Making Sense of Critical Appraisal provides all the necessary information on how to read and understand medical research publications critically and to decide whether the contents of such publications are clinically useful in the care of patients. Illustrated throughout with medically relevant
examples, this text covers all aspects of study design and clinical audit to give a clear framework for critical reading. Key Features: * Provides a framework for practicing evidence-based medicine *Easy-to-use exam-oriented text covers the key aspects of critical appraisal * Highly readable with
simple explanations and memorable clinical examples * Study design includes prospective, retrospective, randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews * Includes a glossary of epidemiological and statistical terms and definitions * A special 'non-essential statistics' section to explore the
statistical concepts in more detail

Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis: A Handbook for Healthcare Research provides a comprehensive introduction to the fundamental principles and methods that healthcare researchers need when considering, conducting or using individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis projects. Written and edited by researchers with substantial experience in the field, the book details key concepts and practical guidance for each stage of an IPD meta-analysis project, alongside illustrated examples and summary learning points. Split into five parts, the book chapters take the reader through the journey from initiating and planning IPD projects to obtaining, checking, and meta-analysing IPD, and appraising and reporting findings. The book initially focuses on the synthesis of IPD from randomised trials to evaluate treatment effects, including the evaluation of participant-level effect modifiers (treatment-covariate interactions). Detailed extension is then made to specialist topics such as diagnostic test accuracy, prognostic factors, risk prediction models, and advanced statistical topics such as multivariate and network meta-analysis, power calculations, and missing data. Intended for a broad audience, the book will enable the reader to: Understand the advantages of the IPD approach and decide when it is needed over a conventional systematic review Recognise the scope, resources and challenges of IPD meta-analysis projects Appreciate the importance of a multi-disciplinary project team and close collaboration with the original study investigators Understand how to obtain, check, manage and harmonise IPD from multiple studies Examine risk of bias (quality) of IPD and minimise potential biases throughout the project Understand fundamental statistical methods for IPD meta-analysis, including two-stage and one-stage approaches (and their differences), and statistical software to implement them Clearly report and disseminate IPD meta-analyses to inform policy, practice and future research Critically appraise existing IPD meta-analysis projects Address specialist topics such as effect modification, multiple correlated outcomes, multiple treatment comparisons, non-linear relationships, test accuracy at multiple thresholds, multiple imputation, and developing and validating clinical prediction models Detailed examples and case studies are provided throughout.

As a result of new statistical and mathematical approaches, improved visualization tools, and recognition by international regulatory groups, quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs) now play important roles in pharmacology for the design of new drugs as well as in toxicology and ecotoxicology for hazard identification and risk assessment. Providing up-to-date coverage of the field, Three Dimensional QSAR: Applications in Pharmacology and Toxicology presents the most recent QSAR methods and illustrates their scope, advantages, and limitations. Part I The first part of the book addresses CoMFA and related methods, such as CoMSIA, FLUFF, SOMFA. It also describes shape-, surface-, and volume-based approaches, including MSA, excluded volume, LIV, HASL, receptor surface model, COMPASS, and CoMSA. Part II Focusing on methods that use 3D information, the second part covers autocorrelation methods, such as GRIND; similarity-based methods, including similarity matrices and quantum similarity indices; and quantitative spectroscopic data-activity relationships. Some applications in data mining are also explored. Part III The third part deals with post-3D models. The authors discuss the adaptation of the receptor and simultaneous presence of several conformers or solvation mechanisms. Part IV The final part presents receptor-related approaches as well as docking and free energy calculations, which are treated at various levels. This part concerns the extensive sampling of phase space and approximate methods, such as linear interaction energy, Poisson-Boltzmann, and generalized Born models. A case study covering several parallel approaches is also developed. An appendix offers the basic principles of modeling and statistical tools routinely required in QSAR methodologies, includi

Clinical Engineering: A Handbook for Clinical and Biomedical Engineers, Second Edition, helps professionals and students in clinical engineering successfully deploy medical technologies. The book provides a broad reference to the core elements of the subject, drawing from a range of experienced authors. In addition to engineering skills, clinical engineers must be able to work with both patients and a range of professional staff, including technicians, clinicians and equipment manufacturers. This book will not only help users keep up-to-date on the fast-moving scientific and medical research in the field, but also help them develop laboratory, design, workshop and management skills. The updated edition features the latest fundamentals of medical technology integration, patient safety, risk assessment and assistive technology.

Thalidomide: patented in Germany as a non-toxic cure-all for sleeplessness and morning sickness. A wonder drug with no side effects. We know differently now. Today, thalidomide is a byword for tragedy and drug reform - a sign of what happens when things aren't done 'the right way'. But when it was released in the 1950s, it was the best thing since penicillin - something that doctors were encouraged to prescribe to all of their patients. Nobody could anticipate what it actually did: induce sleeping, prevent morning sickness, and drastically harm unborn children. But, whilst thalidomide rampaged and ravaged throughout most of the West, it never reached the United States. It landed on the desk of Dr Frances Kelsey, and there it stayed as she battled bureaucracy, patriarchy, and the Establishment in an effort to prove that it was dangerous. Frankie is her story.

Computational Retinal Image Analysis: Tools, Applications and Perspectives gives an overview of contemporary retinal image analysis (RIA) in the context of healthcare informatics and artificial intelligence. Specifically, it provides a history of the field, the clinical motivation for RIA, technical foundations (image acquisition modalities, instruments), computational techniques for essential operations, lesion detection (e.g. optic disc in glaucoma, microaneurysms in diabetes) and validation, as well as insights into current investigations drawing from artificial intelligence and big data. This comprehensive reference is ideal for researchers and graduate students in retinal image analysis, computational ophthalmology, artificial intelligence, biomedical engineering, health informatics, and more.

Data for Nurses: Understanding and Using Data to Optimize Care Delivery in Hospitals and Health Systems provides information for nurses on how to work with data to effectively evaluate and improve care delivery for patients. Quality, benchmarking, and research data are increasingly used to guide care in hospitals and health systems, and nurses are expected to actively use this information to identify interventions to optimize outcomes and meet reporting and financial targets. However, not all nurses receive formal training on data utilization, making interpretation and application of the different types of data difficult. This book provides information on topics such as benchmarking and reportable indicators, financial metrics, quality improvement, research, and implementation science, with applications to nursing practice. Important information on protective measures to guarantee integrity and security of personal patient data is also included. The book is a valuable resource for nurses and other healthcare professionals who require a basic understanding of key principles of data utilization in order to increase engagement in evidence-based practices, quality improvement, and mandatory reporting of key indices.

This book provides, for the first time, a broad and deep treatment of the fields of both ultra low power electronics and bioelectronics. It discusses fundamental principles and circuits for ultra low power electronic design and their applications in biomedical systems. It also discusses how ultra-energy-efficient cellular and neural systems in biology can inspire revolutionary low power architectures in mixed-signal and RF electronics. The book presents a unique, unifying view of ultra low power analog and digital electronics and emphasizes the use of the ultra-energy-efficient subthreshold regime of transistor operation in both. Chapters on batteries, energy harvesting, and the future of energy provide an understanding of fundamental relationships between energy use and energy generation at small scales and at large scales. A wealth of insights and examples from brain implants, cochlear implants, bio-molecular sensing, cardiac devices, and bio-inspired systems make the book useful and engaging for students and practicing engineers.

This book provides a user-friendly introduction to the qualitative methods most commonly used in the mental health and psychotherapy arena. * Chapters are written by leading researchers and the editors are experienced qualitative researchers, clinical trainers, and mental health practitioners * Provides chapter-by-chapter guidance on conducting a qualitative study from across a range of approaches * Offers guidance on how to review and appraise existing qualitative literature, how to choose the most appropriate method, and how to consider ethical issues * Demonstrates how specific methods have been applied to questions in mental health research * Uses examples drawn from recent research, including research with service users, in mental health practice and in psychotherapy

In the past two decades, pain research has become one of the most rapidly growing areas of neuroscience activity. Methods in Pain Research brings together in a single volume a survey of the methods that can be used to study a reaction or 'sensory report' in humans that can only be inferred by indirect means in animal or tissues studies. It presents source material, useful advice, and guidance to specific details as well as examples of current usage. With each topic presented by one or more of the leading experts in the field, it examines the major modern techniques used in studying pain, including gene linkage, brain imaging methods, the use of transgenic rodent models, painful sensory neuropathy models, and more. The material also covers conventional methods of pain study, such as anatomical and electophysiological techniques. Methods in Pain Research provides up-to-date methodology and a guide to the strategies of experimental design.

Using a discipline-by-discipline approach, Turgeon's Clinical Laboratory Science: Concepts, Procedures, and Clinical Applications, 9th Edition, provides a fundamental overview of the concepts, procedures, and clinical applications essential for working in a clinical laboratory and performing routine clinical lab tests. Coverage of basic laboratory techniques includes key topics such as safety, phlebotomy, quality assessment, automation, and point-of-care testing. Clear, straightforward instructions simplify laboratory procedures and are guided by the latest practices and CLSI (Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute) standards. Written by well-known CLS educator Mary Louise Turgeon, this edition offers essential guidance and recommendations for today's laboratory testing methods and clinical applications. Broad scope of coverage makes this text an ideal companion for clinical laboratory science programs at various levels, including CLS/MT, CLT/MLT, medical laboratory assistant, and medical assisting, and reflects the taxonomy levels of the CLS/MT and CLT/MLT exams. Detailed procedure guides and procedure worksheets on Evolve and in the ebook familiarize you with the exact steps performed in the lab. Vivid, full-color illustrations depict concepts and applicable images that can be seen under the microscope. An extensive number of certification-style, multiple-choice review questions are organized and coordinated under major topical headings at the end of each chapter to help you assess your understanding and identify areas requiring additional study. Case studies include critical thinking group discussion questions, providing the opportunity to apply content to real-life scenarios. The newest Entry Level Curriculum Updates for workforce entry, published by the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS) and the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Board of Certification Exam Content Outlines, serve as content reference sources. Convenient glossary makes it easy to look up definitions without having to search through each chapter. An Evolve companion website provides convenient access to animations, flash card sets, and additional review questions. Experienced author, speaker, and educator Mary L. Turgeon is well known for providing insight into the rapidly changing field of clinical laboratory science. NEW! Content spans traditional principles and practices to the expanding applications of molecular diagnostics that reflect the most current clinical laboratory practices and technology. NEW! New Frontiers in Molecular Diagnostics chapter explores the future of the field. NEW! Coverage of the "new face" of clinical laboratory practice recognizes of the important need for laboratories for SARS-CoV-2 testing during the COVID-19 pandemic, with an increased emphasis on safety, patient considerations, and delivery of testing modes. NEW! Exploration of current laboratory safety issues, strategies, and the need for various safety-related officers to control problems such as supply chain interruptions and the risk of infection from aerosols. NEW! Applications of innovative quality models, such as clinical outcomes and biological variation, improve the acceptable standards of laboratory testing and the interpretations of reference ranges. NEW! Expanded information on new oral anticoagulants is presented along with the appropriate laboratory testing, with alternative testing added to the discussion of blood coagulation. NEW! Increased focus on cell types in cerebrospinal fluid includes descriptions of associated clinical disorders and microbial examination. NEW! Expanded comparisons of the characteristics of important body fluids, such as synovial fluid, serous fluids, seminal fluid, and amniotic fluid. NEW! Appendix offers comprehensive overview of COVID-19.

Advances in Cancer Research, Volume 144, the latest release in this ongoing, well-regarded serial, provides invaluable information on the exciting and fast-moving field of cancer research. Chapters in this new release include Gene-Environment-Microenvironment Interactions in Melanomagenesis, PP2A and the Cell Cycle, Current Progress Defining Calcium Signals as Therapeutic Targets in Cancer Cells, and much more.

Technological innovation is deeply woven into the fabric of American culture, and is no less a basic feature of American health care. Medical technology saves lives and relieves suffering, and is enormously popular with the public, profitable for doctors, and a source of great wealth for industry. Yet its costs are rising at a dangerously unsustainable rate. The control of technology costs poses a terrible ethical and policy dilemma. How can we deny people what they may need to live and flourish? Yet is it not also harmful to let rising costs strangle our health care system, eventually harming everyone? In Taming the Beloved Beast, esteemed medical ethicist Daniel Callahan confronts this dilemma head-on. He argues that we can't escape it by organizational changes alone. Nothing less than a fundamental transformation of our thinking about health care is needed to achieve lasting and economically sustainable reform. The technology bubble, he contends, is beginning to burst. Callahan weighs the ethical arguments for and against limiting the use of medical technologies, and he argues that reining in health care costs requires us to change entrenched values about progress and technological innovation. Taming the Beloved Beast shows that the cost crisis is as great as that of the uninsured. Only a government-regulated universal health care system can offer the hope of managing technology and making it affordable for all.

When data from all aspects of our lives can be relevant to our health - from our habits at the grocery store and our Google searches to our FitBit data and our medical records - can we really differentiate between big data and health big data? Will health big data be used for good, such as to improve drug safety, or ill, as in insurance discrimination? Will it disrupt health care (and the health care system) as we know it? Will it be possible to protect our health privacy? What barriers will there be to collecting and utilizing health big data? What role should law play, and what ethical concerns may arise? This timely, groundbreaking volume explores these questions and more from a variety of perspectives, examining how law promotes or discourages the use of big data in the health care sphere, and also what we can learn from other sectors.

The book shows how to apply validity concepts when planning and conducting an evaluation, thereby making sure that the evaluation stays true to the purposes for which it was initiated. Marc T. Braverman demonstrates that evaluating with validity means being able to answer the evaluation questions in a way that is useful, accurate, and reflective of the information needed from the evaluation. His approach is practical, with the goal of helping evaluators to conduct high-quality outcome evaluations, and he illustrates concepts with case study examples drawn from studies of intervention effectiveness over many years. The book begins by looking at the ways that validity is conceptualized and the uses to which it is put. Subsequent chapters analyze separate phases of the outcome evaluation process and the critical decisions about design and analysis that are typically required.

A comprehensive introduction to behavioral and social science research methods in the health sciences

"Understanding and Conducting Research in the Health Sciences "is designed to develop and facilitate the ability to conduct research and understand the practical value of designing, conducting, interpreting, and reporting behavioral and social science research findings in the health science and medical fields. The book provides complete coverage of the process behind these research methods, including information-gathering, decision formation, and results presentation.

Examining the application of behavioral and social science research methodologies within the health sciences, the book focuses on implementing and developing relevant research questions, collecting and managing data, and communicating various research perspectives. An essential book for readers looking to possess an understanding of all aspects of conducting research in the health science field, "Understanding and Conducting Research in the Health Sciences "features: Various research designs that are appropriate for use in the health sciences, including single-participant, multi-group, longitudinal, correlational, and experimental designsStep-by-step coverage of single-factor and multifactor studies as well as single-subject and nonexperimental methodsAccessible chapter explanations, real-world examples, and numerous illustrations throughoutGuidance regarding how to write about research within the formatting styles of the American Medical Association and the American Psychological Association

The book is an excellent educational resource for healthcare and health service practitioners and researchers who are interested in conducting and understanding behavioral and social science research done within the health sciences arena. The book is also a useful resource for students taking courses in the fields of medicine, public health, epidemiology, biostatistics, and the health sciences.

This significantly expanded and newest edition of the bestselling HIMSS Dictionary of Health Information and Technology Terms, Acronyms and Organizations has been developed and extensively reviewed by a robust team of industry experts. The fifth edition of this dictionary serves as a quick reference for students, health information and technology (IT) professionals, and healthcare executives to better navigate the ever-growing health IT field. This valuable resource includes more than 3,400 definitions, organizations, credentials, acronyms and references. Definitions of terms for the health IT, medical and nursing informatics fields are updated and included. This fifth edition also includes an acronyms list with cross references to current definitions and a list of health IT-related associations and organizations, including contact information, mission statements and web addresses. Academic and professional certification credentials are also included. As a mission driven non-profit, HIMSS offers a unique depth and breadth of expertise in health innovation, public policy, workforce development, research and analytics to advise global leaders, stakeholders and influencers on best practices in health information and technology. Through our innovation companies, HIMSS delivers key insights, education and engaging events to healthcare providers, governments and market suppliers, ensuring they have the right information at the point of decision. As an association, HIMSS encompasses more than 72,000 individual members and 630 corporate members. We partner with hundreds of providers, academic institutions and health services organizations on strategic initiatives that leverage innovative information and technology. Together, we work to improve health, access and the quality and cost-effectiveness of healthcare. HIMSS Vision Better health through information and technology. HIMSS Mission Globally, lead endeavors optimizing health engagements and care outcomes through information and technology.

Dieses Lehr- und Methodenbuch soll Studierenden der Biologie, Medizin, Pharmazie oder Biotechnologie wie auch Wissenschaftler*innen und technischen Assistent*innen einen umfassenden Einblick in die Zell- und Gewebekultur vermitteln. Praktische Tipps und Tricks in einer labor- und leserfreundlichen Aufmachung dienen dazu, die tagliche Routine im Zellkulturlabor zu erleichtern. Es sind vor allem die leicht nachvollziehbaren "Man-nehme"-Vorschriften, die den praktischen Wert des Buches ausmachen und zu weiterfuhrenden experimentellen Ansatzen anregen. Exemplarisch werden die wichtigsten Grundoperationen in der Zellkultur behandelt, sodass sich auch Anfanger bei der Kultivierung tierischer und pflanzlicher Zellen gut mithilfe des Buches einarbeiten und informieren koennen. Der Info-Anhang enthalt stoechiometrische Rechenbeispiele, ein umfangreiches Glossar, weiterfuhrende Literaturhinweise und Adressen von Lieferfirmen mit Internetadressen. Die 8. Auflage wurde wieder grundlich uberarbeitet und auf den letzten Stand von Wissen und Technik gebracht. Die neuesten Entwicklungen in der Zell- und Gewebekultur, die dreidimensionale Zellkultur, die Kultivierung von Organoiden und Miniorganen wie auch mikrophysiologische Systeme "on Chips" werden in einem neu gestalteten Kapitel ausfuhrlich beschrieben. Ebenfalls neu gestaltet und aktualisiert wurde der Abschnitt zur Kultivierung von Stammzellen. Der Abschnitt uber die in vitro-toxikologischen Ansatze wurde erganzt und aktualisiert. Sie finden ausfuhrliche praktische Anleitungen zum einen zur Authentifizierung humaner Zelllinien, verbunden mit einem Qualitatsmanagement, um Kontaminationen mit Mycoplasmen und Kreuzkontaminationen zu vermeiden bzw. rechtzeitig zu entdecken, zum anderen fur die Reduktion der Verwendung von fetalem Kalberserum oder um dieses ganzlich zu vermeiden.

Cross-sectoral interaction and cooperation in the communication of nutritional health risks represents a strategic research area among national governments and international health authorities. The key research question this book addresses is whether and how different industrial sectors interact with each other in the communication and industrial utilisation of health research findings. Through the introduction and exploration of large-scale industry news and digital media resources, this book systematically analyses a range of digital news genres and identifies new and growing trends of inter-sectoral interaction around the communication of nutritional health in the Chinese language at both international and national levels. This book argues that cross-sectoral interaction can be explored to identify areas that require policy intervention to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of current health communication and promotion. Inter-sectoral interaction can also provide incentives to develop new social programmes and business models to innovate and transform traditional industrial sectors.

Over the last twenty years integrated care has been touted as a solution to many issues in health services, such as insufficient coordination between services, cumbersome organizational boundaries, interrupted patient journeys, as well as spiraling health care costs. However, despite volumes of research, the field has seen few innovative advances in recent years. In particular, prevailing integrated care implementation practice and research appear to be very health science centred, spurning approaches from other disciplines. Axel Kaehne argues that it is time to re-evaluate how we investigate care integration. He asks us to radically question our assumptions about integrated care as a managerial, organisational and behavioural endeavor. This is a profound departure from conventional thinking about integration in health and social care. Kaehne reveals the tacit assumptions we make when we manage and change health services and offers a fresh perspective on care integration whilst inviting readers to examine long established research orthodoxies. This eclectic conceptual and theoretical approach produces surprising insights for everyone who is ready to see things anew.

Randomised Response-Adaptive Designs in Clinical Trials presents methods for the randomised allocation of treatments to patients in sequential clinical trials. Emphasizing the practical application of clinical trial designs, the book is designed for medical and applied statisticians, clinicians, and statisticians in training. After introducing clinical trials in drug development, the authors assess a simple adaptive design for binary responses without covariates. They discuss randomisation and covariate balance in normally distributed responses and cover many important response-adaptive designs for binary responses. The book then develops response-adaptive designs for continuous and longitudinal responses, optimum designs with covariates, and response-adaptive designs with covariates. It also covers response-adaptive designs that are derived by optimising an objective function subject to constraints on the variance of estimated parametric functions. The concluding chapter explores future directions in the development of adaptive designs.

Current Trends and Advances in Computer-Aided Intelligent Environmental Data Engineering merges computer engineering and environmental engineering. The book presents the latest finding on how data science and AI-based tools are being applied in environmental engineering research. This application involves multiple domains such as data science and artificial intelligence to transform the data collected by intelligent sensors into relevant and reliable information to support decision-making. These tools include fuzzy logic, knowledge-based systems, particle swarm optimization, genetic algorithms, Monte Carlo simulation, artificial neural networks, support vector machine, boosted regression tree, simulated annealing, ant colony algorithm, decision tree, immune algorithm, and imperialist competitive algorithm. This book is a fundamental information source because it is the first book to present the foundational reference material in this new research field. Furthermore, it gives a critical overview of the latest cross-domain research findings and technological developments on the recent advances in computer-aided intelligent environmental data engineering.

A Western-Based Approach to Analyzing TCMs In recent years, many pharmaceutical companies and clinical research organizations have been focusing on the development of traditional Chinese (herbal) medicines (TCMs) as alternatives to treating critical or life-threatening diseases and as pathways to personalized medicine. Quantitative Methods for Traditional Chinese Medicine Development is the first book entirely devoted to the design and analysis of TCM development from a Western perspective, i.e., evidence-based clinical research and development. The book provides not only a comprehensive summary of innovative quantitative methods for developing TCMs but also a useful desk reference for principal investigators involved in personalized medicine. Written by one of the world's most prominent biostatistics researchers, the book connects the pharmaceutical industry, regulatory agencies, and academia. It presents a state-of-the-art examination of the subject for: Scientists and researchers who are engaged in pharmaceutical/clinical research and development of TCMs Those in regulatory agencies who make decisions in the review and approval process of TCM regulatory submissions Biostatisticians who provide statistical support to assess clinical safety and effectiveness of TCMs and related issues regarding quality control and assurance as well as to test for consistency in the manufacturing processes for TCMs This book covers all of the statistical issues encountered at various stages of pharmaceutical/clinical development of a TCM. It explains regulatory requirements; product specifications and standards; and various statistical techniques for evaluation of TCMs, validation of diagnostic procedures, and testing consistency. It also contains an entire chapter of case studies and addresses critical issues in TCM development and FAQs from a

Advances in Molecular Pathology reviews the year's most important findings and updates within the field in order to provide molecular pathologists with the current clinical information they need to improve patient outcomes. A distinguished editorial board, led by Dr. Gregory Tsongalis, identifies key areas of major progress and controversy and invites preeminent specialists to contribute original articles devoted to these topics. These insightful overviews in molecular pathology inform and enhance clinical practice by bringing concepts to a clinical level and exploring their everyday impact on patient care. Provides in-depth, clinical reviews in molecular pathology, providing actionable insights for clinical practice. Presents the latest information in the field under the leadership of an experienced editorial team. Authors synthesize and distill the latest research and practice guidelines to create these timely topic-based reviews.