Evaluation of the health careers in the Bush Health Careers Workshops 1994 - 2002

[Summary]: Seventy people from rural backgrounds, who as secondary school students had attended a Year 10 Health Careers Workshop between 1995 and 1999, were interviewed by telephone in 2004 to determine what impact the workshop attendance had on their course and career choices. Approximately one quarter of the participants had also attended a Year 12 workshop. Results from two written questionnaires administered in 2002 and 2005 and from the telephone interviews showed that workshop attendance consolidated career interest in the health industry. At the end of 2004 over 90% of respondents were either employed in the health industry or studying to do so. Students who applied to attend a Year 10 workshop had expressed interest at that time of pursuing a health professional career such as nursing, medicine or physiotherapy. The workshops provided exposure to the variety of additional health related disciplines and some students used this information to modify their course and career plans within the industry. Even those who did not subsequently enrol in a health related course recognised the value of the workshop program. In fact without a single exception interviewees found the workshops to be extremely rewarding. The vast majority indicated that attendance had a major impact on their course and career decisions. A significant number of workshop participants have subsequently guided others in their course choice and career decisions. The majority of the participants who had left their rural communities to complete tertiary education will provide rural and regional health care as they have either returned and are working in rural or regional areas or intend doing so in the future. As a result of the selection process for workshop attendance, the study could not demonstrate definitively that the Health Careers Workshops Program contributed to the recruitment of health professionals. However, it has shown that the Program contributed significantly not only to the retention of those interested in the health industry but to the return of trained health professionals to rural and regional areas. The benefit to the health industry from these workshops has been substantial in relation to the small amount of funds invested

Using Applied Behavior Analysis in Software to help Tutor Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

There are currently many tutoring software systems which have been designed for neurotypical children. These systems cover academic topics such as reading and math, and are made available through various technological mediums. The majority of these systems were not designed for use by children with special needs, in particular those who are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Since the 1970's, studies have been conducted on the use of Applied Behavior Analysis to help autistic children learn [1]. This teaching methodology is proven to be very effective, with many patients having their diagnosis of autism dropped after a few years of treatment. With the advent of ubiquitous technologies such as mobile devices, it has become apparent that these devices could also be used to help tutor autistic children on academic subjects such as reading and math. Though the delivery of tutoring material must be made using Applied Behavior Analysis techniques, given that ABA therapy is currently the only form of treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorder endorsed by the US Surgeon General [2], which further makes the case for incorporating it into an academics tutoring system tailored for autistic children. In this paper, we present a mobile software system which can be utilized to tutor children who are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the subjects of reading and math. The software makes use of Applied Behavior Analysis techniques such as a Token Economy system, visual and audible reinforcers, and generalization. Furthermore, we explore how combining Applied Behavior Analysis and technology, could help extend the reach of tutoring systems to these children.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure

Telerehabilitation: An Adjunct Service Delivery Model for Early Intervention Services

Early Intervention (EI) services for children birth through two years of age are mandated by Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA); however, personnel shortages, particularly in rural areas, limit access for children who qualify. Telerehabilitation has the potential to build capacity among caregivers and local providers as well as promote family-centered services through remote consultation.  This article provides an overview of research related to telerehabilitation and early intervention services; discusses the feasibility of telerehabilitation within traditional EI service delivery models; examines telecommunications technology associated with telerehabilitation; and provides hypothetical case examples designed to illustrate potential applications of telerehabilitation in early intervention

How can health literacy and client recall/memory of clinical information be maximised in the field of Speech-Language Pathology? : an exploratory study of clients and therapists in the Western Cape

Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (leaves [157]-178).The aims of this study were to (a) explore health literacy and information recall/memory of clients receiving Speech-Language Pathology treatment in Cape Town, and (b) to explore ways of maximising these factors in clients with dysphagia, voice disorders (including laryngectomies) and cleft lip and/or palate

Imagined, prescribed and actual text trajectories: the ‘problem’ with case notes in contemporary social work

Drawing on a text-oriented action research ethnography of the writing practices of UK-based social workers, this paper focuses on a key but problematic aspect of everyday, professional textual practice – the production of “case notes.” Using data drawn from interviews, workshops, texts and observation, the paper locates case notes within social work everyday practice and explores the entextualization of three distinct case notes. The heuristic of imagined, prescribed and actual trajectories is used to track specific instances of entextualization and to illustrate why the production of case notes is a particularly complex activity. A key argument is that in the institutional imaginary, and reflected in the institutionally prescribed trajectory, case notes are construed as a comprehensive record of all actions, events and interactions, prior to and providing warrants for all other documentation. However, they are in actual practice produced as parts of clusters of a range of different text types which, together, provide accounts of, and for, actions and decisions. This finding explains why case notes are often viewed as incomplete and raises fundamental questions about how they should be evaluated. The complexity of case notes as an everyday professional practice is underscored in relation to professional voice, addressivity and textual temporality

Therapy-based exercise from the perspective of adult patients: a qualitative systematic review conducted using an ethnographic approach

© The Author(s) 2019.Objectives: Many patients do not meet recommended levels of therapy-based exercise. This review aims to explore how adult patients view being prescribed therapy-based exercise, the information/education they are given and receive and if/how they independently practise and adhere. Design: A qualitative systematic review conducted using an ethnographic approach and in accordance with the PRISMA statement. Sources: PubMed, CINAHL, SCOPUS and EMBASE databases (01 January 2000–31 December 2018). Methods: Qualitative studies with a focus on engagement/adherence with therapy-based exercise were included. Data extraction and quality appraisal were undertaken by two reviewers. Results were discussed and data synthesized. Results: A total of 20,294 titles were screened, with data extracted from 39 full texts and data from 18 papers used to construct three themes. ‘The Guidance received’ suggests that the type of delivery desired to support and sustain engagement was context-dependent and individually situated. ‘The Therapist as teacher’ advocates that patients see independent therapy-based exercise as a shared activity and value caring, kind and professional qualities in their therapist. ‘The Person as learner’ proposes that when having to engage with and practise therapy-based exercise because of ill-health, patients often see themselves as new learners who experience fear and uncertainty about what to do. Patients may have unacknowledged ambivalences about learning that impact on engagement and persistence. Conclusion: The quality of the interaction between therapists and patients appears integral to patients engaging with, and sustaining practice of, rehabilitation programmes. Programmes need to be individualized, and health care professionals need to take patients’ previous experiences and ambivalences in motivation and empowerment into account.Peer reviewe

Supporting remote therapeutic interventions with voice assistant technology

Nowadays, digital personal assistants are incorporated in many devices. Smart TVs, smartphones and stand-alone voice assistants like Amazon Alexa allow owners to control their smart home systems, play music on command or lookup information on the internet via voice queries. Using custom skills from various third-party vendors, almost any company can have a skill supporting the needs of their customers or control their devices. Furthermore, therapeutic interventions represent a vital part of most therapies, but there are some underlying struggles during therapies for which therapists can utilize the support of smart mobile devices. As an extension of an already existing system called Albatros, its features have been converted into an custom Alexa skill called remote interventions. But voice assistants can do more than improving everyday life, like helping people during medical therapies. A vital part of such therapies are therapeutic interventions, but therapists often face struggles when monitoring a patients progress and results. To overcome this problem, an existing system called Albatros allows a therapist to review the patients status. As an extension to the existing Albatros system, its features have been incorporated into a custom Alexa skill called remote interventions. Aiming to contribute to the proof of concept, the objective of this thesis is to demonstrate the development process of a custom Alexa skill which implements the features of retrieving exercises, allowing patients to record feedback via a smart speaker which can then be accessed by the therapist. With the addition of a notification feature the system also supports patients in remembering how and when to do their exercises properly. Due to the proof of concept nature of the project, apart from the actual development process, an analysis of whether or not the ideas and features translate well into a voice driven platform is performed