List of Titles

Effective long-term management of brachial plexus injury following surgery: what is needed from hand therapists’ perspectives

- Brito, Sara, White, Jennifer, Hill, Bridget, Thomacos, Nikos

Authors: Brito, Sara , White, Jennifer , Hill, Bridget , Thomacos, Nikos
Date: 2022
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Journal of Hand Therapy Vol. 35, no. 2 (2022), p. 267-274
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Description: •Given the long-term recovery following BPI, consideration should be given to relevance of slow stream rehab and interdisciplinary care.•Consider upskilling or an interdisciplinary care model to assist hand therapists and the provision of pain management and psychological support.•Increased dissemination of resources to support hand therapists working with individuals following BPI and enhanced communication opportunities to develop networks both nationally and internationally. Traumatic, brachial plexus injuries (BPI) result represent a significant cost to the individual and society. Recovery involves multiple surgeries, takes years, and often results in permanent physical dysfunction. While the last couple of decades have seen advancements in surgical management, the BPI rehabilitation literature has not kept pace with these developments. We aim to explore the experience of public and privately employed hand therapists’ in delivering effective long-term rehabilitation services to inviduals with BPI in Australia. An interpretative qualitative study. Two focus groups were conducted with Australian hand therapists’ (n = 10). Data were analyzed using an inductive thematic approach. Three key themes were generated from the data. The first theme ‘Falling through the gaps: overlooked components of therapy for BPI’ captures participants’ thoughts on postinjury health care and rehabilitation services. The second ‘Developing a therapeutic alliance: underpinned by time and trust’ relates to the relationship building challenges and opportunities following trauma that will withstand the long-term recovery of individuals following BPI. The last theme, ‘Factors required for professional development: knowledge and support,’ considers the variation seen with these clients in relation to therapy needs and outcomes. The findings of this study highlight the need to better equip hand therapists’ skills and knowledge in responding to pain and psychological management post BPI. Our results reinforce the benefit of interdisciplinary models of care in the management of individuals with BPI.

The perspectives of Australian midwifery academics on barriers and enablers for simulation in midwifery education in Australia: a focus group study

- Fox-Young, Stephanie, Brady, Susannah, Brealy, W, Cooper, Simon J., McKenna, Lisa, Hall, Helen, Bogossian, Fiona

Authors: Fox-Young, Stephanie , Brady, Susannah , Brealy, W , Cooper, Simon J. , McKenna, Lisa , Hall, Helen , Bogossian, Fiona
Date: 2012
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Midwifery Vol. 28, no. 4 (2012), p. 435-441
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Description: Objective: To describe Australian midwifery academics' perceptions of the current barriers and enablers for simulation in midwifery education in Australia and the potential and resources required for simulation to be increased. Design: A series of 11 focus groups/interviews were held in all states and territories of Australia with 46 participating academics nominated by their heads of discipline from universities across the country. Findings: Three themes were identified relating to barriers to the extension of the use of simulated learning environments (SLEs) ('there are things that you can't simulate'; 'not having the appropriate resources'; and professional accreditation requirements) and three themes were identified to facilitate SLE use ('for the bits that you're not likely to see very often in clinical'; ['for students] to figure something out before [they] get to go out there and do it on the real person'; and good resources and support). Key conclusion: Although barriers exist to the adoption and spread of simulated learning in midwifery, there is a long history of simulation and a great willingness to enhance its use among midwifery academics in Australia. Implications for practice: While some aspects of midwifery practice may be impossible to simulate, more collaboration and sharing in the development and use of simulation scenarios, equipment, space and other physical and personnel resources would make the uptake of simulation in midwifery education more widespread. Students would therefore be exposed to the best available preparation for clinical practice contributing to the safety and quality of midwifery care.

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Lifting student engagement in marketing classes

- Errey, Robert

Authors: Errey, Robert
Date: 2007
Type: Text , Conference paper
Relation: Paper presented at Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy (ANZMAC) Conference 2007 : 3Rs - Reputation, Responsibility & Relevance, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand : 3rd-5th December 2007 p. 3235-3240
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Description: High levels of student engagement have been linked with better student learning outcomes, such as the quality of their output. With marketing students accounting for a high percentage of business school undergraduates, it is important that the level of engagement is determined and drivers of engagement identified. Marketing has traditionally been delivered in a teachercentric model, as opposed to a student-centric model which better encourages independent learning. Important aspects of the latter model are interactivity, active and collaborative learning, and enriching educational experiences. The author conducted focus groups with business students, and preliminary findings reveal that the instructor’s approach and the nature of the assignments do affect student engagement. A preliminary model of student engagement is proposed which will be tested in the quantitative research phase.
Description: 2003005151

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Cognitive behaviour therapy for insomnia and depression : qualitative reflections from older adults who participated in a randomised controlled trial

- Sadler, Paul, McLaren, Suzanne, Klein, Britt, Jenkins, Megan

Authors: Sadler, Paul , McLaren, Suzanne , Klein, Britt , Jenkins, Megan
Date: 2020
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Aging and Mental Health Vol. 24, no. 6 (2020), p. 932-938
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Description: Objectives: To explore the experiences of older adults who participated in a randomised controlled trial (RCT) that tested cognitive behaviour therapy for insomnia and depression. Methods: Focus groups were conducted post treatment for older adults (M age = 75 years; 61% female) who participated in a RCT that tested two experiential interventions targeting comorbid insomnia and depression (cognitive behaviour therapy for insomnia, CBT-I; cognitive behaviour therapy for insomnia plus positive mood strategies, CBT-I+). Six semi-structured focus group interviews (N = 31) were analysed using a qualitative thematic analysis. Results: Interview data were transcribed into 424 sentences and 60 codes were extracted. Thirty-four initial themes emerged, which were transformed into 3 themes and 10 subthemes. The three primary themes were (1) positive experiences, (2) negative experiences, and (3) suggested modifications. The positive subthemes were (1a) therapists, (1b) togetherness, (1c) use of strategies reduced symptoms, and (1d) acceptance. The negative subthemes were (2a) persistent symptoms, (2b) program too condensed, and (2c) attendance obstacles. The suggested modifications were (3a) lengthen program, (3b) multi-dimensional learning, and (3c) multi-modal delivery options. Conclusion: The experiences and suggestions identified in this study strengthen the foundation to advance therapeutic program development for older adults with comorbid insomnia and depression. Future CBT-I programs for older adults may be improved by increasing the length of therapy (e.g. 8 sessions to 12 sessions), adding multi-dimensional learning opportunities (e.g. visual/audio/mentorship), and offering various modes of treatment delivery (e.g. group, individual, internet, telephone). © 2019, © 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Description: Federation University Australia and the Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship

Consumer participation in acute care settings : An Australian experience

- Wellard, Sally, Lillibridge, Jennifer, Beanland, Chris, Lewis, Michele

Authors: Wellard, Sally , Lillibridge, Jennifer , Beanland, Chris , Lewis, Michele
Date: 2003
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: International journal of nursing practice Vol. 9, no. 4 (2003), p. 255-260
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Description: Consumer partnerships have been embraced as an important component of building high quality health care services. While nurses have the greatest contact with clients in hospital, little is known of their views about consumer participation or how they facilitate that participation at the bedside. Using focus group interviews and participant observation methods, this project explored nurses' approaches to working with consumers to support their participation in health care delivery. Findings indicate a sharp contrast between the ideas that nurses expressed and the actions observed in practice. It was clear from the interviews that nurses had adopted the rhetoric surrounding consumer participation, yet observational data revealed nursing practices that excluded active participation by consumers. Factors influencing nurses' facilitation of consumer participation were identified as the division of nursing labour in the setting, limited communication between nurses and patients and environmental constraints.
Description: C1
Description: 2003000409

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Engaging students in marketing classes

- Errey, Robert

Authors: Errey, Robert
Date: 2008
Type: Text , Conference paper
Relation: Paper presented at 32nd Annual Conference of the Marketing Educators' Association, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA : 24th-26th April 2008 p. 65-70
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Description: High levels of student engagement have been linked with better student learning outcomes, such as the quality of their output. Marketing has traditionally been delivered in a teacher-centric model, as opposed to a student-centric model which better encourages independent learning. Important aspects of the latter model are interactivity, active and collaborative learning, and enriching educational experiences. The author has experimented with various aspects of his marketing classes and combined student feedback with findings from focus groups conducted with business students to derive a preliminary model of student engagement. The model was tested via quantitative research and initial analysis reveals tentative support for directly linking elements in the Lecturer’s Approach and Learning Support to the level of student engagement.
Description: 2003006236

Implementing an intervention to promote normal labour and birth : A study of clinicians' perceptions

- Shee, Anna, Nagle, Cate, Corboy, Denise, Versace, Vincent, Robertson, Carolyn, Frawley, Natasha, McKenzie, AnneMarie, Lodge, Julie

Authors: Shee, Anna , Nagle, Cate , Corboy, Denise , Versace, Vincent , Robertson, Carolyn , Frawley, Natasha , McKenzie, AnneMarie , Lodge, Julie
Date: 2019
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Midwifery Vol. 70, no. (2019), p. 46-53
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Description: Objective: Prior to implementation of a Normal Labour and Birth Bundle (NLBB) at a regional maternity service in Victoria, Australia, this study aimed to understand clinician factors that may influence the uptake, acceptance and use of the NLBB. Design: This was a mixed methods study in which The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) provided the framework for the conduct and analysis of the staff survey and focus groups. Descriptive and multiple regression were used to analyse the survey data and thematic analysis was used for the focus group data. Participants: Participants for the survey and focus groups included clinicians providing publicly funded care and management of labour for women birthing at the health service. Maternity care clinicians were invited to participate in both the survey and the focus groups. Findings: Seventy-six clinicians (88.8%) responded to the survey. Mean scores for TPB constructs were well above the mid-scale score of 4, indicating strong positive attitudes, high levels of self-efficacy and positive social pressure to use the NLBB and strong intentions to use it in the future. Self-efficacy was the strongest independent predictor (beta=0.45, p < 0.001) of intention to use the NLBB (overall model R2 = 0.38). A valued consequence of implementing standardised and objective guidelines, highlighted in the focus groups, was the positive impact on clinicians' confidence in their decision-making. Key conclusions: This study found that midwives and obstetricians were in favour of using a normal labour and birth care bundle and perceived the bundle to align with the expectations of work colleagues and the women they care for. The findings of this study show that clinicians at the health service had strong intentions to use the normal labour and birth care bundle in the future. Implications for practice: Implementation science is important in embedding and sustaining practice change. Understanding staff perceptions is an essential first step of this process. (c) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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Work-related factors considered by sickness-absent employees when estimating timeframes for returning to work

- Young, Amanda, Choi, YoonSun

Authors: Young, Amanda , Choi, YoonSun
Date: 2016
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: PLoS One Vol. 11, no. 10 (2016), p. e0163674-e0163674
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Description: Work-related factors have been found to be influential in shaping a number of return-to-work outcomes including return-to-work expectations. Based on the idea that work-related factors have the potential for modification through workplace-based initiatives, this study involved a detailed examination of work-related factors referenced by workers as being taken into consideration when estimating timeframes for returning to work. Focus groups were conducted with 30 employees, currently off work (

How to make mathematics relevant to first-year engineering students: perceptions of students on student-produced resources

- Loch, Birgit, Lamborn, Julia

Authors: Loch, Birgit , Lamborn, Julia
Date: 2016
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: International journal of mathematical education in science and technology Vol. 47, no. 1 (2016), p. 29-44
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Description: Many approaches to make mathematics relevant to first-year engineering students have been described. These include teaching practical engineering applications, or a close collaboration between engineering and mathematics teaching staff on unit design and teaching. In this paper, we report on a novel approach where we gave higher year engineering and multimedia students the task to 'make maths relevant' for first-year students. This approach is novel as we moved away from the traditional thinking that staff should produce these resources to students producing the same. These students have more recently undertaken first-year mathematical study themselves and can also provide a more mature student perspective to the task than first-year students. Two final-year engineering students and three final-year multimedia students worked on this project over the Australian summer term and produced two animated videos showing where concepts taught in first-year mathematics are applied by professional engineers. It is this student perspective on how to make mathematics relevant to first-year students that we investigate in this paper. We analyse interviews with higher year students as well as focus groups with first-year students who had been shown the videos in class, with a focus on answering the following three research questions: (1) How would students demonstrate the relevance of mathematics in engineering? (2) What are first-year students' views on the resources produced for them? (3) Who should produce resources to demonstrate the relevance of mathematics? There seemed to be some disagreement between first- and final-year students as to how the importance of mathematics should be demonstrated in a video. We therefore argue that it should ideally be a collaboration between higher year students and first-year students, with advice from lecturers, to produce such resources.

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