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Methods Design (methods + design)
Kinds of Methods Design Selected AbstractsInterprofessional education: the interface of nursing and social workJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 1-2 2010Engle Angela Chan Aims., To examine the influence of interdisciplinary seminars on undergraduate nursing and social work students' perceptions of their learning. Background., Collaboration is considered to be important for health professionals in working towards good patient care, and interdisciplinary education is seen as one way of addressing this need for greater collaboration and team work. Today's health professionals are dealing with an increasing number of older and chronically ill patients. The biopsychosocial dimensions inherent in such chronic illnesses bring about a closer working relationship between the nursing and social work professions to foster good patient care. No local research in Hong Kong, however, has looked specifically at how these two professions can develop their collaborative skills and qualities through interdisciplinary education. Design., Mixed methods design. Method., Data from questionnaires, videotape recordings of the sessions and follow-up phone interviews were used for quantitative and qualitative analyses. Results., The findings revealed three themes: an increased awareness of each other's professional values and personal judgement, a recognition of each other's disciplinary knowledge emphases and more, and an appreciation for, and learning about each other's roles for future collaboration. Conclusions., Whilst, it is usual to identify health professionals as non-judgemental, it is also important to recognise the existence of their personal and professional values and beliefs that shape their decision-making. Equally beneficial for students is their reported understanding of the other discipline's emphasis on the physical or social aspects of care, and the interrelationships and complementary values that lead to students' appreciation of each other's roles and the possibility for their future collaboration in the holistic care of patients. Relevance to clinical practice., The sharing of each other's knowledge and their appreciation of the corresponding roles enhanced students' decision-making capacity and the extension of the holistic approach beyond one profession, which is essential for good patient care. [source] A synergy between action-research and a mixed methods design for improving services and treatment for family members of heavy alcohol and drug usersJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2010Caterina Arcidiacono Abstract Our project first explored the patterns of disempowerment within 113 Italian families facing the problem of a heavy alcohol or drug user in the family. It then provided therapeutic interventions for the members of a further fifty-two families, and thirdly, as a part of the diffusion of the results, it provided brief training for 1,011 professionals supplying services for those suffering from alcohol and drug addiction. Research undertaken in the UK, Mexico and Australia (Copello, Templeton, & Velleman, 2006; Orford et al., 2005a; Orford, Templeton, Velleman, & Copello, 2005b; Velleman & Templeton, 2003) on the impact of substance misuse on families, and on the development of effective interventions to assist those families, supplied the models for this participatory research in Italy. This article discusses the mobilization of health professionals in developing a participatory project within a cross-cultural framework, focusing on research that involved more than 70 researchers and other professionals all over Italy. Research team discussions, peer validation of gathered data and reflexivity all had a significant role. The paper illustrates various issues, which are often not explicitly mentioned in research reports, related to recruitment, cooperation between researchers, interactions between researchers and participants, information about decision-making and the actual modalities of execution of the project. Moreover, the careful descriptions of qualitative research principles within the action research approach and a mixed methods design should enhance the research competencies of psychologists and social scientists involved in the community. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Perceived benefits and barriers to joint protection among people with rheumatoid arthritis and occupational therapists.MUSCULOSKELETAL CARE, Issue 3 2010A mixed methods study Abstract Background:,Deciding whether or not to perform a health behaviour is an active decision-making process which has an impact on current and future behaviour and can be influenced by the beliefs both of patients and their healthcare professionals. The aim of this study was to explore rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients' and occupational therapists' (OTs) perceptions of the benefits of and barriers to performing joint protection (JP). Methods:,A mixed methods design was used. Questionnaires applied a theoretical framework of key themes to assess the relevance of JP benefits and barriers both to people with RA and OTs. Focused interviews with people with RA then enabled data triangulation. Investigator triangulation was used to check the validity of data interpretation. Findings:,Ten people with RA and nine OTs participated. From the questionnaires, both groups agreed that highly relevant key themes for JP benefits were physical well-being, potential benefit and personal control. By contrast, the three key themes for JP barriers , negative attitude of others, negative impact on others and taking time from other things , were relevant for the majority of the OTs but not patients. The interviews enabled an understanding of the meaning behind RA patients' ratings, particularly their differences from OTs. People with RA explained JP benefits, and disease acceptance had altered some initial barriers into perceived benefits over time. Conclusions:,Emphasizing benefits and identifying individually relevant barriers could be an important communication strategy for OTs in understanding patients' rationale for whether or not to adopt JP methods. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Evaluating performance of and organisational capacity to deliver brief interventions in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander medical servicesAUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 1 2010Katie Panaretto Abstract Objective: This study assessed brief intervention (BI) activity and organisation capacity for smoking, nutrition, alcohol and physical activity (SNAP framework) and key clinical prevention activities in four Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander medical services in Queensland. Methods: A mixed methods design was used including: staff surveys of knowledge and attitudes (n=39), focus groups to discuss perceived barriers and enablers and chart audits (n=150) to quantify existing BI activity. Results: Of 50 clinical staff, 46 participated in the staff survey and focus groups across the four sites. BI was perceived to be important. There was significant variation in completion of records for SNAP risk factors, key clinical and BI activities across the sites. At least one SNAP factor status was recorded in 130/150 (86.7%) patient charts audited and there was a significant trend of increased recording of SNAP factors with increasing number of patient visits. Of those identified at risk 78% received at least one BI. Where risk was identified 65/96 (67.7%) patients required multiple BIs. BI for tobacco use was consistently high across all sites. Only one site recorded regular care planning and Adult Health Checks. Impacting factors included leadership, high staff turnover, multiple medical records and staff health status. Conclusions: Inflexible staff training, competing health priorities and high levels of staff turnover were identified as key barriers to the delivery of BI in clinical settings. The data suggests a good base of existing BI activity for smoking and key clinical activities which may improve with further support. [source] Approach to treatment of mental illness and substance dependence in remote Indigenous communities: Results of a mixed methods studyAUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 4 2009Tricia Nagel Abstract Objective:,To develop and evaluate a culturally adapted brief intervention for Indigenous people with chronic mental illness. Design:,A mixed methods design in which an exploratory phase of qualitative research was followed by a nested randomised controlled trial. Setting:,Psycho-education resources and a brief intervention, motivational care planning (MCP), were developed and tested in collaboration with aboriginal mental health workers in three remote communities in northern Australia. Participants:,A total of 49 patients with mental illness and 37 carers were recruited to a randomised controlled trial that compared MCP (n = 24) with a clinical control condition (treatment as usual, n = 25). Intervention:,The early treatment group received MCP at baseline and the late treatment group received delayed treatment at six months. Main outcome measures:,The primary outcome was mental health problem severity as measured by the health of the nation outcome scales. Secondary measures of well-being (Kessler 10), life skills, self-management and substance dependence were chosen. Outcome assessments were performed at baseline, six-month, 12-month and 18-month follow up. Results:,Random effects regression analyses showed significant advantage for the treatment condition in terms of well-being with changes in health of the nation outcome scales (P < 0.001) and Kessler 10 (P = 0.001), which were sustained over time. There was also significant advantage for treatment for alcohol dependence (P = 0.05), with response also evident in cannabis dependence (P = 0.064) and with changes in substance dependence sustained over time. Conclusions:,These results suggest that MCP is an effective treatment for Indigenous people with mental illness and provide insight into the experience of mental illness in remote communities. [source] Mixed methods research in school psychology: A mixed methods investigation of trends in the literaturePSYCHOLOGY IN THE SCHOOLS, Issue 4 2008Heather Powell This article illustrates the utility of mixed methods research (i.e., combining quantitative and qualitative techniques) to the field of school psychology. First, the use of mixed methods approaches in school psychology practice is discussed. Second, the mixed methods research process is described in terms of school psychology research. Third, the current state of affairs with respect to mixed methods designs in school psychology research is illustrated through a mixed methods analysis of the types of empirical studies published in the four leading school psychology journals between 2001 and 2005. Only 13.7% of these studies were classified as representing mixed methods research. We conclude that this relatively small proportion likely reflects the fact that only 3.5% of graduate-level school psychology programs appear to require that students enroll in one or more qualitative and/or mixed methods research courses, and only 19.3% appear to offer one or more qualitative courses as an elective. Finally, the utility of mixed methods research is illustrated by critiquing select monomethod (i.e., qualitative or quantitative) and mixed methods studies conducted on the increasingly important topic of bullying. We demonstrate how using mixed methods techniques results in richer data being collected, leading to a greater understanding of underlying phenomena. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] | ||||||||||