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The twelfth in our series of Friday 'Desert Island Reviews', featuring tutors from the MSc in EBHC (Systematic Reviews) programme, is from Dr Nicola Lindson
In this blog interview Dr Nicola Lindson shares with us which living systematic review that she’s led or been involved in she would choose to take with her to read, if she was stranded on a desert island.
Research highlight: Electronic Cigarettes for Smoking Cessation: Cochrane Living Systematic Review
8 March 2023
Today is National No Smoking Day 2023, and we're delighted to share the research happening across the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences and the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, to determine the effects of e-cigarettes to help smokers achieve long‐term abstinence.
Response to Physicians for Smoke-Free Canada’s coverage of the Cochrane review of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation
In this blog, Dr Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Dr Nicola Lindson from the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group, address comments and questions raised by Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada, relating to the recently published Cochrane review of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation.
7 things to know about e-cigarettes and quitting smoking
In this blog, Jamie Hartmann-Boyce from the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group and Martin Dockrell from the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities share 7 things you need to know about e-cigarettes and quitting smoking, with evidence from the Cochrane Living Review of E-cigarettes and Smoking Cessation.
The precarity of health policy
In this blog, researchers and module coordinators, Dr Nicola Lindson and Jonathan Livingstone-Banks, discuss the Nuffield Intervention Ladder: a way of systematising interventions on the ‘Libertarianism’ to ‘Collectivism’ ideological spectrum that often influence approaches to public health matters.
Five ways the pandemic has affected routine medical care
Director of the Evidence-Based Health Care DPhil programme, Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, shares five ways that the pandemic has affected routine medical care - also published in The Conversation.
Cranberry for acute Urinary Tract Infection – an old wives’ tale? Or mother nature’s cure?
28 April 2022
Cranberry in various forms has been used by women for decades to help treat Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs). Up to 27% of women report using cranberry to help treat a UTI (1). But does it actually work? Primary Care post-doctoral researcher, Dr Oghenekome Gbinigie, explains findings from her recent studies.
What is it like to be a Researcher in Residence during a pandemic?
In this blog, Health Services Researcher, Debra Westlake, from the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, explores her previous role investigating social prescribing at the University of Plymouth, Community and Primary Care Research Group where she was working as a Researcher in Residence for a health system in the southwest of England.
A best-fit approach to synthesising qualitative research: combining papers on volunteering
Senior Researcher and Departmental Lecturer, Dr Stephanie Tierney, explains how a best-fit framework synthesis was undertaken tor review papers on volunteering, as a way to support people's health and well-being.
Hunting for evidence to understand coronavirus risks in people with diabetes
EBHC DPhil Director, Dr Jamie Hartmann-Boyce has lived with type 1 diabetes for 26 years. She has two small children and a black Labrador puppy, and loves nothing more than exploring the seashore with them in tow. Dr Jamie tells us about her research into coronavirus and diabetes, as shared in Diabetes UK.
Preventing deaths from cardiovascular disease and anticoagulants: an analysis of coroner Prevention of Future Deaths reports (PFDs) questions whether lessons are being learnt
27 October 2021
Preventing premature death is the aim of coroners’ Prevention of Future Deaths reports. But is this system really helping us to prevent such harms? Oxford medical student, Ali Anis, examined deaths involving cardiovascular disease and anticoagulants for his Final Honours Scheme (FHS) research, to assess the state of play, now published in BJGP Open.
Is it time for Evidence-Based Medicine 2.0?
Director of the new MSc in EBHC Teaching and Education, David Nunan, reflects on evidence-based medicine (EBM) in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic and proposes what the evolution of EBM might look like.
Beyond the numbers: Qualitative synthesis and its contribution to knowledge on COVID-19
Tutor, Stephanie Tierney, highlights the importance of qualitative synthesis as evidence, to help us understand issues related to health behaviours, experiences of illness, treatment, acceptability of an intervention, barriers and facilitators to the implementation of a new service, and more recently with its contribution to making sense of COVID-19.
E-cigarettes: misconceptions about their dangers may be preventing people from quitting smoking
When electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) first emerged, they became a popular way for people to quit smoking. But in 2019, a mysterious lung condition emerged that primarily affected young people, particularly those who vaped. This left many questioning the safety of e-cigarettes.
COVID: the reason cases are rising among the double vaccinated – it’s not because vaccines aren’t working
Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK’s chief scientific adviser, has announced that 40% of people admitted to hospital with COVID in the UK have had two doses of a coronavirus vaccine. At first glance, this rings very serious alarm bells, but it shouldn’t. The vaccines are still working very well.
High-dose opioids: five factors that increase the risk of harm
DPhil student Georgia Richards argues why it’s time for doctors to rethink the prescribing of high-dose opioids for people with chronic pain.
Coronavirus and diabetes: the different risks for people with type 1 and type 2
People with type 1 diabetes are approximately 3.5 times as likely to die in hospital with COVID-19, while people with type 2 are approximately twice as likely, but why is this, and what can be done to reduce this risk?
Nicotine therapy for coronavirus: the evidence is weak and contradictory
We are unlikely to know whether nicotine replacement has a role in COVID-19 any time soon. For now, nicotine supplies must be preserved for the people who need them.
The rise and rise of realist reviews?
Realist reviews are becoming an increasing popular approach to synthesising evidence about complex interventions. Whilst Geoff welcomes this increase, he raises challenges that such popularity might bring
Numbers don't count - methods do
Why we need to reshape critical appraisal and develop tools that allow differentiated evaluations of the myriad of qualitative methodological approaches
How can we get value-based healthcare?
Louise Hurst, Senior Associate Tutor and Senior Research Fellow in Public Health Centre for Evidence Based Medicine, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences
The death of King Charles II
Charles II was born on 29 May 1630 to Charles I and his French wife, Henrietta Maria, and died on 6 February 1685. Here Jeff Aronson describes Charles’s final illness and suggests that his death was hastened by his doctors.
Opioids for pain: what's the problem?
The long-term use of opioids for pain: what’s the problem? People receiving long-term pain relief for low back pain gain no benefits from opioids. Georgia Richards discusses her research on why this might be the case.
Unhealthy Times of Kings and Queens
We have put together an exhibition of the Kings and Queens, their illnesses, their deaths, and the public health messages their stories portray. The messages include preventable diseases such as obesity, smoking, and vaccination for smallpox, along with the problems of overtreatment, its consequences and its effect on speeding up the death of some of the monarchs. Carl Heneghan, Director Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine
Don't ditch p-values: understand them
‘When did we start thinking that a single study was enough to prove a scientific hypothesis? Richard Stevens, Director of the MSc in EBHC Medical Statistics
Continuous Glucose Monitoring for the iPhone Generation?
17 July 2017
Early CGM devices were expensive and had problems with accuracy and reliability, and patients often needed to provide finger-prick data to keep them. Modern CGMs are smaller and cheaper, but are they reliable?
Unethical placebo controls: time to revise the Declaration of Helsinki
Jeremy Howick discusses whether it is ethical for clinicians to recommend that their patients sign up for a trial, even if there is an established therapy.
Can randomised controlled trials be more efficient?
How might we increase research efficiency?