Search

Background Developers of health information websites aimed at consumers need methods to assess whether their website is of “high quality.” Due to the nature of complementary medicine, website information is diverse and may be of poor quality. Various methods have been used to assess the quality of websites, the two main approaches being (1) to compare the content against some gold standard, and (2) to rate various aspects of the site using an assessment tool. Objective We aimed to review available evaluation instruments to assess their performance when used by a researcher to evaluate websites containing information on complementary medicine and breast cancer. In particular, we wanted to see if instruments used the same criteria, agreed on the ranking of websites, were easy to use by a researcher, and if use of a single tool was sufficient to assess website quality. Methods Bibliographic databases, search engines, and citation searches were used to identify evaluation instruments. Instruments were included that enabled users with no subject knowledge to make an objective assessment of a website containing health information. The elements of each instrument were compared to nine main criteria defined by a previous study. Google was used to search for complementary medicine and breast cancer sites. The first six results and a purposive six from different origins (charities, sponsored, commercial) were chosen. Each website was assessed using each tool, and the percentage of criteria successfully met was recorded. The ranking of the websites by each tool was compared. The use of the instruments by others was estimated by citation analysis and Google searching. Results A total of 39 instruments were identified, 12 of which met the inclusion criteria; the instruments contained between 4 and 43 questions. When applied to 12 websites, there was agreement of the rank order of the sites with 10 of the instruments. Instruments varied in the range of criteria they assessed and in their ease of use. Conclusions Comparing the content of websites against a gold standard is time consuming and only feasible for very specific advice. Evaluation instruments offer gateway providers a method to assess websites. The checklist approach has face validity when results are compared to the actual content of “good” and “bad” websites. Although instruments differed in the range of items assessed, there was fair agreement between most available instruments. Some were easier to use than others, but these were not necessarily the instruments most widely used to date. Combining some of the better features of instruments to provide fewer, easy-to-use methods would be beneficial to gateway providers.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to assess the contribution of scenario-based learning aimed at raising awareness of sustainability in health-care practitioners. The Lancet Countdown on Climate Change calls for urgent action on health and climate change; this requires appropriate knowledge, skills and competencies that can be gained through undergraduate education. The International Council of Nurses calls for leadership in nursing for sustainability; however, climate change and health are given little attention in nursing and health-care curricula. Design/methodology/approach: A cohort of nursing and midwifery students was introduced to sustainability and climate change in the context of health care through scenario-based learning sessions in each of their three years of undergraduate education. Questionnaires were used to collect data on participant's attitudes toward sustainability and climate change, how useful the educational sessions were and the extent to which their clinical practice had changed. Findings: Significant differences were found between scores in Years 1 and 2 suggesting greater awareness of the importance of sustainability in nursing education and practice. Comparison of Years 2 and 3 scores found participants more likely to apply sustainability principles in clinical practice and challenge unsustainable practices in the work environment. Research limitations/implications: Further research is required to explore sustainability practice in postgraduate nurses/midwives. However, this study supports the need for sustainability education to be embedded within health-care professional degrees through applied and participatory pedagogical approaches. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate sustainability education and its impact on nursing attitudes towards practice.

Green space offers a significant environmental resource that can improve the individual experience of health and quality of life. However, barriers exist that prevent the use of green space, and partnership (multi-agency) working has the potential to overcome these. Current public health policy aims to broaden the range of environmental public health intervention through effective partnership working. In response to this, a community development partnership project (Stepping Stones to Nature) was established in the south west of England to improve green spaces in neighbourhood communities through engagement and consultation. Integral to this project was an initiative to research the process and experience of partnership working. The aim of this paper is to report the experience of the multi-agency group guiding the research process and how they used an action learning approach to explore their experiences and guide the research process. Halfway through the project a "formal" focus group discussion was arranged in order to capture the reflective thinking and learning that had taken place. The focus of this paper is on the data from that group discussion. Four main themes were evident from the data: expectation/perceptions; stakeholder involvement; tensions (at organisational and individual levels); and reflection and learning (through the partnership and research process). This paper reflects the different expectations of the research process that need to be identified early in partnership research in order that they can be appropriately managed.

Advanced clinical practice roles are now an integral feature of many healthcare services and have been adopted in a diversity of areas. However, mentoring of these roles is not well documented in the literature and formal mechanisms of support are limited. An action learning set (ALS) was developed to provide support for consultants currently in post. The purpose was to facilitate clinicians in developing and meeting the demands of these posts by providing peer supervision, identifying strategies for leading service developments, providing a focus for problem solving and reflection. The ALS meets bi-monthly and is externally facilitated with the option to attend individual sessions with the facilitator. Participants also completed questionnaires measuring coping skills and stress, which were fed back in the individual sessions, providing opportunity for further opportunities for reflection. Initial evaluation was conducted formally using a structured questionnaire and reflective accounts, and provided evidence of the value of the ALS and an indication of how the criteria for success were being met, with greatest achievement reported in the area of work-life balance. The evaluation demonstrates the ongoing value of this ALS and the effectiveness of this method of supporting senior clinical staff. (Contains 2 figures.)

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in the Western world has grown at a phenomenal rate over the last decade, especially for the management of chronic diseases such as diabetes. It has been suggested that up to 3.6 million North Americans use CAMs for the management and treatment of diabetes despite the limited evidence of its effectiveness (Dham et al, 2006). Women are frequent users of CAMs for female-specific health conditions, in particular during pregnancy. This article will present results from an audit investigating CAM use in pregnant women with type 1 or 2, or gestational diabetes. Keywords - Pregnancy - Complementary therapies - Alternative medicine, Data from recent national surveys in the US demonstrated that there has been a dramatic increase in the overall use of CAMs in adults with diabetes (Bell et al, 2006; [...]

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2006.01.003 Byline: Karen Pilkington (a)(b), Anelia Boshnakova (a), Janet Richardson (a)(c) Keywords: St Johns's wort; Hypericum; Depression; Depressive disorder; Systematic review; Evidence Abstract: To review the development of the evidence on the herbal remedy, St John's wort (SJW) (Hypericum perforatum), in the treatment of depression. Author Affiliation: (a) Research Council for Complementary Medicine, London, UK (b) School of Integrated Health, University of Westminster, 115 New Cavendish Street, London W1W 6UW, UK (c) Faculty of Health and Social Work, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2004.12.005 Byline: Janet Richardson Author Affiliation: Reader in Nursing and Health Studies, Faculty of Health and Social Work, University of Plymouth Drake Circus, Plymouth, Devon PL4 8AA, UK

Objectives. Complementary and alternative therapies have become popular with patients in Western countries. Studies have suggested motivations for patients' choosing a wide range of complementary therapies. Data on the expectations of patients who use complementary therapy are limited. We assessed the expectations of patients who use complementary therapy. Methods. Patients attending a British National Health Service (NHS) outpatient department that provided acupuncture, osteopathy, and homoeopathy were asked to complete a qualitative survey. Results. Patients expected symptom relief, information, a holistic approach, improved quality of rife, self-help advice, and wide availability of such therapies on the NHS. Conclusions. Physicians' understanding of patients' expectations of complementary therapies will help patients make appropriate and realistic treatment choices.