Hi Chris,

must be frustrating for you.

Is "Good is good enough" not an option? I mean you have put so much effort into it now that it must be perfect anyway. Is there no way that you can say: This is it. Or is that not an option?

Hi Chrisrollinski,

Interesting sentence in Swedisch: the "desto battre" looks very much like "the better", perhaps something which comes from the same root.

How are things going?

Hi Hermaatje,

well seems that there are a lot more dutch / afrikaans / people who understand the language that I thought. Maybe we could set up a dutch forum!
To answer your questions I have studied medicine in Nymegen, then went to the UK and finished my studies there. I work as GP in Germany and do research at the university in Hannover.

Like you I am trying to develop a questionnaire. How is your going regarding issues like validity, reliability, Cronbach alpha etc. I find it quite complicated!

How are things in Perth? Is it a nice city? How is the weather like?

Regards

Rick

Hi Alicepalice

although it is "just a cold" there is no specific cure: it is a viral infection and that will take time to get better. So in other words it is your own immune system which will make you better. Now in theory you can imagine that processes in your body work better /quicker if you have the appropriate temp. When you are well 37 C, when ill your body often increases the temp. If you haven't got a temp you should assure that you are warm and comfortable and a such warms baths may be useful.

To avoid getting a secondary bacterial infection on top of the viral one you should assure you get rid of phlegm / discharge. Things like "steaming", "salty water in nose to flush the system" etc. may be useful.

Miracle cures from the chemist, in my opinion, do not exist.

I hope you get better soon

Hi JJ123,

in my opinion medical school is not easy, not because it is intellectually so difficult, yet more a matter of having to invest a lot of time in years and hours per day in it. First there are the basic years, which although this has improved, patient contact is still limited and it is a matter of perseverance managing it, later you cover your time in hospital, which also has improved, yet still takes many hours a day. Then compete for a training post.
Obviously with you pharmaceutical background you would have an major advantage, yet you problably will still have to do the same numbers of years. As everything now a day is a speciality, including GP, you would think of an investment of approximately 10 years or more.

Hi Hermaatje, "Goedemorgen"

how are you? So do you still speak Dutch?

I am from Holland as well although I live in Germany.

Yeah, good initiative, which motivates people.

I am doing my calculations regarding a questionnaire which I am developing (validity, reliability, power). So not really writing, however would it be allowed to join in?

Hi UFO,

I think it is very useful to have people who actually were successful in the PhD to be part of this forum, so please keep participating. Obviously I cannot speak for the others or for the forum in general but in my opinion you would be very welcome.

Again gratulations regarding your PhD

Thanks Ann,

that information is useful.

So you are using SPSS?

Hi pprabit,

I am afraid that I do not know the answer to your question.

Would you mind if I ask you a question regarding a related issue: are you able to do all the statistical calculations on excel or does one really need SPSS?

I have some experience using excel, but do not know SPSS. What are your views?

Hi UFO,

well done, congratulations!

Do not know how it feels when things have finished, as I am right in the middle of research business. Do get the impression though that it is important to maintain social network (see recent thread regarding this)to avoid problems of isolation after finishing the PhD

Thanks Verdy,

I am in the medical field, although the questionnaire will cover psychological issues related to medical doctors.

I presume I will have to use SPSS, yet have not used that myself yet. I am trying to calculate thinks myself as I want to understand what I am doing instead of just using software.

Thanks for help

I am developing a questionnaire and am looking at issues like validity, reliablity and power calculations.
For example I understand that a check for internal consistancy is Cronbach a. Anyone got any formulas / software or can recommend specific (easy to read)books regarding how to make this calculation. Is it on Microsoft Excel? (I found out how to calculate confidence intervals via Excel)
Also does anyone know how to power calculation? I have assumed 20% "abnormal answers" on a 5 point Likert scale, which would have 0.32 confidence intervals in case of 80 participants. Anyone know what assumptions would be normal? Is that documented anywhere?

Hi Jojo,

yet be careful with investments in China, enormous gains yet bubble is expected to burst in near future

yet is the social isolation not partially self created? I mean do you need to put 24 hours a day in a PhD? My guess would be that if one has a good structure, say 8 hours a day I will work on it, 8 hours a day I will sleep, the other 8 hours I use for myself (e.g. meet other people, play sports, other job etc). Even stronger if you are able to socialise / do something else as well as your research it may well get better: I mean you probably will be more balanced, may have a fresher look and may not fall in "black social hole" after finishing your project.