http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/ The University of Queensland en Fez http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:205539 2010-05-26T00:00:00Z Kulig, J. C. og Duke, M. og Solowoniuk, J. og Weaselfat, R. og Shade, C. og Lamb, M. og Wojtowicz, B. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:190698 2009-12-21T00:00:00Z http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:171239 Objectives: To evaluate the psychometric properties of two HRQL questionnaires - Myocardial Infarction Dimensional Assessment Scale (MIDAS) and the MacNew HRQL Questionnaire (MacNew) - in Chinese patients with coronary heart disease. Methods: Conforming to the guidelines of the Medical Outcomes Trust (2002), we examined item-internal consistency, stability, concurrent, discriminative and construct validity, and a conceptual model of the Chinese versions of the MIDAS and MacNew instruments. Results: Data were obtained from 393 patients with either myocardial infarction (n = 131), angina (n = 165) or heart failure (n = 102), with 92 of them repeating completion of the questionnaires seven days later for testing stability. Cronbach’s alphas (MIDAS, r = 0.73 – 0.94; MacNew subscales, r = 0.88 – 0.93) supported their item-internal consistency and test-retest reliability exceeded ICC > 0.75 for both. Concurrent and construct validity for the MIDAS and MacNew subscales were supported by their moderate to high correlations with most of the Short Form 36 Health Survey subscales and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, except that the diet, medication and side effect subscales of MIDAS showed lower correlations. Discriminative validity of the MIDAS and MacNew subscales was demonstrated with poorer HRQL in female patients (p <.001), those with psychiatric morbidity (p <.001) and those with health deterioration (p <.001). Results of confirmatory factor analysis supported the original seven-factor and three-factor structure of the MIDAS and MacNew, respectively, with five items of the MacNew loading significantly on only one but not two subscales as proposed by the original version. Conclusion: The MacNew and the MIDAS are psychometrically sound when used in Chinese patients with coronary heart disease. The problematic subscales of the MIDAS may be related to their small number of items (≤ 3) and cultural variations in perceiving disease management. 2009-03-23T00:00:00Z Thompson, David og Oldridge, Neil og Yu, Doris og Yu, Cheuk Man http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:65175 2007-08-14T00:00:00Z Langridge, M. og Ahern, K. J. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:254467 2011-10-07T00:00:00Z Alanna Geary og Raymond Chan og Glenn Gardner og Joan Webster http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:193562 This study examines the utility of current accelerometer threshold definitions and epoch durations for physical activity intensity classification in preschool-aged children. Using video footage of children engaged in active play, directly observed 1-sec epoch physical activity intensity scores were derived from a modified version of the Children's Activity Rating Scale, averaged into 15-sec epochs (corresponding to the accelerometer scale), and compared to accelerometer-measured classifications. Overall, 6,540 individual 1-sec epochs were captured and classified from six children, yielding 429 time-matched 15-sec epoch physical activity intensity classifications from both methods. Children participated in 25 distinct physical activity behaviors and spent 75% of free-play in one intensity level for ≤5 sec. The maximum amount of time spent participating in an activity prior to changing activity intensity was 98 sec. Agreement between methods was generally poor (overall: κ = .22; child range: κ = .00 to .66), and the difference between methods was significantly asymmetrical (McNemar's test overall: p = .01). Accelerometer thresholds and epoch durations used to classify preschoolers' physical activity intensity yielded biased estimates in the current study. Further investigation is necessary to establish optimal physical activity measurement methods with this population. 2010-01-22T00:00:00Z Oliver, Melody og Schofield, Grant M. og Schluter, Philip J. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:228889 2011-02-11T00:00:00Z Hughes, Karen L. og Sargeant, Hilary og Hawkes, Anna L. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:179628 This paper reports on the findings of a prospective exploratory study related to nurses’ self-reports of continuing professional education access and support. The data were gathered by two postal surveys undertaken in 2004 and 2007 each which sampled 3000 nurses of the 30,000 nurse members of the industrial body – Queensland Nurses’ Union. The response rates were 44.9% and 39.7% for 2004 and 2007, respectively. Over 85% of the nurses reported they had access to continuing professional education activities. However, it is apparent that the majority of these activities are either partially or completely self-funded. Further, between 2004 and 2007 the amount of financial support provided by employers for continuing education and training activities has decreased significantly. While there were differences between 2004 and 2007, the major barrier to be able to attend continuing professional education were financial (could not afford the fee involved; could not afford to take unpaid leave to attend). Another major barrier in both 2004 and 2007 was having the time to undertake the activity. Analysis for differences between nurses in different geographical locations indicated that distance remains a major barrier for nurses in rural and remote areas. These quantitative findings were supported by the qualitative findings on nurses’ work where ‘education and training’ was, overall, the fifth highest ranked issue requiring further attention. 2009-08-06T00:00:00Z Hegney, Desley G. og Tuckett, Anthony G. og Parker, Deborah og Eley, Robert http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:221632 2010-11-19T00:00:00Z Brookes, Anna og LeCouteur, Amanda og Hepworth, Julie http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:244713 2011-07-28T00:00:00Z Schluter, PJ og Tautolo, ES og Paterson, J http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:262987 2011-12-06T00:00:00Z Tautolo, El Shadan og Schluter, Philip J. og Paterson, Janis og McRobbie, Hayden http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:209929 2010-07-29T00:00:00Z Fernandez, Ritin S og Chau, Janita Pak-Chun og Thompson, David R og Griffiths, Rhonda og Lo, Hoi-Shan http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:82101 2007-08-15T00:00:00Z Wang, W. og Lopez, og Thompson, D http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:266594 2012-02-01T00:00:00Z Chan, Raymond og Webster, Joan http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:217782 2010-10-04T00:00:00Z Parker, Deborah og Hodgkinson, Brent http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:243296 2011-07-06T00:00:00Z Parker, Deborah og Hodgkinson, Brent http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:253079 2011-09-23T00:00:00Z Parker, Deborah og Hodgkinson, Brent http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:253723 2011-09-30T00:00:00Z Parker, Deborah og Hodgkinson, Brent http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:253233 2011-09-26T00:00:00Z Parker, Deborah og Hodgkinson, Brent http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:268766 2012-03-01T00:00:00Z Strand, Haakan og Isbel, Nicole, M og Parker, Deborah http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:171359 Background What people believe about their illness may affect how they cope with it. It has been suggested that such beliefs stem from those commonly held within society . This study compared the beliefs held by people with angina, regarding causation and coping in angina, with the beliefs of their friends who do not suffer from angina. Methods Postal survey using the York Angina Beliefs Questionnaire (version 1), which elicits stress attributions and misconceived beliefs about causation and coping. This was administered to 164 people with angina and their non-cohabiting friends matched for age and sex. 132 people with angina and 94 friends completed the questionnaire. Results Peers are more likely than people with angina to believe that angina is caused by a worn out heart (p < 0.01), angina is a small heart attack (p = 0.02), and that it causes permanent damage to the heart (p < 0.001). Peers were also more likely to believe that people with angina should take life easy (p < 0.01) and avoid exercise (p = 0.04) and excitement (p < 0.01). Conclusions The beliefs of the peer group about causation and coping in angina run counter to professional advice. Over time this may contribute to a reduction in patient concordance with risk factor reduction, and may help to create cardiac invalids. 2009-03-23T00:00:00Z Furze, Gill og Roebuck, Alun og Bull, Peter og Lewin, Robert J. P. og Thompson, David R. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:171349 The utility of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) as a screening instrument for coronary care patients following acute myocardial infarction (MI) was investigated. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on the HADS to determine its psychometric properties in 335 MI patients over three observation points (1 week, 6 weeks and 6 months). Internal and test–retest reliabilities of the HADS total and HADS sub-scale scores were generally found to be acceptable. The underlying factor structure of the HADS comprised three distinct factors. Support was found for the use of the HADS sub-scales to assess dimensions of anhedonia, psychic anxiety and psychomotor agitation. The HADS may be a useful screening instrument to assess post-MI patients for symptoms of psychological distress. Further research is required to determine the three-factor structure of the HADS in other clinical groups 2009-03-23T00:00:00Z Martin, C.R. og Lewin, R. J. P. og Thompson, D. R. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:258249 2011-10-21T00:00:00Z Hepworth, J http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:268597 2012-02-28T08:11:11Z Bogossian, Fiona E. og Hepworth, Julie og Leong, Gary M. og Flaws, Dylan og Gibbons, Kristen S. og Benefer, Christine A. og Turner, Catherine T. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:268825 2012-03-02T12:09:17Z Zhao, Isabella og Bogossian, Fiona og Turner, Catherine http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:82127 2007-08-15T00:00:00Z Chan, W.C. og Shoumei, I. A. og Thompson, D og Yan, U. og Chiu, F.K. og Chien, W. og Lam, L. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:194455 2010-02-02T00:00:00Z Keogh, S, og Young, J. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:171240 Aim: To examine the barriers that nurses feel prevent them from using research in the decisions they make. Background: A sizeable research literature focusing on research utilization in nursing has developed over the past 20 years. However, this literature is characterized by a number of weaknesses: self-reported utilization behaviour; poor response rates and small, nonrandom sampling strategies. Design: Cross-case analysis involving anonymised qualitative interviews, observation, documentary audit and Q methodological modelling of shared subjectivities amongst nurses. The case sites were three large acute hospitals in the north of England. One hundred and eight nurses were interviewed, 61 of whom were also observed for a total of 180 h, and 122 nurses were involved in the Q modelling exercise (response rate of 64%). Results: Four perspectives were isolated that encompassed the characteristics associated with barriers to research use. These related to the individual, organization, nature of research information itself and environment. Nurses clustered around four main perspectives on the barriers to research use: (1) Problems in interpreting and using research products, which were seen as too complex, 'academic' and overly statistical; (2) Nurses who felt confident with research-based information perceived a lack of organizational support as a significant block; (3) Many nurses felt that researchers and research products lack clinical credibility and that they fail to offer the desired level of clinical direction; (4) Some nurses lacked the skills and, to a lesser degree, the motivation to use research themselves. These individuals liked research messages passed on to them by a third party and sought to foster others' involvement in research-based practice, rather than becoming directly involved themselves. Conclusions: Rejection of research knowledge is not a barrier to its application. Rather, the presentation and management of research knowledge in the workplace represent significant challenges for clinicians, policy-makers and the research community 2009-03-23T00:00:00Z McCaughan, Dorothy og Thompson, Carl og Cullum, Nicky og Sheldon, Trevor A. og Thompson, David R. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:254726 2011-10-10T00:00:00Z Douglas, B. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:265347 2012-01-18T00:00:00Z Thompson, David R. og Clark, Alexander M. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:269298 2012-03-07T00:00:00Z Fealy, G. M. og McNamara, M. og Geraghty, R. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:160314 Abstract: In 2001, a study into issues of concern to assistant-in-nursing, registered and enrolled nurse members of the Queensland Nurses Union was undertaken. Approximately equal numbers of nurses from each of the aged care, acute private and acute public sectors were surveyed. Overall, 1477 nurses responded, representing a response rate of 53%. This article focuses on one aspect of the study-the perceived adequacy of support offered to new nursing graduates as they exit university and begin their transition into the workplace. In particular, responses from nurses are compared with professional level or current role designation, age, time spent in the workplace and health sector. Considerable divergence of opinion among the respondents, particularly across designation, age and years of experience, was found within the three sectors. For example, in the public and private employment sectors, older and more experienced nurses were more likely to perceive the support for new nurses as adequate compared to younger and less experienced nurses. Additionally, in the acute private sector, the more senior the nurse the more likely the perception that there was adequate preparation for new graduates entering the workforce. (author abstract) 2009-01-09T00:00:00Z Parker, Victoria og Plank, Ashley og Hegney, Desley http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:160889 2009-01-15T00:00:00Z Mccann, D. og Young, J. og Finch, J. og Woolett, H. og McCrossin, R. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:176907 2009-04-17T00:00:00Z Jones, Ian og Flather, Marcus og Johnson, Martin og Barrow, Steve og Thompson, D. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:252737 2011-09-21T00:00:00Z McLeod, A. og Jenkin, P. og Mudie, R. og Parker, D. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:78866 Aim. The paper presents a study assessing the rate of adoption of a sedation scoring system and sedation guideline. Background. Clinical practice guidelines including sedation guidelines have been shown to improve patient outcomes by standardizing care. In particular sedation guidelines have been shown to be beneficial for intensive care patients by reducing the duration of ventilation. Despite the acceptance that clinical practice guidelines are beneficial, adoption rates are rarely measured. Adoption data may reveal other factors which contribute to improved outcomes. Therefore, the usefulness of the guideline may be more appropriately assessed by collecting adoption data. Method. A quasi-experimental pre-intervention and postintervention quality improvement design was used. Adoption was operationalized as documentation of sedation score every 4 hours and use of the sedation and analgesic medications suggested in the guideline. Adoption data were collected from patients' charts on a random day of the month; all patients in the intensive care unit on that day were assigned an adoption category. Sedation scoring system adoption data were collected before implementation of a sedation guideline, which was implemented using an intensive information-giving strategy, and guideline adoption data were fed back to bedside nurses. After implementation of the guideline, adoption data were collected for both the sedation scoring system and the guideline. The data were collected in the years 2002-2004. Findings. The sedation scoring system was not used extensively in the pre-intervention phase of the study; however, this improved in the postintervention phase. The findings suggest that the sedation guideline was gradually adopted following implementation in the postintervention phase of the study. Field notes taken during the implementation of the sedation scoring system and the guideline reveal widespread acceptance of both. Conclusion. Measurement of adoption is a complex process. Appropriate operationalization contributes to greater accuracy. Further investigation is warranted to establish the intensity and extent of implementation required to positively affect patient outcomes. 2007-08-15T00:00:00Z Elliott, R. og McKinley, S. og Aitken, L. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:253058 2011-09-23T00:00:00Z Hunt, R. og Brooksbank, M. og Thorn, D. og Parker, D. og Fazekas, B. og Maddock, I. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:282602 2012-09-30T00:02:41Z Chan, Raymond J. og Keller, Jacqui og Cheuk, Robyn og Blades, Rae og Tripcony, Lee og Keogh, Samantha http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:177884 2009-05-25T00:00:00Z Eley, Diann og Boyes, Joanne og Young, Louise og Hegney, Desley http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:200650 2010-03-25T00:00:00Z Strand, Haakan og Parker, Deborah http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:208541 2010-07-19T00:00:00Z Yorkston, E. og Turner, C. og Schluter, P. og McClure, R. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:195583 2010-02-17T00:00:00Z Wilson, H. og Huntingdon, A.D. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:176792 2009-04-17T00:00:00Z Edwards, H. og Walsh, A. og Courtney, M. og Wilson, J. og Monaghan, S. og Young, J. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:160298 2009-01-09T00:00:00Z Hegney, D. og Fahey, P. og McCarthy, A. og Moon, H. og Nanka, A. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:246457 2011-08-26T00:00:00Z Henwood, Timothy http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:135581 Aims The study investigated factors empowering women to continue breastfeeding despite experiencing extraordinary difficulties. The study documented the experiences and characteristics of women who continued to breastfeed (continuing cohort) and those who weaned (non-continuing cohort) despite extraordinary difficulties. Design Retrospective case control. Methods The study was undertaken in south-east Queensland, Australia in 2004. Forty women (20 in each cohort) were recruited over six months. Both quantitative (breastfeeding knowledge questionnaire) and qualitative (semi-structured interviews) data were collected. This paper describes the qualitative data. Results Women from both cohorts expressed idealistic expectations about breastfeeding and experienced psychological distress due to their breastfeeding problems. Those who continued breastfeeding used coping strategies and exhibited personal qualities that assisted them to overcome the difficulties experienced. Women who continued to breastfeed were more likely to report relying on a health professional they could trust for support. This latter cohort were also more likely to report having peers with which they shared their experiences. Non-continuing women expressed feelings of guilt and inadequacy following weaning and were more likely to feel isolated. Conclusions This study has highlighted the methods women use to deal with breastfeeding problems. It has also revealed modificable factors that can improve breastfeeding duration. Relevance to clinical practice The findings indicate that clinicians should: • Provide information which accurately reflects the breastfeeding experience; • Ensure systems are in place so that effective postnatal support for breastfeeding difficulties is available; • Consider screening to ascertain levels of psychological distress, sadness and disillusionment among breastfeeding women; • Design educational interventions with elements of cognitive skills, problem-solving and self-efficacy training to equip women with the skills to overcome any experienced difficulties. 2008-04-17T00:00:00Z Hegney, Desley og Fallon, Tony og O'Brien, Maxine http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:160290 A primarily qualitative approach to this exploratory study was employed to investigate what qualities/characteristics each group possessed in making their decision to breastfeed or not. 2009-01-09T00:00:00Z Hegney, Desley og Fallon, Tony og Crepinsek, Maree og O'Brien, Maxine og Doolan, Jackie http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:66193 2007-08-15T00:00:00Z Turner, C. og McClure, R. http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:161085 It is commonly assumed that as short-term memory tasks become more difficult, a transient phonological trace that supports recall loses its fidelity. Recall can still be achieved through a process called redintegration, where long-term phonological or lexical knowledge is used to reconstruct the memory trace. In the present research, we explored age-related differences in the redintegration process by having older and younger participants study lists under different levels of task difficulty. As a means of examining the redintegration process, in Experiment 1, semantic similarity was manipulated, and in Experiment 2, phonological similarity was varied. The results show that similarity effects can be accurately predicted from knowledge of task difficulty with item scoring, but not with order scoring. The results support the redintegration perspective and indicate that although there may be differences in the absolute level of recall across age groups, the redintegration process is identical for younger and older participants. 2009-01-19T00:00:00Z Neale, Kerry og Tehan, Gerry http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:160332 Background: The ageing of baby boomers may create significant financial strain upon aged and community care in the future. Topic and Objectives: In this literature review, we examine why concern has been expressed about Australia’s ability to cope with the “baby boomer bubble”. We discuss differences between baby boomers and their parents and within the baby boomer cohort, and suggest that these differences may result in problems in provision of aged care to baby boomers should current trends continue. Implications: There must be a fit between future models of aged care and the needs and expectations of baby boomers. The views of baby boomers on these issues must be gathered to maximise the likelihood that this fit will occur. 2009-01-09T00:00:00Z Fallon, Anthony Bruce og Price, Kay og Hegney, Desley og Abbey, Jennifer og Neville, Christine og Oxlade, Deborah og Soar, Jeffrey