Enhancing the h index for the objective assessment of healthcare researcher performance and impact

Objective

To investigate whether the h index (a bibliometric tool which is increasingly used to assess and appraise an individual''s research performance) could be improved to better measure the academic performance and citation profile for individual healthcare researchers.

Design

Cohort study.

Setting

Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK.

Participants

Publication lists from 1 January 2000 until 31 December 2009 for 501 academic healthcare researchers from the Faculty of Medicine.

Main outcome measures

The h index for each researcher was calculated over a nine-year period. The citation count for each researcher was differentiated into high (h² upper), core (h² centre) and low (h² lower) visibility areas. Segmented regression model (sRM) was used to statistically estimate number of high visibility publications (sRM value). Validity of the h index and other proposed adjuncts were analysed against academic rank and conventional bibliometric indicators.

Results

Construct validity was demonstrated for h index, h² upper, h² centre, h² lower and sRM value (all P < 0.05). Convergent validity of the h index and sRM value was shown by significant correlations with total number of publications (r = 0.89 and 0.86 respectively, P < 0.05) and total number of citations (r = 0.96 and 0.65, respectively, P < 0.05). Significant differences in h index and sRM value existed between non-physician and physician researchers (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

This study supports the construct validity of the h index as a measure of healthcare researcher academic rank. It also identifies the assessment value of our developed indices of h² upper, h² centre, h² lower and sRM. These can be applied in combination with the h index to provide additional objective evidence to appraise the performance and impact of an academic healthcare researcher.     

Functional Properties,Nutritional and Sensory Qualities of Maize-Based Snack (Kokoro) Supplemented with Protein Hydrolysate Prepared from Pigeon Pea (Cajanus Cajan) Seed

Kokoro is a popular maize-based snack in Nigeria, which is consumed by adults and children but characterized by low protein content. The snacks were produced from blends of maize flour supplemented with protein hydrolysate from pigeon pea at 100:0 (control), 95:5, 90:10, 85:15, and 80:20. Flour blends were evaluated for functional and pasting properties, while snacks were analyzed for proximate composition and sensory qualities. Proximate analysis results showed significant (p < 0.05) increase in protein (9.64–11.12%), fat (13.40–20.17%), ash (1.83–2.38%) content, and energy value (431.84–468.97 kcal/100 g), while fiber (1.19–0.96%) and carbohydrate (68.17–60.74%) content decreased with inclusion of protein hydrolysate. No significant difference (p < 0.05) occurred in the sensory qualities of products from 100% maize and 80:20 flour blend. Hence, acceptable Kokoro snacks from an 80:20 (maize: protein hydrolysate) blend have been formulated, which could enhance the nutritional wellness of the target consumers.     

Distribution of mesalazine enemas in active and quiescent ulcerative colitis.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of mesalazine enemas depends on intraluminal concentration of the drug and is therefore limited by the enema distribution in the colon. Active ulcerative colitis changes colon motility and this leads to uncertainty about enema spread. AIM: To assess the influence of disease activity on enema distribution, we conducted a physician-blinded, longitudinal study of the retrograde spread of three mesalazine enemas. METHODS: Thirty-one patients with mild to moderate ulcerative colitis were subdivided into three groups, and treated with 2 g mesalazine in 30 mL (group I, n = 10), 4 g mesalazine in 60 mL (group II, n = 12) or 1 g mesalazine in 100 mL (group III, n = 9). All patients received oral mesalazine 500 mg t.d.s. Enemas were labelled by adding 10 MBq (99mTc)technetium-sulphur colloid. Anterior scintigraphic images were taken at the start of the study and after 12 weeks of therapy; retrograde spread was assessed by calculating the percentage of the enema in each colonic segment. RESULTS: The activity score of ulcerative colitis diminished significantly after 12 weeks of treatment, but five patients dropped out of the study. At the start of treatment enema activity in group I was mainly concentrated in the sigmoid (99%); in group II activity was found in the rectum (9%), the sigmoid (61%) and the descending colon (15%); in group III activity was distributed between the sigmoid (66%) and descending colon (25%). The colonic distribution of mesalazine enemas was not influenced by disease activity. CONCLUSION: Volume, but not disease activity, is the important determinant of retrograde colonic spread of mesalazine enemas in ulcerative colitis.     

Ring sequestrum: radiographic characteristics of skeletal fixation pin- tract osteomyelitis

Major pin-tract infections are a potentially dangerous complication associated with the use of skeletal transfixation pins. The presence of a characteristic radiographic finding, the ring sequestrum, is virtually diagnostic of this abnormality. The clinical and radiographic findings in seven patients treated for this complication are presented. Thermal necrosis without infection presents as a zone of sclerosis around the tract. A narrow, radiolucent halo may surround the dense bone. When a narrow ring sequestrum is surrounded by a radiolucent halo, there is associated infection.     

Disclosure of Same-Sex Sexual Practices to Family and Healthcare Providers by Men Who Have Sex with Men and Transgender Women in Nigeria

Archives of Sexual Behavior - Disclosure of same-sex sexual practices by men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW) may facilitate appropriate healthcare engagement, including risk...     

Maternal mortality in Ile-Ife, Nigeria: a study of risk factors.

The objective of this study was to determine which background factors predispose women to maternal mortality at the Obafemi Awolowo University Hospital in Nigeria. The study examined 35 cases of maternal death occurring in the hospital during the period 1 October 1989 to 30 April 1991. The control group comprised 35 women who were admitted to the hospital with similar complications during the same period, but who survived. Both cases and controls were investigated for their sociodemographic characteristics, their use of prenatal care, and the incidence of delay in clinical management. The results showed that the maternal deaths involved women who were younger and of poorer socioeconomic status than the women in the control group. Both groups showed an equal lack of prenatal care. However, a higher incidence of delayed treatment was found in the management of the cases of maternal deaths. Maternal mortality in the study population can be reduced through improved transportation and institutional management, and, on a long-term basis, through the adoption of measures to improve the socioeconomic status of women.     

The effects of psychotropic drugs on exploratory and stereotyped behaviour of rats studied on a hole-board

Exploratory and stereotyped behaviour of Male Wistar rats was studied on a hole-board. The two forms of behaviour were differentiated according to the pattern of hole-dipping activity. Increasing doses of dl-amphetamine stimulated both forms of behaviour with stereotyped behaviour becoming predominant particularly at the higher dose levels. At the highest dose of amphetamine used (16 mg/kg) a gradual transition from exploratory to stereotyped behaviour was observed with time. As the drug wore off this transition was reversed. Haloperidol at a dosage of 0.1 and 0.05 mg/kg blocked the response to a high dose of amphetamine whereas a lower dose (0.02 mg/kg) blocked the stereotyped response to amphetamine while some exploratory behaviour still took place. Apomorphine inhibited hole-dipping but at lower doses another form of exploratory behaviour was induced, this behaviour becoming stereotyped as the dose was increased.It is concluded that there is a close relationship between exploratory and stereotyped behaviours. Monoamine systems appear to play a significant role in the regulation of both forms of behaviour.     

Serum ALT levels. Effect of sex, race, and obesity on unit rejection rate

Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) measurements in blood donors has been advocated as a surrogate test for non-A, non-B hepatitis. Use of the recommended single cutoff value for all donors resulted in disqualifying four times as many males as females in a group of 4712 donors. Separate cutoff values were calculated for male and female donors. The use of these separate cutoff values resulted in disqualifying equal numbers of males and females.     

Challenges faced by caregivers of vulnerable children in Cross River State and Abuja Federal Capital Territory,Nigeria

This study describes the characteristics of caregivers, examines the relationships between caregivers and their children and analyzes the experiences and challenges of caring for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) faced by caregivers in the community. Using a combination of questionnaire, informant interviews and focus group discussions, data were collected from 150 female and male caregivers in Cross Rivers State and the Federal Capital Territory selected through convenient sampling. Careful analysis of the data revealed that majority of the caregivers were women, mostly widows caring for about 3–6 children. They were largely married with primary or no formal education. Most of them were engaged in petty trading and farming. Their incomes were generally low, less than 10,000 naira (approximately 52 dollars) per annum. Challenges of caring for children were listed to include; lack of access to education, nutrition, inadequate clothing and shelter and lack of psychosocial support in that order. Family supports to these caregivers have either dwindled considerably or non-existent. In the words of these caregivers, our relatives have their own problems in this era of economic crisis to bother about the problems of other people. A few of the organized supports came from non-governmental organizations and faith-based organizations in the form of handouts to meet needs of food and school supplies. These do not address the root cause of caregivers’ problems of lack of skills and income generation for sustainable care. The study recommends empowering caregivers as a sustainable approach to the problem of vulnerable children in the community.