No abstract

No abstract

The article approaches questions of research ethics with three emphases: first, the process of research; second, ethical questions raised by qualitative research; and third, precedent and stimulation from the work of writers outside the usual boundaries of social work. • Findings: The ethics of qualitative research design pose distinctive demands on principles of informed consent, confidentiality and privacy, social justice, and practitioner research. Fieldwork ethics raise special considerations regarding power, reciprocity and contextual relevance. Ethical issues raised by the analysis and dissemination of qualitative enquiry emphasize questions concerning narrative research, outcomes and justice, and the utilization of research. • Applications: Social work needs a culture of ethical awareness, a review of ethical approval, an awareness of the ethical issues posed by practitioners' involvement in evaluative research, and an understanding of the ethical dimensions of different parts of the research process.

One of the central tenets of “new public management” is that it is universally applicable. Indeed the European Union advocates the adoption of such management approaches for countries seeking entry to the EU. This paper questions this position with reference to the introduction of change in public services in Turkey. From this study it is argued that management change in public services may be more to do with cultural factors which are embedded in the form of public administration of that country. One of the central factors of Turkish life is the state dominance over civil society, including the private sector. In the UK private sector values enter the public sector, whereas in Turkey public service values enter the private sector. The paper concludes that changes in public sector management have to consider the cultural factors of public services and management models cannot be imposed unchanged.

No abstract

BackgroundThe World Health Organization (WHO) states that diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) are associated with disability, death among patients with diabetes and substantial costs, if not prevented or managed effectively. The aim here is to examine the effectiveness of patient education in preventing and reducing the incidence or recurrence of adult DFU and amputation.MethodsA systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials (RCTs) in adults aged 18+ who have diabetes mellitus (type 1 or type 2) or DFU. CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PSYCINFO, Cochrane Library and Evidence-Based Nursing, National Library for Health, Medica and Google Scholar were searched. Only English language studies were considered. Databases were searched from their inception to September 2017.FindingsSix RCTs met the inclusion criteria. Only five RCTs reported on the incidence of DFU whilst only two reported on amputation rates. There was no advantage of combining different educational approaches in preventing/reducing DFU, relative risk (RR) of 0.50 (95%CI 0.21, 1.17) (P = 0.11). Two RCTs based on foot care education alone were compared with usual care; the result showed a non-significant effect (P = 0.57) with high heterogeneity of 77%.Analysis based on intensive versus brief educational approach showed a statistically reduced risk of incidence of DFU in the intervention group when compared to the control group; (RR, 0.37, 95%CI 0.14, 1.01) (P = 0.05) with high heterogeneity of 91%.InterpretationThe intensive educational intervention was associated with reduced incidence of DFU.

No abstract

Diabetes prevalence is increasing exceptionally worldwide and with this come associated healthcare costs. The primary outcome of this systematic review was to assess glycaemic control and incidence of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) diagnosis after exercise and dietary intervention (measured with any validated scale). The secondary outcome assessed body mass index change, weight change, and physical exercise capacity after diet and exercise intervention (measured with any validated scale). 1,780 studies were identified from searching electronic databases. Relevant studies went through a selection process. The inclusion criteria for all studies were people with prediabetes diagnosed by either impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or impaired fasting glucose (IFG). Lifestyle adaptation reduced the incidence of diabetes development more than standard treatment. Furthermore, better glycaemic control, improved physical exercise capacity, and increased weight reduction were observed with lifestyle intervention over standard treatment. Finally, improvements over the long term deteriorated, highlighting problems with long-term adherence to lifestyle changes. Overall, cumulative incidence of diabetes is drastically reduced in the intervention groups compared to control groups (standard care). Furthermore, glycaemic control was improved in the short term, with many participants reverting to normoglycaemia.