Conveying troublesome concepts : using an open-space learning activity to teach mixed-methods research in the health sciences

In the past decade, there has been a groundswell of interest in the use of mixed-methods approaches to conduct research in the health sciences. However, there remains a paucity of diverse teaching materials, curricula and activities to support the continued expansion of education and innovation in mixed-methods research. Here, we report the development and evaluation of an open-space learning activity and tool to aid teaching the concept of synthesis in mixed-methods research. We detail the iterations of the teaching activity and tool as they were developed, we report student feedback, and we discuss the utility of the activity and tool for introducing the concept of synthesis in mixed-methods research within health science and related fields

Wandering womb: a real story of endometriosis

Endometriosis is a chronic disease found in at least ten percent of women worldwide-perhaps as many as 89 million women-making it more common than AIDS and cancer. While it was recognized as a disease as early as 1690, for years women have been battling doctors who insisted that there was nothing wrong, that monthly pain was normal, or that childbirth would solve the problem. Although endometriosis is finally becoming better understood, research still has not yielded a cure or even a reliable treatment. I have lived with the monthly pain of endometriosis since I first began menstruating at the age of twelve. It was a full nine years later that the official diagnosis confirmed by own unofficial one: I had endometriosis. This was not unexpected, as my mother, my aunt, and my sister also had the disease. The diagnosis, however, also placed me within a larger community of women connected by this odd wandering womb disease-a disease in which the lining of the uterus grows in places where it shouldn\u27t, causing such problems as severe monthly pain, pain during sex, infertility, and a host of immune-related diseases. This book examines the proposed causes of endometriosis, how it has been perceived and treated historically, problems with diagnosis, and its connection to infertility. The book examines studies specifically addressing the role of genetics in endometriosis, as well as the emerging evidence that endometriosis is closely tied to the immune system. The book chronicles my own experience with endometriosis in the larger context of the history, pathology, and etiology of the disease. It is a memoir, but also features a significant amount of scientific information, written for the layperson. Its ultimate message is one of admiration for both the disease and the women who have it, and of hope for an eventual cure

Evaluation of older people\u27s knowledge, awareness, motivation and perceptions about falls and falls prevention in residential aged care homes: A tale of two cities

Falls prevention strategies can only be effective in reducing falls amongst older people if they are adopted and enacted in their daily lives. There is limited evidence identifying what older people in residential aged care (RAC) homes understand about falls and falls prevention, or what may limit or enable their adoption of strategies. This study was conducted in two countries and explored older people’s knowledge and awareness of falls and their preferences, opportunities and motivation to undertake falls prevention strategies. A cross-sectional survey was administered to participants (N = 70) aged 65 years and over, living in six RAC homes in Perth, Australia and six RAC homes in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. Participants had limited knowledge about intrinsic falls risk factors and strategies to address these and frequently expressed self-blame regarding falling. Almost all (N = 67, 95.7%) participants felt highly motivated to maintain their current functional mobility and independence in everyday tasks. Key preferences for receiving falls prevention messages favoured a positive approach promoting wellness and independence (N = 41, 58.6%) via pictorial posters or brochures (N = 37, 52.9%) and small group discussions preferably with demonstrations (N = 18, 25.7%). Findings from this study may assist organisations and staff to more effectively engage with older people living in RAC about falls prevention and design targeted resources to address the motivations and preferences of this population

Surveillance: Are We Being Watched, Who By, And Does It Matter? A Study To Capture An Individual’s Digital Footprint Over A 24-Hour Period

We are living in exponential times: technology is ubiquitous, the boundaries of on-line off-line are becoming undistinguishable, and geographical distances no longer constrict our activities. What will be, and what are, the consequences of existing in a technologically saturated environment? From the moment of conception, the data trail begins, our personas recorded on databases, social networking sites and CCTV as we go about our everyday lives. What impact does such amassment of data have on society, communities and personal identities within the UK? The reality is that the personal totality of exposure to technology development is a significant research challenge to quantify. There is a critical need to capture these activities in some sort of holistic and interconnected manner. This research will provide an ethnographic snapshot of individual exposure to database and surveillance technologies over a 24-hour period, in the process establishing a repeatable methodology to enable quantification of an individual’s 21st century digital footprint

Antisocial Behaviour Orders: Unanticipated Directions in Social Network Site Development

Abstract: Social network technologies, as we know them today have become a popular feature of everyday life for many people. As their name suggests, their underlying premise is to enable people to connect with each other for a variety of purposes. These purposes however, are generally thought of in a positive fashion. Based on a multi-method study of two online environments, Habbo Hotel and Second Life, which incorporate social networking functionality, we she light on forms of what can be conceptualized as antisocial behaviours and the rationales for these. Such behaviours included: scamming, racist/homophobic attacks, sim attacks, avatar attacks, non-conformance to contextual norms, counterfeiting and unneighbourly behaviour. The rationales for sub behaviours included: profit, fun, status building, network disruption, accidental acts and prejudice. Through our analysis we are able to comment upon the difficulties of defining antisocial behaviour in such environments, particularly when such environments are subject to interpretation vis their use and expected norms. We also point to the problems we face in conducting our public and private lives given the role ICTs are playing in the convergence of these two spaces and also the convergence of ICTs themselves

The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) version 2018 for information professionals and researchers

INTRODUCTION: Appraising the quality of studies included in systematic reviews combining qualitative and quantitative evidence is challenging. To address this challenge, a critical appraisal tool was developed: the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). The aim of this paper is to present the enhancements made to the MMAT. DEVELOPMENT: The MMAT was initially developed in 2006 based on a literature review on systematic reviews combining qualitative and quantitative evidence. It was subject to pilot and interrater reliability testing. A revised version of the MMAT was developed in 2018 based on the results from usefulness testing, a literature review on critical appraisal tools and a modified e-Delphi study with methodological experts to identify core criteria. TOOL DESCRIPTION: The MMAT assesses the quality of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods studies. It focuses on methodological criteria and includes five core quality criteria for each of the following five categories of study designs: (a) qualitative, (b) randomized controlled, (c) nonrandomized, (d) quantitative descriptive, and (e) mixed methods. CONCLUSION: The MMAT is a unique tool that can be used to appraise the quality of different study designs. Also, by limiting to core criteria, the MMAT can provide a more efficient appraisal

Enabling organisational change: co-creation, co-production and co-consumption

The collaborative combination of co-creation, co-production and co-consumption provide mechanisms for a data-driven, people-focused organisation to engage with customers and supply chains in ways that increase levels of trust and build lasting social capital. With greater transparency and engagement, the opportunities to build trust with customers and clients also increases. In traditional organisational innovation paradigms, an organisation identifies user needs, developing products and services at private expense and profiting through their protection and sales. That said, more and more organisations are increasingly engaging in collaborative mechanisms and network structures. Co-creational organisations require an enabling platform as driver no matter whether interactions are formal or informal, online or offline. Co-production has become a buzzword in public service provision, where Co-production means delivering public services in an equal and reciprocal relationship between professionals, people using services, their families and their neighbours. Where activities are co-produced in this way, both services and neighbourhoods become far more effective agents of change

Digital Maturity and SMEs: evaluating the application of a digital maturity assessment tool

The challenges of undertaking digital transformation within Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are multiple. The constraints of limited resources and a lack of clear strategic purpose for the transformation are readily evident across many existing case studies. Underlying these evidenced challenges is the persistent issue of the digital maturity of an overall organisation and its people individually as key factors in the success or failure of these change projects. We examine the use of a digital maturity assessment tool within an established membership-based SME to understand these many challenges and the way they are revealed through tools of this kind. We utilise a reflective approach based on direct organisational observations to consider the veracity and value of these assessment tools in supporting the drive for positive organisational change. Our conclusions are loosely critical of the generalised nature of these tools but support their intended purpose through the benefits that they generate through a Hawthorne Effect

Cross-sectional examination of the association between shift length and hospital nurses job satisfaction and nurse reported quality measures

Background: Twenty-four hour nursing care involves shift work including 12-h shifts. England is unusual in deploying a mix of shift patterns. International evidence on the effects of such shifts is growing. A secondary analysis of data collected in England exploring outcomes with 12-h shifts examined the association between shift length, job satisfaction, scheduling flexibility, care quality, patient safety, and care left undone. Methods: Data were collected from a questionnaire survey of nurses in a sample of English hospitals, conducted as part of the RN4CAST study, an EU 7th Framework funded study. The sample comprised 31 NHS acute hospital Trusts from 401 wards, in 46 acute hospital sites. Descriptive analysis included frequencies, percentages and mean scores by shift length, working beyond contracted hours and day or night shift. Multi-level regression models established statistical associations between shift length and nurse self-reported measures. Results: Seventy-four percent (1898) of nurses worked a day shift and 26% (670) a night shift. Most Trusts had a mixture of shifts lengths. Self-reported quality of care was higher amongst nurses working ≤8 h (15.9%) compared to those working longer hours (20.0 to 21.1%). The odds of poor quality care were 1.64 times higher for nurses working ≥12 h (OR = 1.64, 95% CI 1.18–2.28, p = 0.003). Mean ‘care left undone’ scores varied by shift length: 3.85 (≤8 h), 3.72 (8.01–10.00 h), 3.80 (10.01–11.99 h) and were highest amongst those working ≥12 h (4.23) (p < 0.001). The rate of care left undone was 1.13 times higher for nurses working ≥12 h (RR = 1.13, 95% CI 1.06–1.20, p < 0.001). Job dissatisfaction was higher the longer the shift length: 42.9% (≥12 h (OR = 1.51, 95% CI 1.17–1.95, p = .001); 35.1% (≤8 h) 45.0% (8.01–10.00 h), 39.5% (10.01–11.99 h). Conclusions: Our findings add to the growing international body of evidence reporting that ≥12 shifts are associated with poor ratings of quality of care and higher rates of care left undone. Future research should focus on how 12-h shifts can be optimised to minimise potential risks