Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “thematic analysis methods”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 613 records · Page 34Linked to original sources
PubMed2006

A comparative analysis of contemporary nurses' discontents.

AIM: This paper reports a study to evaluate and increase understanding of contemporary Registered Nurses' discontents, and to compare these discontents and their effects with those of nurses 20 years ago. BACKGROUND: In 1986, Turner argued that nurses' discontents were reflected in a discourse or 'vocabulary of complaint' that provided a sense of solidarity amongst practising nurses, and defused their frustrations rather than channelling them into demands for workplace reform. In this paper, we revisit Turner's notion of a vocabulary of complaint in the context of a study of nurse retention in the contemporary Australian healthcare workplace. METHODS: This paper draws on the qualitative data from a larger project (completed in 2001) exploring the relationship between job satisfaction and self-concept in both recently graduated and experienced nurses. Here, we elaborate on thematic analyses of the comments of 146 Australian Registered Nurses with more than 5 years' nursing experience. FINDINGS: There is still a high level of discontent amongst contemporary practising nurses, although the focus of their complaints and their responses to them have changed since Turner's study. Conflicting expectations of nurses and managers and lack of opportunity to provide comprehensive care emerged as the most important issues for experienced nurses today. Rather than contributing to a sense of solidarity as in Turner's study, contemporary nurses' discontents reflect intense personal frustration and underpin individual nurses' decisions to leave, or plan to leave, the workforce. CONCLUSION: There is an urgent need for increasing health service management and community awareness about the relationship between providing comprehensive nursing care and nurses' job satisfaction. Addressing nurses' discontents, wider nursing involvement in the international policy arena, and the politicization of nurses worldwide may contribute to alleviating the current global nursing shortage.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2000

Towards agreement on ways to measure and report drinking patterns and alcohol-related problems in adult general population surveys: the Skarpö conference overview.

A thematic conference of the Kettil Bruun Society (KBS) for Social and Epidemiological Research on Alcohol was held in Skarpö, near Stockholm, on April 3-7, 2000. The goals of the meeting were to develop consensus sets of questionnaire items for measuring alcohol consumption and social harm, to delineate statistical and practical concerns related to the aggregation of consumption and harm data and to identify summary measures to be used for descriptive purposes and in analyses of the association between alcohol intake and alcohol-related outcomes. The results of the conference discussions are summarized below, with emphasis on both areas where the conference yielded recommendations for measures and methods of aggregation for analysis, and on areas where consensus could not be obtained and/or where additional research is needed.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[What can we expect of Collaborative Review Groups of Cochrane Collaboration in neuropaediatrics?].

INTRODUCTION: Cochrane Collaboration (CC) contains detailed, critical and up-to-date systematic reviews (SR) of the best scientific evidence available. AIM: To analyse the bibliometric characteristics of the SR related to paediatric neurology published in the 50 Collaborative Review Groups (CRG) of the CC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Bibliometric analysis of the Database of Systematic Reviews in Cochrane Library, Issue 2, 2005 (n = 2.231 SR). The variables recorded were: number of SR and protocols in any CRG, authors and clusters of secondary research, dates (late review and update), type of study, critical review of the SR and conclusions. RESULTS: Nine published SR about neuropaediatrics: the Epilepsy Group (24 SR), the Neuromuscular Disease Group (16), the Neonatal Group (16), the Developmental, Psychosocial and Learning Problems Group (10), the Pain, Palliative Care and Supportive Care Group (4), the Movement Disorders Group (3), the Injuries Group (3), the Infectious Disease Group (3) and the Acute Respiratory Infections Group (2). The three main thematic areas were treatment of epilepsy (pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic), neonatal neurology (mainly intraventricular haemorrhage and perinatal asphyxia) and miscellanea (autism spectrum disorder, headache, cerebral palsy, myasthenia gravis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, Bell's palsy and bacterial meningitis). All the SR were about treatment interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Paediatric neurology SR are infrequent (3.6% of the 2.231 SR published in CC), and helps an evidence-based decision-making in a few areas: pharmacologic treatment of epilepsy, management of intraventricular haemorrhage of preterm infants and bacterial meningitis. Many therapies in paediatric neurology persist with no supporting evidence, and we detected no SR about important neurological issues in childhood as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, mental retardation and hypotonia.

Bibliometrics↗
PubMed2005

Active site prediction for comparative model structures with thematics.

THEMATICS (Theoretical Microscopic Titration Curves) is a simple, reliable computational predictor of the active sites of enzymes from structure. Our method, based on well-established Finite Difference Poisson-Boltzmann techniques, identifies the ionisable residues with anomalous predicted titration behavior. A cluster of two or more such perturbed residues is a very reliable predictor of the active site. The protein does not have to bear any resemblance in sequence or structure to any previously characterized protein, but the method does require the three-dimensional structure. We now present evidence that THEMATICS can also locate the active site in structures built by comparative modeling from similar structures. Results are given for a total of 21 sets of proteins, including 21 templates and 83 comparative model structures. Detailed results are presented for three sets of orthologous proteins (Triosephosphate isomerase, 6-Hydroxymethyl-7,8-dihydropterin pyrophosphokinase, and Aspartate aminotransferase) and for one set of human homologues of Aldose reductase with different functions. THEMATICS correctly locates the active site in the model structures. This suggests that the method can be applicable to a much larger set of proteins for which an experimentally determined structure is unavailable. With a few exceptions, the predicted active sites in the comparative model structures are similar to that of the corresponding template structure.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2001

A riparian wildlife habitat evaluation scheme developed using GIS.

To evaluate riparian habitat for wildlife, we used a geographic information system (GIS) that prioritized individual streams (for acquisition or management) by habitat ranking. We demonstrate this methodology for the Vermilion River basin in east-central Illinois, USA. Three data sets were used to evaluate land cover encompassing 300 m on either side of the streams: (1) the US Geological Survey's land use and land cover information (LUDA), (2) land cover manually digitized from the National High Altitude Photography (NHAP) program, and (3) Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data classified into land cover. Each of 30 tributaries in the study area was ranked for habitat according to the data contained in each data set, and results were compared. Habitat ranking schemes were devised and analysis performed for three species guilds: forest, grassland, and mixed successional species. TM and NHAP each differentiated habitat scores (for forest, grassland, and mixed successional guilds) among tributaries in a similar and suitable way, while LUDA was not suitable, due to the coarse resolution of the data. Overall, it was shown that the methodology is suitable to rank streams based on riparian habitat quality. Even though more work is needed to test and verify the method, the project has shown the potential for such techniques to assist in evaluating, tracking, and improving the management of riparian wildlife resources. The method can easily be applied over large areas such as states if TM-based land cover and stream data are available.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2003

[Women facing abortion: an existential approach].

This work aims at revealing the meaning of abortion in the view of women who have experienced it. For this purpose, the author used the Methodology of Phenomenological Investigation, which enabled a comprehensive analysis of the accounts collected. Data were gathered by interviewing twelve hospitalized women. The following questions were used: "What's the meaning of this experience to you? Can you describe it to me? The convergence of their accounts was analyzed and this enabled the creation of thematic categories. Such categories point out the essence of these women's experience and may provide guidelines for the development of assistance policies that would meet their specific needs. The results enlighten important aspects associated with sadness, loss, physiological and existential pain, loneliness, hospitalization discomfort, guilt or fear of being considered guilty, concern with their bodies and the intentionality of their consciences beginning to give importance to contraceptive methods. Their desire to review their own life projects also emerges.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Physicians, patients, and the electronic health record: an ethnographic analysis.

PURPOSE: Little is known about the effects of the electronic health record (EHR) on physician-patient encounters. The objectives of this study were to identify the factors that influence the manner by which physicians use the EHR with patients. METHODS: This ethnographic study included 4 qualitative components: 80 hours of participant observation in 4 primary care offices in the Pacific Northwest; individual interviews with 52 patients, 12 office staff members, 23 physicians, and 1 nurse-practitioner; videotaped reviews of 29 clinical encounters; and 5 focus-group interviews with physicians and computer advocates. The main outcome measures were factors that influence how physicians use the EHR. Researchers qualitatively derived these factors through serial reviews of data. RESULTS: This study identified 14 factors that influence how EHRs are used and perceived in medical practice today. These factors were categorized into 4 thematic domains: (1) spatial--effect of the physical presence and location of EHRs on interactions between physicians and patients; (2) relational--perceptions of physicians and patients about the EHR and how those perceptions affected its use; (3) educational--issues of developing physicians' proficiency with and improving patients' understandings about EHR use; and (4) structural--institutional and technological forces that influence how physicians perceived their use of EHR. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that the introduction of EHRs into practice influences multiple cognitive and social dimensions of the clinical encounter. It brings into focus important questions that through further inquiry can determine how to make best use of the EHR to enhance therapeutic relationships.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Motivation needs of sampled Fortune-500 CEOs: relations to organization outcomes.

Motive scores (needs for Achievement, Affiliation, and Power) of the chief executive officers of the nation's 50 largest industrial firms were determined using content analysis of letters to stockholders contained in the firms' annual reports. The scoring method was a modification of the standard TAT scoring procedure. Results showed that chief executive officers' high need Achievement was correlated with relative growth in sales, while high need Power was correlated with relative growth in profits. Effects of need Achievement and need Power also were examined for return on equity and return on sales. Implications are discussed.

Achievement↗
PubMed1992

Comparison of TAT and free speech techniques for eliciting source material in computerized content analysis.

We compared the free speech samples and Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) responses of 95 community-residing volunteers by using the General Inquirer content analysis computer program and the Harvard III Psychosociological Dictionary (Stone, Dunphy, Smith, & Ogitvie, 1966). Comparability was assessed by computing mean differences and correlations among techniques. The techniques were evaluated by assessing the ability of data derived from each to predict individual differences in developmental level, gender, depressive symptomatology, and personality. Results show highly discriminable profiles and low reliability among techniques. TAT data were superior in predicting individual, differences. We suggest that structured techniques like the TAT are preferable to standard free speech instructions for eliciting data in content analytic studies and discuss the possibility of computerized content analysis as a method of scoring the TAT.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Self-reported infection control practices and perceptions of HIV/AIDS risk amongst emergency department nurses in Botswana.

This descriptive exploratory study investigated the reported practices and perceptions of emergency nurses related to infection control in the context of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) pandemic in Botswana. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Forty questionnaires were distributed to nurses with emergency department experience in Botswana, with a response rate of 55% (n = 22). Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics while qualitative data were subjected to thematic and content analysis. The majority of respondents reported compliance with universal precautions at the hospital emergency department. However, qualitative data highlighted resource constraints that may hinder compliance with universal precautions such as a lack of appropriate facilities, a shortage of equipment and materials, inadequate staffing and absence of sustainable in-service education programs. Further, the reported compliance with Universal Precautions had not removed the fear of exposure to HIV/AIDS and perceived risk of transmission to family. The authors recommend in-service education and practice initiatives to promote sustainable compliance with universal precautions and realistic risk perception among nurses. Further research is required to evaluate nurses' compliance with universal precautions in developing countries using observational methods or in-depth interviews. This would enable exploration of nurses' actions regarding compliance with universal precautions.

Blood-Borne Pathogens↗
PubMed1998

[Prediction of sites with an increased risk of infestation with Ixodes ricinus and tick-borne encephalitis infection in the Central Bohemia Region based satellite data].

Based on elaboration of a prediction map of sites of increased incidence of Ixodes ricinus associated with an increased risk of attack on humans and activation of the virus of tick-borne encephalitis it was assumed that different types of vegetation can serve this purpose as suitable indicators. For assessment of these sites and their location on the territory of the Central Bohemian region (on an area of 11,508 sq.km) data from spectral analysis of reflected light recorded by a scanner, Thematic Mapper, working on satellite LANDSAT 5 with a spatial resolution of 30 m, obtained in six bands of the visible and near infrared spectrum resp. was used. Digital satellite data were processed in station IBM RISC 6000 using the professional software EASI/PACE of PCI Co. Inc. Canada. First by supervised classification seven main classes describing the position of the whole area were differentiated and then by a combination of unsupervised and subsequently supervised classification the forest areas were divided into nine classes of forests (with a different structure and different composition as to species), which have a different incidence of ticks. These classes were then compared by statistical methods with the epidemiological map of risk of acquisition of the tick-borne encephalitis virus. This resulted in the finding that coniferous tree forests ("1" and "2") are practically devoid of risk, while mixed and deciduous forests ("3" to "9") involve a varying degree of risk. The maximum risk was found in class 6 which comprises very heterogeneous young deciduous growth and ecotones. The results are presented graphically on the specimen of the prediction map (part of the classified picture supplemented by topographic signs at scale 1:25,000) and on classified satellite picture of the whole area (scale of the original computer printout 1:300,000). In the legend the grade of risk of different classes is expressed verbally, corresponding to values of the Spearman coefficient of rank correlation (Table 1). The laboratory tests were verified and characterized from the botanical aspect during the field investigation.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

[Histories of fetal losses told by women: research qualitative study].

OBJECTIVE: To recognize the significance of fetal loss for women who have experienced it, starting from an understanding of the pregnancy process, based on their reports. METHODS: This was a qualitative analysis study based on the histories of seven women who experienced fetal loss in the town of Arujá, State of São Paulo, between July 1998 and June 1999. The women were identified from the death certificates of stillborn infants born within the study period, which were obtained from the Civil Registry Office of Arujá. The methodological procedures involved the utilization of the techniques of oral history-taking to gather data and content analysis to evaluate the material collected. The interviews were recorded, fully transcribed and subsequently prepared for analysis. RESULTS: The findings were analyzed as two points: the circumstantial context of the pregnancy and the impact after the loss, with the adoption of specific thematic categories. The first of these encompassed the woman's perception of the pregnancy, her awareness of the coming of the new baby, health problems up to the time of the loss, and the health service attendance. The significance of the loss for the women in this study was made evident along three central lines: the loss of a part of herself, attribution of the fatality to divine intervention and changes in attitude towards life. The social support network for these women was built on two pillars: family and church. Support from the health services was practically nonexistent. Finally, they all expressed their will to live and the need to work, study and even have another pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: There needs to be a change in general concepts in the mission to attend to such women. The attendance provided by the healthcare services needs to be humanized. The need for multiprofessional follow-up of healthcare service users who suffered fetal loss was very evident. The importance of a support network for women who have gone through this problem was also shown.

Attitude↗
PubMed2006

Coping with methodological dilemmas; about establishing the effectiveness of interventions in routine medical practice.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this paper is to show how researchers balance between scientific rigour and localisation in conducting pragmatic trial research. Our case is the Quattro Study, a pragmatic trial on the effectiveness of multidisciplinary patient care teams used in primary health care centres in deprived neighbourhoods of two major cities in the Netherlands for intensified secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases. METHODS: For this study an ethnographic design was used. We observed and interviewed the researchers and the practice nurses. All gathered research documents, transcribed observations and interviews were analysed thematically. RESULTS: Conducting a pragmatic trial is a continuous balancing act between meeting methodological demands and implementing a complex intervention in routine primary health care. As an effect, the research design had to be adjusted pragmatically several times and the intervention that was meant to be tailor-made became a rather stringent procedure. CONCLUSION: A pragmatic trial research is a dynamic process that, in order to be able to assess the validity and reliability of any effects of interventions must also have a continuous process of methodological and practical reflection. Ethnographic analysis, as we show, is therefore of complementary value.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Medical student and senior participants' perceptions of a mentoring program designed to enhance geriatric medical education.

In 2000, the Senior Mentor Program was implemented as an innovative, instructional method in the University of South Carolina's medical school curriculum designed to enhance and strengthen student training in geriatrics. This study qualitatively analyzed second- year medical students' and senior participants' perceptions of and attitudes towards the Senior Mentor Program as an effective learning modality. A total of 36 second-year students from two consecutive classes (2002-2003) and 42 senior mentors at USC's School of Medicine participated in five and seven separate focus group interviews, respectively. The group discussions were transcribed and a content analysis performed using NVivo. The coding scheme and analyses were driven by the data collected and recurrent themes were examined across all focus groups. Overall, student and senior mentor participants viewed the program positively. Thematic comparisons by participant type indicate a shared view that the mentoring relationship has a far-reaching, educational, professional, and personal impact. Both students and seniors agreed that myths and stereotypes about aging were dispelled and students indicated that a close, caring relationship with an older person will change they way they practice. A longitudinal mentoring program that pairs students with community-dwelling seniors can be a valuable addition to traditional geriatric curricular activities designed to increase students' skills and compassion for caring for older adults.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Protein structure to function: insights from computation.

Computation plays an important role in functional genomics. THEMATICS is a computational method that predicts chemical and electrostatic properties of residues in enzymes and utilizes information contained in those predictions to identify active sites. The only input required is the three-dimensional structure of the query protein. The identification of residues involved in catalysis and in recognition is discussed. The two serine proteases Kex2 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and subtilisin from Bacillus subtilis are used as examples to illustrate how the method finds the catalytic residues for both enzymes. In addition, Kex2 is specific for dibasic sites and THEMATICS finds the recognition residues for both the S1 and S2 sites of Kex2. In contrast, no such recognition sites are found for the non-specific enzyme subtilisin. The ability to identify sites that govern recognition opens the door to better understanding of specificity and to the design of highly specific inhibitors.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed2001

THEMATICS: a simple computational predictor of enzyme function from structure.

We show that theoretical microscopic titration curves (THEMATICS) can be used to identify active-site residues in proteins of known structure. Results are featured for three enzymes: triosephosphate isomerase (TIM), aldose reductase (AR), and phosphomannose isomerase (PMI). We note that TIM and AR have similar structures but catalyze different kinds of reactions, whereas TIM and PMI have different structures but catalyze similar reactions. Analysis of the theoretical microscopic titration curves for all of the ionizable residues of these proteins shows that a small fraction (3-7%) of the curves possess a flat region where the residue is partially protonated over a wide pH range. The preponderance of residues with such perturbed curves occur in the active site. Additional results are given in summary form to show the success of the method for proteins with a variety of different chemistries and structures.

Aldehyde Reductase↗
PubMed2005

What information, advice, and support do women want with breastfeeding?

BACKGROUND: Breastfeeding conveys many benefits, but women often encounter difficulties in the first few weeks. The objective of this study was to examine women's perspectives on the information, advice, and support they receive with breastfeeding. METHODS: A qualitative analysis was conducted of women's responses to open questions about their experiences of breastfeeding support. Participants were recruited as part of a randomized controlled trial of additional support from volunteer breastfeeding counselors, and they completed questionnaires when their babies were 6 weeks old. RESULTS: Of the 720 women recruited to the trial, 654 began breastfeeding and completed postnatal questionnaires; 492 (75%) participants were first-time mothers and 200 (31%) were of minority ethnic origin. At 6 weeks, 249 (38%) women were exclusively breastfeeding, 183 (28%) were both breastfeeding and bottle-feeding, whereas 222 (34%) were exclusively bottle-feeding. Although many women commented positively on their experiences, others thought they did not receive the information and support they needed. Thematic analysis of women's responses to open questions identified five components of the support that women wanted: information about breastfeeding and what to expect, practical help with positioning the baby to breastfeed, effective advice and suggestions, acknowledgment of mothers' experiences and feelings, and reassurance and encouragement. CONCLUSIONS: Maternity services should address the components identified by the study findings as constituting good breastfeeding support. Guidance and information for family members and training for those involved in peer or professional initiatives should take into account women's views on what support they want, together with when and how they want it provided.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Characteristics and driving factors of marsh changes in Zhalong wetland of China.

Zhalong National Nature Reserve in the northeast of China is a large wetland and a habitat of hundreds species of fauna and flora. The rare red-crowned crane is one kind of endangered birds in it. Recently, Zhalong wetland is shrinking and it encounters many problems including occasional fires, bad water quality, human activities, etc. In order to find out a proper way to protect and restore the wetland, this study, using a geographic information system, the global positioning system and remote sensing techniques, analyses the spatial characteristics of the changes in marsh landscape pattern and examines the driving factors for these changes. Data sources include 8 Landsat Thematic Mapper satellite images of Zhalong area in the period of 1986-2002 and the investigation information on site. Based on the analysis of changes of marsh area and annual precipitation during the 16 years, it is found that there is a close correlation between annual precipitation and marsh area. It means that climate is one of driving factors of marsh pattern changes. To understand influences of other kinds of land uses on marsh spatial distribution in Zhalong wetland, this paper analyses the relationship between marsh and different kinds of land uses, such as water surface, residential area, farm land, salina land and grass land, respectively. According to the patch analysis theory, a fragmental index and a fractal dimension of the marsh are calculated with perimeter-area method. The results indicate that the marsh pattern is affected by human activities significantly. In addition, the location alteration of marsh centroid point over the 16 years is studied. The movement trace of marsh centroid point is concerned with different hydrological situation in different areas of the wetland. In summary the characteristics of the marsh landscape pattern evolution during the 16 years are affected by multiple driving factors. The main driving factors are climate, human activities, distribution of other kinds of land uses and hydrological situation in different areas.

China↗