Cohort studies can be biased by unmeasured confounding. We propose a hybrid ecologic-epidemiologic design called the trend-in-trend design, which requires a strong time trend in exposure, but is unbiased unless there are unmeasured factors affecting outcome for which there are time trends in prevalence that are correlated with time trends in exposure across strata with different exposure trends...

A four stage social network trend mining framework, the IGCV (Identification, Grouping, Clustering and Visualisation) framework, is described. The framework extracts trends from social network data and then applies a sequence of techniques (“tools”) to this data to facilitate interpretation of the identified trends. Of particular note is the visualisation of trend migrations (changes) that feat...

Female labor force participation rates have been stagnating despite rising female education in sub-Saharan Africa since the turn of millennium. Using representative and repeated census data from a heterogeneous sample 13 African countries, this paper analyzes demographic perspective. We show that enrollment is substantially higher among most recent cohorts than earlier-born ones. The mechanical...

Population ageing in advanced economies could have significant macroeconomic implications, unless more individuals choose to participate labour markets. In this context, the steep increase share of older workers who remain economically active since mid-1990s is an overlooked yet encouraging trend. We identify drivers rise participation elderly relying on cross-country and individual-level data ...

In this paper a systematic evaluation is presented of an eparticipation platform based on GIS tools. The evaluation methodology is founded on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), which has been elaborated and adapted to this particular type of IS, taking into account the particular objectives and capabilities of this platform. Our main evaluation dimensions were usage, ease of use, functional...

OBJECTIVE To explore primary healthcare patients' experiences of patients participation in multimodal pain rehabilitation. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 17 patients who had completed multimodal rehabilitation for persistent pain were interviewed. The interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis. RESULTS One theme, Being in an exchange process, and 4 categories emerged. The ...

Contracting is an important aspect of IT governance and control. This aspect involves the manner in which goals are set, their achievements rewarded and penalized. In the context of service level agreements it has been shown that contracts that involve penalties have positive effects on individuals’ effort and negative effects on individuals’ attitude such as fairness perception. The negative e...

OBJECTIVE To investigate patients' perceptions of improvement potential in primary care in 34 countries. METHODS We did a cross-sectional survey of 69 201 patients who had just visited general practitioners at primary-care facilities. Patients rated five features of person-focused primary care - accessibility/availability, continuity, comprehensiveness, patient involvement and doctor-patient ...

OBJECTIVE Since 2002, 58 patients have participated as collaborating partners in 6 Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) conferences. Little is known about how they engage with researchers and how they have influenced conference outcomes. METHODS A responsive evaluation was carried out, including a thematic document analysis of conference proceedings and gray literature, participant obse...

OBJECTIVE Improving the patient-physician relationship through patient involvement in the care may lead to improved patient safety and better health outcomes. There exists a gap in knowledge in identifying factors that affect self-reported patient involvement in individualized treatment plans. The objectives of this study were to 1) describe patients' perceptions of their involvement in the cre...