Family Breast Cancer Education: A Model for African American Women

The purpose of this study, funded by the American Cancer Society, was to increase knowledge and understanding, i.e., the willingness and ability to discuss, of breast cancer in southern minority women and their families. A family model of health education guided the research questions. (a) To what extent will an action research intervention increase knowledge about the causes and treatment of breast cancer in minority women? (b) To what extent will an action research intervention increase willingness to talk with family members? The t-test analysis of a 67-item, self- administered survey indicated significant increases in knowledge of cancer and in their willingness to talk with family members about breast cancer. In addition, they reported increases in comfort level about discussing breast cancer as well as willingness to talk with others about their own (possible) positive diagnosis. We infer that increased comfort level and willingness to talk with others has a relationship to increased awareness of breast cancer

Effect of questions used by psychiatrists on therapeutic alliance and adherence

Background Psychiatrists' questions are the mechanism for achieving clinical objectives and managing the formation of a therapeutic alliance – consistently associated with patient adherence. No research has examined the nature of this relationship and the different practices used in psychiatry. Questions are typically defined in binary terms (e.g. ‘open’ v. ‘closed’) that may have limited application in practice. Aims To undertake a detailed examination of the types of questions psychiatrists ask patients and explore their association with the therapeutic alliance and patient adherence. Method A coding protocol was developed to classify questions from 134 out-patient consultations, predominantly by syntactic form. Bivariate correlations with measures of patient adherence and the therapeutic alliance (psychiatrist-rated) were examined and assessed using generalised estimating equations, adjusting for patient symptoms, psychiatrist identity and amount of speech. Results Psychiatrists used only four of ten question types regularly: yes/no auxiliary questions, ‘wh-’ questions, declarative questions and tag questions. Only declarative questions predicted better adherence and perceptions of the therapeutic relationship. Conversely, ‘wh-’ questions – associated with positive symptoms – predicted poorer perceptions of the therapeutic relationship. Declarative questions were frequently used to propose an understanding of patients' experiences, in particular their emotional salience for the patient. Conclusions A refined defining of questioning practices is necessary to improve communication in psychiatry. The use of declarative questions may enhance alliance and adherence, or index their manifestation in talk, e.g. better mutual understanding. The function of ‘so’-prefaced declaratives, also used in psychotherapy, is more nuanced than negatively connotated ‘leading’ questions. Hearable as displays of empathy, they attend closely to patient experience, while balancing the tasks of assessment and treatment

Quality in home care: client and provider views

This paper reports on the findings of a small-scale study that investigated the meaning and delivery of quality in home care in four local authorities from the perspective of informal carers, users and providers and explored the views of users about proposed changes in the ethos of home care stipulated in the National Care Standards for Domiciliary Care (2003). We start by outlining the method used and then describe the characteristics of the consulted provider agencies and the characteristics and needs of the service users. Section 5 reports users’ experience of the home care service and section 6 the important aspects of quality from the perspective of users and providers. Finally, the report addresses the implications of our findings on the future development of home care provision

The Faculty Notebook, September 2011

The Faculty Notebook is published periodically by the Office of the Provost at Gettysburg College to bring to the attention of the campus community accomplishments and activities of academic interest. Faculty are encouraged to submit materials for consideration for publication to the Associate Provost for Faculty Development. Copies of this publication are available at the Office of the Provost

Technology - Empowering the Educational Researcher through Remote Observation

Observing students using computers often occurs through three methods: user-lab, on-site and remote data logging. Whilst each of these have their advantages with the new type of students such as elearners, an alternative method called web-conferencing remote observation is presented for observing students at a distance. This method collects both audio and video data of the observer through webcams and voice/video conversations. Students are able to interact with the software through application sharing facilities. Further, it allows both quantitative and qualitative data to be collected. This proof-of-concept method is presented here where it has been used in two previous studies using Windows Messenger and Netviewer. Although, video quality is not high the quality is sufficient for observational data

Client preferences in counselling for alcohol problems:a qualitative investigation

Background: Incorporating client expectations and preferences into the counselling process can lead to more positive outcomes and lower rates of dropout.Aim: The aim of this study was to explore preferences for counselling held by clients prior to the commencement of therapy.Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five clients seeking help from an alcohol counselling service and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Findings: Each client described a distinctive individual preference profile. While holding clear preferences for what would be helpful in counselling, clients were also open to new possibilities. They possessed a personal understanding of why certain activities and types of relationship might be helpful for them, and an appreciation of the types of therapeutic process that might lead them to quit therapy.Conclusions: These findings suggest that clients are able to articulate their preferences, when offered the opportunity, and that qualitative methods have the potential to open up new understanding of the structure and meaning of preferences from the point of view of the client

Few-Body Physics -- Then and Now

A summary of the XIV\underline{th} International Conference on Few-body Problems In Physics is given, with an emphasis on the important problems solved recently and the prognosis for the future of the field. Personal remarks and ``homework'' problem assignments are made.Comment: 17 pages, 1 fig., LA-UR-94-213

The Faculty Notebook, September 2005

The Faculty Notebook is published periodically by the Office of the Provost at Gettysburg College to bring to the attention of the campus community accomplishments and activities of academic interest. Faculty are encouraged to submit materials for consideration for publication to the Associate Provost for Faculty Development. Copies of this publication are available at the Office of the Provost

The Faculty Notebook, April 2010

The Faculty Notebook is published periodically by the Office of the Provost at Gettysburg College to bring to the attention of the campus community accomplishments and activities of academic interest. Faculty are encouraged to submit materials for consideration for publication to the Associate Provost for Faculty Development. Copies of this publication are available at the Office of the Provost

Prevention is better than cure, but...: Preventive medication as a risk to ordinariness?

Preventive health remains at the forefront of public health concerns; recent initiatives, such as the NHS health check, may lead to recommendations for medication in response to the identification of 'at risk' individuals. Little is known about lay views of preventive medication. This paper uses the case of aspirin as a prophylactic against heart disease to explore views among people invited to screening for a trial investigating the efficacy of such an approach. Qualitative interviews (N=46) and focus groups (N=5, participants 31) revealed dilemmas about preventive medication in the form of clashes between norms: first, in general terms, assumptions about the benefit of prevention were complicated by dislike of medication; second, the individual duty to engage in prevention was complicated by the need not to be over involved with one's own health; third, the potential appeal of this alternative approach to health promotion was complicated by unease about the implications of encouraging irresponsible behaviour among others. Though respondents made different decisions about using the drug, they reported very similar ways of trying to resolve these conflicts, drawing upon concepts of necessity and legitimisation and the special ordinariness of the particular dru