Conditions, interventions, and outcomes in nursing research: a comparative analysis of North American and European/International journals. (1981-1990)

This study compared the conceptual foci and methodological characteristics of research projects which tested the effects of nursing interventions, published in four general nursing research journals with predominantly North American, and two with predominantly European/International authorship and readership. Dimensions and variables of comparison included: nature of subjects, design issues, statistical methodology, statistical power, and types of interventions and outcomes. Although some differences emerged, the most striking and consistent finding was that there were no statistically significant differences (and thus similarities) in the content foci and methodological parameters of the intervention studies published in both groups of journals. We conclude that European/International and North American nursing intervention studies, as reported in major general nursing research journals, are highly similar in the parameters studied, yet in need of overall improvement. Certainly, there is no empirical support for the common (explicit or implicit) ethnocentric American bias that leadership in nursing intervention research resides with and in the United States of America.     

Evaluation of Institutional Review Board review and informed consent in publications of human research in critical care medicine

OBJECTIVE: To examine the frequency of obtaining Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval and informed consent in critical care research. DATA SOURCES AND DATA EXTRACTION: One-year retrospective review of original critical care research in humans published in seven journals, including American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Chest, Critical Care Medicine, Intensive Care Medicine, The Journal of the American Medical Association, Lancet, and The New England Journal of Medicine. Studies were examined for general information (country/state where the research was performed, affiliation of the hospital to a medical school, and whether the work was supported by a grant and specifically by a pharmaceutical company), approval by IRB, method of consent, design of research, and interventions involved in the study. DATA SYNTHESIS: Two hundred seventy-nine studies were reviewed, 124 (44%) of which were conducted in the United States. Two hundred forty-three (87%) studies were performed in a university institution, 96 (34%) studies were supported by a grant, and 23 (24%) studies were supported by a pharmaceutical company. In 66 (24%) studies, there was no evidence of IRB review and informed consent approval. IRB approval was obtained but the method of consent was not specified in 36 (13%) studies. No significant differences were found in obtaining IRB approval and informed consent between research conducted in the United States (n=71, 57%) or outside the United States (n=92, 59%). Grant support was obtained in ten (9%) of the 116 studies not fully approved, compared with 70 (50%) of the 140 studies that obtained full approval (p < .05). All studies (23) supported by the pharmaceutical industry were fully approved. CONCLUSIONS: Many published studies in critical care lack IRB approval and/or informed consent. All research supported by the pharmaceutical industry was fully approved. The findings raise ethical concerns about critical care research.     

Immunologic cross-reaction between HIV type 1 p17 and Mycoplasma hyorhinis variable lipoprotein

The last decade has seen a surge in the use of computerized health care data for pharmacoepidemiology. Of all European databases, the General Practice Research Database (GPRD) in the UK, has been the most widely used for pharmacoepidemiological research. Since 1994, this database has belonged to the UK Department of Health, and is maintained by the Office of National Statistics (ONS). Currently, around 1500 general practitioners with a population coverage in excess of 3 million, systematically provide their computerized medical data anonymously to ONS. Validation studies of the GPRD have documented the recording of medical data into general practitioners' computers to be near to complete. The GPRD collects truly population-based data, has a size that makes it possible to follow-up large cohorts of users of specific drugs, and includes both outpatient and inpatient clinical information. The access to original medical records is excellent. Desirable improvements to the GPRD would be additional computerized information on certain variables and linkage to other health care databases. Most published studies to date have been in the area of drug safety. The General Practice Research Database has proved that valuable data can be collected in a general practice setting. The full potential of this rich computerized database has yet to come. This experience should serve to encourage others to develop similar population-based data in other countries.     

A review of research methods in IO/OB work-family research.

A methodological review was conducted of work-family (WF) research published in industrial-organizational psychology and organizational behavior journals over a period of 24 years (1980-2003). Content analysis was conducted on 225 individual studies published in 210 articles to categorize methodological features, including the research design, sources of data used, data analysis techniques, reliability and validity of measures used, and sociodemographic characteristics of the samples. Results support many of the criticisms of WF research and suggest that scholars publishing WF research in industrial-organizational psychology and organizational behavior journals could make greater use of longitudinal and experimental research designs, gather more multisource data, and move beyond the individual level of analysis. Adopting more diverse conceptualizations of family, including a greater proportion of racial and ethnic minorities, and studying workers in occupations other than managerial or professional positions also appear warranted. Finally, methodological trends varied across specific WF content areas, which suggests that distinct methodologies might be useful to advance knowledge of specific WF topics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The quality of citations in major international obstetrics and gynecology journals

OBJECTIVE: Our goal was to determine the error rate in references in articles published in three major international journals in obstetrics and gynecology. STUDY DESIGN: All issues (excluding supplements) for the year 1995 of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology were examined. References were numbered sequentially, and 50 randomly selected references from each journal were checked against the original for accuracy. RESULTS: Errors were found in the majority of references. The lowest error rate was 55.6% from the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and the highest was 66.7% from the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. The difference between journals was not statistically significant. The most frequent types of error were in the title of the article or in the authors' names. CONCLUSIONS: Error rates in major international journals in obstetrics and gynecology are high, and care must be taken by authors and journal staff to improve the quality of published articles.     

A content and methodological review of articles concerning multiracial issues in six major counseling journals.

This study describes a comprehensive content and methodological review of articles about multiracial issues in 6 journals related to counseling up to the year 2006. The authors summarize findings about the 18 articles that emerged from this review of the Journal of Counseling Psychology, Journal of Counseling & Development, The Counseling Psychologist, Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, and Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development. The authors specifically note trends in content and methodology as well as future directions for research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introducing the new Health Psychology series "Evidence-based treatment reviews": Progress not perfection.

Introduces the new Health Psychology series "Evidence-Based Treatment Reviews." Psychologists struggle continuously with the tension between the general implications of research conducted in their treatment area and the often unique needs and treatment possibilities for their individual patients. Recent concerns about this struggle in psychology have led to the initiation of an American Psychological Association presidential taskforce to propose an evidence-based policy: Evidence-Based Psychology Practice (EBPP). This struggle is not new. Medicine, similarly, has been dealing with the issue of how to translate research findings into evidence-based assessments and treatments. The process of joining our research with our practice, known as Evidence-Based Medicine, will be the cornerstone of a new series of articles in Health Psychology, entitled "Evidence-Based Treatment Reviews." Evidence-Based Behavioral Medicine is an extension of the Evidence-Based Medicine movement that identified the necessity of critically evaluating research to inform clinical practice (Rosenberg & Donald, 1995). In addition to mentoring researchers in presenting their findings in a more user-friendly style (e.g., Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials, or CONSORT, guidelines; Altman, Schulz, Moher, Egger, Davidoff, Elbourne, et al., 2001), teaching clinicians how to review the evidence (e.g., Evidence Based Medicine Tool Kit), and compiling and summarizing the existing evidence for public consumption (e.g., the Cochrane Collaboration), it makes sense to integrate these efforts by presenting research reviews with clinician commentary in our professional journals as has already been done by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA, e.g., DeAngelis & Fontanarosa, 2002; Levinson & DeAngelis, 2002). We seek to add to the health psychology evidence base by including two articles for each topic chosen: an Evidence Review and a Clinician's Comment. For this series, we envision that three or four evidence-based reviews will be published per year in Health Psychology and that each review will be accompanied by a three- or four-page commentary by a clinician to aid in the application of the research to a clinical practice. In this format, we hope to capture both the state of the clinical science and the challenging art of translating it into clinical practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessing the scholarly impact of health psychology: A citation analysis of articles published from 1993 to 2003.

Objective: We conducted a citation analysis to explore the impact of articles published in Health Psychology and determine whether the journal is fulfilling its stated mission. Design: Six years of articles (N = 408) representing three editorial tenures from 1993–2003 were selected for analysis. Main Outcome Measures: Articles were coded for several dimensions enabling examination of the relationship of article features to subsequent citations rates. Journals citing articles published in Health Psychology were classified into four categories: (1) psychology, (2) medicine, (3) public health and health policy, and (4) other journals. Results: The majority of citations of Health Psychology articles were in psychology journals, followed closely by medical journals. Studies reporting data collected from college students, and discussing the theoretical implications of findings, were more likely to be cited in psychology journals, whereas studies reporting data from clinical populations, and discussing the practice implications of findings, were more likely to be cited in medical journals. Time since publication and page length were both associated with increased citation counts, and review articles were cited more frequently than observational studies. Conclusion: Articles published in Health Psychology have a wide reach, informing psychology, medicine, public health and health policy. Certain characteristics of articles affect their subsequent pattern of citation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction to Mahoney et al. (2008).

Reports an error in "Content analysis of Consulting psychology journal: Practice and research (Volumes 44-59)" by Kevin T. Mahoney, Walter C. Buboltz Jr., Barlow Soper, Dennis Doverspike and Byron J. Simoneaux (Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 2008[Sep], Vol 60[3], 246-258). The title of the journal was printed incorrectly on page 257 as "Counseling Psychology Journal: Practice and Research." The correct title of the journal is Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2008-11542-002.) A content analysis of articles published in Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research was performed from 1992 (Vol. 44) through 2007 (Vol. 59). A total of 342 articles were categorized into 21 derived content categories and an "Other" category. Results show that the leading categories for publication were Coaching, Development and Training, and History of Consulting. The content was fairly stable over time. The journal does appear to be meeting its primary mission of disseminating information pertinent to the field of consulting psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Trends in psychotherapy process research: Samples, measures, researchers, and classic publications.

Psychotherapy studies published in the Journal of Counseling Psychology (JCP) and the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology (JCCP) between 1978 and 1992 were examined. Differences were found between the 2 journals. JCP published mostly process, outcome, and analog research, whereas JCCP published mostly outcome research. Most process and process-outcome studies across journals were of individual, brief therapy. Across the years, more diversity was evident in samples used in process research in terms of student status, gender, and race of clients and therapists. Three content areas were prominent in the process measures and classic studies: therapist techniques, therapist influence, and facilitative conditions. Lists are provided of the frequently used measures, most productive authors, and classic studies in process research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The status of Canadian research on adolescence: 1980-1987.

Conducted a survey of articles by Canadian-affiliated contributors on the subject of adolescence. 12 journals were reviewed, including 8 adolescent specialty journals, 3 general developmental journals, and the Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science. Results show considerable research on adolescents by Canadian investigators. An overall increase was found in the number and rate of publications since 1980. Although contribution rates were greatest in clinical/psychiatric journals, they were consistent in the adolescent and general journals. Publications were diverse in topics studied, orientation, and scope. 74% of studies were correlational, and nearly 33% utilized a developmental design. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Publication patterns of the American Society of Pediatric Neurosurgeons. Is there support among members for peer-reviewed pediatric neurosurgical journals?

The American Society of Pediatric Neurosurgeons (ASPN) has expressed a commitment to have all of its members' qualifying research efforts published in peer-reviewed pediatric neurosurgical journals such as Pediatric Neurosurgery. To test this commitment, citations from January 1985 through December 1994 were analyzed for all 76 current members of the ASPN. The citations were divided into those of general or adult neurosurgical interest, and those of pediatric neurosurgical interest based upon title, key words, and/or abstract. Each pediatric neurosurgical citation was further classified by topic, and by the type of journal in which it appeared (pediatric neurosurgical, general or adult neurosurgical, and other pediatric or adult journal, subspecialty journal, or basic science journal). A total of 1,887 individual author citations were identified during the study period; of these, 1,586 citations (84%) were classified as pediatric neurosurgical citations. These included 1,391 citations from peer-reviewed publications and 195 citations from Concepts in Pediatric Neurosurgery. As a society, the ASPN published only one third of its citations in peer-reviewed pediatric neurosurgery journals; the remainder were cited in general neurosurgical or other journals. Even when only citations from neurosurgical journals (in which pediatric neurosurgeons were more likely to be primary authors and therefore to have more control over the journal of publication) were analyzed, less than 50% of citations appeared in peer-reviewed pediatric neurosurgery journals. Nearly three quarters of ASPN members failed to provide even a modest commitment--publishing 51% or more of their pediatric citations in peer-reviewed pediatric neurosurgical journals. When the analysis was again limited to only those citations published in neurosurgery journals, over half of the members failed this '51% rule'. These results suggest the need for a firmer commitment from ASPN members to publish in peer-reviewed pediatric neurosurgery journals.     

Implications of socio-cultural contexts for the ethics of clinical trials

BACKGROUND: Health technology assesment (HTA) requires scientifically rigorous experimentation involving patients as subjects. HTA itself is required so that treatment given to patients will be both effective and efficient; this requirement is itself ethical in nature. At the same time it is essential that the methods used in HTA are ethically sound. Most healthcare researchers agree that the most effective and soundest method for assessing treatments is the randomised controlled trial (RCT). However, some researchers believe that the RCT is unethical, either in essence, or for use in some forms of medical research and HTA. Furthermore, many patients seem unable to understand the principles and purposes of the RCT, a factor which is highly detrimental for the validity of informed consent. Informed consent is the key to the ethics of medical research, both in most theories and in all codes of research conduct. Many RCTs therefore risk being unethical in practice, even if ethical in principle. AIM OF REPORT: To survey the main objections to the RCT and its alternatives. To assess the philosophical and methodological basis of these objections, and of the methods recommended for addressing them. To identify areas where objections are founded in social or cultural factors normally overlooked in ethical argument about the RCT methodology. To identify alternative arguments or methods which might resolve ethical conflicts in this area. HOW THE RESEARCH WAS CONDUCTED: The methods used were adapted from systematic reviews in medicine. Systematic searches of Medline, Psychlit and Sociofile CD-ROM databases; hand-searches of the major journals in general medicine and surgery, medical ethics and philosophy; and searches of books were carried out. The literature survey was restricted to articles published or abstracted in English. A database of the most relevant and useful materials was compiled, and is accessible on the Internet (http://www.liv.ac.uk/sdthomps/page1.html). RESEARCH FINDINGS: UNDERSTANDING RCTS AND THEIR ALTERNATIVES: There is some evidence of difficulty in understanding the aims and methods of RCTs, and some disquiet about elements of the RCT methodologies. These objections are well known and much discussed, and concern the use of placebo, the continuation of trials after significant differentials in benefit or harm are apparent, and randomisation. CULTURAL OR RELIGIOUS OBJECTIONS: There was an absence of evidence of cultural or religious objections to randomisation, placebo or other kinds of controlled prospective trials. This most likely reflects an absence of research rather than absence of objections. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)     

Racial/ethnic minority research in the Journal of Counseling Psychology: A content analysis and methodological critique.

A content analysis was conducted of all racial/ethnic minority-focused research appearing in the Journal of Counseling Psychology over the 11-year period from 1976 to 1986. During this period 934 articles and brief reports were published, of which 53 (5.7%) had a racial/ethnic minority focus. The 53 articles were systematically reviewed for their sample characteristics and methodological considerations. The sample characteristics that were examined included ethnic groups studied, general populations sampled, and geographic breakdown of samples used. Methodological design characteristics that were investigated included general research designs incorporated, examination of within-group differences, outcome measures used, cultural sensitivity of instrumentation, acknowledgment of sample generalizability limits, and presence of conceptual or theoretical frameworks in developing research hypotheses. Data accumulated in the report were used as a base within which to examine major research methodology criticisms that have consistently appeared in recent ethnic minority literature. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Medical research in New South Wales 1993-1996 assessed by Medline publication capture

OBJECTIVES: To assess medical research publication output in New South Wales (NSW). DESIGN: Analysis of publication information from the Medline indexing database, 1993-1996 inclusive. SETTING: Teaching hospitals and affiliated universities and medical research institutes within NSW, the major sites for NSW medical science publications. MAJOR OUTCOME MEASURES: Cumulative number and location of Medline-identified publications; journal citation indices (impact factor and immediacy index). RESULTS: 8860 published articles were captured for the analysis period. Universities and hospitals accounted for most of the publications (n = 7755). A mean of 73.1% (range, 36%-100%) of all articles were published in overseas journals, and the rest in Australian journals. This average trend applied to most universities and teaching hospitals, whereas research institutes published almost exclusively in overseas journals. Average publication impact factor values for most universities and teaching hospitals were around the average value for all NSW publications (2.203). The range for teaching hospital publications was 1.000-2.823, but for the overseas-publishing medical research institutes it tended to be higher (2.480-5.423). Immediacy index data yielded similar findings. CONCLUSIONS: The universities and teaching hospitals account for most of the medical publications arising from NSW, and also those appearing in Australian journals. Thus, these sites provide the bulk of Australian medical practice end-user information. In contrast, the medical institutes concentrate on publishing in overseas journals with higher and quicker citation rates (higher impact factor and immediacy index).     

Language bias in randomised controlled trials published in English and German

BACKGROUND: Some randomised controlled trials (RCTs) done in German-speaking Europe are published in international English-language journals and others in national German-language journals. We assessed whether authors are more likely to report trials with statistically significant results in English than in German. METHODS: We studied pairs of RCT reports, matched for first author and time of publication, with one report published in German and the other in English. Pairs were identified from reports round in a manual search of five leading German-language journals and from reports published by the same authors in English found on Medline. Quality of methods and reporting were assessed with two different scales by two investigators who were unaware of authors' identities, affiliations, and other characteristics of trial reports. Main study endpoints were selected by two investigators who were unaware of trial results. Our main outcome was the number of pairs of studies in which the levels of significance (shown by p values) were discordant. FINDINGS: 62 eligible pairs of reports were identified but 19 (31%) were excluded because they were duplicate publications. A further three pairs (5%) were excluded because no p values were given. The remaining 40 pairs were analysed. Design characteristics and quality features were similar for reports in both languages. Only 35% of German-language articles, compared with 62% of English-language articles, reported significant (p < 0.05) differences in the main endpoint between study and control groups (p = 0.002 by McNemar's test). Logistic regression showed that the only characteristic that predicted publication in an English-language journal was a significant result. The odds ratio for publication of trials with significant results in English was 3.75 (95% CI 1.25-11.3). INTERPRETATION: Authors were more likely to publish RCTs in an English-language journal if the results were statistically significant. English language bias may, therefore, be introduced in reviews and meta-analyses if they include only trials reported in English. The effort of the Cochrane Collaboration to identify as many controlled trials as possible, through the manual search of many medical journals published in different languages will help to reduce such bias.     

Content analysis of Consulting psychology journal: Practice and research (Volumes 44-59).

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 60(4) of Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research (see record 2008-17523-003). The title of the journal was printed incorrectly on page 257 as "Counseling Psychology Journal: Practice and Research." The correct title of the journal is Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research.] A content analysis of articles published in Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research was performed from 1992 (Vol. 44) through 2007 (Vol. 59). A total of 342 articles were categorized into 21 derived content categories and an "Other" category. Results show that the leading categories for publication were Coaching, Development and Training, and History of Consulting. The content was fairly stable over time. The journal does appear to be meeting its primary mission of disseminating information pertinent to the field of consulting psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of sibrafiban (Ro 48-3657), an orally active IIb/IIIa antagonist, administered alone or in combination with heparin, aspirin, and recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator in beagles

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to determine the effectiveness of prophylactic medical intervention in reducing the incidence of cystoid macular edema (CME) and the effectiveness of medical treatment for chronic CME after cataract surgery. DESIGN: The study design was a systematic review and meta-analysis of published reports of randomized clinical trials (RCTs). PARTICIPANTS: Sixteen RCTs involving 2898 eyes examining the effectiveness of medical prophylaxis of CME and 4 RCTs involving 187 eyes testing the effectiveness of medical treatment of chronic CME were used in the study. INTERVENTIONS: Medical prophylaxis of treatment (cyclo-oxygenase inhibitors or corticosteroids) versus control (placebo or active treatment) was performed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence of angiographically diagnosed CME, incidence of clinically significant CME, and vision were measured. RESULTS: Thirty-six articles reported testing a prophylactic medical intervention for CME after cataract surgery. The incidence of CME varied extensively across studies and was related to the study design used. Summary odds ratios (OR) indicated that prophylactic intervention was effective in reducing the incidence of both angiographic CME (OR = 0.36; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.28-0.45) and clinically relevant CME (OR = 0.49; 95% CI = 0.33-0.73). There also was a statistically significant positive effect on improving vision (OR = 1.97; 95% CI = 1.14-3.41). A combination of the results of the four RCTs testing medical therapy for chronic CME indicated a treatment benefit in terms of improving final visual acuity by two or more Snellen lines (OR = 2.67; 95% CI = 1.35-5.30). Assessment of the quality of the 20 RCTs included in the meta-analyses indicated problems in the design, execution, and reporting of a number of trials. CONCLUSION: A combination of the results from RCTs indicates that medical prophylaxis for aphakic and pseudophakic CME and medical treatment for chronic CME are beneficial. Because most of the RCTs performed to date have problems related to quality, a well-designed RCT is needed to confirm this result, using clinical CME and vision as outcomes.