Search

The article focuses on a study in Scotland, United Kingdom of prioritizing protection of children from secondhand smoke exposure (SHSE) in a private space where smoke-free public places are enforced. It discusses the difficulty of political acceptability in enforcing the issue and the intervention over parental autonomy to smoke in their own home. The article also reports on the findings based on the study used called Reducing Families' Exposure to Secondhand Smoke (REFRESH) project.

Background and aims Regulation of electronic cigarettes has moved to the top of the addiction policy agenda, as demonstrated by the recent focus across the United Kingdom on introducing age-of-sale restrictions. However, the views of those affected by such regulation remain largely unexplored. This paper presents the first detailed qualitative exploration of adolescents' perceptions of existing, and opinions about potential e-cigarette regulation. Methods Sixteen focus groups, including a total of 83 teenagers between the ages of 14 and 17 years, were conducted in deprived, mixed and affluent urban areas in Scotland and England between November 2014 and February 2015. Transcripts were imported into Nivivo 10, coded thematically and analysed. Results Participants critically considered existing evidence and competing interests in regulatory debates and demonstrated sophisticated understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of regulation. They overwhelmingly supported strong e-cigarette regulation and endorsed restrictions on sales to minors, marketing and e-cigarette use in public places. Concern about potential health harms of e-cigarette use and marketing increasing the acceptability of vaping and smoking led these adolescents to support regulation. Conclusions In focus group discussions, a sample of UK adolescents exposed to particular communications about e-cigarettes supported strict regulation of e-cigarettes, including banning sales to minors and use in indoor public areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By providing a place in which children can be accessed, the school has long been a site for population-level health initiatives. Recent policy shifts towards health-promoting schools have however re-cast the school from passive host to active collaborator in public health. This paper examines secondary school teachers' views of their roles as partners in Scotland's human papilloma virus vaccination programme. Focus groups were held in seven schools across Scotland. Confusion was evident in relation to this role, with competing understandings of young women's sexuality, concerns about parental perceptions and uncertainty about professional responsibilities. Many teachers sought to distance themselves from the vaccination programme. Evidence was found of a ‘sedimentation of discourses’, as mass models of state-sanctioned health intervention persist alongside contemporary discourses of individual choice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report results of a research project which investigated how two UK National libraries categorise their core business purpose together with an assessment of the role and relevance of additional (or value-added) services in their strategic thinking, future planning and performance measurement. Design/methodology/approach – This is a qualitative interpretive study, using a collective case study methodology, with the National Libraries of Wales and Scotland as the core cases. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with senior managers in both institutions, together with focus groups with librarians and library assistants, selected using purposive sampling. All instruments were piloted; data from the respondents were recorded, coded, classified and cross-checked to ensure validity and rigour, using themed interview schedules to facilitate analysis. Findings – It is difficult to be definitive as to core and additional services as individuals have differing interpretations of the terms. Changing customer demands and expectations, technological developments and the impact of a dynamic and complex economic environment suggest it is more meaningful to reconceptualise services according to the extent to which they contribute to achieving basic business purpose at any one time. Originality/value – Libraries must demonstrate efficiency and effectiveness in service provision, and in relation to achieving primary purpose and resource priorities in order to survive. Examining the relevance of defining and distinguishing core and added-value services in relation to performance assessment and strategic vision addresses a gap in existing knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

law j., mccann d. & o'may f. (2011) Managing change in the care of children with complex needs: healthcare providers' perspectives. Journal of Advanced Nursing 67(12), 2551-2560. Abstract Aim. This paper is a report of a descriptive qualitative study of the role and activities of nursing and allied health professionals caring for children with complex needs in a community setting. Background. Health care is changing in terms of service provision and delivery, with an increased focus on person-centred care, prevention and community-based services. The role of nursing and allied health professionals is central to these changes but is not well described in terms of capacity, or the knowledge and skills required to meet increasing demand. Method. Within four Health Boards, semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted in 2007 with three nursing and four allied health managers, followed by four focus groups with 15 nursing and 11 allied health practitioners; in addition, three nurses and one speech therapist were interviewed by telephone. Results. Respondents identified challenges related to communication and information systems, equity of service provision, family-centred care and partnership working. Generic and specialized knowledge and skills are needed, although providing the right skills in the right place can often prove problematic with potential implications for service provision. Conclusion. Findings support the adoption of integrated partnership working, going beyond the identification of key professionals, to developing a set of criteria against which future service provision could be judged. Research priorities were identified; comparative evaluation of services, better understanding of the transition process and a clearer sense of the individual's response to the increasing customization of services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

St Columba's Hospice, Edinburgh, is a busy specialist palliative care unit with 30 inpatient beds. A previous publication reported the first strand of a qualitative exploratory study evaluating the impact of open visiting on patients at the hospice. This paper reports on the second strand, which sought to elicit the views of the hospice staff through focus group interviews. The main themes identified were valuing the family and friends as visitors, involving the family as part of the care team, patient powerlessness over visiting, shared rooms and their impact on visitors and patients, and the staff role as advocates or gatekeepers. Several strategies for developing a flexible and 'patient-controlled' visiting policy were identified, including quiet times without visitors, restriction of visitor numbers in shared rooms, and encouraging breaks from visiting. Since the study was completed, the hospice's visiting policy has been modified to ensure that it is patient-centred and meets the needs of patients and families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Research exploring the experiences of trainee doctors in remote and rural locations is scarce. Our aim was to gain an understanding of the experiences and perceptions of Foundation Programme (FP) doctors training in placements in remote and rural areas of the north of Scotland. Methods: FP doctors training in remote and rural areas in Scotland took part in a qualitative study (focus groups and individual interviews) exploring their training experiences and career plans. To make sense of a potential multitude of factors, we selected social cognitive careers theory (SCCT) to underpin data collection and analysis. Results: A total of 20 trainees participated. Using data-driven analysis, three themes relevant to the SCCT emerged. These are the educational experience (e.g., opportunities to develop skills, greater responsibility), geographical isolation factors (e.g., the impact of staff shortages, poor accommodation, travel) and personal factors (e.g., social isolation, attitudes towards the experience). Conclusion: Many factors impact on trainees' experience of learning and living in remote and rural medicine (R&R) environments. These experiences can be very positive for some individuals but factors external to the educational environment influence the perception of the overall experience. SCCT helps clarify the interaction between individual and contextual factors in career decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]