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Using the concept of methodological congruence—where the different elements of a study 'fit' together—we explore both problematic and good practice in (reflexive) thematic analysis (TA) as reported in Health Promotion International (HPI). Aligning with the importance we place on 'owning your perspectives' we situate this exploration in relation to our understanding of the variation in approaches to TA and qualitative research more broadly. This contextualization is necessary for highlighting why we judge practices to be in/congruent, and to facilitate more knowing congruence in future research. We critically reviewed a 'sample' of 31 papers published in HPI between 2010 and 2023 citing Braun and Clarke as reference for TA. We overview a range of problematic and good features of the use of TA in HPI , before focusing on two domains that seemed to present key challenges: theory and themes. Methodological incongruence can occur when postpositivist values and practices unwittingly creep into ostensibly non-positivist TA; we encourage thoughtfully and what we term 'knowing' consideration of theory, and quality practices and criteria. Methodological incongruence can also occur through mismatched conceptualizations of themes—notably, the use of 'topic summaries' as themes for reflexive TA (and fragmented thematic structures with 'thin' themes). We provide examples from the reviewed papers to demonstrate good practice in researcher reflexivity, articulation of theoretical and methodological frameworks and congruent themes. However, mindful of power dynamics, we only discuss problematic practice in general terms, to protect author anonymity. To facilitate thoughtful, quality TA—of all kinds—we provide eight pointers for researchers (and reviewers) to guide quality practice, and facilitate the use of concepts, procedures and criteria that promote knowing methodological congruence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

STUDY QUESTION To evaluate the implementation of the coding systems in medically assisted reproduction (MAR) centres in the European Union (EU). SUMMARY ANSWER Our data show that a significant number of MAR centres use the Single European Code (SEC), but it also shows certain limitations to the coding. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Traceability and identification of tissue and cells used for clinical application are extremely important as it is one of the key aspects of quality and safety both for the donors and the recipients. Patients as well as tissues and cells move across the European continent and far beyond, hence a uniform coding system was very much needed. The coding of tissues and cells from human origin was already embedded in the EU directives 2004/23/EC. The use of the Single European Code (SEC) on tissues and cells was enforced in 2017 for tissues and cells distributed within the EU or exported from the EU. The SEC ensures standardization within the EU, allowing the integration of the two existing codes (ISBT-128 and Eurocode) within the SEC structure. Likewise, in the MAR field, the SEC was launched in order to ensure the traceability of reproductive tissues and cells. Gametes and embryos from partner donation as well as reproductive cells and tissues of allogeneic donation were excluded from the SEC as long as they remain in the centre of origin. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION A cross-sectional survey aimed to gain insight into the use of SEC by MAR centres was conducted between 5 November and 15 December 2018. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS The online survey was distributed among the ESHRE members. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE The survey results highlight the strengths and weaknesses in the practical use of the SEC. The data from the survey showed that the SEC code is something that is known in the MAR field. Our data showed that over half of the respondents were using the SEC in their centre. On the other hand, there is also criticism about the use of SEC in MAR, especially that the added value for traceability and identification in ART is found to be rather limited. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION The survey response rate was rather low (4.84%). The view of the use of SEC discussed in this paper still provides insight into the use of the SEC in several MAR centres. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS The survey highlights some knowledge gaps concerning coding. This information can be used to develop tools to increase knowledge of the SEC. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) There was no external funding for this study. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The aim of the study was to review systematically the literature measuring the accuracy of routine UK hospital statistics that classify patients on discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Summary: Currently, most surveys ask for occupation with open‐ended questions. The verbal responses are coded afterwards, which is error prone and expensive. We present an alternative approach that allows occupation coding during the interview. Our new technique uses a supervised learning algorithm to predict candidate job categories. These suggestions are presented to the respondent, who in turn can choose the most appropriate occupation. 72.4% of the respondents selected an occupation when the new instrument was tested in a telephone survey, entailing potential cost savings. To aid further improvements, we identify some factors for how to increase quality and to reduce interview duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have shown that flies from sympatric populations of Rhagoletis pomonella infesting hawthorn, apple, and flowering dogwood fruit can distinguish among unique volatile blends identified from each host. Analysis of peripheral chemoreception in Rhagoletis flies suggests that changes in receptor specificity and/or receptor neuron sensitivity could impact olfactory preference among the host populations and their hybrids. In an attempt to validate these claims, we have combined flight tunnel analyses and single sensillum electrophysiology in F2 and backcross hybrids displaying a variety of behavioral phenotypes. Results show that differences in peripheral chemoreception among second-generation adults do not provide a direct correlation between peripheral coding and olfactory behavior. We conclude that either the plasticity of the central nervous system in Rhagoletis can compensate for significant alterations in peripheral coding or that peripheral changes present subtle effects on behavior not easily detectable with current techniques. The results of this study imply that the basis for olfactory behavior in Rhagoletis has a complicated genetic and neuronal basis, even for populations with a recent divergence in preference. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Naturally occurring odors used by animals for mate recognition, food identification and other purposes must be detected at concentrations that vary across several orders of magnitude. Olfactory systems must therefore have the capacity to represent odors over a large range of concentrations regardless of dramatic changes in the salience, or perceived intensity, of a stimulus. The stability of the representation of an odor relative to other odors across concentration has not been extensively evaluated. We tested the ability of honey bees to discriminate pure odorants across a range of concentrations at and above their detection threshold. Our study showed that pure odorant compounds became progressively easier for honey bees to discriminate with increasing concentration. Discrimination is, therefore, a function of odorant concentration. We hypothesize that the recruitment of sensory cell populations across a range of concentrations may be important for odor coding, perhaps by changing its perceptual qualities or by increasing its salience against background stimuli, and that this mechanism is a general property of olfactory systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The objectives of this study were to assess the accuracy of cause-of-death coding, determine the extent to which coders follow the selection rules of coding set out in the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision (ICD-9), and the effects of miscoding on mortality statistics in Taiwan.Method: A systematic sample of 5621 death certificates was reviewed. The underlying cause of death (UCD) selected by the reviewer for each death certificate was compared with that selected by the original coder. The UCD was selected according to ACME (Automated Classification of Medical Entities) Decision Tables.Results: The overall agreement rates between the reviewer and coders according to the three-digit and two-digit categories of ICD-9 were 80.9% and 83.9%, respectively. Good agreement was found for malignant neoplasms (kappa = 0.94) and injuries and poisoning (kappa = 0.97), but there was poor agreement for nephrotic diseases (kappa = 0.74), hypertension-related diseases (kappa = 0.74), and cerebral infarction (kappa = 0.77). Reasons for disagreements included disagreement in nomenclature (42.8%), inappropriate judgement of causal relationships (41.5%), and incorrect interpretation of Selection Rule 3 and Modification Rules (15.7%).Conclusion: This study showed various levels of agreement for different diseases between the reviewer and the original coders in selection of the UCD. Owing to the 'compensatory effect of errors', the national mortality statistics were not affected significantly. The national administration should undertake routine internal studies to control the quality of UCD coding practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The aim of the study was to assess the reproducibility of clinical coding in two National Health Service hospitals within North West Thames region. Methods A retrospective audit was carried out, of clinical coding in hospital episode statistics, involving comparison of the codes assigned by local staff with those assigned by members of an external team unaware of the locally assigned codes. Where local and external coders disagreed, the records were reviewed for a third time by a further independent coder. The subjects were a random sample of 1607 non-maternity, non-psychiatric admissions occurring between 1991 and 1993, stratified for year and type of disease(asthma, diabetes, appendicitis, fractured femur and ‘general’ - a random selection of any diagnoses). The main out come measures were the levels of exact agreement between local and external teams over codes for main diagnosis and procedure, and the level of approximate agreement (over the first three characters of the ICD-9 code for diagnosis and the letter and first two digits of the OPCS-4 code for procedure). For disagreements, the outcome measure was the level of agreement between the ‘third’ coder and the local and external coders. Results For the main diagnosis in the ‘general’ group at hospital A, internal and external coders agreed exactly in 43 per cent of the admissions examined and agreed ‘approximately’ in 55 per cent (kappa = 0.54). For hospital B the corresponding figures were 60 per cent and 72 per cent(kappa =0.72). Approximate agreement was higher for the specific diseases considered, particularly for asthma (A: 86 per cent; B: 91 per cent) and fractured femur (A: 84 per cent;B: 89 per cent). For the main procedure at hospital A, there was exact agreement for 58 per cent and approximate agreement for 70 per cent (kappa = 0.66). For hospital B, the corresponding figures were 76 per cent and 83 per cent(kappa = 0.80). In cases of disagreement over the first three digits of the ICD-9 code for main diagnosis, the third coder disagreed with both local and external coders in 53 per cent at hospital A and 38 per cent at hospital B. Agreement was slightly better for discharges in 1992–1993 than in 1991–1992. Conclusions The full clinical codes in NHS hospital episode statistics (HES) data should be treated with caution. The first three characters of ICD-9 codes for diagnoses and the OPCS-4 codes for procedures were more reliable. For some specific conditions such as asthma and fractured femur, reliability of the first three characters is much higher (for example, 86 percent and 91 per cent for asthma in the two hospitals), but for the full codes can be worse. Secondary diagnoses or comorbidities may be significantly undercoded. A higher level of agreement in 1992–1993 than in 1991–1992 suggests that coding may be improving. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The increasing complexity of data and analysis methods has created an environment where scientists, who may not have formal training, are finding themselves playing the impromptu role of software engineer. While several resources are available for introducing scientists to the basics of programming, researchers have been left with little guidance on approaches needed to advance to the next level for the development of robust, large-scale data analysis tools that are amenable to integration into workflow management systems, tools, and frameworks. The integration into such workflow systems necessitates additional requirements on computational tools, such as adherence to standard conventions for robustness, data input, output, logging, and flow control. Here we provide a set of 10 guidelines to steer the creation of command-line computational tools that are usable, reliable, extensible, and in line with standards of modern coding practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]