Exploring quality of life, physical and psychosocial morbidity for patients with non-infected wounds: a pilot study

This article reports on the results of a pilot study exploring health-related quality of life and the experience of being resilient in patients who develop acute, non-infected surgical wounds. By investigating this under-researched area of wound management, the project team intended to highlight the aspects of patient empowerment in healing post-surgery, encompassing the physical, social and psychological domains. Participants were recruited from patients who had undergone a surgical procedure resulting in an acute non-infected healing wound, and who met the inclusion criteria of the study. Patients were excluded if they had a chronic wound in addition to their acute surgical wound. Valid scores on the physical health (PCS) and mental health (MCS) domains of the SF-12 could only be obtained from six patients pre-operatively. A further six patients completed the SF12 instrument pre-operatively (five valid sets of scores obtained); these patients did not complete the HADS scale. Paired samples t-tests conducted on patients from whom both pre- and postoperative scores were obtained found no significant difference between pre-operative and postoperative PCS scores (p=0.468) or MCS scores (0.806); or between pre-operative and postoperative scores on the anxiety subscale on the HADS scale (p=0.951) or the depression subscale (p=0.951). However, as a pilot study, the study was not powered to detect significant differences. Higher levels of anxiety were revealed in this pilot study than in the wider population. No differences were observed between pre-operative and postoperative scores for physical and mental wellbeing. The findings, while from a small sample set, indicate anxiety is experienced by people living with a wound, and needs to be a consideration in care management plans to enhance adaptation

A case study of leadership traits of award-winning Missouri elementary principals from 2002 to 2013

"December 2014."Dissertation Supervisor: Dr. Carole Edmonds.Includes vita.The role of the principal has been complex since its origin (Rousmaniere, 2013). The publishing of the National Commission on Excellence in Education's A Nation at Risk in 1983 stated, "principals must play a crucial leadership role in the development of school and community for reform" (Weiss, 1992). Accountability was placed on the principal for the overall effectiveness of their school (Weiss, 1992) in the areas of climate, personnel, curriculum, student achievement, and change agents. Within the next two decades, reform concerning student achievement would continue to have an impact on the role of the principal. The No Child Left Behind Act, signed into law in 2001 (U.S. Department of Education, 2010), ignited school reform efforts for more accountability based upon student achievement. All stakeholders in the educational field were looking at ways to ensure students were achieving by exploring programs and resources to promote student achievement, closing achievement gaps between low socioeconomic schools and higher socioeconomic schools, and paying high costs for these efforts (Barton, 2004; Reeves, 2004; Rothstein, 2004; Whitaker, 2003). The leadership of school buildings, or the principalship, was now more critical than ever to lead through school reform (Kafka, 2009). viii Today, the many demands on educational leaders have evolved into a complex role for the principal position (Kafka, 2009). Defining a leader as successful, by student achievement alone, is not reflective of the traits of successful leaders (Chastain, 2007). Identifying the traits of award-winning leadership at the elementary level provides school leaders and school district administration a guide for selecting the best candidates possible for principal positions (McEwan, 2003). Eight Missouri Distinguished Principals were interviewed, provided documents reflecting their leadership, and took the Leadership Trait Questionnaire (Appendix D; Appendix E) in regards to their leadership traits. The researcher triangulated the data from the pIncludes bibliographical references (pages 132-138)

Evaluating the Trezzo range of static foam surfaces: results of a comparative study

This paper presents analysis from a 6-week prospective product evaluation of the Trezzo range of mattresses, compared to standard foam mattresses, in use on two clinical areas within Pennine Acute NHS Trust. Data were collected via distribution of three questionnaires. A patient experience questionnaire was completed by patients after using their mattress. This questionnaire elicited responses relating to patient comfort, temperature and sleep quality while using the mattress (and cushion if appropriate). The Trezzo mattress was found to be comparable to the standard NHS mattress in these domains. A staff clinical evaluation (patient) questionnaire was completed by nursing staff on behalf of patients in their care at patient admission and discharge. This questionnaire elicited responses relating to patient skin condition, and incidences of pressure ulceration. The Trezzo mattress was found to be comparable to the standard NHS mattress with respect to changes in patient skin condition during hospital stay. A second staff clinical evaluation (mattress) questionnaire was completed by nursing staff, in which the Trezzo mattress was compared against standard mattresses in the domains of aesthetics, ease of use, ergonomics and temperature control; patient moving and handling and mattress stability; and cleaning and sodium hypochlorite use. The Trezzo mattress scored substantively higher than the standard mattress on all of these domains; with differences being statistically significant in all cases

The fabric of a career in mental health nursing from an Australian and UK perspective

As the prevalence of mental illness increases globally, Australia and the United Kingdom (UK) share concerns regarding the recruitment and retention of nurses to the field of mental health care. The level of preparedness of nurses is thought to have a bearing on recruitment and retention in mental health nursing practice. This study sought to uncover what Australian and UK undergraduate students perceived as motivational in choosing a career in, and being prepared for, working in mental health settings. METHOD This study employed mixed methods, using a questionnaire comprising of both quantitative and qualitative questions. Quantitative data was analysed using SPSS (V.16.0) and content analysis was undertaken for analysing the qualitative data. FINDINGS Following ethical approval, data was collected from, four universities in Australia and two in the UK. A total of 447 undergraduate nursing and midwifery students, who had completed a mental health placement, completed the questionnaire. Findings revealed that motivational factors influencing their interest in mental health nursing were clinical experience (49.7%), personal/life experiences (42.9%) and the role of the lecturer (23%). However, 47.7% of all participants had some previous experience of mental illness, with only 18.4% having had work experience in the field prior to starting their course. IMPLICATIONS This study adds to extant knowledge of what encourages people to choose a career trajectory in mental health nursing and what could be harnessed with regard to retention. The knowledge gained from these findings is useful in informing recruitment processes and can also inform curriculum

Scalable Substrate Development for Aqueous Biological Samples for Atom Probe Tomography

Reliable and consistent preparation of atom probe tomography (APT) specimens from aqueous and hydrated biological specimens remains a significant challenge. One particularly difficult process step is the use of a focused ion beam (FIB) instrument for preparing the required needle-shaped specimen, typically involving a "lift-out" procedure of a small sample of material. Here, two alternative substrate designs are introduced that enable using FIB only for sharpening, along with example APT datasets. The first design is a laser-cut FIB-style half-grid close to those used for transmission-electron microscopy, that can be used in a grid holder compatible with APT pucks. The second design is a larger, standalone self-supporting substrate called a "crown", with several specimen positions that self-aligns in APT pucks, prepared by electrical discharge machining (EDM). Both designs are made nanoporous, to provide strength to the liquid-substrate interface, using chemical and vacuum dealloying. We select alpha brass a simple, widely available, lower-cost alternative to previously proposed substrates. We present the resulting designs, APT data, and provide suggestions to help drive wider community adoption

General Hospital Health Professionals' Attitudes and Perceived Dangerousness Towards Patients with co-Morbid Mental and Physical Health Conditions: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The stigmatisation of mental health is present in general hospital settings impacting quality of care. We hypothesised that health professionals in these areas would elicit negative attitudes and a perceived level of dangerousness across a range of mental health disorders. We aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine these attitudes and perceptions. We searched the bibliographic databases of CINAHL Complete, MEDLINE Complete, PsycINFO and Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection in May 2017 (no date parameters were set). Quantitative studies investigating generalist health professionals’ attitudes towards mental health conditions were selected. Initially prevalence meta-analyses were conducted to assess the extent of perceived danger, followed by a series of comparative meta-analyses in which the perceived dangerousness of mental health conditions were compared. Of the 653 citations retrieved, eight studies met the inclusion criteria. The overall sample included 2548 health professionals. A majority of health professionals perceived patients with substance use disorder as dangerous 0.60 (95% CI: 0.32 to 0.88) when compared with patients who had an alcohol-related disorder, schizophrenia and depression. The results also indicated that a large proportion of staff perceived patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia as dangerous 0.42 (95% CI: 0.33 to 0.52). Negative attitudes towards people experiencing mental illness in general hospital settings may be attributed to poor mental health literacy, skills and limited exposure, and social and cultural beliefs about mental illness. Ongoing professional development targeting mental health knowledge is recommended for health professionals working in general hospital settings