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This paper explores the environmental, interpersonal, and personal outcomes of music performance in a hospital oncology setting. An original, qualitative research study examined the impact of live music for staff, patients, and carers. Data were collected using a multi-method approach of observations and semi-structured interviews and were analysed using inductive and theory-driven theming that was shaped by a determinants of health framework. The research found that live music promoted stronger relationships and calmer environments, among other environmental, social and individual outcomes. Improved communication between staff through the creation of a more supportive environment was a pertinent finding of the research. No negative effects were reported. We discuss research findings in the context of relevant literature and suggest recommendations for future hospital-based live music programs. Results of this study indicate that live music interventions impacted individual, interpersonal, social and environment factors that led to health and wellbeing outcomes for participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Healthcare staff are on the frontline during disasters despite any personal adversity and vicarious trauma they may be experiencing. Wellness Warrior training is a post-disaster intervention developed in response to the 2019-2020 Australian bushfires to support staff in a rural hospital located on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Method: This study explored the experiences and perspectives of 18 healthcare staff who were trained to provide emotional and peer support to their colleagues in the aftermath of a crisis. All the Wellness Warriors participated in semi-structured interviews between March and April 2020. Data were analysed using the reflexive thematic approach. Results: Healthcare staff reported developing interpersonal skills around deep listening and connecting with others which allowed for hearing the core of their colleagues' concerns. The training also helped staff to feel differently about work and restored their faith in healthcare leadership. Conclusion: Wellness Warrior training provided staff with knowledge and skills to support their colleagues in the aftermath of a natural disaster and later during the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, these findings suggest that peer support programs such as Wellness Warriors could be one way healthcare organisations can attempt to alleviate the psychological impact of natural disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although allied health services are important adjuncts to medical care for people with myasthenia gravis (MG), the underutilisation of these services is not well understood within the Australian context. It is critical to explore patients' perceptions to develop services that meet consumer needs. This study, therefore, sought to obtain insight into MG patients' perspectives and experiences, in addition to the outcomes, of accessing allied health services. Thirteen Australian adults with MG participated in semi-structured interviews. Qualitative analysis was conducted inductively using thematic content analysis. Four themes were identified: (1) missed opportunities and unmet care needs were common, due to frequent patient–provider communication breakdowns and a lack of referral protocols, (2) personal factors – patient self-advocacy influenced their perceived need, with some lacking confidence to seek help, (3) perceived benefit and health provider capacities – most valued allied health despite differing perceptions of health professionals' attitudes, skills, and willingness to learn, and (4) a resultant fragmentation of care between services was universal. Findings highlighted a need for clear referral pathways, coordinated multidisciplinary care, improved access to community-based services and education for allied health professionals about MG. Adults with myasthenia gravis (MG) report a lack of referral pathways to allied health services, leading to unmet needs and fragmented care. Although there is a perceived benefit to allied health care, experiences are impacted by health provider capacity and attitudes. There needs to be an overall shift towards multidisciplinary care for people with MG, and the development of clear referral pathways. Specific education about MG should be available for allied health professionals to improve their knowledge and skills in treating this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parents of children with hearing loss (HL) often navigate an unfamiliar and uncertain path. This qualitative study investigated the nature of parental uncertainty: (1) immediately after a child's HL was identified; (2) prior to primary school entry; and (3) during primary school. Open-ended questions in online surveys were completed by participants (N = 61) with: (a) personal experience as a parent of a child with HL (n = 35); (b) professional experience with children who have HL (n = 19); or (c) a combination of both parental and professional experience (n = 7). Six major themes were abstracted using thematic analysis, including uncertainty about: (1) the Pervasive Impact of HL, (2) the Nature and Causes of HL, (3) Developmental Impacts, (4) Family Life, (5) Family Decision-Making, and (6) Education and Support Services. The salience of these depended on the stage in time following identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health funding provisions supported by governments are pivotal for families accessing independent speech-language pathology services in Australia. Little is known of the facilitators and barriers that exist for accessing public funding for speech-language pathology services through independent providers. This study aimed to investigate and describe the perceptions of speech-language pathologists in accessing public funding models (PFMs) for children and young persons with communication and swallowing needs within Australian independent practice. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with twenty independent speech-language pathologists who had experience of PFMs in Australia. Digitally recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim and subjected to thematic analysis. Data analysis revealed five superordinate and eighteen subordinate themes. The five superordinate themes were: (a) accessibility in securing funding provisions; (b) time as a commodity; (c) incongruence between funding provisions and speech-language pathology evidence; (d) trust as a multifaceted quality; and (e) consequences of PFMs. This original and timely research offers perceptive descriptions of the multifaceted facilitators and barriers for families seeking to access public funding for independent speech-language pathology services in Australia. Research findings illuminate challenges for the speech-language pathology profession. Accessibility to funding was identified as a major issue. Research findings suggest that current funding provisions do not align with the dosage required for evidence-based speech-language pathology management. Further, this research has highlighted the need for funding to be equitable, acceptable to stakeholders, and for services to be delivered in an efficient and sustainable manner. Future research is recommended to understand which Australian PFMs: (a) facilitate consumer access to speech-language pathology services; (b) enrich consumer experiences; and (c) align with scientific evidence to promote optimal outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To understand the nature of mental health discussions in audiological rehabilitation, specifically, the types of conversations, when and how they are initiated, and the participant factors associated with discussing mental health. A cross-sectional descriptive survey including quantitative (multiple choice) and qualitative (free-text) questions regarding mental health discussions between audiologists and clients. A convenience sample of 118 Australian audiologists working in adult audiological rehabilitation. The majority of participants (95.8%) reported having engaged in discussions with clients about mental illness and health at some point throughout their career. The frequency of these discussions varied across participants: 7% rarely discuss, 50% discuss occasionally, 30% discuss with about half their clients and 13% have discussions with most clients. Many participants (85.6%) reported that clients would initiate these conversations, most often via disclosing the impacts of hearing loss on clients' lives. Most audiologists will encounter clients with mental health concerns, and many will engage in conversations about psychological symptoms, therefore, training audiologists to recognise and address verbal and non-verbal cues regarding mental health may help to promote person-centred care and potentially improve outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To explore how language and executive function skills of pre-school-aged children contribute to semantic fluency (a form of verbal fluency) performance. This study investigated effect of age and contribution of vocabulary and executive function on qualitative aspects of the semantic fluency task. Method: Forty typically developing Australian-English-speaking pre-school children, aged 4;0–5;11 (mean age = 55.5 months, SD = 5.21) participated. Eight assessment tasks were presented in random order examining semantic fluency, vocabulary knowledge and executive function. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses determined the extent to which measures of executive function and vocabulary accounted for fluency (number of words correctly produced) and qualitative aspects of the semantic fluency task (number of clusters, number of clustered words, number of switches). Result: While executive function and vocabulary were positively correlated with fluency and all qualitative measures of semantic fluency performance, they were not significant predictors of any aspect of task performance. Age and vocabulary were the only significant predictors of fluency, number of words clustered, and number of switches. Performance on these tasks was strongly related to vocabulary and automated retrieval processes. Conclusion: Pre-school children do not predominantly rely on executive function during semantic fluency. The influence that vocabulary has on semantic fluency task performance outweighs that accounted for by age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the knowledge and confidence of physiotherapists in managing knee osteoarthritis (OA) and patellofemoral pain (PFP); and explore their learning behaviors and preferences related to the management of these knee conditions. One hundred and sixteen Australian and Canadian Physiotherapists were recruited via social media, e-mail, and an online course. Part 1: Quantitative involved an online survey evaluating knowledge of evidence and confidence in providing treatments for knee OA and PFP. Part 2: Qualitative involved semi-structured interviews with 13 participants exploring current practice and learning needs, that were analyzed using an initial framework structured on interview questions, followed by inductive approach to identify additional themes. Awareness regarding evidence supporting exercise for knee OA and PFP was good (89–96%), and qualitative themes indicated physiotherapists emphasized exercise-therapy and education. Perceived value of passive treatments and surgery varied. Preference for face-to-face workshops to address learning needs, alongside describing time and cost barriers to access them, emerged from qualitative findings. Online learning formats were viewed as convenient, but not as effective as face-to-face learning. Knowledge and confidence related to interventions for knee OA and PFP of Australian and Canadian physiotherapist participants broadly aligns with guidelines. Knowledge translation strategies focused on face-to-face workshops, supported by online education may help to bridge evidence-to-practice gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examines the perceptions of 'Millennials' on cyberloafing, as a form of workplace deviance, and uncovers their rationale for cyberloafing to better understand, how organisations can mitigate this issue. Employing a qualitative research methodology, a total of 90 semi-structured interviews were conducted with postgraduate students, where 65% of the participants were international and 34% were local from Australia and all had work experience. The gender was evenly distributed, and their average age was 23 years. Results suggested that Millennials viewed cyberloafing to be a relatively inconsequential form of workplace deviance and a social and cultural norm among their cohort. Cyberloafing was seen as a tool to work faster and to enhance their productivity in the long-term. Other themes that emerged included, cyberloafing as an escape from boredom/idletime, and a stress reliever. Many respondents justified their behaviour and explained that cyberloafing has developed as an ingrained habit and is a brilliant necessity in today's competitive world and is good for business. Our findings suggest that organisations will need to develop policies in collaboration with Millennials to reach a middle ground between deterrence and laissez-faire policies to curb this menace that is costing organisations millions of dollars in productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social workers provide services in many cancer settings however there has been limited research into Australian oncology social work practice. This multisite study investigated the reasons those affected by a cancer diagnosis were referred to social workers and the types of intervention undertaken. Clinical data-mining methodology was used to complete a retrospective review of 250 patient medical records. Qualitative and descriptive analyses were undertaken with comparisons to existing classification systems. Findings of significance were that residential location, socio-economic status, gender, relationship status, responsibilities for dependent children, and other complex individual circumstances were key reasons for referral to social workers. Interventions included psychosocial assessment, financial management, counselling, service coordination, and advocacy across multiple systems. Complex circumstances reflecting systemic social inequalities led to higher levels of social worker engagement. The study outcomes indicate that social workers have a significant role in the provision of effective psychosocial cancer care. Poorer cancer outcomes are linked to socio-economic, cultural, and systemic disadvantage, all of which are domains of social work practice. Working across multiple systems, social workers provide a range of skilled interventions to patients, families, carers, and others in complex social situations exacerbated by a diagnosis of cancer. Improving availability and access to social workers will address many of the social circumstances that have a detrimental impact on those affected by cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orientation and Mobility (O&M) professionals teach people with low vision or blindness to use specialist assistive technologies to support confident travel, but many O&M clients now prefer a smartphone. This study aimed to investigate what technology O&M professionals in Australia and Malaysia have, use, like, and want to support their client work, to inform the development of O&M technologies and build capacity in the international O&M profession. A technology survey was completed by professionals (n = 36) attending O&M workshops in Malaysia. A revised survey was completed online by O&M specialists (n = 31) primarily in Australia. Qualitative data about technology use came from conferences, workshops and interviews with O&M professionals. Descriptive statistics were analysed together with free-text data. Limited awareness of apps used by clients, unaffordability of devices, and inadequate technology training discouraged many O&M professionals from employing existing technologies in client programmes or for broader professional purposes. Professionals needed to learn smartphone accessibility features and travel-related apps, and ways to use technology during O&M client programmes, initial professional training, ongoing professional development and research. Smartphones are now integral to travel with low vision or blindness and early-adopter O&M clients are the travel tech-experts. O&M professionals need better initial training and then regular upskilling in mainstream O&M technologies to expand clients' travel choices. COVID-19 has created an imperative for technology laggards to upskill for O&M tele-practice. O&M technology could support comprehensive O&M specialist training and practice in Malaysia, to better serve O&M clients with complex needs. Most orientation and mobility (O&M) clients are travelling with a smartphone, so O&M specialists need to be abreast of mainstream technologies, accessibility features and apps used by clients for orientation, mobility, visual efficiency and social engagement. O&M specialists who are technology laggards need human-guided support to develop confidence in using travel technologies, and O&M clients are the experts. COVID-19 has created an imperative to learn skills for O&M tele-practice. Affordability is a significant barrier to O&M professionals and clients accessing specialist travel technologies in Malaysia, and to O&M professionals upgrading technology in Australia. Comprehensive training for O&M specialists is needed in Malaysia to meet the travel needs of clients with low vision or blindness who also have physical, cognitive, sensory or mental health complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]