Motivating and constraining factors for research participation in Scottish care homes

Background/aims: Knowledge and research about research participation in the context of care homes is sparse. This article describes the level of research engagement for care homes in Scotland, and the facilitators and barriers to this. Methods: A short survey was distributed to care homes in Scotland. A total of 130 care homes returned completed surveys. Results: As of 2014, only 7' of care homes had past or present experience of research. Lack of time and workplace pressures were key obstacles to increasing research within care homes. Respondents recognised that residents could benefit from research but there were also concerns about the risks of research involvement. Conclusions: The survey provides much needed evidence that care homes are being overlooked in research, leading to exclusion of staff and residents. More work is needed to help integrate research into care homes without adding to the demands and pressures of the workplace.

Survey on conduct of anaesthetic monitoring in small animal practice in the UK

BackgroundAn online survey was used to investigate current anaesthetic monitoring practices and the confidence level of personnel monitoring anaesthetics in small animal practices within the UK.MethodsVeterinary surgeons (VSs), registered veterinary nurses (RVNs) and student veterinary nurses (SVNs) working in the UK were invited to participate in an anonymous, internet-based survey. To gather data, the questions used free text, multiple choice or scales measuring respondent attitude or opinion. No questions were mandatory and data were analysed with descriptive statistics or inductive thematic analysis.Results524 valid surveys were completed and included in the data analysis (VS n=136, RVN n=307, SVN n=81). The results indicated mainly RVNs perform pre-anaesthetic monitoring equipment checks, set-up the monitoring equipment and monitor anaesthesia and are more confident than VSs monitoring anaesthetics. VSs, RVNs and SVNs were all recognised to interpret and address changes in parameters monitored. Critical tasks pertaining to anaesthetic monitoring are being performed by personnel other than a VS, RVN or SVN. Respondents recognised the importance of monitoring in relation to patient outcome; however, a considerable proportion of respondents indicated that improving standards of monitoring was not a priority in their practice. Most respondents felt that standards of monitoring could be improved and that financial constraints were the major factor limiting improvement. Most respondents felt they would benefit from further training in anaesthetic monitoring.ConclusionVariability exists in how anaesthetic monitoring is conducted. Workplace pressures afflicting veterinary staff can influence the conduct of anaesthetic monitoring and initiating change within a veterinary practice can be difficult.

Experience as Evidence: The Dialogic Construction of Health Professional Knowledge through Patient Involvement

This article investigates how healthcare professionals articulate the relationship between patient experience and ‘evidence’, creating hybrid forms of knowledge. We propose a Bakhtinian dialogical framework to theorise this process. Drawing on ethnographic work from patient involvement initiatives in England, we show how patient experiences are re-articulated by professionals who add their own intentions and accents in a dialogical process which incorporates diverse forms of knowledge and the conflicting demands of healthcare services. In this process, patient experiences become useful epistemic commodities, helping professionals to respond to workplace pressures by abstracting experiences from patients’ biographies, instrumentalising experiences and privileging ‘disembodied’ forms of involvement. Understanding knowledge as relational and hybrid helps move beyond the assumption that there is a clear dichotomy between ‘objective science’ and ‘subjective experience’. This article illuminates how new knowledge is produced when professionals engage with ‘lay’ patient knowledge, and helps inform the sociology of knowledge production more widely.