The UNC Plant Information Center's "Ask the Expert" module: a usability study

The UNC Plant Information Center's (PIC) "Ask the Expert" module is a question-answering system that allows PIC web site visitors to communicate with botanical experts at the North Carolina Botanical Garden. The objectives of this study were to test users' interactions with the "Ask the Expert" prototype while they sought answers to plant-specific questions and to measure users' satisfaction with specific aspects of the interface. A usability study was conducted with nine members of the PIC Advisory Panel using a web-based test instrument. The results show that participants' reactions to the "Ask the Expert" prototype were positive, especially with respect to its flexibility, ease of use, and the attractiveness of its interface. However, the study did identify some areas where the usability of the application can be improved, particularly with regard to clarifying the details of the multi-step process for submitting a question

Creating psychological connections between intervention recipients: development and focus group evaluation of a group singing session for people with aphasia

This is the final version of the article. Available from BMJ Publishing Group via the DOI in this record.Objectives The study sought to identify key design features that could be used to create a new framework for group-based health interventions. We designed and tested the first session of a group intervention for stroke survivors with aphasia which was aimed at nurturing new psychological connections between group members. Setting The intervention session, a participant focus group and interviews with intervention facilitators were held in a local community music centre in the South West of England. Participants A convenience sample of 10 community-dwelling people with poststroke aphasia participated in the session. Severity of aphasia was not considered for inclusion. Intervention Participants took part in a 90-min group singing session which involved singing songs from a specially prepared song book. Musical accompaniment was provided by the facilitators. Primary and secondary outcome measures Participants and group facilitators reported their experiences of participating in the session, with a focus on activities within the session related to the intervention aims. Researcher observations of the session were also made. Results Two themes emerged from the analysis, concerning experiences of the session (‘developing a sense of group belonging’) and perceptions of its design and delivery (‘creating the conditions for engagement’). Participants described an emerging sense of shared social identity as a member of the intervention group and identified fixed (eg, group size, session breaks) and flexible (eg, facilitator responsiveness) features of the session which contributed to this emergence. Facilitator interviews and researcher observations corroborated and expanded participant reports. Conclusions Engagement with health intervention content may be enhanced in group settings when intervention participants begin to establish positive and meaningful psychological connections with other group members. Understanding and actively nurturing these connections should be a core feature of a general framework for the design and delivery of group interventions.This research was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care South West Peninsula. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health

The role of acculturation in the relationship between self-stigma and psychological distress among Chinese American breast cancer survivors

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Taylor & Francis via the DOI in this record.Attitudes about breast cancer have improved in the USA, yet stigma is still present in some ethnic and immigrant populations and affecting survivors’ experiences. Chinese American breast cancer survivors report negative beliefs and stigma to be a major stressor; this could result in mental health consequences. We hypothesized that greater self-stigma will be related to greater psychological distress (namely, depressive symptoms, and perceived stress). Furthermore, we expected that the association between self-stigma and psychological distress will be stronger among Chinese American breast cancer survivors who are less acculturated to the USA than those who are highly acculturated. One hundred and thirty-six Chinese American breast cancer survivors completed questionnaires that measured self-stigma, acculturation, depressive symptoms, perceived stress, and demographic information. Hierarchical linear regressions were conducted to examine the main effect of stigma on depressive symptoms and perceived stress, and the moderating effect of acculturation. As predicted, self-stigma was associated with greater depressive symptoms and perceived stress among Chinese American breast cancer survivors, especially those who are less acculturated. Self-stigma may play a part in psychological adjustment among Chinese American breast cancer survivors. Interventions that incorporate techniques to reduce self-stigma could be beneficial for Chinese American breast cancer survivors, especially for those who are less acculturated to American society.Herald Cancer AssociationAmerican Cancer Societ

Data Collection in Care Homes for Older Adults: A National Survey in England

\ua9 2023 The Author(s). Context: In many countries, there is a specification for information that should be collected by care homes. So-called ‘minimum data-sets’ (MDS) are often lengthy, and report on resident health and wellbeing, staff, and facilities. In the UK, the absence of any easily accessible data on the care home population was highlighted at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Care homes faced multiple requests for data from external agencies who had little knowledge of what care homes were already collecting. Objective: This study aimed to identify the range (and method) of data collected by care home organisations, in a country without a mandated MDS. Methods: Online survey of care homes (with/without nursing) in England. Care homes recruited via research and care home networks, social media. Questions covered data content, storage, and views on data sharing, analysed with descriptive statistics. Findings: 273 responses were received, representing over 5,000 care homes. Care homes reported extensive data on the health, care and support needs of individual residents, their preferences, and activities. Clinical measures and tools adopted from health were commonly used, but few collected information on quality-of-life. Care homes reported uses of these data that included monitoring care quality, medication use, staff training needs, budgeting, and marketing. Concerns over privacy and data protection regulations are potential barriers to data sharing. Implications: These findings challenge the notion that incentives or mandates are required to stimulate data collection in care homes. Care home organisations are collecting an extensive range of resident-level information for their own uses. Countries considering introducing social care records or an MDS could start by working with care home organisations to review existing data collection and evaluate the implications of collecting and sharing data. A critical approach to the appropriateness of health-related tools in this setting is overdue

Data collection in care homes for older adults: A national survey in England

Context: In many countries, there is a specification for information that should be collected by care homes. So-called 'minimum data-sets' (MDS) are often lengthy, and report on resident health and wellbeing, staff and facilities. In the UK, the absence of any easily accessible data on the care home population was highlighted at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Care homes faced multiple requests for data from external agencies who had little knowledge of what care homes were already collecting. Objective: This study aimed to identify the range (and method) of data collected by care home organisations, in a country without a mandated MDS. Methods: Online survey of care homes (with/without nursing) in England. Care homes recruited via research and care home networks, social media. Questions covered data content, storage and views on data sharing, analysed with descriptive statistics. Findings: 273 responses were received, representing over 5000 care homes. Care homes reported extensive data on the health, care and support needs of individual residents, their preferences and activities. Clinical measures and tools adopted from health were commonly used, but few collected information on quality-of-life. Care homes reported uses of these data that included monitoring care quality, medication use, staff training needs, budgeting and marketing. Concerns over privacy and data protection regulations are potential barriers to data sharing. Implications These findings challenge the notion that incentives or mandates are required to stimulate data collection in care homes. Care home organisations are collecting an extensive range of resident level information for their own uses. Countries considering introducing social care records or an MDS could start by working with care home organisations to review existing data collection and evaluate the implications of collecting and sharing data. A critical approach to the appropriateness of health-related tools in this setting is overdue

Reablement interventions in care homes: the need for theory and process evaluation

This is the author accepted manuscript.Keypoints: • The certainty of evidence for the effect of reablement interventions for older adults living in care homes was very low. • Theoretical underpinning of complex interventions should be an integral part of intervention development. • Refining programme theory with process evaluation will advance future work even when the results of efficacy are equivocal.National Institute for Health Research (NIHR

Exploring the social needs and challenges of Chinese American immigrant breast cancer survivors (conference paper abstract)

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from OUP via the DOI in this recordThe presentation is available in ORE at http://hdl.handle.net/10871/2757

Expanding the horizons of behavioral medicine with qualitative and mixed-methods research: voices of diverse cancer patients (conference paper abstract)

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from OUP via the DOI in this recor