In the beginning was . . . the word. Cycles of Influence: A historical analysis of some seminal influences on the evolutionary development of mediation principles, values and practice models

A historical analysis of seminal influences on the evolutionary development of mediation principles, values and practice models. This article will focus on the ideas of pioneering individuals who had a significant role and influence on contemporary mediation principles and practice. It will describe their professional field of practice; the particular principles and values that underpinned their practice; the theoretical models and styles of practice they developed and how those became transported into contemporary mediation practice. The relevance for mediation is to raise awareness of the centrality, significance, and importance of these key principles. Ideally, this will in turn impact on the quality of contemporary practice. Hopefully it will inform or remind reflective practitioners, trainers, and practice consultants of what constitutes the foundations of best practice.

The Opportunities and Challenges of the First Three Years of Open Up, an Online Text-Based Counselling Service for Youth and Young Adults

We present the opportunities and challenges of Open Up, a free, 24/7 online text-based counselling service to support youth in Hong Kong. The number of youths served more than doubled within the first three years since its inception in 2018 in response to increasing youth suicidality and mental health needs. Good practice models are being developed in order to sustain and further scale up the service. We discuss the structure of the operation, usage pattern and its effectiveness, the use of AI to improve users experience, and the role of volunteer in the operation. We also present the challenges in further enhancing the operation, calling for more research, especially on the identification of the optimal number of users that can be concurrently served by a counsellor, the effective approach to respond to a small percentage of repeated users who has taken up a disproportional volume of service, and the way to optimize the use of big data analytics and AI technology to enhance the service. These advancements will benefit not only Open Up but also similar services across the globe.

Possibilities of using the electronic educational resources to ensure the interactivity of the learning process

This article provides information on characteristics and classification of electronic educational resources according to the type and purpose of use. The main parameters of electronic educational resources such as electronic type of publication (resource); subject area of study; the proposed level of education; the proposed type of educational process; peculiarity of the audience are described in the article. The possibilities of using electronic educational resources to ensure the interactivity of the learning process are also considered, their advantages such as the ability to simulate various processes that replace the use of special equipment and reagents, interactivity, the possibility of network distribution, ease of information retrieval, openness for entering new data, compact storage data are also describes, as well as some disadvantages such as the possibility of information oversaturation of the educational process, the emergence of additional cognitive load, etc are noted in the article. The article also explains such types of electronic educational resources as a computer textbook (textbook, lecture notes, etc.), an electronic reference book, a computer book of tasks, a computer laboratory practice (models, simulators, etc.), a computer testing system that are widely used by teachers to increase the interactivity of the lessons. New types of e-learning resources that have become the most popular links with the transition to online learning like Zoom, Google meet, Google classroom, Microsoft teams and their role in improving the efficiency of the educational process are also described in this article. The role of the teacher and their tasks and goals and requirements, which have increased with the advent of digital educational resources, are also discussed in the article.

How Do Pharmacists Practice in Aged Care? A Narrative Review of Models from Australia, England, and the United States of America

Medication management in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) is complex and often sub-optimal. Pharmacist practice models and services have emerged internationally to address medication-related issues in RACFs. This narrative review aimed to explore pharmacist practice models in aged care in Australia, England and the USA, and identify key activities and characteristics within each model. A search strategy using key terms was performed in peer-reviewed databases, as well as the grey literature. Additionally, experts from the selected countries were consulted to obtain further information about the practice models in their respective countries. Thirty-six documents met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Four major pharmacist practice models were identified and formed the focus of the review: (1) the NHS’s Medicine Optimisation in Care Homes (MOCH) program from England; (2) the Australian model utilising visiting accredited pharmacists; (3) the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) pharmacy services in long-term care from the USA; and (4) the Medication Therapy Management (MTM) program from the USA. Medication reviews were key activities in all models, but each had distinct characteristics in relation to the comprehensiveness, who is eligible, and how frequently residents receive medication review activity. There was heterogeneity in the types of facility-level activities offered by pharmacists, and further research is needed to determine the effectiveness of these activities in improving quality use of medicines in the aged care setting. This review found that in some models, pharmacists have a limited level of collaboration with other healthcare professionals, emphasising the need to trial innovative models with integrated services and increased collaboration to achieve a holistic patient-centred approach to medication management.

Comparing current and emerging practice models for the extrapolation of survival data: a simulation study and case-study

Background Estimates of future survival can be a key evidence source when deciding if a medical treatment should be funded. Current practice is to use standard parametric models for generating extrapolations. Several emerging, more flexible, survival models are available which can provide improved within-sample fit. This study aimed to assess if these emerging practice models also provided improved extrapolations. Methods Both a simulation study and a case-study were used to assess the goodness of fit of five classes of survival model. These were: current practice models, Royston Parmar models (RPMs), Fractional polynomials (FPs), Generalised additive models (GAMs), and Dynamic survival models (DSMs). The simulation study used a mixture-Weibull model as the data-generating mechanism with varying lengths of follow-up and sample sizes. The case-study was long-term follow-up of a prostate cancer trial. For both studies, models were fit to an early data-cut of the data, and extrapolations compared to the known long-term follow-up. Results The emerging practice models provided better within-sample fit than current practice models. For data-rich simulation scenarios (large sample sizes or long follow-up), the GAMs and DSMs provided improved extrapolations compared with current practice. Extrapolations from FPs were always very poor whilst those from RPMs were similar to current practice. With short follow-up all the models struggled to provide useful extrapolations. In the case-study all the models provided very similar estimates, but extrapolations were all poor as no model was able to capture a turning-point during the extrapolated period. Conclusions Good within-sample fit does not guarantee good extrapolation performance. Both GAMs and DSMs may be considered as candidate extrapolation models in addition to current practice. Further research into when these flexible models are most useful, and the role of external evidence to improve extrapolations is required.

Public perception of NHS general practice during the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic in England

Background: In March 2020, the delivery of NHS general practice consultations was rapidly modified to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Remote triage and consultations became the default, with adapted models for face-to-face contact if clinically required. This study aimed to gain insight into public perception of these adaptations. Methods: Two online surveys were developed, and conducted in August and September 2020. Survey A, open to adults (>18 years) receiving the link to it, considered respondents’ perspectives on healthcare contacts since March 2020, and their understanding of the adapted delivery. Survey B, open to survey A respondents only, then considered how healthcare communication had been received and individual preferences for this. Survey participation was voluntary. Results: The perceptions of 150 members of the public were obtained. 105 had considered contacting general practice, although half avoided this or delayed doing so for longer than usual. While some patients did so ‘to help the NHS’, others experienced reduced access for reasons including concerns about telephone consultations and about COVID-19 safety. Some however reported benefitting from remote consultation availability and regular texts/emails from their practice. 68% (102/150) of respondents were unaware that patients with COVID-19 were seen separately from other patients during general practice appointments. 27% in survey B who had avoided or delayed contact said they would have felt more comfortable contacting general practice had they known this. Conclusions: Experience and use of the adapted general practice models varied. Some patients felt their access to healthcare was reduced, often due to technological requirements. For some who found attending face-to-face appointments difficult however, remote contact was advantageous. Most of those surveyed were unaware of the COVID-19 control measures in place during face-to-face general practice consultations. Assessment of adapted delivery model accessibility and clearer public messaging about the changes may help reduce inequalities.

Dyslexia in Higher Education

People can best help dyslexic students once they understand dyslexia's association with anxiety and effective coping strategies, both cognitively and emotionally. By highlighting the perspectives of dyslexic students, this book evidences the prevalence of anxiety in dyslexic communities. The shared experience from a range of dyslexic learners pinpoints best practice models and helps combat the isolation felt by many with learning difficulties. The author targets academic areas where students struggle, offering techniques to overcome these barriers. Such obstacles are not always due to cognitive factors but may be associated with negative experiences, leading to fear and uncertainty. Recounting these sticking points through student voices, rather than from a staff viewpoint, enables readers to find meaningful solutions to dyslexia-related problems. Through this dynamic methodology, the book shows researchers and practitioners how to understand dyslexic needs on an emotional level, while presenting dyslexic readers with practical coping methods.

Next Wave of Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome Survivors

This study seeks to deepen our understanding of the survival adaptive behaviors, particularly features of Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome (PTSS), identified by Black women professionals who exist at the margins in academia and society. To date, exploration of posttraumatic growth has not been researched concomitantly with PTSS. By examining these variables collectively, this study’s model provides an original contribution to a growing but insufficient literature on Black women professionals who endure institutional racism. Using the Listening Guide, this study presents data from seven (7) Black women professionals in higher education. The study finds interviewees adopt Angry Black Women and Strong Black Woman schema, and PTSS features as a survival strategy stemming from gender discrimination rooted in proximity to Whiteness and habitual attacks on their professional acumen. Congruently, learnings revealed (1) Identity and Positionality, (2) Generational [In]visibility, (3), Professional Rage Located, and (4) Voices of PPTTG—Prayers, People, Trials, Tribulations and God. Dismantling White Supremacy must center Black women's survival herstories and healing at the intersection of anti-Black racism and hidden systematic policies. Practice models that nuance PTSS trauma-informed assessments, the addition of PTSS to the DSM, and widely accepted African-centered paradigms are essential for this wave of race work

Initiation of buprenorphine for opioid use disorder in the hospital setting: Practice models, challenges, and legal considerations

Purpose To provide health-system pharmacists with published examples of strategies utilized to offer buprenorphine to inpatients with opioid use disorder (OUD) along with information on challenges and legal considerations. Summary Hospitals and emergency departments (EDs) are a constant source of healthcare for patients with OUD. As a result, hospital practitioners can screen, diagnose, begin treatment, and facilitate transfer of care to the outpatient setting. Offering sublingual buprenorphine in the hospital can bridge the gap before outpatient care is established. Multiple studies have shown that initiating treatment in the ED or during inpatient hospitalization results in 47% to 74% of patients utilizing medication-assisted treatment at day 30 of follow-up, statistically superior to the rates achieved with brief interventions or referral alone. Moreover, initiating buprenorphine treatment in the ED has been shown to decrease healthcare costs. Despite the benefits of offering buprenorphine in the inpatient setting, several challenges must be solved by hospital administration, such as achieving clinician readiness to prescribe buprenorphine, developing relationships with outpatient providers of buprenorphine, and creating an efficient workflow. Treatment of OUD with buprenorphine is heavily regulated on the federal level. Pharmacists can participate in the development of these programs and ensure compliance with applicable laws. Conclusion As health systems continue to care for patients with OUD, starting buprenorphine in the inpatient setting can improve the transition to outpatient treatment. Several institutions have developed programs with positive results. With an understanding of the typical barriers and relevant laws when initiating buprenorphine in the hospital setting, health-system pharmacists can assist in the development and operation of these initiatives.