scholarly journals Understanding survey data available for researchers working in ageing: the CEPAR Metadata Database on Ageing

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-76
Author(s):  
Jeromey Temple ◽  
Tanara Sousa ◽  
Ruth Williams ◽  
Jay Stiles ◽  
Libby Brooke ◽  
...  

Background  For researchers working in gerontology or the demography of ageing, knowledge of and access to population-based data, which includes mature age respondents, is critical. The collection of metadata (information describing data) supports researchers in their search for relevant data. Aims  This proof-of-concept project seeks to develop a metadata database including metadata on Australian sample surveys relevant to ageing over the period 2010–2018. Data and methods  We used a five-stage approach to create the Centre for Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR) metadata database on ageing: 1) identification of in-scope survey datasets; 2) indexing the in-scope surveys; 3) scraping metadata from publicly available sources; 4) appending metadata to a master database; and 5) creation of a webtool to enable users to search and export metadata and obtain contact details for the relevant data custodian. Results  The CEPAR Metadata Database webtool is available from: https://mspgh.unimelb.edu.au/centres-institutes/centre-for-health-policy/research-group/metadata-database. Conclusions  Metadata database collections can assist researchers to identify what data has been collected (for their specific research interest in ageing), how it was collected and how to gain access to the data.

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. H. Gaertner ◽  
S. Baxter ◽  
J. Greenlees ◽  
C. L. Gilroy ◽  
D. K. Horne

Evaluation ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-115
Author(s):  
Barbara Befani ◽  
Corinna Elsenbroich ◽  
Jen Badham

As policy makers require more rigorous assessments for the strength of evidence in Theory-Based evaluations, Bayesian logic is attracting increasing interest; however, the estimation of probabilities that this logic (almost) inevitably requires presents challenges. Probabilities can be estimated on the basis of empirical frequencies, but such data are often unavailable for most mechanisms that are objects of evaluation. Subjective probability elicitation techniques are well established in other fields and potentially applicable, but they present potential challenges and might not always be feasible. We introduce the community to a third way: simulated probabilities. We provide proof of concept that simulation can be used to estimate probabilities in diagnostic evaluation and illustrate our case with an application to health policy.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. e000076 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alina Engelman ◽  
Ben Case ◽  
Lisa Meeks ◽  
Michael D Fetters

Healthcare guidelines play a prominent role in the day-to-day practice of primary care providers, and health policy research leads to the formation of these guidelines. Health policy research is the multidisciplinary approach to public policy explaining the interaction between health institutions, special interests and theoretical constructs. In this article, we demonstrate how primary care providers can conduct high-impact health policy research using Eugene Bardach’s eightfold policy analysis framework in a primary care context. In a medical case, a woman with a history of total hysterectomy had scheduled a visit for a Papanicolaou (Pap) smear screening test as part of a well-woman health check-up with a family medicine resident. Conflicting recommendations on Pap smear screening after total hysterectomy sparked an investigation using the US Preventive Services Task Force criteria for conducting a health policy analysis. We illustrate broadly how clinical care dilemmas can be examined by using Bardach’s broadly applicable health policy framework in order to inform meaningful policy change. Bardach’s framework includes (1) defining the problem, (2) assembling evidence, (3) constructing alternatives, (4) selecting criteria, (5) projecting outcomes, (6) confronting trade-offs, (7) decision-making and (8) sharing the results of the process. The policy analysis demonstrated insufficient evidence to recommend Pap test screening after hysterectomy and the findings contributed to national recommendations. By following Bardach’s steps, primary care researchers have a feasible and powerful tool for conducting meaningful health policy research and analysis that can influence clinical practice.


Author(s):  
Kim A. Kayunze ◽  
Angwara D. Kiwara ◽  
Eligius Lyamuya ◽  
Dominic M. Kambarage ◽  
Jonathan Rushton ◽  
...  

One-health approaches have started being applied to health systems in some countries in controlling infectious diseases in order to reduce the burden of disease in humans, livestock and wild animals collaboratively. However, one wonders whether the problem of lingering and emerging zoonoses is more affected by health policies, low application of one-health approaches, or other factors. As part of efforts to answer this question, the Southern African Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance (SACIDS) smart partnership of human health, animal health and socio-economic experts published, in April 2011, a conceptual framework to support One Health research for policy on emerging zoonoses. The main objective of this paper was to identify which factors really affect the burden of disease and how the burden could affect socio-economic well-being. Amongst other issues, the review of literature shows that the occurrence of infectious diseases in humans and animals is driven by many factors, the most important ones being the causative agents (viruses, bacteria, parasites, etc.) and the mediator conditions (social, cultural, economic or climatic) which facilitate the infection to occur and hold. Literature also shows that in many countries there is little collaboration between medical and veterinary services despite the shared underlying science and the increasing infectious disease threat. In view of these findings, a research to inform health policy must walk on two legs: a natural sciences leg and a social sciences one.


2001 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 389-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Prince

The 10/66 Dementia Research Group (2000a) has drawn attention to the uneven distribution of research evidence worldwide; although two thirds (66%) of all persons with dementia live in developing countries, 10% or less of population-based research has been conducted in those regions. The study by Vas and colleagues on dementia in Mumbai, India, published in this issue of International Psychogeriatrics is therefore most welcome. Dementia has a very low profile in most developing countries. Families often view it as a normal part of aging, and few seek help despite experiencing significant strain (Pate1 & Prince, 2001; Shaji et al., in press). Unsurprisingly therefore it is accorded a low priority by policymakers in the developing world, and there is little sign of attention being given to the development of more responsive health care or social welfare services. Population-based research, well disseminated, can play an important role in increasing awareness at all levels of society.


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