Introduction Loss to follow-up in randomised trials can cause bias, compromise study power, and affect the generalisability and reliability of results [1]. Many strategies are used to try to retain participants, however little is known about trialists’ experiences of implementing such strategies, or their perspectives of effectiveness. The complexity of these experiences and perceptions may inf...

A study was conducted in the Baynespruit, a small, highly-polluted, urban catchment in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa with 2 objectives: firstly, to develop an understanding of the views of stakeholders regarding the pollution problem and the relative importance of components of the problem; secondly, to identify and investigate non-statutory barriers and incentives to participation in multi-st...

Cameroonian women living with disabilities face three-fold discrimination as a result of their sex, perceived inability and low socio-economic status. A needs assessment using focus groups (two focus groups, n = 24) and key participant interviews (n = 12) was conducted to explore the experiences of women with disabilities in the North West province in both urban and rural areas. The findings sh...

Rates of autism in Somali migrant communities are increasing but many families find it hard to accept their child’s diagnosis and do not engage with health, education or social services to support their children. When a local network of Somali parents approached the University of Bristol to request that research focus on their needs, a new research partnership evolved. Using a community based p...

A project by Melanie Simms and Sophie Gamwell, with Ben Hopkins of Aberystwyth University, looked at issues of young people’s skills and experiences of (un)employment against the background of a very difficult labour market. Funded by Unionlearn, it involved interviews with employers, trade unionists, young people, and career advisers about the challenges facing young people in finding work and...

Evidence suggests that regular walking can elicit significant psychological benefits although little evidence exists concerning long distance walking. The purpose of this study was to provide detailed accounts of the experiences of long distance walkers. Phenomenological interviews were conducted with six long distance walkers. Data were transcribed verbatim before researchers independently ana...

In this paper we present experiences from a two-month prestudy on the possible creation of a communication environment (Media Space) between the three different locales of a distributed Call Centre. A spectrum of user-oriented methods was used in the study, and the staff at the Call Centre took part through interviews, discussions, and a workshop. The approach yielded useful information, and th...

Methods Online surveys (pre, post) were administered. We used paired t-tests (N=35) to analyze differences in social well-being as measured by Ryff’s Positive Relations with Others subscale. In situ interviews (n=20) explored relationships between the camp experience, nature, and well-being. Interviewees were selected to produce a maximum variation sample along dimensions of gender, previous na...

Product roadmapping has not been widely examined, and particularly an intercompany collaboration perspective to product roadmapping is a fresh field of research. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to research factors related to the product roadmapping process, and to give solutions to the problems that emerge when product roadmaps are created in collaboration. Hence, the research questions ar...

Involving patients in service improvement and listening and responding to what they say has played a key part in the redesign of healthcare processes over the past five years and more. Patients and users have attended stakeholder events, participated in discovery interviews, completed surveys, mapped healthcare processes and even designed new hospitals with healthcare staff. However, to date ef...