Health matters and Healthmatters is an excellent quarterly publication that publishes pertinent articles relative to the current health agenda.  I was asked to submit an article I wrote about the Kirsch paper in PLoS regarding antidepressants and their benefit in depression.

"Antidepressant Medication Data: Why has something that was already known become a media circus years later?

The recent article published in PLoS by Kirsch et al (1) which reported the results of a meta-analysis of the evidence submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) re efficacy of the SSRIs is not new news.  This is the third article published by Kirsch which has focused on meta-analyses of antidepressant medication, the first article was published in 1998 and the second article published in 2002.  So why did the recent publication in PLoS create such media interest with coverage on national radio, TV and the press?"

If you want to know the answer to that question you can either find yourself a copy of the Spring edition of Healthmatters or patiently wait for me to attach a copy of the article to this blog.......I am still waiting for the pdf...........it's here now.....see attachment.

Why NVivo 8?

NVivo 8 - computer aided qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS) - has been bought as an upgrade to N6 which I already have and had used for the analysis of my questionnaire data many moons ago.  Having completed the charting I was somewhat daunted by the numerous charts and data embedded within them - how on earth was I going to be able to get my head round all this data particularly considering the fractured way in which I have to work i.e. the norm of a part-time PhD, and then to do the data justice as well as the interviewees who had given of their time as well as their illness/depression stories.  So....after thought and consideration and discussion with my PhD supervisors I decided that using NVivo would enable me to more easily work with my data in a structured and consistent way and it would help me work within the constraints I currently have.

Benefits of NVivo 8

- Provides a recognised and consistent method to underpin my data analysis
- It is a logical process that I can track back to understand how and why I have got to where I have in the analysis
- It facilitates a rigorous analysis process

As a tool, NVivo is a complexity aid to assist with the process of the data analysis; it will allow me to maintain the momentum of the data analysis as I will be able to revisit and regroup my thought processes and assumptions over time.  The ability to complete a journal within NVivo will also allow me to document my thoughts and actions as they develop throughout the process; I will be able to identify personal goals and hopefully recognise assumptions and experiential knowledge and thus allow me to develop a critical subjectivity towards the data and its analysis.  It is important to remember that prior assumptions do exist so by recognising them and recording them I can become more aware of their influence on the way I am thinking and subsequently then assess their impact on the analysis.