1,032 research outputs found
Wellbeing and coping strategies of alcohol and other drug therapeutic community workers: a qualitative study
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the strategies utilised to facilitate the wellbeing of workers of an alcohol and other drug (AOD) therapeutic community (TC).
Design/methodology/approach
This paper reports on the findings of a qualitative study that involved in-depth interviews with 11 workers from an AOD TC organisation in Australia that provides both a residential TC program and outreach programs. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis.
Findings
Three main interconnected themes emerged through analysis of the data: 1) The challenges of working in an AOD TC organisation, including vicarious trauma, the isolation and safety for outreach workers, and a lack of connection between teams; 2) Individual strategies for coping and facilitating wellbeing, such as family, friend and partner support, and self-care practices; 3) Organisational facilitators of worker wellbeing, including staff supervision, employment conditions and the ability to communicate openly about stress. The analysis also revealed cross-cutting themes including the unique challenges and wellbeing support needs of outreach and lived experience workers.
Research limitations/implications
Rather than just preventing burnout, AOD TC organisations can also play a role in facilitating worker wellbeing.
Practical implications
This paper discusses a number of practical suggestions and suggests that additional strategies targeted at âat riskâ teams or groups of workers may be needed alongside organisation-wide strategies.
Originality/value
This paper provides a novel and in-depth analysis of strategies to facilitate TC worker wellbeing and has implications for TC staff, managers and researchers
Temporal structure/function variation in cultured differentiated human nasal epithelium associated with acute single exposure to tobacco smoke or E-cigarette vapor
Mucociliary clearance sustains a baseline functionality and an âon demandâ capability to upregulate clearance upon irritant exposure involving mucus hypersecretion and accelerated ciliary beat frequency (CBF) modulated by nitric oxide (NO). This study characterized these elements as well as cellular and exogenous NO concentrations subsequent to a single exposure to tobacco smoke (TS) or e-cigarette vapor (EV) on cultured human airway epithelium
Estimating Error in Using Ambient PM2.5 Concentrations as Proxies for Personal Exposures: A Review
Several methods have been used to account for measurement error inherent in using ambient concentration of particulate matter < 2.5 ÎŒm/m3 (PM2.5) as a proxy for personal exposure. Such methods usually rely on the estimated correlation between ambient and personal PM2.5 concentrations (r). These studies have not been systematically and quantitatively assessed for publication bias or heterogeneity
IL-1 receptor antagonist reduces endotoxin-induced airway inflammation in healthy volunteers
Asthma with neutrophil predominance is challenging to treat with corticosteroids. Novel treatment options for asthma include those that target innate immune activity. Recent literature has indicated a significant role for IL-1ÎČ in both acute and chronic neutrophilic asthma
Primary Care Availability and Emergency Department Use by Older Adults: A Population-Based Analysis
To assess the relationship between the number of primary care providers (PCPs) in an area and emergency department (ED) visits by older adults
Mental health among clients of the Sydney Medically Supervised Injecting Centre (MSIC)
Age and African-American race impact the validity and reliability of the asthma control test in persistent asthmatics
Abstract
Background
The Asthma Control Test (ACT) is widely used to assess asthma control, yet the validity and reliability of the test have not been specifically evaluated in adolescents or African-Americans. We conducted a prospective psychometric study of the ACT in African-American (AA) and non-African-American (nAA) adolescents with persistent asthma, with emphasis on the clinical utility of the test for medical decision making.
Methods
Participants completed the ACT and performed spirometry. A physician conducted a guidelines-based assessment of asthma control, blinded to the ACT score. Study procedures were repeated 6â8Â weeks later. The ACT-based asthma control assessment was compared to physician assessment.
Results
For baseline and follow-up visits, internal consistency, as measured using Cronbachâs alpha, was 0.80 and 0.81 in AA teens and 0.80 and 0.83 in nAA teens. Intraclass correlation coefficients were 0.59 and 0.76 in AA and nAA teens, respectively, with stable asthma control over time. Agreement between ACT and physician assessment was moderate in AA teens and fair in nAA teens. An ACT score of â€19 showed reduced sensitivity for not well controlled asthma in both groups, while a score of â€21 had the greatest area under the ROC curve. ACT scores were marginally responsive to change in control status.
Conclusions
Concerns for the ACTâs ability to detect uncontrolled asthma in adolescents emphasizes the need for a more comprehensive evaluation of asthma control in clinical settings. A higher threshold ACT score to define not well controlled asthma may be needed if the ACT is to be used for medical decision making.
Trial registration
ClinicalTrials.gov:
NCT02671643
,
NCT02662413
It's about time: A synthesis of changing phenology in the Gulf of Maine ecosystem
© The Author(s), 2019. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Staudinger, M. D., Mills, K. E., Stamieszkin, K., Record, N. R., Hudak, C. A., Allyn, A., Diamond, A., Friedland, K. D., Golet, W., Henderson, M. E., Hernandez, C. M., Huntington, T. G., Ji, R., Johnson, C. L., Johnson, D. S., Jordaan, A., Kocik, J., Li, Y., Liebman, M., Nichols, O. C., Pendleton, D., Richards, R. A., Robben, T., Thomas, A. C., Walsh, H. J., & Yakola, K. It's about time: A synthesis of changing phenology in the Gulf of Maine ecosystem. Fisheries Oceanography, 28(5), (2019): 532-566, doi: 10.1111/fog.12429.The timing of recurring biological and seasonal environmental events is changing on a global scale relative to temperature and other climate drivers. This study considers the Gulf of Maine ecosystem, a region of high social and ecological importance in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean and synthesizes current knowledge of (a) key seasonal processes, patterns, and events; (b) direct evidence for shifts in timing; (c) implications of phenological responses for linked ecologicalâhuman systems; and (d) potential phenologyâfocused adaptation strategies and actions. Twenty studies demonstrated shifts in timing of regional marine organisms and seasonal environmental events. The most common response was earlier timing, observed in spring onset, spring and winter hydrology, zooplankton abundance, occurrence of several larval fishes, and diadromous fish migrations. Later timing was documented for fall onset, reproduction and fledging in Atlantic puffins, spring and fall phytoplankton blooms, and occurrence of additional larval fishes. Changes in event duration generally increased and were detected in zooplankton peak abundance, early life history periods of macroâinvertebrates, and lobster fishery landings. Reduced duration was observed in winterâspring iceâaffected stream flows. Two studies projected phenological changes, both finding diapause duration would decrease in zooplankton under future climate scenarios. Phenological responses were speciesâspecific and varied depending on the environmental driver, spatial, and temporal scales evaluated. Overall, a wide range of baseline phenology and relevant modeling studies exist, yet surprisingly few document longâterm shifts. Results reveal a need for increased emphasis on phenological shifts in the Gulf of Maine and identify opportunities for future research and consideration of phenological changes in adaptation efforts.This work was supported by the Department of the Interior Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center (G14AC00441) for MDS, AJ, and KY; the National Science Foundation's Coastal SEES Program (OCEâ1325484) for KEM, ACT, MEH, and AA; the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NNX16 AG59G) for ACT, KEM, NRR, and KSS; the USGS Climate Research and Development Program for TGH; National Science & Engineering Research Council of Canada, University of New Brunswick, Environment Canada, Sir James Dunn Wildlife Research Centre, and New Brunswick Wildlife Trust Fund for AD. We also thank the Regional Association for Research on the Gulf of Maine for support, and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute for hosting and providing in kind resources for a two day inâperson workshop in August 2016. We greatly appreciate contributions from K. Alexander, G. Calandrino, C. Feurt, I. Mlsna, N. Rebuck, J. Seavey, and J. Sun for helping shape the initial scope of the manuscript. We thank J. Weltzin and two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments. The contents of this paper are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, Fisheries and Oceans Canada or the US Environmental Protection Agency. This manuscript is submitted for publication with the understanding that the United States Government is authorized to reproduce and distribute reprints for Governmental purposes. None of the authors have conflicts of interest to declare in association with the contents of this manuscript
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