Category / Publishing

Pilot studies methods paper cited 500 times

Publishing, writing

This morning ResearchGate alerted us that our paper ‘The importance of pilot studies’ [1] had reached 500 citations.  Profs. Vanora Hundley and Edwin van Teijlingen, both in BU’s Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health (CMWH) have published several methods papers [1-6] on the importance of (a) conducting pilot studies, but also (b) reporting on their outcomes and lessons learnt.  It started more than two decades ago with lessons learnt from the Scottish Birth study [2]. Followed by a methods paper in a sociology journal [3], one in a midwifery journal [4] and one in a family planning journal [5].  The icing on the pudding was an encyclopedia entry in 2003 [6].

 

References:

  1. van Teijlingen E, Hundley, V. (2002) ‘The importance of pilot studies’ Nursing Standard 16(40): 33-36. Web: nursing-standard.co.uk/archives/vol16-40/pdfs/vol16w40p3336.pdf
  2. van Teijlingen, E., Rennie, AM., Hundley, V., Graham, W. (2001) The importance of conducting & reporting pilot studies: example of Scottish Births Survey, Journal of Advanced Nursing, 34: 289-95.
  3. van Teijlingen, E., Hundley, V. (2001) The importance of pilot studies, Social Research Update Issue 35, (Editor N. Gilbert), Guildford: University of Surrey. Web:  http://www.soc.surrey.ac.uk/sru/SRU35.html
  4. Hundley, V., van Teijlingen E. (2002) The role of pilot studies in midwifery research RCM Midwives Journal 5(11): 372-74.
  5. van Teijlingen, E, Hundley, V. (2005) Pilot studies in family planning & reproductive health care, Journal of Family Planning & Reproductive Health Care 31(3): 219-21.
  6. van Teijlingen E, Hundley, V. (2003) Pilot study, In: Encyclopaedia of Social Science Research Methods, Vol. 2, Lewis-Beck, M., Bryman, A. & Liao, T. (eds.), Orego, Sage: 823-24.

 

Congratulations on new paper by BU PhD graduate

Guidance, PG research, Publishing, Research Ethics, writing

Congratulations to Dr. Karim Khaled on the latest paper from his BU Ph.D. research.  This article ‘Ethical Issues and Challenges Regarding the Use of Mental Health Questionnaires in Public Health Nutrition Research‘ [1] was published earlier this month in the international journal Nutrients. 

Karim is currently based at Birmingham City University, and the paper is co-authored with his  Ph.D. supervisors Dr. Fotini Tsofliou and Prof. Vanora Hundley in BU’s Faculty of Health & Social Sciences.  This paper addresses the potential burden of completing mental health questionnaires on (a) participants and (b) researchers. This examines ethical issues and challenges of using such scales and questionnaires, providing a real-life case study where the Beck’s Depression Inventory-II was used.
The ethical considerations raised by using mental health questionnaires in epidemiological research include incorrectly identifying participants as depressed or non-depressed; inability to identify participants for referral procedures due to the anonymous nature of some research studies; an increased burden on participants through depression and suicidal questions; and the high expectation of participants towards the researcher. Preventative measures to reduce these challenges include choosing appropriate cut-off scores for correctly identifying participants; highlighting whether mental health questionnaires used may elicit negative emotional or psychological reactions related to suicide ideation; specifying the criteria for referral to clinical services; detailing the intended referral processes; including approaches where the researcher directly connects participants with a psychological service provider; and including a passive referral method such as contact details for participants to initiate their own referrals to clinical care.  The authors offer a guide for researchers aiming to collect data on mental health through questionnaires, and they conclude that ethical challenges should be considered and reviewed at all stages of the research project.

Well done!

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

 

Reference:

  1. Khaled, K., Tsofliou, F., Hundley, V. (2025). Ethical Issues and Challenges Regarding the Use of Mental Health Questionnaires in Public Health Nutrition Research Nutrients 17 (4): 715. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17040715

 

 

ZOOM Academic Writing & Publishing Workshop for Bangladesh

international, Publishing, Training, writing

Colleagues are invited to our Bangladesh Midwifery Academic Writing & Publishing Workshop

This online workshop is an introduction to the world of academic writing and publishing.  The workshop organisers, Professors Hundley and van Teijlingen will introduce the basic structure of an academic article, highlight the importance of selecting the most appropriate journal, reading and following the author instructions, understanding the role of the journal editor and that of peer reviewers.  The authors will use the submission requirements of the Journal of Asian Midwives as an example.

The ZOOM event will be held this Tuesday 18 February 14.00-16.00 UK time.  FHSS colleagues who are interested in joining this introductory workshop with midwives and midwifery researchers from Bangladesh can use the following link:

Image preview

 

BU student’s M.Res. paper read 500 times

international, open access, Publishing, student research, Women's Academic Network, writing

Yesterday ResearchGate alerted us that our paper ‘The importance of positionality for qualitative researchers‘ [1] has been read 500 times. This methods paper was only written last year by Bournemouth University M.Res. student Hannah Gurr, her M.Res. supervisors Dr. Orlanda Harvey, Dr. Louise Oliver and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen in collaboration with Prof. Madhusudan Subedi from Patan Academy of Health Sciences in Nepal.

In the paper we remind qualitative researchers about the importance of critical reflection, and why they need to explain their positionality to readers of their work. This account can be relatively straightforward, but there are occasions when this process of reflection and outlining one’s positionality is much more complicated. This method-paper explains this process. It outlines, using examples of different occasions and situations, where and why such complications may arise, for example, around values and personal experiences. It concludes with further practical advice on writing the section on positionality for novice social scientists.

Well done Hannah!

Dr. Lou Oliver, Dr. Orlanda Harvey & Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

 

Reference:

  1. Gurr, H., Oliver, L., Harvey, O., Subedi, M., & van Teijlingen, E. (2024). The Importance of Positionality for Qualitative Researchers. Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology, 18(1): 48–54. https://doi.org/10.3126/dsaj.v18i01.67553

New BU health publication in Portuguese

international, Publishing, writing

Congratulations to Dr. Debbie Almeida in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences, who published her latest article late last month colleagues and students.  This article SKIN TEARS: FRICTION INJURIES IN THE ELDERLY AND NURSING DIAGNOSES is in Portuguese and addresses the decline in organic functioning predisposes to a reduction in the human body’s response capacity, increasing the state of vulnerability and fragility of the elderly, especially in relation to the skin. This work aimed to organize nursing diagnoses to support nurses in proposing intervention and care for elderly people with friction injuries or skin tears. Exploratory study, carried out in two stages, with a literature review from December/2022 to March/2023, and structuring of nursing diagnoses. Eleven studies published in the last ten years on skin tears in elderly people were analyzed and 14 nursing diagnoses were structured. Preventive, care and therapeutic measures for skin tears were addressed, as aspects to structure nursing diagnoses for elderly people. Assertive diagnoses are fundamental for the correct planning and implementation of committed and safe assistance, influencing the quality of life of the person assisted

 

Well done!

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

 

Reference:

Tobse, L., Santos, dos Santos, B.B., Costa da Cruz, D.M.O., de Paulo, J.G., Almeida, D.G. (2025). SKIN TEARS: LESÕES POR FRICÇÃO EM PESSOA IDOSA E OS DIAGNÓSTICOS DE ENFERMAGEM. Arquivos de Ciências da Saúde da UNIPAR, 28(3):914–933, https://doi.org/10.25110/arqsaude.v28i3.2024-11494

BU conference presentation Federalisation & Nepal’s health system

international, Publishing, writing

The health system in Nepal’s unique federalisation experiment will be presented by Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen at a three-day conference at the Far Western University, Nepal on Saturday 8th February.  Nepal’s introduction of its federal system in the 2015 Constitution changed the way society, including its health system, was organised.  It meant that political changes and health systems changes occurred in parallel.  Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen explores the impact of federalisation on Nepal’s health system as part of an interdisciplinary mixed-methods study* called ‘The Impact of Federalisation on Nepal’s Health System: A longitudinal Analysis’.

First, implementing a new federal system is a slow, resource intensive process. While building new federal structures is important, challenging the status quo through strategic “unlearning and undoing” of old tendencies is also essential, as this creates spaces for new approaches that are more in line with federalism. This requires attention to emotional and political spheres, and not just structural or technical ones.

Federalisation, generally, brought decision making, resources and service delivery closer to the people, yet the process remains challenging and incomplete. Importantly, at the same time as federalism was being introduced, Nepal’s health system had to respond to COVID-19, making it difficult to disentangle the effects of the pandemic from those of federalisation. The health system is also part of a broader, complex, and interdependent set of socio-political, economic, legal, and cultural systems.

We found that the impact of federalisation varied across the six WHO building blocks and pre-existing conditions, e.g. wealthier regions often benefit disproportionately, exacerbating inequities in health.  Our study further highlighted: (a) the importance of leadership and governance, combined with financing mechanisms; (b) insufficient planning and misalignment between central and local levels resulting in inefficiencies; (c) weak health information systems hinder the ability to measure long-term effects.  Overall, unlocking the full potential of federalism will require political will and commitment at all three levels of government.

To date eight papers have been produced based in this project [1-8].

 

References:

  1. Koirala, B., Rushton, S., Adhikary, P., Balen, J., et al. (2024) COVID-19 as a challenge to Nepal’s newly federalised health system: capacities, responsibilities, and mindsets, Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health (online first) https://doi.org/10.1177/1010539524125012.
  2. Sapkota, S., Rushton, S., van Teijlingen, E., et al. (2024) Participatory policy analysis in health policy and systems research: reflections from a study in Nepal. Health Research & Policy Systems, 22 (No.7) https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-023-01092-5 .
  3. Wasti, S.P., van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P., et al. (2023) Selection of Study Sites and Participants for Research into Nepal’s Federal Health System, WHO South-East Asia Journal of Public Health 12(2):116-119.
  4. Sapkota, S., Dhakal, A., Rushton S., et al. (2023) The impact of decentralisation on health systems: a systematic review of reviews. BMJ Global Health 8:e013317. doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2023-013317.
  5. Wasti, S.P., van Teijlingen, E., Rushton, S., et al. (2023) Overcoming the Challenges Facing Nepal’s Health System During Federalisation: An Analysis of Health System Building Blocks, Health Research Policy & Systems 21(117) https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-023-01033-2
  6. Sapkota, S., Panday, S., Wasti, S.P., et al. (2022) Health System Strengthening: The Role of Public Health in Federal Nepal, Journal of the Nepal Public Health Association 7(1):36-42.
  7. Adhikary, P., Balen, J., Gautam, S., et al. (2020) The COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal: Emerging evidence on the effectiveness of action by, and cooperation between, different levels of government in a federal system, Journal of Karnali Academy of Health Sciences 3 (3): 1-11.
  8. Rushton, S., Pandey, S., van Teijlingen, E., et al. (2021) An Investigation into the Impact of Decentralization on the Health System of Nepal. Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences, 7(1): 3–14. https://doi.org/10.3126/jmmihs.v7i1.43146

What 35 Cities’ Road Networks Teach Us About Urban Complexity?

Publishing

What do Urban Road Networks reveal about life in the World’s Densest Cities?

A newly published paper, “A Multi-scale Network-based Topological Analysis of Urban Road Networks in Highly Populated Cities”, by recent PhD graduate Dr. Assemgul Kozhabek and Dr. Wei Koong Chai, explores this question by analyzing road networks from 35 densely populated cities worldwide—including those in China, India, Brazil, and Côte d’Ivoire. Using network science, the study offers fascinating insights into the structural patterns of urban road systems and their implications for city planning.

Key Findings 

  1. Macro-scale Insights:
    Cities with robust networks—those resilient to disruptions—tend to be more efficient, meaning they offer shorter travel distances. This highlights the importance of balancing robustness and efficiency in urban planning to prevent congestion.
  2. Meso-scale Patterns:
    The study reveals that these cities tend to be polycentric, with multiple key hubs rather than a single central core. Strong community structures (distinct, well-connected neighborhoods) and low core-periphery structures emphasize this decentralized nature.
  3. Micro-scale Observations:
    Critical intersections emerge in all cities, with betweenness centrality following a power-law distribution. This indicates that a few key intersections handle most traffic, making them vital for smooth flow.

Why It Matters 

For city planners, these insights offer valuable guidance. Designing cities with multiple centers, identifying key intersections, and balancing network robustness with efficiency can improve traffic management and urban resilience. As cities grow, smart infrastructure design will be crucial for sustainable urban living.

This study reminds us that cities are more than just buildings and roads—they’re dynamic, interconnected systems. Understanding their structure can lead to smarter, more livable urban environments.

Reference: Kozhabek, A. and Chai, W.K., 2025. A Multi-scale Network-based Topological Analysis of Urban Road Networks in Highly Populated Cities. Environment and planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/239980832513180

This work was partially funded by the Bournemouth-Christchurch-Poole (BCP) Council, UK and supported by an OpenBright Award.

         

Deposit function in BRIAN unavailable 11-12th February 2025

BRIAN, Publishing, staff profile pages

Please be aware that there will be a planned upgrade to BURO taking place 11-12th February. During this time, authors will not be able to deposit outputs into BURO via BRIAN.

Please do plan your use of the outputs deposit function in BRIAN accordingly to take this period of disrupted functionality into account.

For all BURO and BRIAN related queries, please email BURO@bournemouth.ac.uk and BRIAN@bournemouth.ac.uk respectively.

Thinking about interdisciplinary research

international, PG research, Publishing, writing

Thank you very much for all those who attended last Wednesday’s monthly online session organised by BU’s Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health (CMWH).  This event featured PhD student Mr. Shafkat Hossein who spoke about his thesis research ‘Using Human-Centred Design (HCD) to develop community-led interventions to prevent drowning among children under the age of 2 in rural Bangladesh’.  His work is part of an interdisciplinary study called ‘Sonamoni’ in which BU collaborates with CIPRB (Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh), the University of the West of England (in Bristol), the University of Southampton, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), and Design Without Borders (DWB) in Uganda.  Sonamoni aims to design and develop interventions to reduce the number of  young children drowning in Bangladesh.

This public health project is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) through its Research and Innovation for Global Health Transformation programme. For more information, visit the NIHR website.

The second speaker at the CMWH event was Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen, who spoke about trials and tribulations of conducting, running and managing interdisciplinary studies.  His talk was largely based on three three published papers co-written with BU academic and Faculty of Health & Social Sciences Visiting Faculty members on interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary working [1-3].  There are, of course, differences between multidisciplinary, and interdisciplinary and the even more integrated level of working called transdisciplinary.  At the same time the individual member of an interdisciplinary team needs to have individual field-based expertise in their own discipline, e.g. sociology, nursing, chemistry or law to bring required knowledge and skills to that team.

 

 

References:

  1. Shanker, S., Wasti, S.P., Ireland, J., Regmi, P., Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen, E. (2021) The Interdisciplinary Team Not the Interdisciplinarist: Reflections on Interdisciplinary Research, Europasian Journal of Medical Sciences 3(2): 1-5. https://doi.org/10.46405/ejms.v3i2.317
  2. Wasti, S. P., van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P. (2020) Public Health is truly interdisciplinary. Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences, 6(1):21-22.
  3. van Teijlingen, E., Regmi, P., Adhikary, P., Aryal, N., Simkhada, P. (2019). Interdisciplinary Research in Public Health: Not quite straightforward. Health Prospect, 18(1), 4-7. https://doi.org/10.3126/hprospect.v18i1.19337

New PhD publication on Caesarean Section

international, PG research, Publishing, Women's Academic Network, writing

Congratulations to Dr. Soluchana Dhakal-Rai whose latest research paper ‘Explaining rising caesarean section rates in urban Nepal: A mixed-methods study’ has been accepted today by the international journal PLOS One [1].  Sulochana graduated last November with a Ph.D. from Bournemouth University; photo shows her with the BU-based supervisors: Dr. Juliet Wood, Dr. Pramod Regmi and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen. 

Sulochana has been very productive in terms of publications based on her Ph.D., as this is the seventh paper based on her research! She published six previous papers [1-6], in addition during her time as BU Ph.D. student Sulochana also contributed to a book chapter [8[ as part of the textbook Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences.

 

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

 

 

 

 

 

References:

  1. Dhakal Rai, S., van Teijlingen, E., Regmi, P.R., Wood, J., Dangal, G., Dhakal, K.B. 2025 Explaining rising caesarean section rates in urban Nepal: A mixed-methods study, PLOS One (Accepted).
  2. Dhakal-Rai, S, van Teijlingen E, Regmi,PR, Wood J, Dangal G, Dhakal KB. (2022) Factors contributing to rising cesarean section rates in South Asian countries: A systematic review, Asian J Med Sci 13(2): 143-174.
  3. Dhakal-Rai, S, van Teijlingen E, Regmi,PR, Wood J, Dangal G, Dhakal KB. (2021) Caesarean Section for Non-medical Reasons: A Rising Public Health Issue. J Karnali Acad Health Sci 2021;4(2)
  4. Dhakal-Rai, S., van Teijlingen, E., Regmi, P., Wood, J., Dangal, G., Dhakal, K.B. (2021) A brief history and indications for cesarean section. J Patan Acad Health Sci, 8: e1-e10.
  5. Dhakal-Rai, S., van Teijlingen, E, Regmi, P, Wood, J, Dangal, G, Dhakal, KB. (2021) Classification of Caesarean Section: A Scoping Review of the Robson classification. Nep J Obstet Gynecol. 16(32):2-9.
  6. Dhakal-Rai, S., Regmi, PR, van Teijlingen, E, Wood, J., Dangal G, Dhakal, KB. (2018) Rising Rate of Caesarean Section in Urban Nepal, J Nepal Health Res Council 16(41): 479-80.
  7. Dhakal Rai, S., Poobalan, A., Jan, R., Bogren, M., Wood, J., Dangal, G., Regmi, P., van Teijlingen, E., Dhakal, K.B., Badar, S.J., Shahid, F. (2019) Caesarean Section rates in South Asian cities: Can midwifery help stem the rise? J Asian Midwives, 6(2):4–22.
  8. van Teijlingen, E., Ireland, J., Hundley, V, Dhakal Rai, S., Simkhada, P., Sathian, B. (2022) Identifying an appropriate Title, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 39-47.

 

Important announcement regarding publishing in PLOS journals

open access, Publishing

The decision has been made to not renew our subscription to the PLOS flat fee publishing deal in 2025. This means that authors of outputs accepted for publication in a PLOS journal after the previous agreement end date of 31st December 2024 will be required to pay an open access article processing charge (APC).

Any authors who have already submitted an article to a PLOS journal which is still under consideration should contact openaccess@bournemouth.ac.uk immediately.

Authors who were considering publishing in a PLOS journal, but have not yet submitted their manuscript, should explore the seven other transformative agreements which BU is signed up to, which enable BU authors to publish open access for free or at a discounted rate. Authors that still wish to publish with a PLOS journal must apply to the open access publication fund before submission of their manuscript.

For all related enquiries, please email openaccess@bournemouth.ac.uk 

Federalisation & health research presented in Nepal

BU Challenges, international, Knowledge Exchange, Publishing, writing

Last month we reported on this Bournemouth University Research Blog (click here!) that Ms. Amshu Dhakal, presented findings from our Nepal Federal Health System Project in Nepal.  Amshu’s presentation at the Nepal Health Conclave 2024, organised by the Ministry of Health and Population and supported by WHO (World Health Organization) Nepal and UNFPA, resulted in an online article in Nepal.  This article in Nepali in Swasthya Khabar Patrika features lessons learnt and evidence from our research project “The Impact of Federalisation on the Health System of Nepal.”
Our project ran from 2020 to 2024, and it was funded by the Health System Research Initiative, a UK collaboration between three funders: the MRC (Medical research Council), the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, and the Welcome Trust.  This joint project was led by the University of Sheffield in collaboration with Bournemouth University, the University of Huddersfield, Canter Bury Christ Church University and two institutions in Nepal, namely Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences and PHASE Nepal.  In 2023 further funding was awarded by the Medical Research Foundation to Prof. Julie Balen, from Canterbury Christ Church University, to disseminate the findings in Nepal.  Furthermore, to date we have published eight papers from this interdisciplinary project [1-8].
This is one of several news articles from this project which have appeared in both English and Nepali in national media in Nepal.  In early 2024 two daily English-language media outlets: The Annapurna Express and Gazzabkoo Magazine published articles covering our project.  The latter used the title ‘Strengthening Health Systems for Better Health‘ and the former opted for the headline ‘Forum on health system strengthening’.
In the same month last year three UK professors: Julie Balen (Canterbury Christ Church University), Simon Rushton (the University of Sheffield) and Edwin van Teijlingen (Bournemouth University) were interviewed (see interview here) about the study.  Our interdisciplinary research project ‘The impact of federalisation on Nepal’s health system: a longitudinal analysis’ was also previously reported in several national media in Nepal in the spring of 2023. 
 
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
Centre of Midwifery & Women’s Health.
References:
  1. Koirala, B., Rushton, S., Adhikary, P., Balen, J., et al. (2024) COVID-19 as a challenge to Nepal’s newly federalised health system: capacities, responsibilities, and mindsets, Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health (online first) https://doi.org/10.1177/1010539524125012.
  2. Sapkota, S., Rushton, S., van Teijlingen, E., et al. (2024) Participatory policy analysis in health policy and systems research: reflections from a study in Nepal. Health Research & Policy Systems, 22 (No.7) https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-023-01092-5 .
  3. Wasti, S.P., van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P., et al. (2023) Selection of Study Sites and Participants for Research into Nepal’s Federal Health System, WHO South-East Asia Journal of Public Health 12(2):116-119.
  4. Sapkota, S., Dhakal, A., Rushton S., et al. (2023) The impact of decentralisation on health systems: a systematic review of reviews. BMJ Global Health 8:e013317. doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2023-013317.
  5. Wasti, S.P., van Teijlingen, E., Rushton, S., et al. (2023) Overcoming the Challenges Facing Nepal’s Health System During Federalisation: An Analysis of Health System Building Blocks, Health Research Policy & Systems 21(117) https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-023-01033-2
  6. Sapkota, S., Panday, S., Wasti, S.P., et al. (2022) Health System Strengthening: The Role of Public Health in Federal Nepal, Journal of the Nepal Public Health Association 7(1):36-42.
  7. Adhikary, P., Balen, J., Gautam, S., et al. (2020) The COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal: Emerging evidence on the effectiveness of action by, and cooperation between, different levels of government in a federal system, Journal of Karnali Academy of Health Sciences 3 (3): 1-11.
  8. Rushton, S., Pandey, S., van Teijlingen, E., et al. (2021) An Investigation into the Impact of Decentralization on the Health System of Nepal. Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences, 7(1): 3–14. https://doi.org/10.3126/jmmihs.v7i1.43146

New editorial Journal of Asian Midwives

international, open access, Publishing, writing

This weekend a new issue of the Journal of Asian Midwives appeared online [1].  Its latest editorial focuses in part on research ethics.  The editors highlight the new World Health Organization (WHO) guidance for best practices in clinical trials [2].  The new WHO guidance was picked up at the 24th FERCAP International Conference “Maximizing Benefits through Responsible Conduct of Research” held in November 2024 in Nepal.  FERCAP is the Forum for Ethical Review Committees in the Asian and Western Pacific Region.

FERCAP reminded us that research as a social activity should improve health and quality of life for both targeted and general populations.  One notable message from this recent conference was the need for shorter and more comprehensible consent forms to make them user-friendly without sacrificing clarity. The other interesting development is that of so-called “decentralized clinical trials”. Decentralized or point-of-care trials can increase the diversity of clinical trial enrollment by increasing its accessibility, for example where elements of the trial are delivered at home and/or data are collected electronically by trial participants instead of researchers. These are exciting new developments in thinking about research ethics.

The Journal of Asian Midwives is Gold Open Access and hence freely available online.

 

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health

 

References:

  1. van Teijlingen, E., Musaddique, A.,  Jan, R. (2024) Editorial – Dec 2024. Journal of Asian Midwives, 11(2):1–2.
  2. World Health Organization (2024). Guidance for best practices for clinical trials. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240097711 (accessed Jan. 2025)

Anyone can drown. No one should!

Awarded & submitted bids, international, PG research, Publishing, writing

The first editorial of The Lancet Public Health [1] highlights a public health issue close to our work in Bangladesh, namely the risk of drowning, especially in young children.  “Anyone can drown. No one should” are the words of the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) in its first Global status report on drowning prevention, published two weeks ago (Dec. 2024). According to  The Lancet Public Health this landmark report dissects the drowning burden globally, at the country level, and the trends since 2000, presents an overview of the key strategies to prevent drowning, and provides a benchmark for tracking prevention efforts in the future. Importantly, this report sheds light on a tragic, neglected, mostly preventable public health issue.

We are grateful to The Lancet Public Health for raising this important issue in 2025, since Bournemouth University (BU) is currently engaged in  research project in this field called ‘Sonamoni’.  This an interdisciplinary study is a collaboration with CIPRB (the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh), the University of the West of England (in Bristol), the University of Southampton, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), and Design Without Borders (DWB) in Uganda.  Sonamoni aims to design and develop interventions to reduce the number of  young children drowning in Bangladesh.

This public health project is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) through its Research and Innovation for Global Health Transformation programme. For more information, visit the NIHR website.

The interdisciplinary team at BU includes three faculties and six member of staff: Dr. Mavis Bengtsson, Dr. Kyungjoo Cha, Dr. Mehdi Chowdhury, Dr. Yong Hun Lim, Mr. John Powell, and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen.  We recently published the first paper ‘Drowning Prevention should be a Public Health Issue in Nepal related to this project [2].

 

References:

  1. Anonymous (2025) Anyone can drown. No one should. The Lancet Public Health, 10(1): e1
  2. Hossain, M. S., Pant, P.R., van Teijlingen, E., Sedain, B., Rahman, A. (2024). Drowning Prevention should be a Public Health Issue in Nepal. International Journal of Social Sciences and Management, 11(4): 83–87.

Advancing Rehabilitation Research

international, Publishing, Training, writing

Rehabilitation research has long remained in the shadows of other health/medical disciplines, despite its immense potential to reshape patient outcomes and community health. The Rehabilitation Research Symposium Series in Qatar is a significant initiative aligned with global and national frameworks such as the WHO’s (World Health Organization) Rehabilitation 2030 and Qatar’s National Vision 2030.

Advancing Rehabilitation Research: Building Capacity for Evidence-Based Practice:  Level 2 Rehabilitation Research Symposium serves as a powerful response to the growing call for a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to rehabilitation, both locally and globally.  The second day of this symposium, tomorrow (January 4th 2025), includes a session by Bournemouth University’s Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen.  He has been invited to help build research capacity in the field of academic writing and publishing.

Bournemouth University collaboration in Qatar centres on academics and clinicians based at Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC).  HMC has been appointed as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Healthy Ageing and Dementia, under auspices of Ministry of Public Health in Qatar.

 

Last publication of 2024

international, Publishing, Research Integritiy, writing

The Nepal-based Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology published its latest issue today, the last day of 2024, with an editorial on the hot topic of ‘The Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Academic Writing and Publishing Papers’  [1].

In this editorial, the authors made it very clear that the complete text in Box 1 is generated by AI. Which is appropriate considering the focus of this editorial is on questions raised by the potential use of academic writing.  The authors argue that AI should be used with consideration to avoid misuse. Any use of AI should be done transparently, ethically, and professionally, and the authors should take full responsibility for the accuracy of the information.

 

Prof. Edwin an Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health

 

 

Reference:

  1. van Teijlingen, E., Subedi, M., Parker, S., Khattri, M.B. (2024) The Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Academic Writing and Publishing Papers Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology & Anthropology, 18(2): 1-4.   https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/DSAJ/article/view/73358

Impact of federalisation on Nepal’s health system

conferences, international, Publishing, writing

On Boxing Day and the following day (Dec. 27th) a member of our research team, Amshu Dhakal based at Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences (MMIHSS), presented findings from our Nepal Federal Health System Project in Kathmandu.  The event, Nepal Health Conclave 2024, was organised by the Ministry of Health and Population and supported by WHO (World Health Organization) Nepal and UNFPA.  The event aimed to help strengthen Nepal’s health services.  This year’s conclave, themed “Bridging the Gap Between Global Expertise and National Needs”, brought together Nepalese diaspora health professionals and national stakeholders to foster collaboration and innovation in health systems.

Amshu presented two posters at the event: (1) The Impact of Decentralisation on Health Systems: A Systematic Review of Reviews which systematically reviewed how decentralisation affects health systems globally, highlighting key opportunities and challenges across WHO’s six building blocks; and (2) Transforming the Health System in Nepal: The Impact of Federalisation, which examined how the transition to a federal system reshaped Nepal’s health system, identifying gaps, opportunities, and actionable recommendations for improvement.

Our research team produced policy briefs in collaboration with government officials/stakeholders from all three levels of government.  The policy briefs can be accessed at the website of our Nepal Federal Health System Project.  This study was funded by the UK Health Systems Research Initiative [Grant ref. MR/T023554/1] to study the consequences for the health system of Nepal’s move from a centralised political system to a more federal government structure in 2015.  This joint project was led by the University of Sheffield in collaboration with Bournemouth University, the University of Huddersfield, Canter Bury Christ Church University and two institutions in Nepal, namely MMIHS and PHASE Nepal. 

In late 2022 further funding was awarded by the Medical Research Foundation to Prof. Julie Balen, from Canterbury Christ Church University, to disseminate the findings of our UK Health Systems Research Initiative-funded research in Nepal. In terms of academic dissemination, we have published eight papers from this interdisciplinary project [1-8].

 

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health

 

References:

  1. Koirala, B., Rushton, S., Adhikary, P., Balen, J., et al. (2024) COVID-19 as a challenge to Nepal’s newly federalised health system: capacities, responsibilities, and mindsets, Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health (online first) https://doi.org/10.1177/1010539524125012.
  2. Sapkota, S., Rushton, S., van Teijlingen, E., et al. (2024) Participatory policy analysis in health policy and systems research: reflections from a study in Nepal. Health Research & Policy Systems, 22 (No.7) https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-023-01092-5 .
  3. Wasti, S.P., van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P., et al. (2023) Selection of Study Sites and Participants for Research into Nepal’s Federal Health System, WHO South-East Asia Journal of Public Health 12(2):116-119.
  4. Sapkota, S., Dhakal, A., Rushton S., et al. (2023) The impact of decentralisation on health systems: a systematic review of reviews. BMJ Global Health 8:e013317. doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2023-013317.
  5. Wasti, S.P., van Teijlingen, E., Rushton, S., et al. (2023) Overcoming the Challenges Facing Nepal’s Health System During Federalisation: An Analysis of Health System Building Blocks, Health Research Policy & Systems 21(117) https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-023-01033-2
  6. Sapkota, S., Panday, S., Wasti, S.P., et al. (2022) Health System Strengthening: The Role of Public Health in Federal Nepal, Journal of the Nepal Public Health Association 7(1):36-42.
  7. Adhikary, P., Balen, J., Gautam, S., et al. (2020) The COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal: Emerging evidence on the effectiveness of action by, and cooperation between, different levels of government in a federal system, Journal of Karnali Academy of Health Sciences 3 (3): 1-11.
  8. Rushton, S., Pandey, S., van Teijlingen, E., et al. (2021) An Investigation into the Impact of Decentralization on the Health System of Nepal. Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences, 7(1): 3–14. https://doi.org/10.3126/jmmihs.v7i1.43146