1. This paper summarizes the methodology for general Cost of Illness (COI) studies and provides guidelines that others can use to set up and carry out a similar study. Special attention is given to the need to use the OECD’s System of Health Accounts (SHA) as a framework for international reporting on outcomes of a national COI analysis. The paper is based on experiences of the authors with a s...

It has been 10 years since Randy Garrison, Terry Anderson and Walter Archer (2000) first introduced the Community of Inquiry (CoI) model. As recounted in the first article in this special issue, the CoI framework was developed to help them make sense of issues confronting their new online graduate program, a program in which computerbased discussion forums played a central role. Because the ped...

We cultured Plasmodium falciparum parasites from 98 Ugandan children with malaria and determined the complexity of infection (COI) on the basis of msp-2 polymorphisms daily for 9 days. The mean COI decreased during culture from 1.73 to 1.56. New strains appeared after day 0 in 20 cultures. Strains disappeared after day 0 in 56% of 45 cultures that were initially mixed; persisting strains more c...

DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: Postgraduate Institute for Medicine (PIM) requires instructors, planners, managers and other individuals who are in a position to control the content of this activity to disclose any real or apparent conflict of interest (COI) they may have as related to the content of this activity. All identified COI are thoroughly vetted and resolved according to PIM poli...

This article examines work related to the development and validation of a measurement tool for the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework in online settings. The framework consists of three elements: social presence, teaching presence and cognitive presence, each of which is integral to the instrument. The 34 item instrument, and thus framework, was tested after being administered at four institu...

METHODS: We analyzed the frequency and types of selfreported COI in three major plastic surgery journals since the adoption of reporting policies in 2007. All original articles that were published in three major plastic surgery journals from 2008 to 2014 were included. The type of self-reported COI was characterized into the following categories: research or institutional support, royalties/sto...

Concerns about the pharmaceutical industry's influence in academic medical centers and on medical education have led many medical schools and teaching hospitals to adopt conflict-of-interest (COI) policies. Although the restrictiveness of these policies differs, the goal is the same: to shield physicians-in-training from the persuasive aspects of pharmaceutical promotion. But do these policies ...

METHODS: We analyzed the frequency and types of selfreported COI in three major plastic surgery journals since the adoption of reporting policies in 2007. All original articles that were published in three major plastic surgery journals from 2008 to 2014 were included. The type of self-reported COI was characterized into the following categories: research or institutional support, royalties/sto...

This paper investigates the determinants of pesticide-related cost of illness (COI) and acute symptoms, using a balanced panel of 363 farmers interviewed from seven major vegetable producing districts of Kenya. Finding shows that the incidences of pesticide-related health impairments have increased. Variation in number of symptoms and symptom severity significantly explained COI. The personal p...