Mapping Meaning at the Crossroads of Crisis: Narratives of Renewal in the Midst of the Opioid Epidemic

This study explores the role of meaning in a crisis situation by using Viktor Frankl’s tripod of meaning and Matthew Seeger and Timothy Sellnow’s narratives of renewal. Drawing from focus groups conducted in a large mid-Atlantic city where community members are embedded in the middle of the opioid crisis, the findings suggest that resiliency in the face of crisis can be encouraged to take root through a mapping of meaning that highlights gratitude and responsibility

Communication Scholarship and the Quest for Open Access

The advent of black, green, and gold open access publication models poses unique questions for scholars of communication. Plato’s (1956) classic critique of writing in the legend of Theuth and Thamus warned that the printed word “rolls about all over the place, falling into the hands of those who have no concern with it” (pp. 69–70). More than two 2 millennia later, scholars and administrators at all levels of the discipline face just such a phenomenon. As scholars of cyberspace debate whether “information wants to be free” (Levy, 2014), a communication perspective involves consideration of the importance of authorship and attribution amid an ever-shifting array of digital publishing options and subversions. The purpose of this study is to investigate the ongoing transformation of academic publishing by examining black, green, and gold open access models, the responses of the communication discipline, and ongoing questions surrounding the nature and extent of accessibility. As access options for research and publication continue to evolve, this study hopes to provide coordinates for administrators seeking to navigate questions concerning the what, how, and why of communication scholarship in a digital age

A qualitative national focus group study of the experience of living with lymphoedema and accessing local multiprofessional lymphoedema clinics

Aim. The aim of this study was to explore people’s experiences of living withlymphoedema and to assess the impact of access to local lymphoedema clinics ontheir condition and thus their lives.Background. A chronic condition caused by reduced lymphatic function,lymphoedema leads to swelling, pain and mobility problems and can adverselyaffect quality-of-life. It is of international concern as its prevalence is rising. Yetlymphoedema awareness is limited, diagnostic delay common and access tospecialist treatment restricted. The concept of local lymphoedema clinics isgaining support and in 2011 the All Wales Lymphoedema Service was founded.However, empirical investigation of local lymphoedema services remains limited.Design. A qualitative exploratory study consisting of focus group interviews inevery Welsh lymphoedema clinic (n=8).Methods. A convenience sample of adults living with lymphoedema in Wales wasrecruited. Data were collected in digitally recorded focus groups during July andAugust 2013. Interviews were fully transcribed and analysed using a qualitativecontent approach.Findings. Fifty-nine people participated in eight focus groups. Analysis revealedthree themes: Living with lymphoedema is a battle; delays in obtaining a correctdiagnosis and the positive impact of lymphoedema clinics on participants’ lives.Locally accessible clinics made meaningful differences to peoples’ lymphoedema,engendered positive outcomes and improved engagement with and adherence tolymphoedema self-management.Conclusions. Local specialist lymphoedema clinics can make a positive difference.They may be cost-effective and further investigation, including economicevaluation is necessary