Theory-based interventions to aid healthcare staff prevent and control healthcare-associated infections: an integrative review protocol.

The objective of this integrative review is to synthesise the best available evidence on (i) what and (ii) how theory has been implemented in the development of interventions aiding healthcare staff to prevent and control healthcareassociated infections. Consequently the specific review questions to be addressed are: 1. What theory-based interventions have been implemented to aid healthcare staff prevent and control healthcare-associated infections? 2. How are these interventions structured and applied? 3. To what extent are these interventions effective

Bereaved relatives' experiences in relation to post mortem: a qualitative exploration in North East Scotland.

When a family is grieving the loss of a member the consideration of post mortem is an additional concern. This study set out to explore how relatives are supported to give authorisation and throughout the post mortem process. Thirteen relatives with varied experiences of a relative's death took part in interviews. Data analysis revealed the post mortem as part of the narrative of the death, with more significance for some than others. Important aspects for relatives were being able to say goodbye properly, and engagement with staff in hospital and procurator fiscal (public prosecution) services in more substantive communicative relationships, rather than only receiving basic information. Relatives valued receiving results they could understand. There may be opportunities, particularly in coroner or procurator fiscal services, for development of roles in liaison between relatives and pathology services, and support for relatives

Sex-based differences in movement and space use of the blacktip reef shark, Carcharhinus melanopterus

Information on the spatial ecology of reef sharks is critical to understanding life-history patterns, yet gaps remain in our knowledge of how these species move and occupy space. Previous studies have focused on offshore reefs and atolls with little information available on the movement and space use of sharks utilising reef habitats closer to shore. Cross-shelf differences in physical and biological properties of reefs can alter regional ecosystem processes resulting in different movement patterns for resident sharks. Passive acoustic telemetry was used to examine residency, space use and depth use of 40 blacktip reef sharks, Carcharhinus melanopterus, on an inshore reef in Queensland, Australia, and assess temporal or biological influences. All sharks showed strong site-attachment to inshore reefs with residency highest among adult females. Sharks exhibited a sex-based, seasonal pattern in space use where males moved more, occupied more space and explored new areas during the reproductive season, while females utilised the same amount of space throughout the year, but shifted the location of the space used. A positive relationship was also observed between space use and size. There was evidence of seasonal site fidelity and long-distance movement with the coordinated, annual migration of two adult males to the study site during the mating season. Depth use was segregated with some small sharks occupying shallower depths than adults throughout the day and year, most likely as refuge from predation. Results highlight the importance of inshore reef habitats to blacktip reef sharks and provide evidence of connectivity with offshore reefs, at least for adult males

Visualisation-centred interventions in the healthcare-associated infections field: an integrative review.

Introduction: Within educational and practice based interventions to help address healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), visualisations are often used as contributory or central components. However, these have not yet been the subject of systematic and comprehensive study. This ongoing review aims to synthesise the best available evidence on visualisation-centred interventions in terms of their types, how they are structured and applied, and their related effectiveness. Methods: Our search strategy prioritised identifying intervention-based studies with a central focus on visuals and HAIs, involving healthcare staff in clinical or learning settings, and incorporating evaluation. Following a search of 10 electronic databases (Web of Science, AMED, CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycARTICLES, SocINDEX, SPORTDiscus, Art & Architecture Source, ERIC and American Doctoral Dissertations), 397 retrieved abstracts are being screened for relevance based on the above criteria. The CASP, QATSDD and QI-MQCS tools will be used to appraise the quality of selected studies and findings will be synthesised narratively and diagramatically. Results: Initial indications of findings suggest much diversity in the type of visualisations being implemented and in the designs of studies evaluating them. Our conference presentation will summarise the completed findings and will feature visual mappings of the nature, scope, effectiveness and quality of these interventions as a basis for participants' discussions. Conclusion: Visualisation-centred interventions offer potential to positively influence healthcare professionals towards prevention and control of HAIs, but their application should be imbued with a clear rationale and their impacts should be evaluated. This review will provide foundation for further research and developments within this dynamic field

BNT162b2 and ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccinations, incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infections and COVID-19 hospitalisations in Scotland in the Delta era

EAVE II is supported by the Medical Research Council (MR/R008345/1) with the support of BREATHE – The Health Data Research Hub for Respiratory Health, which is funded through the UK Research and Innovation Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund [MC_PC_19004] and delivered through Health Data Research UK. Additional support has been provided through Public Health Scotland and Scottish Government DG Health and Social Care, the Data and Connectivity National Core Study, led by Health Data Research UK in partnership with the Office for National Statistics and funded by UK Research and Innovation (grant ref MC_PC_20058) and the Lifelong Health and Well-being study as part of the National Core Studies (MC_PC_20030).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Enhancing assessment feedback practices in accounting education : issues, obstacles and reforms

[Extract] Good practice in assessment feedback is a process in which students are actively involved and where teacher/peer dialogue is encouraged (Juwah, Macfarlane & Nicol, 2004). Clear, constructive feedback reduces the gap between present and desired performance and is considered to be a jointly owned system that is reflexive, flexible and dynamic. Results of Course Experience Questionnaires show that Australian university accounting students are generally very dissatisfied with the feedback they receive in their courses. The findings of the present study reveal that many accounting students feel that they receive poor quality feedback on their assessment, as evidenced by the most typical form of feedback being only the mark. Moreover, this feedback is often provided too late to be useful to them. A lack of adequate feedback leads to students feeling disempowered. They consider feedback to sometimes be de-motivating and intimidating. These findings point to something of a crisis in feedback quality in the discipline that needs urgent attention

Summary Report Comparing High Voltage Overhead and Underground Transmission Infrastructure

This report summarises the findings of an independent systematic literature review of high voltage overhead and underground transmission infrastructure, which was undertaken by The University of Queensland and Curtin University. This is the summary report for the study which is complemented by more detailed reports provided separately in Chapters 1 to 8 which cover the themes and cases studies in more detail

Socio-economic costs of bereavement in Scotland: main study report.

The Socio-Economic Costs of Bereavement in Scotland (SECOB) research study was funded by the Scottish Government Health Directorates in late 2010 as part of ongoing work to inform national policy on bereavement and bereavement care practice. The project aimed to: a) articulate the likely nature and scope of the impact of bereavement on social and economic aspects of life for Scottish citizens as evidenced in relevant literature; b) seek to estimate the socio-economic costs of bereavement in an emergent sub-set of key aspects, and c) develop methodological approaches that will enhance capacity for large-scale research into the socio-economic impact of bereavement

The impact of spousal bereavement on hospitalisations: evidence from the Scottish Longitudinal Study.

This paper estimates the impact of spousal bereavement on hospital inpatient use for the surviving bereaved by following the experience of 94,272 married Scottish individuals from 1991 until 2009 using a difference-in-difference model. We also consider the sample selection issues related to differences in survival between the bereaved and non-bereaved using a simple Cox Proportional-Hazard model. Before conducting these estimations, propensity score approaches are used to re-weight the non-bereaved to generate a more random-like comparison sample for the bereaved. We find that those bereaved who survive are both more likely to be admitted and to stay longer in hospital than a comparable non-bereaved cohort. Bereavement is estimated to induce on average an extra 0.24 (95% CI [0.15, 0.33]) hospital inpatient days per year. Similar to previous studies, we estimate the bereaved have a 19.2% (95% CI [12.5%, 26.3%]) higher mortality rate than the comparable non-bereaved cohort