It is useful for reviewers of economic evaluations to assess quality in a manner that is consistent and comprehensive. Checklists can allow this, but there are concerns about their reliability and how they are used in practice. We aimed to describe how checklists have been used in systematic reviews of health economic evaluations.
Methods
Meta-review with snowball sampling. We compiled a list of checklists for health economic evaluations and searched for the checklists’ use in systematic reviews from January 2010 to February 2018. We extracted data regarding checklists used, stated checklist function, subject area, number of reviewers, and issues expressed about checklists.
Results
We found 346 systematic reviews since 2010 that used checklists to assess economic evaluations. The most common checklist in use was developed in 1996 by Drummond and Jefferson, and the most common stated use of a checklist was quality assessment. Checklists and their use varied within subject areas; 223 reviews had more than one reviewer who used the checklist.
Conclusions
Use of checklists is inconsistent. Eighteen individual checklists have been used since 2010, many of which have been used in ways different from those originally intended, often without justification. Different systematic reviews in the same subject areas would benefit from using one checklist exclusively, using checklists as intended, and having 2 reviewers complete the checklist. This would increase the likelihood that results are transparent and comparable over time. 相似文献
PurposeThis study develops a checklist with guidelines for the methods and important factors to consider in research using structural equation modeling (SEM).MethodThe paper discusses the factors to consider in the process across the three stages of 1) model setting, 2) model evaluation and modification, and 3) interpretation and reporting of SEM-based studies.ResultsThe authors present a checklist for researchers during the stages of model setting, model evaluation and modification, result analysis, and reporting, along with examples of figures and tables with explanations.ConclusionA checklist will help to improve the reporting quality of SEM-based studies. 相似文献
BackgroundThe purpose of forefoot off-loader shoes (FOS) is to unload the operated region of the foot in order to allow early mobilization and rehabilitation. However, little is known about the actual biomechanical effects of different designs of FOS on gait, pelvis and spine.Research questionAim of this study was to analyse and compare the effects of two different designs of forefoot unloader shoes.MethodsOrtho-Wedge (FOS A) and Relief-Dual® (FOS B) were evaluated in this study during standing and while walking. Changes of the pelvic position and spinal posture were measured with a surface topography system and an instrumented treadmill. Gait phases were detected automatically by a built-in pressure plate.ResultsBoth FOS resulted in a significant increase of pelvic obliquity, pelvic torsion, lateral deviation and surface rotation (p < 0.001) while standing. Between both shoe models, pelvic obliquity and lateral deviation (p < 0.05) were significantly different. During walking, both FOS had a significant effect on spine and pelvis (p < 0.05), however only minor differences were found between the designs. All gait parameters were affected more, wearing FOS A than B. Step length were significantly longer by wearing FOS (p < 0.005). However stance phase raised and swing phase is reduced on the leg wearing FOS A (p < 0.001).SignificanceThe study showed that FOS lead to significant changes in pelvic position and spinal posture during standing and while walking. A compensating shoe on the contralateral side is therefore recommend. Gait parameters however were affected more by the traditional FOS A half-shoe. The sole- design and shape of FOS B leads to a more physiological roll-over of the foot. 相似文献
Purpose of the study: Medical field has highly evolved with advancements in the technologies which prove to be beneficial for radiologists and patients for better diagnosis. The era of medical science provides best healthcare solutions with the help of medical images. Till now, 2D MRIs played a prominent role in early detection of disease but with latest technologies taking over the charge, 3D MRIs are highly effective and great in demand nowadays. With the aid of advanced techniques such as edge detection, segmentation and texture analysis on these images, the disease detection may become much easier.
Materials and Methods: Texture of any image is recognized by distribution of gray levels in the neighborhood. The Texture Analysis plays an important role in study of medical images. It identifies the prominent features of an image and highlights the same using different feature extraction technique. In this paper, 3D MRI of human brain is considered and texture analysis based on Haralick's and GLCM texture features is performed. Haralick's feature explains the image intensities of each pixel and their relationship with neighborhood pixels. The entire data set consists of 40 brain tumor patients, out of which a sample has been depicted.
Results: The analysis of different features such as Contrast, Correlation, Energy, Homogeneity and Entropy is carried out. Conclusion: Further, the study highlights about the highly useful features for early detection of brain tumor disease. 相似文献
Academic output is just one aspect of a successful career as a plastic surgeon. However, for those with a strong interest in academia, the academic output of a department will likely be a key factor when deciding how to rank jobs. The aim of this study was to quantify and rank the academic output of plastic surgery units across the UK and Ireland. The Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) Web of Science Bibliometric analysis tool was used to collate cumulative (1950–2016), 10 year (2006–2016) and 3 years (2013–2015) research output data for plastic surgery units in the UK and Ireland. Sixty-six plastic surgery units were identified. Departments were ranked for each time period according to the number of papers produced, number of citations (Nc) and h-index (a measure of the impact of scientific output). The top 3 departments for number of papers in the last 10 years were The Royal Free Hospital, London (226) Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford (218), and Morriston Hospital and Swansea (188). The top 3 for h-number were The Royal Free Hospital (21) Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester (18) and Morriston Hospital (17). Academic output varies across plastic surgery units in the UK and Ireland. A number of departments have consistently maintained high academic outputs across the years and will be of interest to surgeons hoping to pursue a career in academia. 相似文献