Systematically reviewing qualitative studies complements survey design: an exploratory study of barriers to paediatric immunisations.

Background And Objectives: Designing survey questions requires content expertise, awareness of previous qualitative literature, and piloting. We examined surveys addressing parental barriers to vaccinating children to determine if they comprehensively included themes identified in published qualitative studies.

Methods: We performed a systematic literature search of 12 electronic databases and compared questions asked in eligible surveys identified to issues raised in qualitative studies.

Systematic review of qualitative studies exploring parental beliefs and attitudes toward childhood vaccination identifies common barriers to vaccination.

Objective: To determine whether a systematic review of qualitative studies can lead to identification of consistent themes across studies, using barriers toward childhood vaccination as an example.

Study Design And Setting: We performed a systematic literature search of studies identified in 10 electronic databases. Two independent reviewers selected the relevant abstracts and articles, then extracted information.

Impact of federal safety advisories on health food store advice.

In early 2002, the FDA and Health Canada issued federal advisories that people should discontinue taking the herbal antianxiolitic kava kava, until further information regarding safety and potential for liver damage were determined. We conducted a field study 2 months following the advisories in Toronto, Canada to determine whether kava kava continued to be recommended to consumers at retail health food stores. Eight participants asked employees at all stores what was recommended for anxiety and whether the products were safe.

Sale of kava extract in some health food stores.

January 2002, Health Canada issued an advisory, followed by a ban in August 2002, on the sale of herbal kava. One month after the advisory, 22 (67%) of 33 health food stores approached were selling kava. Two months after the ban, 17 (57%) of 30 stores continued to sell kava.

Health food store recommendations: implications for breast cancer patients.

Background: Many breast cancer patients use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). We aimed to determine what advice health food store employees present to individuals seeking treatment options for breast cancer.

Methods: Eight data gatherers asked employees of all retail health food stores in a major Canadian city, what they recommended for a patient with breast cancer.

Association of autistic spectrum disorder and the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine: a systematic review of current epidemiological evidence.

Objective: To systematically review the evidence for and against the existence of an association between autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) and the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.

Study Design: We conducted a systematic review of the medical literature to identify all controlled epidemiological articles examining for an association between ASD and the MMR vaccine. We extracted data from the articles on the characteristics and objectives of the study as well as evidence of an association.

Teaching evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine: 4. Appraising the evidence for papers on therapy.

Practicing evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) requires practitioners to develop an ability to appraise the quality of published studies addressing questions related to their clinical practice. This paper describes a process by which CAM practitioners can determine the validity of studies evaluating therapeutic interventions. The process requires asking two broad questions: (1).

Teaching evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine: 1. A learning structure for clinical decision changes.

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) education is at a crossroads and has been an area of increasing debate. Public use of CAM has risen dramatically since 1997, with initial reports ranging from 30% to a possible 60% in the United States. Much attention has been directed to the education of the public regarding CAM, with respect to efficacy, potential harm, and integration.