How Do I Learn All of This Stuff?!: Keeping Up with Patrons\u27 Demands

This session will cover sources to use to keep up on trends, incorporating demands/trends in your library, and how to advise patrons when they have issues with their devices. Tips will also be given on who should know what when it comes to serving technological needs. To access the full presentation, click on the Download button on the right

Bridging the Gap: Underserved Populations and Technology

This session will cover information about underserved populations in the public library setting and what obstacles they face when using various technologies that the library provides. One of these obstacles is difficulty in access due to transportation and finances. Overdrive and Freegal will be highlighted as online examples as well as technology within the library such as makerspaces and public computers

No deal is still on the table: Simon Hix on Brexit in 2020

LSE Brexit asked some of our academics to predict what kind of Brexit we can expect in 2020. Simon Hix says that while a no-deal Brexit is still entirely possible, Boris Johnson may want to protect vulnerable parts of Britain from the damage it will inflict. The election result was a decisive mandate for Boris Johnson to “get Brexit done”. But there is still a lot of uncertainty about what that means in terms of where we are heading by the end of 2020..

Spiritual Needs Outcomes in Faith-Based Nonprofits

The researcher observed that faith-based nonprofits frequently report on tangible needs met but have failed to report on spiritual needs that are attended to. These spiritual needs can include prayer, church referral, encouraging people to seek a deeper relationship with God, and reminding them of their hope in Christ. Examining the reasons for poverty and how Christians should respond to these was completed using a biblical and theological foundation. Deuteronomy 15:11, Matthew 5:1-12, and Acts 2:42-47; 4:32-37 were used as the biblical texts for this foundation. The researcher discovered the principles that Jesus gave his followers for assisting those in need. After determining the theological foundation, the researcher examined current literature related to qualitative outcomes assessment in nonprofits. Attention was given to faith-based nonprofits and measurement of spiritual needs. The literature provided a framework for defining, measuring, and analyzing outcomes related to spiritual needs. This framework was utilized in analyzing the data of the organization in the case study. Interviews, reports, and data relating to spiritual needs was collected. It was determined that the organization strives to meet spiritual needs in three areas. One of these had the necessary data to be reported. Another needed more data collected in order to be reported. The third was under development and needed a strategic data collection plan in order to be collected. Two of these were spiritual needs that individual churches also assist in fulfilling. The third involved collaboration between churches and the organization. The researcher then took this information and developed recommendations on how these spiritual need outcomes could be reported to various stakeholders

Book review: the archive of loss: lively ruination in mill land Mumbai by Maura Finkelstein

In The Archive of Loss: Lively Ruination in Mill Land Mumbai, Maura Finkelstein confronts the assumption that the city’s textile industry is a relic of the past, instead showing how the ‘lively ruins’ of the mills are experienced by those who live and work in them. This gripping book will be enriching reading for all those interested in the processes and experiences of deindustrialisation in the Global South, writes Sinead D’Silva

How will the UK tackle its welfare challenge in light of technological unemployment?

To say that the world is changing rapidly is an understatement. Climate catastrophe and that little thing called Brexit have been dominating the 2019 election. These issues are important, but it might be a useful time to draw attention to another issue on the horizon that will play a fundamental role in our collective future - a fourth industrial revolution. This next industrial revolution is characterised by the rapid development of machine learning, mobile robotics, big data and automation

Primary care REFerral for EchocaRdiogram (REFER) in heart failure: a diagnostic accuracy study.

BACKGROUND: Symptoms of breathlessness, fatigue, and ankle swelling are common in general practice but deciding which patients are likely to have heart failure is challenging. AIM: To evaluate the performance of a clinical decision rule (CDR), with or without N-Terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) assay, for identifying heart failure. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective, observational, diagnostic validation study of patients aged >55 years, presenting with shortness of breath, lethargy, or ankle oedema, from 28 general practices in England. METHOD: The outcome was test performance of the CDR and natriuretic peptide test in determining a diagnosis of heart failure. The reference standard was an expert consensus panel of three cardiologists. RESULTS: Three hundred and four participants were recruited, with 104 (34.2%; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 28.9 to 39.8) having a confirmed diagnosis of heart failure. The CDR+NT-proBNP had a sensitivity of 90.4% (95% CI = 83.0 to 95.3) and specificity 45.5% (95% CI = 38.5 to 52.7). NT-proBNP level alone with a cut-off <400 pg/ml had sensitivity 76.9% (95% CI = 67.6 to 84.6) and specificity 91.5% (95% CI = 86.7 to 95.0). At the lower cut-off of NT-proBNP <125 pg/ml, sensitivity was 94.2% (95% CI = 87.9 to 97.9) and specificity 49.0% (95% CI = 41.9 to 56.1). CONCLUSION: At the low threshold of NT-proBNP <125 pg/ml, natriuretic peptide testing alone was better than a validated CDR+NT-proBNP in determining which patients presenting with symptoms went on to have a diagnosis of heart failure. The higher NT-proBNP threshold of 400 pg/ml may mean more than one in five patients with heart failure are not appropriately referred. Guideline natriuretic peptide thresholds may need to be revised

Healthcare professionals' experiences in using a patient-reported outcome tool (PRO-Pall) to identify symptoms and problems in palliative care:A mixed-methods study

Objectives This study aimed to investigate healthcare professionals' experiences with using the PRO Palliative Care questionnaire (PRO-Pall) to identify palliative care symptoms and problems in non-specialized palliative care settings among patients with heart, lung, and kidney disease, and cancer. The study also investigated the PRO-Pall's potential to ensure further initiatives and care. Methods A national, multicenter, observational study employing a mixed-methods approach. It includes quantitative analysis using an evaluation survey (n = 286) and qualitative analysis from workshops (n = 11). Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Results Quantitative and qualitative data were organized according to 3 a priori-defined themes: Theme 1: Assessment of palliative symptoms, Theme 2: Support for dialogue, and Theme 3: Timely initiation of initiatives and care. The evaluation survey and qualitative interviews with healthcare professionals indicated that it was valuable to use PRO-Pall in a non-specialist palliative context to screen for symptoms and problems, as well as to initiate actions. PRO-Pall helped to structure the dialogue and had a positive effect on the quality of the conversation. Significance of results The findings highlight that it can be valuable to utilize the PRO-Pall in general palliative care settings for patients with heart, lung, or kidney diseases as well as cancer. When implementing PRO-Pall in practice, it is crucial to carefully consider the entire process, from administering the questionnaire to planning initiatives informed by patients' PRO responses.</p