Promoting Best Practices for Medical Science Liaisons Position Statement from the APPA, IFAPP, MAPS and MSLS

This position paper is intended to provide recommendations that will help lay the foundation for best practices for medical science liaisons (MSLs) and their activities. Its objective is to outline the roles and responsibilities expected of an MSL and provide clarity on the juxtaposition of MSLs and Sales representatives (SRs) when it comes to scientific exchange versus promotional messaging. It is of utmost importance that industry integrity and ethical standards are assured during external stakeholder engagement as well as medical and scientific communications. This guidance, delivered through the lens of APPA, IFAPP, MAPS and the MSLS executive committees, has been prepared primarily as a supportive resource to assist the Medical Affairs teams in the industry to develop their own set of standard operating procedures (SOPs), codes of conduct and policies within the framework of relevant industry regulations. We acknowledge that whilst there are guidelines already available that provide excellent directive to the MSL function, this paper is a review and distillation of these existing recommendations combined with the perspectives of four peak professional bodies to offer a practically focused resource to help MSLs interact, collaborate and exchange scientific information appropriately with external experts when out in the field.

Social Media as an (Un)Supportive Resource for Military Partners Coping With Military Lifestyle Challenges

The current study explored how romantic partners of active-duty service members perceived social media as (un)supportive when dealing with military lifestyle challenges. This study also explored coping and support paradoxes as they play out when military partners are using social media to help them cope. Twenty-four partners (female, n = 22; male, n = 2) participated in interviews. Participants reported mostly using Facebook (e.g., spouse groups) for dealing with military lifestyle challenges. Supportive functions included seeking and providing support and relational maintenance and development. Unsupportive functions included reinforced boundaries and support breakdowns. Findings are discussed with a focus on communal coping and coping and support paradoxes.

Research Roundup: Reaching Out to Parents

Most parents will agree that parenting, while rewarding, is also a very difficult job. When we provide for families in our library spaces, we really need to “be there” for parents so they feel welcome bringing their children to the library. Smiling at everyone, adults and children, when they enter the children’s room, can go a long way towards making them feel comfortable.Also, parents are very sensitive to what they perceive as surveillance and judgment from other parents as well as library staff. A withering look or brisk admonishment from a staff person is all it takes for a frazzled parent to decide they are not welcome and they likely won’t be back. We need to ensure that we give parents consistently welcoming messages and encouragement, especially when we are addressing specific issues or problems with them. This column’s links are meant to help all children’s library staff members to develop in our roles as supportive resource people in all parents’ lives as they raise their children.

mHealth applications as an educational and supportive resource for family carers of people with dementia: An integrative review

Family carers encounter several challenges related to caring for people with dementia, and they need support in managing care recipients’ health needs. This study aims to identify, appraise and synthesise the existing evidence on the use of mHealth/smartphone applications as an educational and supportive resource for family carers of people with dementia. An integrative literature review approach was used. Seven databases were searched. The search generated 117 articles, with seven meeting the inclusion criteria. Three categories and their attendant sub-categories emerged from the literature. The categories are ‘carer support’, ‘evaluation strategies’ and ‘barriers and challenges’. mHealth applications appear to be a feasible intervention for family carers of people with dementia despite the limited available research and barriers for their development and implementation. Further research on mHealth applications with strong methodological rigour and more research on mHealth applications as an educational and supportive resource for carers of people with dementia are needed.

Hope in adults, ages 20–59, with advanced stage cancer

ABSTRACTObjectives:The diagnosis of terminal cancer begins one of the most complex and challenging individual experiences of human life that requires multiple coping responses, one of those being hope. There are few studies that provide descriptions of hope over time for adults, ages 20–59, with advanced stage cancer. The purpose of this study was to describe hope as defined and experienced by young and middle age adults with advanced stage cancer.Methods:This descriptive, longitudinal qualitative research study interviewed 12 hopeful adults with advanced stage cancer once a month for 3 months.Results:By definition, this population exhibited high levels of hope at study entry. Hope scores did not change overtime. Four qualities associated with high levels of hope included: reliance on strong spiritual beliefs, maintenance of positive attitudes, accommodation of cancer symptoms, and the presence of supportive resource people. The emphasis or importance of each quality and specific hope related goals were determined and defined individually. Hope goals varied in degree of expectancy and concreteness and require reassessment as conditions change.Significances of results:By identifying an individual's hope goals, palliative care clinicians can then plan and implement interventions to move toward that hope goal.

Sociometric Status of Retarded Children in an Integrative Program

This study determined the sociometric status in elementary school regular classes of 40 former special class educable mentally retarded children who participated in an integrative resource room program. The results indicated that the educable children in this study were no better accepted in regular classes than were educable children in previous studies for whom such supportive resource room services had not been made available. However, considerable overlap in sociometric acceptances and rejections were found between the educable children and other pupils in the regular classes.