Pete Greasley

Evaluation of a multifaceted pre-registration interprofessional education module

The delivery of interprofessional education (IPE) to large numbers of students across different curricula can be difficult due to scheduling and organizational challenges. A multifaceted approach using problem based learning (PBL), problem based e-learning (PBeL) and lectures, can address these challenges with supportive, flexible and asynchronous debate (Freeth, Hammick, Reeves, Koppel, & Barr, 2005; Beck & Owens, 2007). The School of Health Studies at the University of Bradford, England, implemented an IPE module for students in pre-registration programmes using this approach. The aim of the module was for students to develop an understanding of factors integral to interprofessional team working. This report presents findings from a study undertaken to evaluate students’ perceptions of this interprofessional module.

When it comes round to marking assignments: how to impress and how to ‘distress’ lecturers …

What do lecturers look for when marking essays? What impresses them and what frustrates them? In this paper, we present the results of a survey which asked lecturers to address these questions. Thirty‐two lecturers responded to an email survey in which they listed the problems they found most frustrating when marking essays and the factors which most impressed them. This resulted in 206 comments related to sources of frustration and 139 comments listing factors which impress them. The comments were then coded into themes and ranked in order of importance by 16 lecturers from the original sample. The results highlight a range of issues that may be useful for lecturers when discussing assignments, and instructive for students when writing their assignments.

Is Evaluating Complementary and Alternative Medicine Equivalent to Evaluating the Absurd

Complementary and alternative therapies such as reflexology and acupuncture have been the subject of numerous evaluations, clinical trials, and systematic reviews, yet the empirical evidence in support of their efficacy remains equivocal. The empirical evaluation of a therapy would normally assume a plausible rationale regarding the mechanism of action. However, examination of the historical background and underlying principles for reflexology, iridology, acupuncture, auricular acupuncture, and some herbal medicines, reveals a rationale founded on the principle of analogical correspondences, which is a common basis for magical thinking and pseudoscientific beliefs such as astrology and chiromancy. Where this is the case, it is suggested that subjecting these therapies to empirical evaluation may be tantamount to evaluating the absurd.

Children’s Perspectives on Living With a Sibling With a Chronic Illness

In this review, we synthesize the experiences of healthy siblings living with a sibling who has a PCI, producing 2 overarching themes and 5 subthemes. CONTEXT: Clinical guidance emphasizes the importance of considering the whole family when caring for a child with a pediatric chronic illness (PCI). However, there is a lack of research specific to sibling experience. Parental accounts are used in studies to examine family experiences; consequently, the direct voices of siblings are neglected. OBJECTIVE: The meta-synthesis was used to explore the experiences of siblings of children with PCIs to understand their perspectives; in particular, we observed what they feel had influenced their emotional well-being, to target interventions. DATA SOURCES: We searched PsychInfo, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PubMed, and Academic Search Complete databases from inception to April 2016. STUDY SELECTION: We selected qualitative articles used to examine children’s perspectives of living with a sibling with a PCI. Twelve articles were reviewed. DATA EXTRACTION: We observed participants’ characteristics, qualitative methodology, analysis, and themes. RESULTS: The thematic synthesis identified 2 overarching themes providing new insights. The first theme, “changing relationships,” had 2 subthemes: “changing family relationships” and “changing relationship to self.” The second theme, “managing changes,” had 3 subthemes: “coping and acceptance,” “support from friends, peers, and support groups,” and “negative reactions from others.” LIMITATIONS: Studies were often descriptive with little explicit qualitative analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The findings are used to outline how changes in family relationships often result in reduced communication and a suppression of healthy siblings’ needs. Siblings develop strategies to help them cope with and accept their circumstances, including finding new prosocial ways of meeting their needs in the form of skills and roles they develop.

Understanding resilience in young people with complex mental health needs: A Delphi study:

Background: Resilience is a term used to describe an individual’s adaptive coping following an adverse experience; it is important for gaining insight into the development of mental health difficulties in young people and their ability to manage adversity, informing both preventive and reactive clinical practice. Methods: The Delphi method was used whereby a panel of 15 clinical psychologists rated 67 statements, generated from focus groups with young people and interviews with multi-disciplinary staff, in terms of their importance relating to resilience for young people with complex mental health needs. A consensus level of 85% across the panel was set to include/exclude statements in terms of their importance for resilience. Results: Nineteen statements were included in the final list. These were grouped into the following four themes: (1) understanding the self, (2) agency in recovery, (3) interpersonal relationships and (4) therapeutic setting and relationships. Conclusions: The results highlight specific resilience factors for young people with complex mental health needs, based upon ratings by clinical psychologists. Recommendations are made which focus upon how to promote resilience within this specific population. These include offering secure therapeutic relationships and a safe environment for young people to make decisions, develop a greater understanding of themselves, and build relationships and a sense of connection with others, both within the specialist mental health service and upon discharge.