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Research Capacity (research + capacity)
Selected AbstractsThe use of population based registers in psychiatric researchACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 5 2009P. AllebeckArticle first published online: 6 OCT 200 Objective:, Much of the knowledge we now take for granted regarding major mental disorders such as schizophrenia, suicide and other disorders, would not exist without the use of population based registers. The use of population based registers in psychiatric epidemiology have enabled analyses of associations that otherwise would not have been possible to address. Method:, The use of registers in psychiatric research is described, exemplified, and discussed. Results:, Methodological and validity aspects depend to a large part on the type of register being considered. A classification is proposed of different types of registers, each one implying specific methodological issues. These can be addressed according to the dimensions coverage, attrition, representativity and validity. Specific methodological consideration has still to be taken in relation to each specific research question. Thus, special validity studies usually need to be performed when embarking on studies using population based registers. Conclusion:, With increasing burden of disease due to mental disorders worldwide, knowledge of the epidemiology of these disorders are of increasing interest. The Nordic countries have a strong history in this field of research, of great interest to the rest of the world. Universities and research funding agencies should recognize this valuable source of research capacity, and support fruitful continuation of a strong tradition. [source] Developing indicators for measuring Research Capacity Development in primary care organizations: a consensus approach using a nominal group techniqueHEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 3 2009Gill Sarre LCST Abstract Research Capacity Development (RCD) in the National Health Service supports the production of evidence for decision-making in policy and practice. This study aimed to establish a level of consensus on a range of indicators to measure research capacity in primary care organizations. Indicators were developed in a two-stage process using workshops and modified nominal group technique. In 2005, workshops were used to generate possible indicators from a wide range of research active and research-interested people. A theoretical framework of six principles of RCD was used to explore and identify indicators. Data were thematically coded, and a 129-item, 9-point Likert scale questionnaire was developed. A purposive sample of nine experts in developing research capacity in primary care agreed to take part in a nominal group in April 2006. The questionnaire was circulated prior to the meeting, and analysis of the responses formed the basis for structured discussion. Participants were then asked to rescore the questionnaire. Only seven participants were able to take part in the discussion and rescore stages. Data were analysed in two ways: level of relevance attributed to each indicator as a measure of organizational RCD, represented by median responses (medians of 7,9 defined strong support, 4,6 indicated moderate support and 1,3 indicated weak support), and level of consensus reached by the group. Consensus was reached if 85% of the group rated an indicator within the same band. Eighty-nine (68%) indicators were ranked as strongly relevant, and for seventy-three of these indicators, a consensus was reached. The study was successful in generating a set of agreed indicators considered relevant for measuring RCD in primary care organizations. These will form the basis of a pilot tool kit to assist primary care organizations to develop research capacity. Further work will explore the applicability of the indicators in practice. [source] Research and development at the health and social care interface in primary care: a scoping exercise in one National Health Service regionHEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 6 2002Jo Cooke MA Abstract The present project aimed to identify research activity at the health and social care interface in primary care within one National Health Service region, and to determine levels of research capacity and support within social services. The study was commissioned by a primary care research network (PCRN) in order to assess opportunities to increase research capacity within social services. Data were collected in two phases from 61 managers, team leaders and senior practitioners in social care, and six public health representatives in health authorities, using telephone interviews and focus groups. The findings highlighted a lack of infrastructure and support for research and development in social care. However, many social care respondents wanted opportunities to develop research skills with healthcare colleagues. Despite poor support, many small-scale projects were described, and many respondents showed an enthusiasm for engaging with research. Methods in use included surveys, action research, needs analysis and evaluation of service developments. Many examples of user involvement were given. Interface projects were usually instigated by interagency forums and funded from multiple sources. Most project work was motivated by service improvement or development, rather than aiming to produce generalisable knowledge. Barriers to conducting research included lack of confidence, research skills and time, as well as workload demands, lack of cover to release staff for research and lack of supervision. Research was not seen as legitimate work in some social care environments or as part of a career path. Existing joint working initiatives (such as the National Service Frameworks) were highlighted as flashpoints for potential research and evaluation activity. The findings suggest clear opportunities for PCRNs to develop research capacity at the interface with social care; for example, by signposting available resources, providing training grants and secondments for social care staff, and supporting interagency networks with a focus on evaluation. In turn, experience in promoting user involvement in social services could add value to research expertise at the primary care,social care interface. [source] Developing research capacity in health librarians: a review of the evidenceHEALTH INFORMATION & LIBRARIES JOURNAL, Issue 3 2008Hannah Rossall This critical review considers current issues of research capacity development in UK health care and the role of health librarianship in this context, placing particular focus on the use of research networks. There is a growing literature base recognising the need for librarians to engage more with research. The concepts of evidence-based health librarianship and clinical librarianship are discussed in the context of research and examples of existing good practice are reviewed. It is suggested that librarians should build on this through better consideration of evidence based methodologies, hierarchies of evidence, improvement of research skills, and a collective endeavour to identify research priorities. The importance research capacity is being given in the Department of Health R&D strategy and the use of networks in achieving this is discussed, and it is suggested that the utilisation of networks and collaboration should be undertaken and explored in more depth in developing research capacity in health librarianship. Areas where librarians currently engage with research and use networks and collaborative practices to contribute to the research base are reviewed. A co-ordinated approach to developing research capacity is called for and it is argued that the use of networks would be beneficial in assisting the process. [source] How have the Pharmacy Practice Research Trust grants supported the development of research capacity?INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACY PRACTICE, Issue 3 2009Dai N. John No abstract is available for this article. [source] Exploratory factor analysis of the research and development culture index among qualified nursesJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 9 2005Bill Watson MSc Aims and objectives., This paper presents the exploratory factor analysis of a rating instrument for assessing the strength of organizational Research and Development (R&D) culture. Background., Despite nursing's limited research capacity, the discipline is capitalising upon opportunities to become involved in research and is making strong progress. Within the context of the debate on nursing research capacity, the R&D Culture Index was developed as a means of appraising R&D culture within health care organizations. Design., Factor analysis was carried out on data collected from 485 nursing staff. The method of extraction was Principal Components Analysis with oblique rotation. Methods., The Index was developed from the findings of qualitative research conducted with NHS staff. Eighteen items, encompassing the main themes from the data, were initially included in the Index. This pilot instrument was distributed to nursing staff within three different types of NHS Trust. Factor analysis resulted in rejection of two items and the analysis was repeated using the remaining 16 items. Results., Three latent factors were extracted accounting for 58·0% of the variance in the data. The factors were: R&D Support, describing the perceived support within the working environment for R&D activity; Personal R&D Skills and Aptitude, describing an individual's perception of their ability towards R&D activity; and Personal R&D Intention, describing an individual's willingness to engage in R&D activity. Each factor had good internal reliability, as did the overall index. Conclusion., The R&D Culture Index provides an efficient means of assessing the strength of an organization's R&D culture in a way that captures the role of the individual practitioner and the organizational environment. Relevance to practice., These findings suggest that the continuing promotion of R&D within health care organizations is dependent upon a multi-faceted approach that addresses the learning needs of the organization as well as those of the individual practitioners. [source] Policy entrepreneurship for poverty reduction: bridging research and policy in international developmentJOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, Issue 6 2005Julius Court Bridging research and policy is a topic of growing practical and scholarly interest in both North and South. Contributions by four experienced practitioners and in four papers by researchers illustrate the value of existing frameworks and add four new lessons: the need for donors and research foundations to foster research capacity and to protect it from political interference; the need for researchers to use detailed case material in order to inform high-level policy debates within and across national boundaries, often by working in cross-country teams; the importance of presenting research results in such a way that they cannot be over-simplified; and the value of creating alliances between researchers and civil society advocacy groups. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Science and technology capacity building and partnership in African agriculture: perspectives on Mali and EgyptJOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, Issue 5 2005Seife Ayele Science and technology (S&T) have long been seen as key for development. This paper considers the issue of capacity building in the light of recent reconceptualization of the role of science and technology in development. Reconceptualization suggests that science and technology are better seen as key elements of innovation systems, which are themselves the means of gaining value from knowledge creation; and, that innovation, knowledge and development are tightly knit elements of a system of organisations and institutions that must function coherently for improved knowledge and innovation systems to emerge. Developing such systems requires linkages of many types. The paper describes and discusses the conceptual basis for capacity building interventions, using partnership-based capacity building initiatives in new agricultural technologies from Mali and Egypt. The empirical analysis from both countries shows evidence of research capacity building in the form of recruitment, training of scientific staff and provision of research infrastructure. Unsurprisingly, given the S&T knowledge base, the Malian case illustrates the difficulty of moving beyond basic forms of research capacity building. In Egypt, with significant S&T capacity, there is evidence of organizational and institutional innovation towards broader knowledge, and innovation system development in agri-biotechnology. The role of partnerships, and government as ,systems-builder', are shown to be important. Lessons are drawn from these (and other) cases about the relationship between partnerships, S&T and innovation capacity building. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Creating an impetus for institutional analysis in South America: Quality assuranceNEW DIRECTIONS FOR INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH, Issue S2 2008Michael Middaugh Development of quality assurance and an institutional research capacity in Latin American institutions can best be seen through recent experiences in Chile. [source] Changing views in Canadian geomorphology: are we seeing the landscape for the processes?THE CANADIAN GEOGRAPHER/LE GEOGRAPHE CANADIEN, Issue 3 2010IAN J. WALKER géomorphologie; révolution quantitative; formes du lit marin; éolien; transport des sédiments; dunes Geomorphology in Canada, as elsewhere, has evolved into an essentially bipartite discipline focusing either on ,process' or broader ,historical' (Quaternary) landscape interpretation. A growing emphasis on process-oriented research that relies increasingly on instrumentation and computational technologies has occurred. Critics of such research note limited applicability for landscape evolution, fashionability of methods and limited societal relevance. Indeed, some say we are not seeing the landscape for the processes. This article discusses the changing nature of geomorphology since the Quantitative Revolution of the 1950s including new advances, recent trends and challenges. Publication trends and recent advances suggest that the discipline is very healthy (following a slump in the early 1990s) and continues to evolve, which may reflect increasing research infrastructure and/or funding opportunities and new publications spotlighting Canadian research. Unfortunately, fundamental (less applied) research is threatened by funding program shifts, changing institutional pressures and a decline in research capacity from retirement attrition, and student recruitment challenges. Three research priorities are recommended: (1) continued fundamental research, (2) more integrated modelling to link micro scale processes to macro scale landform behaviour and(3) improvements in profiling our discipline amongst students and related professionals. L'évolution des perspectives de la géomorphologie canadienne : les processus occultent-ils le paysage? Le caractère bipartite que revêt aujourd'hui la géomorphologie au Canada, comme partout ailleurs dans le monde, marque l'aboutissement de l'évolution d'une discipline axée soit sur les «processus», soit sur une interprétation élargie et «historique» (quaternaire) du paysage. De plus en plus, la recherche porte sur les processus et s'inscrit dans le cadre du développement des technologies d'instrumentation et informatique. Plusieurs ont critiqué cette approche de recherche en soulignant ses limites pour étudier l'évolution des paysages, l'effet de mode des méthodes, et la faiblesse de son apport à la société. Certains vont jusqu'à dire que les processus nous cachent la vue du paysage. Cet article traite du caractère évolutif de la géomorphologie depuis les années 1950 quand les bases de la révolution quantitative ont étéétablies. La discussion porte entre autres sur le progrès des connaissances, les dernières tendances et les défis à relever. Les tendances en matière de publication et l'avancement des connaissances laissent croire que la discipline se porte bien (malgré un ralentissement au début des années 1990) et suit une trajectoire évolutive. Il est possible qu'une telle situation soit le reflet del'accroissement des capacités de recherche et/ou du financement et des nouvelles publications mettant en évidence les résultats de recherches canadiennes. Malheureusement, les modifications apportées aux programmes de subvention, les différentes pressions exercées par les institutions, la baisse de régime en matière de recherche causée par les départs à la retraite, et les défis pour assurer la relève universitaire constituent une menace pour la recherche fondamentale (c'est-à-dire moins appliquée). C'est dans cette foulée que trois chantiers de recherche sont proposés : (1) poursuivre la recherche fondamentale, (2) élaborer des modèles plus intégrés qui conjuguent les processus à l'échelle micro et les comportements des formes de relief, et (3) procéder à des améliorations du profilage des étudiants et des professionnels apparentés. [source] ETHICAL REVIEW ISSUES IN COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH BETWEEN US AND LOW , MIDDLE INCOME COUNTRY PARTNERS: A CASE EXAMPLEBIOETHICS, Issue 8 2008SCOTT MCINTOSH ABSTRACT The current ethical structure for collaborative international health research stems largely from developed countries' standards of proper ethical practices. The result is that ethical committees in developing countries are required to adhere to standards that might impose practices that conflict with local culture and unintended interpretations of ethics, treatments, and research. This paper presents a case example of a joint international research project that successfully established inclusive ethical review processes as well as other groundwork and components necessary for the conduct of human behavior research and research capacity building in the host country. [source] Development of the Capacity Necessary to Perform and Promote Knowledge Translation Research in Emergency MedicineACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 11 2007Peter S. Dayan MD Knowledge translation (KT) research in emergency medicine (EM) is in its infancy, and few EM investigators have the skills needed to perform KT research. Furthermore, the capacity to perform such KT research is underdeveloped in the field of EM. This consensus group used an iterative process to set forth initial recommendations and suggest methods for the development of EM KT research capacity. We have emphasized the need to form sustainable linkages, particularly between EM researchers and KT scientists, and to educate EM researchers in KT research methods to help create and sustain a culture of KT in our field. EM KT researchers must also engage local and national organizations and stakeholders to fund and promote KT research. Finally, we see the need to further develop and support EM research networks, as these networks will be both the clinical laboratories in which to perform the KT research and the incubators for the development of EM KT research experts. [source] | |||||||||||||