Compassion Fatigue as it Relates to Nurse Turnover in Oncology Nurses at an Urban Hospital

According to Stamm (2010), Compassion fatigue (CF) refers to the negative aspects of caring and compassion satisfaction (CS) refers to the positive aspects. Compassion fatigue is well documented in oncology nurses. It is a concept incorporating both burnout (BO) and secondary traumatic stress (STS). Nurses working with patients who have cancer are exposed to a multitude of stressors that may contribute to CF and ultimately high turnover rates. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationships between CS, STS, BO, and turnover intention in a sample of oncology nurses. The study is a correlational study utilizing survey methodology to examine the prevalence of CF and turnover risk in a sample of 94 oncology nurses at a metropolitan cancer center in the southern United States. The Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL-V) survey tool was used to determine CS, STS, and BO levels in the sample. The Turnover Intention Scale (TIS-6) was utilized to determine turnover intention in the sample. Secondary traumatic stress and burnout are positively correlated with turnover intention. Regression analysis showed that decreased CS and increased BO are significant predictors of turnover intention. To mitigate and prevent CF, it is imperative that organizations be proactive and implement measures to provide nurses with adequate resources at the institutional level as well as place high priority on the risk factors for CF

Hearing Silence: Understanding the Complexities of Silence in Democratic Classrooms and Our Responsibility as Teachers and Teacher Educators. A Response to Creating a Democratic Mathematics Classroom: The Interplay of the Rights and Responsibilities of the Learner.

This response to Priya Prasad’s and Crystal Kalinec-Craig’s article on the interplay of the Rights and Responsibilities of the Learner aims to engage with and add on to the authors’ exploration of learners overexercising or opting out of their rights. While grappling with these challenges alongside the authors, our curiosity deepened about a significant and understudied facet of democratic classrooms: silence. Through this response, we consider the multifaceted dimension of silence and how a focus on silence may help us more fully understand the tension between learners’ rights and responsibilities to self, each other, and the collective. Specifically, we engage in dialogue around three questions: If students have the right to speak, listen, and be heard, do they also have a right to be silent, or is that right surpassed by a responsibility to contribute verbally, because classmates will not be able to learn from unexpressed thinking? If a student is silent, how do we distinguish if they are choosing to be silent or are being silenced? What might it look like to think about rights and responsibilities as collective rather than individual

Hearing Silence:Understanding the complexities of silence in democratic classrooms and our responsibilities as teachers and teacher educators. A response to "Creating a Democratic Mathematics Classroom: The Interplay of the Rights and Responsibilities of the Learner."

This response to Priya Prasad’s and Crystal Kalinec-Craig’s article on the interplay of the Rights and Responsibilities of the Learner aims to engage with and add on to the authors’ exploration of learners overexercising or opting out of their rights. While grappling with these challenges alongside the authors, our curiosity deepened about a significant and understudied facet of democratic classrooms: silence. Through this response, we consider the multifaceted dimension of silence and how a focus on silence may help us more fully understand the tension between learners’ rights and responsibilities to self, each other, and the collective. Specifically, we engage in dialogue around three questions: If students have the right to speak, listen, and be heard, do they also have a right to be silent, or is that right surpassed by a responsibility to contribute verbally, because classmates will not be able to learn from unexpressed thinking? If a student is silent, how do we distinguish if they are choosing to be silent or are being silenced? What might it look like to think about rights and responsibilities as collective rather than individual

Characteristics of Child Maltreatment and Adolescent Marijuana Use: A Prospective Study

There has been increasing acceptance of marijuana use in the US in recent years, and rates among adolescents have risen. At the same time, marijuana use during adolescence has been linked to an array of health and social problems. Maltreated children are at risk for marijuana use, but the relationships among characteristics of maltreatment and marijuana use are unclear. In this paper we examine how the type and the extent of maltreatment are related to the level of adolescent marijuana use. Data analyses were conducted on a subsample of maltreated adolescents (n = 702) from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN) project. Approximately half the sample had used marijuana, and maltreatment was associated with its use. Multivariate regression models showed that being male, extensive maltreatment, and peer marijuana use were associated with Heavy Use of marijuana. These findings suggest the importance of comprehensively assessing children’s maltreatment experiences and their peers’ drug use to help prevent or address possible marijuana use in these high-risk adolescents

The Practitioner Perspective on Access to Justice for Social Rights: Addressing the Accountability Gap

First paragraph: This report examines access to justice for social rights across the UK drawing on legal and empirical data across each of the UK’s jurisdictions. Social rights form part of the international human rights framework, including the right to housing, the right to food and fuel and the right to social security. State parties who have signed up to the international framework are under an obligation to protect these rights in the domestic context, this includes the UK. As part of its international obligations the UK is required to provide access to an effective remedy if there is a failure to meet these obligations. We adopt a conceptualisation of access to justice using this international human rights law lens (that remedies are “accessible, affordable, timely and effective”). The research therefore examines whether people in the UK who experience a violation of the rights to housing, food, fuel or social security are able to access effective remedies to address that violation. We interviewed practitioners in each of the UK’s jurisdictions to better understand the access to justice journey for social rights. As this report demonstrates, it became clear that the UK and its devolved jurisdictions consists of a complex (legal) framework that intersects with international and domestic laws and institutions, politics, public services and the third sector, e.g. non-governmental agencies (NGOs) that serve and work with rights holders seeking to access justice. Our report recognises that the research we undertook barely touches the surface of access to justice for social rights violations and we hope this report serves as the basis for numerous future studies to enquire further and deeper into an increasingly emergent field of innovative interdisciplinary study. Ultimately, the aim of the research and the report seeks to better equip those who support rights holders accessing justice for social rights claims – there is a significant accountability gap in this respect across the UK and a pressing need to address this gap

The Practitioner Perspective on Access to Justice for Social Rights: Addressing the Accountability Gap

First paragraph: This report examines access to justice for social rights across the UK drawing on legal and empirical data across each of the UK’s jurisdictions. Social rights form part of the international human rights framework, including the right to housing, the right to food and fuel and the right to social security. State parties who have signed up to the international framework are under an obligation to protect these rights in the domestic context, this includes the UK. As part of its international obligations the UK is required to provide access to an effective remedy if there is a failure to meet these obligations. We adopt a conceptualisation of access to justice using this international human rights law lens (that remedies are “accessible, affordable, timely and effective”). The research therefore examines whether people in the UK who experience a violation of the rights to housing, food, fuel or social security are able to access effective remedies to address that violation. We interviewed practitioners in each of the UK’s jurisdictions to better understand the access to justice journey for social rights. As this report demonstrates, it became clear that the UK and its devolved jurisdictions consists of a complex (legal) framework that intersects with international and domestic laws and institutions, politics, public services and the third sector, e.g. non-governmental agencies (NGOs) that serve and work with rights holders seeking to access justice. Our report recognises that the research we undertook barely touches the surface of access to justice for social rights violations and we hope this report serves as the basis for numerous future studies to enquire further and deeper into an increasingly emergent field of innovative interdisciplinary study. Ultimately, the aim of the research and the report seeks to better equip those who support rights holders accessing justice for social rights claims – there is a significant accountability gap in this respect across the UK and a pressing need to address this gap

Palliative care patients’ attitudes and openness towards psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for existential distress

IntroductionPatients with incurable illnesses often experience existential distress, profoundly impacting their well-being. Current medical approaches have limitations in addressing these burdens. Psilocybin, a promising psychedelic compound, may offer therapeutic benefits. This pilot survey study aimed to investigate the attitudes and openness toward psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAT) among patients with incurable illnesses. The objective is to assess patients’ attitudes toward PAT and identify potential barriers and concerns, including exploring the association between beliefs in psilocybin’s therapeutic benefits and interest in receiving this treatment.MethodsThe survey study was conducted at the Tampa General Hospital Palliative Care Outpatient office in the United States. Participants were 32 English-fluent patients, aged 18 or older, with incurable illnesses. The survey included demographic questions, a validated tool to measure existential distress, and questions about knowledge and concerns regarding psilocybin. Attitudes toward PAT and interest in its future use were assessed using Likert scale responses.ResultsAmong the 31 analyzed participants, 51.6% expressed interest in future psilocybin treatment, while 32.3% did not indicate interest. Belief in the psilocybin’s therapeutic benefits for stress and anxiety significantly correlated with interest in use. Concerns included risk of psychosis, lack of trained providers, and potential for exploitation. No demographic factors were associated with interest or levels of distress.ConclusionsThis pilot study provides insights into the attitudes and concerns toward PAT among patients with incurable illnesses. Over half of participants expressed interest. However, concerns regarding its use were identified, with patients’ concern for the risk of exploitation associated with PAT as an especially novel concern documented in this patient population. This highlighted the need for further education of risks and benefits or PAT by trained clinicians and rigorous training of clinicians with the establishment of safeguards against exploitation. Further research is necessary to explore the potential benefits of PAT and related non-psilocybin psychedelic compounds in addressing existential distress among patients with incurable illnesses

Comparison of various characteristics of women who do and do not attend for breast cancer screening

BACKGROUND: Information regarding the characteristics and health of women who do and do not attend for breast cancer screening is limited and representative data are difficult to obtain. METHODS: Information on age, deprivation and prescriptions for various medications was obtained for all women at two UK general practices who were invited to breast cancer screening through the National Health Service Breast Screening Programme. The characteristics of women who attended and did not attend screening were compared. RESULTS: Of the 1064 women invited to screening from the two practices, 882 (83%) attended screening. Screening attenders were of a similar age to non-attenders but came from significantly less deprived areas (30% of attenders versus 50% of non-attenders came from the most deprived areas, P < 0.0001) and were more likely to have a current prescription for hormone replacement therapy (32% versus 19%, P < 0.0001). No significant differences in recent prescriptions of medication for hypertension, heart disease, hypercholesterolaemia, diabetes mellitus, asthma, thyroid disease or depression/anxiety were observed between attenders and non-attenders. CONCLUSION: Women who attend the National Health Service Breast Screening Programme come from less deprived areas and are more likely to have a current prescription for hormone replacement therapy than non-attenders, but do not differ in terms of age or recent prescriptions for various other medications