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Objective: Dental regulatory bodies aim to ensure the health and safety of dentists, dental staff patients and the public. An important responsibility during a pandemic is to communicate risk and guidelines for patient care. Limited data exist on the perceptions and experiences of dentists navigating new guidelines for mitigating risk in dental care during the pandemic. The objective of this study was to use a qualitative approach to explore how dentists in Canada experienced and perceived their regulatory bodies' communication about COVID‐19 risks and guidelines during the pandemic. Methods: Participants were Canadian dentists (N = 644) recruited through the email roster of nine provincial dental associations or regulatory bodies. This qualitative analysis was nested within a prospective longitudinal cohort study in which data were collected using online questionnaires at regular intervals from August 2020 to November 2021. To address the objective reported in this paper, a conventional qualitative content analysis method was applied to responses to three open‐ended questions included in the final questionnaire. Results: Participants encountered challenges and frustrations amid the COVID‐19 pandemic, grappling with diverse regulations and communications from dental bodies. While some bodies offered helpful guidance, many participants felt the need for improved communication on guidelines. Dentists urged for expedited, clearer and more frequent updates, expressing difficulty in navigating overwhelming information. Negative views emerged on the vague and unclear communication of COVID‐19 guidelines, contributing to confusion and frustration among participants. Conclusion: As COVID‐19 persists and in planning for future pandemics, these experiential findings will help guide regulatory bodies in providing clear, timely and practical guidelines to protect the health and safety of dentists, dental staff, patients and the public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of a tool to track participation in activity-based therapy (ABT) for people with spinal cord injury or disease (SCI/D) was identified as a priority of the Canadian ABT Community of Practice. The objective of this study was to understand multi-stakeholder perspectives on tracking ABT participation across the continuum of care. Forty-eight individuals from six stakeholder groups (persons living with SCI/D; hospital therapists; community trainers; administrators; researchers; and funders, advocates and policy experts) were recruited to participate in focus group interviews. Participants were asked open-ended questions concerning the importance of and parameters around tracking ABT. Transcripts were analyzed using conventional content analysis. Themes reflected the Who, What, Where, When, Why and How of tracking ABT. Participants described the importance of involving hospital therapists, community trainers and individuals with SCI/D in tracking ABT to capture both subjective and objective parameters across the continuum of care and injury trajectory. Digital tracking tools were favoured, although paper-based versions were regarded as a necessity in some circumstances. Findings highlighted the importance of tracking ABT participation for individuals with SCI/D. The information may guide the development of ABT practice guidelines and support the implementation of ABT in Canada. Tracking the details of activity-based therapy (ABT) sessions and programs across the continuum of care and injury trajectory may provide important information to support the development of ABT practice guidelines and implementation strategies. Tracking objective and subjective parameters are needed to provide a comprehensive description of an ABT session and program. Clinicians and individuals with spinal cord injury or disease (SCI/D) should both be able to track ABT to accommodate all settings and types of data. Digital tracking tools, such as an app, may provide an accessible, versatile and efficient way of tracking ABT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The military lifestyle can be defined by a triad of unique stressors: frequent relocation, parental absence, and risk of injury, illness and/or death of a serving member. Research has suggested that this unique triad of stressors can impact the mental health of children and youth living in military families. However, research focusing on the mental health of children and youth living in military families overwhelmingly focuses on the American context. Due to key contextual differences, it is unclear to what extent the American findings are representative of military-connected children and youth living in other geographical contexts, such as Canada. A large qualitative study was conducted to explore the mental health of military-connected children in Canada from three perspectives: child, parent, and service provider. This paper reports on the service provider findings. Using individual semi-structured interviews, data were collected from 11 service providers. Data analysis was guided by qualitative content analysis. Two main themes emerged: (1) the mental health of children living in military families may be impacted by the military lifestyle stressors, and (2) the mental health of children living in military families can be impacted by the accessibility and availability of mental health services. While this qualitative study builds upon recent Canadian work that has considered the service provider perspective, additional research is needed to better understand the experiences of service providers who support military-connected children and youth. Highlights: American research shows that the military lifestyle factors can impact the mental health of military-connected children. The mental health of military-connected children has yet to be extensively explored in Canada. The mental health of children living in Canadian military families may be impacted by the military lifestyle stressors. The mental health of Canadian military-connected children can be impacted by the accessibility and availability of mental health services. Our findings can help build capacity and knowledge for service providers who support Canadian military-connected children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an arts integrated interdisciplinary study set to investigate ways to improve social accountability (SA) in medical education, our research team has established a renewed understanding of compassion in the current SA movement. This paper explores the co-evolution of compassion and SA. The study used an arts integrated approach to investigate people's perceptions of SA in four medical schools across Australia, Canada, and the USA. Each school engaged approximately 25 participants who partook in workshops and in-depth interviews. We began with a study of SA and the topic of compassion emerged out of our qualitative data and biweekly meetings within the research team. Content analysis of the data and pedagogical discussion brought us to realize the importance of compassion in the practice of SA. The cultivation of compassion needs to play a significant role in a socially accountable medical educational system. Medical schools as educational institutions may operate themselves with compassion as a driving force in engaging partnership with students and communities. Social accountability without compassion is not SA; compassion humanizes institutional policy by engaging sympathy and care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing aging population in Canada has multi-faceted psycho-social needs. Social workers are well-positioned to address these needs, despite many challenges. This paper reports findings from the World Café at the Gerontology Symposium in Alberta, Canada, held in 2018. The goal was to learn from social work practitioners, researchers, and educators (N = 49) about current and future needs of gerontological social work in Alberta. There were two research questions: 1) What strategies do social workers need on the micro, mezzo, and macro levels to help better serve the growing older adult population in Alberta? (R1) 2) How can social workers promote the value and contribution of gerontological social work within the interprofessional community? (R2) The data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Ten R1-related themes emerged: personal traits of a social worker; professional skills; bio-psycho-social needs of older adults; community connections; access to benefits; gerontological social work education; integrated healthcare; aging policy; ageism; and advocacy to strengthen the voice of older adults. The three R2-related themes include strengthening the status of the social work profession; building trust through demonstrated skills; and interprofessional education and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Guidance during inquiry learning plays an important role in developing conceptual understanding and inquiry skills. This study analysed learner‐tutor interactions in a simulation‐assisted learning environment to investigate how tutor guidance enabled knowledge construction and fostered epistemic practice. Objectives: This research aimed to illuminate challenges learners encounter in the inquiry process and forms of guidance that support learning in both conceptual and epistemic aspects. Methods: This study uses a mixed methods approach. We analysed video recordings in which nine participants asked 72 questions and the microsequences of interactions immediately surrounding and including each question. We coded properties of each question and whether the tutors' utterances were intended to increase (upregulate) or decrease (downregulate) the complexity of the inquiry processes, and used a two‐step cluster analysis to explore groupings emerged from tutors' regulation guidance and learners' questions. Results and Conclusions: The regulatory intent of tutors' utterances depended on various characteristics of student questions. The microsequences clustered in five categories: 1) upregulated investigation and inference, 2) upregulated evidence‐based justification, 3) downregulated cognitive load, 4) downregulated procedural uncertainties, and 5) downregulated perceptual dissonance. Our findings suggest tutors offering guiding prompts should consider dual processes in the inquiry and, by strategically prompting them, strike a balance between the goals of guiding learners to discover scientific knowledge and grounding their conceptual understanding in concepts, data, and procedures. Implications: We emphasize conceptual and epistemic learning should be concurrently guided in scientific inquiry. We propose a bidirectional guidance model as a pedagogical approach to guide instructional practice. Lay Description: What is currently known about the subject matter: Rapid technological change urges schools to equip students with research and inquiry skills.Computer simulations provide an information‐rich environment for inquiry‐based learning.Guidance in inquiry learning is important for knowledge acquisition and the development of inquiry skills. What this paper adds: We illuminated challenges learners encounter in the inquiry learning process.We analysed forms of guidance that support learning in both conceptual and epistemic aspects.We identified dual processes involved in the inquiry process that have important implications.We proposed a bidirectional model for adaptive guidance in scientific inquiry. Implications of study findings for practitioners: Adaptive guidance facilitates conceptual and epistemic understanding by stimulating curiosity and reducing uncertainty in the inquiry process.Conceptual and epistemic learning need to be concurrently guided in scientific inquiry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The compassionate community movement as both a public health approach and a social model of care for various life stages is gaining traction in Canada and elsewhere. One example is the Windsor-Essex Compassion Care Community (WECCC), an evidence-based model and set of tools to improve the quality of life, health and wellness of vulnerable and aging populations by identifying and addressing upstream and downstream social and other risks to physical and mental health. This paper presents findings from the WECCC pilot evaluation. The WECCC initiative provided one-on-one volunteer-supported quality of life assessment, resource navigation and goals support program (Catalyzing Community Connections). This was augmented with public education sessions on social connection and loneliness (Importance of Being Connected) for the broader population. The RE-AIM framework was used to frame evaluation of WECCC through the first 4 years. Questionnaires were used to evaluate participant outcomes related to implementation and effectiveness. Interviews and focus groups were completed to understand impacts. From 2017 to 2020, WECCC has engaged over 2,500 individuals, 65 organizations and 400 volunteers combined in both programs. Nearly all (82% to 95%) participants reported positive changes to health, quality of life and/or social connections. This developmental phase of a compassionate community initiative has allowed piloting of an evaluation framework focusing on reach, adoption, implementation and early signals of effectiveness and maintenance. This demonstration provides information on feasibility, acceptability and potential impacts of this type of over-arching community initiative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible Summary: What is known on the subject?: Involuntary treatment orders are increasingly being used around the world to allow the treatment of individuals living with a mental illness deemed incapable of giving consent and who are actively refusing treatment.The use of involuntary treatment orders can impact the nurse–patient therapeutic relationship, which is essential to offer quality care and promote recovery. What the paper adds to existing knowledge?: Nurses and patients do not agree on the possibility to develop a therapeutic relationship, with nurses believing they can build a bond with the patients despite the challenges imposed by the involuntary treatment order, and patients rejecting this possibility.Nurses caring for patients on involuntary treatment orders feel obligated to apply the conditions of this measure, even if it damages the relationship with their patients. This difficult aspect of their work leads them to question their role in relation to the management of involuntary treatment orders. What are the implications for practice?: Nurses need to be aware of the reasons why patients on involuntary treatment orders do not believe in the possibility of building a therapeutic relationship.Nurses need to reflect on and express their concerns about the damaging effects that managing involuntary treatment orders conditions can have on the nurse–patient therapeutic relationship. Introduction: Involuntary treatment orders (ITO) can impact the nurse–patient therapeutic relationship (TR) negatively. Despite the increasing use of ITOs around the world, few studies have explored their influence on the TR from the perspectives of nurses and patients. Aim: To describe the TR in the context of ITOs as reported by nurses and individuals living with a mental illness. Method: Secondary data analysis of qualitative interviews with nurses (n = 9) and patients (n = 6) was performed using content analysis. Results: Participants described the TR as fundamentally embedded in a power imbalance amplified by the ITO, which was discussed through the conflicting roles of nurses, the legal constraints imposed on patients and nurses, the complex relation between the ITO and the TR, and the influence of mental healthcare settings' context. Discussion: Nurses and patients' views were opposed, questioning the authenticity of the relationship. Implications for Practice: Nurses should be aware of the patients' lack of faith in the TR to ensure that they are sensitive to patients' behaviours that may falsely suggest that a relationship is established. Further studies should explore ways to alleviate the burden of the management of ITOs on nurses and allow for a trusting relationship to be build. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Age-friendly initiatives often are motivated by a single funding injection from national or sub-national governments, frequently challenging human and financial resources at the community level. To address this problem, this paper examines the challenges and opportunities to sustaining age-friendly programs in the context of a Canadian age-friendly funding program. Based on a qualitative thematic content analysis of interview data with 35 age-friendly committee members drawn from 11 communities, results show that age-friendly sustainability may be conceptualized as an implementation gap between early development stages and long-term viability. Consistent over-dependence on volunteers and on committees' limited capacity may create burnout, limiting sustainability and the extent to which communities can truly become "age-friendly". To close this implementation gap while still remaining true to the grass-roots intention of the global age-friendly agenda, sustainable initiatives should include community champions, multi-disciplinary and cross-sector collaborations, and systemic municipal involvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aimed to examine the quality of obstetric and gynecological advice provided to women in a sample of women's magazines, and determine whether the inclusion of expert sources affected the quality of advice. A retrospective content analysis of popular Canadian magazines from January 2019 to 2020 was conducted. An adaptation of the Media Doctor Australia rating tool was used to assess the quality of reporting. Criteria included source, evidence base, benefits presented meaningfully, potential harms mentioned, no evidence of fear-based rhetoric, availability, and cost. Seventy-seven claims were rated, exhibiting a wide variation in quality, evidence base, and inclusion of expert sources. Approximately 55 of 77 health claims cited a medical professional source. A majority of health claims (71%, 54/77) were supported by robust evidence or generally in line with recommendations. The quality of the claims was low and varied widely across magazines. There was no significant association between expert sources and health claim quality. The prevalence of expert sources does not impact the quality of each article, though may increase the reader's confidence in the claim. The overall prevalence of low quality or incomplete information found in this study suggests that women may not be receiving adequate health information from magazine content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: With governments worldwide reducing their involvement in the provision of institutional long‐term elder care, community‐based family caregivers (FCs) have become a key element in policies aimed at improving the quality of healthcare systems and maintaining their financial sustainability. This paper uses data from focus groups with FCs providing care to older adults to describe their approaches to and priorities for achieving care quality and sustainability as they work with formal health and social care systems. It describes FCs' views on information and communications technology (ICT) as potential supports for achieving these care quality and sustainability goals. Methods: We held 10 focus groups from May 2017 to August 2018 and recruited 25 FCs through a mix of convenience and snowball sampling strategies. We employed an inductive approach and used qualitative thematic content analysis methods to examine and interpret the resulting data. We used NVIVO 12 software for data analysis. Results: Quality of care – as delivered by both FCs themselves, and formal health and social care systems – was a major preoccupation for our participants. They saw communications quality as a key aspect of the broader concept of care quality. Our data analysis produced a typology of communications quality from the FC perspective. Analysis of our data also revealed ICT development opportunities and available products in key areas. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the formal care system providers could be more caregiver‐oriented in their communications by engaging FCs in the decision‐making process and allowing them to express their own concerns and goals. The implication of our findings for those seeking to develop policies and ICT products in support of FCs is that these should focus on human relationships and seek to expand facilitative communications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible Summary: What is known about the subject?: Immigrant women in Canada are at greater risk for post‐partum depression (PPD) than native‐born women.Immigrant women are less likely to have their care needs met as they face multiple barriers to care at both individual and system levels.To date, most PPD research has focused on individual barriers to care, with limited research examining organizational and system level barriers and the uniqueness of immigrant women's post‐partum health experiences. What this paper adds to existing knowledge?: This study provides unique insights into immigrant women's perceptions of what influences their post‐partum mental health and ability to access services for PPD.Factors contributing to immigrant women's PPD included several social determinants of health, particularly a lack of social support and limited knowledge about PPD and available services.Most helpful services acknowledge women's concerns, build trust, enact cultural competence and help with system navigation.Assessment approaches and organizational wait times created barriers to accessing care. What are the implications for practice?: Relationship building by providers is foundational to effective care for immigrant women with PPD.Findings highlight the need for mental health practitioners to improve cultural competence when working with diverse ethno‐cultural communities and for more effective assistance with system navigation, service integration and timely, flexible and accessible services.Findings have implications for the development of healthy public policy to address perinatal mental health issues amongst immigrant women. Introduction: Immigrant women in Canada are at greater risk for post‐partum depression (PPD) than native‐born women yet face multiple barriers to care at individual and system levels. Aim: To explore factors that contribute to PPD and health service accessibility, and the role of health services in supporting immigrant women with PPD. Methods: A qualitative interpretive descriptive design was used. Individual interviews were conducted with 11 immigrant women who had delivered a baby within the previous year and had experienced PPD. Inductive thematic content analysis was conducted. Results: Factors contributing to immigrant women's PPD included several social health determinants. Services were most helpful and accessible when providers acknowledged women's concerns, allowed time to build trust, provided culturally competent care and helped with navigating services. Assessment approaches and organizational wait times created barriers to care. Discussion: Immigrant women with PPD see relationship building by providers as foundational to providing effective support, enhancing coping and facilitating access to services. Improved communication with diverse ethno‐cultural communities and assistance with system navigation, service integration and timely, accessible services are needed. Implications for Practice: Findings can inform health service delivery models and the development of healthy public policy to address perinatal mental health issues amongst immigrant women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inclusion of able-bodied athletes within disability sport, a phenomenon known as reverse integration, has sparked significant debate within adapted physical activity. Although researchers and practitioners have taken up positions for or against reverse integration, there is a lack of supporting research on the experiences of athletes who already play in such settings. In this study, we explore how competitive female athletes who have a disability experience reverse integration in Canadian wheelchair basketball. Athletic identity was used as the initial conceptual framework to guide semistructured interviews with nine participants. The results suggest that participation in this context contributed to positive athletic identities. Interviews also pointed to the unexpected theme of "what's the difference?" that this sporting context provided a space for the questioning and creative negotiation of the categories of disability and able-bodiedness. Methodologically, this paper also explores the possibilities and challenges of inter- worldview and insider-outsider research collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Evidence suggests that mainstream media coverage of mental illness tends to focus on factors such as crime and violence. Thus, mental health advocates have argued that alternative portrayals are necessary to reduce stigma. Aim: The aim of this paper is to compare the tone and content of mainstream TV coverage of mental illness with educational videos produced by citizen journalists with mental illness. Methods: We trained three groups of people with mental illness in citizen journalism and participatory video. These groups then produced a series of educational videos about mental illness (n = 26). Simultaneously, we systematically collected TV clips about mental illness from a major Canadian TV station (n = 26). We then compared the tone and content of citizen journalism videos vs. TV clips using content analysis techniques. Results: The citizen journalist videos tended to be more positive and hopeful. For example, over 60% of the citizen journalism videos focused on recovery, compared to 27% of the TV clips. Conversely, over 40% of the TV clips focused on crime, violence or legal issues, in comparison to only 23% of the citizen journalism videos. Conclusion: Citizen journalism by people with mental illness has the potential to educate the public and reduce stigma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the social inclusion of the illicit drug user. It does this through a comparative examination of policy orientations to the social inclusion of people who use drugs. Six policy documents from Canada and Scotland produced in the years 2000 and 2001 were systematically sampled from 42 known documents. A poststructural content analysis adapted from the work of Maarten Hajer and mapped onto an analytic frame derived from Nikolas Rose's Governing the Soul: The Shaping of the Private Self is conducted. Within the years considered, drug policy texts from Scotland signaled a more punitive approach to drug use and a less socially inclusive approach to people who used drugs than drug policy texts from Canada. The differences in policy directions identified were in keeping with a priori interpretations of each country's broad approach to illicit drug use and to the social inclusion of the illicit drug user, if not to social inclusion itself. Methodologically, combining the approaches of Hajer and Rose proved complimentary and useful as well as promising for future application to the content analysis of public discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research and theorizing has characterized contemporary mothering as medicalized, intensive and risky. The rate of diagnosis of children's mental health issues has grown rapidly, particularly since the 90s. This paper examines the construction of mothering in regard to children's behaviours and mental health through an exploratory and qualitative content analysis of the portrayal of advice to mothers in Chatelaine Magazine, the premier women's magazine published in Canada. The time periods chosen for comparison were 1945-1956 and 1990-2010. The first period was selected because it was a time of dramatic changes that occurred in family, occupational and domestic life for women immediately after World War II. The second represents the modern period. The findings of the paper suggest that mothering was intensive, medicalized and risky in both periods although the conceptualizations of problems differed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine how entrepreneurship education is being marketed to students within the Canadian university sector.Design/methodology/approach A content analysis of the webpages representing 66 entrepreneurship education programs in Canada is performed.Findings Entrepreneurship education is found to be framed as providing students with a collaborative learning experience, useful hands-on skills with real world applications and an entrepreneurial mindset.Research limitations/implications This study looks at only one type of promotional material, and thus, further research is needed to triangulate its findings.Originality/value This is the first study that empirically examines the marketing of entrepreneurship education in Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible summary What Is Known on the Subject? Psychiatric day hospital (DH) treatment has been offered since the 1930s and is appropriate for individuals experiencing intense psychiatric symptoms without requiring 24-hour inpatient care., No empirical research has examined the specific purpose of DH treatment from the perspectives of healthcare providers within these programs., What This Paper Adds To Existing Knowledge? This study was the first to address the question of the purpose and function of DH treatment from the outlook of frontline workers within this setting, and confirmed anecdotal observations that DH treatment provides an alternative to intensive psychiatric care, and also operates as 'bridge' between these intensive services and purely outpatient treatment., Additional information emerged, such as the importance of the name of DH programs avoiding connotations of illness, the benefits and skills that draw patients to these programs, and challenges that staff and patients experience within DH programs (e.g. short length of treatment, barriers to treatment access)., What Are the Implications for Practice? This information can enhance curriculum development within these settings. For example, given the importance of skill building, it is essential to integrate the provision of skill building and coping strategies within these settings., In addition, given that the name of the setting can impact staff (and perhaps service users as well), ensuring that the name of such program highlight wellness and recovery may enable a different type of therapeutic community to develop within these settings., Abstract Introduction Despite the benefits of psychiatric day hospitals ( DH), research has not addressed staff perspectives of these programs' effectiveness and barriers. Aim To elucidate staff perceptions of Adult Mental Health DH programs at two hospitals in Canada, allowing for improved programming, enhanced structure and increased understanding of DH settings within the continuum of care. Method Twenty-five DH staff members completed semi-structured qualitative interviews. Two independent coders applied content analysis to achieve data saturation. Results Four major themes emerged: (1) program purpose and function, (2) what is in a name, (3) perceived patient motivation, and (4) room for improvement. Discussion Findings highlighted the importance of a multidisciplinary team delivering education and skill-focused interventions. Services were cited as 'bridging' different mental health settings. Challenges included barriers to treatment access and inadequate length of treatment. Implications for Practice Understanding the function and purpose of this treatment service may enhance service delivery by enabling programs to integrate identified key ingredients. Providers can also note treatment duration and consider how to best use that time. Finally, language used within a DH setting appears to impact staff delivering services, and may also alter patients' understanding of the services they will receive and purpose of the program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vision of the Canadian Sex Research Forum (CSRF) is to be Canada's leading organization dedicated to interdisciplinary, theoretical, and applied sexuality research. We sought to determine the composition of four previous CSRF Annual Conference (2013-2016) scientific programs. We double-coded 356 abstracts on first author region, discipline, and faculty status; presentation format (oral/poster); and several non-exclusive yes/no questions regarding study populations, topics, and methods. We calculated odds ratios (OR) to assess trends (per year) and likelihood of oral versus poster presentation. Most of authors were from psychology (86.5%), although this decreased over time (98.1% to 80.5%). Most abstracts used quantitative methods (82.9%) and there was a decrease over time in abstracts using qualitative (26.4% to 16.3%) and experimental (17.0% to 7.3%) methods. For study population and topic, there were increases over time in clinical population foci (7.6% to 23.6%) and decreases in race/ethnicity foci (3.8% to 0.8%) and methods topics (18.9% to 5.7%). Half of the abstracts were oral presentations (44.9%), which were more frequently awarded to faculty (81.1% vs. 38.6%), sexual practice topics (50.7% vs. 40.8%), relationship topics (52.3% vs. 40.7%), methodology topics (50.0% vs. 44.2%), and theory papers (71.4% vs. 43.3%). Oral presentations were less frequently awarded to single sex/gender populations (36.7% vs. 48.4%), student-only populations (35.3% vs. 51.2%), race/ethnicity foci (20.0% vs. 45.5%), and quantitative methods (43.4% vs. 52.5%). To achieve CSRF's vision of "interdisciplinary, theoretical, and applied research,'' we must undertake intentional strategic action (e.g., more content from non-psychology disciplines, more qualitative methods). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medical Education 2011: : 95-106 One hundred years after the Flexner report remade medical education in North America, many countries are reviewing the purpose and organisation of medical education. In Canada, a national study is being undertaken to define important issues and challenges for the future of medical education. The objectives of this paper are to describe the process of conducting an empirical environmental scan at a national level, and to present the research findings of this scan. Thirty national key informant interviews were conducted, transcribed and coded to identify key themes. Interview data were triangulated with data sourced from 34 commissioned literature reviews and a series of national focus groups. Ten key issues or priorities were identified and used to generate detailed review papers used by the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada to create a blueprint for the evolution of medical education. The new priorities have major implications for areas ranging from admissions, curriculum content, educational process and the need to articulate the purpose and responsibilities of medical schools in society. This research provides a case study of how an empirical research approach can be used to identify and validate priorities for changes in medical education at a national level. This approach may be of interest in other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Mass media are very influential in shaping discourses about health but few studies have examined the extent to which newspaper coverage of such stories reflect issues embedded in health policy documents. We estimate the relative distribution of health stories using content analysis. Nine meta-topics are used to sort stories across a range of major influences shaping the health status of populations adapted from the document Toward a Healthy Future (Second Report on the Health of Canadians (1999)) (TAHF). A total of 4732 stories were analyzed from 13 Canadian daily newspapers (10 English, 3 French language) using a constructed week per quarter method. Stories were sampled from each chosen newspaper for the years 1993, 1995, 1997 and 2001. 72% (n=3405) of stories in this analysis were from English-language papers, 28% (n=1327) were from French-language papers. Topics related to health care (dealing either with issues of service provision and delivery or management and regulation) dominated newspaper stories, accounting for 65% of all stories. Physical environment topics accounted for about 13% of all stories, the socio-economic environment about 6% of stories, personal health practices about 5% of stories, and scientific advances in health research about 4% of stories. Other influences upon health identified in TAHF were rarely mentioned. The overall prominence of topics in newspapers is not consistent with the relative importance assigned to health influences in TAHF. Canadian newspapers rarely report on socio-economic influences frequently cited in the research literature (and reflected in TAHF) as being most influential in shaping population health outcomes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper reviews the current Mexican debate on communication policies related to the promotion of cultural diversity through television. Using the concepts of source diversity, content diversity and exposure diversity, the paper analyzes communication policies adopted or proposed in Mexico and compares them with current policies in Canada and the US. The paper concludes that current commercial strategies and goals in Mexico do not stimulate cultural diversity in media content. It proposes that Mexico advocate a mixed system of mass media with different mandates and modes of financing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research from the United States suggests that Latin American immigrant and refugee women are one of the groups most greatly impacted by intimate partner violence (IPV) and associated mental health consequences including higher rates of depression than women from other ethno-racial groups. In Canada, little is known about the experience of IPV and mental health among this population. Even in the broader North American context, how Latin American women themselves perceive the connection between IPV and depression is unknown. This paper presents the findings of a pilot study that examined the perceived relationship between IPV and depression among Spanish-Speaking Latin American Women in Toronto, Canada. The theoretical framework guiding this qualitative study combined an ecological model for understanding gender based violence and mental health with critical intersectionality theory. Using a convenience and snowball sampling method, semi-structured interviews (n = 12) were conducted and thematic content analysis was completed supported by Nvivo9 qualitative data management software. All participants had experienced some form of IPV in their adult lives, with psychological violence being the most common. Women perceived a powerful connection between IPV and depression, a link made stronger by the accumulation of other adverse life experiences including childhood abuse, war traumas and migration. The results suggest that IPV is just one of the challenges experienced by Latin American refugee and immigrant women. IPV is experienced in the context of other traumatic experiences and social hardships that may work to intensify the association of IPV and depression in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents emerging findings from the first year of a two-year study, which employed ethnographic methods to explore the culture of interprofessional collaboration (IPC) and family member involvement in eight North American intensive care units (ICUs). The study utilized a comparative ethnographic approach - gathering observation, interview and documentary data relating to the behaviors and attitudes of healthcare providers and family members across several sites. In total, 504 hours of ICU-based observational data were gathered over a 12-month period in four ICUs based in two US cities. In addition, 56 semi-structured interviews were undertaken with a range of ICU staff (e.g. nurses, doctors and pharmacists) and family members. Documentary data (e.g. clinical guidelines and unit policies) were also collected to help develop an insight into how the different sites engaged organizationally with IPC and family member involvement. Directed content analysis enabled the identification and categorization of major themes within the data. An interprofessional conceptual framework was utilized to help frame the coding for the analysis. The preliminary findings presented in this paper illuminate a number of issues related to the nature of IPC and family member involvement within an ICU context. These findings are discussed in relation to the wider interprofessional and health services literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We live in an era where our health is linked to that of others across the globe, and nothing brings this home better than the specter of a pandemic. This paper explores the findings of town hall meetings associated with the Canadian Program of Research on Ethics in a Pandemic (CanPREP), in which focus groups met to discuss issues related to the global governance of an influenza pandemic. Two competing discourses were found to be at work: the first was based upon an economic rationality and the second upon a humanitarian rationality. The implications for public support and the long-term sustainability of new global norms, networks, and regulations in global public health are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores social scientists' and humanities (SSH) scholars' integration within the academic medical research environment. Three questions guided our investigation: Do SSH scholars adapt to the medical research environment? How do they navigate their career within a culture that may be inconsistent with their own? What strategies do they use to gain legitimacy? The study builds on three concepts: decoupling, doxa, and epistemic habitus. Twenty-nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with SSH scholars working in 11 faculties of medicine across Canada. Participants were selected through purposeful and snowball sampling. The data were analyzed by thematic content analysis. For most of our participants, moving into medicine has been a challenging experience, as their research practices and views of academic excellence collided with those of medicine. In order to achieve some level of legitimacy more than half of our participants altered their research practices. This resulted in a dissonance between their internalized appreciation of academic excellence and their new, altered, research practices. Only six participants experienced no form of challenge or dissonance after moving into medicine, while three decided to break with their social science and humanities past and make the medical research community their new home. We conclude that the work environment for SSH scholars in faculties of medicine does not deliver on the promise of inclusiveness made by calls for interdisciplinarity in Canadian health research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual violence prevention has shifted from centering around a message of ‘no means no’ toward a message of ‘get consent.’ This paper explores how young adults conceptualise consent in relation to how they talked about expressing a willingness to participate in sex. The analysis here argues that understandings of consent are disconnected from how young people understand communication about sex. Consent is viewed as a formal minimum requirement for ‘ok’ sex. At the same time, young people were more sophisticated when discussing how they understand and communicate a willingness to have sex. Implications for sexual violence prevention education and research on sexual consent are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper addresses the curriculum overlap and gap between LIS education and intelligence education by analyzing the content of the websites of the intelligence education programs and courses in 27 representative intelligence education universities in the United States, and the intelligence-related programs and courses in the 56 LIS programs in the United States and Canada. The curriculum overlap lies in computer skills for information collection management, geographic information systems, data mining, knowledge discovery, competitive intelligence and information security, whereas the major curriculum gap lies in most intelligence analysis domain areas (such as military intelligence, political intelligence, science and technology intelligence) and many intelligence tradecraft areas (such as structured analytic techniques, intelligence theory and methods, intelligence policy and organization, intelligence operations, counterintelligence, intelligence writing and briefing). By filling some curriculum gaps based on the overlap, LIS education can extend to open source intelligence analysis in some domain areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Medical education has traditionally been compartmentalized into basic and clinical sciences, with the latter being viewed as the skillful application of the former. Over time, the relevance of basic sciences has become defined by their role in supporting clinical problem solving rather than being, of themselves, a defining knowledge base of physicians. Methods: As part of the national Future of Medical Education in Canada (FMEC MD) project, a comprehensive empirical environmental scan identified the timing and integration of basic sciences as a key pressing issue for medical education. Using the literature review, key informant interviews, stakeholder meetings, and subsequent consultation forums from the FMEC project, this paper details the empirical basis for focusing on the role of basic science, the evidentiary foundations for current practices, and the implications for medical education. Findings: Despite a dearth of definitive relevant studies, opinions about how best to integrate the sciences remain strong. Resource allocation, political power, educational philosophy, and the shift from a knowledge-based to a problem-solving profession all influence the debate. There was little disagreement that both sciences are important, that many traditional models emphasized deep understanding of limited basic science disciplines at the expense of other relevant content such as social sciences, or that teaching the sciences contemporaneously rather than sequentially has theoretical and practical merit. Innovations in integrated curriculum design have occurred internationally. Less clear are the appropriate balance of the sciences, the best integration model, and solutions to the political and practical challenges of integrated curricula. Discussion: New curricula tend to emphasize integration, development of more diverse physician competencies, and preparation of physicians to adapt to evolving technology and patients' expectations. Refocusing the basic/clinical dichotomy to a foundational/applied model may yield benefits in training widely competent future physicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recognizing that older adults are among the biggest consumers of medication, and the demographic group most likely to suffer an adverse drug reaction (ADR), this paper details the findings from a recent study on how older adults come to understand medication and its related use. Using a qualitative content analysis method, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 individuals from British Columbia, Canada. Study participants ranged in age from 65 to 89 years (male=9, female=11). Using NVIVO† 7 software, data were subjected to comparative thematic content analysis in an effort to capture the role of medication use in the context of everyday living as understood by older adults. While there was variability in how older adults come to understand their medication use, an overarching theme was revealed whereby most participants identified their prescription medications as being life-sustaining and prolonging. Deeper thematic content analysis of participant narratives drew attention to three key areas: (A) medications are viewed as a necessary, often unquestioned, aspect of day-to-day life (B) a relationship is perceived to exist between the amount of medications taken and ones current state of health (C) the overall medication experience is positively or negatively influenced by the doctor patient relationship and the assumption that it is the physicians role to communicate medication information that will support everyday living. The article concludes that medical authority and the complexities surrounding medication use need to undergo significant revision if community dwelling older adults are to experience greater success in safely managing their health and medication-related needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: HIV/AIDS conferences provide an opportunity to review current research from around the world. Conferences are a good gauge of the amount of research conducted on HIV/AIDS and women because papers are disseminated widely and publicly, and can represent published or unpublished material. The objective of this study was to conduct content analysis and data coding to quantify trends in women-specific research in HIV/AIDS abstracts at the International AIDS Conferences (AIDS), the Canadian Association for HIV Research (CAHR) Conferences, and the Conferences on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) over a 7-year time period. Methods: Abstracts titles and text containing female keywords were retrieved from the AIDS, CAHR, and CROI conferences between 2003 and 2009 and coded according to research category using content analysis. Results: Over 34,000 abstracts were searched. A total of 5,221 abstracts related to women (13.7%) were found over 7 years. Women-specific abstracts represented 16.2% (n = 4,245/26,175) at AIDS, 13.7% (n = 257/1,876) at CAHR, and 11.1% (n = 719/6,370) at CROI. The AIDS and CAHR conferences demonstrated a slightly increasing trend in women-specific abstracts over 7 years. In categorical coding, the most prevalent research category was reproductive health, and the most infrequent was policy and program evaluation. Conclusion: The AIDS conferences showed an increase in women-specific abstracts over time, probably owing to a gender policy implemented in 2008 and a women’s research award. The CAHR conference instituted a gender policy in 2011, and the CROI conference should follow suit. Conference abstracts should include breakdown and analysis by gender. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Globalized labour mobility has led to questions regarding the degree to which social work education in one country can be applicable to practice in another. This paper examines social work education programmes and practice contexts in South Africa, England and Canada as examples through which to examine this question. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

One of the significantly increasing risks in modern society is that of childhood mental, developmental and behavioural disorders. Attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are cases in point. This paper uses a social constructionist and framing approach to investigate the portrayal of risks associated with ADD/ADHD in popular magazines directed towards mass audiences in English speaking North America from 1988–2008. Aqualitative content analysis examines how the magazine articles answer the following questions about ADD and ADHD portrayal: (1) what is it?; (2) what is said to cause it?; and (3) what can be done about it? The findings suggest that ADD and ADHD are portrayed in polarising and contradictory ways in this popular medium. Magazine stories demonstrate deep ambivalence about whether or not ADD/ADHD even exist. They question whether or not the associated behaviours constitute medical problems. Despite this, described research on the causes of ADD/ADHD is almost always authoritatively described as either genetic or biological. Treatment by medications is often portrayed as profoundly problematic. This contentious and confusing portrayal exacerbates uncertainty and underscores the perception of risk. It reflects the competing interests operating in the social environment of ADD/ADHD including an ongoing but inconsistent tendency to medicalise this as other childhood mental/developmental/behavioural disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper deals with the initial steps of the judicial process for persons with intellectual disabilities who are suspected of a minor offense; a stage where plaintiffs, police officers, and crown attorneys make a series of decisions that will have a significant impact on the course of the judicial process. The objective of this study was twofold: (i) to document the criteria that influence dispositions by police officers and crown attorneys about persons with intellectual disabilities in the criminal justice system (CJS), (ii) to report suggested improvements to better support them throughout the judicial process. Fourteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with key informants from the CJS and from service and community organisations working in the field of intellectual disabilities. The results of this qualitative study indicate that decisions made and dispositions taken rely on a series of implicit criteria that influence the course of the subsequent judicial procedures against persons with an intellectual disability. Suggestions for improvement pertain to developing the screening of intellectual disability procedures, the provision of information to key actors about intellectual disabilities, a preference for the use of summons to appear over other types of procedures, and drafting memorandums of understanding between various organisations and police services regarding persons with intellectual disabilities. In conclusion, an emphasis must be put on screening and diversion procedures for persons with intellectual disabilities when appropriate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature examining the relationship between homeless individuals and companion animals is scarce. To date there are only five published studies, none of which explore this issue within a Canadian context or from the perspectives of women living in homeless shelters. The benefits of companion animals with respect to enhancing the psychological and physiological well-being of their owners have been well documented. This paper examines the nature of animal caretaking among female, homeless shelter residents in Canada. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 51 women from homeless shelters located in six urban centers across Canada (Halifax, Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, and Vancouver) and two key informant interviews with homeless shelter administrators who facilitated space for animal companions. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using content analysis techniques. Homeless women described being comforted by companion animals and the pain of being forced to relinquish them. Most pet owners reported having to surrender a pet. Eight themes emerged regarding the role animals played in the lives of homeless women: (a) providing companionship, (b) unconditional acceptance, (c) providing comfort, (d) providing a sense of responsibility, (e) the health and therapeutic values of companion animals, (f) providing a sense of safety, (g) loss, as well as (h) empathy towards the homeless women sharing shelter space who may not share the affinity for animals or may have health consequences such as allergies. The majority of women supported shelter inclusion of companion animals, many suggesting a designated space for the animals that would accommodate the needs of those shelter residents who are allergic to, or fearful of animals, for example. Vulnerable women who are homeless recognize the therapeutic value of companion animals. Homeless shelters should consider the need to provide space to accommodate the animal companions of homeless individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper elicited context specific underlying beliefs for physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption and smoke-free behaviour from the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), and then determined whether the TPB explained significant variation in intentions and behaviour over a 1 month period in a sample of grade 7-9 (age 12-16 years) adolescents. Eighteen individual interviews and one focus group were used to elicit student beliefs. Analyses of this data produced behavioural, normative and control beliefs which were put into a TPB questionnaire completed by 183 students at time 1 and time 2. The Path analyses from the main study showed that the attitude/intention relationship was moderately large for fruit and vegetable consumption and small to moderate for being smoke free. Perceived behavioural control had a large effect on being smoke free and a moderately large effect for fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity. Intention had a large direct effect on all three behaviours. Common (e.g. feel better, more energy) and behaviour-specific (e.g., prevent yellow fingers, control my weight) beliefs emerged across the three health behaviours. These novel findings, to the adolescent population, support the importance of specific attention being given to each of the behaviours in future multi-behavioural interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global health is becoming an important area of inquiry and learning in North American research universities, stemming from on-going and new commitments to the field by multiple governmental and non-governmental agents. External demands for research and education in global health require enhanced inter-disciplinary, inter-sectoral and international collaborations, all perceived as growing trends but often not easily accommodated in universities. This paper investigates how four leading universities in Canada and the US have entered the field of global health, exploring the relationships among national contexts, academic structures, and institutional strategies. Content analysis of institutional records is triangulated with data from sixty interviews with academic leaders and researchers at Harvard, Johns Hopkins, McGill and Toronto. Resource asymmetries emerge as an important differentiating factor shaping the emergence of global health in the American and Canadian institutions. Domestic sources of support and previous academic structures provided important cumulative advantages to the US campuses in claiming national and international leadership in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Canada, the number of pre-trial detention cases in provincial/territorial custody has soared dramatically. The traditional proportion of sentenced to remand in the inmate population, 75% sentenced to 25% remand, has now become a 50/50 split, and this trend has been accelerating. This paper explores possible reasons for this dramatic shift, focusing particularly on the two-for-one time served credit available to offenders upon conviction. Using content analysis of open-ended survey responses, we provide a “convict” perspective both on explanations for the rise in remand rates and on potential solutions to the problem. The formal position of justice officials on use of the two-for-one policy is compared and contrasted with inmate perceptions. Study findings indicate some consistency between official and inmate explanations, but also show considerable divergence, particularly in whether or not the accused or the prosecution seek to delay the trial process. We conclude with suggestions for policy development and future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]