bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Barriers to Safer Sex
Authors: Moore Susan , Halford Andrea Parker
Published: April 2009

This study of 400 heterosexual adults aged 24 to 49 years comprised married, single, separated/widowed/divorced, and cohabiting participants from three occupational groups, and concerned HIV risk within this sample. Results indicated high levels of unsafe sexual behaviours for more than onequarter of the sample, including each occupational group and relationship type. Barriers to condom use fell into five major categories: Communication Difficulties; Arousal Interference; (perceived lack of) Erotic Potential of Condoms; Trust Justification; and Practical Difficulties with Condoms. Males expressed more attitudinal barriers to condom use than females, in particular higher arousal interference and stronger use of justifications centred around trust for non-use of condoms. Higher HIV risk status was associated with maleness, younger age, single or de facto relationship status, and the attitudinal variables of high arousal interference and weaker beliefs in the erotic potential of condoms. For females only, high risk was also associated with the belief that condom use involved significant practical difficulties or ‘hassles’.
Perceived Benefits and Barriers Associated with the Female Condom among African-American Adults
Authors: Cecil Heather , Pinkerton Steven D. , Bogart Laura M.
Published: April 2009

This study examined perceived benefits and barriers associated with intentions to use the female condom among a sample of 143 African-American adults in Milwaukee, USA. Participants completed a self-report questionnaire. Aesthetics and contraceptive efficacy predicted women's intentions to use the female condom with a main sex partner. For men, intentions to use the device with a main partner were predicted by beliefs that the female condom is affordable, would prevent STDs, that their partner would not be angry about female condom use, and knowing how to use the device. Interventions to promote this device need to be tailored differently for men and women.
Hepatitis C
Authors: Hepworth Julie , Krug Gary J.
Published: April 2009

Since the emergence of diagnostic medical tests in Australia in 1990, hepatitis C (HCV) has been shown to account for over 90 percent of all non-A non-B hepatitis, revealing it to be a widespread and major public health problem. The diagnosis of HCV involves a diverse range of issues for affected persons, introducing identity and lifestyle changes, which are commonly articulated through psychological concepts. In this article we argue that it is important to examine the broader social and cultural contexts that contribute to the experiences of persons affected by HCV. The thematic analysis of qualitative data from six individuals diagnosed with HCV is included to exemplify some of the processes that are involved in the changing identity of a person following a positive diagnosis. The theoretical framework for the interpretation of these processes is interpretive interactionism. In this research, we are attempting to extend the understanding of the effects of HCV diagnoses beyond internal, psychological processes by examining how these diagnoses transform some of the processes of self-formation and expression. The participants’ experiences indicate that there are at least four dimensions of self that were significant to their changing sense of self: relationship of self to others; the emotional self; self-stories and identity; and self-scrutiny and relationships. We conclude that a socio-cultural perspective contributes to the explanation of the transition period following a HCV-positive diagnosis and the redefinition of self towards a HCV status.
An Exploratory Study of a Meditation-based Intervention for Binge Eating Disorder
Authors: Kristeller Jean L. , Hallett C. Brendan
Published: April 2009

The efficacy of a 6-week meditation-based group intervention for Binge Eating Disorder (BED) was evaluated in 18 obese women, using standard and eating-specific mindfulness meditation exercises. A single-group extended baseline design assessed all variables at 3 weeks pre-and post-, and at 1, 3, and 6 weeks; briefer assessment occurred weekly.

Binges decreased in frequency, from 4.02/week to 1.57/week (p < .001), and in severity. Scores on the Binge Eating Scale (BES) and on the Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories decreased significantly; sense of control increased. Time using eatingrelated meditations predicted decreases on the BES (r 5 .66, p < .01). Results suggest that meditation training may be an effective component in treating BED.
When God Disappoints
Authors: Exline Julie Juola , Yali Ann Marie , Lobel Marci
Published: April 2009

In light of growing empirical interest in the links between forgiveness, religious belief, and well-being, a study was designed to examine the emotional impact of a specific problem with forgiveness: difficulty forgiving God. Difficulty forgiving God was found to predict anxious and depressed mood within a college student sample ( N 5 200), and its contribution was independent of difficulties forgiving the self and others. Two psychological factors emerged as central in explaining the link between difficulty forgiving God and negative emotion: an angry disposition and feelings of alienation from God. Also, among those who currently believed in God, forgiving God for a specific, powerful incident predicted lower levels of anxious and depressed mood. These findings suggest that an unforgiving attitude toward God is a distinct type of problem with forgiveness, one that serves as a potent predictor of negative emotion.
A Longitudinal Study of Religiosity and Mortality Risk
Authors: Clark Kathleen M. , Friedman Howard S. , Martin Leslie R.
Published: April 2009

The relation of adult religiosity to longevity was studied in 993 participants from Terman's 70-year Life-Cycle Study. Key social and behavioral variables of physical health, psychological well-being, socioeconomic status, social support, and health behaviors were also considered. Results indicate that women who viewed themselves as more religious in adulthood (approximately age 40) had a lower risk for premature mortality than those who were less religiously inclined. These women had healthier behaviors, more positive feelings about their futures, and reported being somewhat happier than their less religiously inclined peers. In this bright, middle-class, 20th century sample, religiosity among women seems to be part of a generally healthy lifestyle, but not necessarily a direct cause of it.
Spirituality and Health
Authors: Thoresen Carl E.
Published: April 2009

The role of spiritual and religious factors in health, viewed from a scientific perspective, has been yielding interesting if not intriguing results. In general, studies have reported fairly consistent positive relationships with physical health, mental health, and substance abuse outcomes, mostly using cross-sectional or prospective designs. Some spiritual or religious factors, however, have failed in some studies to demonstrate significant outcomes. Empirical relationships have been commonly based on only a few questionnaire items. Adequate controls for possible moderating or confounding factors that could explain health outcomes have often been missing. A healthy skepticism seems called for, given the need to clarify and refine concepts, such as spirituality; to develop comprehensive assessments; and to conduct experimentally designed studies. Although the overall evidence is promising enough to warrant careful and expanded study, the need for a methodological pluralism in research and for cultural sensitivity is recommended.
Daubing the drudges of fury
Authors: Hall Steve
Published: April 2009

A substantial body of empirical work suggests that young, economically marginalized males are the most likely perpetrators and victims of serious physical violence. Interpreting these findings in a historicized way that has been neglected by the criminological discourses of the moment suggests that physical violence has become an increasingly unsuccessful strategy in the quest for social power in liberal-capitalist societies. Although it has been displaced by symbolic violence as the principal domineering force in capitalism’s historical project, physical violence has not been genuinely discouraged but harnessed as a specialist practice in a pseudo-pacification process. From this perspective, violence has a complex relationship with liberal-capitalism. Can the concept of ‘hegemonic masculinity’ help criminology to deal with this complexity and inform violence reduction strategies? This article argues that, in the context of pseudo-pacification, the notion that violent males ‘rework the themes’ of an institutionally powerful ‘hegemonic masculinity’ inverts and distorts the concept of hegemony, which for Gramsci was the self-affirming cultural production of the dominant political-economic class. Thus the concept of ‘hegemonic masculinity’ tends to downplay political economy and class power, which suggests that it is too far removed from historical processes and material contexts to either justify the use of the term hegemony itself or explain the striking social patterns of male violence. This intellectual retreat is representative of a general political evacuation of capitalism’s global socioeconomic processes, a move that is allowing sparsely regulated market forces to continue the economic insecurity, specialist roles and corresponding cultural forms that reproduce the traditional male propensity to physical violence.
The modernist myth in criminology
Authors: Schinkel Willem
Published: April 2009

In this contribution, Hirschi’s widely influential social bond theory is criticized on logical and theoretical grounds. Central to this critique is the fact that the social bond theory defines crime and the criminal as not being part of (‘conventional’) ‘society’. In that respect, the social bond theory is seen as merely one exponent of what may be called ‘modernist’ criminology. Characteristic of modernist social theory is an abstraction from the social, which presupposes certain legitimized social constructions of ‘society’ to be naturally what society consists of. Thus, in scientific, political and popular discourse, ‘reintegration’ of the criminal can be propagated. This article questions such modernist, static, yet taken-for-granted conceptions of ‘society’, ‘crime’ and ‘integration’, calling instead for a study of the structural relations that separate the normal (‘society’) from the criminal.
Post-communist fear of crime and the commercialization of security
Authors: ŁOŚ Maria
Published: April 2009

This article focuses on post-communist processes through which fear of the state has been transformed into fear of crime and longing for a stronger state. The communist governing technology (‘control mentality’) was buttressed by fear of the secret security complex and taboo-based management of the self (‘taboo mentality’). Risk had unequivocally negative connotations. The abrupt shift to a liberal-market ideology brought celebration of risk but also an escalating risk of crime. Two relevant developments are scrutinized: (1) the move from the state media (with their incessant ‘good news’ propaganda), to the market-based ‘bad news’ media; (2) The re-emergence of the former secret police as a new private security sector—the primary provider of risk definitions and risk management technologies.
The Purity Wars:
Authors: HUNT ALAN
Published: April 2009

This article seeks to understand the contemporary prevalence of projects of moral regulation. It explores the potential and limitations of accounts that point to similarities between today's moral politics and the sexual purity campaigns of the late 19th century. It explores two recent significant, but very different, works on the history of moral regulation movements: Nicola Beisel's Imperiled Innocents (1997) and David Wagner's The New Temperance (1997). This article seeks to show that the purity campaigns of the late 19th century and the new movements from the late 1970s are of special significance because of the central role of female activists and feminist currents of thought. The account offered seeks to integrate the interaction of class and gender relations. It refuses any cyclical account of moral regulation movements, but offers an account focusing on the tensions between gender and class relations in the two periods which account for the remarkable similarities between these two periods.
Striking a Chord: A Prelude to Music and Intergroup Relations Research
Authors: Giles Howard , Denes Amanda , Hamilton David L. , Hajda John M.
Published: April 2009

This article explores the relationships between music and intergroup relations, invoking social identity as an integrative framework. In addition to briefly relating the articles constituting this Special Issue on `music and intergroup relations' to the foregoing, an array of exciting theoretical possibilities for further research and collaborations pursuing this under-investigated domain of intergroup relations is presented.
Musical Taste and Ingroup Favouritism
Authors: Lonsdale Adam J. , North Adrian C.
Published: April 2009

Musical taste is thought to function as a social `badge' of group membership, contributing to an individual's sense of social identity. Following from this, social identity theory predicts that individuals should perceive and behave more favourably towards those perceived to share their musical taste than towards those who do not. The findings of two studies supported these predictions. The first showed that stereotypes of the fans of different musical styles demonstrate ingroup favouritism, and the second study used the minimal group paradigm to show that individuals allocate greater rewards to those believed to share their musical taste. This suggests that those who share our musical taste are likely to be considered ingroup members, and should be subject to ingroup favouritism.
Self-Esteem, Misogyny and Afrocentricity: An Examination of the Relationship between Rap Music Consumption and African American Perceptions
Authors: Dixon Travis L. , Yuanyuan Zhang  , Conrad Kate
Published: April 2009

The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between African American audiences, rap music videos, Black collective self-esteem, and attitudes towards women. One-hundred and forty-one African American college students participated in a survey measuring their amount of rap music video viewing, collective self-esteem, Afrocentric identity, and their belief that rap degrades women. The results revealed that viewers who consumed more rap music videos also had a higher sense of collective self-esteem. Additionally, individuals who had strong Afrocentric features tended to identify with rap music videos that contained characters with strong Afrocentric features. Finally, consumption of misogynistic rap content was negatively related to the belief that rap music degrades women. These results are discussed in light of Allen's (1993, 2001) cultural lens perspective, Appiah's (2004) theory of ethnic identification and the priming paradigm. Suggestions are made for future research concerning African American audiences and rap music.
Factors associated with BMI change over five years in a Swedish adult population. Results from the Scania Public Health Cohort Study
Authors: Eek Frida , Östergren P.-O.
Published: April 2009

Objectives: On account of the increasing worldwide problems associated with overweight and obesity, the aim of the present study was to examine BMI change over 5 years in relation to different lifestyle-, demographic- and psychosocial work-related factors. Methods: A cohort of 9913 persons responded to an identical survey in 2000 and 2005. BMI change over the period was examined in relation to gender, age, educational level, physical activity, job strain, and baseline BMI. Results: Mean BMI as well as prevalence of overweight and obesity increased in the cohort; most among younger persons. In all groups but younger women, BMI increase was greatest in the lowest baseline BMI quartile. Low education was associated with increased BMI at baseline, but not with BMI change over time except among young women. Exercisers had lower BMI than non-exercising persons, and exercise pattern over time was also significantly associated with BMI change. The greatest BMI increase was found among exercise drop-outs, while those who had taken up exercise during the study period were the only group who did not show a significant BMI increase over the study period. Job strain showed inconsistent associations with BMI change. Conclusions: Although socioeconomic differences in BMI were observed, these inequalities did not appear to be increasing, except among young women. Persons with a low initial BMI increased more in weight than persons with a high initial BMI. Exercise behaviour appeared to be an important factor for maintaining, or avoiding heavy increase in, BMI.
A computerized 360° feedback tool for personal and organizational development in general practice
Authors: Griffin E. , Sanders C. , Craven D. , King J.
Published: April 2009

360° feedback techniques (‘do we see ourselves as others see us?’) have been used extensively in the business sector for personal development. This paper describes a collaborative project in the UK in which the technique was contextualized for use in general practice, both as a personal development tool for individuals and as a practice development tool for the organization.

The application is based on questionnaires for completion by practice clinicians, members of staff and patients. These questionnaires investigate perceptions about (a) standards of performance (individual or organizational) in a number of competency areas (patient care, management, team-work, professional standards and consulting); and (b) the importance of these areas in terms of overall effectiveness/efficiency.

An iterative design was used to develop a computer program to aid data collection, automate data analysis and produce individualized results for participants/participating practices. The output identifies areas of effective performance and areas in need of improvement.

The application was piloted and evaluated in seven practices, results being fed back to participants by primary care facilitators. All practices found the 360° output valuable.

The computerized ‘Insight’ tool developed is sophisticated yet easy to use, having wide application in the areas of peer appraisal, practice planning and development.
Evaluating information service innovations in the health service: ‘If I was planning on going there I wouldn’t start from here’
Authors: Booth A. , Falzon L.
Published: April 2009

A number of barriers exist to the conduct of successful health services information research. These include the conflict between the pragmatic concerns of running a project alongside existing information services and the need for rigorous and transferable experimental studies, the tension between quantitative and qualitative research paradigms and the proven lack of success at integrating successful projects into mainstream service delivery. The authors describe a post hocevaluation conducted for Northern and Yorkshire R&D in the UK of six pilot sites supporting evidence-based health care (EBHC). This provided valuable insights into the requirements for information services evaluation. Drawing upon a model from nursing research the authors describe how a blend of techniques from action research, reflective practice and quality assurance could provide the individual, group and organizational perspectives required for successful evaluation research.
Supporting clinical laboratory test-ordering protocol specification, execution and management: an event-condition-action rule and database approach
Authors: Dube K. , Wu B.
Published: April 2009

The cost of clinical laboratory testing has increased considerably during the past decade. This has prompted research and initiatives aimed at controlling clinical laboratory utilization without affecting the continued improvement of the quality of patient care. One of the most effective and proven approaches to clinical laboratory utilization management is the use of clinical test-ordering protocols. The major challenges being faced are those of modelling and specifying clinical guidelines and protocols in a manner that facilitates their integration into information systems, their subsequent management and their linking with electronic healthcare records. It is the authors’ belief that the event-condition-action (ECA) rule paradigm and modern database technology are of great potential in this area, and their applications here should be vigorously researched. This paper describes a generic model and language, called PLAN, based on the ECA rule paradigm for supporting clinical test-ordering protocols. The paper also discusses a database-based approach to the specification, execution and management of test ordering protocols.
The strategic support of telemedicine and telecare
Authors: Norris A. C.
Published: April 2009

The modern development of telemedicine and telecare dates from the early 1990s when a combination of technological and service drivers created new opportunities. These drivers include advances in information and communications technologies, the need to extend healthcare access to remote and disadvantaged communities, military applications and perceived cost reduction. Governments and healthcare providers have shown considerable interest in the potential of telemedicine for reducing service costs but have been slow to provide the strategic context in which the approach can move into the mainstream. Only in the last five years or so have we seen an awareness of the strategic underpinning needed to produce this context. This paper identifies the roles of government, healthcare professionals and equipment suppliers in policy development and strategy setting and reviews the experience of several countries. The analysis seeks to determine the key principles that facilitate the mainstream development of telemedicine, and the critical success factors for the design and delivery of telemedicine and telecare services.
Health informatics and evidence-based medicine - more than a marriage of convenience?
Authors: Georgiou A.
Published: April 2009

The importance of informatics in healthcare is more than just a consequence of rapid information technology (IT) developments over the last couple of decades. Informatics-related activities are located at the very heart of healthcare and involve biomedical sciences, computer sciences and healthcare policy and management. Evidence based medicine (EBM) may be defined as the explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients. The key principles of EBM - from finding, appraising and using research-based knowledge, to establishing systems for managing medical knowledge and promoting and facilitating evidence-based decisionmaking - have parallel informatics functions. Benson has described these as knowledge browsing, messagingand counting.Health informatics can be described as the very engine room driving EBM. As a consequence of this health informatics is embroiled in an intense social and medical dialogue about the very basis of scientific method, theory and practice of medicine.
Factors affecting the adoption of telehealthcare in the United Kingdom: the policy context and the problem of evidence
Authors: May C. , Mort M. , Mair F. , Williams T.
Published: April 2009

The adoption of telehealthcare in the United Kingdom has been slow and fragmented. This paper presents a structural explanation for this by contrasting contending themes in recent UK health policy. It is argued that the conflict between trends towards modernizationand demands for evidence-based practicehave made it difficult for a major policy agency to emerge that can sponsor service development, and so proponents of telehealthcare have been forced to situate their work within the domain of R&D. This has led to a fragmented field of practice characterized by short-term and small-scale projects.
Studying health informatics from a distance: issues, problems and experiences
Authors: Bacigalupo R. , Bath P. , Booth A. , Eaglestone B. , Procter P.
Published: April 2009

Sheffield University has recently introduced a new Health Informatics Masters degree by distance learning. This paper documents the initial experiences of setting up, managing and delivering this course. The three parts of the paper cover motivation and background, design and content, and the issues, observations and problems relating to the course respectively. The latter relate to the logistics of delivery and how best to utilize the features of WebCT, and also how to meet the aspirations of students from a wide range of backgrounds.
Using modern IT tools to assess the awareness of MDs on radiation issues and plan a continuous education programme
Authors: Bamidis P. D. , Psarouli E. , Stilou S.
Published: April 2009

Radiation is significantly involved in a number of common medical tests and procedures. Knowledge of issues concerned with ionizing radiation is, therefore, mandatory in clinical practice. Is there a way to access whether university-level educational programmes concerning medical physics suffice in covering the practical requirements or not? One of the key issues involved in the assessment of the above procedure, however, is how to make use of available technology in order to conduct the assessment as efficiently and as effectively as possible.

In previous work, we devised a sample manual questionnaire aimed at retrieving information regarding the status of radiation awareness, but also investigated the feasibility of applying a robust methodology in the analysis of the results. In this paper, we extend the above mentioned methodology to other areas of MD activity and utilize the question ‘how familiar are MDs with radiation?’ as an example, in order to demonstrate the importance of health information management in the modern era of e-health. Three stages or aspects of information management are considered: (i) efficient online information collection, (ii) effective and robust analysis based on Web databases, and finally (iii) extraction of rules and knowledge using data mining techniques and home-made software that facilitates the retrieval of associations. The latter stage is then further exploited in order to design an improved and realistic plan for the process of continuous education of MDs and health professionals in general.
Attitudes, access or application: what is the reason for the low penetration of decision support systems in healthcare?
Authors: Mead D. , Moseley L.
Published: April 2009

The bulk of this paper will deal with the results of a survey which we have undertaken among clinicians. However, for the lessons of that survey to be learned, we have to understand the reasons why computerized decision support systems are desirable in the first place. There is no space in this paper to discuss those reasons, but we wish to set the scene by asserting that the three major factors are:

1. The huge knowledge explosion in healthcare (the half-life of a paper is about 8 years);

2. The complexity of the decisions facing clinicians and policy-makers (simple decisions typically involve choosing one course of action from a menu of millions of courses of actions);

3. The limitations of unaided human information processing (Miller’s Magical Number 7 ± 2-)[1].

There is a large literature on sub-optimal decision-making (and even serious errors) by clinicians that shows that what one would predict in theory actually occurs in practice [2] [3].

We do not assert that using computers with their large memories, powerful inferencing mechanisms, consistency and general reliability is the only way to improve health decision-making. We do, however, assert that this is currently the most likely candidate for doing so.
Mapping health events - a comparison of approaches
Authors: Brabyn L. , Wilkins D.
Published: April 2009

The Waikato Regional Public Health Unit (New Zealand) collects and maintains a database of notified health events that includes communicable diseases. This database can be used by health protection officers to identify problem areas that have unusually high incidences of events. Resources can then be targeted and officers can respond accordingly. However, for this data to be useful it needs to be represented as a rate of health events per 100,000 people. This paper investigates the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to visualize and represent these data. Standard vector representations that use census area units are compared with raster representations that use focal neighbourhood functions. The two techniques produce rates of health events that differ by up to 100 per cent for a given location and scale. The vector technique is the standard approach and is easily understood. The raster technique enables more control over the scale of analysis and can provide a more spatially accurate representation of health events. If two techniques can produce such large differences in analysis results, it is important that health protection officers and epidemiologists give special consideration to the representation technique used.
Telecare delivery of health and social care information
Authors: Emery D. , Heyes B. J. , Cowan A. M.
Published: April 2009

If the growing population of older people are to be effectively supported in their own homes, new ways of delivering care must be found. In addition, individual users of health and social services need greater empowerment and autonomy. These imperatives provide opportunities for the creative use of information and communication technology. One telecare approach that can be used to maintain or improve the quality of life for older people is the provision of health and social care information in electronic form.This paper identifies and discusses issues that contribute to the information agenda for older people. It describes the background to the present UK health strategy, most significantly the shift from institutional based care towards care at home, with the associated change of priorities within health and social care agencies. It suggests that different methods of information delivery are needed to meet the requirements of older people, and directs information providers towards the use of paper-based media and digital TV, as well as Web-based resources. It highlights the importance of user interface design and argues for an approach whereby interface design is changed when necessary, according to the results of user evaluation. Information content needs to be appropriate and managed; verification and validity of content are ensured by a continuous iterative review system.
Improving ‘knife to skin time’: process modelling and new technology in medical work
Authors: Clarke K. , Hartswood M. , Procter R. , Rouncefield M. , Slack R. , Williams R.
Published: April 2009

As healthcare becomes information intensive technology increasingly plays an important role in managing patient care; information gathering and dissemination; and co-ordinating work. One approach to ensuring resources, staff and systems are allocated and used efficiently is process modelling. This paper presents some findings from the Dependability Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration (DIRC) project, on ‘process modelling’ as an aspect of managerial activity and the work involved in both creating and implementing process maps or models. Our ethnographic investigations document some of the problems in developing process maps of medical activity as part of a desire to ‘improve knife to skin time’. We suggest that process maps are not systematic, rational, scientific deductions of the most efficient process. Process maps are locally sensible versions of best practice, and problems may arise where such locally sensible versions are exported throughout an organization to other settings where other relevances may apply.
Poisons information in Scotland: delivery of TOXBASE on the Internet
Authors: Bateman D. N. , Good A. M. , Kelly C. A. , Laing W. J.
Published: April 2009

Poisons information in the UK is provided by the six centres of the National Poisons Information Service (NPIS). In mid-1999 an existing database, TOXBASE, was modernized and transferred to the Internet and made freely available to health professionals working in the National Health Service. We report the effect of this change on poisons information provision in Scotland in 2000.

Telephone and TOXBASE enquiry profiles and agent accesses, were examined by enquirer source and Scottish Health Board (corrected for population size). Indices used included number of telephone enquiries and computer usage data, including details of agent and agent category.

Enquiries to TOXBASE were found to be more than 3.4 times more frequent than by telephone. Profile of agents was generally similar, apart primarily from ethanol, which was a more frequent telephone agent. There was a negative correlation between population-corrected volume of telephone enquiries and TOXBASE sessions by the health board. Most telephone enquiries came from primary care, whereas the major TOXBASE users were Accident and Emergency (A and E) departments. Referrals to senior clinical staff increased from the previous year.

Our study concluded that computer information systems are alternative tools to the telephone for poisons information provision. In Scotland there is evidence that the systems complement each other, with no evidence of loss of clinical referrals about more severe poisoning. User feedback has been positive.
Blending qualitative and quantitative study methods in health services research
Authors: McDowell I. , MacLean L.
Published: April 2009

The movement towards blending qualitative and quantitative methods in health services research is now well established. Models for blending the two include a hierarchical approach, in which one or other approach dominates, and a partnership model featuring more equal (albeit differing) roles for each. The partnership model may involve simultaneous or sequential application of qualitative and quantitative methods. For each model, the ideal is to blend qualitative and quantitative approaches to take advantage of the particular strengths of one approach in compensating for known limitations in the other under particular circumstances. The optimal blend varies at different stages of the research process, from conceptualizing the study through data collection and analysis, to interpreting the results.
Student empowerment through the use of interactive television
Authors: Kelly C. , Petri D.
Published: April 2009

Videoconferencing, also known as interactive television (ITV), is gaining popularity in the delivery of post-secondary education. Recent experience with this new technology in delivering programs to undergraduate students in a sparsely populated region of British Columbia, Canada, has provided useful insights. It highlights the need to incorporate technological change on the basis of student feedback. More importantly, it demonstrates ITV’s potential to empower students within the classroom.
The computer in the general practice consultation: a literature review
Authors: Brown J.
Published: April 2009

The last decade has seen the introduction of computers into more than 80% of general practices in Great Britain. [1] The computerization of practices has many administrative and clinical advantages in areas such as the patient database and repeat prescribing. But, despite this technological revolution, relatively few studies have examined the use of computers in the consultation, their impact on the doctor/patient relationship, or the views of doctors themselves. This paper seeks to review the existing literature systematically and provide a summary focusing on five main areas:

• position and use of computers during the consultation;

• behaviour associated with the computer;

• the patient perspective;

• the doctor perspective;

• confidentiality.
Diabetic registers: a practice survey of patients’ attitudes
Authors: Wells M. , Hassey A. , Wilson A. , Pearson D.
Published: April 2009

The Fisher Medical Centre is a fully computerized paperless practice caring for 13,500 patients (255 diabetics) in Skipton, North Yorkshire. The St Vincent Declaration encourages the establishment of national/district diabetic registers to facilitate the provision, monitoring and planning of health-care for people with diabetes. Over the past two years there has been a lively debate between the UK government, the British Medical Association (BMA), the British Diabetic Association (BDA) and people with diabetes over the establishment, control and function of such registers. We decided to ask our practice diabetic patients their views on the use of personal medical information to construct a district/national diabetic register. The results of our survey indicate that diabetic patients wish to give consent for the storage on computer and sharing of their personal health records and are in general only too happy for their records to be shared with other health professionals involved in their care. Our diabetic patients also stated a strong preference for proposed regional diabetic registers to hold only non-identifiable or summary patient information.
Information in resource management: ward managers’ perceptions
Authors: Hughes M.
Published: April 2009

With the third wave of UK National Health Service reforms now several years old and resource management firmly established, this study investigated ward managers’ perceptions of their clinical information needs and their information processes in relation to the management of resources. A convenience sample of 13 ward managers were interviewed, using semi-structured schedules, for between 20 and 45 minutes. The results were subjected to thematic and relationship analysis. Ward managers’ information needs appeared to be mainly influenced by the content of the budget statement. They also indicated that they had initial difficulty in reading the statement. They used several informal methods to obtain information but research literature and information technology were not perceived as valuable sources of information. The role of information in relation to resource management appears not to be wholly understood by ward managers.
Computer-enhanced lectures: their use within a pre-registration programme of nurse education
Authors: Tetley J. W.
Published: April 2009

This paper critically reviews the lecture as a teaching method, in order to explore whether the use of computer-enhanced lectures can retain the best features of the lecture, without inhibiting the ability of the teacher to facilitate learning and maintain student interest. The advantages and disadvantages of the computer-enhanced lecture to both student and teacher are discussed. Finally, recommendations and caveats for use in practice are given.
CArE: A software package for computer-aided nurse education
Authors: Habjanič A. , Kokol P. , Zorman M. , Šlajmer-Japelj M.
Published: April 2009

Computer-managed instruction (CMI) has been used in nursing education since the late 1960s. It is because of its accessibility and self-paced format that CMI is very well suited both to students and practising nurses, as learning can take place at the learner’s own pace and in his or her own time. In addition CMI also supports continuing education and distant learning.

The aim of this paper is to present CArE - a software package for Computer Aided Nu rse Education and in particular, for teaching the basics of the nursing care process. This package has been developed as a result of the Phare TEMPUS project called NICE (Nursing Informatics and Computer Aided Education) [14] [15].
Computers and the general practice consultation
Authors: Ellis N. T. , May C. R.
Published: April 2009

The introduction of desktop computing into primary healthcare over the past 30 years has been founded on the assumption that it would be accompanied by a clearly demonstrable benefit both to direct patient care, and to the development of administrative systems. While advances in primary care administration may be related to computerization, the evidence for improvements in direct patient care is more mixed. In this paper we critically discuss issues raised by the existing research literature in primary care computing, and especially note the difficulties posed by the absence of portable generic electronic patient records.
Virtual evidence: helping primary care practitioners access and implement evidence-based information
Authors: Farrell L. , Cunningham M. , Haigh V. , Irozuru E. , Cuffin T. Roberts
Published: April 2009

e-STABLISH is a two-year pilot project funded by the UK’s NHS Executive (North West) to set up a Local Multidisciplinary Evidence Centre (LMEC) across Salford and Trafford district. The aim of e-STABLISH is to provide primary healthcare team members (PHCTs) and community staff based at 12 sites across the district with improved access to evidence-based information sources from their workplaces. During our first year (April 1998- March 1999) sites were linked and personnel trained - the second year will determine whether access to evidence-based information has been improved through an effective structure. The paper begins with an overview of the project, and then goes on to discuss its objectives in more detail, namely, the Information Technology infrstructure that has been set up, the training courses provided, and the library services that have been developed. We conclude with details of the major lessons learnt and evaluations that will be taking place.
Integration of all information sources in a clinical environment
Authors: Goncalves S. , Steele B. , Franks C. , Wilson A.
Published: April 2009

If evidence-based medicine (EBM) is to become fully integrated with patient care then we believe it essential that reference sources must be readily available at the point of healthcare delivery and be seamlessly integrated with access to the medical record. We have employed a user-centred design approach to develop a prototype ward-based clinical workstation, which uses Web technology to provide consistency of both user and data interfaces. Two sources of information are required for our work: the first is an Electronic Patient Record (EPR); the second is the reference material. As a first stage towards a clinical workstation to support EBM, the most commonly required sources of reference material were identified using semi-structured interviews. A first prototype system to evaluate the potential for a workstation to support EBM was constructed by developing a Web-based interface to the hospital’s laboratory Results Reporting System (RRS). Links between this and the most commonly used reference sources identified in the semi-structured interviews were established. An evaluation of this prototype suggested a high acceptability of both the user interface and of the concept of a clinical workstation which allows access to both patient specific and reference data.
Empowering Older People
Authors: Thompson Neil , Thompson Sue
Published: April 2009

• Summary: This article explores models and strategies for developing empowering forms of social work practice with older people.

• Findings: Social work with older people has strong roots in a predominantly medical model in which the primary objective is to ensure that care is provided. While social work with other client groups has made major steps forward in developing less medicalized approaches, the work undertaken with older people has seen far less progress. This article examines the differences between a care model and an empowerment model, identifies some of the barriers standing in the way of movement from one to the other and considers ways of responding to such barriers.

• Applications: The authors identify strategies for developing empowering forms of practice.
Reading Mental Health Inquiries
Authors: Stanley Nicky , Manthorpe Jill
Published: April 2009

• Summary: This article examines the findings of a series of mental health inquiry reports published in the UK during the 1990s and identifies implications for social workers operating in the field of mental health.

• Findings: These inquiry reports have been enormously influential in determining the shape of both services and new legislation. They have also delivered messages concerning practice both in terms of interprofessional communication and coordination and regarding direct work with service users.

• Applications: It is argued that social workers can use these inquiries to define their role more constructively and to distinguish their precise contribution to the network of mental health services. This may be particularly necessary at a time of major change.
Knowledge Bases and Knowledge Biases in Social Work
Authors: Payne Malcolm
Published: April 2009

Summary: The conception of a knowledge base for social work is explored within a multinational/multicultural context.

Findings: Flaws in the idea of a knowledge base include the conception that social science knowledge is being continually reconstructed rather than acting as a base, the impossibility of defining a separable body of knowledge and the difficulty of seeing some knowledge as basic to all social work practice. Four arenas of debate within social work where the concept is particularly used are in defining the processes of professionalization, defining training and education curricula, identifying what knowledge is useful in practice and defining professional roles within multidisciplinary teams. Study of the construction and politics of knowledge biases within social work, through examination of the use of knowledge in practice and through consideration of the influence of stakeholders in creating biases, permits understanding of social work knowledge as a continuing interactive process among practitioners and other stakeholders rather than as an established base.

Applications: Knowledge in any particular country or specialization of social work may be seen as biases within a broader conception of knowledge.
Abusing Children - Abusing Animals
Authors: Bell Lorna
Published: April 2009

Summary: Research suggests that if an individual is cruel to animals then he/she is more likely to be aggressive towards his/her partner and children; that children who are abused are more likely to be cruel to animals; and that children who are cruel to animals are more likely to be aggressive towards humans. Because of the potential seriousness of the link between cruelty to animals and a child’s experiences and behaviour, a survey was undertaken in the UK to explore what services were available to children who were cruel to animals. This paper summarizes some of the existing research and describes the study of services.

Findings: The findings show that a small number of children are already receiving services, but that most agencies do not routinely include cruelty to animals as part of their assessment. There is no therapy or counselling specifically focused on cruelty to animals, but agencies could provide a range of services appropriate to the needs of the child and/or the family.

Applications: This articles highlights the fact that a child’s cruelty to animals may be an important symptom of negative experiences and/or predictor of future aggressive behaviour and that cruelty to animals should be included in assessments of vulnerable children.