By Ruth Whittington ([email protected]) Part 4 – Interpreting the results of observational studies In the last of our series on observational studies, this article addresses some of the issues involved in interpreting the results of such studies. When interpreting or reviewing the results of any study or trial, there are important questions that should be…
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By Mary Gabb ([email protected]) Billions of emails are sent each day round the world. What most people don’t realise, however, is that email is like a postcard; it can be read by anyone who knows how to access email as it travels from computer to computer across the internet, until it reaches its destination. Thus,…
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By Clare Gurton ([email protected]) Somewhere inside all of us is the desire to be ‘good’ and to be liked. And, as a result, we may find we shy away from taking criticism (either positive or negative) and likewise get nervous about how to give criticism. Some of this nervousness is undoubtedly due to the very…
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By Jonathan Coopersmith ([email protected]) Benjamin Franklin said “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. Perhaps the best way to reduce errors in medicine, then, is to prevent the need for medical treatment in the first place. Here are some websites dedicated to health and prevention: A report from the Centers for Disease…
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By Clare Gurton ([email protected]) There is an increasing need for all of us to develop strategies for dealing with different cultures as business becomes more international and cross communication among different disciplines increases. Liaising with colleagues from different cultures and backgrounds can become a large part of many jobs and is often a demanding task…
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By Ruth Whittington ([email protected]) Part 3 – Conducting an observational study Last month, we looked at the differences between observational studies and randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Here, we look at designing and conducting an observational study. Observational studies should be conducted to high standards. You can use the following checklist when designing observational studies; all…
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By David Woods ([email protected]) Question: “How many people work in the public sector?” Answer: “About half of them.” It’s an old one, to be sure, but it has its echo in the fairly recently-coined word “presenteeism.” While absenteeism means not being at work at all; presenteeism means being at work, but not working; or at…
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By David Woods ([email protected]) If you feel that emails are inundating you, and you yearn for the days of the quill pen, help is at hand. In her recent book “Life hacker: 88 tech tips to turbocharge your day,” Gina Trapani somewhat paradoxically advises us to use a paper day planner instead of computerised schedules.…
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By Amy Rothman Schonfeld ([email protected]) One year after its first conference, the American Society of Health Economists (ASHE) is clearly thriving. Its membership has grown to more than 800, planning for the next two biennial conferences has begun, an awards competition is in place, and many of the most prominent names in US health economics…
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By David Woods ([email protected]) The theme of this year’s international ISPOR meeting – held on May 20–23 in Arlington, Virginia, USA – was “new tools, new audiences for health outcomes research.” In his valedictory address, retiring ISPOR president Dr Michael Drummond told some of the 1600 registrants to the meeting that the organisation now has…
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