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Professional Knowledge (professional + knowledge)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	50%
Education	31%
Humanities and Social Sciences	13%

Selected Abstracts

Shifting Boundaries on the Professional Knowledge Landscape: When Teacher Communications Become Less Safe

CURRICULUM INQUIRY, Issue 4 2004
CHERYL J. CRAIG
ABSTRACT Researched in the narrative-inquiry tradition, this article continues to map the terrain of teachers' professional knowledge landscapes by distinguishing knowledge communities from other teacher groups. It brings to light a bridging space in which the boundaries of teachers' landscapes may shift, and their transactions may become less safe, particularly when hotly contested matters reach narrative plateaus that are difficult to surmount. This personal experience study conducted in relationship with African-American teachers, Hope and Lorne, makes these distinctions known amid the unexamined narrative freight that pervaded their school contexts and against the backdrop of the historical African-American neighborhood within which their campuses were located. [source]

Making Teachers in Britain: Professional knowledge for initial teacher education in England and Scotland

EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY AND THEORY, Issue 3 2006
Ian Menter
Abstract There is an apparent contradiction between the widespread moves towards a uniform and instrumentalist standards-based approach to teaching on the one hand and recent research-based insights into the complexity of effective pedagogies. The former tendency reflects a politically driven agenda, the latter is more professionally driven. Tensions reflecting such a contradiction are evident in the debates over initial teacher education (ITE) policy and practice in many parts of the world. This article examines aspects of ITE policy in two contiguous parts of the United Kingdom, England and Scotland. The authors draw on a comparative study carried out during 2002,2004, particularly on an analysis of key contemporary policy documents, in order to consider some of the similarities and differences that are apparent in these two countries. It is argued that while features of national culture, tradition and institutional politics have a significant role to play in the detail of the approaches taken, there is nevertheless evidence of significant convergence between both countries in one aspect of the determination of initial teacher education, the definition of teaching through the prescription of standards, which set official parameters on professional knowledge required for entry into the profession. This, it is suggested, reflects trends associated with neoliberal ,globalisation'. [source]

Professional knowledge and the epistemology of reflective practice

NURSING PHILOSOPHY, Issue 1 2010
Elizabeth Anne Kinsella PhD
Abstract Reflective practice is one of the most popular theories of professional knowledge in the last 20 years and has been widely adopted by nursing, health, and social care professions. The term was coined by Donald Schön in his influential books The Reflective Practitioner, and Educating the Reflective Practitioner, and has garnered the unprecedented attention of theorists and practitioners of professional education and practice. Reflective practice has been integrated into professional preparatory programmes, continuing education programmes, and by the regulatory bodies of a wide range of health and social care professions. Yet, despite its popularity and widespread adoption, a problem frequently raised in the literature concerns the lack of conceptual clarity surrounding the term reflective practice. This paper seeks to respond to this problem by offering an analysis of the epistemology of reflective practice as revealed through a critical examination of philosophical influences within the theory. The aim is to discern philosophical underpinnings of reflective practice in order to advance increasingly coherent interpretations, and to consider the implications for conceptions of professional knowledge in professional life. The paper briefly examines major philosophical underpinnings in reflective practice to explicate central themes that inform the epistemological assumptions of the theory. The study draws on the work of Donald Schön, and on texts from four philosophers: John Dewey, Nelson Goodman, Michael Polanyi, and Gilbert Ryle. Five central epistemological themes in reflective practice are illuminated: (1) a broad critique of technical rationality; (2) professional practice knowledge as artistry; (3) constructivist assumptions in the theory; (4) the significance of tacit knowledge for professional practice knowledge; and (5) overcoming mind body dualism to recognize the knowledge revealed in intelligent action. The paper reveals that the theory of reflective practice is concerned with deep epistemological questions of significance to conceptions of knowledge in health and social care professions. [source]

Israeli Kindergarten Teachers Cope With Terror and War: Two Implicit Models of Resilience

CURRICULUM INQUIRY, Issue 1 2007
DAVID BRODY
ABSTRACT The resilience of teachers in the face of terror was examined in a narrative study of two Israeli kindergarten teachers over the course of one school year. During this time, there occurred frequent terror attacks as well as the threat of impending war with Iraq and the concomitant threat of chemical warfare. Each teacher's unique pattern of coping based on her own personal theory of resilience was examined. One teacher actively processed with her students stressful news items that the children had encountered. This was based on her belief that children would become more resilient if they had experience dealing with stress in a mediated fashion. The second teacher chose to create what she perceived to be a comfort zone for her students by actively avoiding open discussion about stressful events. She chose to focus on enhancing self-esteem, self-efficacy, and optimism, which she believed would produce greater resilience in her students. In developing these personal resilience theories, both teachers were able to move out of a paralyzed position that is typical of crisis and the immediate posttraumatic period, and move into active coping, thereby incorporating their unique theories of resilience into their personal professional knowledge. These practices were examined in light of current resilience theory. [source]

Stories of Schools/Teacher Stories: A Two-Part Invention on the Walls Theme

CURRICULUM INQUIRY, Issue 1 2000
Cheryl J. Craig
Patterned in the style of a musical invention, this work adopts Clandinin and Connelly's metaphor of a professional knowledge landscape (1995), Olson's conceptualization of the narrative authority (1993, 1995) of teacher knowledge, and my idea that teachers develop their knowledge in knowledge communities (Craig 1992, 1995a, 1995b, 1998). The first invention outlines the stories of school (Clandinin & Connelly 1996) that Riverview School and Evergreen School were given and the changes that take place over time. The second invention features beginning teacher, Benita Dalton, and her narratives of experience lived and told in the two school contexts. Relating the teacher's stories to the narrative accounts of the two campuses illustrates the extent to which context shapes teachers' practices and bounds their knowing. The work sheds much light on the subtle complexities of teachers' professional knowledge landscapes and adds to the conceptual base of a line of inquiry that focuses on the shaping effect of context on teachers' knowledge developments. An invention, loosely defined, involves the creation, through thought and/or action, of something that did not exist before. Written in the style of a musical invention, this piece is composed of two parts featuring the stories of two schools played against the evolving stories of a teacher who worked in both contexts. While the two parts of the invention both develop the walls theme, each unfolds in a different manner. The two variations which constitute the first part of the invention center on the stories of school (Clandinin & Connelly 1996) that Riverview School and Evergreen School were given and examines how these stories changed over time. The two variations that comprise the second part of the invention highlight beginning teacher, Benita Dalton, her stories of experience (Connelly & Clandinin 1990) lived and told at the two schools, and shifts that took place in her knowledge development. Connecting the fine-grained accounts of an individual with the coarse-grained accounts of schools reveals the extent to which stories of school influence teachers' practices, set the horizons of what is available for teachers to come to know, and adds to the conceptual base of a line of research that examines the how teachers' knowledge developments are influenced by context. The work begins with introductions to Benita Dalton and me, the teacher and the researcher in the study. Discussions of the research method and the theoretical framework appear next. These preliminary sketches prepare the reader for the two-part invention that follows. They lay the methodological groundwork as well as provide lenses with which to view, and a language with which to describe, contextual experiences. The next segment of the piece is Part I of the Invention comprised of Variation I: A Narrative Account of Riverview School, Variation II: A Narrative Account of Evergreen School, and a reflective coda on stories of schools. These passages bring the first part of the invention to closure. Next comes Invention II, the second movement of the piece, featuring Variation I: A Story of Benita's Experience at Riverview and Variation II: A Story of Benita's Experience at Evergreen. As with the first part of the invention, a reflective coda appears at the end of Benita's stories of experience that concludes the second part of the invention. The article ends with a grand finale, where the parallel stories developed in the invention's two parts are intentionally brought together for practical and theoretical purposes. These closing passages specifically address the principle question, the simple melody around which this two-part inquiry/invention has been constructed/composed: How does context affect teachers' knowledge developments? [source]

An audit of the time to initial treatment in avulsion injuries

DENTAL TRAUMATOLOGY, Issue 1 2009
Betul Kargul
Good outcome requires education of the general public and non-dental professionals. Aim:, Retrospective observational survey of case records of avulsion injuries attending a dental hospital trauma clinic. Method:, Data collected included: hospital number, date of birth, gender, source of patient's referral, date of trauma, number of avulsed teeth, place of initial presentation, storage, hours till initial presentation, and initial treatment. Results:, One hundred and twenty teeth with avulsion were identified in 75 children. The mean age of the patients was 9.8 years (SD = 2.3 years) at the time of trauma with avulsions recorded in 44 (58.7%) boys and in 31 (41.3%) girls. Only 51 (42.5%) teeth were stored in an appropriate medium before attendance at any site and only 48 (40%) of the teeth were seen within 1 h. 83.3% received emergency treatment at general hospital, 89.7% in dental practice and 92.9% at dental hospital. Conclusions:, A minority of avulsion injuries were seen within the first hour and a minority were in appropriate storage medium at presentation. Geographical location plays a huge role in the time taken to reach secondary care. However, improving public and non-dental professional knowledge about tooth storage in avulsion injuries is critical to long-term prognosis of the teeth. [source]

Making Teachers in Britain: Professional knowledge for initial teacher education in England and Scotland

The Unfolding Trends and Consequences of Expanding Higher Education in Ethiopia: Massive Universities, Massive Challenges

HIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 1 2009
Kedir Assefa Tessema
Abstract There have been significant increases in the number of universities and student enrollments in the last fifteen years in Ethiopia. The numerical gains have brought about improved access to higher education for students. The expansion has also diversified fields of study and opened opportunities to pursue higher degrees to a significant number of students. Furthermore, the opportunity created for the university staff includes increased university job security, positions in the university leadership and scholarships for PhD degrees. On the other hand, the downside effects of the massification have worsened the conditions of university teaching staff. Among others, it has resulted in increasing work load and extended work schedules for academic staff. A managerialist culture has evolved that measures teaching against instrumental outcomes. There is a sense of deprofessionalisation and deskilling among staff manifested in practices that are disconnections from professional knowledge, skills and attitudes. As staff are increasingly over-engaged, by taking more weekly class hours and managerial responsibilities, less ,down time' is available to keeping with developments in their fields of specialisation and practice [source]

Vices and Virtues in Capacity Development by International NGOs

IDS BULLETIN, Issue 3 2010
Rick James
We know what works in capacity development: a succession of studies from official agencies, academics and NGO practitioners have all highlighted similar principles of good practice. But the evidence also suggests that there is a distressing dissonance between what international development agencies know about capacity development and what they implement. This article explores the reasons for this failure. It highlights constraints that arise from the changing aid context and from a lack of resources and skills. Ultimately, however, it concludes that capacity development is driven more by self-interest than by knowledge of what works. Until agencies' pride, greed and self-interest can be restrained, much capacity development will continue to be disappointing and ineffective. But if agencies combine existing professional knowledge with virtues of humility, patience and a genuine commitment to others, then capacity development becomes something that can bring transformation. [source]

Health visitors' understandings of domestic violence

JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 2 2003
Sue Peckover BSc MMedSci PhD RGN RHV
Background. Feminist work has made visible the extent and nature of domestic violence and the problems women face in having their experiences recognized by health and welfare professionals. Research has demonstrated that many health care professionals, including nurses, midwives and health visitors have little working knowledge about this issue. This impacts on their ability to recognize and respond to domestic violence within their practice. Aim. This paper is based upon a study of British health visitors, which explored their practice in relation to domestic violence. Drawing upon empirical data from interviews with health visitors, it explores their understandings of the extent and nature of domestic violence in the context of their work. Methods. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 24 health visitors selected by convenience and purposive sampling. Data collection took place during 1997,1998. The research draws on the theoretical perspectives of feminist poststructuralism. Findings. The findings demonstrate considerable differences between health visitors in their understandings of the extent of domestic violence in their caseloads and their recognition of different types of abuse experienced by women. There were also differences between participants in their willingness to name situations other than physical violence as abusive, as well as the extent to which they recognized domestic violence within different social groups. Conclusions. A feminist perspective provides critical insight into the professional knowledge base in relation to domestic violence, demonstrating the need for health visitors to develop their understandings further in order to respond appropriately to women and children experiencing domestic violence. This is discussed in the context of ongoing struggles for professional identity within an ever-changing arena of health and welfare provision. [source]

Embedding nursing and therapy consultantship: the case of stroke consultants

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 2 2009
Christopher R Burton
Aims and objectives., As the basis for the design of career development opportunities for current and aspiring nursing and therapy consultants, we aimed to explore the factors that shape how these roles have embedded in UK stroke services. Background., The non-medical consultant role has been introduced into UK health care services to provide opportunities for experienced practitioners to progress their careers in clinical practice. Whilst there have been evaluations of the impact of the role on service delivery, little attention has been paid to the pathways towards consultantship. Design., An exploratory design, incorporating focus group discussions, was used to address the research questions. Participating consultants, both nurses and allied health professionals, worked in stroke services, although it is anticipated that the results will have wider application. Methods., Two focus groups were held with non-medical consultants in stroke from across the UK. Participants had the opportunity to comment on an interim paper prior to publication of the results. Thirteen consultants took part in the study. Results., A lack of consensus about the nature of clinical expertise and a diverse range of pathways towards consultantship were identified. Health care policy had presented the opportunity for consultants to be entrepreneurial in the development of stroke services, although this had limited the scope for the development of professional knowledge. Inflexible programmes to support aspiring consultants may limit the opportunities to develop these entrepreneurial skills. Conclusions., This study challenges health care organizations and the education and research departments that support them to think creatively in the way that the non-medical consultant role is embedded, and that this should draw on the commitment of existing consultants to support succession planning. Relevance to clinical practice., The identification of those aspects of career pathways that current consultants have found to be helpful will be useful in designing opportunities for aspiring consultants. [source]

Swedish Registered Nurses' incentives to use nursing diagnoses in clinical practice

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 8 2006
Lena Axelsson BSc
Aims and objectives., The purpose of this study was to describe Registered Nurses' incentives to use nursing diagnoses in clinical practice. Background., The use of nursing diagnoses is scarce in Swedish patient records. However, there are hospital wards were all nurses formulate and use nursing diagnoses in their daily work. This leads to the question of what motivates these nurses who do use nursing diagnoses in clinical practice. Design., A qualitative descriptive design. Methods., A purposeful sampling of 12 Registered Nurses was used. Qualitative interviews to collect data and a content analysis were performed. Results., Five categories were identified: identification of the patient as an individual and as a whole, a working tool for facilitating nursing care, increasing awareness within nursing, support from the management and influence on the professional role. The principle findings of this study were: (i) that the Registered Nurses perceived that nursing diagnoses clarified the patient's individual needs and thereby enabled them to decide on more specific nursing interventions, (ii) that nursing diagnoses were found to facilitate communication between colleagues concerning patient care and thus promoted continuity of care and saved time and (iii) that nursing diagnoses were perceived to increase the Registered Nurses' reflective thinking leading to a continuous development of professional knowledge. Conclusions., The present findings suggest that the incentives to use nursing diagnoses originate from effects generated from performing a deeper analysis of the patient's nursing needs. Further research is needed to test and validate the usability and consequences of using nursing diagnoses in clinical practice. Relevance to clinical practice., Motivating factors found in this study may be valuable to Registered Nurses for the use and development of nursing diagnoses in clinical care. Moreover, these factors may be of relevance in other countries that are in a similar situation as Sweden concerning application of nursing diagnoses. [source]

An evaluation of nursing practice models in the context of the severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic in Hong Kong: a preliminary study

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 6 2006
Engle Angela Chan PhD
Aim and objective., Like other health-care workers, Hong Kong nurses had their professional knowledge and skills seriously challenged during the SARS outbreak. Could current nursing practices support the care of SARS or SARS-like patients in the future? If not, alternative practices would be needed. Providing a preliminary understanding, this paper compares the conventional with different nursing delivery models in a simulated SARS ward and focuses on nurses' efficiency, infection control practices and views of the two models. Design and methods., This study was conducted in three phases. First, a baseline understanding of nursing practices was achieved through four workflow observations. In an eight-hour day, four research assistants observed nursing activities in the medical and fever wards. These data were used in the second phase to construct two sets of clinical vignettes, pertaining to SARS patient care in both conventional and alternative practice models. These scripts were discussed with nine nurses of various ranks from the hospital under study for their expert validation and input. In the third phase, nurse participants and patient actors enacted the vignettes in a simulated setting. Video-taped observations and four nurse participant interviews were employed. Observational data were analysed through descriptive statistics and independent t -tests. Textual data were coded and categorized for common meanings. Results., Conventional practice from the findings consisted of cubicle and named nurse nursing. While the former reflected modified team and functional nursing, it did not confine patient care within a cubicle as suggested by its name. The latter depicted a modified primary nursing approach in a team, with delegation of care. Preliminary findings concerning infection control and nurse satisfaction revealed that the alternative model had an advantage over the conventional. Relevance to clinical practice., This study findings lay the foundation for clinical trials, which would evaluate the significance of patient-care quality, cost-effectiveness and better human resource management by restructuring current nursing practices. [source]

Reflections on practice: Ethics, race, and worldviews

JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 6 2002
Brian J. Bishop
Two case studies involving Indigenous Australians are described, which pose ethical and conceptual problems. Over two decades ago Sarason (1972) gave the warning that we are socialized into a culture so well that our interventions can be ineffective or misguided unless we attempt to come to grips with history and the broader social context. Understanding worldviews of both the targeted community and ourselves is imperative if we are going to do more good than harm. The two case studies involve White practitioners working with Indigenous people, and as such, bring into sharp relief the ethical issues and worldviews of those involved. Reflection on the process of intervention provides a mechanism for insight into informed practice and the development of professional knowledge and theory. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]

Poverty, underdevelopment and infant mental health,

JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS AND CHILD HEALTH, Issue 4 2003
LM Richter
Abstract: Very great advances have occurred in disciplinary and professional knowledge of infant development and its influence on subsequent development. This expertise includes the ways in which early experiences affect the capacity of mature individuals for social adjustment and productive competence, and promising methods of intervention to promote infant mental health and prevent adverse sequelae of risk conditions. However, very little of this knowledge has been applied in work among infants and children living in conditions of poverty and underdevelopment. This lack of application continues despite the enormous threats to the well-being of infants and young children brought about by the combined effects of poverty and the AIDS pandemic, especially in southern Africa. Protein,energy malnutrition, maternal depression, and institutional care of infants and small children are cited as illustrative of areas in which interventions, and their evaluation, are desperately needed in resource-poor countries. An argument is made for the critical importance of considering and addressing psychological factors in care givers and children in conditions of extreme material need. An example is provided of a simple intervention model based on sound developmental principles that can be implemented by trained non-professionals in conditions of poverty and underdevelopment. [source]

Building teacher identity with urban youth: Voices of beginning middle school science teachers in an alternative certification program

JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 10 2004
Amira Proweller
Teacher identity development and change is shaped by the interrelationship between personal biography and experience and professional knowledge linked to the teaching environment, students, subject matter, and culture of the school. Working from this framework, this study examines how beginning teacher interns who are part of an alternative route to teacher certification construct a professional identity as science educators in response to the needs and interests of urban youth. From the teacher interns, we learn that crafting a professional identity as a middle-level science teacher involves creating a culture around science instruction driven by imagining "what can be," essentially a vision for a quality and inclusive science curriculum implicating science content, teaching methods, and relationships with their students. The study has important implications for the preparation of a stronger and more diverse teaching force able to provide effective and inclusive science education for all youth. It also suggests the need for greater attention to personal and professional experience and perceptions as critical to the development of a meaningful teacher practice in science. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 41: 1044,1062, 2004 [source]

Professional knowledge and the epistemology of reflective practice

Self-assessment and continuing professional development: The Canadian perspective

THE JOURNAL OF CONTINUING EDUCATION IN THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS, Issue 1 2008
FRCPC, Ivan Silver MD
Abstract Introduction: Several recent studies highlight that physicians are not very accurate at assessing their competence in clinical domains when compared to objective measures of knowledge and performance. Instead of continuing to try to train physicians to be more accurate self-assessors, the research suggests that physicians will benefit from learning programs that encourage them to reflect on their clinical practice, continuously seek answers to clinical problems they face, compare their knowledge and skills to clinical practice guidelines and benchmarks, and seek feedback from peers and their health care team. Methods: This article describes the self-assessment learning activities of the College of Family Physicians of Canada Maintenance of Proficiency program (Mainpro®) and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Maintenance of Certification program. (MOC) Results: The MOC and the Mainpro® programs incorporate several self-evaluation learning processes and tools that encourage physicians to assess their professional knowledge and clinical performance against objective measures as well as guided self-audit learning activities that encourage physicians to gather information about their practices and reflect on it individually, with peers and their health care team. Physicians are also rewarded with extra credits when they participate in either of these kinds of learning activities. Discussion: In the future, practice-based learning that incorporates self-assessment learning activities will play an increasingly important role as regulators mandate that all physicians participate in continuing professional development activities. Research in this area should be directed to understanding more about reflection in practice and how we can enable physicians to be more mindful. [source]

Motherhood, Resistance and Attention Deficit Disorder: Strategies and Limits,

CANADIAN REVIEW OF SOCIOLOGY/REVUE CANADIENNE DE SOCIOLOGIE, Issue 2 2001
Claudia Malacrida
Étant donné son ambiguïté sur les plans culturel et historique, l'ap-pellation psychiatrique de trouble déficitaire de I'attention (hyperac-tivité) entraîne les mères dans un conflit avec les discours sur l'image de la bonne mère, la normativité familiale, les compétences profes-sionnelles et la notion de risque. L'éude d entretiens avec 34 femmes au Canada et en Angleterre a permis de comprendre, du point de vue des femmes, les mécanismes de la connaissance et du pouvoir qui sous-tendent les relations avec des professionnels de la médecine, de la psychiatrie et de l'éducation. Les mères se sont approprié une vaste gamme de méthodes discursives afin de se présenter elles et leur famille comme des personnes méritantes, louables et cultivées. Elles se sont engagées dans l'examen scrupuleux des méthodes éduca-tionnelles et psychiatriques par l'intermédiaire du bénévolat, de la contribution à la conception de politiques, de la tenue de dossiers et du recours à des témoins externes afin de renforcer leur légitimité. Par ailleurs, de nombreuses femmes se sont engagées dans le jeu de la vérité, ont choisi la confrontation et, finalement, le refus. Toutefois, étant donné que des enfants vulnerables sont en jeu, la capacité des mères a résister véritablement reste limitée. The psychiatric category Attention Deficit Disorder (Hyperactivity), because of its cultural and historical ambiguity, brings mothers into conflict with discourses of good motherhood, family normativity, professional knowledge and risk. Interviews with 34 women in Canada and England were conducted as a way to understand, from women's perspectives, the workings of knowledge and power encountered in dealing with medical, psychiatric and educational professionals. Mothers took up a wide range of discursive practices in attempts to position themselves and their families as worthy, deserving and knowledgeable. They also engaged in scrutiny of educational and psychiatric practice through volunteering, policy contributions, record keeping and using outside witnesses to shore up their legitimacy. As well, many engaged in knowledge/truth games, confrontation and, ultimately, refusal. However, because vulnerable children are at stake, mothers' ability to truly resist remains limited. [source]

Learning from mothers: how myths, policies and practices affect the detection of subtle developmental problems in children

CHILD: CARE, HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 3 2007
J. Williams
Abstract Background Recent research has revealed increasing concerns over the number of children entering school with unidentified developmental problems, even though there are ostensibly comprehensive health services available for mothers and their children in the pre-school years. Recognizing that early detection and early intervention reduce the likelihood of long-term health and educational problems, it is important to understand why so many children are not detected with developmental problems in their pre-school years. Methods This doctoral study utilized the knowledge and experience of mothers to draw attention to reasons why children with subtle developmental problems are not identified until school age. A qualitative methodology utilized a synthesis of interpretive biography and literary folkloristics as a method of collecting, reading and interpreting personal stories. Three literary theories, arising, respectively, from the tenets of semiotics, neoMarxism and post-structuralism, were used to critically deconstruct the mothers' stories. Results The findings highlight a number of factors that influence the interaction between mothers, health professionals and members of the community, and how these interactions impact on the early detection of children's developmental problems. The findings illustrate the influence of societal myths on how mothers and health professionals view their roles, and on how they think about and respond to the child's problem. They also confirm the value placed on professional knowledge and the role it plays in communications between mothers and health professionals. Finally, they draw attention to how competing arguments about diagnosis and labelling delay identification and access to intervention programmes for children. Conclusion Health professionals working with mothers and young children should be aware of how their values, beliefs and communication styles affect their professional practice, especially when interacting with mothers who raise concerns about their children. State policies that limit access to early intervention programmes should also be reconsidered so that young children are not excluded from assistance. [source]

Brief alcohol intervention,where to from here?

ADDICTION, Issue 6 2010
Challenges remain for research, practice
ABSTRACT Brief intervention (BI) is intended as an early intervention for non-treatment-seeking, non-alcohol-dependent, hazardous and harmful drinkers. This text provides a brief summary of key BI research findings from the last three decades and discusses a number of knowledge gaps that need to be addressed. Five areas are described: patient intervention efficacy and effectiveness; barriers to BI implementation by health professionals; individual-level factors that impact on BI implementation; organization-level factors that impact on BI implementation; and society-level factors that impact on BI implementation. BI research has focused largely upon the individual patient and health professional levels, with the main focus upon primary health care research, and studies are lacking in other settings. However, research must, to a larger degree, take into account the organizational and wider context in which BI occurs, as well as interaction between factors at different levels, in order to advance the understanding of how wider implementation of BI can be achieved in various settings and how different population groups can be reached. It is also important to expand BI research beyond its current parameters to investigate more ambitious long-term educational programmes and new organizational models. More widespread implementation of BI will require many different interventions (efforts, actions, initiatives, etc.) at different interlinked levels, from implementation interventions targeting individual health professionals' knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours concerning alcohol issues, BI and behaviour change counselling to efforts at the organizational and societal levels that influence the conditions for delivering BI as part of routine health care. [source]

Treatment for upper-limb and lower-limb lymphedema by professionals specializing in lymphedema care

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER CARE, Issue 6 2008
D. LANGBECKER bhsc
Up to 60% of patients with cancer of the vulva, and between 20 and 30% of patients with breast or abdominal cancers may develop lymphedema following treatment. The aims of this study were to assess health professionals' knowledge about treatment, diagnostic procedures, advice and confidence in treatment of patients with either upper-limb (ULL) or lower-limb lymphoedema (LLL), and whether these differed by health professionals' background or for patients with ULL compared with LLL. A cross-sectional telephone interview was undertaken in 2006, of 63 health professionals (response rate 92.6%) known to treat lymphedema. Sixty-three per cent of the health professionals were physiotherapists; the majority were university-trained, with 20 years' experience or more. Ninety-five per cent of health professionals used circumferential measurements to establish lymphedema status, and most health professionals advised avoiding scratches and cuts (100%), insect bites (98.4%), sunburn (98.4%) and excessive exercise (65.1%) on the affected limb. Health professionals reported that compared with patients with LLL, patients with ULL were more likely to present within the first 3 months of being symptomatic (P < 0.01). Patients with LLL were more likely to present with swelling (P = 0.001), heaviness (P = 0.003), tightness (P = 0.007) and skin problems (P < 0.001) compared with patients with ULL. Treatment and advice differed according to health professionals' background, but not location of lymphedema (ULL vs. LLL). Assessment, treatment and advice for lymphedema vary across professional groups. Our results suggest that improvements should be attempted in the early detection of lymphedema, in particular of LLL among cancer patients. [source]