on validated questionnaires from research in developed countries, our questionnaire was adapted to the cultural sensitivity and medico-legal context of Trinidad and Tobago. Two sets of semi-structured face-to-face cognitive interviews were done with a sample of physicians, sampling was purposive. Phase 1 assessed interpretation of the questions, terminology and content of the questionnaire. Phase 2 was tested on a heterogeneous group of physicians to identify and fix problematic questions or recurring issues. Adjustments were made incrementally and re-tested in successive interviews., Results: Eighteen physicians were interviewed nationwide. Adaptations to questionnaires used in developed countries included: addition of a definition of palliative care, change of sensitive words like expedited to influenced, adjustments to question formulations, follow-up questions and answer options on medications used were added, the sequence, title and layout were changed and instructions for completion were included at the beginning of the questionnaire., Conclusion: A new instrument for assessing and documenting end-of-life care and circumstances of dying in a small, resource-poor Caribbean country was developed and validated, and can be readily used as a mortality follow-back instrument. Our methods and procedures of development can be applied as a guide for similar studies in other small developing countries.

Objectives: The terminology used to describe community participation in Health Technology Assessment (HTA) is contested and frequently confusing. The terms patients, consumers, public, lay members, customers, users, citizens, and others have been variously used, sometimes interchangeably. Clarity in the use of terms and goals for including the different groups is needed to mitigate existing inconsistencies in the application of patient and public involvement (PPI) across HTA processes around the world., Methods: We drew from a range of literature sources in order to conceptualize (i) an operational definition for the "public" and other stakeholders in the context of HTA and (ii) possible goals for their involvement. Draft definitions were tested and refined in an iterative consensus-building process with stakeholders from around the world., Results: The goals, terminology, interests, and roles for PPI in HTA processes were clarified. The research provides rationales for why the role of the public should be distinguished from that of patients, their families, and caregivers. A definition for the public in the context of HTA was developed: A community member who holds the public interest and has no commercial, personal, or professional interest in the HTA process., Conclusions: There are two distinct aspects to the interests held by the public which should be explicitly included in the HTA process: the first lies in ensuring democratic accountability and the second in recognising the importance of including public values in decision making.

Background: Nurse researchers are increasingly using a wide variety of inferential statistical tests. However, novice researchers might find choosing tests for their studies difficult, as a result of this variety., Aim: To present structured decision-tables to help choose which statistical tests to use in comparative and correlation studies., Discussion: The wide spectrum of statistical techniques the authors identified in nursing research helped them to construct overview tables that researchers could use as a simple tool to help choose appropriate statistical tests for their studies., Conclusion: The decision-tables provided in this paper are unique in that they are composed of commonly applied statistical techniques identified in nursing studies and structured to simplify the pathway to statistical test decision-making for a broad spectrum of study designs., Implications for Practice: Novice nurse researchers can use the decision-tables presented in this paper as a starting point to explore with research colleagues or supervisors the appropriate choice of statistical techniques., Competing Interests: None declared, (©2019 RCN Publishing Company Ltd. All rights reserved. Not to be copied, transmitted or recorded in any way, in whole or part, without prior permission of the publishers.)

This article explores the links between our roles as academics, advocates, and activists, focusing on our research on treatment decisions for patients in vegetative and minimally conscious states. We describe how our work evolved from personal experience through traditional social science research to public engagement activities and then to advocacy and activism. We reflect on the challenges we faced in navigating the relationship between our research, advocacy, and activism, and the implications of these challenges for our research ethics and methodology-giving practical examples of how we worked with research participants, wrote up case studies and developed interventions into legal debates. We also address the implications of the impact agenda-imposed by the British Research Excellence Framework- for our actions as scholar-activists. Finally, we ask how practicing at the borders of academia, advocacy, and activism can inform research-helping to contextualize, sensitize, and engage theory with practice, leading to a more robust analysis of data and its implications, and helping to ensure a dialogue between research, theory, lived experience, front-line practice, law, and public policy., (© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Network meta-analysis is a new tool used to summarize and compare studies for multiple interventions, irrespective of whether these interventions have been directly evaluated against each other. Network meta-analysis is quickly becoming the standard in conducting therapeutic reviews and clinical guideline development. However, little guidance is available to help pharmacists review network meta-analysis studies in their practice. Major institutions such as the Cochrane Collaboration, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health, and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Decision Support Unit have endorsed utilizing network meta-analysis to establish therapeutic evidence and inform decision making. Our objective is to introduce this novel technique to pharmacy practitioners, and highlight key assumptions behind network meta-analysis studies.

The growth of the Internet since the millennium has opened up a myriad of opportunities for education, particularly in medicine. Although those looking for health care information used to have to turn to a face-to-face doctor's visit, an immense library of medical advice is now available at their fingertips. The BRCA genetic predispositions (mutations of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 breast cancer genes) which expose men and women to greater risk of breast, ovarian, and other cancers can be researched extensively online. Several nonprofit organizations now offer online risk assessment and decision-making tools meant to supplement conversation with medical professionals, which in actuality are quickly replacing it. We argue here through a critical qualitative template analysis of several such tools that the discursive frameworks utilized are prone to fearmongering, commercialization, and questionable validity. Left unchecked, these assessment tools could do more harm than good in driving young women especially to take unnecessary extreme surgical action.

Objective: To describe a framework for people making and using evidence-informed health system and public health recommendations and decisions., Background: We developed the GRADE Evidence to Decision (EtD) framework for health system and public health decisions as part of the DECIDE project, in which we simultaneously developed frameworks for these and other types of healthcare decisions, including clinical recommendations, coverage decisions and decisions about diagnostic tests., Developing the Framework: Building on GRADE EtD tables, we used an iterative approach, including brainstorming, consultation of the literature and with stakeholders, and an international survey of policy-makers. We applied the framework to diverse examples, conducted workshops and user testing with health system and public health guideline developers and policy-makers, and observed and tested its use in real-life guideline panels., Findings: All the GRADE EtD frameworks share the same basic structure, including sections for formulating the question, making an assessment and drawing conclusions. Criteria listed in the assessment section of the health system and public health framework cover the important factors for making these types of decisions; in addition to the effects and economic impact of an option, the priority of the problem, the impact of the option on equity, and its acceptability and feasibility are important considerations that can inform both whether and how to implement an option. Because health system and public health interventions are often complex, detailed implementation considerations should be made when making a decision. The certainty of the evidence is often low or very low, but decision-makers must still act. Monitoring and evaluation are therefore often important considerations for these types of decisions. We illustrate the different components of the EtD framework for health system and public health decisions by presenting their application in a framework adapted from a real-life guideline., Discussion: This framework provides a structured and transparent approach to support policy-making informed by the best available research evidence, while making the basis for decisions accessible to those whom they will affect. The health system and public health EtD framework can also be used to facilitate dissemination of recommendations and enable decision-makers to adopt, and adapt, recommendations or decisions.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to test and evaluate a new decision-making process on the need for updating within the update of a German clinical practice guideline (CPG)., Study Design and Setting: The pilot study comprised (1) limited searches in Pubmed to identify new potentially relevant evidence, (2) an online survey among the members of the CPG group to assess the need for update, and (3) a consensus conference for determination and prioritization of guideline sections with a high need for update. Subsequently, we conducted a second online survey to evaluate the procedure., Results: The searches resulted in 902 abstracts that were graded as new potentially relevant evidence. Twenty five of 39 members of the CPG group (64%) participated in the online survey. Seventy six percent of those took part in the second online survey. The evaluation study found on average a grade of support of the procedure regarding the determination of the need for update of 3.65 (standard deviation: 0.76) on a likert scale with 1 = "no support" to 5 = "very strong support.", Conclusion: The conducted procedure presents a systematic approach for assessing whether and to what extent a CPG requires updating and enables setting priorities for which particular guideline section to update within a CPG., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Living donor kidney transplant is the ideal treatment option for end-stage renal disease; however, the decision to pursue living donor kidney transplant is complex and challenging. Measurement invariance of living donor kidney transplant Decisional Balance and Self-Efficacy across gender (male/female), race (Black/White), and education level (no college/college or higher) were examined using a sequential approach. Full strict invariance was found for Decisional Balance and Self-Efficacy for gender and partial strict invariance was found for Decisional Balance and Self-Efficacy across race and education level. This information will inform tailored feedback based on these constructs in future intervention studies targeting behavior change among specific demographic subgroups., (© The Author(s) 2015.)

Background: The concept of shared decision making (SDM) has been developing in many countries since the 1990s. The main challenge of SDM, based on the principles of respect for the person's autonomy, is to improve patients' participation, should they so wish, in decisions concerning their personal health. To our knowledge, there is only one SDM evaluation tool validated in metropolitan French that does not measure the entire SDM construct. The aim of this review was to identify existing and validated SDM measurement tools to determine which of them could be adapted in French to cover all the dimensions of SDM., Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted based on articles found in the PubMed and PsycINFO bibliographic databases and published between 2010 and 2014. Studies were included if the main goal of the article was the development and psychometric validation of an SDM measurement tool, not specific to any given disease or situation, in English, French and Spanish. We used the nine essential elements of the Makoul and Clayman's integrative model to describe the different existing tools., Results: Nineteen studies were included. Seven new tools had been published since Scholl's previous review in 2011. We observed a recent spread of the multi-appraiser approach, which combines points of view of patients, healthcare professionals and sometimes external observers. Several models were used for the development of the seven newly identified tools. None of the identified tools assessed the nine elements of the Makoul's model. Three of these elements, however, were systematically measured in each of the new tools: "defining/explaining the problem", "patient values/preferences", and "checking/clarifying understanding"., Conclusions: We identified several potentially interesting tools for the French context which could cover the whole elements of Makoul's model. The next step will be the development of a French-language instrument based on these tools.

Language tasks used for clinical fMRI studies may be too complex for some patients with cognitive impairments, and "easier" versions are sometimes substituted, though the effects on brain activity of such changes in task complexity are largely unknown. To investigate these differences, we compared two versions of an fMRI language comprehension protocol, with different levels of difficulty, in 24 healthy right-handed adults. The protocol contrasted an auditory word comprehension task (semantic decision) with a nonspeech control task using tone sequences (tone decision). In the "complex" version (CV), the semantic decision task required two complex semantic decisions for each word, and the tone decision task required the participant to count the number of target tones in each sequence. In the "easy" version (EV), the semantic task required only a single easier decision, and the tone task required only detection of the presence or absence of a target tone in each sequence. The protocols were adapted for a Brazilian population. Typical left hemisphere language lateralization was observed in 92% of participants for both CV and EV using the whole-brain lateralization index, and typical language lateralization was also observed for others regions of interest. Task performance was superior on the EV compared to the CV (p=0.014). There were many common areas of activation across the two version; however, the CV produced greater activation in the left superior and middle frontal giri, angular gyrus, and left posterior cingulate gyrus compared to the EV, the majority of which are areas previously identified with language and semantic processing. The EV produced stronger activation only in a small area in the posterior middle temporal gyrus. These results reveal differences between two versions of the protocol and provide evidence that both are useful for language lateralization and worked well for Brazilian population. The complex version produces stronger activation in several nodes of the semantic network and therefore is elected for participants who can perform well these tasks., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Describe characteristics of rapid reviews and examine the impact of methodological variations on their reliability and validity., Study Design and Setting: We conducted a literature review and interviews with organizations that produce rapid reviews or related products to identify methods, guidance, empiric evidence, and current practices., Results: We identified 36 rapid products from 20 organizations (production time, 5 minutes to 8 months). Methods differed from systematic reviews at all stages. As time frames increased, methods became more rigorous; however, restrictions on database searching, inclusion criteria, data extracted, and independent dual review remained. We categorized rapid products based on extent of synthesis. "Inventories" list what evidence is available. "Rapid responses" present best available evidence with no formal synthesis. "Rapid reviews" synthesize the quality of and findings from the evidence. "Automated approaches" generate meta-analyses in response to user-defined queries. Rapid products rely on a close relationship with end users and support specific decisions in an identified time frame. Limited empiric evidence exists comparing rapid and systematic reviews., Conclusions: Rapid products have tremendous methodological variation; categorization based on time frame or type of synthesis reveals patterns. The similarity across rapid products lies in the close relationship with the end user to meet time-sensitive decision-making needs., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In theory the formula scoring methods increase the reliability of multiple-choice tests in comparison with number-right scoring. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the formula scoring method in clinical anatomy multiple-choice examinations, and to compare it with that from the number-right scoring method, hoping to achieve an evidence-based decision about test scoring rules. Two hundred and ninety-eight students completed an examination in clinical anatomy which included 40 multiple-choice questions with five response options each. Among these, 245 (82.2%) examinees were assessed according to the number-right scoring method (group A) while 53 (17.8%) were assessed according to the formula scoring method (group B). The prevalence of passing was significantly higher in group A than in group B, after correction of the pass and fail cutoffs for guessing (84.9% vs. 62.3%, P = 0.005), keeping a similar reliability in both groups (0.7 vs. 0.8, P = 0.094). Pearson Correlation coefficients between practical and theoretical examination scores were 0.66 [95%CI = (0.58-0.73)] and 0.72 [95%CI = (0.56-0.83)] for groups A and B, respectively. Based solely on the reliability and validity assessments, the test-maker could therefore use either scoring rules; however, if the test-maker also takes into account the students' ability to deduce answers with partial knowledge, then the number-right score rule is most appropriate., (© 2014 American Association of Anatomists.)

Background: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is an important endpoint of many healthcare interventions. This study develops guidance on how to select appropriate HRQoL measures for inclusion in a clinical trial, given the purposes of the HRQoL measurement., Methods: The guidance is based on a systematic literature review, discussions with members of the European Network for Health Technology Assessment (EUnetHTA) and two rounds of public consultation., Results: A set of twelve recommendations was developed, addressing the requirements for HRQoL data for relative effectiveness assessment, for cost-utility analyses and for informing clinical decision making. Recommendations relate to the choice of the type of measure as well as to aspects such as measurement frequency, target population and presentation., Conclusions: The purpose and context of HRQoL measurement is crucial for the relevance of the data obtained with a specific HRQoL measure. It is recommended to always include a generic HRQoL instrument in clinical trials to cover a wide range of possible future uses of the HRQoL data.

The ubiquity of psychological process models requires an increased degree of sophistication in the methods and metrics that we use to evaluate them. We contribute to this venture by capitalizing on recent work in cognitive science analyzing response dynamics, which shows that the bearing information processing dynamics have on intended action is also revealed in the motor system. This decidedly "embodied" view suggests that researchers are missing out on potential dependent variables with which to evaluate their models-those associated with the motor response that produces a choice. The current work develops a method for collecting and analyzing such data in the domain of decision making. We first validate this method using widely normed stimuli from the International Affective Picture System (Experiment 1), and demonstrate that curvature in response trajectories provides a metric of the competition between choice options. We next extend the method to risky decision making (Experiment 2) and develop predictions for three popular classes of process model. The data provided by response dynamics demonstrate that choices contrary to the maxim of risk seeking in losses and risk aversion in gains may be the product of at least one "online" preference reversal, and can thus begin to discriminate amongst the candidate models. Finally, we incorporate attentional data collected via eye-tracking (Experiment 3) to develop a formal computational model of joint information sampling and preference accumulation. In sum, we validate response dynamics for use in preferential choice tasks and demonstrate the unique conclusions afforded by response dynamics over and above traditional methods., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Existing research qualitatively explores consumer preferences for stroke rehabilitation interventions. However, it remains unclear which intervention characteristics are most important to consumers, and how these preferences may influence uptake and participation. Discrete choice experiments (DCE) provide a unique way to quantitatively measure preferences for health and health care. This study aims to explore how DCEs have been used in stroke rehabilitation and to identify reported consumer preferences for rehabilitation interventions. A systematic review of published stroke rehabilitation DCEs was completed (PROSPERO registration: CRD42021282578). Six databases (including CINAHL, MEDLINE, EconLIT) were searched from January 2000-March 2023. Data extracted included topic area, sample size, aim, attributes, design process, and preference outcomes. Descriptive and thematic analyses were conducted, and two methodological checklists applied to review quality. Of 2,446 studies screened, five were eligible. Studies focused on exercise preference (n = 3), the structure and delivery of community services (n = 1), and self-management programs (n = 1). All had small sample sizes (range 50–146) and were of moderate quality (average score of 77%). Results indicated people have strong preferences for one-to-one therapy (over group-based), light-moderate intensity of exercise, and delivery by qualified therapists (over volunteers). Few DCEs have been conducted in stroke rehabilitation, suggesting consumer preferences could be more rigorously explored. Included studies were narrow in the scope of attributes included, limiting their application to practice and policy. Further research is needed to assess the impact of differing service delivery models on uptake and participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, more people are living into advanced old age, with age-associated frailty, disability and multimorbidity. Achieving equity for all ages necessitates adapting healthcare systems. Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) have an important place in adapting evidence-based medicine and clinical care to reflect these changing needs. CPGs can facilitate better and more systematic care for older people. But they can also present a challenge to patient-centred care and shared decision-making when clinical and/or socioeconomic heterogeneity or personal priorities are not reflected in recommendations or in their application. Indeed, evidence is often lacking to enable this variability to be reflected in guidance. Evidence is more likely to be lacking about some sections of the population. Many older adults are at the intersection of many factors associated with exclusion from traditional clinical evidence sources with higher incidence of multimorbidity and disability compounded by poorer healthcare access and ultimately worse outcomes. We describe these challenges and illustrate how they can adversely affect CPG scope, the evidence available and its summation, the content of CPG recommendations and their patient-centred implementation. In all of this, we take older adults as our focus, but much of what we say will be applicable to other marginalised groups. Then, using the established process of formulating a CPG as a framework, we consider how these challenges can be mitigated, with particular attention to applicability and implementation. We consider why CPG recommendations on the same clinical areas may be inconsistent and describe approaches to ensuring that CPGs remain up to date. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the evolution, applications, and prospective developments of a very popular multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method called Measurement of Alternatives and Ranking according to COmpromise Solution Method (MARCOS). Employing an extensive bibliometric analysis, the study examines 115 pertinent papers sourced from the Scopus database spanning over the years from 2020 to 2024. This study also provides an evaluation of the methodological significance and outlines potential future directions of MARCOS method. The outcomes indicate "Sustainable supplier selection in healthcare industries using a new MCDM method: Measurement of alternatives and ranking according to COmpromise solution (MARCOS)" by Stević et al. (2020) as the most cited paper. Journals such as "Sustainability (Switzerland)", "Mathematics" and "Expert Systems with Applications" stand out among the most cited journals. "University of East Sarajevo" is an institution distinguished for its prolific research in this field. "Stević Ž." Has been identified as the most cited and published author. The most frequently used keywords are "MARCOS", "MARCOS method", and "MCDM". CRiteria Importance Through Intercriteria. Correlation (CRITIC) method is a weighting model often integrated with MARCOS method. The results of the study provide researchers and practitioners in the field of MCDM with an important insight into the current state of the MARCOS methodology, highlighted studies and potential future developments. It also provides a comprehensive overview of the importance of this method in the multi-criteria decision-making literature, shedding light on future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inverse Data Envelopment Analysis (IDEA) has gained significant attention among researchers as an analytical tool for assessing efficiency. Estimating input values while ensuring cost efficiency through changes in output quantities is complex and sensitive. In contrast to conventional data envelopment analysis methods, IDEA enables the quantification of input/output variations resulting from output/input reductions or expansions while preserving the measurement efficiency level. This paper aims to introduce a novel approach for estimating input values by incrementally increasing the value of each output of decision-making units (DMUs) during the evaluation process, thereby maintaining or improving cost efficiency. By utilizing IDEA and manipulating the output values of the DMU under evaluation, the input values are estimated while ensuring constant or enhanced cost efficiency. A simple numerical example and a case study from a Turkish automotive company are presented to validate the proposed method. The obtained results demonstrate significant improvements and hold promising prospects, indicating the potential applicability of this approach to other similar problems and research areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, governance passes through the realm of government and faces many problems and has no choice but to get rid of them. Governance must be able to establish partnership and cooperation between all the forces influencing the management of society, namely governments, the private sector and grassroots organizations. The purpose of this study is to rank the model of good governance in rural areas with emphasis on the villages of the two central district of Poldakhtar county and Mosian district of Dehloran county, including 8 components (main) and 43 subcomponents (sub). Research method, descriptive and data collection tools in addition to library studies, preparing a questionnaire of experts, and for more detailed analysis of this information, multi-criteria decision-making techniques of hierarchical analysis FAHP and ARAS technique have been ranked. The statistical population of this research is 20 rural experts (sheriff, governor, village governor, council, etc.) of Poldakhtar and Ilam counties. Findings show that the highest weight obtained from the components belonged to the component of responsibility, accountability and participation and the lowest weight obtained belonged to the components of transparency and central justice, respectively. Findings show that the highest weight obtained from the components belonged to the component of responsibility, accountability and participation and the lowest weight obtained belonged to the components of transparency and central justice, respectively. Also, the ranking of governance in the villages of Mosian district with the degree of usefulness (Ki) (0.5119) was better than the villages of the central part with the degree of usefulness (Ki) (0.4591). Out of 7 villages that have good governance status, 6 villages are in Mosian district and 1 village is in the central district. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Requirements of the international standard ISO 45001:2018 were analysed to identify the need for monitoring, measuring and analysing the functioning of the occupational health and safety management system. This analysis has made it clear that the effectiveness of the development and implementation of the occupational health and safety management system depends on the assessment methodology. The study focused on existing studies and publications on the assessment of processes, including those related to occupational safety, assessment methods or qualitative methods, and statistical methods used for assessment. As a result, the topic has been proven relevant, and the goal of the article was determined: to study the possibility of using qualimetric methods for evaluating the labour safety management system. A survey was conducted among workers at a machine-building enterprise to evaluate the occupational health and safety management system. Verbal scales were proposed to process the study results as they allow quantitative ratings to be obtained on the coded scale of the desirability function. The study result is a technique for obtaining a quantitative assessment of the occupational health and safety management system. This technique is universal and can be applied to any enterprise. It can also be used to make managerial decisions regarding the improvement of the occupational health and safety management system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of learning graphics is fundamental to students' instruction; it is applied to interpreting data, understanding information, and making decisions based on graphical representations. This instruction began in the early years and continued through post-graduate instruction. The use of graphics as a process of communication between people is crucial for aiding the decision-making process in various phenomena. Much research has been conducted to analyze the challenges of learning graphic interpretation and understanding, exploring the types of graphics, variable behavior, and students' misconceptions. The learning science and engineering using the electronic spreadsheet cycle (LSEESC) methodology has demonstrated a positive impact on students' learning and skill development. This impact includes numerical manipulation, understanding mathematical models, and the process of generating and interpreting graphics correctly. Present research is an empirical examination of implementing the LSEESC methodology in three different learning scenarios (virtual, hybrid, and face-to-face). Preliminary results demonstrate a positive learning process in graphics generation, understanding, and interpretation among first-year engineering students taking physics courses. To analyze this impact, quantitative methods such as Normalized Conceptual Gain (NCG), Concentration Factor (CF), and Rasch's index were applied, all results present positive values for all the statistical analyses. We concluded that the effectiveness of the LSEESC methodology is independent of the learning scenario, demonstrating its applicability to the learning process of graphics generation, understanding, and interpretation for engineering students. Additionally, the methodology complements the development of other skills such as numerical manipulation and the understanding of mathematical models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diseases diagnosed in adulthood may have antecedents throughout (including prenatal) life. Gaining a better understanding of how exposures at different stages in the lifecourse influence health outcomes is key to elucidating the potential benefits of disease prevention strategies. Mendelian randomisation (MR) is increasingly used to estimate causal effects of exposures across the lifecourse on later life outcomes. This systematic literature review explores MR methods used to perform lifecourse investigations and reviews previous work that has utilised MR to elucidate the effects of factors acting at different stages of the lifecourse. We conducted searches in PubMed, Embase, Medline and MedRXiv databases. Thirteen methodological studies were identified. Four studies focused on the impact of time-varying exposures in the interpretation of "standard" MR techniques, five presented methods for repeat measures of the same exposure, and four described methodological approaches to handling multigenerational exposures. A further 127 studies presented the results of an applied research question. Over half of these estimated effects in a single generation and were largely confined to the exploration of questions regarding body composition. The remaining mostly estimated maternal effects. There is a growing body of research focused on the development and application of MR methods to address lifecourse research questions. The underlying assumptions require careful consideration and the interpretation of results rely on select conditions. Whilst we do not advocate for a particular strategy, we encourage practitioners to make informed decisions on how to approach a research question in this field with a solid understanding of the limitations present and how these may be affected by the research question, modelling approach, instrument selection, and data availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1832 Harriet Martineau began writing a series of fictional tales intended to illustrate the principles of political economy. By 1834 monthly sales numbers for the series were prolific and Martineau was gaining an international reputation. The Illustrations of Political Economy has long been read as advancing a simplistic popular Ricardianism that spoke powerfully to its immediate audience but became obsolete within just a few decades. This article complicates these assumptions by showing how the tales take a Malthusian stance on questions regarding the proper scope and method of economic science and hence anticipate the inductivist and historicist critiques of Ricardian economics that Malthus inspired. The process by which she conducted research for the tales and the process by which her characters learn economic lessons resemble the inductive process that the Cambridge inductivists and later the English historical economists posited as an alternative to the abstract and deductive method they associated with Ricardo. These tales also reveal how cultural, religious, and historical forces influence economic life and economic decision-making, suggesting that, as the inductive and historical economists often argued, understanding these forces was essential to arriving at a true understanding of political economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: When deciding whether to implement an intervention, decision-makers typically have questions on feasibility and acceptability and on factors affecting implementation. Descriptions of programme implementation and of policies and systems are rich sources of information for these questions. However, this information is often not based on empirical data collected using explicit methods. To use the information in unconventional source materials in syntheses or other decision support products, we need methods of assessing their strengths and limitations. This paper describes the development and content of the Assessing unConventional Evidence (ACE) tool, a new tool to assess the strengths and limitations of these sources. Methods: We developed the ACE tool in four stages: first, we examined existing tools to identify potentially relevant assessment criteria. Second, we drew on these criteria and team discussions to create a first draft of the tool. Third, we obtained feedback on the draft from potential users and methodologists, and through piloting the tool in evidence syntheses. Finally, we used this feedback to iteratively refine the assessment criteria and to improve our guidance for undertaking the assessment. Results: The tool is made up of 11 criteria including the purpose and context of the source; the completeness of the information presented; and the extent to which evidence is provided to support the findings made. Users are asked to indicate whether each of the criteria have been addressed. On the basis of their judgements for each criterion, users then make an overall assessment of the limitations of the source, ranging from no or very minor concerns to serious concerns. These assessments can then facilitate appropriate use of the evidence in decision support products. Conclusions: Through focussing on unconventional source materials, the ACE tool fills an important gap in the range of tools for assessing the strengths and limitations of policy-relevant evidence and supporting evidence-informed decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why you should read this article: • To gain insight into how ecomaps can be used effectively in research interviews • To appreciate the dynamic nature of ecomaps • To understand how using ecomaps in research interviews is congruent with the philosophical foundations of hermeneutic phenomenology Background: Ecomaps are tools used in nursing practice to assess families' social support systems. Ecomaps have been used effectively in qualitative research but little attention has been given to their use as a tool in the methodological approach of hermeneutic phenomenology. Aim: To demonstrate that the use of ecomaps is congruent with the Heideggerian philosophical foundations of hermeneutic phenomenology. Discussion: This article reflects on a study in which the researchers used ecomaps to explore how parents of children with cancer are supported with decision-making about their children's care. Exploration of the Heideggerian concepts of 'being in the world', 'being with' and 'temporality' prompted reflections about how constructing ecomaps furthers understanding of participants' unique contexts. Using an ecomap in an in-depth interview enabled interviewees to return to their experiences of being supported with decision-making; it also further developed the researcher's understanding of how each participant's experience was situated in their evolving relationships with others. Conclusion: Constructing ecomaps in hermeneutic phenomenology is in tune with Heideggerian philosophical concepts. Ecomaps can open a door to participants' experiences, deepen the researcher's understanding and find further meaning in those experiences. Implications for practice: Ecomaps are a useful way of shining a light on participants' experiences in hermeneutic phenomenological research. The article provides practical tips to optimise their use in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the article is to carry out a review of the subject of composite indicators, especially that related to the methodological process associated with their construction, detailing and discussing the various steps linked to said process, using the construction of the Competitive Potential Index Departmental (IPCD) as a reference, an indicator that measures the competitive potential of the Departments (administrative regions) in Uruguay, in order to show a specific case and the options that were taken in its construction, without going into the detailed explanation of said indicator. The main reflection that should be highlighted is the need for transparency in the construction of the index. That is, the strength of the composite index and its usefulness in the future will depend directly on the quality of the information and the justification provided for each of the decisions made by the researcher (or research team) in charge of building the index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the performance of UAV’s autonomous maneuvering decision-making, this paper proposes a decision-making method based on situational continuity. The algorithm in this paper designs a situation evaluation function with strong guidance, then trains the Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) under the framework of Deep Q Network (DQN) for air combat maneuvering decision-making. Considering the continuity between adjacent situations, the method takes multiple consecutive situations as one input of the neural network. To reflect the difference between adjacent situations, the method takes the difference of situation evaluation value as the reward of reinforcement learning. In different scenarios, the algorithm proposed in this paper is compared with the algorithm based on the Fully Neural Network (FNN) and the algorithm based on statistical principles respectively. The results show that, compared with the FNN algorithm, the algorithm proposed in this paper is more accurate and forwardlooking. Compared with the algorithm based on the statistical principles, the decision-making of the algorithm proposed in this paper is more efficient and its real-time performance is better. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study introduces an approach for Multiple Attribute Decision-Making (MADM) that deals with the complexity of Single-Valued Neutrosophic Uncertain Linguistic Variables (SVNULVs). This method is engineered to grasp the interconnectedness of multiple inputs and to meet the diverse requirements for semantic transformations. Due to the shortcomings of existing operational rules in terms of closeness and flexibility, this paper proposes a novel set of operational rules and a ranking process for SVNULVs, integrating the concept of a Linguistic Scale Function (LSF). We propose an innovative operator along with its weighted counterpart to amalgamate SVNULVs, thereby characterizing the dynamics among various inputs through these new operations. Concurrently, we scrutinize and discuss the unique cases and favorable properties of these proposed operators. Building upon this new operator, the paper also unveils a fresh MADM methodology leveraging SVNULVs. To validate the effectiveness of this proposed methodology, an illustrative example is employed, demonstrating the precision of the method and its advantages over existing MADM techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reflects on the first 20 years of the journal Decision Analysis. It discusses the themes that have been explored in the field and how they have evolved over time. The early years of the journal focused on documenting applications of decision analysis and unifying the literature in the field. Foundational methodology papers, behavioral decision theory, security-related considerations, and group decisions have also been prominent topics. The article also highlights the increasing attention given to social media and environmental sustainability in decision analysis. [Extracted from the article]

This study aimed to perform a comprehensive review of modeling approaches and methodological and policy challenges in the economic evaluation (EE) of precision medicine (PM) across clinical stages. First, a systematic review was performed to assess the approaches of EEs in the past 10 years. Next, a targeted review of methodological articles was conducted for methodological and policy challenges in performing EEs of PM. All findings were synthesized into a structured framework that focused on patient population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome, Time, Equity and ethics, Adaptability and Modeling aspects, named the "PICOTEAM" framework. Finally, a stakeholder consultation was conducted to understand the major determinants of decision making in PM investment. In 39 methodological articles, we identified major challenges to the EE of PM. These challenges include that PM applications involve complex and evolving clinical decision space, that clinical evidence is sparse because of small subgroups and complex pathways in PM settings, a one-time PM application may have lifetime or intergenerational impacts but long-term evidence is often unavailable, and that equity and ethics concerns are exceptional. In 275 EEs of PM, current approaches did not sufficiently capture the value of PM compared with targeted therapies, nor did they differentiate Early EEs from Conventional EEs. Finally, policy makers perceived the budget impact, cost savings, and cost-effectiveness of PM as the most important determinants in decision making. There is an urgent need to modify existing guidelines or develop a new reference case that fits into the new healthcare paradigm of PM to guide decision making in research and development and market access. • Generic reference cases for economic evaluation of "cure-based" health technologies may not fit into the new healthcare paradigm of precision medicine (PM). • Current economic evaluation approaches were challenged by the complex, evolving decision space of PM, lack of clinical evidence because of small patient clusters and multiple pathways, difficulty to extract evidence on lifetime to intergenerational PM effects, insufficient analysis of decision uncertainty, and ethics and equity issues. • There is a crucial need to modify current guidelines or develop a new reference case specifically for PM evaluations, which should be determined on a case-by-case basis across jurisdictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Participatory Research (PR), which places participants at the foreground, is an evolving field spanning several disciplines. This article critiques conceptual tensions surrounding the notion of participation itself and how PR tenets can be engaged with children (under 18). We propose an innovative heuristic framework to be used flexibly by the adult facilitator to aid decision-making when seeking balance between intervention and giving young participants room for expression. It serves as an aide memoire to facilitate cognisance of issues of control and directiveness that could potentially diminish children's voices, containing more explicit emphasis on the necessary movement between modes of adult facilitator involvement than existing PR models. Our proposed modes, 'organic and unbridled', 'organic yet enabling', 'enabled and shaping', are fleshed out and illustrated with reference to our own PR projects. We relate these modes to easily-called-to-mind notions, inspired by the metaphor of the choreography of dance: 'stepping-in'; 'stepping-out'; 'stepping-on-toes'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides an in-depth exploration of Big-Oh and small-oh notations, shedding light on their practical implications in the analysis of algorithm complexity. Big-Oh notation offers a valuable tool for estimating an upper bound on the growth rate of an algorithm's running time, whereas small-oh notation delineates a lower limit on this growth rate. The piece delves into a comprehensive examination of various complexity classes that emerge through the application of Big-Oh notation, underscoring the significance of small-oh notation as it complements and enriches complexity analysis. In the realm of programming and computer science, the employment of these notations holds paramount importance. They empower developers and researchers to make informed decisions regarding algorithm selection and optimization. It is crucial to recognize that while complexity analysis is a vital facet of effective programming, ongoing research endeavors may yield more refined methodologies and approaches within this domain. By understanding and harnessing the power of Big-Oh and small-oh notations, professionals can effectively evaluate algorithm efficiency and scalability. This knowledge equips them with the ability to design and implement algorithms that meet specific performance criteria, which is pivotal in the ever-evolving landscape of technology and computation. As pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the field of algorithm design is being continued, these notations remain invaluable tools for navigating the complex terrain of algorithmic analysis and optimization. By embracing Big-Oh and small-oh notations, professionals can finely assess algorithmic efficiency, ensuring they meet performance criteria in the evolving technological landscape. These notations remain indispensable for algorithmic analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of the importance of the Circular Economy to achieve greater sustainability in companies, it is necessary to evaluate and compare strategies at process level. In addition, as most of the initiatives for its implementation are out of reach of small and medium enterprises, there is an interest in designing a methodological proposal to evaluate the implementation of the Circular Economy in SMEs. The PymeCircular methodology is a useful tool to determine the viability of various circular strategies at the operational level through a multi-criteria decision making model (MCDM). The determination of criteria and indicators from a sustainability point of view made it possible to quantify the elements that influence the evaluation of strategies, helping owners to visualize the feasibility of alternatives that will support decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]