Читать книгу Understanding Clinical Papers - David Bowers - Страница 11

It seems to us quite a long time since the second edition of Understanding Clinical Papers was published (in 2005). In the intervening years we have again (as we did for the previous editions) received from readers many favourable comments, as well as some useful suggestions. One suggestion that struck us as being eminently sensible, coinciding with our own thoughts, was that we should introduce material into the book which would help readers understand clinical papers with a qualitative design. Such papers are increasingly seen in the mainstream clinical journals (in addition of course to the specialist qualitative journals) and we feel that we should be providing readers with some help in making sense of this content.

The inclusion of five new chapters containing this qualitative material is the most important change in our book from the second edition. We are very pleased to have been able to welcome an experienced qualitative researcher as a co‐author, who has contributed this new material.

In addition, we have, not surprisingly, taken the opportunity to update many of the examples of clinical papers with which we illustrate the ideas contained throughout the book. At the same time, we have sharpened and clarified the text were we felt it was needed. We have added small amounts of new material here and there – where we felt that these additions, drawn from our familiarity with the evolving health research literature, would improve the book.

The book should appeal, as before, to doctors, nurses, health visitors, physiotherapists, radiographers, dietitians, speech therapists, health educators and promoters, podiatrists, and all of those other allied professionals (and students in each of these disciplines) – and to all of those involved in health research.

David Bowers, Bridgette Bewick, Allan House, and David Owens

Leeds, 2013