On receiving the good news, Muireann commented:
‘I am very honoured to have been awarded the MSc in EBHC prize for an outstanding dissertation. Passionate about the implementation of evidence-based medicine (EBM) into healthcare, I am committed to delivering high quality evidence-based care for my patients. To have my research recognised as contributing to high quality evidence that addressed an important healthcare question and improved clinical practice has exceeded my expectations.’
Saleh said:
‘I am deeply honoured and grateful to have won the EBHC best dissertation prize. Throughout this MSc programme, I have learned and grown immensely, and winning this prize is a wonderful way to conclude this journey. I would like to sincerely thank my thesis supervisor, Dr Aleksandra Borek, for her invaluable support and guidance; I have greatly deepened my understanding of qualitative research under her mentorship. I also extend my heartfelt gratitude to Dr Annette Plüddemann for her support during this programme. Finally, I would like to sincerely thank my family and colleagues for their unwavering support throughout this journey.’
and Albert added:
‘I’m very grateful to receive the EBHC Prize for an outstanding dissertation for the MSc in Evidence-Based Health Care. I am also grateful to my supervisors Dr Ailsa Butler and Dr Aleksandra Borek, who supported and guided me on this journey and to my colleagues - Agnieszka, Hamid, Herbert, Magdalena, Marc, Ola, Piotr and Twishaa - who collaborated with me on this project.’
Synopses of the prize-winners’ theses are as follows:
Muireann
Low back pain (LBP) is a common condition and a major public health issue globally, because it is often poorly managed. Treatment decisions should be based on researched clinical guidance but most are not, resulting in harmful practices. My research involved using a custom-made approach to Umbrella Review (UR) methodology, by combining the findings of Systematic Reviews (SR) of LBP clinical practice guideline recommendations (CPGR). This innovative method allowed me to rapidly identify the current available clinical recommendations for treatment of LBP, and judge the quality and trustworthiness of the process that led to them, through critical appraisal. The findings of my research facilitated the formulation of real-world recommendations, as part of an evidence-based guideline development process, improving LBP patient experience and quality of care.
Saleh
'The role of community pharmacists with migration backgrounds in addressing healthcare needs of migrant populations in Germany: a qualitative study'
My thesis explores the role of migrant pharmacists, particularly those from Syria, in addressing the healthcare needs of migrant populations in Germany. These pharmacists play a crucial role in providing accessible, patient-centered care. However, little is known about the unique role of migrant pharmacists (community pharmacists with migration backgrounds) in addressing the healthcare needs of migrants. Therefore, this research aimed to investigate the role of migrant pharmacists in providing access to healthcare for migrant populations in Germany.
This exploratory qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with ten Syrian migrant pharmacists working in Germany. Participants were recruited through professional networks and snowball sampling. All interviews were conducted remotely and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis to ensure findings were grounded in the original data.
Six key themes emerged from the analysis, including:
1. Core experiences and services provided by migrant pharmacists
2. Perceived reasons and advantages for seeking pharmacist care
3. Perceived roles of migrant pharmacists
4. Challenges faced by migrant pharmacists in providing migrants access to healthcare
5. Adaptive strategies to overcome the challenges
6. Strengthening the role of migrant pharmacists in providing care for migrants
This thesis provides insights into the multifaceted role of migrant pharmacists in bridging healthcare gaps and offers recommendations for enhancing their contributions to migrant healthcare in Germany.
Albert
In my thesis I wanted to understand the impact of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), which is a highly effective treatment for treatment-resistant depression, on the loss of personal memories. This is a side effect often reported by patients, yet its nature and duration remain uncertain.
Some studies used scales to measure memory loss after ECT but it is difficult to put a number on a memory. This raises questions: which memories to measure? How do we rate their importance? How many memories do we spontaneously forget over time without realising it?
To gain a deeper insight into this phenomenon, I also looked at qualitative studies, which described patients’ experiences of memory loss using their own words. I wanted to understand how narratives created by numbers and stories complement or contradict each other.
Combining these two sources of information allowed me to outline gaps in knowledge, as well as recommendations for clinical practice and future research. I hope that my work will aid in resolving uncertainties regarding this side effect to better understand our patients’ needs and support them on their path to recovery.
The full text of my dissertation is available here: https://osf.io/preprints/thesiscommons/uc29a_v1
Our congratulations to them all! Find out more about the MSc in Evidence-Based Health Care
Learn about Albert's experiences on the programme in his video.