Psychosocial care for persons affected by emergencies and major incidents: a Delphi study to determine the needs of professional first responders for education, training and support

Background The role of ambulance clinicians in providing psychosocial care in major incidents and emergencies is recognised in recent Department of Health guidance. The study described in this paper identified NHS professional first responders’ needs for education about survivors’ psychosocial responses, training in psychosocial skills, and continuing support. Method Ambulance staff participated in an online Delphi questionnaire, comprising 74 items (Round 1) on 7-point Likert scales. Second-round and third-round participants each received feedback based on the previous round, and responded to modified versions of the original items and to new items for clarification. Results One hundred and two participants took part in Round 1; 47 statements (64%) achieved consensus. In Round 2, 72 people from Round 1 participated; 15 out of 39 statements (38%) achieved consensus. In Round 3, 49 people from Round 2 participated; 15 out of 27 statements (59%) achieved consensus. Overall, there was consensus in the following areas: ‘psychosocial needs of patients’ (consensus in 34/37 items); ‘possible sources of stress in your work’ (8/9); ‘impacts of distress in your work’ (7/10); ‘meeting your own emotional needs’ (4/5); ‘support within your organisation’ (2/5); ‘needs for training in psychosocial skills for patients’ (15/15); ‘my needs for psychosocial training and support’ (5/6). Conclusions Ambulance clinicians recognise their own education needs and the importance of their being offered psychosocial training and support. The authors recommend that, in order to meet patients’ psychosocial needs effectively, ambulance clinicians are provided with education and training in a number of skills and their own psychosocial support should be enhanced

Schools Under the Microscope: Children measuring airborne microplastics in the classroom - Final Report

Schools Under the Microscope was a citizen science project which extended the learning and development undertaken during the HOMEs Under the Microscope project by applying and adapting methods developed during HOMEs to the school context, to facilitate citizen and child-led research. Using learnings from HOMEs, the project team developed education resources which were piloted in one primary school in Bristol within underrepresented communities/low socioeconomic demographic groups. The project ran July 2023-June 2024 and engaged with:•90 Year 6 schoolchildren (aged 10-11)•three teachers•five parents. Teachers co-created resources while children measured airborne microfibres in schools and facilitated intergenerational participation with caregivers. This led to the development and sharing of new knowledge within this emerging field. Main finding and outcomes:•It was the first experience of citizen science for all the participants.•School children and teachers enjoyed the activities and expressed interest in taking part in future citizen science projects. •Children reported enjoyment at contributing to ‘real science’.•The project helped raise awareness of citizen science and what a scientist is and what they do (‘not just potions and making things explode’ as stated by one child).•Overall, the microfibres collection method was successful.•However, some elements of the method work less well, such as the ability and expectation of children to see fibres under the microscope.Future citizen science studies in schools should co-create materials and methods with both teachers and children to ensure there is methodological appropriateness and clear expectations of what the experience and outcomes will be

International Perspectives on Joint Hypermobility: A Synthesis of Current Science to Guide Clinical and Research Directions

There is exponential clinical and research interest in joint hypermobility due to recognition of the complexity of identification, assessment, and its appropriate referral pathways, ultimately impacting management. This state-of-the-science review provides an international, multidisciplinary perspective on the presentation, etiology, and assessment of joint hypermobility, as it presents in those with and without a systemic condition. We synthesize the literature, propose standardizing the use of terminology and outcome measures, and suggest potential management directions. The major topics covered are (i) historical perspectives; (ii) current definitions of hypermobility, laxity, and instability; (iii) inheritance and acquisition of hypermobility; (iv) traditional and novel assessments; (v) strengths and limitations of current assessment tools; (vi) age, sex, and racial considerations; (vii) phenotypic presentations; (viii) generalized hypermobility spectrum disorder and hypermobility Ehlers-Danlos syndrome; and (ix) clinical implications and research directions. A thorough understanding of these topics will equip the reader seeking to manage individuals presenting with joint hypermobility, while mindful of its etiology. Management of generalized joint hypermobility in the context of a complex, multisystem condition will differ from that of acquired hypermobility commonly seen in performing artists, specific athletic populations, posttrauma, and so on. In addition, people with symptomatic hypermobility present predominantly with musculoskeletal symptoms and sometimes systemic symptoms including fatigue, orthostatic intolerance, and gastrointestinal or genitourinary issues. Some also display skeletal deformities, tissue and skin fragility, and structural vascular or cardiac differences, and these warrant further medical follow-up. This comprehensive review on the full spectrum of joint hypermobility will assist clinicians, coaches/sports trainers, educators, and/or researchers in this area

COVID-19 pandemic moral injury in healthcare professionals: a systematic review

Moral injury (MI) refers to psychological distress resulting from witnessing or participating in events which violate an individual's moral code. Originating from military experiences, the phenomenon also has relevance for healthcare professionals dealing with wars, natural disasters and infectious diseases. The deontological basis of medicine prioritises duty to the individual patient over duty to wider society. These values may place healthcare professionals at increased risk of moral injury, particularly in crisis contexts where they may be party to decisions to withdraw or divert care based on resource availability. We conducted a systematic review of medical literature to understand the extent and clinical and socio-demographic correlates of moral injury during the COVID-19 pandemic

Promoting water efficiency and hydrocitizenship in young people’s learning about drought risk in a temperate maritime country

Engaging young citizens with drought risk and positive water behaviours is essential in domestic water demand management within the wider climate crisis. This paper evaluates a new research-informed, picture book—‘DRY: The Diary of a Water Superhero’—that explores UK drought. The book’s development was underpinned by research within the Drought Risk and You (DRY) project. The book’s concept and storyline were co-produced by an interdisciplinary team, including a creative practitioner. This focused on key themes: drought definitions and types; drought myths; adaptation and young people’s (YP) agency. Characters and storyline were co-created to promote YP’s autonomy as change agents, and to encourage intergenerational and community learning. This paper evaluates the book from three perspectives: of YP, trainee teachers (TT) and teachers. Emergent themes are triangulated: drought as a sensitive issue, subject knowledge and changes in behaviour, and YP’s misconceptions about drought and place. TT also contemplated their improved subject knowledge and barriers to engaging with positive water behaviours. Teachers reflected on classroom use of the book, prior experiences about teaching drought, curriculum context and st/age of YP engaged. This paper reflects on how these insights feed into school practice and water industry outreach, in developing effective learning resources that promote a valuing of water, behaviour change and wider hydrocitizenship among YP and their communities

The Butterfly Fauna Of The Italian Maritime Alps:Results Of The «Edit» Project

Bonelli, Simona, Barbero, Francesca, Casacci, Luca Pietro, Cerrato, Cristiana, Balletto, Emilio (2015): The butterfly fauna of the Italian Maritime Alps: results of the EDIT project. Zoosystema 37 (1): 139-167, DOI: 10.5252/z2015n1a6, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5252/z2015n1a

The tree(s) of hope and ambition: An arts-based social science informed, participatory research method to explore children's future hopes, ambitions and support in relation to COVID-19

This paper offers a new child-centred methodology that explores children's visions of their futures, encourages self-reflection and depth and shares children's voices with peers and researchers, as unbrokered as possible. This final stage of a longitudinal, arts-based, social science-informed project was delivered by partnering with schools in socially disadvantaged areas of Bristol, a UK city. Our two-phase activity used a Tree metaphor to explore children's hopes, ambitions and support, looking forward to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis combined multi-disciplinary thematic and visual-narrative analysis, and revealed diversity, intersection and individuality in themes that scaled out from the child and their family over different timescales. Themes included emotion (concerns; empathy), experiences (happenings, resources skills; aspirations) and relationships, linked to their recent experiences of COVID-19 mitigation. The paper reflects critically on children's and researchers' positionality, and the complexities involved in developing research methods that encourage children's autonomy, agency and authenticity