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Hawthorne Effect (hawthorne + effect)
Selected AbstractsRandomized controlled trial of the effects of completing the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test questionnaire on self-reported hazardous drinkingADDICTION, Issue 2 2008Jim McCambridge ABSTRACT Aims The direct effects of screening on drinking behaviour have not previously been evaluated experimentally. We tested whether screening reduces self-reported hazardous drinking in comparison with a non-screened control group. Design Two-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT), with both groups blinded to the true nature of the study. Setting and participants A total of 421 university students aged 18,24 years, recruited in five London student unions. Interventions Both groups completed a brief pen-and-paper general health and socio-demographic questionnaire, which for the experimental group also included the 10-item Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) screening questionnaire. Measurements The primary outcome was the between-group difference in AUDIT score at 2,3-month follow-up. Eight secondary outcomes comprised other aspects of hazardous drinking, including dedicated measures of alcohol consumption, problems and dependence. Findings A statistically significant effect size of 0.23 (0.01,0.45) was detected on the designated primary outcome. The marginal nature of the statistical significance of this effect was apparent in additional analyses with covariates. Statistically significant differences were also obtained in three of eight secondary outcomes, and the observed effect sizes were not dissimilar to the known effects of brief interventions. Conclusions It is unclear to what extent these findings represent the effects of screening alone, a Hawthorne effect in which drinking behaviour has changed in response to monitoring, or whether they indicate reporting bias. These possibilities have important implications both for the dissemination of screening as an intervention in its own right and for behavioural intervention trials methodology. [source] Challenging behaviours in nursing home residents with dementia: a randomized controlled trial of multidisciplinary interventionsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 1 2002Janet Opie Abstract Objectives To test the premise that individually tailored psychosocial, nursing and medical interventions to nursing home residents with dementia will reduce the frequency and severity of behavioural symptoms. Methods A four-member team comprising a psychiatrist, psychologist and nurses conducted detailed assessments of 99 nursing home residents with advanced dementia who were rated by staff as having frequent, severe behavioural disturbances. Residents were then randomly assigned to an ,early' or ,late' intervention group and observed for four weeks. Interventions encompassed psychosocial strategies, nursing approaches, psychotropic medications and management of pain. Outcome measures included the frequency and severity of disruptive behaviours and assessments of change by senior nursing home staff. Results While improvements in behaviour were noted in both groups from the outset of observations, pointing to a powerful Hawthorne effect, consultancies were associated with a modest but statistically significant decrease in challenging behaviours. Staff assessments of the interventions were highly favourable. Conclusions The consultancies were effective and well received by staff. The change-inducing nature of any new endeavour is an integral part of research in a long-term setting. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Testing the efficacy of plaque removal of a prototype brush head for a powered toothbrushJOURNAL OF CLINICAL PERIODONTOLOGY, Issue 8 2000G. I. McCracken Abstract Background/aims: The principal aim of the study was to compare the efficacy of a powered toothbrush (PTB) prototype (B) brush head in removing dental plaque to the relative efficacy of a marketed model (A). Method: A 12-week, 2-group, 2-treatment, double-blind trial of 2, two-brush heads (with the same power unit) recruited 62 volunteers (18,25 years) who were non-clinical university students. After a screening visit, 31 subjects were allocated to each of groups A and B at baseline with stratification according to gender and plaque index. After 48 h of plaque growth, subjects underwent a timed and supervised brushing episode with the allocated PTB (visit 1). Subjects then used the PTBs at home for 12 days before being recalled (visit 2) and asked again to abstain from all oral hygiene measures for 48 h. Supervised brushing was repeated (visit 3) before the subjects were dismissed for a further 10-week, unsupervised period of home use of the PTBs. The sequence of visits (2 and 3) was then repeated at visits 4 and 5. Results: The sole outcome variable was plaque which was scored at all visits using the modified Quigley & Hein Index (PI) at full mouth (FM), interproximal (IP) and smooth surfaces (S). At visits 1, 3 and 5, the PI was recorded both before and after supervised brushing. There were no significant differences in PI between the brushing groups at baseline, visit 1, visit 2 or visit 5 (2 sided t -test). At visit 3, the prototype achieved significantly lower PIs than the marketed PTB brush head for IP (and FM) surfaces, this difference was most apparent on posterior tooth surfaces. For within -group changes, PIs at visit 2 were significantly lower than those at baseline (paired t -test), an observation which may be attributable to the improved cleaning and ,novelty effect' of a PTB. The PIs at visit 5 were significantly higher than the baseline values (paired t test) and this may be accountable to an element of Hawthorne effect and/or, a fall off in compliance over the entire 12 weeks. Conclusion: We conclude that this in vivo model is appropriate for testing the efficacy of PTB prototypes but only over a 2-week period, as the inter-group differences were not maintained over the full 12 weeks of the trial. [source] Unexpected reduction in the incidence of birth trauma and birth asphyxia related to instrumental deliveries during the study period: was this the Hawthorne effect?BJOG : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 3 2003W.C. Leung Objective The study was originally designed to identify the risk factors that could predict those difficult instrumental deliveries resulting in birth trauma and birth asphyxia. Design A prospective study on all singleton deliveries in cephalic presentation with an attempt of instrumental delivery over a 12-month period (13 March 2000 to 12 March 2001). Setting A local teaching hospital. Sample Six hundred and seventy deliveries. Methods A codesheet was designed to record the demographic data, characteristics of first and second stages of labour and neonatal outcome. In particular, the doctor had to enter the pelvic examination findings before the attempt of instrumental delivery. Main outcome measures Birth trauma and birth asphyxia. Results There was a significant reduction in the incidence of birth trauma and birth asphyxia related to instrumental deliveries during the study period (0.6%) when compared with that (2.8%) in the pre-study period (1998 and 1999) (RR 0.27, 95% CI 0.11,0.70). There was more trial of instrumental deliveries in the operating theatre although this was not statistically significant (RR 1.19, 95% CI 0.88,1.60). The instrumental delivery rate decreased during the study period (RR 0.88, 95% CI 0.82,0.94). The caesarean section rate for no progress of labour, the incidence of direct second stage caesarean section and the incidence of failed instrumental delivery did not increase during the study period. Conclusions Apart from the merits of regular audit exercise and increasing experience of the staff, the Hawthorne effect might be the major contributing factor in the reduction of birth trauma and birth asphyxia related to instrumental deliveries during the study period. [source] | ||||||||||