Support for infants and young people with sight loss: a qualitative study of sight impairment certification and referral to education and social care services.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the experience of infants, children and their parents, the role of ophthalmologists and other health, social care and education professionals in the certification and registration processes and examine the relationship between certification and referrals and pathways to support. DESIGN: Qualitative study. SETTING: Telephone interviews with health and, social care professionals, qualified teachers of children and young people with vision impairment (QTVIs) and parents of infants/children in England. PARTICIPANTS: 52 health, social care and education professionals who are part of the certification or registration process. 26 parents of infants and children with vision impairment. RESULTS: Referrals to education do not require a Certificate of Vision Impairment (CVI); however, the majority of parents received support from education and social services only after an offer of the CVI, which was often dependent on having a formal diagnosis. Parents stated they wanted support sooner, particularly parents of children with additional complex needs who experienced longer delays. Areas with multidisciplinary teams and support roles such as eye clinic liaison officers (ECLOs) appeared to have more reliable referral pathways. CONCLUSIONS: For infants and children with vision impairment, there should be a consistent mechanism for triggering education and social care support even with uncertainty about diagnosis and/or prognosis. All professionals involved in the certification and registration processes (ophthalmologists, optometrists, ECLOs, orthoptists, social workers, QTVIs) can better communicate the value and benefits of certification and registration

The Italian Experience in Protecting Older People During COVID-19: Lessons Learned for Long-Term Care Facilities (LTCF)

Context: Older people living in LTCF were particularly affected by COVID-19. Italy was the first country in Europe to experience high death rates among older people. Analysing the factors which may have determined high mortality rates in LTCF and identifying actions to safeguard older people’s health in long-term care settings may be critical for future public health emergencies. Objectives: Identify the main challenges and failures faced by a small number of Italian professionals working in LTCF and suggest key actions to better protect older people’s health in future emergencies. Methods: Rapid survey conducted among Italian professionals working in the LTC sector in Italy during the pandemic. Findings: Several factors contributed to higher death rates in LTCF for older people in Italy. To better protect LTCF residents in case of future health emergencies, actions need to be implemented in relation to LTCF’s management, governance and capacity building. Furthermore, safety plans and strategies need to be put in place to ensure older residents’ protection and maintain high level of care in LTCF during public health emergencies, such as COVID-19. Limitations: The article reflects the opinions of a limited number of professionals working in the long-term care sector, which may not be representative of all workers operating in the sector. Implications: Policy and system changes are needed to strengthen the capacity of the Italian long- term care sector to respond to the needs of a growing older population in the context of COVID-19 and beyond

Gender, stereotypes and expertise in the press: how newspapers represent female and male scientists.

This report is part of a series of four reports examining the representation of gender and science. The work was commissioned by the UK Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology (UKRC). This part of the research examined coverage of Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) in twelve UK national newspapers over a six month period. The main findings are: • Men are much more often cited as expert scientific sources than women: 5 men are quoted by journalists for every 1 woman. The same is true for indepth interviews: 5 male scientists are profiled in the press for every 1 female scientist. • Journalists are more likely to comment on appearance when writing about women: half the profiles of female scientists mentioned clothing, physique or hairstyle whereas the equivalent was true for only a fifth of the profiles of male scientists. • Descriptions of women can imply a contradiction between being a ‘real woman’ and a ‘real scientist’. Women in SET who are seen as conforming to traditional stereotypes such as ‘the geek’ are sometimes implicitly presented as unfeminine. Alternatively, if they are ‘sexy’ and ‘glamorous’ their status as scientists may be thrown into question. • By contrast, descriptions of men working in SET seem to confirm men’s status as bona fide scientists, computer whiz-kids or technological innovators. • Our interviews with scientists reveal the negative impact that genderstereotypes and scrutiny of appearance can have on women working in male-dominated work places. These interviews also highlight how media industries may constrain the range of publicly available images of women working in SET. Our report concludes with recommendations for journalists who wish to avoid reinforcing inequalities and for organisations seeking to promote the positive representation of women in SET

Health, risk and news: the MMR vaccine and the media

The controversy surrounding the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism has raised unprecedented questions about the communication of health and science. Health, Risk and News: The MMR Vaccine and the Media examines how this story came to be so influential and asks if the media are to blame for unduly panicking the public. Drawing on comprehensive research - on media coverage, interviews with a range of journalists and sources, and analysis of audience opinion - this book explores how medical controversies are covered, with attention to issues of balance and objectivity, expertise, news values, risk and media effects. It will be of interest to students and scholars of media studies, journalists and health professionals

Sowing the seeds of doubt : the MMR and autism story

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Misleading media reporting? The MMR story

The well publicised controversy about the safety of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine in 2002 could have real consequences for public health, as the drop in take up of the vaccine has increased the risk of disease. What role has the media had in this process? To what extent — as some have claimed — did the media mislead the public about the risks of MMR, and precipitate the decline in public confidence? We try to answer these questions, exploring the relationship between media coverage and the public understanding of MMR