Exploring perceptions of interprofessional collaboration in child mental health care

PURPOSE: This paper proposes a tentative theoretical model (PINCOM) and a measure of mental health and school professionals' perception of interprofessional collaboration (IPC). THEORY: The model is based on twelve constructs derived from a pilot study, organizational and social psychology. The main aim of the model is to capture central aspects of IPC. METHOD: A forty-eight item self-report questionnaire (PINCOM-Q) was designed to explore professionals' perceptions of IPC. The sample (n=134) included professionals who worked in primary care, specialist services and in elementary schools. Exploratory factor analyses and reliability testing were conducted to reduce the large number of variables in the questionnaire. RESULTS: Results indicate that central aspects of IPC in the context of service delivery and case work are: interprofessional climate, organizational culture, organizational aims, professional power, group leadership and motivation. CONCLUSION: Preliminary empirical testing of the questionnaire demonstrated that it is possible to measure perceptions of IPC, with reasonable levels of construct validity and reliability. DISCUSSION: Further, revision of the questionnaire is discussed to make it fit for use in large scale studies with the purpose of enhancing (a) the validity of the PINCOM model, and (b) the quality of mental health services that are based on IPC

From outcrop to Ground Penetrating Radar images with Point-Spread Function based convolution modelling

Postponed access: the file will be accessible after 2022-01-15Masteroppgave i geovitenskapGEOV399MAMN-GEO

Is There an Ideal Model for Effective Stormwater Management in Norway?

Climate changes in Norway deals with increased amount of precipitation and an elevation of temperature. Increased urbanization with more dense surfaces provides even more flooding risks, which is and has been the reality many places for some years now (Hanssen-Bauer, I. et al 2015). Use of stormwater as a resource was the main topic in Norsk Vann rapport 162/2008. (Lindholm et.al.2008), made as a guideline for climate adapted stormwater management in Norway. The report addresses water engineers, planners and landscape architects working to solve the increased amount of stormwater due to climate changes. Additional water management has to provide values to the environment, such as aesthetics, experience, recreational and social values related to the total entity. We need to know how the practical work is performed. Is there an ideal method for stormwater management, a kind of best practice model that is possible to identify? How are the interdisciplinarity challenges solved? This paper is based on an ongoing research project funded by the Norwegian Research Council and Asplan Viak AS. It is named in English “Stormwater as a resource. Increased use of stormwater as environmentally creating element in urban areas”, led by Asplan Viak AS in Norway (Vasseljen et al., in progress). Through evaluation of case studies of ten different stormwater management projects in two major cities in Norway, Oslo and Trondheim, we got some interesting findings during our evaluations. The six Oslo cases are discussed and evaluated here. Stormwater will in this study, embrace both rainwater and surface water in urban reopening projects of creeks and small rivers much influenced by heavy rain events, since they are so closely connected

The Choice of Entry Mode for Successful Business in an Emerging Market : Norwegian Business Operations in Indonesia

Master thesis Business Administration - University of Agder 2016The main topic for this master thesis is the choice of entry mode for successful business in emerging markets, with a focus on Norwegian companies in the Indonesian market. The problem statement of the thesis is as follows: What are the main factors affecting the choice of entry mode for Norwegian companies in the Indonesian market? Several studies on the choice of entry modes have previously been conducted. However, a study of factors that impact the decision making of Norwegian companies entering the Indonesian market have not previously been done. The main objective for this thesis was therefore to provide a deeper insight into the establishment of Norwegian business operations in the Indonesian market. The findings of the thesis should consequently be of interest to Norwegian companies aspiring to establish themselves in Indonesia, as well as for companies that already have a presence there. The research method for the thesis is a qualitative case study, based on a sample of six Norwegian companies currently engaged in the Indonesian market. The main sources of data collection consisted of interviews with people in managerial positions in each company, content analysis, and the researcher’s personal observations from time spent in Indonesia. One of the main findings was that local partnerships were preferred by most of the companies, irrespective of company size, sector and international experience. A high level of management control was also found to be important, and many of the companies therefore preferred high-control entry modes. The majority of the companies stated a high level of perceived cultural distance between Indonesia and Norway, and high levels of perceived risk regarding their operations there. Corruption, lack of trust, irregular import quotas, and a complex bureaucracy were some of the main sources of this perceived risk. Company size and level of resource commitment also seemed to play a major role in the choice of entry mode. Small, low resource commitment-companies often preferred more flexible, contractual entry modes, such as exporting and licensing, while large, high resource commitment-companies preferred direct entry modes such as joint ventures and wholly owned subsidiaries. Additionally, Indonesian rule of law was found to have an impact on the choice of entry mode, with special directives for foreign direct investments, IV differences regarding sector regulations, and rules for the acquiring of licenses and permits. Conclusively, the key factor for successful business in Indonesia was found to reside in the creation of strong, personal relationships with local stakeholders and partners, basing decisions on knowledge and understanding rather than on assumptions

Interprofessional collaboration concerning persons in transition between mental health and criminal justice services : PINCOM used as a framework for HCR-20V3 assessment

This chapter provides a novel framework for risk assessment and management by combining the Perception of Interprofessional Collaboration Model (PINCOM) and Historical-Clinical-Risk Management-20, Version 3 (HCR-20V3). PINCOM was developed to identify central aspects of interprofessional collaboration, whereas HCR-20V3 is the most used instrument in risk assessment of violence worldwide. The main scope of this chapter is to introduce and discuss the feasibility of combining the two tools to enhance collaboration between service providers in the mental health and criminal justice systems. First, we describe the HCR-20V3 and suggest how parts of it can be jointly used as a tool for concrete collaboration in the practice field. Next, we present the PINCOM tool, containing a conceptual model (PINCOM) and a research methodology (PINCOM-Q). It is suggested that the HCR-20V3 serves as a meeting point between different professionals for being concrete in joint casework. PINCOM can then be used within a larger social innovation framework and as a reflective tool during or after this structured professional assessment and acting as a catalyser for constructive collaboration.publishedVersio

Work rhythm, flow and success in a project : a case study research

Organisations and individuals are shaped and influenced by their environment and interaction with others in a conscious or unconscious manner. Due to increased competitiveness, organisations need to be aware of elements in their environment and how these can affect operations and outcomes. Rhythms in organisations and the employee’s work rhythms are considered to influence flow and the achieved level of success in organisations. This thesis aims to investigate factors setting the work rhythms for organisations and individuals, and to study whether work rhythms influence flow and level of success. Our research question was: “What factors sets the work rhythm and how does the work rhythm influence flow and level of success?” The theoretical foundation that was used to approach this research question, were various terminologies within the field of rhythm, flow and success. Thereafter, a case study was conducted to gain a deeper understanding of the phenomenon. This study is based on interviews with workers in “Nor-Oil”, an organisation working within the petroleum industry. Nor-Oil was responsible for one part of the project studied in this case, project Alpha. Nor-Oil had many challenges during this project, where some of these were considered to influence rhythm and flow of the workers and the level of success. Through this study, we found that the main internal factors setting the work rhythm were: insufficient planning in project organisation, no clear and realistic schedules, contract workers, structured and informative handover meetings and unstructured and inefficient project meetings, in addition to the external factor Acknowledgement of Compliance. In project Alpha, we found that the good temperamental job-fit of the workers was most likely a factor influencing the work rhythm in a positive way. The experience of flow was present for some of the workers, but it become clear that it was a highly individual factor. From this we can state that flow is not a prerequisite for gaining success. Project Alpha maintained the quality of work and was completed within the final deadline, while costs were understood as non-relevant factor for the level of success of project Alpha. From this we can state that factors setting the work rhythm can have an influence on flow, however flow is not a prerequisite for success. However, other success factors can also determine the level of success for project Alpha. One of these is the end-user, since the end-user appeared to be satisfied with the product. Based on our findings, we suggest some improvements for future projects. We believe these factors will increase work rhythm and flow in similar projects. These are the following: • Having a clear and updated organisational matrix • Distributing information to the right people • Prioritising efficient meetings

Developing a training program for collaborative practices between criminal justice and mental health services : the gap between intentions and reality

The main aim of the present chapter is to contribute to an elaboration of central issues and possibilities for developing a training programme to improve collaboration between the criminal justice system (CJS) and mental health services (MHS). A theoretical framework rooted in social innovation (SI) and communities of practice is used to reflect upon the gap between initial plans and real time practice and the learning that took place. Three episodes from the EU funded project named COLAB are presented and analysed.publishedVersio

Core competences : a mixed methods study of biomedical laboratory scientists in Norway

Background: This study describes how a sample of Norwegian biomedical laboratory scientists perceive their profession's core competences. Method: An explorative sequential mixed method was conducted based on two rounds of data collection and includes qualitative and quantitative data. In a pilot study, seven biomedical laboratory scientists, from a middle-sized and a smaller hospital, contributed in a qualitative research interview. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed. In a main study, a questionnaire containing 36 statements was developed to investigate the biomedical laboratory scientists’ perceptions of their core competences. The questionnaire was forwarded to a random selection of 2000 biomedical laboratory scientists. A total of 587 respondents completed the questionnaire, giving a response rate of 29.3 per cent. Results and conclusion: The results of the interviews showed that biomedical laboratory scientists perceived their core competences as basically related to analyses and the quality of biomedical laboratory work. The data analysis of the responses from the survey revealed seven factors describing core competences in biomedical laboratory processes. The factors include pre-analytic, analytic and post-analytic competence, in addition to co-mentoring skills and collaborative competence. Keywords: quality, analysis, core competence, biomedical laboratory scientist, collaborative competenceacceptedVersio

Collaborative practices between correctional and mental health services in Norway: expanding the roles and responsibility competence domain.

Internationally, mental illness is high in prison populations. Collaboration between the correctional services (CS) and mental health services (MHS) is required to address this. Little is known of the collaborative processes in this context, however. This paper presents the findings of a study exploring the characteristics of collaborative practices between the MHS and CS in a Norwegian context. A purposeful sample (n=12) of MHS and CS leaders was recruited from one region in Norway. Taking a generic qualitative approach, semistructured interviews with each participant explored specific structures that promoted collaboration, the nature of collaborative relationships and factors that facilitated or constrained these. The study indicated that leader are exercised by one dimension of collaborative practice in particular, namely the distribution of responsibility for the care of the offender across systems. This activity is mediated by highly complex external structures as well as the individual characteristics of the professionals involved. They speculate that professionals and organisations who fail to take responsibility for the offender as expected, may be constrained from doing so by resource limitations, logistical issues and poor attitudes towards the offender population. Based on these findings, this study suggests that the MHS and CS workforce would benefit from a great knowledgeability of the roles and responsibility domains of collaborative practice. Improving competence in the workforce in this area would achieve this. However, competency frameworks that address this domain are currently limited. Recommendations on how to extend the remit of this domain, in light of the current findings, are provided

Improving collaboration between professionals supporting mentally ill offenders

Purpose Interprofessional collaboration is necessary when supporting mentally ill offenders but little is understood of these interactions. This paper explores prison officers’ perceptions of current and desirable levels of interprofessional collaboration (relational coordination – RC) to understand how collaboration between these systems can be improved. Design/methodology/approach Gittell’s RC scale was administered to prison officers within the Norwegian prison system (n=160) using an adaptation of the instrument in which actual and desired levels of RC are evaluated. This differentiates between prison officers’ expectations of optimum levels of collaboration with other professional groups, dependent on the role function and codependence, versus actual levels of collaboration. Findings Prison officers reported different RC levels across professional groups, the lowest being with specialist mental health staff and prison doctors and highest with nurses, social workers and other prison officers. Significant differences between desired and actual RC levels suggest expertise of primary care staff is insufficient, as prison officers request much greater contact with mental health specialists when dealing with the mentally ill offender. Originality/value The paper contributes to limited literature on collaborative practice between prison and health care professionals. It questions the advisability of enforcing care pathways that promote the lowest level of effective care in the prison system and suggest ways in which mental health specialists might be better integrated into the prison system. It contributes to the continued debate on how mental health services should be integrated into the prison system, suggesting that the current import model used in Norway and other countries, may not be conducive to generating the close professional relationships required between mental health and prison staff.submittedVersio