‘Doing The Job’- A Qualitative Exploration of Stress, Coping and Wellbeing in Police Forensic Support Roles in England

The wellbeing of police forensics staff is important, given they have an increased risk of experiencing poor wellbeing due to being directly or indirectly exposed to crime scenes, graphic imagery and crime scene materials and they also experience various organisational stressors. Previous research has mostly utilised a quantitative methodology focusing on examining specific factors such coping strategies or organisational or operational stressors in American crime scene investigators (CSI) or digital forensic investigators (DFI) samples. This research explores the experiences of police forensics staff from England across the full range of job roles present, including roles in crime scene investigation, digital forensics, management and supervision, imaging, laboratory, identification, and administration. The study examined decision making, organisational and operational stressors, the impact of stressors on wellbeing and relationships, the perceptions of organisational support and how wellbeing support can be developed. A qualitative methodology was utilised, and individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with thirty-four participants from a range of roles in two police forensics support services in England. In order to make comparisons, participants were placed into five groups based on their job roles. The interview transcripts were analysed using template analysis, uncovering four key themes across all groups which are: Decision Making, Impact of doing the job, Coping and Informal Support and Organisational Support. These themes were presented logically, following a narrative story which firstly details the context and decisions made across roles followed by the stressors experienced and the impact of the job, before considering the coping strategies employed by staff and finally discussing organisational support and how it can be developed in the future. Findings suggested the job did not have a significant impact on most participants although some participants displayed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), secondary traumatic stress (STS), vicarious trauma (VT) or compassion fatigue (CF). The study also found that most staff can cope with the job, with peer support being a key coping strategy along with distractions, distancing, and denial. Almost all participants acknowledged cases involving child victims or where they related to the victim, were more likely to affect them. The study contributed new knowledge to the police stress and coping literature, suggesting the experiences of forensics staff are similar to other policing roles, but also that certain stressors and impacts are experienced uniquely by participants across the sample and within specific job roles. These findings imply that organisational support should be tailored to individuals who work in specific forensics roles. The study made practical recommendations on how forces could improve organisational support including building a supportive organisational culture, increasing the accessibility and quality of support services, and taking a preventative proactive approach to wellbeing

Perfection: United Goal or Divisive Myth? A look into the concept of posthumanism and its theoretical outcomes in science fiction

As science races to keep up with science fiction, many scientists are beginning to believe that the next step in human evolution will be a combination of human and machine and look a lot like something out of Star Trek. The constant pursuit of perfection is a part of the human condition, but if we begin to stretch beyond the natural human form can we still consider ourselves human? Transhumanism and posthumanism are only theories for now, but they are theories that threaten to permanently displace the human race, possibly pushing it into extinction. This thesis will look at the theories of transhumanism and posthumanism through the lens of science fiction and ask the question of whether or not technology holds the key to humanities next evolutionary step or its demise

Toward a Cosmopolitical Democracy: Process over Ends

“Towards a Cosmopolitical Democracy” argues that in order for cosmopolitanism to effectively challenge destructive forms of nationalism, misguided universalism, and economic globalism, it must be rearticulated conceptually and philosophically for today’s world as a cosmopolitical process rather than a set ideal or vision. This cosmopolitical process is best promoted in the realm of rhetoric and praxis, where everyday practices and values between self and collective interest are navigated using a Bakhtinian understanding of the dialogic imagination, as well as a “double process” of negotiation between the universal and the particular, both cognitively (Burke, 1970) and across cultures (Tarrow, 2005)

Perfection: United Goal or Divisive Myth? A look into the concept of posthumanism and its theoretical outcomes in science fiction

As science races to keep up with science fiction, many scientists are beginning to believe that the next step in human evolution will be a combination of human and machine and look a lot like something out of Star Trek. The constant pursuit of perfection is a part of the human condition, but if we begin to stretch beyond the natural human form can we still consider ourselves human? Transhumanism and posthumanism are only theories for now, but they are theories that threaten to permanently displace the human race, possibly pushing it into extinction. This thesis will look at the theories of transhumanism and posthumanism through the lens of science fiction and ask the question of whether or not technology holds the key to humanities next evolutionary step or its demise

Simple steps to develop trial follow-up procedures.

BACKGROUND: Loss to follow-up in randomised controlled trials reduces statistical power and increases the potential for bias. Almost half of all trials fail to achieve their follow-up target. Statistical methods have been described for handling losses to follow-up and systematic reviews have identified interventions that increase follow-up. However, there is little guidance on how to develop practical follow-up procedures. This paper describes the development of follow-up procedures in a pilot randomised controlled trial of a sexual health intervention that required participants to provide and return questionnaires and chlamydia test samples in the post. We identified effective methods to increase follow-up from systematic reviews. We developed and tested prototype procedures to identify barriers to follow-up completion. We asked trial participants about their views on our follow-up procedures and revised the methods accordingly. RESULTS: We identified 17 strategies to increase follow-up and employed all but five. We found that some postal test kits do not fit through letterboxes and that that the test instructions were complicated. After identifying the appropriate sized test kit and simplifying the instructions, we obtained user opinions. Users wanted kits to be sent in coloured envelopes (so that they could identify them easily), with simple instructions and questionnaires and wanted to be notified before we sent the kits. We achieved 92 % (183/200) overall follow-up for the postal questionnaire at 1 month and 82 % (163/200) at 12 months. We achieved 86 % (171/200) overall follow-up for the postal chlamydia test at 3 months and 80 % (160/200) at 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: By using established methods to increase follow-up, testing prototype procedures and seeking user opinions, we achieved higher follow-up than previous sexual health trials. However, it is not possible to determine if the increase in response was due to our follow-up procedures. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN02304709 Date of registration: 27 March 2013

Erratum to: Simple steps to develop trial follow-up procedures.

Unfortunately, the original version of this article [1] contained an error. There were errors in the reference numbers in Additional file 1. This has now been corrected and Additional file 1 is included here with the correct reference numbers

Neuronavigation: how it continues to revolutionise neurosurgical practice

Summary: Neuronavigation is a surgical technology that gives real time image-guidance to neurosurgeons as they operate within the boundaries of the skull and spinal column. Prior to its development, the success of neurosurgery was highly variable as it was determined by the anatomical knowledge, experience and surgical aptitude of each neurosurgeon. However, operations were notoriously difficult, given lesions can be found deep within the brain or spinal cord. To accommodate for this, a large area of exposure was made, which increased the risk of damaging surrounding functional brain tissue. Neuronavigation revolutionised the neurosurgical practice of multiple subspecialites by providing intraoperative image guidance enabling neurosurgeons to precisely locate surgical targets and resect lesions with a minimally invasive technique. Relevance: In neuro-oncology, neuronavigation has increased the proportion of a brain lesion that can resected safely, which has lengthened the duration of survival and reduced post-operative complication rates. In neurovascular surgery, neuronavigation has optimised surgical approaches to difficult to reach cerebral aneurysms and reduced the risk of losing surgical orientation intraoperatively if a haemorrhage is present. In epilepsy surgery, neuronavigation has increased the accurate localisation of epileptogenic zones, which once resected can dramatically reduce the frequency of seizures for epilepsy resistant to medical management. Ultimately, such improvements have transformed patient outcomes worldwide. Take home messages: Neuronavigation has revolutionised the practice of neurosurgery by facilitating minimally invasive surgical technique in a range of neurosurgical subspecialties. It is not a static technology but continues to develop as new technologies continue to be integrated into it, and it presents further exciting prospects for the future of neurosurgery

Creating an Online Community of Practice: The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Virtual Academic Community

This presentation describes the activities of the Deaf STEM Community Alliance project using the social media platform Google+ private community. The private community provides socialization opportunities and shares accessible STEM media with community participants. A pilot study was conducted on a segment of the community’s activity. Posting frequency was analyzed for the highest impact day, posting times, and types of posts that received the most activity. Tuesdays were the most active, and the best times to post were during the afternoon hours. Posts having content related to community members received the most responses. These findings were compared to research on posting frequency in open social media platforms. Future research should investigate in greater detail the uses of social media for education and for other groups with disabilities

Effects of Art from the Heart on Nurse Satisfaction and Patient Well-Being

Introduction. Art programs have been shown to positively affect unit culture, quality of care, and nursing practices. Art interventions improve well-being, reduce stress, and enhance nurse-patient communication. Art from the Heart (AFTH) is an art program that provides art supplies, visual art, and patient About Me pages to patients, families and employees at University of Vermont Medical Center (UVMMC).Objective. Assess the efficacy of AFTH through nursing staff perceptions, understanding, and attitudes toward the program.Methods. Structured interviews were conducted on Baird 4, an adult inpatient ward, at UVMMC. A 19-question survey using Likert scales and short answer formats was administered to nursing staff. Questions assessed perceptions of effects of art on patient anxiety and pain, communication, and job satisfaction. Surveys were analyzed to extract major and minor themes.Results. Twenty-eight interviews were obtained and two major themes emerged: nurse satisfaction and patient well-being. Nursing staff satisfaction minor themes included improved productivity, promoting conversation, and creating a positive influence on the unit. Respondents reported that AFTH helped initiate conversations with patients (100% of respondents) and reduced workday stress (68%). The second major theme, patient well-being, included benefits to patients with dementia, providing comfort, and serving as an outlet or distraction. Utilizing AFTH improved perceived patient mood (100%), health (78.5%), and reduced patient anxiety (89.3%).Conclusions. AFTH provides positive benefits by reducing nursing staff stress and perceived patient anxiety; improving communication, perceived patient mood and health; and creating a sense of community. AFTH should be expanded to the entire 6 Community Agency: Burlington City Arts, Art from the Hearthttps://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1240/thumbnail.jp

Community-onset sepsis and its public health burden : a systematic review

Background: Sepsis is a life-threatening condition and major contributor to public health and economic burden in the industrialised world. The difficulties in accurate diagnosis lead to great variability in estimates of sepsis incidence. There has been even a greater uncertainty regarding the incidence of and risk factors for community-onset sepsis (COS). We systematically reviewed the recent evidence on the incidence and risk factors of COS in high income countries. Methods: Cohort and case-control studies were eligible for inclusion. Medline and Embase databases were searched from 2002 onwards. References of relevant publications were hand searched. Two reviewers screened titles/abstracts and full-texts independently. One reviewer extracted data and appraised studies which were cross-checked by independent reviewers. Disagreements were resolved via consensus. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95 percent confidence intervals (95% CIs) were ascertained by type of sepsis (non-severe, severe, and septic shock). Results: 10 cohort and 4 case-control studies were included. There was a wide variation in the incidence (# cases per 100,000 per year) of non-severe sepsis (range: 64 - 514), severe sepsis (range: 40 - 455), and septic shock (range: 9 - 31). Heterogeneity precluded statistical pooling. Two cohort and 4 case-control studies reported risk factors for sepsis. In one casecontrol and one cohort study, older age and diabetes were associated with increased risk of sepsis. The same case-control study showed an excess risk for sepsis in participants with clinical conditions (e.g., immunosuppression, lung disease, and peripheral artery disease). In one cohort study, higher risk of sepsis was associated with being a nursing home resident (OR=2.60, 95% CI: 1.20, 5.60) and in the other cohort study with being physically inactive (OR=1.33, 95% CI: 1.13, 1.56) and smoking tobacco (OR=1.85, 95% CI: 1.54, 2.22). The evidence on sex, ethnicity, statin use, and body mass index as risk factors was inconclusive. Conclusions: The lack of a valid standard approach for defining sepsis makes it difficult to determine the true incidence of COS. Differences in case ascertainment contribute to the variation in incidence of COS. The evidence on COS is limited in terms of the number and quality of studies. This review highlights the urgent need for an accurate and standard method for identifying sepsis. Future studies need to improve the methodological shortcomings of previous research in terms of case definition, identification, and surveillance practice