I'm just wondering if, with research in the nhs, there is a minimum period of time that must elapse in order for a patient who has been asked to participate to give consent? I have been told that there is a minimum period of 24 hours, but I'm sure there are no set rules on this. Any advice would be gratefully received.

The thing to remember is, you're only 6 months in. At your stage, it really doesn't matter whether you are having problems or not - it's perfectly natural. If you have the motivation, why not spin things around, approach things differently? It'd be such a shame at such an early stage to just leave it because you're not facing such serious problems.

Get the Andy Field book: Discovering Statistics with SPSS. It'll take you through the very basics, assuming no knowledge of statistics, right up to the level of the decisions you need to make when choosing statistical tests.

Pamw, I can completely empathise with you. I'm about as far along as you and I feel highly demotivated. Quite frequently I wake up on the morning and think, 'sack this sxxt, I'm off'. The pressure is awful, time demands terrible - it has resulted in the break up of my long term relationship (a sad story in itself) - and like you, I try not to think about the enormous amount of work ahead. The storm hasn't even begun for me proper as far as my PhD work is concerned. And, yes, looks like I'm going to need that 4th year too!
As a previous poster said, what concerns and infuriates me is the attitude of your panel. What kind of encouragement is it for you if they are so negative? That's just bloody crushing. Could you talk to your supervisor about what they think and see what he/she has to say about it? Afterall, a PhD is a learning process and a journey that you need to demonstrate, and problems like this that you encounter are all part of the rich tapestry, and you want to make sure that your objectives are achievable. I wouldn't give up though, Pamw. To get to do a PhD, you are clearly a talented individual - don't lose it. The last thing to remember is: you a HIGHLY unlike to fail. I attended a recent lecture at my uni, presented by a group of wizened professors, on advice on doing a PhD. One of the overriding themes was: PhD failures are very uncommon. Hang in there. :-)

What do you mean by 'all sectors'? With respect to whether a PhD is right for you, I'd recommend Google and also a bit of self-reflection. Do you like studying? Are or can you be a highly motivated individual? What particular interest would you like to research. And as much as I hate the vacuous idiot, as Paris Hilton says, 'do you love it?' So I think that only you can decide if it is right for you. I suppose you could search this forum for tales of PhD woes and glee.

Cool, Delta. My PhD is actually in the field of outcome assessment, so if you think I may be able to help, please PM me.

I like Sigma Plot myself. I'd download a trial and give it a try if I were you. It, too, does really nice graphs.

You and me both, Delta. I'm having great difficulty with my work - it's not going forward and I don't know what to do about it. With regards to your questionnaires, you could pilot them and try and collerate the scores with constructs similar to what you are trying to predict. It may take a bit of extra time, but may go some way to compensating for your problem. Or you could have validation by application, where subjects you know to have more of what you are trying to predict a 'higher score'. The use of improperly or non-validated questionnaires is not uncommon in clinical research (I can give you loads of examples), so it's not the end of the world. Why not try and get a focus group of 'experts' together to discuss the content and form of the questionnaires - that will lend some credence.

questions (sorry my laptop is going funny!). Questions arranged in a different order can also do this. Anyway, sorry to rabbit on. I presume it's just the wording and not response format that has been changed?

I suppose you can, Delta, if you can't find the originals - however, I would acknowledge this as a potential limitation. Usually when a questionnaire is changed in some way, it is revalidated, as even slight amendments may change the measurement properties, such a construct validity. A slight change of wording may completely change the meaning of quest

Oh dear, it's funny to hear that. The criticism I get is completely the opposite. Apparently, my writing is too academic! Sometimes I think it's all such bollocks. Horses for Courses, as they say. :-)

No you are not entitled to free prescriptions and health care as a rule. I actually made enquiries and, given my income, they said I would not get a HC2, which is the certificate you need if you want free specs, dentistry, prescriptions, etc.