Alicia O’cathain
Datos Biográficos
| ID | 211368 |
|---|---|
| NOMBRE | Alicia O’cathain |
| NOMBRES | Alicia |
| APELLIDO | O’cathain |
| FIRMA | O’CATHAIN A |
| AFILIACIONES | University of Sheffield |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-4033-506X |
| VERIFICADO | Sí |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 43 |
| TOTAL DE CITAS | 142 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 43 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 0 |
| PRIMER AÑO DE PUBLICACIÓN | 1989 |
| AÑO MÁS RECIENTE DE PUBLICACIÓN | 2026 |
| ÍNDICE H | 8 |
Developing and Assessing the Acceptability of an Information Booklet for Patients in Surveillance for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms
BACKGROUND: In the United Kingdom and Sweden, men aged 65 are offered screening for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA). Men with small AAA enter a surveillance programme to monitor growth until the AAA is large enough for referral for treatment. Some men develop anxiety related to having an AAA or being in surveillance. AIM: The original aim was to develop and assess the acceptability of a new intervention to help men in surveillance manage anxiety.…
Optimising Calorie Intake for People With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
OBJECTIVE: To explore intervention fidelity and experiences of using a new intervention designed to optimise calorie intake in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). METHODS: A mixed-methods process evaluation was conducted alongside an ongoing randomised controlled trial across 15 ALS specialist centres in the United Kingdom. Data collection included 146 healthcare professional-completed fidelity checklists, audio recordings of 5 inter…
Exiting Surveillance From Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening
BACKGROUND: The NHS Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Screening Programme in England screens men aged 65. Men with small aneurysms enter annual surveillance. The current 'exit strategy' is to leave surveillance after 15 years if the aneurysm remains small. OBJECTIVES: The aim was to explore the views of clinicians, men in surveillance and their family members about exiting surveillance. DESIGN: A sequential study involving a Clinical Stakeholder Wo…
Factors influencing decisions people with motor neuron disease make about gastrostomy placement and ventilation
The use of co-production, co-design and co-creation to mobilise knowledge in the management of health conditions
Adapting interventions to new contexts—the Adapt guidance
Implementing interventions with a previous evidence base in new contexts might be more efficient than developing new interventions for each context. Although some interventions transfer well, effectiveness and implementation often depend on the context. Achieving a good fit between intervention and context then requires careful and systematic adaptation. This paper presents new evidence and consensus informed guidance for adapting and transferrin…
Understanding young adults’ reasons for seeking ‘clinically unnecessary’ urgent and emergency care
BACKGROUND: Studies have identified young adults as more likely to use emergency departments for 'clinically unnecessary' problems, with limited similar evidence for emergency ambulance use. Media portrayals depict young adults as motivated by 'convenience', but little research has explored the reasons for their help-seeking behaviour. METHODS: Qualitative interviews with 16 young adults (18-30) considered by clinicians to have made unnecessary u…
‘Clinically unnecessary’ use of emergency and urgent care
Health literacy levels of British adults
This study described the distribution of health literacy levels for the British population in 2018. Interventions to improve health literacy will best be targeted at those with lower levels of education, those living in the most deprived areas, and those with a limiting health condition or disability
The Mixed Methods Research Workbook
Improving the content validity of the mixed methods appraisal tool
OBJECTIVE: The mixed methods appraisal tool (MMAT) was developed for critically appraising different study designs. This study aimed to improve the content validity of three of the five categories of studies in the MMAT by identifying relevant methodological criteria for appraising the quality of qualitative, survey, and mixed methods studies. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: First, we performed a literature review to identify critical appraisal tools a…
Guidance on how to develop complex interventions to improve health and healthcare
OBJECTIVE: To provide researchers with guidance on actions to take during intervention development. SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS: Based on a consensus exercise informed by reviews and qualitative interviews, we present key principles and actions for consideration when developing interventions to improve health. These include seeing intervention development as a dynamic iterative process, involving stakeholders, reviewing published research evidence, dra…
Taxonomy of approaches to developing interventions to improve health
BACKGROUND: Interventions need to be developed prior to the feasibility and piloting phase of a study. There are a variety of published approaches to developing interventions, programmes or innovations to improve health. Identifying different types of approach, and synthesising the range of actions taken within this endeavour, can inform future intervention development. METHODS: This study is a systematic methods overview of approaches to interve…
Socioeconomic disparities in access to intensive insulin regimens for adults with type 1 diabetes
Access to intensive insulin regimens was hindered for people in lower socioeconomic groups by a complex mix of factors relating to the permeability of specialist services, ability to navigate the healthcare system and patient interactions with healthcare providers. Improving access to diabetes specialist nurses and structured diabetes education for vulnerable patients could lessen socioeconomic disparities in both access to services and health ou…
When and how do ‘effective’ interventions need to be adapted and/or re-evaluated in new contexts? The need for guidance
First paragraph: Rational models of evidence-informed policy have historically centred on an assumption that it is possible to identify "effective" health interventions, before recommending wider implementation. However, for population health interventions (which we define as inclusive of public health and health services), transferability to new contexts is often uncertain [1]. Some interventions have demonstrated limited effectiveness, or even …
When Is Forgetting Not Forgetting? A Discursive Analysis of Differences in Forgetting Talk Between Adults With Cystic Fibrosis With Different Levels of Adherence to Nebulizer Treatments
Forgetting is often cited as a reason why people struggle to adhere to treatments for chronic conditions. Interventions have tried to improve forgetting behavior using reminders. We used a discursive psychological approach to explore differences in how high and low adherers constructed forgetting their nebulizer treatments for cystic fibrosis. Interviews were conducted with 18 adults from a cystic fibrosis center in the United Kingdom. High adher…
The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) version 2018 for information professionals and researchers
INTRODUCTION: Appraising the quality of studies included in systematic reviews combining qualitative and quantitative evidence is challenging. To address this challenge, a critical appraisal tool was developed: the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). The aim of this paper is to present the enhance ments made to the MMAT. DEVELOPMENT: The MMAT was initially developed in 2006 based on a literature review on systematic reviews combining qualitative…
Adjusting a mainstream weight management intervention for people with intellectual disabilities
This user-centred approach identified reasonable adjustments that were feasible to implement. In a small uncontrolled feasibility study, people with ID were positive about the adjustments and lost weight. However, issues in the wider context of people's lives, such as obesogenic environments and concerns about joining mainstream groups, limited the acceptability of Slimming World even with these adjustments. These findings have important implicat…
Process evaluation of complex interventions
Process evaluation is an essential part of designing and testing complex interventions. New MRC guidance provides a framework for conducting and reporting process evaluation studies
Intimate Partner Violence in Pakistan
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major social and public health problem affecting people in various cultures and societies. Though the issue of IPV in Pakistan has been researched since the 1990s, no attempt has been made systematically to review the available evidence on IPV in Pakistan. This article presents findings of a systematic review of available empirical literature related to IPV in Pakistan. Using various key words, MEDLINE, CINAHL…
Reassurance as a key outcome valued by emergency ambulance service users
BACKGROUND: There is an increasing need to assess the performance of emergency ambulance services using measures other than the time taken for an ambulance to arrive on scene. In line with government policy, patients and carers can help to shape new measures of ambulance service performance. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the aspects of emergency ambulance service care valued by users. DESIGN: Qualitative interview study. SETTING: One of 11 ambulance …
Factors perceived to influence risky sexual behaviours among university students in the United Kingdom
Lifestyle, individual and structural factors seem to play an important role in influencing the risky sexual behaviours of university students. Therefore preventive interventions that focus on these factors could be very useful in this sub-population of young people. This study provides useful baseline information that helps us understand how and why some United Kingdom university students engage in risky sexual behaviours that puts them at risk o…
Process evaluation in complex public health intervention studies
Objective Infections with multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) such as Gram-negative bacteria have high morbidity and mortality with limited treatment options. Colistin, an antibiotic active against MDRO, was rarely used due to frequent adverse effects, but its use has now been recommended among adults. In this study, we determined the efficacy of colistin for the treatment of sepsis in neonates. Design/setting/patients/outcomes We conducted a r…
Measuring quality of life in mental health
Patients’ experiences and views of an emergency and urgent care system
Background Surveys of patients’ experiences and views of health care usually focus on single services. During an unexpected episode of ill health, patients may make contact with different services and therefore experience care within an emergency and urgent care system. We developed the Urgent Care System Questionnaire and used it to describe patients’ experiences and views of an emergency and urgent care system in England. Methods A market resea…
Integration and Publications as Indicators of "Yield" From Mixed Methods Studies
A mixed methods study has the potential to produce knowledge that is unavailable to a qualitative study and a quantitative study undertaken independently. Any unique insight or ``yield'' from a mixed methods study may be difficult to assess in practice. However, given that integration of data or findings from different components of a study is a core characteristic of mixed methods research, two possible indicators of yield can be used: first, th…
Telephone triage, expert systems and clinical expertise
This paper reports on a qualitative study of the use of an expert system developed for the British telephone triage service NHS Direct. This system, known as CAS, is designed to standardise and control the interaction between NHS Direct nurses and callers. The paper shows, however, that in practice the nurses use CAS in a range of ways and, in so doing, privilege their own expertise and deliver an individualised service. The paper concludes by ar…
Knowledge, technology and nursing
NHS Direct is a relatively new, nurse-based, 24-hour health advice line run as part of the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). The service delivers health advice remotely via the telephone. A central aspect of the service is the attempt to provide a standard level of health advice regardless of time, space or the background of the nurse. At the heart of this attempt is an innovative health software called CLINICAL ASSESSMENT SYSTEM (CAS). Using a…
The Role of Group Dynamics in Mixed Methods Health Sciences Research Teams
This article explores the group dynamics of mixed methods health sciences research teams. The authors conceptualize mixed methods research teams as “representational groups,” in which members bring both their organizational and professional groups (e.g., organizational affiliations, methodological expertise) and their identity groups, such as gender or race, to the work of research. Although diversity and complementarity are intrinsic to mixed me…
Multidisciplinary, Interdisciplinary, or Dysfunctional? Team Working in Mixed-Methods Research
Combining qualitative and quantitative methods in a single study-otherwise known as mixed-methods research-is common. In health research these projects can be delivered by research teams. A typical scenario, for example, involves medical sociologists delivering qualitative components and researchers from medicine or health economics delivering quantitative components. We undertook semistructured interviews with 20 researchers who had worked on mi…
Does NHS Direct empower patients
Risk and the Responsible Health Consumer
NHS Direct, the 24-hour telephone helpline, uses modern communications technology to offer easier and faster access to advice about health, illness and the NHS so that people are better able to care for themselves and their families. In-depth interviews with callers to the service show that they bring with them discourses of the ‘deserving’ and ‘ undeserving’ familiar in the provision of other welfare services. The figure of the ‘time-waster’ is …
The continuum of patient satisfaction-from satisfied to very satisfied
Measuring quality of life in mental health
Process evaluation in complex public health intervention studies
Objective Infections with multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) such as Gram-negative bacteria have high morbidity and mortality with limited treatment options. Colistin, an antibiotic active against MDRO, was rarely used due to frequent adverse effects, but its use has now been recommended among adults. In this study, we determined the efficacy of colistin for the treatment of sepsis in neonates. Design/setting/patients/outcomes We conducted a r…
When Is Forgetting Not Forgetting? A Discursive Analysis of Differences in Forgetting Talk Between Adults With Cystic Fibrosis With Different Levels of Adherence to Nebulizer Treatments
Forgetting is often cited as a reason why people struggle to adhere to treatments for chronic conditions. Interventions have tried to improve forgetting behavior using reminders. We used a discursive psychological approach to explore differences in how high and low adherers constructed forgetting their nebulizer treatments for cystic fibrosis. Interviews were conducted with 18 adults from a cystic fibrosis center in the United Kingdom. High adher…
Understanding the effect of disease adaptation information on general population values for hypothetical health states
The Mixed Methods Research Workbook
Epidemiology of babies dying at different ages from the sudden infant death syndrome
An analysis of data from the United Kingdom multicentre study of postneonatal mortality has been made to assess whether there are causally distinct groups of babies dying from the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), and to develop explicit risk factor profiles for the subgroups. The 303 SIDS babies in the multicentre study were divided into four subgroups by age at death: weeks 1-7, 8-15, 16-23, and 24 or more weeks. Contrasts between these subg…
When and how do ‘effective’ interventions need to be adapted and/or re-evaluated in new contexts? The need for guidance
First paragraph: Rational models of evidence-informed policy have historically centred on an assumption that it is possible to identify "effective" health interventions, before recommending wider implementation. However, for population health interventions (which we define as inclusive of public health and health services), transferability to new contexts is often uncertain [1]. Some interventions have demonstrated limited effectiveness, or even …
Epidemiology of babies dying at different ages from the sudden infant death syndrome
An analysis of data from the United Kingdom multicentre study of postneonatal mortality has been made to assess whether there are causally distinct groups of babies dying from the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), and to develop explicit risk factor profiles for the subgroups. The 303 SIDS babies in the multicentre study were divided into four subgroups by age at death: weeks 1-7, 8-15, 16-23, and 24 or more weeks. Contrasts between these subg…
Validating the SF-36 health survey questionnaire
OBJECTIVES: To test the acceptability, validity, and reliability of the short form 36 health survey questionnaire (SF-36) and to compare it with the Nottingham health profile. DESIGN: Postal survey using a questionnaire booklet together with a letter from the general practitioner. Non-respondents received two reminders at two week intervals. The SF-36 questionnaire was retested on a subsample of respondents two weeks after the first mailing. SETT…
The continuum of patient satisfaction-from satisfied to very satisfied
Evaluating decision aids – where next
Decision aids have been developed to help patients become involved in decision‐making about their individual health care. During the evaluation of a particular decision aid in maternity care – a set of 10 ‘Informed Choice’ leaflets – we considered the lessons learnt for evaluation of decision aids in the future. Decision aids have been tested mainly in explanatory trials and have been found to be effective. We argue that existing decision aids sh…
Risk and the Responsible Health Consumer
NHS Direct, the 24-hour telephone helpline, uses modern communications technology to offer easier and faster access to advice about health, illness and the NHS so that people are better able to care for themselves and their families. In-depth interviews with callers to the service show that they bring with them discourses of the ‘deserving’ and ‘ undeserving’ familiar in the provision of other welfare services. The figure of the ‘time-waster’ is …
Male Callers to NHS Direct
It has been suggested in the light of mortality and morbidity rates, and men's reluctance to seek medical help and advice, that there is a crisis in men's health. Little is known about men's experiences of using health care services, despite an emergent UK men's health movement. NHS Direct, the new telephone advice line, was designed to be more accessible, convenient and responsive to the public's needs for health care. In-depth interviews with m…
Knowledge, technology and nursing
NHS Direct is a relatively new, nurse-based, 24-hour health advice line run as part of the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). The service delivers health advice remotely via the telephone. A central aspect of the service is the attempt to provide a standard level of health advice regardless of time, space or the background of the nurse. At the heart of this attempt is an innovative health software called CLINICAL ASSESSMENT SYSTEM (CAS). Using a…
Does NHS Direct empower patients
Telephone triage, expert systems and clinical expertise
This paper reports on a qualitative study of the use of an expert system developed for the British telephone triage service NHS Direct. This system, known as CAS, is designed to standardise and control the interaction between NHS Direct nurses and callers. The paper shows, however, that in practice the nurses use CAS in a range of ways and, in so doing, privilege their own expertise and deliver an individualised service. The paper concludes by ar…
Integration and Publications as Indicators of "Yield" From Mixed Methods Studies
A mixed methods study has the potential to produce knowledge that is unavailable to a qualitative study and a quantitative study undertaken independently. Any unique insight or ``yield'' from a mixed methods study may be difficult to assess in practice. However, given that integration of data or findings from different components of a study is a core characteristic of mixed methods research, two possible indicators of yield can be used: first, th…
The Quality of Mixed Methods Studies in Health Services Research
OBJECTIVES: To assess the quality of mixed methods studies in health services research (HSR). METHODS: We identified 118 mixed methods studies funded by the Department of Health in England between 1994 and 2004, and obtained proposals and/or final reports for 75. We applied a set of quality questions to both the proposal and report of each study, addressing the success of the study, the mixed methods design, the individual qualitative and quantit…
Multidisciplinary, Interdisciplinary, or Dysfunctional? Team Working in Mixed-Methods Research
Combining qualitative and quantitative methods in a single study-otherwise known as mixed-methods research-is common. In health research these projects can be delivered by research teams. A typical scenario, for example, involves medical sociologists delivering qualitative components and researchers from medicine or health economics delivering quantitative components. We undertook semistructured interviews with 20 researchers who had worked on mi…
Three techniques for integrating data in mixed methods studies
Techniques designed to combine the results of qualitative and quantitative studies can provide researchers with more knowledge than separate analysis
Is primary angioplasty an acceptable alternative to thrombolysis? Quantitative and qualitative study of patient and carer satisfaction
Objective The National Infarct Angioplasty Project assessed the feasibility of establishing a comprehensive primary angioplasty service. We aimed to compare satisfaction at intervention hospitals offering angioplasty‐based care and control hospitals offering thrombolysis‐based care. Design Mixed methods, with postal survey of patients and their carers, supported by semi‐structured interviews. Setting and participants Survey of 682 patients and 48…
Using mixed methods research to explore the effect of an adaptation exercise on general population valuations of health states
The Role of Group Dynamics in Mixed Methods Health Sciences Research Teams
This article explores the group dynamics of mixed methods health sciences research teams. The authors conceptualize mixed methods research teams as “representational groups,” in which members bring both their organizational and professional groups (e.g., organizational affiliations, methodological expertise) and their identity groups, such as gender or race, to the work of research. Although diversity and complementarity are intrinsic to mixed me…
Failing to meet expectations
Background Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a major social and public health problem affecting people across cultures, religions and societies. Much research has been undertaken to offer understanding and explanations of this phenomenon, its determinants, and its consequences in developed countries around the world. However, there is still a paucity of research on IPV in many areas of the developing world such as Pakistan. Although various stud…
Understanding the effect of disease adaptation information on general population values for hypothetical health states
Patients’ experiences and views of an emergency and urgent care system
Background Surveys of patients’ experiences and views of health care usually focus on single services. During an unexpected episode of ill health, patients may make contact with different services and therefore experience care within an emergency and urgent care system. We developed the Urgent Care System Questionnaire and used it to describe patients’ experiences and views of an emergency and urgent care system in England. Methods A market resea…
Factors perceived to influence risky sexual behaviours among university students in the United Kingdom
Lifestyle, individual and structural factors seem to play an important role in influencing the risky sexual behaviours of university students. Therefore preventive interventions that focus on these factors could be very useful in this sub-population of young people. This study provides useful baseline information that helps us understand how and why some United Kingdom university students engage in risky sexual behaviours that puts them at risk o…
Process evaluation in complex public health intervention studies
Objective Infections with multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) such as Gram-negative bacteria have high morbidity and mortality with limited treatment options. Colistin, an antibiotic active against MDRO, was rarely used due to frequent adverse effects, but its use has now been recommended among adults. In this study, we determined the efficacy of colistin for the treatment of sepsis in neonates. Design/setting/patients/outcomes We conducted a r…
Measuring quality of life in mental health
Process evaluation of complex interventions
Process evaluation is an essential part of designing and testing complex interventions. New MRC guidance provides a framework for conducting and reporting process evaluation studies
Intimate Partner Violence in Pakistan
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major social and public health problem affecting people in various cultures and societies. Though the issue of IPV in Pakistan has been researched since the 1990s, no attempt has been made systematically to review the available evidence on IPV in Pakistan. This article presents findings of a systematic review of available empirical literature related to IPV in Pakistan. Using various key words, MEDLINE, CINAHL…
Reassurance as a key outcome valued by emergency ambulance service users
BACKGROUND: There is an increasing need to assess the performance of emergency ambulance services using measures other than the time taken for an ambulance to arrive on scene. In line with government policy, patients and carers can help to shape new measures of ambulance service performance. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the aspects of emergency ambulance service care valued by users. DESIGN: Qualitative interview study. SETTING: One of 11 ambulance …
Medicine (36 obras) · Psychology (25 obras) · Nursing (23 obras) · Computer Science (13 obras) · Health Policy Implementation Science (13 obras) · Political science (12 obras) · Qualitative research (11 obras) · Environmental health (10 obras) · Health care (10 obras) · Population (10 obras)