Guidelines for international collaborative research

OBJECTIVE: As the global village becomes a reality, there is an increasing need to conduct international collaborative studies in family practice. A workshop at the WONCA meeting in Hong Kong used international attendees to produce a set of guidelines for international research. METHODS: At the workshop four completed international projects, each using a different strategy, were presented so that common themes might become apparent. The themes were then discussed and guidelines emerged from the process. RESULTS: Seven guidelines emerged for consideration before embarking on an international collaborative research project in family medicine. The guidelines deal with the characteristics of the research question and the importance of communication. The need for simple, brief methods of data collection, funding and pilot testing were identified. CONCLUSION: The question must be relevant to all participants to maintain interest and measurement tools must be validated to understand the impact of cultural differences in understanding.      

A model for health: its use in an undergraduate nursing programme

A great deal has been said about the need for health professionals to move away from a disease model of care and place more emphasis on health and its promotion and maintenance. One way of introducing a health approach to the service is to emphasise it in the basic education of nurses and doctors.The curriculum for the BA Nursing Studies programme at Glasgow College of Technology is based on a health model for nursing, a model based on activities of living. Initially the emphasis is on health and then the move is towards the study of dysfunction and disease processes. However, a strand of health education is retained throughout the programme, and students are encouraged to identify opportunities for health teaching in both hospital and community settings. The $\text{4}\text{1}\text{3}\text{-}\text{year}$ nursing programme gives a framework for a health approach which looks towards the year 2000.