Health care staff perceptions of a coaching and mentoring programme: a qualitative case study evaluation

This study aimed to determine the value of the Coaching and Mentoring (C&M) Programme within a large National Health Service (NHS) system (‘Trust’) in London, England. A case study design was utilised with units of analysis: mentors, mentees, coaches, coachees, and line managers. Semi-structured interviews (n=32) took place in 2015. Findings revealed how individuals were able to develop personally and professionally. Findings support the need for more staff opportunities to engage in shared activities. The study also identified the importance of there being strong organisation-wide leadership of the programme, as well as managerial support to enable staff to engage in the programm

Reviews

The following publications have been reviewed by the mentioned authors;CDT - Projects and Approaches by David Barlex and Richard Kimbell, reviewed by M. PattersonControl Technology (second edition) by Hodder & Stoughton, reviewed by John CaveGraphic Handbook. An Introduction to design and printing for the non-specialist by Richard McCann, reviewed by Lesley LordEngineering Technology by Liam Hennessy and Lawrence Smyth, reviewed by Stan ShawJoin in and Spin by Thames Valley, reviewed by Dorothea KaySchooling for the Dole: The New Vocationalism by Inge Bates, John Clark, Philip Cohen, Dan Finn, Robert Moore and Paul Willis, reviewed by John EgglestonGirls into Science and Technology by Judith Whyte, reviewed by John Egglesto

Reviews

The following publications have been reviewed by the mentioned authors;Taste by Stephen Bayley, reviewed by Stephen R. BlundellDesign and Technology by A. Yarwood and A. H. Orme, reviewed by David JonesAnimal Forms by Nigel Billington and John Jeffrey, reviewed by Lesley LordTechnical Graphics Book 1 by A. Bedford and K. Pyne, reviewed by David JonesScrewcutting in the Lathe by Martin Cleeve, reviewed by David JonesUnderstanding Industry by Alasdair Hogarth, reviewed by Iolo RobertsCase in Hand by Alun Phillips and Geoffrey Stuttard, reviewed by Iolo RobertsGood Practice in Industrial Education by Gordon J. H. Vincent, reviewed by Iolo RobertsStarting Technology by G. Mills and J. Aitken, reviewed by Keith SimmondsDrawing and Painting: A Complete Study Course by Elva Bett, reviewed by John LancasterEarthworks as Sculpture by Peter Jobling, reviewed by Francis CelonaDesign Policy: The Proceedings of an International Conference held at the Royal College of Art, London, 20-23 July 1982. Design and Society, Design and Industry, Design Theory and Practice, Design Evaluation, Design Education, Design and Information Technology reviewed by Bernard MyersAn Introduction to Graphic Design by J. Park, R. De Silva, F. Thomson and C. Tudor, reviewed by F. B. Maycoc

The Role and Development of Advanced Clinical Practice Within Allied Health Professions: A Mixed Method Study

Objective: To investigate the profiles of advanced clinical practitioners (ACPs) in the allied health professions (AHPs) and their skills, attributes, experiences and involvement in new models of car

Screening for pre-clinical disability in different residential settings

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Preventing disability and offering effective interventions to older people during early decline in function is most likely to be effective if those most at risk of progressive disablement are able to be identified. Similarly the ability to easily identify a group with similar functional profile from disparate sectors of the community is of significant benefit to researchers. This study aimed to (1) describe the use of a pre-clinical disability screening tool to select a functionally comparable group of older men and women with early functional limitation from different settings, and (2) explore factors associated with function and disability.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Self-reported function and disability measured with the Late-Life Function and Disability Instrument along with a range of physical performance measurements were compared across residential settings and gender in a sample of 471 trial participants identified as pre-clinically disabled after being screened with the Fried pre-clinical disability tool. Factors that might lie on the pathway to progressive disablement were identified using multiple linear regression analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found that a sample population, screened for pre-clinical disability, had a functional status and disability profile reflecting early functional limitation, regardless of residential setting or gender. Statistical models identified a range of factors associated with function and disability which explained a greater degree of the variation in function, than disability.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We selected a group of people with a comparable function and disability profile, consistent with the pre-clinical stage of disability, from a sample of older Australian men and women from different residential settings using the Fried pre-clinical disability screening tool. The results suggest that the screening tool can be used with greater confidence for research, clinical and population health purposes. Further research is required to examine the validity of the tool. These findings offer insight into the type of impairment factors characterising early functional loss that could be addressed through disability prevention initiatives.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>ACTRN01206000431527</p

Patterns of comorbidity in community-dwelling older people hospitalised for fall-related injury: A cluster analysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Community-dwelling older people aged 65+ years sustain falls frequently; these can result in physical injuries necessitating medical attention including emergency department care and hospitalisation. Certain health conditions and impairments have been shown to contribute independently to the risk of falling or experiencing a fall injury, suggesting that individuals with these conditions or impairments should be the focus of falls prevention. Since older people commonly have multiple conditions/impairments, knowledge about which conditions/impairments coexist in at-risk individuals would be valuable in the implementation of a targeted prevention approach. The objective of this study was therefore to examine the prevalence and patterns of comorbidity in this population group.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We analysed hospitalisation data from Victoria, Australia's second most populous state, to estimate the prevalence of comorbidity in patients hospitalised at least once between 2005-6 and 2007-8 for treatment of acute fall-related injuries. In patients with two or more comorbid conditions (multicomorbidity) we used an agglomerative hierarchical clustering method to cluster comorbidity variables and identify constellations of conditions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>More than one in four patients had at least one comorbid condition and among patients with comorbidity one in three had multicomorbidity (range 2-7). The prevalence of comorbidity varied by gender, age group, ethnicity and injury type; it was also associated with a significant increase in the average cumulative length of stay per patient. The cluster analysis identified five distinct, biologically plausible clusters of comorbidity: cardiopulmonary/metabolic, neurological, sensory, stroke and cancer. The cardiopulmonary/metabolic cluster was the largest cluster among the clusters identified.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The consequences of comorbidity clustering in terms of falls and/or injury outcomes of hospitalised patients should be investigated by future studies. Our findings have particular relevance for falls prevention strategies, clinical practice and planning of follow-up services for these patients.</p

Development and validation of a targeted gene sequencing panel for application to disparate cancers

Next generation sequencing has revolutionised genomic studies of cancer, having facilitated the development of precision oncology treatments based on a tumour’s molecular profile. We aimed to develop a targeted gene sequencing panel for application to disparate cancer types with particular focus on tumours of the head and neck, plus test for utility in liquid biopsy. The final panel designed through Roche/Nimblegen combined 451 cancer-associated genes (2.01 Mb target region). 136 patient DNA samples were collected for performance and application testing. Panel sensitivity and precision were measured using well-characterised DNA controls (n = 47), and specificity by Sanger sequencing of the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Interacting Protein (AIP) gene in 89 patients. Assessment of liquid biopsy application employed a pool of synthetic circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA). Library preparation and sequencing were conducted on Illumina-based platforms prior to analysis with our accredited (ISO15189) bioinformatics pipeline. We achieved a mean coverage of 395x, with sensitivity and specificity of >99% and precision of >97%. Liquid biopsy revealed detection to 1.25% variant allele frequency. Application to head and neck tumours/cancers resulted in detection of mutations aligned to published databases. In conclusion, we have developed an analytically-validated panel for application to cancers of disparate types with utility in liquid biopsy

Development and validation of a targeted gene sequencing panel for application to disparate cancers.

Next generation sequencing has revolutionised genomic studies of cancer, having facilitated the development of precision oncology treatments based on a tumour's molecular profile. We aimed to develop a targeted gene sequencing panel for application to disparate cancer types with particular focus on tumours of the head and neck, plus test for utility in liquid biopsy. The final panel designed through Roche/Nimblegen combined 451 cancer-associated genes (2.01 Mb target region). 136 patient DNA samples were collected for performance and application testing. Panel sensitivity and precision were measured using well-characterised DNA controls (n = 47), and specificity by Sanger sequencing of the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Interacting Protein (AIP) gene in 89 patients. Assessment of liquid biopsy application employed a pool of synthetic circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA). Library preparation and sequencing were conducted on Illumina-based platforms prior to analysis with our accredited (ISO15189) bioinformatics pipeline. We achieved a mean coverage of 395x, with sensitivity and specificity of >99% and precision of >97%. Liquid biopsy revealed detection to 1.25% variant allele frequency. Application to head and neck tumours/cancers resulted in detection of mutations aligned to published databases. In conclusion, we have developed an analytically-validated panel for application to cancers of disparate types with utility in liquid biopsy