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A practical guide to network meta-analysis with examples and code In the evaluation of healthcare, rigorous methods of quantitative assessment are necessary to establish which interventions are effective and cost-effective. Often a single study will not provide the answers and it is desirable to synthesise evidence from multiple sources, usually randomised controlled trials. This book takes an approach to evidence synthesis that is specifically intended for decision making when there are two or more treatment alternatives being evaluated, and assumes that the purpose of every synthesis is to answer the question "for this pre-identified population of patients, which treatment is 'best'?" A co...
Healthcare decision makers in search of reliable information that compares health interventions increasingly turn to systematic reviews for the best summary of the evidence. Systematic reviews identify, select, assess, and synthesize the findings of similar but separate studies, and can help clarify what is known and not known about the potential benefits and harms of drugs, devices, and other healthcare services. Systematic reviews can be helpful for clinicians who want to integrate research findings into their daily practices, for patients to make well-informed choices about their own care, for professional medical societies and other organizations that develop clinical practice guidelines...
The aim of this systematic review has been to assess the evidence on the positive and negative effects of population wide drinking water fluoridation strategies to prevent caries. 214 studies met full inclusion criteria for one or more of the objectives. The best available evidence suggests that fluoridation of drinking water supplies does reduce caries prevalence. This review presents a summary of the best available and most reliable evidence on the safety and efficacy of water fluoridation. Given the level of interest surrounding the issue of public water fluoridation, it is surprising to find that little high quality research has been undertaken. As such, this review should provide both researchers and commissioners of research with an overview of the methodological limitations of previous search conducted in this area. The evidence of a benefit of a reduction in caries should be considered together with the increased prevalence of dental fluorosis. The research evidence is of insufficient quality to allow confident statements about other potential harms or whether there is an impact on social inequalities.
Such diverse thinkers as Lao-Tze, Confucius, and U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld have all pointed out that we need to be able to tell the difference between real and assumed knowledge. The systematic review is a scientific tool that can help with this difficult task. It can help, for example, with appraising, summarising, and communicating the results and implications of otherwise unmanageable quantities of data. This book, written by two highly-respected social scientists, provides an overview of systematic literature review methods: Outlining the rationale and methods of systematic reviews; Giving worked examples from social science and other fields; Applying the practice to all soc...
Healthcare providers, consumers, researchers and policy makers are inundated with unmanageable amounts of information, including evidence from healthcare research. It has become impossible for all to have the time and resources to find, appraise and interpret this evidence and incorporate it into healthcare decisions. Cochrane Reviews respond to this challenge by identifying, appraising and synthesizing research-based evidence and presenting it in a standardized format, published in The Cochrane Library (www.thecochranelibrary.com). The Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions contains methodological guidance for the preparation and maintenance of Cochrane intervention revie...
Health economics has made major contributions to the development of health policy in many countries. This book describes those successes and looks forward to the major contributions that health economics can bring to bear on emerging policy issues in health and health care. With contributions from internationally recognized researchers, this book addresses generic policy issues confronting health systems across the developed world. The coverage progresses from micro, patient level issues to macro, whole system issues including: Determining cost-effective treatments Fair distribution of health care Regulatory issues such as performance measurement and incentives Revenue distribution Decentral...
'Practice Development in Community Nursing' describes what is meant by practice development, the theories underpinning practice development and brings together accounts of community nurses involved in practice development for those embarking on similar work. Examples are provided of the process or practice development and the book also illustrates how it works with examples from practitioners, followed by a conclusion focusing on the future of practice development.
Comprehensive and thorough in scope, The Research Process in Nursing 7th edition provides everything you could want to know about research methods. This established textbook reflects the significant advances in nursing research and the importance of evidence-based practice, and provides an invaluable resource for both the novice and the more experienced researcher. It includes practical information and advice on: How to find and critique the evidence How to choose the right approach How to collect data How to make sense of the data How to put research into practice Special features: A clear, explicit and easy to understand text which links theory with practical steps in the research process....
Family reunification offers a potential route to permanency for looked after children, which is a key issue in contemporary social care. This book provides an authoritative, concise critical review of the research findings available in the UK and the USA, as well as a helpful guide to the problems and pitfalls in interpreting the research evidence. It assesses the key factors associated with the probability of reunification, the impact of child and parent characteristics, placement reasons, contact, motivation and the nature of social work services, the effectiveness of specialist reunification services in the USA and the outcomes of reunion, including studies which have reported on re-abuse, re-entry to care and psychosocial outcomes.