BU Research Blog | Sociology & Social Policy

21 June 2017

Maternal mental health in Nepal ICM presentation

international, PG research, Public engagement, Publishing, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

As promised to our audience at the 31st International Confederation of Midwifery Triennial Congress in Toronto today: the slides used on our session ‘Mental health training for community maternity workers in Nepal. The slides in PDF format can be accessed here: Nepal THET ICM 2017. Our project brought together academics, midwives, nurses, and other health workers in Nepal and the UK to help in the training of Auxiliary Nurse Midwives in Nawalparasi on key aspects of mental health and mental health promotion. The project led by Bournemouth University was funded under the Health Partnership Scheme (HPS) which is managed by a London-based organisation called THET (Tropical Health & Education Trust).

Can I also take the opportunity to list all our collaborators in Nepal and UK:

Padam Simkhada, Bhimsen Devkota, Shyam K. Maharjan, Lokendra Sherchan, Ram Chandra Silwal, Krishna Acharya, Bishnu G.C., Ram K. Maharjan, Bibha Simkhada, Jillian Ireland, Jane Stephens, Colette Fanning, Edwin van Teijlingen, Geeta Sharma, Samridhi Pradhan, Seam MacKay, Ish Fawcett, Andrea Lawrie, Dave Havelock, Liz Murphy, Rose Pringle, Sapana Bista, Chrissy Reeves & Flora Douglas.

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health

21 June 2017

Review published on BU co-edited academic book

international, Publishing, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

Sometimes we use the BU Research Blog to report on our own research and publications, sometimes post blogs about the works of colleagues. Occasionally we have the pleasure to report on something written about, or in reply to, our own studies. This book review in The Practising Midwife [1] falls in the latter category as it reviews our recently published edited volume New Thinking on Improving Maternity Care: International Perspectives. This volume is edited by academic from across the varies countries [2]. The book is the result of years of comparative international research, funded by the EU (European Union) through its COST Action. The book sets out to generate the best possible evidence across a range of childbirth practices, contexts, and issues in Europe (and beyond).

The reviewer is Sophie Clare a Staff Midwife at Wexford General Hospital finds it an insightful book which is “a collection of chapters examining issues pertinent to maternity care and midwifery practice across cultures and continents.” She concludes that our book “demonstrates the value of international comparative research in learning what kind of care is best and for whom, in any given setting.”

Professor Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health

References:

Clare, S. (2017) New Thinking on Improving Maternity Care: International Perspectives, Sarah Church, Lucy Firth, Marie-Claire Balaam et al (ads) 2017, Pinter and Martin Ltd, 216pp, £24.99, pbk, ISBN 978 178066 240 4 [book review], The Practising Midwife 20(6):36.
Church, C., Firth, L., Balaam, M-C., Berg, M., Smith, V., van der Walt, C., Downe, S., van Teijlingen, E. (Eds.) (2017) New Thinking on Improving Maternity Care: International Perspectives, London: Pinter & Martin

20 June 2017

BU posters at international midwifery conference

conferences, international Edwin van Teijlingen

BU academics from the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences had a strong presence at the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) in Canada this lunch time. They presented four separate academic posters today at the ICM conference in Toronto. First, Dr. Alison Taylor presented her poster ‘Mothers need to talk, midwives need to listen: Insights from breastfeeding mother’s video diaries’. Secondly, Sara Stride and Dr. Sue Way presented their poster on ‘UUPP Study: Updating the Understanding of Perineal Practice at the time of birth across the United Kingdom’.

Prof. Vanora Hundley, Dr. Ann Luce (BU Faculty of Media & Communication), Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen and two students, Sofie Edlund and Sian Ridden also presented their poster on ‘Changing the narrative around birth: midwives’ views of working with the media’. And, last but not least, Prof. Vanora Hundley and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen also contributed to a poster produced by Dr. Andrew Symon and colleagues from across the UK: ‘Midwifery-led antenatal care models: Mapping a systematic review to an evidence-based quality framework to identify key components and characteristics of care’.

18 June 2017

BU contributions to international midwifery conference 2017

conferences, international, PG research, student research Edwin van Teijlingen

Today sees the start of the triennial ICM (International Confederation of Midwives) conference in Toronto. BU is well represented in Canada through academics based in the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal and Perinatal Health (CMMPH) presenting posters, papers and workshops. The ICM programme can be accessed on line, click here!

Over the next few days BU staff will present on a collaboration with the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic: ‘Newborn feeding clinic service evaluation: Midwives working in partnership with chiropractors to enhance breastfeeding experiences of mothers & babies in the UK’.

Dr. Rachel Arnold presents on her PhD research at Bournemouth University under the title ‘Ensuring high-quality respectful care in a climate of fear and intimidation’. On Wednesday Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen reports on the maternal mental health training conducted in Nepal in 2016-2017 under the title ‘Mental health training for community maternity workers in Nepal’. Dr. Jenny Hall is co-organiser of a symposium Spirituality and Childbirth with Prof. Susan Crowther and Dr. Celine Lemay.

Moreover there will be many BU poster presentations this week including ones by:

Dr. Rachel Arnold and her PhD supervisors on ‘Women’s rights: the impact of management systems, managers’ practice and attitudes on midwives’;
Dr. Alison Taylor and her PhD supervisors on ‘Early breastfeeding support for first-time UK mothers: A study based on video diaries’ AND a further posters on ‘Mothers need to talk, midwives need to listen: Insights from breastfeeding mother’s video diaries’;
Sara Stride and Dr. Sue Way on ‘UUPP Study: Updating the Understanding of Perineal Practice at the time of birth across the United Kingdom’
Prof. Vanora Hundley, Dr. Ann Luce (BU Faculty of Media & Communication), Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen and two students, Sofie Edlund and Sian Ridden, on ‘Changing the narrative around birth: midwives’ views of working with the media’;
Profs. Vanora Hundley and Edwin van Teijlingen also contributed to a poster produced by Dr. Andrew Symon and colleagues from across the UK: ‘Midwifery-led antenatal care models: Mapping a systematic review to an evidence-based quality framework to identify key components and characteristics of care’.

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Toronto, Canada

18 June 2017

New BU publication in Public Health

international, open access, Publishing, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

This week the Oxford Encyclopaedia published our contribution on religious organisations and health promotion [1]. The paper in question ‘Faith Communities and the Potential for Health Promotion’ is co-authored by scholars based in England, Scotland and Canada. This new publication is part of a growing number of publications at Bournemouth University on the contribution of faith communities to public health.

Faith communities often have multiple resources, existing networks and an infrastructure that can be applied to health promotion programmes for their own membership or as an outreach to the wider community. Health programmes in a faith community in high-income countries may include targeted initiatives, ranging from walking groups or weight checks, health events, or health assessments, to diabetes self-management. These activities can be organised by charities and NHS organisation and held at local churches, synagogues or mosques which is referred to as faith-placed health promotion. If the health promotion is part of the ministry of the religious organisation it is referred to as faith-based health promotion.

On top of this encyclopaedia entry, the Open Access journal African Health Sciences [Impact Factor 0.66] accepted our paper in the same field a few weeks ago. This paper ‘Influence of faith-based organisations on HIV prevention strategies in Africa: a systematic review’ formed part of the first author’s M.Sc. in Public Health [2]. Our previous papers reported on a study of faith-based and faith-placed health promotion in and around Dundee [3-4].

Professor Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Prenatal Health

References

Kiger, A., Fagan, D., van Teijlingen, E. (2017) Faith Communities and the Potential for Health Promotion. In: Encyclopedia of Health and Risk Message Design & Processing, Parrott, R. (ed.) New York, Oxford University Press. (http://communication.oxfordre.com/).
Ochillo, M., van Teijlingen, E., Hind, M. (2017) Influence of faith-based organisations on HIV prevention strategies in Africa: a systematic review. African Health Sciences (accepted June).
Fagan, D., Kiger, A., van Teijlingen E. (2010) A survey of faith leaders concerning health promotion and the level of healthy living activities occurring in faith communities in Scotland. Global Health Promotion 17(4): 15-23.
Fagan, D., Kiger, A., van Teijlingen, E. (2012) Faith communities and their assets for health promotion: The views from health professionals and faith leaders in Dundee, Scotland, Global Health Promotion 19(2): 27-36.

24 May 2017

Press release INASP highlights BU research paper

international, open access, Publishing, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

INASP, an Oxford-based organisation, aims to improve access to, and production and use of, research information and knowledge for sustainable development. Part of their approach is the Journals Online project which increases the accessibility and visibility of developing-country research. The Journals Online project includes a set of journals published Open Access in Nepal, know as NepJOL. On of the journals in the stable of NepJOl is the SAARC Journal of Tuberculosis, Lung Diseases & HIV/AIDS. Journals selected for inclusion on the Journals Online project must be:

scholarly in content, and contain original research;
peer reviewed and quality controlled;
able to provide all necessary content in electronic format (tables of contents, abstracts and PDFs of full text);
published, managed and developed within their respective country.

Yesterday INASP selected a paper published late last year and co-authored by two Bournemouth University academics for a special press release. The press release can be found here! This press release highlights our recently published paper in the SAARC Journal of Tuberculosis, Lung Diseases & HIV/AIDS. Our paper ‘Knowing is Not Enough: Migrant Workers’ Spouses Vulnerability to HIV’ argues that despite having generally a good knowledge and awareness of HIV and risk associated with migration and HIV; migrants’ wives could not discuss sexual health issues with their husbands, thus increasing their vulnerability to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections [1].

Dr. Pramod Regmi, Post-Doctoral Research in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences is quoted in the press release as saying: “knowledge alone would not be sufficient to fight against the spread of HIV/STI among wives of migrant workers.” This paper is an addition to a range of papers on health and well-being of Nepali migrant workers produced by BU academics [2-6].

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

References:

Aryal, N., Regmi, P.R., van Teijlingen, E., Dhungel, D., Ghale, G., Bhatta, G.K. (2016) Knowing is not enough: Migrant workers’ spouses vulnerability to HIV SAARC Journal of Tuberculosis, Lung Diseases & HIV/AIDS 8(1):9-15.
Adhikary, P., Simkhada, P.P., van Teijlingen E., Raja, AE. (2008) Health & Lifestyle of Nepalese Migrants in the UK BMC International Health & Human Rights 8(6). Web address: www.biomedcentral.com/1472-698X/8/6.
Adhikary P., Keen S., van Teijlingen E (2011) Health Issues among Nepalese migrant workers in Middle East. Health Science Journal 5: 169-175. www.hsj.gr/volume5/issue3/532.pdf
Sapkota, T., Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen, E. (2014) Nepalese health workers’ migration to United Kingdom: A qualitative study. Health Science Journal 8(1):57-74.
Simkhada, P.P., Regmi, P.R., van Teijlingen, E., Aryal, N. (2017) Identifying the gaps in Nepalese migrant workers’ health and well-being: A review of the literature, Journal of Travel Medicine 24 (4): 1-9.
Aryal, N., Regmi, P.R., van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P., Adhikary, P., Bhatta, Y.K.D., Mann, S. (2016) Injury and Mortality in Young Nepalese Migrant Workers: A Call for Public Health Action. Asian-Pacific Journal of Public Health 28(8): 703-705.

18 May 2017

Congratulations to Dr. Pramod Regmi now Visiting Faculty at Datta Meghe Inst. Med. Sci. [India]

Festival of Learning, international Edwin van Teijlingen

Congratulations to Dr. Pramod Regmi on his appointment as Visiting Research Fellow in International Health at Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences which is part of Deemed University in Maharashtra, India. Dr. Regmi is currently Post-Doctoral Researcher and Early Career Researcher in the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinal Health (CMMPH).

Over the past year FHSS has submitted several grant applications with academics based at Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences. Moreover, we are running a joint BU-Datta Neghe project in Maharashtra on the health and well-being of Nepali migrant workers in India. This collaborative migration project was highlighted in the recent Festival of Learning India presentations in New Delhi. Dr. Regmi has published several papers on Nepali migrant workers and their health and well-being.

Well done!

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
CMMPH

11 May 2017

Resolving and transforming conflict

international, Knowledge Exchange, Women's Academic Network Jonathan Parker

Everyone experiences conflict in life. How we deal about it is different, however. Various forms of conflict and strategies of facing them was the topic of a recent workshop organised by Professor Gabriel Schäfer, from University of Applied Sciences, Bremen in Germany. Her talk and workshop on conflict and conflict resolution has been organised over three days by Professsor Jonathan Parker of the Department of Social Sciences and Social Work.

Professor Schäfer argued that conflict resolution happens in different ways because conflict is related to aggression and as human beings we have different ways of expressing our aggression. What we need to remember in resolving the conflicts is to acknowledge that firstly our individual personalities are different (some face conflict and some want to let it go), and secondly there are cultural differences that may cause these conflicts go deeper. As it happens, relationships between couples from different cultures break up more often than those where partners have shared history, background and cultural attributes. However, in the workshop, we tried and tested different strategies that help us to not to diminish but to manage these personal and cultural differences.

Professor Schäfer presented three excellent workshops to staff and students on professionally qualifying and pure academic programmes. At a time of heightened tensions across the world learning effective ways of dealing with conflict is, of course, very important. It is central to working and living in our increasingly diverse and multi-cultural world and allows us to disagree, argue and resolve differences in constructive rather than destructive ways.

Dr Masi Fathi and Prof Jonathan Parker

5 May 2017

Writing workshops in Nepal

international, open access, Publishing, Training, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

Yesterday and today we offered sessions on academic writing and publishing at two different higher education institutions in Kathmandu. Yesterday we run a session for staff and postgraduate students at Tribhuvan University, in the Department of Health, Physical & Population Education. Staff in the Department of Health, Physical & Population Education are our Nepali key collaborators in a THET-funded project aiming to improve mental health training in community-based maternity care providers in the south of Nepal.

Today’s workshop was held at Manmahon Memorial Institute of Health Sciences (MMIHS). BU’s Faculty of Health & Social Sciences has been running joint research projects with MMIHS for the past three or four years. The sessions are jointly run with BU’s Visiting Professor Padam Simkhada, who is based at Liverpool John Moores University. These workshops are capacity-building among academics and students in Nepal.

Our sessions are based on our experience in academic writing as well as that of acting as peer reviewers and journal editors. Our sessions are also linked to some of the papers we have published ourselves on the process of academic writing. [1-8] Most of these publications on publishing are in Open Access journals. Hence papers are freely available anybody in Nepal, and elsewhere in the world, of course.

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

CMMPH

Hall, J., Hundley, V., van Teijlingen, E. (2015) The journal editor: friend or foe? Women & Birth 28(2): e26-e29.
Hundley, V, van Teijlingen, E, Simkhada, P (2013) Academic authorship: who, why and in what order? Health Renaissance 11 (2):98-101 www.healthrenaissance.org.np/uploads/Download/vol-11-2/Page_99_101_Editorial.pdf
Pitchforth, E, Porter M, Teijlingen van E, Keenan Forrest, K.. (2005) Writing up & presenting qualitative research in family planning & reproductive health care, J Fam Plann Reprod Health Care 31(2): 132-135.
Simkhada P, van Teijlingen E, Hundley V. (2013) Writing an academic paper for publication, Health Renaissance 11 (1):1-5. www.healthrenaissance.org.np/uploads/Pp_1_5_Guest_Editorial.pdf
van Teijlingen, E., Ireland, J., Hundley, V., Simkhada, P., Sathian, B. (2014) Finding the right title for your article: Advice for academic authors, Nepal J Epidemiol 4(1): 344-347.
van Teijlingen, E., Hundley, V., Bick, D. (2014) Who should be an author on your academic paper? Midwifery 30: 385-386.
Teijlingen van, E, Simkhada, PP, Rizyal A (2012) Submitting a paper to an academic peer-reviewed journal, where to start? (Guest Editorial) Health Renaissance 10 (1): 1-4.
Teijlingen van, E, Simkhada. PP, Simkhada, B, Ireland J. (2012) The long & winding road to publication, Nepal J Epidemiol 2(4): 213-215 http://nepjol.info/index.php/NJE/article/view/7093/6388

1 May 2017

THET-funded mental health training dissemination in Kathmandu

international, Knowledge Exchange, open access, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

On the last day of April we presented our key findings from the THET-funded project on Mental Health Training for Rural Community-based Maternity Care Workers in Nepal. The session in Hotel Yak & Yeti in central Kathmandu was jointly organised by Tribhuvan University with Bournemouth University and Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU). Mental health is high on the global agenda and increasingly so in Nepal. Mental health in pregnant women and new mothers is increasing recognised across the world. However, for many people in Nepal mental health problems are still difficult topics to discuss.

The team presented slides on mental health in maternity care issue, the curriculum review, the intervention and the volunteers and various aspects of the evaluation. The slide (below) highlighting a few mishaps with UK volunteers definitely got the most laughs.

The three universities have been working together training Auxiliary Nurse Midwives in Nawalparasi on key aspects of mental health and mental health promotion. The project led by Bournemouth University was funded under the Health Partnership Scheme (HPS) which is managed by a London-based organisation called THET (Tropical Health & Education Trust).

Prof. Vanora Hundley from FHSS was one of the key speakers commenting on the intervention, the research and its findings. The audience also heard from two of the ANMs who had been in the training and the chief nurse in the district about there views on the UK volunteers and their training sessions. To date the work has resulted in three academic publications, all are Open Access journals. [1-3]

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

CMMPH

References:

Simkhada, B., Sharma, G., Pradhan, S., van Teijlingen, E., Ireland, J., Simkhada, P., Devkota, B. & the THET team. (2016) Needs assessment of mental health training for Auxiliary Nurse Midwives: a cross-sectional survey, Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences 2(1): 20-26. http://www.nepjol.info/index.php/JMMIHS/article/view/15793/12738
Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen E., Winter, R.C., Fanning, C., Dhungel, A., Marahatta S.B. (2015) Why are so many Nepali women killing themselves? A review of key issues Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences 1(4): 43-49. http://www.nepjol.info/index.php/JMMIHS/article/view/12001
van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P., Devkota, B., Fanning, P., Ireland, J., Simkhada, B., Sherchan, L., Silwal, R.C., Pradhan, S., Maharjan, S.K., Maharjan, R.K. (2015) Mental health issues in pregnant women in Nepal. Nepal Journal of Epidemiology 5(3): 499-501. http://www.nepjol.info/index.php/NJE/article/view/13607/11007

28 April 2017

Primary Healthcare Workshop in Nepal

conferences Edwin van Teijlingen

This week professors Vanora Hundley and Edwin van Teijlingen from the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH) were invited to the Primary Healthcare Workshop in Kathmandu. This Primary Healthcare Workshop ‘Delivering Primary Health Care in hard-to-reach areas of Nepal: Opportunities & Challenges’ was organised by the non-governmental organisation PHASE and the Nepal Health Research Council (NHRC). Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen and BU Visiting Professor Padam Simkhada (who is based at Liverpool John Moores University) were invited to offer an international perspective on this workshop held in coordination with the Ministry of Health, Nepal.

Edwin made a comparison between the difficulties in access to primary care, recruiting and retention of staff in remote Nepal and his previous work on maternity care in remote and rural Scotland. He argued that some of these issues are universal, but more difficult to deal with in low-income countries like Nepal. The workshop took place at the Nepal Health Research Council.

24 April 2017

New publication Dr Jenny Hall

international, Public engagement, Publishing, Research Integritiy, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

Congratulations to CMMPH’s Dr. Jenny Hall, Senior Midwifery Lecturer, on the publication of her scientific paper ‘The Spiritual Journey of Infertile Couples: Discussing the Opportunity for Spiritual Care‘ in the journal Religions, see further details here! Jenny has co-authored this paper with academics from Portugal and Ireland.

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

CMMPH

22 April 2017

Nepali migrant workers in India #GlobalFoL17 presentation in Delhi

conferences, Festival of Learning, international, PG research, Publishing, student research, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

On the last day of BU’s Global Festival of Learning-India 2017 Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen presented the following paper: ‘Nepali migrant workers: trials & tribulations’. The Global Festival of Learning-India 2017 took place at Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts in Pune and at the India Habitat Centre in the capital Delhi. The session offered insight from various studies on Nepali migrant workers conducted by Bournemouth University staff and students.[1-3] It included preliminary results from an on-going study of Nepali migrant workers in India. The latter study is a close collaboration between Pramod Regmi and Edwin van Teijlingen) in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences, Indian colleagues at Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences, Deemed University in India (Quazi Syed Zahiruddin, Abhay M. Gaidhane), and Padam Simkhada at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU).

The presentation also highlighted some of the key findings form our recently published paper ‘Identifying the gaps in Nepalese migrant workers’ health and well-being: A review of the literature’ in the Journal of Travel Medicine.[1] The paper is co-authored by BU’s Pramod Regmi and Edwin van Teijlingen, and Padam Simkhada (LJMU) and our Nepali colleague Nirmal Aryal based in New Zealand.

Dr. Shweta Sinda Deshpande, who chaired the session, originated from an Indian village a few miles from the Nepali border. Moreover, she is also an anthropologist who had done fieldwork with Nepali migrant workers in India. Her informed contribution was very much welcomed by the audience.

References:

Simkhada, P.P., Regmi, P.R., van Teijlingen, E., Aryal, N. (2017) Identifying the gaps in Nepalese migrant workers’ health and well-being: A review of the literature, Journal of Travel Medicine 24(4): 1-9.
Adhikary, P., Simkhada, P.P., van Teijlingen, E., Raja, AE. (2008) Health & Lifestyle of Nepalese Migrants in the UK BMC International Health & Human Rights 8(6). Web address: www.biomedcentral.com/1472-698X/8/6.
Adhikary, P., Keen, S., van Teijlingen, E. (2011) Health Issues among Nepalese migrant workers in Middle East. Health Science Journal 5: 169-175. www.hsj.gr/volume5/issue3/532.pdf
Aryal, N., Regmi, P.R., van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P., Adhikary, P., Bhatta, Y.K.D., Mann, S. (2016) Injury and Mortality in Young Nepalese Migrant Workers: A Call for Public Health Action. Asian-Pacific Journal of Public Health 28(8): 703-705.

2 April 2017

New FHSS paper on migration research

international, Publishing, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

Last week saw the publication of the latest paper by Faculty of Health & Social Sciences (FHSS) staff. This paper ‘Identifying the gaps in Nepalese migrant workers’ health and well-being: a review of the literature’ was co-authored by BU’s Dr. Pramod Regmi and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen [1]. The authors argue that the health and well-being of migrant workers from low-income countries is often neglected in travel medicine. This article uses Nepal as a case study to highlight key issues affecting this particular group of international travellers.

Migrant workers who are generally healthy appear to be similar to tourist travellers in regarding sexual health as a key issue related to being abroad. Risky sexual behaviour increases in individuals separated from their usual sexual partners, away from their own communities and families, leading to the so-called ‘situational disinhibition’. Considering the recent media coverage of deaths and injuries among migrant workers in the Middle East, it is interesting to see that their sexual health is more prevalent in the research literature. This article reminds us that travel medicine should provide more emphasis to the health and well-being of migrant workers as a highly vulnerable group of travellers with additional impact on the health of those left behind.

References;

Simkhada, P.P., Regmi, P.R., van Teijlingen, E., Aryal, N. (2017) Identifying the gaps in Nepalese migrant workers’ health and well-being: a review of the literature J Travel Med 24 (4): DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/tax021

24 March 2017

Nepal conference at BU

conferences, international, Knowledge Exchange, PG research, student research, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

FHSS has the honour of hosting the 15th BNAC (Britain-Nepal Academic Council) Nepal Study Days on 12-13 April 2017. All presentations will focus on Nepal, its diaspora and/or the Nepali cultural world. This year’s programme includes a range of issues and studies from across different disciplines. In the past decade these study days have been at universities across the UK, including Liverpool John Moores University, the University of Oxford and the University of Edinburgh.

This year several presenters of oral presentations or posters are affiliated with BU (staff, PhD students and FHSS Visiting Faculty). These include the following presentations:

Identifying the gaps in Nepalese migrant workers’ health and well-being: A review of the literature, by Padam Simkhada, Pramod Regmi, Edwin van Teijlingen & Nirmal Aryal
Assessing the need and type of continuing professional development (CPD) for nurses trained and working in Nepal, by Bibha Simkhada, Edwin van Teijlingen, Padam Simkhada, Sean Mackey, Rose Khatri, Chandra Kala Sharma & Sujan Marahatta

As well as the following posters

Reflections on THET-funded maternal mental health training in Nawalparasi, by Jillian Ireland, Andrea Lawrie, David Havelock, Padam Simkhada, Edwin van Teijlingen, Bibha Simkhada, Bhimsen Devkota, Lokendra Sherchan, Ram Chandra Silwal & Shyam K. Maharjan.
Factors affecting health facility delivery in rural Nawalparasi district of Nepal, by Preeti K Mahato, Edwin van Teijlingen, Padam Simkhada, Zoe Sheppard & Ram Chandra Silwal
Food belief practices amongst rural and urban mothers in Nepal: A qualitative overview, by Jib Acharya, Edwin van Teijlingen, Jane Murphy & Martin Hind

10 March 2017

Dr. Masi Fathi appointed to the board of Sociological Research Online

open access, Publishing, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

Congratulations to Dr. Mastoureh (Masi) Fathi, FHSS Lecturer in Sociology, who has been appointed to the editorial board of Sociological Research Online. Sociological Research Online is a peer-reviewed online sociology journal looking at current social issues, and it is in its twenty-second year.

Well done!

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

5 March 2017

One week: five FHSS publications

international, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Transfer, PG research, Publishing, Research Ethics, Research Integritiy, Research themes, student research, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

Last week was a good week for FHSS from a publishing perspective. On the last day of February Sociological Research Online published a book review with Dr. Pramod Regmi as first author, which we highlighted in an earlier BU Research Blog (see more here!) [1]. On the same the same day we received news from the Journal of Travel Medicine (published by Oxford University press) that our latest article on research in Nepal was accepted for publication. Our paper ‘Identifying the gaps in Nepalese migrant workers’ health and well-being: A review of the literature’ addresses the health and well-being of migrant health workers and ‘brings’ this to travel medicine specialists [2].

On Thursday our article ‘Vital signs and other observations used to detect deterioration in pregnant women: an analysis of vital sign charts in consultant-led maternity units’ was accepted by the International Journal of Obstetric Anesthesia published by Elsevier [3]. On Friday The Lancet published correspondence from FHSS Post-Doc. Researcher Dr. Pramod Regmi and FHSS Ph.D. student Folashade Alloh, and BU Visiting Faculty Prof. Padam Simkhada under the title: ‘Mental health in BME groups with diabetes: an overlooked issue?’ [4]. To round off the week on Friday afternoon the editorial office of Kontakt (published by Elsevier) emailed that the editorial ‘The medical and social model of childbirth’ had been accepted for publication [5].

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

CMMPH

References:

Regmi, P., van Teijlingen, E. ‘Balanced Ethics Review: A Guide for Institutional Review Board Members’ by Whitney, Simon N., Springer, (2015) ISBN: 9783319207056 (pb) (book review), Sociological Research Online 2017; 22(1) http://www.socresonline.org.uk/22/1/reviews/3.html
Simkhada, P.P., Regmi, P.R., van Teijlingen, E., Aryal, N. Identifying the gaps in Nepalese migrant workers’ health and well-being: A review of the literature, Journal of Travel Medicine (Accepted).
Smith, G.B., Isaacs, R., Andrews, L., Wee, M.Y.K., van Teijlingen, E., Bick, D.E., Hundley, V. Vital signs and other observations used to detect deterioration in pregnant women: an analysis of vital sign charts in consultant-led maternity units, International Journal of Obstetric Anesthesia (Accepted).
Regmi, P., Alloh, F., Pant, P.R., Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen, E. (2017) Mental health in BME groups with diabetes: an overlooked issue? The Lancet, 389: 904-905.
van Teijlingen, E. The medical and social model of childbirth, Kontakt (Accepted.

4 March 2017

New book review published by Dr. Pramod Regmi on research ethics

international, Publishing, Research Ethics, student research, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

This week saw the publication of the latest issue of the internet-based journal Sociological Research Online. In this issue Dr. Pramod Regmi and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen published a book review of Balanced Ethics Review: A Guide for Institutional Review Board Members written by the American academic Simon Whitney. [1] In doing so they continue the tradition of FHSS scholars contributing to the research ethics debate. For example, Regmi and colleagues recently had a paper accepted on their insights into research in low-income countries in the journal Developing World Bioethics.[2] Whilst a 2012 FHSS-led paper stressed that researchers conducting research in low-income countries need to apply for research ethics approval to the relevant local authority, if national legislation requires one to do so.[3]

Looking better a little further back, Professor Emerita Immy Holloway wrote about the researcher who may have (potentially) conflicting roles namely those of researcher and health care professional.[4] Whilst a combination of midwifery researchers in the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH) highlighted the problems faced by practitioners doing research in their field of practice with perhaps the risk of blurring professional and research ethics, as balancing competing ethical concerns between protecting research participants and over-managing the ethical process can be problematic.[5-6] The latter issue of management and regulation of research ethics has recognised as getting more and more cumbersome and bureaucratic.[7-8]

Two further publications by Prof. Ashencaen Crabtree have added to the pool of FHSS publication on research ethics.[9-10] The first one, a book, addressed the problematic issue of gate-keepers in research together with the ethics of critical observation of abuse (potential or actual), as well as the ethics of advocating on behalf of research participants.[9] The second paper covered issues around working with research participants who are regarded as ‘vulnerable’ in a study into the context of care and patient/service user experiences.[10]

Whilst Prof. Parker has highlighted the benefits and dangers of using email and the Internet for social and health research.[11] An even newer research approach is the use of discussion boards as sources of data, which brings its own ethical dilemmas.[12]

In 2010-11 Prof. Parker and colleagues explored in two separate papers the contested meanings and difficulties associated with informed consent, highlighting challenges raised by an almost unquestioned acceptance of biomedical research ethics in social research and questioning whether potential ‘harm’ is different in this context.[13-14]

Prof. Hundley and colleagues discussed the ethical challenges involved in conducting a cluster randomised controlled trial, where getting informed consent can be complication.[15] Whilst it is worth reminding researchers that in issues of informed consent during pregnancy and childbirth one has to consider the potential for harm to two participants.[16]

References

Regmi, P., van Teijlingen, E. (2017) ‘Balanced Ethics Review: A Guide for Institutional Review Board Members’ by Whitney, Simon N., Springer, (2015) ISBN: 9783319207056 (pb) (book review), Sociological Research Online 22(1) http://www.socresonline.org.uk/22/1/reviews/3.html
Regmi, PR., Aryal, N., Kurmi, O., Pant, PR., van Teijlingen, E., Wasti, P.P. (forthcoming Informed consent in health research: challenges and barriers in low-and middle-income countries with specific reference to Nepal, Developing World Bioethics.
van Teijlingen E.R., Simkhada, P.P. (2012) Ethical approval in developing countries is not optional, Journal of Medical Ethics 38:428-430.
Holloway, I., Wheeler, S. (1995) Ethical Issues in Qualitative Nursing Research, Nursing Ethics 2: 223-232. http://nej.sagepub.com/content/2/3/223.full.pdf+html
Ryan, K., Brown, B., Wilkins, C., Taylor, A., Arnold, R., Angell, C., van Teijlingen, E. (2011) Which hat am I wearing today? Practicing midwives doing research, Evidence-Based Midwifery 9(1): 4-8.
van Teijlingen, E.R., Cheyne, H.L. (2004) Ethics in midwifery research, RCM Midwives Journal 7 (5): 208-10.
van Teijlingen, E. (2006) Reply to Robert Dingwall’s Plenary ‘Confronting the Anti-Democrats: The unethical Nature of Ethical Regulation in Social Science, MSo (Medical Sociology online) 1: 59-60 www.medicalsociologyonline.org/archives/issue1/pdf/reply_rob.pdf
van Teijlingen, E., Douglas, F., Torrance, N. (2008) Clinical governance and research ethics as barriers to UK low-risk population-based health research? BMC Public Health 8(396) www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1471-2458-8-396.pdf
Ashencaen Crabtree, S. (2012) Rainforest Asylum: The enduring legacy of colonial psychiatric care in Malaysia, London: Whiting & Birch.
Ashencaen Crabtree, S. (2013) Research ethics approval processes and the moral enterprise of ethnography. Ethics & Social Welfare. Advance Access: DOI:10.1080/17496535.2012.703683
Bond, C.S, Ahmed, O.H., Hind, M., Thomas, B., Hewitt-Taylor, J. (2013) The Conceptual and Practical Ethical Dilemmas of Using Health Discussion Board Posts as Research Data, Journal of Medical Internet Research 15(6):e112) Web address: http://www.jmir.org/2013/6/e112/
Parker, J. (2008) Email, ethics and data collection in social work research: some reflections from a research project, Evidence & Policy: A Journal of Research, Debate & Practice, 4(1): 75-83.
Hundley, V., Cheyne, H.C., Bland, J.M., Styles, M., Barnett, C.A. (2010) So you want to conduct a cluster randomised controlled trial? Lessons from a national cluster trial of early labour, Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice 16: 632-638
Helmreich, R.J., Hundley, V., Norman, A., Ighedosa, J., Chow, E. (2007) Research in pregnant women: the challenges of informed consent, Nursing for Women’s Health 11(6): 576-585.
Parker, J., Penhale, B., Stanley, D., (2010). Problem or safeguard? Research ethics review in social care research and the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Social Care & Neurodisability, 1(2): 22-32.
Parker, J., Penhale, B., Stanley, D. (2011) Research ethics review: social care and social science research and the Mental Capacity Act 2005, Ethics & Social Welfare, 5(4): 380-400.

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