Piglet

congratulations, well done, you must be pleased.

Regards

Hi Anantsingh,

the information is nearly always on the websites of the universities. Also it is advsertised in the bigger newspapers like " Die Zeit", "Süddeutsche Zeitung" etc.

Regards

Oh Goods,

I did a lot of reading around this issue and there are only a limited amount of reasons why guidelines are not used or followed (e.g. doctors not involved in development, no ownership, too time consuming, format not user friendly, no incentive). I have included these in my draft questionnaire. I would be surpised if any other reasons would come out of qualitative research.
Obviously I have indicated in the questionnaire a "Other:" where the doctors could indicate another reason for using / not using the guidelines

Hi Shani,

thanks, sounds like a good idea.

I must admit that initially I also thought about qualitative research, yet, I know this is bad, felt a bit apprensive about using it, and tried with a questionnaire only. But you may be right.

Goods, thanks as well, the New Zealand guidelines are an example as this country has developed a great many, I would not travel there (although the idea, on second thought is appealing).

I will meet with my supervisor on Wednesday to discuss the issue, and it really helps to have a forum to reflect on issues beforehand.

Shani, Goods, what are you doing research wise?

OK, Goods, I will try and be more specific with the risk of confusing you more.

In medical care there are guidelines being developed in different countries. Some countries are ahead of the game, have lots of guidelines, others are just starting. Guideline development is time consuming and costly. I want to know whether a guideline from, let's say New Zealand would be acceptable for a doctor in Holland. As the dutch doctor does not know it he/she will have to be introduced to it (guidelines are quite extensive and boring, as such unlikely that he /she will voluntarily read it). Thus there needs an alternative way of introducing what is in it.
My idea was the questionnaire, what are your views?

Shani,

I will look at communication research, thanks.

I fear that you may well be right, maybe I am constructing something which is not there and with my questionnaire construct it. Useful view!

Thanks Shani,

yes what I want to know is whether they think it would be a good idea and whether they would accept it.

The problem that they have not used this so far, thus they cannot tell, unless they would be educated about it. Educating people is notoriously difficult when it is about an abstract idea. Therefore I thought it useful to present it as small chunks and ask them what they thought about these and at the end about the whole thing.

My intuition thinks that qualitative research would be the answer

A = a new system
B = person

B does not know A.
How would you test whether B would accept A?

My view is to use a questionnaire asking B whether he/she would strongly agree, agree etc. regarding sub parts of A. At the end, now familiar with A I would ask B whether the whole would be acceptable and why /why not.
Any views?

Or as alternative using qualitative research? But how do you interview people regarding things they are not familiar with ? Asking first to read about A seems unrealistic.

Would value your views

Hi humanbeing,

I do not know the exact figures but anecdotically I would think that most people quit based on being unhappy regarding the process. In this forunm it is frequent theme how difficult the Phd research is: lack of progress, lack of help from supervisors, lack of motivation etc. This makes that a lot of people seem to doubt whether they continue: they have funding yet these problems with the process.
Obviously without having some source of income everything stops, and it would be a good reason to stop!

Chris,

thanks for these websites, I will have a look at these.

RoqueAcademic, thanks, yes I am aware of it and it crossed my mind. In the past I have had an interview in London with Australian doctor. He was "very cool / laidback " with a long hair and wearing jeans at the interview (I was wearing suit. He explained that everything in Australia was easy, however when it came to the details regarding working conditions that was not so great (very, very isolated, having to invest first in the practice before earning anything, 24 hours on call every day etc.) so did not go.

Just seen your second message. The advertisement was in a dutch medical journal called "Medisch Contact". It seems that there is a shortage of GP's who want to work in rural areas, maybe the cold is also not so appealing, but then with the global warming perhaps not that much of an issue in the future! Other obstacle obviously the language, yet as you say most swedish people speak perfect English, but not everyone / elderly and as such important to master it.

Hi Chris,

thanks. I see that you speak it well. Do you enjoy learning the language? Swedish sounds funny, doesn't it? But then one may say that of Dutch as well.

Have you got any plans of working in Sweden?

Chris,

no not learning Swedish yet, although I have got a course and tapes at home. I like it better to go to a school to learn a language, enjoy the interaction with other people amd having a teacher who can explain things.
Obviously there is a difference between speaking Swedish just for a chat, which probably is achievable, and to be good in it in it, which I would require to be able to work. The idea would be to go to Sweden for 3 months before starting working and then to learn the language. I am not sure whether that would be enough. What do you think?

Hi Chris,

I would work there as GP

Hi Chris,

and how is it to learn Swedish? Is it easy? My impression is that it is a mix of languages like German, English, Dutch. Is that right? Do you feel that you would be able to work in Sweden based on your current knowledge?

I am going to Dalarna county, with is just north-west of Stockholm, nearby Mora. I understand that the country is very beautiful there, but have not visited it yet.

I feel a bit apprehensive of learning Swedish