BU Research Blog

18 December 2023

CMWH leads the way with latest evidence on early labour

international, PG research Vanora Hundley

It has been a busy month for researchers in the Centre for Midwifery and Women’s Health. Academics have been reporting their findings on improving care and support for women in early / latent phase labour.

This has included a specially focused issue in Women and Birth edited by Professors Susanne Grylka-Baeschlin and Vanora Hundley.

The issue starts with an editorial by Grylka-Baeschlin S, Hundley V, Cheyne H et al (2023) Early labour: an under-recognised opportunity for improving the experiences of women, families and maternity professionals Women & Birth https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2023.09.004

The issue includes the results of a randomised controlled trial by CMWH member Dr Rebecca Edwards:

Edwards R, Way S and Hundley V (2023) Let’s Talk Early Labour: The L-TEL Randomised Controlled Trial. Women & Birth https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2023.07.132

and the results of the BALL trial by midwifery lecturer Dr Dominique Mylod:

Mylod DC, Hundley V, Way S, Clark C (2023) Can a birth ball reduce pain perception for women at low obstetric risk in the latent phase of labour? The Ball Assisted Latent Labour (BALL) randomised controlled trial. Women & Birth https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2023.11.008

An additional paper by doctoral student Vanessa Bartholomew has just been published in Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare:

Bartholomew V, Hundley V, Clark C, Parris B (2024) The RETHINK Study: Could pain catastrophisation explain why some women are more likely to attend hospital in early labour. Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare https://doi.org/10.1016/j.srhc.2023.100941

14 December 2023

Methods paper: Online questionnaire surveys

international, open access, Publishing, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

The paper ‘Guide to the design and application of online questionnaire surveys‘ [1] led by Dr. Pramod Regmi, Principal Academic in International Health in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences, reached 200 citations today on ResearchGate. Our methods paper was published in 2016 in the Nepal Journal of Epidemiology which is Open Access, hence it is freely available to anyone in the world with internet access.

At the time conducting online surveys was still a bit of a novelty. In the paper we noted that there was limited literature to help a fledgling researcher with the design and a use of online questionnaires. Therefore, this short paper highlights issues around: a) methodological aspect of online questionnaire survey; b) online survey planning and management; and c) ethical concerns that may arise while using this option.

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health

Reference:

Regmi, P. R., Waithaka, E., Paudyal, A., Simkhada, P., & van Teijlingen, E. (2017). Guide to the design and application of online questionnaire surveys. Nepal Journal of Epidemiology, 6(4), 640–644.

7 December 2023

Promoting interdisciplinary research

conferences, international, Publishing, REF Subjects, Training, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

This week’s Bournemouth University (BU) advertised a forthcoming event in February 2024 ‘Early Career Researchers and Interdisciplinarity in the Medical Humanities – South West‘. To promote this event I would like to highlight some papers published recently by BU academics on interdisciplinarity.

First, Dr. Shanti Shanker in the Department of Psychology and Dr. Pramod Regmi in the Department of Nursing Science and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen in the Department of Midwifery & Health Sciences published the paper ‘The Interdisciplinary Team Not the Interdisciplinarist: Reflections on Interdisciplinary Research’ [1]. This interesting paper is co-authored with two BU Visiting Faculty, Ms. Jillian Ireland, Professional Midwifery Advocate in Poole Maternity Hospital (University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust) and Prof. Padam Simkhada based at the University of Huddersfield. This paper argues that interdisciplinary working is within the team, not the person being interdisciplinary . Multidisciplinary teams provide unique opportunities for researchers from different disciplines (and hence different ways of working and thinking) to collaborate with one another. We need to be careful not to try to create interdisciplinarists, or at least, not too many. The worlds needs people who are strong in their discipline and open-minded/flexible/reflective enough to see the value of other people’s disciplines.

Secondly, the Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences published our editorial ‘Public Health is truly interdisciplinary’ [2]. This editorial was largely written to counteract some of the jurisdictional claims made in Nepal by certain people in Public Health. These claims express themselves in arguments around the question whether Public Health is a single academic discipline or a broad interdisciplinary profession comprising many different individual academic disciplines. There are two quite distinct and opposing views. Some argue that Public Health is a broad-ranging single discipline covering sub-disciplines such as Epidemiology, Management, Medicine, Nursing, Health Psychology, Medical Statistics, Sociology of Health & Illness and Public Health Medicine. Those who support this argument, typically see: (a) Public Health is the overarching dominant discipline, which brings these sub-disciplines together; and (b) that a true Public Health practitioner amalgamates all these individual elements. Others argue that Public Health is more an overarching world view or interdisciplinary approach for wide-ranging group of professionals and academics [2]. In this view some Public Health professionals are first trained as clinicians, others as psychologists, health economists, health management, statisticians, or demographers, and so on and have later specialised in Public Health.

Thirdly, doing multidisciplinary research is not without its problems, hence we reflect on some of these in the paper ‘Interdisciplinary Research in Public Health: Not quite straightforward’ [3]. The authors are BU’s Dr. Pramod Regmi, Dr. Nirmal Ayral in the Department of Nursing Science and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen, and BU Visiting Professor Padam Simkhada and BU graduate Dr. Pratik Adhikary (currently at the University of the West of England). We all are Public Health researchers, with very different educational backgrounds and training, reflecting the diversity of and interdisciplinarity in the field. Several of us have a first degree in Education or Health Education, but one has a first degree in Sociology. Whilst four of the five authors have Master degree in Public Health and/or Health Promotion, two have a Master in Education. Most of the authors have a Ph.D. in Public Health, but again the Ph.D. of one of us is in Sociology. The key point is that we are all working in Public Health.

Unfortunately the ‘Early Career Researchers and Interdisciplinarity in the Medical Humanities – South West’is for ECRs from the South West Hub only.

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

CMWH

References:

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.
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.
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.

2 December 2023

New sociology book published late November

international, Publishing, Women's Academic Network, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

Congratulations to Dr. Hyun-Joo Lim on the publication of her latest book North Korean Women and Defection: Human Rights Violations and Activism which was published last week by Bristol University Press. The book covers the recent North Korean diaspora which has created female refugee groups fighting for the protection of women’s rights. Presenting in-depth accounts of North Korean women defectors living in the UK, this book examines how their harrowing experiences have become an impetus for their activism. Dr Hyun-Joo Lim, who is Principal Academic in Sociology in the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, reveals how North Korean women defectors’ have an Utopian dream of a better future for fellow North Korean women. This dream is vital in their activism. Unique in its focus on the intersections between gender, politics, activism and mobility, the book will inform debates on activism and human rights internationally.

Well done!

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health

20 November 2023

Congratulations to Dr. Rachel Arnold

international, Publishing, Women's Academic Network, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

Congratulations to Dr. Rachel Arnold, whose paper ‘Parallel worlds: An ethnography of care in an Afghan maternity hospital‘ has been cited twenty times according to a message from ResearchGate. This is one of the paper originating from Rachel’s PhD in the Centre for Midwifery and Women’s Health. Rachel’s has published several more papers from her PhD research [2-4] and she also co-authored a further paper on health management in Afghanistan with our former PhD student Dr. Shaqaieq Ashrafi [5].

References:

Arnold, R., van Teijlingen, E., Ryan, K. and Holloway, I., 2018. Parallel worlds: An ethnography of care in an Afghan maternity hospital. Social Science and Medicine, 216, 33-40.
Arnold, R., van Teijlingen, E., Ryan, K. and Holloway, I., 2015. Understanding Afghan healthcare providers: A qualitative study of the culture of care in a Kabul maternity hospital. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 122 (2), 260-267.
Arnold, R., van Teijlingen, E., Ryan, K. and Holloway, I., 2019. Villains or victims? An ethnography of Afghan maternity staff and the challenge of high quality respectful care. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 19 (1).
Ryan, K., Brown, S., Wilkins, C., Taylor, A., Arnold, R., Angell, C. and van Teijlingen, E., 2011. Which hat am I wearing today? Practising midwives doing research. Evidence Based Midwifery, 9 (1), 4-8
Ashrafi Dost, S., Arnold, R., van Teijlingen, E. (2023). Management capacity in theAfghan Ministry of Public Health pre-Taliban: A mixed-methods study of political and socio-cultural issues. Razi International Medical Journal, 3(1): 9-18. DOI:10.56101/rimj.v3i1.67

5 November 2023

BU Sociology professor invited to speak at Royal Holloway

Delicious links, international, Publishing, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

Professor Edwin van Teijlingen in the Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health (CMWH) has been invited to speak at Royal Holloway, University of London, about writing an academic paper. His public lecture will be coming Tuesday lunch time in the appropriately named ‘Bourne Lecture Theatre’ at Royal Holloway. Prof. van Teijlingen, together with several Bournemouth University (BU) colleagues, has published a text book [1], several book chapters [2-18] and a large number of papers [19-38] about a wide-range of aspects of academic writing and publishing. One of former BU academics, who co-authored a book chapter [10], and two papers [21, 25], is Dr. Preeti Mahato. She is Lecturer in Global Health at Royal Holloway as well as Visiting Faculty in BU’s Faculty of Health & Social Sciences.

References:

Wasti, S.P., van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P., Hundley, V. with Shreesh, K. (2022) Writing and Publishing Academic Work, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books
van Teijlingen, E., Hundley, V., Simkhada, P.P., Wasti, S.P. (2022) Introduction, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 1-4.
Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen, E., Hundley, V., Swoveet, P. (2022) Writing an Academic Paper, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 6-14.
Hundley, V., Luce, A., Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen, E. (2022) Collaborative Writing for Publication, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 15-19.
van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P., Shanker, S. (2022) Selecting an Appropriate Journal and Submitting your Paper, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 20-31.
van Teijlingen, E., Thapa, D., Marahatta, S.B., Sapkota, J.L., Regmi, P. Sathian, B. (2022) Editors and Reviewers: Roles and Responsibilities, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 32-37.
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.
Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen, E., Hundley, V., Simkhada, B, Acharya D.R. (2022) Writing an Abstract for a Scientific Conference, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 48-56.
Subedi, M., van Teijlingen, E., Baniya J., Sijapati, B. (2022) Writing the Introduction and Background, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 57-67.
van Teijlingen, E., Pitchforth, E., Keenan Forrest, K., Mahato, P. (2022) Writing a Qualitative Paper, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 88-97.
Wasti, S.P, Devkota, B., Bhatta, D.N., Pitchforth, E., van Teijlingen, E. (2022) Writing the Introduction and Background, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 112-120.
Regmi, P., van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P. (2022) Writing up the Discussion, Conclusion and Recommendations, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 121-129
Aryal, N., Regmi, P.R., Simkhada, B., Subedi, M., van Teijlingen, E., Wasti, S.P., Hundley, V, Khatri, R. (2022) Being Ethical in Writing and Publishing, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 153-161.
van Teijlingen, E., Venter, K. (2022) Writing a Book Review, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 162-167.
Devkota, B., Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen, E., Hundley, V, Wasti, S.P. (2022) Writing a Research Proposal, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 168-175.
Wasti, S.P. Regmi, P.R., Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen, E., Hundley, V. (2022) Writing a PhD Proposal, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 176-183.
Hundley, V., Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen, E. (2022) Converting your Master’s or Doctoral Thesis into an Academic Paper for Publication, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 184-189.
van Teijlingen, E., Hundley, V., Simkhada, P., Acharya, J., Silwal, R.C., Wasti, S.P. (2022) Academic Writing: Final Thoughts, In: Wasti, S.P., et al. (Eds.) Academic Writing and Publishing in Health & Social Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal: Himal Books: 201-20.
Harvey, O., Taylor, A., Regmi, P.R., van Teijlingen, E. (2022) Struggling to reply to reviewers: Some advice for novice researchers. Health Prospect, 21(2):19-22.
Sathian B, van Teijlingen E, Banerjee I, Kabir R. (2022) Guidance to applying for health research grants in the UK. Nepal J Epidemiol 12(4):1231-1234.
Arnold, R., Ireland, J., Mahato, P., van Teijlingen, E. (2022) Writing and publishing a reflective paper: Three case studies, Welhams Acad J 1(1): 4-11.
van Teijlingen, E., Hundley, V, Sathian, B., Simkhada, P., Robinson, J., Banerjee, I. (2022) The Art of the Editorial Nepal J Epidemiol, 12(1): 1135–38.
Harvey, O., van Teijlingen, A., Regmi, P.R., Ireland, J., Rijal, A., van Teijlingen, E.R. (2022) Co-authors, colleagues, and contributors: Complexities in collaboration and sharing lessons on academic writing Health Prospect 21(1):1-3.
van Teijlingen, E.R., Dhakal Adhikari, S., Regmi, P.R., van Teijlingen, A., Aryal, N., Panday, S. (2021). Publishing, identifiers & metrics: Playing the numbers game. Health Prospect, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.3126/hprospect.v20i1.37391
Adhikari, S. D., van Teijlingen, E. R., Regmi, P. R., Mahato, P., Simkhada, B., & Simkhada, P. P. (2020). The Presentation of Academic Self in The Digital Age: The Role of Electronic Databases. Int J Soc Sci Management, 7(1), 38-41. https://doi.org/10.3126/ijssm.v7i1.27405
van Teijlingen, 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.
van Teijlingen, 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
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
Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen E., Hundley, V., Simkhada, BD. (2013) Writing an Abstract for a Scientific Conference, Kathmandu Univ Med J 11(3): 262-65. http://www.kumj.com.np/issue/43/262-265.pdf
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.
Hall, J., Hundley, V., van Teijlingen, E. (2015) The journal editor: friend or foe? Women & Birth 28(2): e26-e29.
Sathian, B., Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen, E., Roy, B, Banerjee, I. (2016) Grant writing for innovative medical research: Time to rethink. Med Sci 4(3):332-33.
Pradhan, AK, van Teijlingen, ER. (2017) Predatory publishing: a great concern for authors, Med Sci 5(4): 43.
van Teijlingen, E, Hundley, V. (2002) Getting your paper to the right journal: a case study of an academic paper, J Advanced Nurs 37(6): 506-11.
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.
van Teijlingen, E (2004), Why I can’t get any academic writing done, Medical Sociol News 30(3): 62-63. britsoc.co.uk/media/26334/MSN_Nov_2004.pdf

3 November 2023

New health policy paper published this week

international, open access, Publishing, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

This week the Nepal Federal Health System Team published its latest paper the international journal Health Research Policy & Systems [1]. This Open Access paper ‘Overcoming the challenges facing Nepal’s health system during federalisation: an analysis of health system building blocks‘ reports on two separate methods: interviews and participatory policy analysis workshops, to offer an in-depth understanding of stakeholders’ practical learning, experiences, and opinions. Participants included policymakers, health service providers, local elected members, and other local stakeholders. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, translated into English, and analysed thematically using the six WHO (World Health Organization) health system building blocks [2] as its theoretical framework.

Wasti et al. found that participants noted both opportunities and challenges around each building block. Identified opportunities were: (a) tailored local health policies and plans, (b) improved health governance at the municipality level, (c) improved health infrastructure and service capacity, (d) improved outreach services, (e) increased resources (health budgets, staffing, and supplies), and (f) improved real-time data reporting from health facilities. At the same time, several challenges were identified including: (a) poor coordination between the tiers of government, (b) delayed release of funds, (c) maldistribution of staff, (d) problems over procurement, and (e) limited monitoring and supervision of the quality of service delivery and data reporting.

The paper concludes that since federalisation, Nepal’s health system performance is improving, although much remains to be accomplished. For Nepal to succeed in its federalisation process, understanding the challenges and opportunities is vital to improving each level of the health system in terms of (a) leadership and governance, (b) service delivery, (c) health financing, (d) health workforce, (e) access to essential medicines and technologies and (f) health information system.

This publication is the fourth one originating from our Nepal Federal Health System Project, our major collaborative project examining the consequences for the health system of Nepal’s move to a federal government structure [2-5]. This is a joint project (2020-2024) led by the University of Sheffield and in collaboration with Bournemouth University, the University of Huddersfield, Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences (MMIHS) and PHASE Nepal. This longitudinal interdisciplinary study is funded by the UK Health Systems Research Initiative [Grant ref. MR/T023554/1].

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health (CMWH)

References:

Wasti, S.P., van Teijlingen, E.,Rushton, S., Subedi, M., Simkhada, P., Balen, J. for the Nepal Federal Health System Team (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
World Health Organization (2007) Everybody’s business: strengthening health systems to improve health outcomes. WHO’s Framework for Action. Geneva: World Health Organization.
Sapkota, S., Panday, S., Wasti, S.P., Lee, A., Balen, J., van Teijlingen, E., Rushton, S., Subedi, M., Gautam, S., Karki., J., Adhikary, P., Marahatta, S., Simkhada, P., for the Nepal Federal Health System Team (2022) Health System Strengthening: The Role of Public Health in Federal Nepal, Journal of the Nepal Public Health Association 7(1):36-42.
Adhikary, P., Balen, J., Gautam, S., Ghimire, S., Karki, J., Lee, A.C.K., Marahatta, S.B., Panday, S., Pohl, G., Rushton, S., Sapkota, S., Simkhada, P.P., Subedi, M., van Teijlingen, E. for the Nepal Federal Health System team (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.
Rushton, S., Pandey, S., van Teijlingen, E., Subedi, M., Balen, J., Karki, J., Simkhada, P. on behalf of the Nepal Federal Health System Team (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

2 November 2023

New publication on positionality

international, PG research, Publishing, student research, Women's Academic Network, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

Today the journal Health Prospect published Raksha Thapa’s paper ‘Researching Dalits and health care: Considering positionality’ [1]. This methodological paper is based on Dr. Raksha Thapa’s recently completed BU project on caste-based inequity in health care utilization in Nepal, particularly focusing on people at the bottom of the caste hierarchy, commonly known as Dalit communities. Her PhD study was supervised by Dr. Pramod Regmi, Principal Academic in the Department of Nursing Sciences, Prof. Vanessa Heaslip Professor of Nursing and Healthcare Equity at the University of Salford and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen in the Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health. This is the third paper from her PhD work; the first one was published in the Journal of B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences [2] and the second one in the Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health [3].

Congratulations!

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen & Dr. Pramod Regmi

FHSS

References:

Thapa, R., Regmi, P., van Teijlingen, E., Heaslip, V. (2023) Researching Dalits and health care: Considering positionality, Health Prospect 21(1): 6-8.
Thapa, R., van Teijlingen, E., Regmi, P., Heaslip, V. (2018) Uptake of Health Services by People from the Dalit Community, Journal of B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences 1(2): 1-6.
Thapa, R., van Teijlingen, E., Regmi, P., Heaslip, V. (2021) Caste Exclusion and Health Discrimination in South Asia: A Systematic Review, Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health 33(8):828-838.

16 October 2023

Interview with BU’s Dr. Nirmal Aryal in main Nepalese newspaper

international Edwin van Teijlingen

Dr. Nirmal Aryal, who is a part-time researcher in the Department of Nursing Sciences, was interviewed in Nepal by a journalist for Kantipur, the largest Nepali-language newspaper of the country. Nirmal was interviewed after our successful research dissemination events last week in both the capital Kathmandu and in Janakpur (in the south of Nepal). These dissemination programmes reported on a study into the risk of kidney damage in Nepalese migrant workers. This study, led by Bournemouth University’s Dr. Pramod Regmi,was funded by The Colt Foundation in the UK. Dr. Nirmal Aryal is also research associate in the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Research Unit of Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust.

The interview with Nirmal Aryal in Nepali can be read online, click here!

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health (CMWH)

16 October 2023

PhD training workshop in Kathmandu

international, Publishing, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

Yesterday (Sunday 15th October) Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen from BU’s Department of Midwifery and Health Sciences presented a PhD Thesis Writing Workshop at Tribhuvan University (TU), the largest and oldest university in Nepal. The session was organised by Prof. Dr. Bhimsen Devkota in the Graduate School of Education, he is also Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences at BU. Prof. Devkota is currently also involved in a major grant application to the NIHR. This application is together with colleagues in Pakistan and led by Prof. Vanora Hundly in the Department of Midwifery and Health Sciences.

Most people, including students, in Nepal only have one day, Saturday off as weekend. So teaching on a Sunday is normal here. As you would expect from an audience of largely PhD students, during and at the end of the session there was a very good range of very good questions. The teaching session was also an opportunity to promote our textbook ACADEMIC WRITING AND PUBLISHING IN HEALTH AND SOCIAL SCIENCES. This book was published April last year in Kathmandu.

13 October 2023

Media coverage BU’s kidney research in Nepal

international Edwin van Teijlingen

This week Bournemouth University organised two dissemination events for our risk of kidney disease study in Nepalese migrant workers in the Middle East and Malaysia. A previous blog reported on the first event in the capital Kathmandu (see details here!) . These dissemination events have generated a loads of media coverage in Nepal, both in Nepali and in English.

The study was led by Bournemouth University and a charity in Nepal which whom we have been collaborating for two decades, called Green Tara Nepal. This important study, the first of its kind, was conducted among the Nepalese migrant workers and a comparison group of non-migrants from the same community. This study was funded by The Colt Foundation, based in the UK. In the field it was supported by the Madhes Province Public Health Laboratory, the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration and University College London (UCL).

Dr Pramod Raj Regmi (Principal Academic in International Health in Bournemouth University’s Department of Nursing Sciences) is the lead researcher and our team further comprises researchers Dr Nirmal Aryal and Prof Edwin van Teijlingen (both from BU’s Faculty of Health & Social Sciences), and in Nepal clinicians: Prof Dr Arun Sedhai, Dr Radheshyam KC and Dr Shrawan Kumar Mishra.

Prof Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health

5 October 2023

Non-code sharing: Academic travel

Edwin van Teijlingen

Selective Travel offers interesting combinations of airlines to fly to far away destinations. This is great as it offers staff the opportunity to seek out the cheapest flight combination or the one with the shortest stop-over time, especially when traveling on research project funded by charities. What is not always clear is that these airlines in in your deal don’t share codes, as I found out at Heathrow two yesterday when I checked in for a my flight to Nepal. This trip to Nepal is part of The Colt Foundation study into the risk of kidney disease in Nepalese migrant workers. The first leg was with British Airways (BA) to Delhi and the onward flight was with Air India to Kathmandu. I could not check in online nor on one of the machines at Heathrow as BA treated this as a flight to India and I have no visa for India. I needed to queue thrice to speak to BA staff member who could check me in to Delhi, she also informed me that Air India and British Airways don’t code share, and I should get my onward ticket in Delhi. However, she could check in my luggage and send it on to Kathmandu! Arriving in Delhi I was told at the transfer desk for Air India that my ticket was not ready yet, as my luggage had to be located. after I told the guy my BA story. Luckily I had a stop-over of five hours, because after an hour or so there was still no sign of y ticket. It finally arrived a little later, and luckily I have traveled often enough in South Asia not to be worried by delays in paperwork, bureaucratic procedures, and the simple statement; “You have to wait, Sir”.

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

CMWH

22 September 2023

After predatory journals & conferences, now predatory academic prizes

Guidance, international, PG research, Publishing, Research Integritiy, student research, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

After many emails about predatory journals and conferences, today I received an email about a predatory academic prize. Over the years there have been many BU Research Blogs warning readers about predatory journals, for example in 2014, 2015, 2018, and in 2019, and also about fake conferences (e.g. in 2017). It was inevitable that fake academic prizes would be the next trick. The email announces that for US$ 225 the prize is mine! This development fits in with the many messages I have received about having ‘won’ prizes on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.

Today’s predatory prize announcement is still very much in its infancy as scammers from the ‘Asia International Research Award 2023’ did not pick the greatest paper written in 2020 by the first author Dr Preeti Mahato, formerly in BU’s Faculty of Health & Social Sciences, and now Lecturer in Global Health at Royal Holloway , University of London. If they had wanted to make the award scam more believable they would have chosen the PloS one paper from her BU PhD work in Nepal [1]. Instead the announcement list a paper with much older data based on secondary analysis [2], not a bad paper, but not a winner either.

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

References

Mahato, P., van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P., Angell, C., & Hundley, V. (2020). Evaluation of a health promotion intervention associated with birthing centres in rural Nepal. PloS one, 15(5), e0233607.
Mahato, P. K., Sheppard, Z. A., van Teijlingen, E., & De Souza, N. (2020). Factors associated with contraceptive use in rural Nepal: Gender and decision-making. Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare, 24, 100507.

13 September 2023

The end of an era

international, Publishing, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

Yesterday I wrote my resignation letter to the journal BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth. After acting as Associate Editor for fifteen years the time has come for me to give it up, and I found ‘giving up’ very difficult. The enormous growth in my workload at Bournemouth University and the increasing requests to take on new papers as Associate Editor, on top of the many requests to review papers and grants, just became too much. It made me realize I needed to reduce several tasks and jobs to have a slightly better balanced work-home life.

I am still co-editor of the Journal of Asian Midwives, book review editor of Sociological Research Online, guest editor for a special issue of Frontiers in Public Health, and I am still on the editorial or advisory boards of: Birth (published by Wiley), Sociological Research Online (published by SAGE), Nepal Journal of Epidemiology, Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences, and Midwifery (published by Elsevier), so still plenty of work to be done.

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health

1 September 2023

New paper on academic-industry research partnerships

Industry collaboration, international, open access, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

Yesterday the Nepal Journal of Epidemiology published our editorial on ‘Strengthening Healthcare through Academic and Industry Partnership Research’ [1]. The editors put the editorial on the cover of the latest issue of the journal. Academic and Industry Partnership Research can drive medical innovation, strengthen patient-centred research, and close the gap between theoretical understanding and real-world implementations. The UK’s dedication to developing long-term alliances based on mutual respect and open dialogue can facilitate an environment where ground-breaking research can flourish and be transformed into affordable health and social care solutions.

Half of the authors are associated with Bournemouth University, two are Visiting Faculty (Prof. Dr. Padam Simkhada and Dr. Brijesh Sathian) and the third one is Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen in the Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health (CMWH). The Nepal Journal of Epidemiology is an Open Access journal and therefore the paper is freely available to read to anyone across the globe.

References:

Sathian, B., van Teijlingen, E. ., Simkhada, P., Banerjee, I., Manikyam, H. K., & Kabir, R. (2023). Strengthening Healthcare through Academic and Industry Partnership Research. Nepal Journal of Epidemiology, 13(2), 1264–1267. https://doi.org/10.3126/nje.v13i2.58243

8 August 2023

Two papers based on ERASMUS+ exchange

international, open access, PG research, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

In the latest issue of the Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences appeared two articles focusing on the ERASMUS+ programme. This new issue of the journal was published earlier this month, it is an Open Access journal hence its articles can be read free of charged. Unfortunately, due the UK leaving the European Union (EU), ERASMUS+ has just come to an end this summer for universities in the UK.

The first article is an editorial that outlines the benefits of the staff and student exchange between Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences (MMIHS) in Nepal and Bournemouth University [1]. The paper concludes that the world is rapidly becoming a smaller place with globalisation occurring everywhere. The process of internationalising higher education institutions through partnerships like ours, brings benefits to both MMIHS and BU and to both staff and students. For the latter, it offers new ideas, alternative ways of thinking, insights in the other people’s value systems and cultures, etc. It equips students and staff with knowledge, skills and dispositions to work in culturally diverse and international contexts, providing them with a wider diversity of knowledge and greater understanding of global issues and challenges. In short, the partnership offers many opportunities to gain new experiences, explore new sources and perspectives, and improve their cross-cultural capabilities and, ultimately, their employability.

Secondly, there is an article co-authored by the seven MMIHS students, who came to BU in late 2022-early 2023, highlighting what they had learnt from one of the modules they attended [2]. This paper has as it central feature involving patients and the general public in all aspects of research, which was very much a new idea for these seven MSc students from Nepal.

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health (CMWH)

References:

Marahatta, S., Regmi, P., Knight, A., Kuncova, J., Asbridge, E., Khanal, D., van Teijlingen, E. (2023) Staff-Student Exchange between MMIHS and Bournemouth University (UK). Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences, 8(1): 1–5. https://doi.org/10.3126/jmmihs.v8i1.57265
Khatiwada, S., Gautam, P., Koju, A., Niraula, B., Khanal, G., Sitaula, A., Lamichhane, J., Regmi, P., van Teijlingen, E. (2023) Patient and Public Engagement in Health Research: Learning from UK Ideas. Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences, 8(1): 28–35. https://doi.org/10.3126/jmmihs.v8i1.57268

2 August 2023

The Journal of Asian Midwives’ 10th anniversary

international, open access, Publishing, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

This week the Journal of Asian Midwives published its latest issue. Celebrating a decade of publishing, this is the first issue of volume 10. The journal is Open Access and freely available online for anybody who wants to read it (click here!). In the editorial of this new issue the editors highlighted online events around the International Day of the Midwife, the ICM (International Confederation of Midwives) Triennial Congress in Bali, Indonesia in June, and the acceptance of the Journal of Asian Midwives by SCOPUS [1]. The editorial finishes by highlighting new additions to the journal, including the opportunity to submit short research proposals, or proposals for improvement in service or practice, blogs and from the next issue onwards, short view point articles.

Reference:

van Teijlingen, E., Jan, R., Mubeen, K., Musaddique, A. (2023) Editorial – summer 2023. Journal of Asian Midwives, 10(1): 1–3.

26 July 2023

Midwifery paper read 2,500 times

international, Publishing, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

Today ResearchGate alerted me that our paper ‘Women, Midwives, and a Medical Model of Maternity Care in Switzerland’ [1] has been read 2,500 times. This paper published in the International Journal of Childbirth focuses on the organisation of maternity health care in Switzerland. Switzerland has a costly health care system with high intervention rates within an obstetric-led maternity care model. Evidence has shown that midwifery care is associated with lower cost, higher satisfaction rates among women, and less intervention. However, in this model, midwives are both marginalized and underused.

The article focuses on the distribution of power and knowledge between midwives, women, and the medical profession. The varying power structures that shape the maternity care system in Switzerland are examined, using a case study approach that draws on Foucault’s concepts of the gaze, surveillance, disciplinary power, and the docile body. This article critically analyzes the model of maternity care received by women in Switzerland and how it negatively impacts on both women’s personal and midwives’ professional autonomy while simultaneously driving up costs.

A better understanding of the underlying power structures operating within the maternity care system may facilitate the implementation of more midwifery-led care currently being endorsed by the Swiss Midwifery Association and some government agencies. This could result in reduced cost and lower intervention rates with reduced associated morbidity.

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health (CMWH)

Reference:

Brailey, S., Luyben, A., Firth, L, van Teijlingen, E (2017) Women, midwives & medical model of maternity care in Switzerland, International Journal of Childbirth 7(3): 117-25.

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