William Peter Andrews, Andrew Alexander Parsons, Heather Rawle and Julie Gibbs
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the treatment effects of Quest cognitive hypnotherapy (QCH) on anxiety and depression, and make comparisons with published data from…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the treatment effects of Quest cognitive hypnotherapy (QCH) on anxiety and depression, and make comparisons with published data from the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) project.
Design/methodology/approach
Adult clients of QCH therapists were invited to enrol in a Practice Research Network (PRN) and completed pre- and post-therapy measures of anxiety (GAD-7) and depression (PHQ-9).
Findings
Post-treatment scores were available for 83 of the 106 clients reaching caseness (above the clinical cut-off on either or both measures) on their pre-treatment scores. Totally, 59 clients had moved to recovery, representing 71 per cent of cases where post scores were available and 56 per cent of the intent to treat (ITT) population (106 clients). Additionally, including all cases (both above and below cut-offs) 118 clients had post-treatment measures. In total, 86 (73 per cent) clients improved reliably. The mean number of treatment sessions was between three and four. This compares favourably with 2012-2013 IAPT findings using the same measures.
Research limitations/implications
This study was exploratory involving a client group paying privately for treatment. There was no randomised control group or attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of specific components of therapy.
Practical implications
QCH may offer a brief effective treatment for clients with clinically significant levels of anxiety and/or depression, widening client choice.
Originality/value
As the first study to explore the effectiveness of private QCH this study offers an example of how to use a PRN to compare with published IAPT data using the same measurement tools.
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Judith Donoghue, Jenny Graham, Suzanne Mitten‐Lewis, Moira Murphy and Julie Gibbs
Falls are the most frequently reported adverse event in hospitalised patients and carry a risk of great harm for the frail elderly. This intervention aimed to prevent high‐risk…
Abstract
Purpose
Falls are the most frequently reported adverse event in hospitalised patients and carry a risk of great harm for the frail elderly. This intervention aimed to prevent high‐risk in‐patients on an acute aged care ward from falling.
Design/methodology/approach
Patients assessed at high falls risk were accommodated in a room staffed by volunteer companion‐observers. The volunteers engaged them in conversation, played cards, opened meals and used the call bell to summon nurses if patients attempted to move from the bed or chair without assistance. Because of occupational health and safety considerations, the volunteers did not assist patients to ambulate.
Findings
The falls rate in the acute aged care ward decreased by 44 percent (p<0.000). No patients fell in the observation room when volunteers were present. Relatives of participating in‐patients expressed appreciation of the volunteer role, in terms of increased safety and also companionship. Volunteers exercised initiative in determining their pattern of work and developing resources to support their role.
Research limitations/implications
Because volunteers are not present around the clock, other strategies are needed to prevent wandering, frequently confused older in‐patients from falling during the night.
Practical implications
In a context where frail elderly patients need constant supervision, using volunteers is a reasonable strategy.
Originality/value
This intervention used an inexpensive, human resources‐based approach to significantly reduce the incidence of falls in the population at highest risk of falling. The additional benefits to patients in terms of cognitive improvement bear further investigation.
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Judith Donoghue, Jenny Graham, Julie Gibbs, Suzanne Mitten‐Lewis and Nicole Blay
Falls are a significant burden on the Australian health care budget and can result in loss of personal independence, injury or death. A sustained high rate of inpatient falls in a…
Abstract
Falls are a significant burden on the Australian health care budget and can result in loss of personal independence, injury or death. A sustained high rate of inpatient falls in a 550‐bed acute care hospital has made it imperative for nurses to identify patients at highest risk, in order to implement preventive interventions. This study examined the prevalence of “intrinsic high risk” characteristics identified by the literature in people who fell during hospitalisation, to confirm the validity of these predictors in detecting risk. Over ten weeks 91 inpatients fell (total 118 falls) and were assessed for intrinsic risk factors. Most prevalent was impaired ambulatory status resulting in balance instability. Other high prevalence factors included cognitive impairment and age > 75. Commonly cited factors, such as urinary or faecal incontinence, medications and history of prior falls, were found less frequently. No significant differences in risk factors by gender were identified.
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Judith Franzak, Koomi Kim and Mary Fahrenbruck
Our purpose is to examine the outcomes of using video as a reflection tool in peer-to-peer coaching with rural teachers as part of a literacy coaching professional development…
Abstract
Purpose
Our purpose is to examine the outcomes of using video as a reflection tool in peer-to-peer coaching with rural teachers as part of a literacy coaching professional development project.
Methodology/approach
This qualitative case study presents findings from a professional development project serving rural educators interested in becoming literacy coaches. Using a peer coaching model, literacy coaching participants video recorded two literacy coaching cycles capturing pre-conferencing, lesson modeling, and post-conferencing. Reflection was facilitated through face-to-face discussion and online technologies (discussion forums and e-mail).
Findings
Face-to-face sessions were integral in fostering participant reflection. Technology challenges impacted the extent to which participants engaged in and valued video as a reflection tool. Participants repurposed video reflection for self-identified professional and pedagogical purposes.
Practical implications
Video reflection can be used as a part of multimodal set of tools to collaborate with teachers. Face-to-face interaction is important in supporting rural teachers’ use of video reflection. Teacher educators generally need more on-site authentic involvement to gain emic perspectives when working with the rural sites in order for the video tasks to be more effective and meaningful for the teachers. Repurposing video reflection can be an expression of agency in meeting teacher needs.
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The purpose of this paper is to present and explore the findings of part of the author’s research study, an aim of which is to illuminate factors at policy, practice and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present and explore the findings of part of the author’s research study, an aim of which is to illuminate factors at policy, practice and procedural levels that contribute to the criminalisation of children in residential care in England.
Design/methodology/approach
This study utilises semi-structured interviews with children, young people, and professional adults in the care system.
Findings
Through analysis of the semi-structured interviews, the paper highlights how “system abuse” can contribute to poor outcomes, including involvement with the youth justice system.
Originality/value
The paper concludes by arguing that in order to successfully decrease criminalisation, it is necessary to employ an approach which, while acknowledging individual culpability, both recognises and focuses on the contribution of wider systemic failings.
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Pamela R. Johnson and Julie Indvik
In decades past, workers were, in effect, told to leave their emotions at home and most complied. No more. A person with high emotional intelligence (EI) has the ability to…
Abstract
In decades past, workers were, in effect, told to leave their emotions at home and most complied. No more. A person with high emotional intelligence (EI) has the ability to understand and relate to people. In fact, this skill is now considered to have greater impact on individual and group performance than traditional measures of intelligence such as IQ. When emotional intelligence is present, there is increased employee cooperation, increased motivation, increased productivity, and increased profits. However, emotional intelligence is lacking in the US workplace. This lack is clearly chronicled in the comic strip, Dilbert, where Scott Adams, the creator, lampoons what occurs in the workplace: vapid corporate‐speak with no guts and no emotionally‐honest message. This article defines emotional intelligence, describes how the comic strip, Dilbert, daily depicts situations where emotional intelligence is lacking, and discusses the organizational benefits of having emotionally intelligent managers and employees.
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This chapter studies the negative signals associated with nonpromotion. I first show theoretically that, when workers' productivity rises little with additional years on the same…
Abstract
This chapter studies the negative signals associated with nonpromotion. I first show theoretically that, when workers' productivity rises little with additional years on the same job level, the negative signal associated with nonpromotion leads to wage decreases. On the other hand, when additional job-level tenure leads to a sizable increase in productivity, workers' wages increase. I then test my model's predictions using the personnel records from a large US firm from 1970–1988. I find a clear hump-shaped wage-job-tenure profile for workers who stay at the same job level, which supports my model's prediction.
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Sarah Jane Flaherty, Mary McCarthy, Alan M. Collins, Claire McCafferty and Fionnuala M. McAuliffe
Health apps offer a potential approach to support healthier food behaviours but a lack of sufficient engagement may limit effectiveness. This study aims to use a user engagement…
Abstract
Purpose
Health apps offer a potential approach to support healthier food behaviours but a lack of sufficient engagement may limit effectiveness. This study aims to use a user engagement theoretical lens to examine the factors that influence app engagement over time and may prompt disengagement.
Design/methodology/approach
A phenomenological exploration of the lived experience was used. Women from a lower socioeconomic background (based on the occupation and employment status of the household’s primary income earner) were randomly assigned to use one of two apps for a minimum of eight weeks. Multiple data collection methods, including accompanied shops, researcher observations, interviews, participant reflective accounts and questionnaires, were used at different time-points to examine engagement. Theoretical thematic analysis was conducted to explore the engagement experience and relevant social, personal and environmental influences.
Findings
Healthy food involvement appears to drive app engagement. Changes in situational involvement may contribute to fluctuation in engagement intensity over time as the saliency of personal goals change. Negatively valenced engagement dimensions may contribute to the overall expression of engagement. A lack of congruency with personal goals or an imbalance between perceived personal investment and value was expressed as the primary reasons for disengagement.
Research limitations/implications
Situational involvement may act as a trigger of different engagement phases. There is a need to better distinguish between enduring and situational involvement in engagement research.
Practical implications
Individual characteristics may shape engagement and propensity for disengagement, which highlights the practical importance of incorporating tailored features into app design.
Originality/value
Findings broaden the current conceptualisation of engagement within the digital space and prompt a reconsideration of the role of situational involvement and negatively valenced dimensions throughout the engagement process.