Professor VIKKI ENTWISTLE

Professor VIKKI ENTWISTLE
Professor VIKKI ENTWISTLE
Professor VIKKI ENTWISTLE

Chair in Health Services Research and Philosophy

Accepting PhDs

About
Email Address
vikki.entwistle@abdn.ac.uk
Office Address
Health Sciences Building
Foresterhill Campus
Foresterhill
AB25 2ZD

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School/Department
School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition

Biography

I am Professor of Health Services Research and Philosophy with academic homes in both the Health Services Research Unit (Institute of Applied Health Sciences) on the University's Foresterhill campus and Philosophy (School of Divinity, History, Philosophy & Art History) on the Old Aberdeen campus.

My research and teaching are highly interdisciplinary. Broadly speaking, I use philosophy and social research to understand and address concerns about quality, ethics and social justice in health care, public health work, and (more recently) funeral provision and work with the dead and bereaved. I am particularly interested in what are sometimes called person-centred approaches to service provision - you might prefer to talk about the humanity in health and social care provision. I often use feminist theorising and a capabilities approach to human wellbeing in my work. 

I've had the privilege of working in, and visiting, a number of universities internationally, gravitating back to the University of Aberdeen each time with an extended range of valued colleagues and learning. 

Qualifications

  • BA (hons) Natural Sciences and Theology 
    1986 - University of Cambridge 
  • MSc Information Science (Distinction)  
    1990 - City University, London 
  • MA Philosophy (Distinction) 
    2008 - The Open University 
  • PhD Information Science 
    1994 - City University, London 

External Memberships

Visiting Professor, National University of Singapore (2020-2024)

Visiting Research Fellow, University of South Australia (2024)

International Network on Feminist Approaches to Bioethics (Joint Co-ordinator, 2016-2020; Advisory Board Member ongoing)

Editorial board member for: 

Asian Bioethics Review

Health Care Analysis

International Journal of Feminist Approaches to Bioethics

 

Latest Publications

View My Publications

Prizes and Awards

Honorary Fellow, Faculty of Public Health (2018)

Research

Research Overview

I use social research and practical philosophy to help understand what matters for 'good' public health, healthcare and care of the dead and bereaved, and to consider how policy and practice  should be developed in those domains. I seek to take seriously the plurality of values, diversity of perspectives, complexity of social relationships and demands of social justice.  

Research Areas

Accepting PhDs

I am currently accepting PhDs in Applied Health Sciences, Philosophy.


Please get in touch if you would like to discuss your research ideas further.

Email Me

Applied Health Sciences

Accepting PhDs

Philosophy

Accepting PhDs

Research Specialisms

  • Ethics
  • Feminism
  • Health and Social Care

Our research specialisms are based on the Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS) which is HESA open data, published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.

Current Research

I am currently working on two major projects:

'But why is that better?' explores what applied philosophy and ethics can contribute to healthcare improvement. This is a collaboration with Professor Alan Cribb and Dr Polly Mitchell of King's College London. It is funded by the Wellcome Trust until 2024. 

'Developing practical ethics of care for the dead and bereaved' examines what we can learn from the disruption and development of funeral practices during COVID-19. This is a highly interdisciplinary project involving colleagues from four different schools within the University of Aberdeen. It was funded by the ESRC until December 2022. One of the main outputs is the Care in Funerals Casebook - an online resource to support reflection and discussion of values and practical and ethical challenges in funeral provision.  www.abdn.ac.uk/care-in-funerals-casebook

 

 

Collaborations

Current projects

In addition to the two major funded projects listed above, I am currently working with: 

Dr YEW Tong Wei, Prof TAI E Shyong (National University of Singapore). Qualitative study of health professionals' experiences of Care and Support Planning; broader discussions of person-centred care. 

Mr Devanand ANANTHAM (PhD candidate), Dr VOO Teck Chuan (National University of Singapore). Doctoral supervision: Doctor-patient partnerships: the key to a better standard of medical advice? 

Mrs Lindsay OLIVER and Mr Nicholas LEWIS-BARNED (Year of Care Partnerships), Dr Becky HAINES (GP), Prof Alan CRIBB (King's College London) and Dr Sharon MCCANN (University of Aberdeen). Care and Support Planning via telephone and internet. 

Dr Mikey Dunn and Prof Emi Kiyota (National University of Singapore). Conceptual and ethical analysis of co-creation in the context of the Queenstown Health District initiative. 

Teaching

Teaching Responsibilities

For Academic Year 2023-24 my main teaching commitments are:

Lecturer for PU5056/5062 Key Concepts in Global Health (covering human rights, justice and ethics in global health)

Lecturer for PH1522 How Should One Live? (covering feminist approaches to ethics, and the capability approach)

Lecturer for AY1505 Death! (covering Funerals and COVID-19: learning from disruption)

Lecturer for PH2542 Philosophy and Society (covering philosophy of quality and philosophy healthcare improvement)

Supervisor for PH354p Philosophy Honours Research Project

 

Project and dissertation supervision:

I will be very happy to discuss supervision possibilities with postgraduate students from diverse disciplinary backgrounds who are interested in pursuing questions relating to questions about quality in healthcare and deathcare provision, and/or ethics and social justice in domains relating to health, wellbeing and death. I particularly welcome inquiries from people who want to work with feminist approaches and/or to draw on a capability approach.

I also contribute to the supervision of philosophy honours projects relating to ethics and/or feminist philosophy.   

 

Previous teaching:

For Academic Year 2022-23 my main teaching commitments were:

Course co-ordinator and academic lead for PU5528 – Values and Ethics in Public Health

This Masters level (level 5) course is offered as an elective for several postgraduate degrees in Applied Health Sciences.

Lecturer for PH1522: How Should We Live?

For this level 1 course, I contribute introductions to Feminist Approaches to Ethics, and the Capability Approach.  

Supervisor for PH354p: Philosophy honours research project and PH402D: Philosophy Dissertation

Lecturer for PH5066: Philosophy and society 

Lecturer for PH5568: Impact and engagement

Supervisor for PH5067: Readings in Philosophy and Society and PH5905 Philosophy and Society Dissertation

These Masters level (level 5) courses are part of the MLitt in Philosophy and Society.

 

For Academic Year 2021-22 my main teaching commitments were:

Lecturer for PH1522: How Should We Live?

For this level 1 course, I contribute introductions to Virtue Ethics, Feminist Approaches to Ethics, and the Capability Approach.  

Lecturer for Ph5568: Impact and engagement

This Masters level (level 5) course is part of the MLitt in Philosophy and Society.

Supervisor for PH5067 – Readings in Philosophy and Society

This Masters level (level 5) course is part of the MLitt in Philosophy and Society.

Supervisor for PH402D – Philosophy Dissertation

Academic lead for Weeks 1-6 for PU5528 – Values and Ethics in Public Health

This Masters level (level 5) course is offered as an elective for several postgraduate degrees in Applied Health Sciences. (Please note the course co-ordinator for AY2021-22 is Dr Samantha Donnelly)

 

For Academic Year 2020-21 my main teaching commitments were: 

Course co-ordinator for PU5528: Values and ethics in public health

This Masters level (level 5) course is offered as an elective for several postgraduate degrees in Applied Health Sciences. 

Lecturer for PH1522: how should we live? 

This level 1 course is co-ordinated by Professor Beth Lord. I contributed introductions to Virtue Ethics, Feminist Approaches to Ethics, and the Capability Approach.   

Lecturer for PH306D: contemporary research topics in philosophy

This level 3 course is co-ordinated by Dr Luca Moretti. I contributed teaching on various questions relating to Trust, and on the use of Thought Experiments to examine ethical issues. 

    

Publications

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  • Shared decision making: Trade-offs between narrower and broader conceptions

    Cribb, A., Entwistle, V.
    Health Expectations
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Speaking up about safety concerns: multi-setting qualitative study of patients' views and experiences

    Entwistle, V. A., McCaughan, D., Watt, I. S., Birks, Y., Hall, J., Peat, M., Williams, B., Wright, J., PIPS (Patient Involvement in Patient Safety) Group
    BMJ Quality & Safety, vol. 19, no. 6, e33
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • What is an adequate sample size?: Operationalising data saturation for theory-based interview studies

    Francis, J. J., Johnston, M., Robertson, C., Glidewell, L., Entwistle, V. A., Eccles, M. P., Grimshaw, J. M.
    Psychology & Health, vol. 25, no. 10, pp. 1229-1245
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Effectiveness of interventions designed to promote patient involvement to enhance safety: a systematic review

    Hall, J., Peat, M., Birks, Y., Golder, S., Entwistle, V., Gilbody, S., Mansell, P., McCaughan, D., Sheldon, T., Watt, I., Williams, B., Wright, J.
    Quality & safety in health care, vol. 19, no. 5, e10
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Health in the 'hidden population' of people with low literacy: A systematic review of the literature

    Easton, P., Entwistle, V., Williams, B.
    BMC Public Health, vol. 10, 459
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Supporting patient autonomy: The importance of clinician-patient relationships

    Entwistle, V. A., Carter, S. M., Cribb, A., McCaffery, K.
    Journal of General Internal Medicine, vol. 25, no. 7, pp. 741-745
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Reasons for participating in randomised controlled trials: conditional altruism and considerations for self

    McCann, S. K., Campbell, M. K., Entwistle, V. A.
    Trials, vol. 11, pp. 31
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of arthroscopic lavage in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee: a mixed methods study of the feasibility of conducting a surgical placebo-controlled trial (the KORAL study)

    Campbell, M. K., Skea, Z. C., Sutherland, A. G., Cuthbertson, B., Entwistle, V. A., McDonald, A. M., Norrie, J. D. T., Carlson, R. V., Bridgman, S., KORAL study group
    Health Technology Assessment, vol. 14, no. 5, pp. 1-180
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Scoping review and approach to appraisal of interventions intended to involve patients in patient safety

    Peat, M., Entwistle, V., Hall, J., Birks, Y., Golder, S.
    Journal of Health Services Research & Policy, vol. 15, no. Suppl. 1, pp. 17-25
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • When should a placebo be used in surgical trials?

    Campbell, M. K., Skea, Z. C., Cuthbertson, B., Sutherland, A. G., Entwistle, V., KORAL study group
    Clinical Trials, vol. 6, no. 5, pp. 509
    Contributions to Journals: Abstracts
  • Decision aids for people facing health treatment or screening decisions

    O'Connor, A. M., Bennett, C. L., Stacey, D., Barry, M., Col, N. F., Eden, K. B., Entwistle, V. A., Fiset, V., Holmes-Rovner, M., Khangura, S., Llewellyn-Thomas, H., Rovner, D.
    Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, no. 3
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Rationalising the 'irrational': a think aloud study of discrete choice experiment responses

    Ryan, M., Watson, V., Entwistle, V.
    Health Economics, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 321-336
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Ethical, legal, and social issues in health technology assessment for prenatal/preconceptional and newborn screening: a workshop report

    Potter, B. K., Avard, D., Entwistle, V., Kennedy, C., Chakraborty, P., McGuire, M., Wilson, B. J.
    Public health genomics, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 4-10
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • 'Avoiding harm to others' considerations in relation to parental MMR vaccination discussion: an analysis of an online chat forum.

    Skea, Z. C., Entwistle, V. A., Watt, I., Russell, E. M.
    Social Science & Medicine, vol. 67, no. 9, pp. 1382-1390
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • 'Facing the future': the government's real agenda for health visitors.

    Greenway, J., Dieppe, P., Entwistle, V., ter Meulen, R.
    Community Practitioner, vol. 81, no. 11, pp. 29-32
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Communicating about screening

    Entwistle, V., Carter, S., Trevena, L., Irwig, L., Salkeld, G., Flitcroft, K., McCaffery, K.
    British Medical Journal, vol. 337, no. 7673, pp. 789-791
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Consumer involvement in setting the health services research agenda: Persistent questions of value

    Entwistle, V., Calnan, M., Dieppe, P.
    Journal of Health Services Research & Policy, vol. 13, no. Suppl. 3, pp. 76-81
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Guidance for considering ethical, legal, and social issues in health technology assessment: application to genetic screening

    Potter, B. K., Avard, D., Graham, I. D., Entwistle, V. A., Caulfield, T. A., Chakraborty, P., Kennedy, C., McGuire, M., Griener, G. G., Montgomery, M., Wells, G. A., Wilson, B. J.
    International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care, vol. 24, no. 4, pp. 412-422
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Supporting participation in clinical research: Decision aids for trial recruitment?

    Entwistle, V.
    Health Expectations, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 205-207
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Health literacy: the need to consider images as well as words

    Entwistle, V. (ed.), Williams, B. (ed.)
    Health Expectations, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 99-101
    Contributions to Journals: Editorials
  • Protocol for stage 2 of the GaP study (genetic testing acceptability for Paget's disease of bone): a questionnaire study to investigate whether relatives of people with Paget's disease would accept genetic testing and preventive treatment if they were available

    Langston, A. L., Johnston, M., Francis, J., Robertson, C., Campbell, M. K., Entwistle, V. A., Marteau, T., Maclennan, G., Weinman, J., McCallum, M., Miedzybrodska, Z., Charnock, K., Ralston, S. H., Miedzybrodzka, Z.
    BMC Health Services Research, vol. 8, no. 116, pp. 116
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Promoting research participation: why not advertise altruism?

    Williams, B., Entwistle, V., Haddow, G., Wells, M.
    Social Science & Medicine, vol. 66, no. 7, pp. 1451-1456
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Involvement in treatment decision-making: its meaning to people with diabetes and implications for conceptualisation

    Entwistle, V., Prior, M., Skea, Z. C., Francis, J. J.
    Social Science & Medicine, vol. 66, no. 2, pp. 362-375
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Recruitment to randomised trials: Strategies for trial enrolment and participation study. The STEPS study

    Campbell, M. K., Snowdon, C., Francis, D., Elbourne, D. R., McDonald, A. M., Knight, R. C., Entwistle, V. A., Garcia, J., Roberts, I., Grant, A., STEPS Group
    Health Technology Assessment, vol. 11, no. 48, pp. 1-126
    Contributions to Journals: Literature Reviews
  • Recruitment to randomised trials: strategies for trial enrollment and participation study. The STEPS study.

    Campbell, M. K., Snowdon, C., Francis, D., Elbourne, D., McDonald, A. M., Knight, R., Entwistle, V., Garcia, J., Roberts, I., Grant, A., Grant, A., STEPS group, g.
    Health technology assessment (Winchester, England), vol. 11, no. 48, pp. iii, ix-105
    Contributions to Journals: Review articles
  • Consumers' beliefs about non-prescription medicines and providing information during consultations for their purchase

    Fearn, P., Watson, M. C., Entwistle, V., Bond, C. M., Johnston, M.
    International Journal of Pharmacy Practice, vol. 15, no. Suppl.2, pp. B33-B34
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Do patient decision aids meet effectiveness criteria of the international patient decision aid standards collaboration?: A systematic review and meta-analysis

    O'Connor, A., Stacey, D., Barry, M., Col, N., Eden, K., Entwistle, V., Fiset, V., Holmes-Rovner, M., Bennett, C., Khangura, S., Llewellyn-Thomas, H., Rovner, D.
    Medical Decision Making, vol. 27, no. 5, pp. 554-574
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Differing perspectives on patient involvement in patient safety

    Entwistle, V. A.
    Quality & safety in health care, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 82-83
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Patient involvement in treatment decision-making: The case for a broader conceptual framework

    Entwistle, V. A., Watt, I. S.
    Patient Education and Counseling, vol. 63, no. 3, pp. 268-278
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Protocol for stage 1 of the GaP study (Genetic testing acceptability for Paget's disease of bone): an interview study about genetic testing and preventive treatment: would relatives of people with Paget's disease want testing and treatment if they were available?

    Langston, A. L., Johnston, M., Robertson, C., Campbell, M. K., Entwistle, V. A., Marteau, T. M., McCallum, M., Ralston, S. H.
    BMC Health Services Research, vol. 6, no. 71, 71
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • What influences recruitment to randomised controlled trials?: A review of trials funded by two UK funding agencies

    McDonald, A. M., Knight, R. C., Campbell, M. K., Entwistle, V. A., Grant, A. M., Cook, J. A., Elbourne, D. R., Francis, D., Garcia, J., Roberts, I., Snowdon, C.
    Trials, vol. 7, pp. 9
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Trust in the context of patient safety problems

    Entwistle, V., Quick, O.
    Journal of Health Organization & Management, vol. 20, no. 5, pp. 397-416
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Which surgical decisions should patients participate in and how?: Reflections on women's recollections of discussions about variants of hysterectomy

    Entwistle, V., Skea, Z., MacLennan, G., Williams, B., Bhattacharya, S.
    Social Science & Medicine, vol. 62, no. 2, pp. 499-509
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Financial considerations in the conduct of multi-centre randomised controlled trials: evidence from a qualitative study

    Snowdon, C., Elbourne, D. R., Garcia, J., Campbell, M. K., Entwistle, V. A., Francis, D., Grant, A. M., Knight, R. C., McDonald, A. M., Roberts, I.
    Trials, vol. 7, no. 34
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • 'Unilateral' and 'bilateral' practitioner approaches in decision-making about treatment

    Collins, S., Drew, P., Watt, I., Entwistle, V.
    Social Science & Medicine, vol. 61, no. 12, pp. 2611-2627
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Advising patients about patient safety: current initiatives risk shifting responsibility.

    Entwistle, V., Mello, M., Brennan, T.
    Joint Commission journal on quality and patient safety / Joint Commission Resources., vol. 31, no. 9, pp. 483-494
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Methods of hysterectomy: should women have a say?

    Entwistle, V. A., MacLennan, G. S., Skea, Z. C., Bhattacharya, S., Williams, B.
    British Medical Journal, vol. 331, pp. 351-352
    Contributions to Journals: Letters
  • A centralised public information resource for randomised trials: a scoping study to explore desirability and feasibility

    Langston, A. L., Campbell, M. K., Entwistle, V. A., Skea, Z.
    BMC Health Services Research, vol. 5, 39
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Who are your public?: a survey comparing the views of a population-based sample with those of a community-based public forum in Scotland

    Emslie, M., Andrew, J., Angus, V., Entwistle, V., Walker, K.
    Health & Social Care in the Community, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 164-169
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Involving service users in health services research

    Entwistle, V.
    Unknown Publisher, Handbook of Health Research Methods. 20 pages
    Books and Reports: Books
  • Consumer involvement in decisions about what health-related research is funded

    O'Donnell, M., Entwistle, V.
    Health Policy, vol. 70, no. 3, pp. 281-290
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Assessing patients' participation and quality of decision-making

    Entwistle, V. A., Watt, I. S., Gilhooly, K., Bugge, C., Haites, N. E., Walker, A. E.
    Patient Education and Counseling, vol. 55, no. 1, pp. 105-113
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Consumer involvement in research projects: the activities of research funders

    O'Donnell, M., Entwistle, V.
    Health Policy, vol. 69, no. 2, pp. 229-238
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Women's perceptions of decision-making about hysterectomy

    Skea, Z. C., Harry, V., Bhattacharya, S., Entwistle, V. A., Williams, B. S., MacLennan, G. S., Templeton, A. A.
    BJOG-An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, vol. 111, no. 2, pp. 133-142
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Nursing shortages and patient safety problems in hospital care: is clinical monitoring by families part of the solution?

    Entwistle, V.
    Health Expectations, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 1-5
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Trust and shared decision making: an emerging research agenda

    Entwistle, V.
    Health Expectations, vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 271-273
    Contributions to Journals: Editorials
  • The requirement for prior consent to participate on survey response rates: a population-based survey in Grampian

    Angus, V. C., Entwistle, V. A., Emslie, M. J., Walker, K. A., Andrew, J. E.
    BMC Health Services Research, vol. 3, 21
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Decision aids for people facing health treatment or screening decisions

    O'Connor, A. M., Stacey, D., Entwistle, V. A., Llewellyn-Thomas, H., Rovner, D., Holmes-Rovner, M., Tait, V., Tetroe, J., Fiset, V., Barry, M., Jones, J.
    Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, no. 2
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
  • Draft guide to the Production and Provision of Information about Health and Healthcare Interventions

    O'Donnell, M., Entwistle, V.
    NHS Scotland
    Books and Reports: Books
  • Interventions for improving communication with children and adolescents about a family member's cancer

    Scott, J. T., Prictor, M., Harmsen, M., Broom, A., Entwistle, V. A., Sowden, A. J., Watt, I.
    Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, no. 4, CD004511
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
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