Sheffield Hallam University

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    Best practice for patient-centred radiotherapy in clinical trials and beyond – a national multidisciplinary consensus

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    Aims Patient-centred radiotherapy refers to an approach where patients' needs and preferences are prioritised. Guidelines for this personalised approach are lacking. We present a multidisciplinary national consensus with the aim to provide recommendations for best practice in patient-centred radiotherapy for both clinical trials and routine practice. Materials and methods A multidisciplinary working group was formed, comprising of healthcare professionals and patient advocates with lived experience of radiotherapy. Three interlinking themes were identified around patient-centred radiotherapy: information, decision-making, and outcomes. Scoping reviews were carried out for each theme, considering current challenges and recommendations for best practice. Recommendations were shaped through consultation with 12 patient advocates. Results There is a pressing need to better support patients prior to, during, and following radiotherapy. Radiotherapy-related patient information is often complex and challenging to understand. Information resources should be cocreated with patient advocates and individualised wherever possible, including for patients from under-served groups. Shared decision-making (SDM) processes may enhance treatment satisfaction and reduce decision-regret, but these are not widely implemented. SDM requires prepared patients, trained teams, alongside adequate resources and should be offered as per patients' preferences. Healthcare system data offer complementary information to clinical trials, with the potential to provide additional insight into long-term benefits and risks of radiotherapy within ‘real-world’ conditions. Patient-reported outcome measures may provide greater insight regarding toxicity and impact on quality of life and should be used in synergy with clinician-reported outcomes. Outcome measures should be collected in the long term, and results should be widely disseminated to both the public and professional communities. Equity of access to radiotherapy, clinical trials, and survivorship services is a priority. Conclusion Patients rightly expect more from healthcare professionals, and it is important that the radiotherapy community recognises this and embraces changes which will enhance patient-centred care. Our recommendations aim to guide best practice for patient-centred radiotherapy

    Profile of outer membrane proteins of carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacilli in Ghana

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    Objective: Carbapenem resistance is a major global health threat, but insights on its molecular determinants are scanty in sub-Saharan Africa, the predominant global antimicrobial resistance hotspot. This study aimed to profile outer membrane proteins (OMPs) of 111 carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria recovered from a broad spectrum of clinical specimens from Ghana. Results: The OMPs of Pseudomonas aeruginosa produced decreased amounts of OprD or the porin was completely lost, except in 5.9% (n = 3) of the isolates which had high-level porins. For Acinetobacter baumannii, 96.8% (n = 30) expressed loss of OprF. One carbapenemase non-PCR-positive isolate with high-level porin expression was observed. In A. baumannii, the major and significant band on SDS-PAGE was ~ 35 kDa. There were substantial numbers of unrelated porin expression among the isolates. Particularly, OmpC/F or OmpK35/37 expression was deficient. Sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis for Escherichia coli, Klebsiella aerogenes, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and other Enterobacterales had OmpC and OmpF absent or markedly reduced compared to the control strains. Overall, porin loss was a major mechanism underlying carbapenem resistance among the isolates, suggesting that in carbapenem-resistant organisms that seem to lack known carbapenem resistance genes, porin loss may be the underlying carbapenem resistance mechanism

    Children as critical consumers and producers of multimodal texts

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    “OMG you look amazing”: A Systematic Examination of the Text-Based Interactions Surrounding UK Adolescent Girls’ Self-Images on Instagram

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    Appearance-related content is ubiquitous across highly visual social media platforms, in both imagery and text. The present study aims to explore the content of text-based interactions initiated by self-images on Instagram. Seventeen adolescent girls from the UK (Age M = 15.12; SD = 1.80; Range = 12-18) provided data from their most recent Instagram posts (up to 10 posts) as part of one-to-one interviews. This included images (n = 85), captions (n = 85), direct comments on images (n = 630) and participants’ first replies to direct comments (n = 459). An inductive-deductive content analysis was used to analyse Instagram data, and a template analysis was used to analyse the interview data to aid with the interpretation of the content. Analyses showed positive appearance-related compliments were highly prevalent on Instagram posts (79.2% of comments) and were considered the norm. Compliments tended to focus on general, rather than specific appearance qualities. Girls tended to respond to compliments using likes, gratitude, or affectionate expressions. The findings highlight the role of self-objectification and self-presentation strategies in dictating the norms of adolescent girls’ text-based interactions on Instagram. Implications and directions for future research are discussed

    Patient and public involvement in neonatal research – experiences and insights from parents and researchers

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    Background: Involving parents in decisions about the care of their infant is common practice in most neonatal intensive care units. However, involvement is less common in neonatal research and a gap appears to exist in understanding the process of patient and public involvement. The aim of this study was to explore parents and researchers’ experiences of patient and public involvement in a neonatal research project. Methods: A qualitative design was employed, consisting of two focus group interviews, one dyadic interview, and four individual interviews with parents and researchers. The interviews followed a semi-structured guide specific to both parents and researchers. Data were analysed using content analysis as described by Graneheim and Lundman. Results: A total of nine parents and four researchers participated in the study. Seven themes were consolidated into three core concepts: Embracing the ethos and pathos of patient and public involvement, Finding the path to maximise meaningful involvement, and Becoming skilled in engaging patients and the public in research. The core concepts highlighted both similarities and differences, as well as challenges and facilitators, of the experiences of the patient and public involvement process. Conclusion: Patient and public involvement in research was a mutually beneficial process, facilitating learning and reflective opportunities for parents and researchers. However, there were challenges that emphasised the need for rapport building between parents and researchers, valuing everyone’s unique perspective and expertise, with clear communication and well-defined roles and goals. These insights offer a contribution for future patient and public involvement in health research

    Fostering Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Nigerian Universities

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    This chapter explores the essential characteristics and features of a university fostering entrepreneurship and innovation within the context of weak infrastructural support and the lack of policy mechanisms. It presents an analysis of institutional ambitions, change measurement, ongoing initiatives, and their sustainability. Our study employed semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions of relevant stakeholders (staff and students) from four major Nigerian universities. Findings were categorised into two main dimensions. First, certain essential elements such as the strength of networks, entrepreneurial culture, and modelling good practices were identified as independent of management, constituting the bedrock of successful university entrepreneurial ecosystems. These elements, fundamental for fostering innovation, are intrinsic components of vibrant entrepreneurial environments within academic institutions. Secondly, the study illuminates features influenced by management, stakeholder engagement, and personalized relationships. These elements, encompassing aspects like infrastructure, funding, quality control management, and state-level policies, act as catalysts for development but are not obligatory. They function as path-dependent variables, leading to varying outputs. Despite their variability, these management-driven factors are indispensable for the evolution and scaling of university entrepreneurial ecosystems, forming the backbone of innovation within higher education institutions in Nigeria

    How do TQM’s critical success factors affect organisational performance? A configurational approach

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    Purpose – This paper aims to illustrate a possible combination of critical success factors (CSFs) that best enhance firm performance and compare configurations of CSFs in ISO-9001-2015 certified and non-ISO firms in Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach – The study sample comprises individuals from the service and manufacturing sectors and ISO-9001-2015 certified and non-ISO firms. We have collected data from 229 respondents from 134 firms, including 64.5% from ISO-certified and the remaining 35.5% from non-ISO-certified categories. In this exploratory study, we performed a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to identify the combinations of success factors that enhance performance. Findings - The Results of this study capture the causal complexity surrounding the CSFs and firm performance. We found six configurations for ISO firms and five for non-ISO firms that enhance firm performance. Besides, the necessary conditions for firm performance of ISO firms slightly differ from those of non-ISO firms. Thus, the empirical results highlight the importance of equifinality and complementary relationships between conditions relating to quality management systems to increase firm performance. A significant difference was found between ISO-9001:2015 certified firms and non-ISO firms. Research limitations/implications – A significant limitation arises from the sample’s inclusion of only Bangladeshi firms; a cross-cultural study could add new dimensions to the configurations. Understanding how these CSFs vary and need a longitudinal approach is essential. Originality/value – Our configurational approach provides new insights into the complex dynamics of eight CSFs with a holistic approach. Instead of focusing on the additive linear net effects of CSFs on firm performance, we explain how the CSFs of TQM implementation combine into multiple combinations. By doing so, we show multiple equifinal pathways to firm performance

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