Facilitating research amongst radiographers through information literacy workshops

Background Despite a strong research presence in Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (LTHTR), Allied Health Professionals are under-represented in developing and publicising research within the organisation inspired by day to day clinical practice and staff experiences. Two departments within the Trust, Library and Knowledge Services (LKS) and Research and Innovation (R&I), came together to enable a group of staff to develop the knowledge and skills they needed to access information and create new “home grown” research. Case Presentation A clinical librarian and an academic research nurse created a research engagement programme within the diagnostic radiography department at LTHTR, which included the development, delivery, and evaluation of six workshops. Sixteen individuals took part in these workshops, and data were collected on library usage, self-efficacy in information literacy, and research output before and after their delivery. Library membership increased by 50% in diagnostic radiography staff, literature search requests from this department increased by 133%, and all participants who attended at least one workshop reported an increased Information Literacy Self Efficacy Scale (ILSES) score. An increase in research activity and outputs were also attributed to the programme. Conclusions This project has resulted in a set of freely available workshop plans and support resources that can be customized for other healthcare professionals and has won several awards for its innovative use of departmental collaboration. Through our evaluation of the programme from workshop attendees and non-attenders, we have identified impacts, outputs, and barriers to engagement in order to continue to deliver this content to other departments and embed a “home grown” research culture at LTHTR

Development and preliminary validation of the value clarity questionnaire in adults and adolescents

Engaging in behavior that is congruent with the qualities of character to which we aspire is the key behavioral outcome sought in several evidence-based psychotherapies (e.g., “valued action” within Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) and moral education (e.g., “character sought” within Neo-Aristotelian Character Education). However, we cannot deliberately engage in valued action without first thinking through the qualities of character to which we aspire. We therefore developed a novel measure of “value clarity” and established its construct validity. Across two adult samples and one adolescent sample, we established the following psychometric properties of the seven-item Value Clarity Questionnaire: factor structure, concurrent validity, discriminant validity, internal reliability, rest-retest reliability, predictive validity, and incremental criterion validity. Value clarity predicted multiple aspects of flourishing including engaged living, depression, behavioral activation, assertiveness, productiveness, and energy levels over and above known predictors. This measure will be especially useful for assessing the efficacy of values/moral clarification interventions

Contained/Contenu

An exhibition of ceramic and glass works by 7 international artists, in the ceramic museum Musée Ariana in Geneva, curated by Ana Quintero Perez, of the museum, and Monique Deul independent curator and founder of Taste Contemporary in Geneva. Alison Britton contributed 5 ceramic works to the exhibition

Targeted Nasal Vaccination Provides Antibody-Independent Protection Against Staphylococcus aureus

Despite showing promise in preclinical models, anti-Staphylococcus aureus vaccines have failed in clinical trials. To date, approaches have focused on neutralizing/opsonizing antibodies; however, vaccines exclusively inducing cellular immunity have not been studied to formally test whether a cellular-only response can protect against infection. We demonstrate that nasal vaccination with targeted nanoparticles loaded with Staphylococcus aureus antigen protects against acute systemic S. aureus infection in the absence of any antigen-specific antibodies. These findings can help inform future developments in staphylococcal vaccine development and studies into the requirements for protective immunity against S. aureu

Academic Health Science Centres as Vehicles for Knowledge Mobilisation in Australia? A Qualitative Study

Background Despite increasing investments in academic health science centres (AHSCs) in Australia and an expectation that they will serve as vehicles for knowledge translation and exchange, there is limited empirical evidence on whether and how they deliver impact. The aim of this study was to examine and compare the early development of four Australian AHSCs to explore how they are enacting their impact-focused role. Methods A descriptive qualitative methodology was employed across four AHSCs located in diverse health system settings in urban and regional locations across Australia. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews with 15 academic, industry and executive board members of participating AHSCs. The analysis combined inductive and deductive elements, with inductive categories mapped to deductive themes corresponding to the study aims. Results AHSCs in Australia are in an emergent state of development and are following different pathways. Whilst varied approaches to support research translation are apparent, there is a dominant focus on structure and governance, as opposed to action-oriented roles and processes to deliver strategic goals. Balancing collaboration and competition between partners presents a challenge, as does identifying appropriate ways to evaluate impact. Conclusion The early stage of development of AHSCs in Australia presents an important opportunity for formative learning and evaluation to optimise their enactment of knowledge mobilisation processes for impact

Mobilising knowledge in (and about) Academic Health Science Centres : boundary spanning, inter-organisational governance and systems thinking

Academic Health Science Centres (AHSCs), also termed Research Translation Centres (RTCs) in Australia, are organisations that aim to promote the integration of research, health professional education, and health service delivery to improve translation and innovation in Australia’s health system. In 2020, we published a study on how people, processes and systems were being organised within Australian AHSCs to enable knowledge to be mobilised for impact

Diagnosis and treatment of dehydration after stroke: A synthesis of existing evidence

Dehydration after stroke is associated with poor health outcomes, increased mortality, and poses a significant economic burden to health services. Yet research suggests that monitoring and assessment of hydration status is not routinely undertaken. In this commentary, we critically appraise a systematic review which aimed to synthesise the existing evidence regarding diagnosis and treatment of dehydration after stroke. The review discusses common measures of dehydration, describes studies evaluating rehydration treatments, and highlights the link between dehydration and poorer health outcomes in both human and animal studies. The reviewers suggest, future research should focus on determining a single, validated, objective measure to clinically diagnose dehydration in stroke patients. Research designs should include clearly defined patient characteristics, type and severity of stroke, and type and time point of dehydration measurement, to enable comparison between studies. Management of hydration status is a crucial element of acute stroke care which should be routinely practiced

Four-year longitudinal impact evaluation of the action for children UK neglect project : outcomes for the children, families, action for children, and the UK

Neglect has a devastating impact on children and is the most pervasive form of child maltreatment in the United Kingdom. The study purpose was to establish outcomes for neglected children following structured assessment and intervention to ascertain what worked and why it worked. This prospective cohort study included 85 cases of neglected children under 8 years of age from 7 centers across the United Kingdom. Data were collected between 2008 and 2012 through serial quantitative recording of the level of concern about neglect. Serial review of qualitative casefile data was undertaken for detail of assessment, interventions, and evidence of outcomes for the child. Data analysis was undertaken by paired t-test, Chi Square, descriptive statics for categorical data, and, for narrative data, identification of recurring factors and patterns, with correlation of presenting factors, interventions, and outcomes. Paired t-test demonstrated significant decrease in overall Action for Children Assessment Tool scores between assessment (M = 43.77, SD = 11.09) and closing the case (M = 35.47,SD = 9.6, t(84) = 6.77, p < 0.01). Improvement in the level of concern about neglect was shown in 79% of cases, with only 21% showing no improvement. In 59% of cases, concern about neglect was removed completely. Use of the assessment tool fostered engagement by parents. The relationship between lack of parental engagement and children being taken into care was statistically significant, with a large effect size (χ2 10.66, df1, p = 0.0001,OR = 17.24). When parents refused or were unable to respond positively to the intervention, children benefited from an expedited move into care

Memory Th1 Cells Are Protective in Invasive Staphylococcus aureus Infection

Mechanisms of protective immunity to Staphylococcus aureus infection in humans remain elusive. While the importance of cellular immunity has been shown in mice, T cell responses in humans have not been characterised. Using a murine model of recurrent S. aureus peritonitis, we demonstrated that prior exposure to S. aureus enhanced IFNγ responses upon subsequent infection, while adoptive transfer of S. aureus antigen-specific Th1 cells was protective in naïve mice. Translating these findings, we found that S. aureus antigen-specific Th1 cells were also significantly expanded during human S. aureus bloodstream infection (BSI). These Th1 cells were CD45RO+, indicative of a memory phenotype. Thus, exposure to S. aureus induces memory Th1 cells in mice and humans, identifying Th1 cells as potential S. aureus vaccine targets. Consequently, we developed a model vaccine comprising staphylococcal clumping factor A, which we demonstrate to be an effective human T cell antigen, combined with the Th1-driving adjuvant CpG. This novel Th1-inducing vaccine conferred significant protection during S. aureus infection in mice. This study notably advances our understanding of S. aureus cellular immunity, and demonstrates for the first time that a correlate of S. aureus protective immunity identified in mice may be relevant in humans