Motivations and perceptions of community advisory boards in the ethics of medical research: the case of the Thai-Myanmar border

Background: Community engagement is increasingly promoted as a marker of good, ethical practice in the context of international collaborative research in low-income countries. There is, however, no widely agreed definition of community engagement or of approaches adopted. Justifications given for its use also vary. Community engagement is, for example, variously seen to be of value in: the development of more effective and appropriate consent processes; improved understanding of the aims and forms of research; higher recruitment rates; the identification of important ethical issues; the building of better relationships between the community and researchers; the obtaining of community permission to approach potential research participants; and, the provision of better health care. Despite these diverse and potentially competing claims made for the importance of community engagement, there is very little published evidence on effective models of engagement or their evaluation. Methods. In this paper, drawing upon interviews with the members of a Community Advisory Board on the Thai-Myanmar border, we describe and critically reflect upon an approach to community engagement which was developed in the context of international collaborative research in the border region. Results and conclusions. Drawing on our analysis, we identify a number of considerations relevant to the development of an approach to evaluating community engagement in this complex research setting. The paper also identifies a range of important ways in which the Community Advisory Board is in practice understood by its members (and perhaps by community members beyond this) to have morally significant roles and responsibilities beyond those usually associated with the successful and appropriate conduct of research. © 2014 Maung Lwin et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Interviewing Criminal Justice Populations without Electronic Recording Devices: A Guide

We outline a guide for facilitating face-to-face in-depth interviews without the use of electronic recording devices in criminal justice research. It is designed to provide researchers with step-by-step directions they can follow to conduct interviews when recording equipment is not available, not allowed, or not used due to other reasons. In-depth interviews are common in qualitative criminal justice research but require researchers to be highly flexible and adaptive. When interviews are conducted on sensitive issues or carried out in high security environments, recording devices may not be permitted or welcomed. This protocol aims to make the interviews more structured, systematic and organized when electronic recording devices are not used in an attempt to enhance the accuracy and transparency. These guidelines were developed based on practical and theoretical foundations

ADVANCING UNDERSTANDING OF SERVICE-LEARNING: A CASE STUDY OF A UNIVERSITY IN MALAYSIA

Purpose – This study aims to advance the understanding of service-learning within the context of Malaysian higher education, employing multiple qualitative approaches to source information relating to student perspectives whilst critically analysing findings through triangulation. The study explores how service-learning is conceptualized, experienced, and implemented from the viewpoints of university students through focus group interviews, complemented by a systematic examination of institutional documents related to service-learning programmes and policies, and observations of service-learning events. Methodology – The research utilized an exploratory-triangulation design, blending focus group interviews with document analysis and observations to gather comprehensive data. Data was collected through a primary source, involving focus group interviews with 15 students across five groups. The data were triangulated through a document analysis of three course syllabi, 10 faculty websites, 72 news articles, 112 university news publications, three university reports, and the observations from six service-learning events. Data collected from the focus group interviews were analyzed using the thematic analysis method, while those collected using document analysis and observations were used for the purpose of triangulation. Findings – Three themes were constructed relating to the students’ perspectives towards service-learning and they comprised the following: (1) experiential learning activities; (2) academic course; and (3) serving the community. There were a total of 14 sub-themes. It was found that students perceived service-learning as an effective experiential learning tool, combining academic learning with community service, though its adoption is not extensive across the campus, highlighting a need for broader implementation in the curriculum. Significance – It addresses a significant gap in the existing literature by offering insights into the perspectives of students in a non-Western context, particularly the context in Malaysia. In addition, this study provides a nuanced understanding of service-learning in a non-Western context, thus offering valuable insights for educators, policymakers, and practitioners aiming to optimize service-learning practices and align them more closely with student needs and institutional goals. The findings inform a comprehensive strategy for the design and execution of service-learning as an educational approach in higher education

A comparative analysis of auxiliary enforcement bodies for security, safety and health officer roles in Malaysia a narrative review

Overlapping of job function between safety and health officers, auxiliary enforcement bodies (AEB), and private security guards emphasise a need to identify possible merging of roles in a new integrated job model to manage security, safety, and health more efficiently. The purpose of paper is to compare four main enforcement agencies in Malaysia namely the Auxiliary Police, Malaysian Volunteer Corps Department, private Security Guards and Safety and Health Officers. Employing the narrative review technique, information was collected from official reports, legal documents and publications to find commonalities. Five main themes generated from the analysis are: roles, legislation, history, manpower and lastly renumeration and training. Practical implications of an integrated role in cross-national contexts were discussed. Legal implications need to be explored on existing responsibilities and the additional proposed roles for when their functions are integrated and the impact on supervision needs and budget allocation. Social implications are important to consolidate job models to reduce occupational accidents

The impact of COVID-19 non-pharmaceutical interventions on the lived experiences of people living in Thailand, Malaysia, Italy and the United Kingdom: A cross-country qualitative study.

This qualitative study explores the impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), including social distancing, travel restrictions and quarantine, on lived experiences during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand (TH), Malaysia (MY), Italy (IT) and the United Kingdom (UK). A total of 86 interviews (TH: n = 28; MY: n = 18; IT: n = 20; UK: n = 20) were conducted with members of the public, including healthcare workers (n = 13). Participants across countries held strong views on government imposed NPIs, with many feeling measures lacked clarity. Most participants reported primarily negative impacts of NPIs on their lives, including through separation, isolation and grief over missed milestones; work-related challenges and income loss; and poor mental health and wellbeing. Nonetheless, many also experienced inadvertent positive consequences, including more time at home to focus on what they most valued in life; a greater sense of connectedness; and benefits to working life. Commonly employed coping strategies focused on financial coping (e.g. reducing spending); psycho-emotional coping (e.g. engaging in spiritual practices); social coping and connectedness (e.g., maintaining relationships remotely); reducing and mitigating risks (e.g., changing food shopping routines); and limiting exposure to the news (e.g., checking news only occasionally). Importantly, the extent to which participants' lived experiences were positive or negative, and their ability to cope was underpinned by individual, social and economic factors, with the analysis indicating some salient differences across countries and participants. In order to mitigate negative and unequal impacts of NPIs, COVID-19 policies will benefit from paying closer attention to the social, cultural and psychological-not just biological-vulnerabilities to, and consequences of public health measures

Social, ethical and behavioural aspects of COVID-19.

Introduction: Vaccines and drugs for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19 require robust evidence generated from clinical trials before they can be used. Decisions on how to apply non-pharmaceutical interventions such as quarantine, self-isolation, social distancing and travel restrictions should also be based on evidence. There are some experiential and mathematical modelling data for these interventions, but there is a lack of data on the social, ethical and behavioural aspects of these interventions in the literature. Therefore, our study aims to produce evidence to inform (non-pharmaceutical) interventions such as communications, quarantine, self-isolation, social distancing, travel restrictions and other public health measures for the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The study will be conducted in the United Kingdom, Italy, Malaysia, Slovenia and Thailand. We propose to conduct 600-1000 quantitative surveys and 25-35 qualitative interviews per country. Data collection will follow the following four themes: (1) Quarantine and self-isolation (2) social distancing and travel restrictions (3) wellbeing and mental health (4) information, misinformation and rumours. In light of limitations of travel and holding in-person meetings, we will primarily use online/remote methods for collecting data. Study participants will be adults who have provided informed consent from different demographic, socio-economic and risk groups. Discussion: At the time of the inception of the study, United Kingdom, Italy, Malaysia, Slovenia and Thailand have initiated strict public health measures and varying degrees of "lockdowns" to curb the pandemic. These public health measures will change in the coming weeks and months depending on the number of cases of COVID-19 in the respective countries. The data generated from our study could inform these strategies in real time

An empirical investigation on Google Classroom: use behaviour of Malaysian school teachers

Google Classroom (GC) has become a prominent online learning platform in Malaysia since the government’s official announcement and later sees its boost in usage again during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the implementation of emergency remote teaching. The literature has unveiled that the mean score pertaining to technological knowledge in the context of GC usage was the lowest. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the level of GC use and the significant influence of facilitating conditions, habit, and behavioural intention on GC use behaviour among Malaysian teachers. A total of 37 secondary school teachers participated in an online quantitative survey consisting of 22 five-point Likert scale items. Descriptive statistics and standard regression analysis were used to analyse the data. Findings found that the extent of agreement and utilisation of GC during the pandemic were only moderate, requiring increased focus as a precautionary measure for potential future scenarios, such as another pandemic, where remote learning becomes the sole viable option. Results also suggested habit (β = 1.128, p < .0005) as the most significant factor that influences Malaysian teachers’ GC use behaviour. Thus, future initiatives in boosting the intentions of using GC among Malaysian teachers need to be considered

Economic and social impacts of COVID-19 and public health measures: results from an anonymous online survey in Thailand, Malaysia, the UK, Italy and Slovenia.

OBJECTIVES: To understand the impact of COVID-19 and public health measures on different social groups, we conducted a mixed-methods study in five countries ('SEBCOV-social, ethical and behavioural aspects of COVID-19'). Here, we report the results of the online survey. STUDY DESIGN AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Overall, 5058 respondents from Thailand, Malaysia, the UK, Italy and Slovenia completed the self-administered survey between May and June 2020. Poststratification weighting was applied, and associations between categorical variables assessed. Frequency counts and percentages were used to summarise categorical data. Associations between categorical variables were assessed using Pearson's χ2 test. Data were analysed in Stata 15.0 RESULTS: Among the five countries, Thai respondents reported having been most, and Slovenian respondents least, affected economically. The following factors were associated with greater negative economic impacts: being 18-24 years or 65 years or older; lower education levels; larger households; having children under 18 in the household and and having flexible/no income. Regarding social impact, respondents expressed most concern about their social life, physical health, mental health and well-being.There were large differences between countries in terms of voluntary behavioural change, and in compliance and agreement with COVID-19 restrictions. Overall, self-reported compliance was higher among respondents who self-reported a high understanding of COVID-19. UK respondents felt able to cope the longest and Thai respondents the shortest with only going out for essential needs or work. Many respondents reported seeing news perceived to be fake, the proportion varying between countries, with education level and self-reported levels of understanding of COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: Our data showed that COVID-19 and public health measures have uneven economic and social impacts on people from different countries and social groups. Understanding the factors associated with these impacts can help to inform future public health interventions and mitigate their negative consequences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: TCTR20200401002

Molecular testing for advanced non-small cell lung cancer in Malaysia: Consensus statement from the College of Pathologists, Academy of Medicine Malaysia, the Malaysian Thoracic Society, and the Malaysian Oncological Society

In the recent years, increased understanding of the molecular profiles of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has allowed for targeted treatment of actionable genetic mutations. The management of NSCLC now requires multiple molecular tests to guide the treatment strategy. In the light of this, there is a need to establish a molecular testing consensus statement for advanced NSCLC patients in Malaysia. This Malaysian consensus statement was developed by a panel of experts, chaired by a pathologist and composed of three other pathologists, four respiratory physicians and three oncologists. It reflects currently available scientific data and adaptations of recommendations from international guidelines to the local landscape. Expert recommendations on different aspects of molecular testing agreed upon by the panel are provided as structured discussions. These recommendations address the appropriate patients and samples to be tested, as well as when and how these tests should be performed. The algorithms for molecular testing in metastatic NSCLC, in the first line setting and upon disease progression beyond first line therapy, were developed

Education Policy: A Case Study of Digitizing Education in Malaysia

AbstractMalaysia's vision to become a developed nation in the year 2020 drives its plans towards digitalisation. As such, education policies in the Malaysia have gradually incorporated information and communication technologies. The Malaysian government's Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) initiative is instrumental in digitizing the nation in various dimensions such as governance, health and education. Planned change is realised in the form of development plans and policies. Planning development is the government's major activity in almost every country. It should also be noted that digitization and information communication technologies initiatives took place and were politically and socially grounded throughout the 1990s during the time of the fourth prime minister Tun Mahathir Mohamad. Globally, emerging economies would have to face the competition with developed nations. Therefore, it is an exigent task in planning change. This study aims to conceptualise digitising education in Malaysia in that context. It then describes the planning machinery and examines the development plans and official reports. This study uses secondary data from texts and documents as well as policy imperatives in Malaysia to problematize the digititalising of education in Malaysia. It was found that Malaysia is going through a series of changes by using development planning and the management of change as a tool to realise its goals towards achieving the status of a high-income developed nation In its quest for modernisation and development in the information age, the government attempts to build a solid foundation to position itself as a developer and supplier of ICT. However, the government also aims to ensure balanced development and growth with equity whereby participation in the knowledge-based economy reflects the ethnic composition and the general demographic characteristics of the population