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Advisory Group (advisory + group)
Selected AbstractsPatient and clinician collaboration in the design of a national randomized breast cancer trialHEALTH EXPECTATIONS, Issue 1 2004Jo Marsden MD FRCS (Gen Surgery) Abstract Objective, To show breast cancer patient involvement in the design of a national randomized trial of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in symptomatic patients will increase accrual. Setting and participants, Three stakeholder groups [(1) researchers from the Lynda Jackson Macmillan Centre, (2) the Consumers' Advisory Group for Clinical Trials (CAG-CT), (3) clinicians responsible for a pilot randomized HRT study in breast cancer patients] developed this collaborative study. Methods, (1) Nine focus group discussions were conducted to identify issues relevant to breast cancer patients about HRT and a national trial: six involved women from breast cancer support groups nationwide and three patients who had previously participated in the pilot randomized HRT study. (2) Recommendations from the focus groups (analysed by Grounded Theory) were debated by the research stakeholders and focus group representatives at a 1-day meeting and consensus reached (using a voting system) on mutual priorities for incorporation into the design of a national HRT trial. (3) Representatives from the CAG-CT and focus groups participated in subsequent national HRT steering committee meetings to ensure that these priorities were accounted for and the resulting trial design summary was circulated to the CAG-CT and all focus group representatives for comment. Results, Focus groups demonstrated that the complexity of factors relating to trial participation was not just restricted to the research topic in question. Patient,clinician interaction provided a platform for negotiating potential conflicts over trial design and outcomes. Patient feedback suggested that mutually agreed priorities were accounted for in the trial design. Interpretation, Clinical research planning should involve all research stakeholders at the outset. Quantifying the impact of patient involvement in terms of trial accrual may be too simple given the complexity of their motivations for participating in trials. [source] Evidence-based clinical policy: case report of a reproducible process to encourage understanding and evaluation of evidenceINTERNAL MEDICINE JOURNAL, Issue 7 2006G. Rikard-Bell Abstract We report within a case study a reproducible process to facilitate the explicit incorporation of evidence by a multidisciplinary group into clinical policy development. To support the decision-making of a multidisciplinary Intersectoral Advisory Group (IAG) convened by the Royal Australasian College of Physicians Health Policy Unit, a systematic review of randomized controlled trials about environmental tobacco smoke and smoking cessation interventions in paediatric settings was first undertaken. As reported in detail here, IAG members were then formally engaged in a transparent and replicable process to understand and interpret the synthesized evidence and to proffer their independent reactions regarding policy, practice and research. Our intention was to ensure that all IAG members were democratically engaged and made aware of the available evidence. As clinical policy must engage stakeholder representatives from diverse backgrounds, a process to equalize understanding of the evidence and ,democratize' judgment about its implications is needed. Future research must then examine the benefits of such explicit steps when guidelines, in turn, are implemented. We hypothesize that changes to future practice will be more likely if processes undertaken to develop guidelines are transparent to clinicians and other target groups. [source] Husbandry and breeding of the Striped possum Dactylopsila trivirgata at London ZSLINTERNATIONAL ZOO YEARBOOK, Issue 1 2005A. McKENNA Detailed information on either wild or captive Striped possums Dactylopsila trivirgata (Gray, 1858) is sparse. In 1996 a number of specimens became available to the European Monotreme and Marsupial Taxon Advisory Group (TAG), which recommended that the animals should be distributed to three zoos (London ZSL, Poznan Zoo and Berlin Zoologischer Garten) so that a management and breeding protocol could be developed in case this fairly common species becomes threatened in the future. London ZSL acquired 3.3 Striped possums to establish a founder captive population and two joeys were born, one in April 1999 and the other in March 2000. This article charts the husbandry protocols, breeding behaviour and infant development for Striped possums in captivity. [source] ISBT 128 implementation plan for cellular therapy productsJOURNAL OF CLINICAL APHERESIS, Issue 5 2007Paul Ashford Abstract The publication of new standards for terminology and labeling marks an important step in ensuring consistency and traceability of cellular therapies at the global level. However, it is only with the widespread implementation of the standard that the benefits can be truly realized. This paper provides guidance on the practical aspects of adopting these new standards for organizations with differing current levels of computerization. It discusses project management, equipment, licensing, and validation topics. J. Clin. Apheresis, 2007. © 2007 Internal Cellular Therapy Coding and Labeling Advisory Group. [source] The Who Global Advisory Group on Nursing and MidwiferyJOURNAL OF NURSING SCHOLARSHIP, Issue 2 2002Joyce E. Thompson [source] Citizenship Education in England: The Crick Report and BeyondJOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION, Issue 4 2000Terence H. Mclaughlin Citizenship education is being formally introduced into schools in England as a matter of national policy for the first time. This article offers a critical evaluation of the report of the Advisory Group on Education for Citizenship and the Teaching of Democracy in Schools which was chaired by Professor Bernard Crick, and which has been influential in shaping current educational policy in relation to these matters. An assessment is also offered of the challenges and prospects which confront citizenship education in England in the light of these developments. [source] Advancing Accountability: Moving Toward Victim RestorationJUVENILE AND FAMILY COURT JOURNAL, Issue 4 2006VALERIE BENDER ABSTRACT One of the goals of Pennsylvania's juvenile justice system is the "imposition of accountability" for offenses committed. This White Paper, originally published in 2006, takes the position that true accountability requires juvenile offenders to repair the harm caused by their offending behavior and to understand and acknowledge the wrongfulness of their actions, their responsibility for causing harm, and the impact of the crime on the crime victim and community. It identifies system responsibilities, restorative practices, and outcomes relative to accountability. This White Paper was the result of debate among focus group participants under the auspices of the State Advisory Group. [source] Applying Human Systems Integration to the Rapid Acquisition ProcessNAVAL ENGINEERS JOURNAL, Issue 1 2007DEMETRIUS D. MACK The rapidly changing complexity of the Global War on Terrorism has changed the approach to equipping forward-deployed military forces. Combatant Commanders conducting operations now require timely materiel solutions to enhance mission capabilities and reduce the risk for individual soldiers. To address this challenge, the US Army established the Rapid Equipping Force to assess emerging requirements, to propose solutions to those requirements, and to implement those solutions in an expedient time frame. Unfortunately, the REF lacks a consistent analytical methodology for assessing alternative materiel solutions. To address the need for a human systems integration (HSI) analysis method, the authors developed an Assessment-Based Rapid Acquisition HSI Analysis Method (ABRAHAM) capable of generating tailored surveys and evaluating these surveys for unacceptable risks to soldiers. To validate ABRAHAM's concept and content, ABRAHAM was showcased in three Department of Defense settings: the Human Factors Engineering Technical Advisory Group, the REF, and the US Marine Corps' Operational Test and Evaluation Activity. The ABRAHAM appears to fill a gap in the current library of HSI tools. Based on the feedback provided during the product showcases, there is sufficient interest and technological maturity to further develop ABRAHAM to serve both the traditional and rapid acquisition processes. [source] Death for a Terrorist: Media Coverage of the McVeigh Execution as a Case Study in Interorganizational Partnering between the Public and Private SectorsPUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REVIEW, Issue 5 2003Linda Wines Smith In June 2001, the Federal Bureau of Prisons helped to carry out the execution of Timothy McVeigh for his role in the infamous 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The intense national and international media attention that the execution received was virtually unprecedented in the bureau's history, and it put the bureau in the difficult position of having to carry out two potentially conflicting responsibilities: facilitating coverage of the execution by hundreds of reporters, producers, and technicians, while maintaining the safety and security of the maximum security penitentiary in which the execution was held. Historically, the Bureau of Prisons has preferred to maintain a low media profile and had no experience managing a large-scale media event. This article examines how the bureau met this challenge by forming a partnership with the news media through the creation of a Media Advisory Group. It analyzes the goals, functions, and achievements of the Media Advisory Group by employing the Dawes model of interorganizational relationships. [source] Better Government with Older Citizens: A Test of DemocracyTHE POLITICAL QUARTERLY, Issue 1 2010BRIAN GROOMBRIDGE Better Government for Older People: this ambitious project to involve older citizens in the improvement of policies affecting them, celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2008. Then the Government decided to close it down, setting up an Advisory Forum as an alternative. BGOP's considerable achievements were widely recognised (and acknowledged in the DWP review by John Elbourne) but there were real shortcomings. BGOP's previous history is summarised, with special reference to its work with the Older People's Advisory Group. Some activists and observers believe BGOP's weaknesses could and should have been remedied, but the Government decided to start again. There are strongly opposed interpretations of why this happened. Former BGOP staff and OPAG members have since set up ChangeAGEnts, a Co-operative charity, to continue their work. The specific issue is intrinsically and demographically important, but it also throws light on consultation in many other policy areas. [source] REPORT: National Industry Advisory Group for Veterinary NursingAUSTRALIAN VETERINARY JOURNAL, Issue 4 2003Article first published online: 10 MAR 200 No abstract is available for this article. [source] Obstacles to Bottom-Up Implementation of Marine Ecosystem ManagementCONSERVATION BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2008KIRSTEN E. EVANS manejo de ecosistemas; manejo marino basado en ecosistemas; participación de partes interesadas; planificación de la conservación Abstract:,Ecosystem management (EM) offers a means to address multiple threats to marine resources. Despite recognition of the importance of stakeholder involvement, most efforts to implement EM in marine systems are the product of top-down regulatory control. We describe a rare, stakeholder-driven attempt to implement EM from the bottom up in San Juan County, Washington (U.S.A.). A citizens advisory group led a 2-year, highly participatory effort to develop an ecosystem-based management plan, guided by a preexisting conservation-planning framework. A key innovation was to incorporate social dimensions by designating both sociocultural and biodiversity targets in the planning process. Multiple obstacles hindered implementation of EM in this setting. Despite using a surrogate scheme, the information-related transaction costs of planning were substantial: information deficits prevented assessment of some biodiversity targets and insufficient resources combined with information deficits prevented scientific assessment of the sociocultural targets. Substantial uncertainty, practical constraints to stakeholder involvement, and the existence of multiple, potentially conflicting, objectives increased negotiation-related costs. Although information deficits and uncertainty, coupled with underinvestment in the transaction costs of planning, could reduce the long-term effectiveness of the plan itself, the social capital and momentum developed through the planning process could yield unforeseeable future gains in protection of marine resources. The obstacles we identified here will require early and sustained attention in efforts to implement ecosystem management in other grassroots settings. Resumen:,El manejo de ecosistemas es un medio para abordar múltiples amenazas a los recursos marinos. No obstante el reconocimiento de la importancia de la participación de las partes interesadas, la mayoría de los esfuerzos para implementar el manejo de ecosistemas en sistemas marinos son producto del control normativo de arriba hacia abajo. Describimos un intento raro, conducido por las partes interesadas, por implementar el manejo del ecosistema de abajo hacia arriba en el Condado San Juan, Washington (E.U.A.). Un grupo consultivo de ciudadanos dirigió un esfuerzo altamente participativo para desarrollar un plan de manejo basado en el ecosistema, guiados por un marco de planificación de la conservación preexistente. Una innovación clave fue la incorporación de dimensiones sociales al incluir objetivos tanto socioculturales como de biodiversidad en el proceso de planificación. Múltiples obstáculos dificultaron la implementación del manejo del ecosistema en este escenario. No obstante que se utilizó un plan sustituto, los costos de transacción de la planificación relacionados con la información fueron mayores de lo que el grupo pudo superar: los déficits de información impidieron la evaluación de algunos objetivos de biodiversidad y la insuficiencia de recursos combinada con los déficits de información impidieron la evaluación científica de los objetivos socioculturales. Los costos relacionados con la negociación incrementaron por la incertidumbre, por limitaciones prácticas en la participación de partes interesadas y la existencia de objetivos múltiples, potencialmente conflictivos. Aunque los déficits de información y la incertidumbre, aunados con la baja inversión en los costos de transacción de la planificación, pudieran reducir la efectividad a largo plazo del plan mismo, el capital social y el ímpetu desarrollados durante el proceso de planificación podrían producir ganancias futuras imprevisibles para la protección de recursos marinos. Los obstáculos que identificamos aquí requerirán de atención temprana y sostenida en los esfuerzos para implementar el manejo de ecosistemas en otros escenarios de base popular. [source] Individual-based Computational Modeling of Smallpox Epidemic Control StrategiesACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 11 2006Donald S. Burke MD In response to concerns about possible bioterrorism, the authors developed an individual-based (or "agent-based") computational model of smallpox epidemic transmission and control. The model explicitly represents an "artificial society" of individual human beings, each implemented as a distinct object, or data structure in a computer program. These agents interact locally with one another in code-represented social units such as homes, workplaces, schools, and hospitals. Over many iterations, these microinteractions generate large-scale macroscopic phenomena of fundamental interest such as the course of an epidemic in space and time. Model variables (incubation periods, clinical disease expression, contagiousness, and physical mobility) were assigned following realistic values agreed on by an advisory group of experts on smallpox. Eight response scenarios were evaluated at two epidemic scales, one being an introduction of ten smallpox cases into a 6,000-person town and the other an introduction of 500 smallpox cases into a 50,000-person town. The modeling exercise showed that contact tracing and vaccination of household, workplace, and school contacts, along with prompt reactive vaccination of hospital workers and isolation of diagnosed cases, could contain smallpox at both epidemic scales examined. [source] The UCLan community engagement and service user support (Comensus) project: valuing authenticity, making space for emergenceHEALTH EXPECTATIONS, Issue 4 2007Soo Downe BA (Hons) RM MSc PhD Abstract Objective, To develop and evaluate service user, carer and community involvement in health and social care education. Background, Despite the high policy profile of involvement issues, there appear to be no published accounts of schemes that have used a systematic whole-faculty approach to community engagement in health and social care higher education. Focus of this paper, The set up and early development of a faculty-wide community engagement project. Setting and participants, Staff from the faculty of health in one University, local service users and carers and community group project workers and local National Health Service (NHS) and public sector staff. Design, Participatory action research including document review, field notes, questionnaires and interviews. Analysis, Thematic analysis. The emerging themes were tested by seeking disconfirming data, and through verification with stake-holders. Results, Prior to the study, there were examples of community engagement in the participating faculty, but they occurred in specific departments, and scored low on the ,ladder of involvement'. Some previous attempts at engagement were perceived to have failed, resulting in resistance from staff and the community. Despite this, an advisory group was successfully formed, and project framing and development evolved with all stake-holders over the subsequent year. The four themes identified in this phase were: building accessibility; being ,proper' service users/carers;moving from suspicion to trust: mutually respectful partnerships as a basis for sustainable change; and responses to challenge and emergence. Conclusions, Successful and sustainable engagement requires authenticity. Many problems and solutions arising from authentic engagement are emergent, and potentially challenging to organizations. [source] Assessment of the benefits of user involvement in health research from the Warwick Diabetes Care Research User Group: a qualitative case studyHEALTH EXPECTATIONS, Issue 3 2007Antje Lindenmeyer PhD Abstract Objective, To assess the benefits of involving health-care users in diabetes research. Design and participants, For this qualitative case study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with researchers who had worked extensively with the group. During regular meetings of the Research User Group, members discussed their views of the group's effectiveness as part of the meeting's agenda. Interviews and discussions were transcribed, coded using N-Vivo software and analysed using constant comparative methods. Results, Involvement of users in research was generally seen as contributing to effective and meaningful research. However, the group should not be considered to be representative of the patient population or participants of future trials. An important contributor to the group's success was its longstanding nature, enabling users to gain more insight into research and form constructive working relationships with researchers. The user-led nature of the group asserted itself, especially, in the language used during group meetings. A partial shift of power from researchers to users was generally acknowledged. Users' main contribution was their practical expertise in living with diabetes, but their involvement also helped researchers to remain connected to the ,real world' in which research would be applied. While the group's work fulfilled established principles of consumer involvement in research, important contributions relying on personal interaction between users and researchers were hard to evaluate by process measures alone. Conclusions, We demonstrated the feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of this longstanding, experienced, lay-led research advisory group. Its impact on research stems from the continuing interaction between researchers and users, and the general ethos of learning from each other in an on-going process. Both process measures and qualitative interviews with stakeholders are needed to evaluate the contributions of service users to health research. [source] Psoriasis: consensus on topical therapiesJOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY & VENEREOLOGY, Issue 7 2008PCM Van De Kerkhof Abstract Objective, A consensus conference was convened to evaluate the topical treatment of psoriasis. Participants, Members of the International Psoriasis Council (IPC) with broad clinical experience in the treatment of psoriasis and a specialist in meta- and pharmacoeconomic analyses were invited to participate on the consensus panel. Those accepting the invitation convened in Saariselkä, Finland. Evidence, An advisory group on topical treatments was nominated by the organizing panel members. All participants reported at the consensus conference on evidence based data with respect to disease severity assessment, the available data on efficacy and safety and on a comparative efficacy/safety analysis. Consensus process, At the consensus conference, the presentations were discussed and conclusions, which were reached by the group, were recorded. Active participants of the group wrote assigned sections of this consensus document with a majority of participants agreed on the conclusions. [source] Financial Indicators for Critical Access HospitalsTHE JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 3 2006George H. Pink PhD ABSTRACT:,Context: There is a growing recognition of the need to measure and report hospital financial performance. However, there exists little comparative financial indicator data specifically for critical access hospitals (CAHs). CAHs differ from other hospitals on a number of dimensions that might affect appropriate indicators of performance, including differences in Medicare reimbursement, limits on bed size and average length of stay, and relaxed staffing rules. Purpose: To develop comparative financial indicators specifically designed for CAHs using Medicare cost report data. Methods: A technical advisory group of individuals with extensive experience in rural hospital finance and operations provided advice to a research team from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Twenty indicators deemed appropriate for assessment of CAH financial condition were chosen and formulas determined. Issues 1 and 2 of the CAH Financial Indicators Report were mailed to the chief executive officers of 853 CAHs in the summer of 2004 and 1,092 CAHs in the summer of 2005, respectively. Each report included indicator values specifically for their CAH, indicator medians for peer groups, and an evaluation form. Findings: Chief executive officers found the indicators to be useful and the underlying formulas to be appropriate. The multiple years of data provide snapshots of the industry as a whole, rather than trend data for a constant set of hospitals. Conclusions: The CAH Financial Indicators Report is a useful first step toward comparative financial indicators for CAHs. [source] Physical activity recommendations for older AustraliansAUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL ON AGEING, Issue 2 2010Jane Sims Aim:, The aim of this research was to produce evidence-based recommendations on physical activity designed to improve and maintain the health of older Australians. Methods:, The authors reviewed existing guidelines and consensus statements, systematic reviews, meta-analyses and research articles. Draft recommendations were circulated to stakeholder agencies and to an expert advisory group. Final recommendations were then forwarded to the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing for Ministerial approval. Results:, The physical activity recommendations for older Australians complement the current National Physical Activity Guidelines for adults and the American College of Sports Medicine and American Heart Association recommendations for older adults. The recommendations provide advice developed specifically for older Australians. Conclusion:, Although the recommendations may be manifested in different ways, according to specific populations or settings, they apply to older people across all levels of health and have application to community dwelling people and those in residential care accommodation. [source] A pilot survey of the impact of menstrual cycles on adolescent healthAUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 5 2009Cynthia M. FARQUHAR Background: The experience of menstruation and reproductive health by adolescent girls has been poorly studied in New Zealand. Aims: To develop and pilot a Web-based survey of 16-year-olds' experience of menstruation and reproductive health with the eventual objective of conducting a larger population-based survey. A secondary aim was to report on the experience of menstrual and reproductive health in a group of 16-year-old girls in an urban setting. Methods: A Web-based survey was developed and tested in 2006 with assistance of a multidisciplinary advisory group. The final version of the questionnaire had 146 questions in 11 sections and the topics were menstrual history, general health including use of medications, access to medical care or health information, sexual health, family history and personal information including smoking, height, weight, ethnicity, paid employment of parents, drug and alcohol use and exercise patterns. Results: Seventy-five 16-year-old students completed the survey. Twenty-five per cent considered that their periods were quite a bit or a lot of trouble and 10% avoided certain activities during their menstrual periods, nearly 50% of girls always experienced some pain with every period, and 30% had seen a health professional about their period pains. Thirty-three stated that menstruation was moderately to severely painful and that daily activity was affected. Fifty per cent of girls were sexually active and of these 80% described it as painful. Conclusions: The Web-based survey was a successful approach to collecting information and could be used in a larger study. [source] | ||||||||||||||||