Culturally safe mental healthcare

Cultural safety holds a great opportunity in transforming culturally appropriate healthcare for Aboriginal Australians (Taylor and Guerin, 2010). However the experiences of non- Aboriginal health professionals in providing culturally safe mental healthcare is not well documented. Therefore it is critical that culturally safe care in this setting is explored

Facilitating equity in mental health outcomes for Aboriginal people within mainstream mental health services in Western Australia: A grounded theory study

This study developed a substantive theory that explores the provision of culturally safe care in a mental health setting and identified factors that inhibit or facilitate the experience. 28 mental health professionals working in mainstream mental health settings in Western Australian were interviewed for this study. The basic social psychological problem shared by participants was the experience of being unprepared. To address this, participants engage in a basic social psychological process of “seeking solutions by navigating the labyrinth”. The findings of this study have implications for service providers, clinical practice, policy and planning, research, education and Aboriginal patients and other key stakeholders

Creating simulation activities for undergraduate nursing curricula

Simulation is considered a valuable educational strategy to prepare nursing students for clinical practice and bridge the gap between theory and clinical experience (Unsworth et al. 2012) with Milkins et al. (2014) advocating for the use of simulation in student education to support the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards (NSQHSS) (Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC), 2012)

Hidden and unacknowledged: The mental health and psychosocial interventions delivered by school nurses in Western Australia

Schools are an important setting for the early identification, assessment and intervention of mental health problems in children and young people. Internationally, many nurses work in schools, but the role of this group with young people experiencing mental health problems has had only limited investigation. This study explored the activities school nurses undertook with young people experiencing mental health problems in Australia. Reporting was guided by the COREQ checklist. Thirty-one nurses participated in a semi-structured interview. Data were analysed using the constant comparative method of analysis as developed by Glaser and Strauss (1967). The findings identified that nurses working in schools undertake a complex and sophisticated workload to support this cohort. In addition to assessment and referral for treatment, interventions assisted young people to manage challenging life circumstances, cope with intensely difficult emotions and improve their social and occupational functioning. The work of school nurses with young people experiencing mental health problems is hidden and unacknowledged. A better understanding of the mental health work school nurses undertake can inform enhanced service provision for children, young people and their families. The research findings will be of interest to mental health nurses, education professionals, parents, policy makers and governments

The Impact of Simulation on Graduate Entry Master's Students' Confidence to Provide Safe Patient Care: A Longitudinal Study

Background: Simulation-based education is a valuable learning approach for nursing students, yet there is limited focus or reports on graduate entry master's programs. This study explores the effect of simulation on graduate entry master's students' confidence to provide safe patient care. Methods: This study includes a longitudinal, single-site, cohort design that uses the Health Professional Education in Patient Safety Survey to measure nursing students’ (n = 32) confidence before and after simulation and after clinical practice. Results: Overall confidence increased after simulation but was not always sustained after clinical practice. Conclusions: Simulation-based education can build students’ patient safety confidence; however, the dynamic nature of the clinical setting challenges student confidence

Genomic Analysis of Individual Differences in Ethanol Drinking: Evidence for Non-Genetic Factors in C57BL/6 Mice

Genetic analysis of factors affecting risk to develop excessive ethanol drinking has been extensively studied in humans and animal models for over 20 years. However, little progress has been made in determining molecular mechanisms underlying environmental or non-genetic events contributing to variation in ethanol drinking. Here, we identify persistent and substantial variation in ethanol drinking behavior within an inbred mouse strain and utilize this model to identify gene networks influencing such “non-genetic” variation in ethanol intake. C57BL/6NCrl mice showed persistent inter-individual variation of ethanol intake in a two-bottle choice paradigm over a three-week period, ranging from less than 1 g/kg to over 14 g/kg ethanol in an 18 h interval. Differences in sweet or bitter taste susceptibility or litter effects did not appreciably correlate with ethanol intake variation. Whole genome microarray expression analysis in nucleus accumbens, prefrontal cortex and ventral midbrain region of individual animals identified gene expression patterns correlated with ethanol intake. Results included several gene networks previously implicated in ethanol behaviors, such as glutamate signaling, BDNF and genes involved in synaptic vesicle function. Additionally, genes functioning in epigenetic chromatin or DNA modifications such as acetylation and/or methylation also had expression patterns correlated with ethanol intake. In verification for the significance of the expression findings, we found that a histone deacetylase inhibitor, trichostatin A, caused an increase in 2-bottle ethanol intake. Our results thus implicate specific brain regional gene networks, including chromatin modification factors, as potentially important mechanisms underlying individual variation in ethanol intake