Search

During the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, COVID-19 healthcare-associated infections (HAI) and risk management became major challenges facing hospitals. Using evidence from a research project, this commentary presents: 1) various communication and information strategies implemented by four hospitals and their staff in Brazil, Canada and France to reduce the risks of COVID-19 HAIs, and how they were perceived by hospital staff; 2) the flaws in communication in the hospitals; and 3) a proposed agenda for research on and action to improve institutional communications for future pandemics. By analyzing "top-down" strategies at the organizational level and spontaneous strategies initiated by and between professionals, this study shows that during the first waves of the pandemic, reliable information and clear communication about guidelines and health protocols' changes can help alleviate fears among staff and avoid misapplication of protocols, thereby reducing infection risks. There was a lack of a "bottom-up" communication channel, while, when making decisions, it is crucial to listen to and fully take into account staff's voices, experiences, and feelings. More balanced communication between hospital administrators and staff could strengthen team cohesion and lead to better enforcement of protocols, which in turn will reduce the risk of contamination, alleviate the potential impacts on staff health, and improve the quality of care provided to patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Withdrawing consent for sex may be difficult for young women due to gendered sexual scripts and male persistence. Method: 40 students from Canadian universities (31 women; Mean age = 20.20 years; 75% heterosexual) were asked open-ended questions about sexual experiences and consent; data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Women perceived that: (1) women were responsible for communicating consent, (2) they were unaware it was acceptable to withdraw consent or did not know how to, (3) male partners often persisted in response to withdrawal of consent, and (4) these experiences factored into compliance. Conclusion: Sexual consent education, at least in North America, should increase emphasis on withdrawing consent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous literature has applied system-focused structures to understand the success of First Nations Peoples' nutrition and exercise group programmes. Existing system-focused measures have included biomedical outcomes, access and service utilization. By broadening the focus of programme success beyond the system, we can evaluate programmes from a First Nations Peoples' lifeworld perspective. Critical hermeneutics and yarning using a lens of Habermas' Theory of Communicative Action to the literature has the potential to transform understandings of "success" in First Nations Peoples' nutrition and exercise group programmes. In this literature interpretation, we explored the critical success factors from a lifeworld perspective, giving scope to go beyond a system perspective to include a cultural, social or personal perspective. Our yarning led us to understand that there is a communicative relationship between explicit system structures and implicit lifeworld concepts that are critical success factors for First Nations nutrition and exercise group programmes. We have developed a set of reflective questions to guide others in considering a lifeworld perspective. Our findings represent a shift away from success measured by the dominant power structure to respect the lifeworld culture, knowledges and values of First Nations Peoples towards shared understanding and mutual decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated whether the context of first-time intercourse (FTI) was associated with internal consent feelings and external consent communication at FTI. College students (n = 1020) from universities in Canada and the United States retrospectively reported on their FTI. Using structural equation modeling, we found that the context of participants' FTI (e.g. age, contraceptive use) predicted their internal consent, which in turn predicted their external consent communication. Sexual health education should highlight these contextual correlates of sexual consent at FTI. Despite the cultural primacy of FTI, consent should also be prioritized for other early sexual experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drama is dialogic, offering multiple avenues for communication through the medium of questions that become sites for further action and inquiry. In this paper we explore the ethical considerations in the transmission of cultural `truths' within the context of Canadian drama education. How can we enable that transmission so that it supports rather than challenges a `boundary-less' world society when the majority of Canadian drama practitioners are not representative of our cultural diversity? The paper provides a theoretical framework for addressing these questions within the context of drama education generally and the training of pre- service drama teachers in Canada more specifically. The theoretical discussion is supported by a series of anecdotes drawn from the extensive drama practice of the authors. From each of these anecdotes a series of questions or challenges are raised to interrupt `thinking as usual' in order to enter the space that Norman Denzin describes as `that ethical moment when individuals are led into the troubling spaces once occupied by others'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent technological advances have provided many youth with daily, almost continuous cell-phone and Internet connectivity through portable devices. Young people’s experiences with computer-mediated communication (CMC) and their views about how this form of communication affects their health have not been fully explored in the scientific literature. A purposeful maximum variation sample of young people (aged 11–15 years) across Ontario was identified, using key informants for recruitment. The young people participated in seven focus groups (involving a total of 40 adolescents), and discussed various aspects of health including the health impacts of CMC. Inductive content analysis of the focus group transcripts revealed two overarching concepts: first, that the relationship between health and the potential impacts of CMC is multidimensional; and secondly, that there exists a duality of both positive and negative potential influences of CMC on health. Within this framework, four themes were identified involving CMC and: (1) physical activity, (2) negative mental and emotional disturbance, (3) mindfulness, and (4) relationships. With this knowledge, targeted strategies for healthy technology use that draw on the perspectives of young people can be developed, and can then be implemented by parents, teachers, and youth themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]