Intended for healthcare professionals

Rapid response to:

Editor's Choice

Where next for the research assessment exercise?

BMJ 2006; 332 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.332.7548.0-f (Published 27 April 2006) Cite this as: BMJ 2006;332:0-f

Rapid Response:

Globalisation & Metamorphosis in Healthcare

Dear Editor,

I read with interest the editor’s choice by Fiona Godlee on Where
next for the research assessment exercise? In this era of globalisation –
metamorphosis is the norm. RAE is going through this process now, and it
certainly looks that applied or practice based research & the much in
talk qualitative research will bear the brunt of disadvantage. I certainly
agree with Roger Jones who is calling for better funding for primary care
and health services research, which has been neglected for a good period.
I am certainly an advocate to assess research based on the methodology and
techniques that improve patient care and revolve around it.

I feel we have got a bit too much into the habit of counting numbers,
& it is time now to look beyond numbers & have a feel for
qualitative research & Mixed methodology. This gives the answer to the
Question. Should we screen for depression? And YES is the answer without a
doubt. I would like to take a neutral stand on the issue of rewards to the
GPs for screening for depression. Psychosocial parameters and assessments
should be able to guide & predict which students will struggle at
medical school.

Increasing Debts & Redundancies is heard more often in the NHS.
The move of healthcare from globalisation to regionalisation with the
introduction of new immigration laws for Non EU doctors has evoked a
feeling of inequality & unhappiness among that section of the
workforce. Movement of patients overseas seeking better treatment. All
these are indicators of failing healthcare reforms. Bill gates at the
World Economic Forum at Davos said "The World is Flat" (which is the title
of Mr Friedman's most recent book on globalisation). And it is certainly
an irony that when the whole world is moving towards Globalisation Tony
Blair & his government are sowing the seeds of regionalisation. If not
looked into sooner,the "old monolithic NHS" - the second largest
employer in the world will be irretrievable.

Competing interests:
Qualitative research

Competing interests: No competing interests

02 May 2006
Narasimhaiah Srinivasaiah
Academic Research Fellow
University of Hull, Castle Hill Hospital, Cottingham ,East Yorkshire HU16 5JQ