Measuring Digital Opportunity for America's Children: Where We Stand and Where We Go From Here

Examines the connection between access to technology and the health, economic opportunity, community involvement, and educational achievement of youth. Makes recommendations for addressing the opportunity gap for low-income and ethnic-minority children

Emergency plans in schools: Individualised disaster planning for students with impaired vision

In light of recent disasters, families, schools and communities are developing plans to manage school response. Few students have individualised safety plans built into their IEPs and most schools do not have inclusive plans for safety in the event of disaster. Carefully considered emergency plans, which address the needs of all students, could bring peace of mind to families and school personnel, could prevent the exacerbation of disability and could save lives. Disabled children are at great risk for displacement during rapid evacuations and slowed reunification with families following a disaster, among other disaster related risks. The objective of this research is to provide literature based recommendations for research and practice for safety planning in schools for children with impaired vision. - See more at: http://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/7516?show=full#sthash.B2F75Q1f.dpuffalsePublishe

Professional appraisal of online information about children’s footwear measurement and fit : readability, usability and quality

Parents increasingly use the internet to seek health information, share information and for purchasing textiles and footwear. This shift in footwear purchasing habits raises concern about how (and if) parents are getting their children's feet measured, and what support strategies are in place to support the fit of footwear. In response to this, some companies and healthcare organisations have developed resources to support home measurement of foot size, and link these measures to footwear selection, measurement and fitting. The aim of this research was to undertake an appraisal of web-based resources about measurement and fit of children's footwear, focussing specifically on readability, usability and quality. Search terms relating to children's foot measurement were compiled and online searching was undertaken. Search results were saved and screened for relevance. Existing resources were categorised based on their source e.g. a footwear company or a health website. The 15 most commonly identified resources were reviewed by a professional panel for readability, content, usability and validity. One researcher also assessed the accessibility and reading ease of the resources. Online resources were predominantly from commercial footwear companies (54%). Health information sources from professional bodies made up 4.2% of the resources identified. The top 15 resources had appropriate reading ease scores for parents (SMOG Index 4.3-8.2). Accessibility scores (the product of the number of times it appeared in search results and its ranking in the results) were highest for commercial footwear companies. The panel scores for readability ranged from 2.7 to 9 out of 10, with a similar range for content, usability and validity. Information for parents seeking to purchase footwear for their children is readily available online but this was largely dominated by commercial footwear companies. The quality and usability of this information is of a moderate standard; notable improvements could be made to the validity of the task the child is asked to undertake and the measures being taken. Improvements in these resources would improve the data input to the selection of footwear and therefore have a beneficial impact on footwear fit in children. [Abstract copyright: © The Author(s). 2020.

Shaping the future for primary care education and training project. Education and training provision to deliver integrated health & social care: course finder

Within the Shaping the Future for Primary Care Education and Training Project, the literature review concerning integrated health and social care identified a number of implications or recommendations for service and education. For education, these recommendations may be categorised under a number of headings or themes: Team working, Communication, Role Awareness, Practice Development and Leadership,Partnership Working. It would follow that if agencies in the North West are to deliver truly integrated health and social care services, educational curricula across the region should cover these themes. Prior to the Shaping the Future Project there was no simple way of looking across the entire region to gain insights into current education and training provision. One of the core objectives of the Shaping the Future Project was to develop a webbased Course Finder tool and to map existing regional provision of education and training which can support the delivery of integrated health and social care service

International Committee on Mental Health in Cystic Fibrosis: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and European Cystic Fibrosis Society consensus statements for screening and treating depression and anxiety

Studies measuring psychological distress in individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) have found high rates of both depression and anxiety. Psychological symptoms in both individuals with CF and parent caregivers have been associated with decreased lung function, lower body mass index, worse adherence, worse health-related quality of life, more frequent hospitalisations and increased healthcare costs. To identify and treat depression and anxiety in CF, the CF Foundation and the European CF Society invited a panel of experts, including physicians, psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, a pharmacist, parents and an individual with CF, to develop consensus recommendations for clinical care. Over 18 months, this 22-member committee was divided into four workgroups: Screening; Psychological Interventions; Pharmacological Treatments and Implementation and Future Research, and used the Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome methodology to develop questions for literature search and review. Searches were conducted in PubMed, PsychINFO, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, Psychiatry online and ABDATA by a methodologist at Dartmouth. The committee reviewed 344 articles, drafted statements and set an 80% acceptance for each recommendation statement as a consensus threshold prior to an anonymous voting process. Fifteen guideline recommendation statements for screening and treatment of depression and anxiety in individuals with CF and parent caregivers were finalised by vote. As these recommendations are implemented in CF centres internationally, the process of dissemination, implementation and resource provision should be closely monitored to assess barriers and concerns, validity and use

Agritourism in the West: Exploring the Behavior of Colorado Farm and Ranch Visitors

Community/Rural/Urban Development,

Detained and at Risk: Sexual Abuse and Harassment in United States Immigration Detention

In May 2010, reports surfaced that the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) was investigating allegations that a guard at a Texas immigration detention center had sexually assaulted several female detainees. The guard, who was arrested on August 19, 2010, on suspicion of official oppression and unlawful restraint, allegedly groped women while transporting them to an airport and a bus station where they were being released.While largely covered in the media as an isolated incident, this was only the latest in a series of assaults, abuses, and episodes of harassment that have quietly emerged as a pattern across the rapidly expanding immigration detention system. Due to a shortage of publicly available data and the closed nature of the detention system, the extent to which ICE detainees are subject to sexual abuse nationwide is unclear, but the known incidents are too serious and numerous to ignore.ICE has recently proposed policy changes to address sexual abuse, and these show promise. They include prohibitions on guards searching detainees of a different gender and restrictions on when guards may transport detainees of a different gender. ICE plans to publish a revised detention standard that includes new requirements for facilities to develop medical and investigation procedures and to collect data on incidents of abuse. However, more changes are needed, as well as greater oversight and accountability."Detained and at Risk" is based on the examination of allegations of sexual assault, abuse, and harassment in ICE detention from a range of sources, including press reports, governmental and nongovernmental studies, a public hearing, court documents, and Human Rights Watch interviews. The report shows evidence of a disturbing pattern of abuse, and points to an urgent need for investigation and action to correct glaring gaps in detention policy and practice