


- Kattach, L., Singleton, H., Ersser, S., Holley, D., Pearson, I. & Shadeed, A. (2025), Nurse-Led Models of Service Delivery for Skin Cancer Detection: A Systematic Review. Journal of Advanced Nursing.[online first] https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.16854
Latest research and knowledge exchange news at Bournemouth University
Congratulations to Bournemouth University Professor Emeritus Jonathan Parker who published a TransformingSociety blog yesterday (31 March 2025). His blog ‘Sacrificing the poor for the rich: ‘Piacular’ austerity and the need for welfare reform‘ was partly a promotion for his new book Analysing the History of British Social Welfare, which was published by Policy Press in 2024.
Prof. Parker has also been invited to speak at the Bournemouth William Temple Association at their meeting at the Marsham Court Hotel on Monday 7th April. His speech, titled “Sacrificing the Poor on Behalf of the Rich? An Examination of the Rites of Social Welfare,” will explore the relationship between the “haves” and the “have-nots” and it was advertised in the Bournemouth Echo recently.
Well done!
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
Faculty of Health & Social Sciences
This week we had two new academic papers published online. The first paper was an education one ‘PhD Progress and Transfer Vivas at Universities in the United Kingdom‘ [1] and the second focused on ‘Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Masters Level Students in the COVID-19 Pandemic‘ [2]. The first paper clearly states “Article History: Received: 10 Jan 2024; Revised: 17 Feb 2024; Accepted: 26 Feb 2024”, the online information for the second paper states: “Published 2024-12-31”, i.e. both are clearly identified as 2024 papers.
The problem for the authors is that both only appeared online this week. For example, today (27th March 2025) Nepal Journals Online (NepJoL) reports the publication of the latest issue of Education Quarterly, Volume 5 Issue 1, the one in which we published, as 24th March (see picture below). The reason this happens is because the journal editors experienced problems in the past year and did not manage to publish an issue in the calendar year, which makes the publication history look less professional. To avoid having a year missing the most recently published issue is given an official 2024 publication date.
In a world full of problems the minor inconvenience of papers being backdated is twofold for academic authors. First, we can not really announce the publication of a a new Bournemouth University paper since the dated stamped on it is last year’s. Secondly, paper can’t be used for the REF as the acceptance date is also set in the past, for papers to be acceptable for inclusion in REF 2029 typically papers need to be made available on Open Access within three months after the acceptance date .
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health
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This week ResearchGate informed us that the paper ‘The Importance of Positionality for Qualitative Researchers‘ by Bournemouth University M.Res. student Ms. Hannah Gurr has been read over 800 times. The co-authors are Hannah’s supervisors Dr. Louise Oliver, Dr. Orlanda Harvey and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences (FHSS), and one of Nepal’s foremost sociology of health and illness researchers Prof. Madhusudan Subedi.
The paper is of particular interest for qualitative and mixed-methods researchers as these researchers are especially required to be critically reflective and explain to readers their positionality on 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. The journal in which this methodological paper is published is Open Access and therefor freely available to read for anybody across the globe.
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The title was: ‘Risk of kidney injury among returnee Nepalese migrants: a mixed-methods’ which was conducted in the one of areas of Nepal with a high proportion of people working abroad as migrant labourers. Over the past decade there have been increasing concerns about possible chronic kidney disease (CKD) in migrant workers returning to Nepal.
This important study has resulted in one publication in PLoS One (1) and one more recently submitted. The event was good for networking to discuss possible collaborations. We also had the pleasure of meeting former colleagues from the University of Aberdeen, now based at the University of Stirling. This dissemination event is the latest in a long line of research publications focusing on the health and well-being of migrant workers from Nepal from the BU team in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences [1-35].
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health
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The Sonamoni Project is working with communities in rural Bangladesh utilizing human-centered design (HCD) techniques. These design principles have been applied for many years in designing consumer products and, more recently, in the fields of health and social systems. The research project is identifying solutions to reduce the number of drowning deaths in newly mobile children (6-24 months), developing prototype, and assessing the acceptability and usability of potential interventions. This interdisciplinary project is coordinated by Bournemouth University in collaboration with the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh (CIPRB), the University of the West of England, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), the University of Southampton, and Design without Borders Africa (DwB) from Uganda. Our Sonamoni project has been made possible thanks to a grant from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) through their Research and Innovation for Global Health Transformation programme.
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
In the 1990s after I had completed my Ph.D. in Medical Sociology my first lectureship was in Public Health at the University of Aberdeen where my job title included that of coordinator of the B.Sc. Health Sciences. At the time I was required to do a variety of training modules and workshops on education at university level. Since there was the option to register for the Master of Education (M.Ed.) in the Department of Education at the University of Aberdeen, I thought I might as well gain more insight into education and learning than the required basic training and get a degree out of it at the same time. For a long time, I considered myself as odd, starting a lower degree after having completed a higher one. I bit like the guy I met thirty years ago who had completed to Ph.D.’s, one in Chemistry and then afterwards one in Divinity.
My view changed a few years ago when a colleague (with a Ph.D.) commenced an M.Sc. for a different reason. On this occasion to become a qualified practitioner, through the completion of a practice-based M.Sc. in Mental Health Nursing. The M.Sc. programme started a decade after the completion of a Ph.D. in Public Health.
And the idea for this blog sprang on me this morning when a colleague with a Ph.D. in Statistics and Epidemiology asked me for a reference to support his application for a place on an M.Sc. in Neuroscience. His argument for starting such M.Sc. is that he is actively involved in several neuro-psychology research projects and as a quantitative researcher he wants to have a greater understanding of the underpinning science and the wider topic area.
Having successfully passed your Ph.D. viva is evidence that you study and learn effectively on your own, the subsequent M.Sc. can offer licensure (the right to practice) or greater insight into an academic field different from your Ph.D. one.
Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health
Today, Saturday morning, BU Visiting Professor Padam Simkhada from the University of Huddersfield was guest speaker at the third Nepal Dialogue UK webinar series of the Centre for Nepal Studies UK (CNSIK). His presentation was titled Is Nepal’s Health System fit for Purpose? Reflections on Transformations, Maladies and Future Needs. He outlined the state of health (epidemiology) as well as that of the health system. He presented a lot of change in the health of the population, in the health system, as well as issues around human resources, including the high rate of migration of health workers. He highlight that there is in Nepal insufficient investment in health, unethical practices,
He introduced some the key findings from our recently completed study on the effects of the federalisation process on Nepal’s health system. Padam was one of the co-applications on this study together with academics from the University of Sheffield, Canterbury Christ Church University and Bournemouth University in the UK, and colleagues in Nepal from Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences (MMIHS) and PHASE Nepal. The project was funded by the UK Health Systems Research Initiative (Grant ref MR/T023554/1). For more information on the Nepal Federal Health System Team, see: https://www.nepalfederalhealthsystem.com/. This interdisciplinary study has been disseminated in the form of eight published papers [1-8].
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
CMWH
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Yesterday the international journal PLoS ONE published the latest paper of former Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health (CMWH) PhD student Dr. Sulochana Dhakal-Rai [1]. As in many countries, Caesarean Section (CS) rates are rising in urban hospitals in Nepal. However, the reasons behind these rising rates are poorly understood. Therefore, this study explores factors contributing to rising CS rates in two urban hospitals as well as strategies to make a more rational use of CS. Dr. Dhakal-Rai was supervised by Dr. Juliet Wood, Dr. Pramod Regmi and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen all based in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences.
The paper highlights that high CS rates in the private hospital reflects the medicalisation of childbirth, a public health issue which needs to be urgently addressed for the health benefits of both mother and baby. Multiple factors affecting rising CS rates were identified in urban hospitals. This study provides insights into factors affecting the rising CS rate and suggests that multiple strategies are required to stem the rise of CS rates and to make rational use of CS in urban hospitals.
The journal is Open Access and the paper is freely available to read in Nepal (and elsewhere) for anyone with internet access.
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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].
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Two days ago BMJ Open published our latest article on Nepalese migrant workers ‘Coproducing a culturally sensitive storytelling video intervention to improve psycho-social well-being: a multimethods participatory study with Nepalese migrant workers’ [1]. This paper reports on an interdisciplinary feasibility study conducted in a Dhading, Nepal. The paper is Open Access and hence freely available to anybody across the globe with internet access. The authors claim the project is testament to the value of participatory methods in the development of culturally sensitive public health interventions for marginalised groups, and points to the utility of co-produced storytelling formats in migrant health contexts. The authors further highlight that future research is needed to evaluate feasibility and acceptability of the intervention as well as the outcomes and experiences of migrant workers who engaged with the video.
This latest paper in the field of the health and well-being of Nepalese migrant workers has Prof. Priya Paudyal from the University of Keele as its first author, and is co-authored by FHSS Visiting Faculty Prof. Padam Simkhada and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen in BU’s Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health (CMWH). Previous research on migrant workers from Nepal from the BU team in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences has resulted in three dozen academic papers [2-35].
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
References:
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:
Postdoctoral Research Fellow Abier Hamidi recently conducted the first of two Patient and Public Involvement workshops with Arabic women. Mentored by Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen and Dr. Pramod Regmi, and funded by FHSS QR Pump Prime, Abier explores Arabic women’s understanding of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWGs) and their access to health services. During this initial workshop, three Arabic women actively contributed their insights and experiences to refine the questionnaire, design the survey dissemination strategy, and ensured ethical, linguistic, and cultural considerations were met.
The survey is set to launch in May, and with the help of the women, will be distributed nationwide. Once the survey closes, the women will be invited to the second workshop, where they will collaborate with Abier to interpret the results.
Abier Hamidi is a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Wellbeing & Long-term Health, working on a Cancer Research UK-funded study under the supervision of Professor Steven Ersser, researching Early Detection of Skin Cancer. Her PhD thesis is titled ‘Understanding the gender and religious context of women and HIV in Libya: A mixed-methods study’. Supervisors: Dr. Pramod Regmi and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen.
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.
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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
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