Independent Research (independent + research)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Feasibility and challenges of independent research on drugs: the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) experience

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION, Issue 1 2010
Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) Research & Development Working Group
Eur J Clin Invest 2010; 40 (1): 69,86 Key points ,,National Health Service (NHS) is becoming increasingly aware of the need to support independent research to answer some important questions for patient care in areas of scant commercial interest. ,,This article reports the main features and strategies of the independent research programme on drugs launched by the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) in 2005. ,,In the three bids launched between 2005 and 2007, a total of 151 studies have been approved for funding for a total of about 78 million Euro. ,,In this article we describe the Italian legislative framework under which the programme was launched, the types of research funded and discuss how the supported studies could contribute, in an international framework, to the knowledge needed on drug efficacy, effectiveness and safety. [source]


3.2 Ensuring research productivity in the future faculty

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DENTAL EDUCATION, Issue 2002
Pål Brodin
The group concluded that the research productivity of a dental school depended to a large extent on the availability of resources, human and economic. Firstly it requires a group of individuals trained and educated to conduct independent research. Secondly, it requires that these individuals had time to spend on research activities. Thirdly, appropriate space and equipment in which to conduct the research were considered prerequisites. Fourthly, they require an ongoing and appropriate budget. Fifthly, it is essential to have an appropriate climate in the school that encourages and rewards research achievement. [source]


Twelve-month Sealant Retention in a School-based Program Using a Self-etching Primer/Adhesive

JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH DENTISTRY, Issue 4 2004
Daniel J. Venker DDS
ABSTRACT Objectives: Very little independent research has been done on the new self-etching primer/adhesives in dentistry. A recent clinical study compared two sealant application techniques involving self-etching primer adhesives and the traditional phosphoric acid etch. The purpose of this study was to compare these two techniques in an Iowa school-based sealant program. Methods: Twelvemonth sealant retention data on 208 students from the Des Moines, Iowa, school-based sealant program were analyzed retrospectively. Results: Sealant retention reported at the person level showed that 60 percent of the students who received sealants at the five schools had to be recalled at one year to have one or more surfaces reseated. A logistic regression model at the person level demonstrated that the phosphoric acid technique was six times as likely to have retention of all the sealed tooth surfaces as those sealed with Prompt-L-Pop®. Conclusions: In this study, many students had to be recalled to the chair 12 months after sealant application due to incomplete retention. Though sealants were retained in larger numbers with phosphoric acid, overall sealant retention at the tooth level was lower than previously published for clinical studies and school-based programs. Examining retention data at the person level, however, allows program administrators to plan resources more effectively and reevaluate sealant protocol to ensure as few children return for sealant reapplication. [source]


The Utility of Simulation in Medical Education: What Is the Evidence?

MOUNT SINAI JOURNAL OF MEDICINE: A JOURNAL OF PERSONALIZED AND TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE, Issue 4 2009
Yasuharu Okuda MD
Abstract Medical schools and residencies are currently facing a shift in their teaching paradigm. The increasing amount of medical information and research makes it difficult for medical education to stay current in its curriculum. As patients become increasingly concerned that students and residents are "practicing" on them, clinical medicine is becoming focused more on patient safety and quality than on bedside teaching and education. Educators have faced these challenges by restructuring curricula, developing small-group sessions, and increasing self-directed learning and independent research. Nevertheless, a disconnect still exists between the classroom and the clinical environment. Many students feel that they are inadequately trained in history taking, physical examination, diagnosis, and management. Medical simulation has been proposed as a technique to bridge this educational gap. This article reviews the evidence for the utility of simulation in medical education. We conducted a MEDLINE search of original articles and review articles related to simulation in education with key words such as simulation, mannequin simulator, partial task simulator, graduate medical education, undergraduate medical education, and continuing medical education. Articles, related to undergraduate medical education, graduate medical education, and continuing medical education were used in the review. One hundred thirteen articles were included in this review. Simulation-based training was demonstrated to lead to clinical improvement in 2 areas of simulation research. Residents trained on laparoscopic surgery simulators showed improvement in procedural performance in the operating room. The other study showed that residents trained on simulators were more likely to adhere to the advanced cardiac life support protocol than those who received standard training for cardiac arrest patients. In other areas of medical training, simulation has been demonstrated to lead to improvements in medical knowledge, comfort in procedures, and improvements in performance during retesting in simulated scenarios. Simulation has also been shown to be a reliable tool for assessing learners and for teaching topics such as teamwork and communication. Only a few studies have shown direct improvements in clinical outcomes from the use of simulation for training. Multiple studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of simulation in the teaching of basic science and clinical knowledge, procedural skills, teamwork, and communication as well as assessment at the undergraduate and graduate medical education levels. As simulation becomes increasingly prevalent in medical school and resident education, more studies are needed to see if simulation training improves patient outcomes. Mt Sinai J Med 76:330,343, 2009. © 2008 Mount Sinai School of Medicine [source]


Profile of the Australian dietetic workforce: 1991,2005

NUTRITION & DIETETICS, Issue 3 2006
Leanne BROWN
Abstract Objective:, The present study aims to review current available data that describe the dietetics workforce in Australia. Design:, A literature search was conducted using CIHNAL and hand searches. Following this, a review of the current available dietetics workforce data was conducted. Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA) membership data were analysed. Subjects and setting:, Sources of workforce data included: the Australian Bureau of Statistics Census data, DAA membership database, state health department and national workforce reports, reports by allied health organisations and independent research. Main outcome measures:, Descriptive data profiling the Australian dietetic workforce and employment trends. Statistical analysis:, A descriptive analysis of DAA membership data was undertaken. The DAA membership data were mapped by postcode with the Australian Standard Geographical Classification for remoteness. Counts and proportions were used to summarise and compare available data. Results:, There has been a growth and diversity of the dietetics profession in Australia in recent years, despite a lower proportion of qualified dietitians working as dietitians. The dietetic workforce is relatively young, predominantly female and unevenly distributed across the country. The available data are complex and difficult to interpret. Conclusions:, The present review of currently available dietetic workforce data provides a profile of the dietetics profession in Australia. Further workforce data are required in order to adequately describe the dietetics workforce in Australia and to determine future needs for the profession. National monitoring and systematic workforce data collection are urgently required. [source]


Factorial validity of the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales for referred students

PSYCHOLOGY IN THE SCHOOLS, Issue 10 2009
A. Alexander Beaujean
The Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales (RIAS) is a recently developed, individually administered psychometric instrument designed to measure general cognitive ability, as well as verbal (crystallized) intelligence, nonverbal (fluid) intelligence, and memory. Test reviewers have recommended the use of the RIAS despite the fact that, although the RIAS has been in circulation for more than four years, there is a paucity of independent research published about its psychometric properties. The purpose of the current study was to examine the factor structure of the RIAS across three samples of school-age children: the RIAS norming sample; the data reported by Nelson, Canivez, Lindstrom, and Hatt; and a new, independent sample of students referred for special education services. Using confirmatory factor analytic techniques, this study found that a two-factor model, positing verbal and nonverbal factors, fit all three data sets better than a one-factor model. Furthermore, the two-factor model demonstrated partial measurement invariance across the three samples, although the verbal factor showed much stronger invariance, construct reliability, and overall interpretability than did the nonverbal factor. Implications of this study for practitioners are discussed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]


All EU hands to the EU pumps: the Science Academies of Europe (EASAC) recommend strong support of research to tackle antibacterial resistance

CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION, Issue 10 2008
2Article first published online: 15 SEP 200, I. C. Gyssens
Abstract Despite many European Union (EU) conferences on fighting microbial resistance, rates of resistance in Europe continue to increase. Although research is catching up with discovery, the development of new antimicrobials is threatened by economic factors, in particular the need for a return of investment via high-volume sales. The EU should invest in independent research into the economic and business aspects of antibiotic development. Multidisciplinary input from the fields of finance, law, marketing, sociology and psychology will inform a broad agenda for change at the regulatory, academic and commercial levels and identify new options for novel anti-infective research and development, as recently recommended by the Science Academies of Europe (EASAC). [source]