- Author
-
R.G. Gerrits
- Title
- Open to interpretation?
- Subtitle
- Responsible interpretation and reporting of healthcare statistics and Health Services Research
- Supervisors
- Co-supervisors
-
D.S. Kringos
M.J. van den Berg - Award date
- 3 July 2020
- Number of pages
- 261
- ISBN
- 9789402820638
- Document type
- PhD thesis
- Faculty
- Faculty of Medicine (AMC-UvA)
- Abstract
-
When research findings are disseminated outside the scientific community, they are often reinterpreted and rephrased. Although useful in some cases, this process also increases risk for misinterpretation and may adversely affect professional practice and policy. This thesis focuses on Health Services Research (HSR). To facilitate increased support for responsible research practices in HSR, this thesis explores how researchers report findings in scientific and societal literature, as well as how users interpret data and statistics on health and healthcare.
This thesis identifies characteristics necessary to interpret publicly reported statistics on Health and Healthcare and proposes a tool to help individual researchers, science communicators/journalists, and decision-makers appraise these characteristics (i.e., FIAT-Health 2.0). If individual researchers and science communicators/journalists apply the tool to improve their public reporting practices, and if decision-makers use the tool to better interpret statistics, the responsible use of statistics can be enhanced. Questionable Research Practices (QRPs) in the reporting of messages and conclusions occur frequently in peer-reviewed international scientific HSR publications produced by Dutch institutions. In addition to frequent occurrences of inconsistencies between scientific and societal publications, QRPs in the reporting of messages and conclusions are often replicated in societal publications. HSR institutions should take measures to offer specific writing training in the reporting of messages and conclusions. Further, researchers should be attentive to possible conflicts of interests of co-authors. Finally, HSR funders, leaders of HSR institutions and scientific journal editors should strengthen policies that decrease pressure on researchers to create societal impact. - Persistent Identifier
- https://hdl.handle.net/11245.1/987cfe2b-ef1c-4dc5-88fa-1d33a9f3f550
- Downloads
Disclaimer/Complaints regulations
If you believe that digital publication of certain material infringes any of your rights or (privacy) interests, please let the Library know, stating your reasons. In case of a legitimate complaint, the Library will make the material inaccessible and/or remove it from the website. Please Ask the Library, or send a letter to: Library of the University of Amsterdam, Secretariat, Singel 425, 1012 WP Amsterdam, The Netherlands. You will be contacted as soon as possible.