Grey literature is an important source of information for large-scale review syntheses. However, there are many characteristics of grey literature that make it difficult to search systematically. ...Further, there is no 'gold standard' for rigorous systematic grey literature search methods and few resources on how to conduct this type of search. This paper describes systematic review search methods that were developed and applied to complete a case study systematic review of grey literature that examined guidelines for school-based breakfast programs in Canada.
A grey literature search plan was developed to incorporate four different searching strategies: (1) grey literature databases, (2) customized Google search engines, (3) targeted websites, and (4) consultation with contact experts. These complementary strategies were used to minimize the risk of omitting relevant sources. Since abstracts are often unavailable in grey literature documents, items' abstracts, executive summaries, or table of contents (whichever was available) were screened. Screening of publications' full-text followed. Data were extracted on the organization, year published, who they were developed by, intended audience, goal/objectives of document, sources of evidence/resources cited, meals mentioned in the guidelines, and recommendations for program delivery.
The search strategies for identifying and screening publications for inclusion in the case study review was found to be manageable, comprehensive, and intuitive when applied in practice. The four search strategies of the grey literature search plan yielded 302 potentially relevant items for screening. Following the screening process, 15 publications that met all eligibility criteria remained and were included in the case study systematic review. The high-level findings of the case study systematic review are briefly described.
This article demonstrated a feasible and seemingly robust method for applying systematic search strategies to identify web-based resources in the grey literature. The search strategy we developed and tested is amenable to adaptation to identify other types of grey literature from other disciplines and answering a wide range of research questions. This method should be further adapted and tested in future research syntheses.
How to guide your PH.D. students Di Benedetto, C. Anthony; Lindgreen, Adam; Ringberg, Torsten
Industrial marketing management,
02/2021, Letnik:
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Journal Article
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This editorial discusses the issues and challenges of Ph.D. student supervision. Several academic colleagues with much experience in Ph.D. supervision were asked to contribute their thoughts on this ...important task. We present the tasks of supervision, including how these may be adapted depending on student characteristics such as extent of managerial experience. Then we explore the challenges faced by Ph.D. students, and discuss how these can be addressed. Following that, we examine the role of the supervisor in helping build student capabilities in publishing and teaching. Furthermore, we address the benefits of taking on supervisory responsibility. In the conclusion, the co-authors of this editorial provide retrospectives on their own experiences as Ph.D. supervisors.
Psychotic disorders are associated with academic difficulties. Supported Employment Program (SEP) guidelines have become the gold standard to improve occupational functioning in psychotic disorders. ...More recently, these guidelines have been adapted to education. In Canada, several community organizations and hospital programs offer supported education to young people with psychotic disorders. However, SEP guidelines are not systematically used. The objective of this study was to assess the fidelity of 6 Canadian (Quebec) organizations offering supported education services to young people with psychotic disorders to the SEP guidelines adapted to education.
Six sites offering educational services to young people with psychotic disorders were recruited. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with one supported education professional and one manager of each site, using the Quality of Supported Education Implementation Scale (QSEDIS). This new scale has been developed from the Quality of Supported Employment Implementation Scale. The QSEDIS assesses the fidelity of the quality of the implementation of supported education programs, using three subscales (Employees, Organization and Services).
Acceptable fidelity scores were observed in the three QSEDIS subscales for all six sites combined. The Services subscale received the highest score of fidelity (4.4/5), followed by the Supported Education Employee (4.1/5) and the Organization (3.7/5).
The results suggest that supported education services offered to young people with psychotic disorders in the six sites are generally consistent with SEP guidelines adapted to education. Further research is warranted to validate whether acceptable SEP guidelines fidelity according to the QSEDIS translates into educational outcomes.
Tuberculosis (TB) treatment is more challenging for patients with silicosis, as it complicates the diagnosis of both diseases and increases mortality risk. Silicosis, an incurable occupational ...disease, confounds the diagnosis of TB and vice versa, making it more difficult to accurately identify and treat either condition. Moreover, TB appears to accelerate the progression of silicosis. Exposure to silica dust, a common cause of silicosis, can also trigger latent TB to become active TB. This correspondence outlines a proposed framework for implementing collaborative TB-silicosis activities in India, aimed at improving early diagnosis and management for both diseases. An expert panel of medical professionals developed this framework through online consultations in October and November 2022. The panel's goal was to establish a consensus on integrating TB-silicosis activities, with a focus on early detection and proper management. The framework suggests testing all patients with silicosis for active TB and screening workers exposed to silica dust for latent TB infection. It also recommends that patients with TB who have a history of occupational exposure to silica dust should be tested for silicosis. Reliable diagnostic tools, such as chest X-rays, are emphasized, providing guidance on their use for both diseases. The proposed collaborative TB-silicosis framework offers a structured approach to identifying and managing these two diseases, contributing to the global goal of eliminating silicosis by 2030 and aligning with the World Health Organization's targets for reducing TB incidence and mortality. It recommends specific strategies for implementation, including testing, referral systems, and workplace-based interventions. The framework also underscores the need for coordinated efforts among stakeholders, including the ministries of health, labor, industry, and environment. This correspondence provides valuable insights into how India can successfully implement collaborative TB-silicosis activities, serving as a model for other regions with similar challenges. Keywords: Silico-tuberculosis, Integration, National tuberculosis elimination program, Joint activities, Silica dust, Program guidelines, Collaborative framework, Bidirectional activities, India
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute is funding 8 comparative effectiveness research projects to improve patient-centered outcomes for African American and Hispanic/Latino patients with ...uncontrolled asthma. These projects aim to compare multilevel interventions with known efficacy at the community, home, and health system levels to enhance patient and clinician uptake of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's National Asthma Education Prevention Program guidelines and improve outcomes. The National Asthma Education Prevention Program guidelines provide clinicians with a range of acceptable approaches for the diagnosis and management of asthma and define general practices that meet the needs of most patients. Yet disparities in asthma care and outcomes remain pervasive for African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute AsthmaNet consortium has identified several top research priorities for pediatric and adult populations, including a recommendation to examine tailored approaches based on race/ethnicity. In addition, the guidelines emphasize the need for studies that focus on multicomponent interventions recognizing that single interventions are generally ineffective. This article will describe the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute–funded asthma projects and how they are individually and collectively addressing evidence gaps in asthma care by focusing on multicomponent and tailored approaches for improving outcomes and reducing disparities for African American and Hispanic/Latino patients.
BACKGROUND: African Americans (AA) have the highest coronary heart disease mortality rate of any ethnic group in the United States. Data from the National Cholesterol Education Program Evaluation ...ProjecT Utilizing Novel E‐Technology (NEPTUNE) II survey were used to assess ethnic differences in low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C) goal achievement.
METHODS: NEPTUNE II surveyed patients with treated dyslipidemia to assess achievement of treatment goals established by the Adult Treatment Panel III of the National Cholesterol Education Program. United States physicians working in primary care or relevant subspecialties enrolled 10 to 20 consecutive patients (May to September 2003), and patient data were recorded in Personal Digital Assistants and uploaded to a central database via the internet.
RESULTS: Among 4,885 patients receiving treatment for dyslipidemia, 79.7% were non‐Hispanic white (NHW) and 8.4% were AA. Non‐Hispanic white and AA patients had significantly different frequencies of treatment success, with 69.0% and 53.7%, respectively, having achieved their LDL‐C goal (P<.001). African‐American patients were more likely to be in the highest risk category, and less likely to be using lipid drug therapy, taking high‐efficacy statins, and receiving care from a subspecialist, but the difference in goal achievement remained significant (P<.001) after adjustment for these and other predictors of treatment success.
CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of treatment success in dyslipidemia management was significantly lower in AA than NHW patients. Additional research is needed to elucidate reasons for this disparity and to evaluate strategies for improving goal achievement among AA patients receiving therapy for dyslipidemia.
The new Adult Treatment Panel guidelines will be published in 2011. This paper suggests the consideration of major changes in the existing management guidelines for low-density lipoprotein ...cholesterol management based on 2 fundamental principles: return the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level to the normal range and begin treatment closer to disease onset. These principles suggest the value of rethinking all 3 of the principal features of the Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol management: the initiation criteria, the use of variable targets, and the level of the treatment target. Because the principal issue surrounding guideline change is likely to be uncertainty concerning cost and toxicity, the text of new guidelines would have to completely satisfy this concern by strong emphasis on a prudent conservative approach to implementation and would include both cautionary data and caveats concerning the tradeoffs between the potency, cost, and toxicity of statins. The proposed changes in the guidelines, if combined with effective implementation, would likely lead to the displacement of atherosclerotic disease as the nation's number 1 killer. This review provides a logical rationale and discusses the pros and cons for each of the proposed changes.
African Americans (AA) have the highest coronary heart disease mortality rate of any ethnic group in the United States. Data from the National Cholesterol Education Program Evaluation ProjecT ...Utilizing Novel E-Technology (NEPTUNE) II survey were used to assess ethnic differences in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goal achievement.
NEPTUNE II surveyed patients with treated dyslipidemia to assess achievement of treatment goals established by the Adult Treatment Panel III of the National Cholesterol Education Program. United States physicians working in primary care or relevant subspecialties enrolled 10 to 20 consecutive patients (May to September 2003), and patient data were recorded in Personal Digital Assistants and uploaded to a central database via the internet.
Among 4,885 patients receiving treatment for dyslipidemia, 79.7% were non-Hispanic white (NHW) and 8.4% were AA. Non-Hispanic white and AA patients had significantly different frequencies of treatment success, with 69.0% and 53.7%, respectively, having achieved their LDL-C goal (P<.001). African-American patients were more likely to be in the highest risk category, and less likely to be using lipid drug therapy, taking high-efficacy statins, and receiving care from a subspecialist, but the difference in goal achievement remained significant (P<.001) after adjustment for these and other predictors of treatment success.
The frequency of treatment success in dyslipidemia management was significantly lower in AA than NHW patients. Additional research is needed to elucidate reasons for this disparity and to evaluate strategies for improving goal achievement among AA patients receiving therapy for dyslipidemia.
The United States’ National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Adult Treatment Panel III and the Canadian Working Group on Hypercholesterolemia and Other Dyslipidemias (CWG) have each issued ...guidelines for the treatment of dyslipidemia.
The present analysis compared the percentage of patients reaching target lipid levels according to NCEP and CWG guidelines among participants of the NCEP Evaluation ProjecT Utilizing Novel E-technology (NEPTUNE) II, a survey performed in the United States.
American physicians who were high prescribers of lipidmodifying medications (n=376) each enrolled 10 to 20 consecutive patients from February to September 2003. Medical information, laboratory measurements and treatment plans associated with a single office visit were entered into a personal digital assistant and uploaded to a central database via the Internet.
Under both sets of guidelines, treatment success was strongly related to risk category (P<0.001). Treatment goal achievement in the low-risk (zero or one risk factor) and moderate-risk (two or more risk factors) categories was not substantially different between NCEP and CWG guidelines; however, in the high-risk category (coronary artery disease CAD and risk equivalents RE), CWG treatment goals were met less frequently than NCEP goals. NCEP combined low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol treatment goals were met by 39% of hypertriglyceridemic patients (27% in the CAD + CAD RE category). CWG combined low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio treatment goals were met by 38% of hypertriglyceridemic patients (19% in the CAD + CAD RE category).
These data indicate substantial underachievement of treatment goals by patients at high risk under both the CWG and NCEP guidelines. The lower frequency of treatment success in high-risk patients according to the CWG definition indicates that more aggressive treatment is needed to reach CWG goals.
Le groupe de traitement National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Adult Treatment Panel (ATP) III aux États-Unis et le groupe de travail canadien sur l’hypercholestérolémie et les autres dyslipidémies (GTC) ont tous deux publié des lignes directrices sur la prise en charge des troubles lipidiques.
La présente analyse visait à comparer le pourcentage de patients qui avaient atteint les valeurs cibles de traitement selon le NCEP ATP Ill et selon le GTC 2003 parmi les sujets qui avaient participé à l’enquête NCEP Evaluation ProjecT Utilizing Novel E-technology (NEPTUNE) II, enquête menée aux États-Unis.
Les médecins aux États-Unis, qui étaient d’importants prescripteurs d’hypolipidémiants (n = 376), ont chacun admis de 10 à 20 patients consécutifs (de février à septembre 2003) dans l’enquête. Les données médicales, les résultats de laboratoire et les plans de traitement associés à une seule consultation en cabinet ont été entrés dans un assistant numérique, puis téléchargés vers une base de données centrale par Internet.
La réussite du traitement était fortement liée à la catégorie de risque (P < 0,001) pour les deux ensembles de lignes directrices. L’atteinte des valeurs cibles dans les groupes à faible risque (aucun ou un facteur de risque) et à risque modéré (deux facteurs de risque ou plus) était sensiblement la même pour les lignes directrices du NCEP et celles du GTC; par contre, dans le groupe à risque élevé (coronaropathie CP et risque équivalent RE), l’atteinte des valeurs cibles selon les lignes directrices du GTC était moins élevée que selon celles du NCEP. En effet, 39% des patients hypertriglycéridémiques ont atteint les objectifs de traitement du NCEP pour le cholestérol à lipoprotéines de basse densité et le cholestérol à lipoprotéines non de haute densité, réunis (27% dans les groupes de CP et de RE) contre 38% des patients hypertriglycéridémiques pour le cholestérol à lipoprotéines de basse densité et le rapport cholestérol total/cholestérol à lipoprotéines de haute densité, réunis, selon les lignes directrices du GTC (19% dans les groupes de CP et de RE).
Les données indiquent qu’un pourcentage important de patients à risque élevé n’atteignent pas les valeurs cibles de traitement, et ce, tant selon les lignes directrices du NCEP que selon celles du GTC. De plus, le taux de réussite plus faible chez les patients à risque élevé selon la définition du GTC appelle un traitement plus énergique pour permettre l’atteinte des objectifs établis par le groupe.
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