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Blease CR, Kharko A, Dong Z, Jones RB, Davidge G, Hagglund M, Turner A, DesRoches C, McMillan B. Experiences and opinions of general practitioners with patient online record access: an online survey in England. BMJ Open 2024; 14:e078158. [PMID: 38302414 PMCID: PMC10806584 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-078158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To describe the experiences and opinions of general practitioners (GPs) in England regarding patients having access to their full online GP health records. DESIGN Convenience sample, online survey. PARTICIPANTS 400 registered GPs in England. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Investigators measured GPs' experiences and opinions about online record access (ORA), including patient care and their practice. RESULTS A total of 400 GPs from all regions of England responded. A minority (130, 33%) believed ORA was a good idea. Most GPs believed a majority of patients would worry more (364, 91%) or find their GP records more confusing than helpful (338, 85%). Most GPs believed a majority of patients would find significant errors in their records (240, 60%), would better remember their care plan (280, 70%) and feel more in control of their care (243, 60%). The majority believed they will/already spend more time addressing patients' questions outside of consultations (357, 89%), that consultations will/already take significantly longer (322, 81%) and that they will be/already are less candid in their documentation (289, 72%) after ORA. Nearly two-thirds of GPs believed ORA would increase their litigation (246, 62%). CONCLUSIONS Similar to clinicians in other countries, GPs in our sample were sceptical of ORA, believing patients would worry more and find their records more confusing than helpful. Most GPs also believed the practice would exacerbate work burdens. However, the majority of GPs in this survey also agreed there were multiple benefits to patients having online access to their primary care health records. The findings of this survey also contribute to a growing body of contrastive research from countries where ORA is advanced, demonstrating clinicians are sceptical while studies indicate patients appear to derive multiple benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte R Blease
- Uppsala Universitet, Uppsala, Sweden
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Anna Kharko
- Faculty of Health, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
- Department of Women and Children's Health, Uppsala Universitet, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Zhiyong Dong
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ray B Jones
- Faculty of Health, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Gail Davidge
- Centre for Primary Care and Health Services Research, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Maria Hagglund
- Department of Women and Children's Health, Uppsala Universitet, Uppsala, Sweden
- Medtech Science & Innovation Centre, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | - Catherine DesRoches
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Brian McMillan
- Centre for Primary Care and Health Services Research, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
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Meier-Diedrich E, Davidge G, Hägglund M, Kharko A, Lyckblad C, McMillan B, Blease C, Schwarz J. Changes in Documentation Due to Patient Access to Electronic Health Records: Protocol for a Scoping Review. JMIR Res Protoc 2023; 12:e46722. [PMID: 37639298 PMCID: PMC10495856 DOI: 10.2196/46722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Internationally, patient-accessible electronic health records (PAEHRs) are increasingly being implemented. Despite reported benefits to patients, the innovation has prompted concerns among health care professionals (HCPs), including the possibility that access incurs a "dumbing down" of clinical records. Currently, no review has investigated empirical evidence of whether and how documentation changes after introducing PAEHRs. OBJECTIVE This paper presents the protocol for a scoping review examining potential subjective and objective changes in HCPs documentation after using PAEHRs. METHODS This scoping review will be carried out based on the framework of Arksey and O'Malley. Several databases will be used to conduct a literature search (APA PsycInfo, CINAHL, PubMed, and Web of Science Core Collection). Authors will participate in screening identified papers to explore the research questions: How do PAEHRs affect HCPs' documentation practices? and What subjective and objective changes to the clinical notes arise after patient access? Only studies that relate to actual use experiences, and not merely prior expectations about PAEHRs, will be selected in the review. Data abstraction will include but will not be limited to publication type, publication year, country, sample characteristics, setting, study aim, research question, and conclusions. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool will be used to assess the quality of the studies included. RESULTS The results from this scoping review will be presented as a narrative synthesis structured along the key themes of the corpus of evidence. Additional data will be prepared in charts or tabular format. We anticipate the results to be presented in a scoping review at a later date. They will be disseminated at scientific conferences and through publication in a peer-reviewed journal. CONCLUSIONS This is the first scoping review that considers potential change in documentation after implementation of PAEHRs. The results can potentially help affirm or refute prior opinions and expectations among various stakeholders about the use of PAEHRs and thereby help to address uncertainties. Results may help to provide guidance to clinicians in writing notes and thus have immediate practical relevance to care. In addition, the review will help to identify any substantive research gaps in this field of research. In the longer term, our findings may contribute to the development of shared documentation guidelines, which in turn are central to improving patient communication and safety. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID) PRR1-10.2196/46722.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Meier-Diedrich
- Brandenburg Medical School, Immanuel Hospital Rüdersdorf, University Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Rüdersdorf, Germany
- Faculty for Health Sciences, Brandenburg Medical School, Neuruppin, Germany
| | - Gail Davidge
- Centre for Primary Care and Health Services Research, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Maria Hägglund
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Anna Kharko
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Faculty of Health, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom
| | - Camilla Lyckblad
- Department of Archives, Libraries, and Museums, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Brian McMillan
- Centre for Primary Care and Health Services Research, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Charlotte Blease
- Division of General Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Julian Schwarz
- Brandenburg Medical School, Immanuel Hospital Rüdersdorf, University Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Rüdersdorf, Germany
- Faculty for Health Sciences, Brandenburg Medical School, Neuruppin, Germany
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Neumann V, Davidge G, Harding M, Cunningham J, Davies N, Devaney S, Leeming G, Holm S, Ainsworth J. Examining public views on decentralised health data sharing. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0282257. [PMID: 36862723 PMCID: PMC9980819 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0282257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/11/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years, researchers have begun to explore the use of Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLT), also known as blockchain, in health data sharing contexts. However, there is a significant lack of research that examines public attitudes towards the use of this technology. In this paper, we begin to address this issue and present results from a series of focus groups which explored public views and concerns about engaging with new models of personal health data sharing in the UK. We found that participants were broadly in favour of a shift towards new decentralised models of data sharing. Retaining 'proof' of health information stored about patients and the capacity to provide permanent audit trails, enabled by immutable and transparent properties of DLT, were regarded as particularly valuable for our participants and prospective data custodians. Participants also identified other potential benefits such as supporting people to become more health data literate and enabling patients to make informed decisions about how their data was shared and with whom. However, participants also voiced concerns about the potential to further exacerbate existing health and digital inequalities. Participants were also apprehensive about the removal of intermediaries in the design of personal health informatics systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Neumann
- School of Computing and Communications, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Gail Davidge
- Centre for Social Ethics and Policy, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Mike Harding
- School of Computing and Communications, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - James Cunningham
- Division of Informatics, Imaging & Data Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Nigel Davies
- School of Computing and Communications, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Devaney
- Centre for Social Ethics and Policy, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Gary Leeming
- Civic Data Cooperative, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Søren Holm
- Centre for Social Ethics and Policy, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Centre for Medical Ethics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - John Ainsworth
- Division of Informatics, Imaging & Data Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
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McMillan B, Davidge G, Nadeem F, Dowding D, Wilson K, Davies A. Navigating the electronic health record in university education: helping health care professionals of the future prepare for 21st century practice. BMJ Health Care Inform 2023; 30:bmjhci-2022-100722. [PMID: 36914229 PMCID: PMC10016237 DOI: 10.1136/bmjhci-2022-100722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/19/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Brian McMillan
- Centre for Primary Care and Health Services Research, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Gail Davidge
- Centre for Primary Care and Health Services Research, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Fatima Nadeem
- Division of Population Health, Health Services Research & Primary Care, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Dawn Dowding
- Division of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Kurt Wilson
- Manchester Medical School, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Angela Davies
- Division of Informatics, Imaging and Data Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
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Blease C, Torous J, Dong Z, Davidge G, DesRoches C, Kharko A, Turner A, Jones R, Hägglund M, McMillan B. Patient Online Record Access in English Primary Care: Qualitative Survey Study of General Practitioners' Views. J Med Internet Res 2023; 25:e43496. [PMID: 36811939 PMCID: PMC9996425 DOI: 10.2196/43496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/31/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In 2022, NHS England announced plans to ensure that all adult primary care patients in England would have full online access to new data added to their general practitioner (GP) record. However, this plan has not yet been fully implemented. Since April 2020, the GP contract in England has already committed to offering patients full online record access on a prospective basis and on request. However, there has been limited research into UK GPs' experiences and opinions about this practice innovation. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to explore the experiences and opinions of GPs in England about patients' access to their full web-based health record, including clinicians' free-text summaries of the consultation (so-called "open notes"). METHODS In March 2022, using a convenience sample, we administered a web-based mixed methods survey of 400 GPs in the United Kingdom to explore their experiences and opinions about the impact on patients and GPs' practices to offer patients full online access to their health records. Participants were recruited using the clinician marketing service Doctors.net.uk from registered GPs currently working in England. We conducted a qualitative descriptive analysis of written responses ("comments") to 4 open-ended questions embedded in a web-based questionnaire. RESULTS Of 400 GPs, 224 (56%) left comments that were classified into 4 major themes: increased strain on GP practices, the potential to harm patients, changes to documentation, and legal concerns. GPs believed that patient access would lead to extra work for them, reduced efficiency, and increased burnout. The participants also believed that access would increase patient anxiety and incur risks to patient safety. Experienced and perceived documentation changes included reduced candor and changes to record functionality. Anticipated legal concerns encompassed fears about increased litigation risks and lack of legal guidance to GPs about how to manage documentation that would be read by patients and potential third parties. CONCLUSIONS This study provides timely information on the views of GPs in England regarding patient access to their web-based health records. Overwhelmingly, GPs were skeptical about the benefits of access both for patients and to their practices. These views are similar to those expressed by clinicians in other countries, including Nordic countries and the United States before patient access. The survey was limited by the convenience sample, and it is not possible to infer that our sample was representative of the opinions of GPs in England. More extensive, qualitative research is required to understand the perspectives of patients in England after experiencing access to their web-based records. Finally, further research is needed to explore objective measures of the impact of patient access to their records on health outcomes, clinician workload, and changes to documentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Blease
- Division of General Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.,Digital Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - John Torous
- Digital Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Zhiyong Dong
- Division of General Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Gail Davidge
- Centre for Primary Care and Health Services Research, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Catherine DesRoches
- Division of General Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Anna Kharko
- Healthcare Sciences and e-Health, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.,School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew Turner
- Centre for Academic Primary Care, Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.,National Institute for Health Research Applied Research Collaboration West, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Ray Jones
- School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Health, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom
| | - Maria Hägglund
- Healthcare Sciences and e-Health, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Brian McMillan
- Centre for Primary Care and Health Services Research, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
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McMillan B, Davidge G, Blease C, Watson J. Implications of the changes to patient online records access in English primary care. Br J Gen Pract 2022; 72:558-559. [PMID: 36424157 PMCID: PMC9710826 DOI: 10.3399/bjgp22x721205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Brian McMillan
- Centre for Primary Care and Health Services Research, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Gail Davidge
- Centre for Primary Care and Health Services Research, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Charlotte Blease
- Digital Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, US
| | - Jessica Watson
- Centre for Academic Primary Care, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
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McMillan B, Davidge G. Nocebo effects: a price worth paying for full transparency? J Med Ethics 2022; 49:jme-2022-108766. [PMID: 36456171 DOI: 10.1136/jme-2022-108766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Brian McMillan
- Centre for Primary Care and Health Services Research, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Gail Davidge
- Centre for Primary Care and Health Services Research, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Blease
- Division of General Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Brian McMillan
- Centre for Primary Care and Health Services Research, University of Manchester, UK
| | - Liz Salmi
- Division of General Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Gail Davidge
- Centre for Primary Care and Health Services Research, University of Manchester, UK
| | - Tom Delbanco
- Division of General Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Cunningham J, Davidge G, Davies N, Devaney S, Holm S, Harding M, Leeming G, Neumann V, Ainsworth J. Blockchain Native Data Linkage. Front Blockchain 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fbloc.2021.667388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Data providers holding sensitive medical data often need to exchange data pertaining to patients for whom they hold particular data. This involves requesting information from other providers to augment the data they hold. However, revealing the superset of identifiers for which a provider requires information can, in itself, leak sensitive private data. Data linkage services exist to facilitate the exchange of anonymized identifiers between data providers. Reliance on third parties to provide these services still raises issues around the trust, privacy and security of such implementations. The rise and use of blockchain and distributed ledger technologies over the last decade has, alongside innovation and disruption in the financial sphere, also brought to the fore and refined the use of associated privacy-preserving cryptographic protocols and techniques. These techniques are now being adopted and used in fields removed from the original financial use cases. In this paper we present a combination of a blockchain-native auditing and trust-enabling environment alongside a query exchange protocol. This allows the exchange of sets of patient identifiers between data providers in such a way that only identifiers lying in the intersection of sets of identifiers are revealed and shared, allowing further secure and privacy-preserving exchange of medical information to be carried out between the two parties. We present the design and implementation of a system demonstrating the effectiveness of these exchange protocols giving a reference architecture for the implementation of such a system.
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McMillan B, Davidge G, Brown L, Lyons M, Atherton H, Goulding R, Mold F, Morris RL, Sanders C. A qualitative exploration of patients' experiences, needs and expectations regarding online access to their primary care record. BMJ Open 2021; 11:e044221. [PMID: 33707271 PMCID: PMC7957122 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-044221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Primary care records have traditionally served the needs and demands of clinicians rather than those of the patient. In England, general practices must promote and offer registered patients online access to their primary care record, and research has shown benefits to both patients and clinicians of doing so. Despite this, we know little about patients' needs and expectations regarding online access to their record. This study explored what patients and carers want from online access to their electronic primary care health record, their experiences of using it, how they would like to interact with their record and what support they may need. DESIGN Focus groups and semistructured interviews using purposive sampling to achieve a good sociodemographic spread. Interviews were digitally audiorecorded, transcribed and coded using an established thematic approach. SETTING Focus groups and interviews were conducted in community settings in the UK. PARTICIPANTS Fifty-four individuals who were either eligible for the National Health Service Health Check, living with more than one long-term condition or caring for someone else. RESULTS Participants views regarding online access were categorised into four main themes: awareness, capabilities, consequences and inevitability. Participants felt online access should be better promoted, and suggested a number of additional functions, such as better integration with other parts of the healthcare system. It was felt that online access could improve quality of care (eg, through increased transparency) but also have potential negative consequences (eg, by replacing face to face contact). A move towards more online records access was considered inevitable, but participants noted a need for additional support and training in using the online record, especially to ensure that health inequalities are not exacerbated. CONCLUSIONS Discussions with patients and carers about their views of accessing online records have provided useful insights into future directions and potential improvements for this service.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian McMillan
- Centre for Primary Care and Health Services Research, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Gail Davidge
- Centre for Primary Care and Health Services Research, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Lindsey Brown
- Centre for Primary Care and Health Services Research, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Moira Lyons
- Centre for Primary Care and Health Services Research, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Helen Atherton
- Warwick Medical School, Social Science and Systems in Health, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Rebecca Goulding
- Centre for Primary Care and Health Services Research, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Freda Mold
- School of Health Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, UK
| | - Rebecca L Morris
- Centre for Primary Care and Health Services Research, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Caroline Sanders
- Centre for Primary Care and Health Services Research, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
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Satchwell C, Davidge G. The mismeasure of a young man: an alternative reading of autism through a co-constructed fictional story. Qualitative Research in Psychology 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/14780887.2018.1430208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Candice Satchwell
- Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, United Kingdom
| | - Gail Davidge
- Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, United Kingdom
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