A case study comparing children’s motivation using a virtual world,video and print material to learn global citizenship.

The last decade has seen an enormous surge in the use of virtual worlds by both adults and children. Educators are keen to discover how this technology can be transferred to the classroom to facilitate effective learning. The aim of this study was to compare children’s motivation with three media components: a virtual world, video and print materials. The intervention involved 27 children in first class in a primary school using components of the Panwapa website over a five week period. Methods used in this study included both quantitative and qualitative approaches using pre and post-tests of knowledge, questionnaires, non-participant observation and interviews. Findings suggest that children consider using a virtual world to be more enjoyable than using video or print material. Furthermore this study found that significant learning gains were made by the children when they used a programme that included a virtual world. This study confirms that children are more engaged and experience more enjoyment using a virtual world than when using video or print material. Large learning gains are achieved when children are highly engaged and having fun. This study provides further evidence of the benefits of using virtual worlds in the primary classroom

Measuring emergency department nurses’ attitudes towards deliberate self-harm using the Self-Harm Antipathy Scale.

The emergency department is an important gateway for the treatment of self-harm patients. Nurses’ attitudes towards patients who self-harm can be negative and often nurses experience frustration, helplessness, ambivalence and antipathy. Patients are often dissatisfied with the care provided, and meeting with positive or negative attitudes greatly influences whether they seek additional help. A quantitative design was utilised to measure emergency department nurses’ attitudes towards deliberate self-harm. The ‘Self-Harm Antipathy Scale’, a validated questionnaire, was administered to a random sample of nurses in four emergency departments in the Republic of Ireland. A total of 87 questionnaires were returned (87% response rate). Results reveal that nurses show slightly negative antipathy overall, indicating positive attitudes towards self-harming patients. Attitudes were significantly different in accordance with a nurse’s age. Education and social judgment also contribute to the way nurses view, interact and make moral decisions regarding self-harm patients. Evidence indicates there is need to improve the training, supervision and support of nurses caring for patients who self-harm, and that practical strategies should be implemented to manage the alienation process and inform practice

Establishment of a national surveillance system to monitor community HIV testing, Ireland, 2018.

BACKGROUND HIV continues to be an important public health issue. Voluntary community-based HIV testing (VCBT) helps to reduce the undiagnosed population of HIV-positive individuals, enabling early diagnosis and treatment. Monitoring is essential to determine whether at-risk groups are being effectively reached. AIMS Our aim was to pilot and then introduce sustained monitoring of VCBT in Ireland, through collaboration between statutory and non-statutory organisations. METHODS The study was initiated by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre in 2018. Steps included forming a multisectoral steering group and developing a minimum standardised dataset. De-identified case-based data were requested for VCBT carried out from 1 January 2017 onwards; this paper includes data for 2018. RESULTS Six organisations participated; all four NGOs involved in VCBT, one medical charity, and the Health Service Executive National Social Inclusion Office. Methods were rapid point-of-care testing (POCT) (54%) or laboratory based (46%). Total HIV test reactivity was 1.7% (1.5% excluding persons later identified as previously diagnosed HIV positive). All POCT data were case based; the test reactivity rate was 0.8% and was higher in bar/club settings (1.2%). Most (74%) laboratory testing data were in aggregate format; the test positivity rate in one asylum centre was 5.0%. Ongoing challenges include testing among persons later identified as previously diagnosed HIV positive, monitoring case-based testing in asylum settings, and suboptimal data on confirmatory testing and linkage to care. CONCLUSIONS Sustained national monitoring in community settings will help inform HIV testing guidelines and will enable assessment of the impact of local and regional community HIV testing strategies

Peripheral tactile sensory perception of older adults improved using subsensory electrical noise stimulation

Loss of tactile sensory function is common with aging and can lead to numbness and difficulty with balance and gait. In previous work we found that subsensory electrical noise stimulation (SENS) applied to the tibial nerve improved tactile perception in the soles of the feet of healthy adults. In this work we aimed to determine if SENS remained effective in an older adult population with significant levels of sensory loss. Older adult subjects (N=8, female = 4, aged 65–80) had SENS applied via surface electrodes placed proximally to the medial and lateral malleoli. Vibration perception thresholds (VPTs) were assessed in six conditions, two control conditions (no SENS) and four SENS conditions (zero mean ± 15µA, 30µA, 45µA and 60µA SD). VPT was assessed at three sites on the plantar aspect of the foot. Vibration perception was significantly improved in the presence of ± 30µA SENS and by 16.2 ± 2.4% (mean ± s.e.m.) when optimised for each subject. The improvement in perception was similar across all VPT test sites