Technology adoption in health care: International barriers and opportunities to telemedicine

Although telemedicine and telehealth are seen as discrete entities by some authors, both The Cochrane Library (2010) and the WHO (2009) acknowledge that definitions overlap. The broad and encompassing definition underpinning the WHO (2009) report states that telemedicine is: The delivery of health care services, where distance is a critical factor, by all health care professionals using information and communication technologies for the exchange of valid information for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease and injuries, research and evaluation, and for the continuing education of health care providers, all in the interests of advancing the health of individuals and their communitie

Equity in Australian schooling: an update

This paper uses data from the My School website to explore some indicators of change in the equity of schools since the evidence on which the Gonski panel based its findings about school funding and inequality was obtained. At the time of writing there is a bare three years since the release of the Gonski Report. Nevertheless there have been several significant developments in the state of education funding, in student outcomes and in the political landscape around education funding that make it timely to address these changes

Key Working for Families with Young Disabled Children

For families with a disabled child, the usual challenges of family life can be further complicated by the need to access a wide range of services provided by a plethora of professionals and agencies. Key working aims to support children and their families in navigating these complexities ensuring easy access to relevant, high quality, and coordinated care. The aim of this paper is to explore the key worker role in relation to “being a key worker” and “having a key worker”. The data within this paper draw on a larger evaluation study of the Blackpool Early Support Pilot Programme. The qualitative study used an appreciative and narrative approach and utilised mixed methods (interviews, surveys and a nominal group workshop). Data were collected from 43 participants (parents, key workers, and other stakeholders). All stakeholders who had been involved with the service were invited to participate. In the paper we present and discuss the ways in which key working made a difference to the lives of children and their families. We also consider how key working transformed the perspectives of the key workers creating a deeper and richer understanding of family lives and the ways in which other disciplines and agencies worked. Key working contributed to the shift to a much more family-centred approach, and enhanced communication and information sharing between professionals and agencies improved. This resulted in families feeling more informed. Key workers acted in an entrepreneurial fashion, forging new relationships with families and between families and other stakeholders. Parents of young disabled children and their service providers benefited from key working. Much of the benefit accrued came from strong, relational, and social-professional networking which facilitated the embedding of new ways of working into everyday practice. Using an appreciative inquiry approach provided an effective and relevant way of engaging with parents, professionals, and other stakeholders to explore what was working well with key working within an Early Support Pilot Programme

Working differently: an account of how a library-publisher partnership can enhance trust and value

Exploring the features of the unique partnership set up between SAGE and the University of Sussex in 2010, this article outlines some of the outcomes and how they have added value to the work and experiences of both the library and the publisher. With the changing models of delivery in scholarly communication and the shifting funding arrangements for higher education in the UK, this collaboration was – and is – an innovative and unprecedented attempt to understand the pressures and current priorities of our respective professions. Lessons learned from the experience as well as future possibilities are covered in order to demonstrate the value gained from working together differently

Parents' and children's beliefs and concerns about taking medicines

Editoria

A Qualitative Study of Communication between Young Women with Disorders of Sex Development and Health Professionals

Background and Objectives. Health communication is a critical aspect of care for both providers and recipients having a direct influence on engagement and outcomes. Communicating which in this context includes talking and listening in order to share information or support young women to understand their DSD can be difficult especially since the topic area is sensitive. Methods. In this qualitative study thirteen young women (aged 14–19 years) with a disorder of sex development who engaged with health care professionals were purposively recruited between 2011 and 2012 from three specialist centres across the United Kingdom. The young women either were interviewed or completed a diary about their experiences of communication with a range of health care professionals. An interpretative phenomenological approach was used to analyse these data. Results. By analysis of data the young women were able to clearly articulate the qualities and skills health professional needed in relation to communication. Two main categories focused on the duty in which professionals have to share information and their role in supporting young women to manage this information. Discussion and Conclusion.The study results revealed that these young women with a DSD expected to meet skilled professionals who could recognise the emotional aspects of dialogues in the short and longer term