The Experiences and Views of Service Providers on the Mental Health and Well-Being Services for Syrian Refugees in Coventry and Warwickshire

Objectives: Previous literature demonstrated that, even when mental health and psychological support services are available for refugees, there may still be obstacles in accessing services. This is the first known study to explore the experiences of mental-health and well-being services for Syrian refugees in Coventry and Warwickshire, United Kingdom. The research investigates the views and perceptions of service providers on the current mental-health and well-being services provided for this population. Methods: Eight service providers participated in semistructured interviews and focus groups, and the data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Three main themes emerged from an analysis of the data: “positive aspects of service delivery,” “service challenges,” and “recommendations for service improvements and quality.” Conclusion: The findings bring to the fore specific gaps in current provision and interpreting services. Recommendations for proposed improvements in service provision and policy as well as clinical implications are included in this article.

Rhythms of learning — a model of practice supporting youth mental health in the era of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant increase in demand for mental health services for young people. This demand comes on top of a preexisting surge in mental health presentations for our youth, and it places extraordinary demand on support services and the professionals who deliver them. Concurrently, it is recognised that engaging and working with young people and their mental health has its own unique challenges, and that many young people find direct ‘talk-based’ therapies confronting. This article examines the use of a model of group work practice combining the benefits of rhythmic music with reflective discussions as a response to the dual challenges of workplace burnout and client engagement. It reflects on the important role music has to play in young lives and how this can be extended into therapy in a fun and uplifting manner. It draws attention to the long history of rhythmic music within traditional healing practices and the emerging scientific evidence supporting this approach.

Family carer needs in advanced disease: systematic review of reviews

BackgroundFamily carers are vital in the management and delivery of home-based palliative care. Decision-makers need to know what the most commonly expressed unmet needs of family carers are to target available support services.AimTo identify the most commonly expressed needs of family carers of people with an advanced disease, assess the quality of current evidence, and set an agenda for future research and clinical practice.DesignA systematic review of reviews, prospectively registered on PROSPERO. Study quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklist for systematic reviews and research syntheses.Data sourcesMEDLINE, Embase, Emcare, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Informit and Cochrane Library were searched for reviews about the needs of carers looking after patients with advanced disease from 2010 to 2020.ResultsFindings from 21 reviews identified emotional support, disease-specific knowledge, carer role responsibilities, self-care and general practical support as the most commonly expressed needs expressed by family carers. Additionally, access to professional services, formal education opportunities and communication with health professionals were identified as caregivers’ preferred ways of having these needs met. Extraction of carer-specific needs was challenging at times as results were often combined with patient results in reviews.ConclusionPractical difficulties exist in effectively resourcing services to meet the needs of family carers. Information regarding the most commonly expressed needs shared by caregivers and their preferred delivery source can provide an opportunity to focus available support services to achieve the highest possible impact for carers of patients with advanced disease.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42018088678.

Patients with serious injection drug use related infections who experience patient directed discharges on oral antibiotics have high rates of antibiotic adherence but require multidisciplinary outpatient support for retention in care

Background Persons who inject drugs (PWID) are frequently admitted for serious injection related infections (SIRI). Outcomes and adherence to oral antibiotics for PWID with patient directed discharge (PDD) remain understudied. Methods We conducted a prospective multicenter bundled quality improvement project of PWID with SIRI at 3 hospitals in Missouri. All PWID with SIRI were offered multidisciplinary care while inpatient, including the option of addiction medicine consultation and medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). All patients were offered oral antibiotics in the event of a PDD either at discharge, or immediately after discharge through an ID telemedicine clinic. Additional support services included health coaches, therapist, case manager, free clinic follow up, and medications in an outpatient bridge program. Patient demographics, comorbidities, 90-day readmissions, and substance use disorder clinic follow up were compared between PWID with PDD on oral antibiotics and those that completed IV antibiotics, using an as treated approach. Results Of 166 PWID with SIRI, 61 completed IV antibiotics inpatient (37%) while 105 had a PDD on oral antibiotics (63%). There was no significant difference in 90-day readmission rates between groups (p=0.819). For PWID with a PDD on oral antibiotics, 7.6% had documented non-adherence to antibiotics, 67% had documented adherence and 23% were lost to follow-up. Factors protective against readmission included antibiotic and MOUD adherence, engagement with support team, and clinic follow up. Conclusions PWID with SIRI who experience a PDD should be provided with oral antibiotics. Multidisciplinary outpatient support services are needed for PWID with PDD on oral antibiotics.

Construction and Empirical Study of Learner Portrait in Online General Education Course

The problems of high course selection rate, low completion rate, and insufficient pertinence of learning support services in online general education courses are the focus of current general education researchers. Based on 3P (presage, process, and product) learning theory, we put forward a “three-stage, four-level” framework for learners’ portrait process of online general education course, including three learning stages of “presage process product” and four levels of “portrait goal, data collection, label analysis, and portrait service.” Then, taking the learners of the online general education course of Zhejiang Shuren College as an example, we make a case analysis based on the portrait framework, evaluate the learning effect from different stages, and put forward targeted teaching strategies and measures. Research results show that the proposed framework can reflect the characteristics of online learning experience, online learning investment, and online learning results of high-risk learners and can provide data support for the design of online learning support services and optimizing learning effects.

A survey of elite and pre-elite athletes’ perceptions of key support, lifestyle and performance factors

Background Success at the elite level in sport is often attributed to physical prowess, technical skill, and mental attitude. However, underpinning these factors are various lifestyle, support and social factors that may contribute to successful performance, but which may be absent from athlete development programs. Methods An online survey was used to investigate athlete perceptions of lifestyle practices and support services amongst 135 Australian Olympic, Paralympic, National, and state-level athletes across 25 Olympic sports. Results International athletes perceived psychological skills and attributes, along with strong interpersonal relationships as vital to their success, and they also rated ‘Recovery practices’ as very important and made extensive use of available support services. These athletes also indicated that they would have liked access to these services earlier in their careers, a wish that was reiterated by the sub-elite athletes. Furthermore, athletes wanted greater knowledge, mentoring, and autonomy earlier in their careers, and the importance of ‘athlete wellbeing’ as well as ‘athletic performance’ was evident in a number of contexts. Conclusions An athlete development system into which these are included may assist in generating an environment that facilitates athlete success, repeated podium performances, retain athletes in high-performance sport for longer, encourage human-flourishing, wellbeing and smooth transitions for retiring athletes.

Challenges Experienced in Distance Education and Solution Suggestions During the COVID-19 Pandemic Period

In this study, which was carried out in order to identify the challenges experienced in distance education during the COVID-19 pandemic period and to propose solutions to these problems, the phenomenology design was used. Twelve experts who had experience of distance education during the COVID-19 period contributed to the study. The findings obtained within the scope of the study show that there are challenges such as the unpreparedness of institutions, insufficient infrastructure, increased digital divide among learners, and difficulties in measurement-evaluation processes and support services processes during the pandemic period. Regarding the solution of these problems, solutions such as investing in infrastructure, revising support services, using teaching techniques suitable for distance education, taking responsibility in learning processes, and changing measurement-evaluation techniques have been presented.