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Sharing care between specialist health services and primary health care using interactive e-care plans
No full textBackground: Public health services are looking for more integrated models of care due to increasing demands of long term care for people with multiple problems across multiple services, limited resources and diverse patient needs.
Currently general practitioners and specialist services develop separate care plans and often patients are unaware of the content of these plans. An interactive shared e-care plan can support the sharing of information and collaboration.
Successful collaboration needs shared goals, knowledge and mutual respect, supported with communication and structural interventions that support health services and general practices.
Aims: Improve communication, collaboration and shared care between health services and primary health care of people with long term conditions using a web-based shared e-care plan.
Methods: Observations and qualitative interviews from a feasibility study for cancer shared follow-up care and implementation of a feasibility study and RCT for people living with severe mental illness.
Results: In cancer follow-up, specialists, patients and GPs were receptive to shared e-care which was enhanced when communication through the care plan was evident. There was variation in patient engagement.
Implementation in mental health has proven more challenging. Processes for care and communication between services is complex and demanding. Resources are limited. Patients are infrequent users of general practice and have multiple GPs.
Conclusions: There are common pathways for implementation of interactive e-care plans in sharing care between specialist health services and GPs. However, solutions are needed to improve relational coordination within and between health services and additional resources to introduce and support these processes
Internet-delivered cognitive bias modification: Can this novel digital health program improve anxiety and hazardous drinking among young people?
No full textIntroduction: Up to 60% of young people who receive treatment for alcohol use quickly relapse to heavy drinking, particularly those who drink to alleviate anxiety symptoms. Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM) digital interventions are effective add-on treatments for these disorders individually; however, there is little research on the effectiveness of CBM in treating co-occurring alcohol use problems and anxiety. This presentation will outline the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of an online CBM program for young adults with comorbid anxiety and alcohol use problems (‘Re-Train Your Brain’).
Methods: Australian youth aged 18-30 (n=100) with anxiety and hazardous alcohol use were randomised to receive the 10-session online Re-Train Your Brain CBM intervention plus treatment as usual (TAU) or TAU only. Assessments of anxiety, alcohol use, anxiety interpretation biases, and alcohol approach biases occurred at baseline, 6 weeks and 3 months post-baseline. Feasibility (e.g., adherence, study attrition) and acceptability (e.g., assessed by the System Usability Scale [SUS] and Client Satisfaction Questionnaire [CSQ]) were assessed at the 6-week time-point.
Results: The study was deemed feasible, with high levels of adherence (81% completed at least one training session, with an average of M=5.5 sessions completed) and high follow-up rates (60-75%). SUS scores (M=84.0) indicate the program is “excellent” and associated with a positive user experience, and CSQ scores (M=24.8) indicate moderate to high satisfaction with the intervention. Efficacy analyses are currently underway.
Conclusion: This world-first digital CBM program carries enormous potential to improve outcomes in a complex group that respond poorly to standard treatments
Parents’ practices and perspectives of accessing health-related information for their young children
No full textBackground: Digital technology (DT) is ubiquitous in the lives of families with young children and a concern for many parents, who find guidelines unrealistic. Research around accessing health-related information frequently focuses on specific health conditions rather than children’s health more broadly, and there is a lack of research surrounding parents of young children’s access to health-related information, including DT use.
Aims: To explore the practices and perspectives of parents of young children accessing health-related information for their children, especially DT use.
Methods: Parents of children aged 0-36 months (n=20, 16 female) completed a sociodemographic survey and participated in an online semi-structured interview on the type of health-related information they seek, from whom and where they seek information, and why they choose these sources. Inductive thematic analysis was completed on the transcribed interview data.
Results: Parents most commonly accessed information about non-urgent health issues. Practices and perspectives were guided by information accessibility, relatability, and trustworthiness, and were impacted by geographical location, number of children and Covid19 restrictions. Online sources were frequently used for sourcing health-related information, specifically government/ organisational websites, and social media. DT use information was less commonly sought, with parents relying on personal values and experiences, and mainstream media messaging, to make decisions about their child’s DT use.
Conclusions: Findings indicate a need for a shift towards broader sources and strategies to allow effective research translation to help inform parents’ perspectives and practices surrounding DT use
An AI-powered virtual online platform to enhance clinical genetic service provision
No full textBackground: Escalation in genetic testing is identifying increasing numbers of individuals with high-risk mutations who require life-long, risk-mitigation programs. Adherence to optimal risk-management programs saves lives, empowers life choices and is cost-effective. However, some individuals experience psychological, socio-economic, geographic, and health system-based barriers to care without specialist support. These result in preventable morbidity and mortality and reduce the personal and clinical benefits of testing. Some clinical genetic services (CGS) offer telephone or survey-based follow-up programs, but these are inconsistent, and cost- and time-intensive.
Aims: The goal of this study is to develop the first generation of “GenCare”: an AI-powered virtual online platform functioning as a multidimensional CGS champion to enhance personalised care for patients living with genetic disorders. GenCare will support:
1) Bidirectional responsive communication between the CGS and patients, including collecting and integrating patient data into CGS databases,
2) Incorporate AI-based algorithms that will use these data to automatically assess and identify patients at risk, to optimise and enhance care delivery.
Methods: GenCare is being co-designed and development from experiences and preferences captured through iterative focus groups with all stakeholders. The first stage of eliciting GenCare attributes determined by stakeholders is complete. The paper prototype assessment is underway.
Conclusions: This proposal is currently focussed on individuals with a high familial cancer or cardiac disease risk. GenCare will be a highly scalable digital solution to optimise clinical wellbeing of people living with a high-risk disease predisposition and support CGS to respond quickly to individuals’ need
Translation of findings from a randomised controlled trial to real-world implementation of an online self-help program in an Australian youth mental health service
No full textBackground: Despite the availability of evidence-based treatments for bulimia nervosa (BN), there exist numerous barriers in being able to these treatments. Developing new cost-effective and accessible delivery mechanisms is essential to ensure early receipt of treatment. This has been further emphasized as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has increased demands for flexible, by-distance treatment options. Binge Eating eTherapy (BEeT) is one of the first online CBT programs for eating disorders in Australia.
Aims: The trial aims to compare the effectiveness of engaging in the BEeT program in a purely independent manner to use of BEeT in conjunction with regular support from a non-specialist clinician (30 min videoconferencing session per week) to waitlist control.
Methods: BEeT consists of ten one-hour interactive, multi-media sessions and includes an inbuilt calendar with self-monitoring tools. This presentation will deliver key findings from a multisite, three-arm randomised controlled trial (RCT) of BEeT involving 114 participants with full or sub-threshold bulimia nervosa.
Results: The trial aimed to compare the effectiveness of pure self-help BEeT vs clinician-supported BEeT vs WLC. Baseline to post-treatment decreases in objective binge episode (OBE) frequency was greater for clinician supported as compared to WLC (d: 0.74, p= .004), however this was not the case for pure self-help (d: 0.40, p = .349). Pure self-help participants did display a further decrease in OBEs at follow up and as a result outperformed WLC when analysed as an overall rate of change across three timepoints of baseline, post-treatment and follow up. This presentation will also provide an overview of our progress in collaborative effort with “headspace”, a nation-wide youth mental health service in Australia, to provide a brief, four-week version of the BEeT intervention to children and young people (12-25 years old) experiencing mild to moderate symptoms of binge-eating or compensatory behaviour.
Conclusions: When considered alongside the largely equal number of participants who no longer met criteria full threshold BN at post-treatment and follow-up, these findings challenge the long-standing assumption held by the field that clinician supported interventions are more effective than pure self-help and suggest a unique benefit of unsupported use
“I hate messages that have nothing to do with me”: Co-design of text messages to engage adolescents with health apps
No full textBackground: Engagement with ehealth interventions is often low, even among adolescents. To be effective, development of strategies to better engage adolescents with eHealth approaches must involve adolescents themselves.
Aims: This study aimed to meaningfully engage young people in the production of text messages to prompt adolescents to engage with a healthy lifestyles app (Health4Life).
Methods: With assistance from a senior researcher, two Young Person Research Assistants developed and conducted an online consultation via Zoom with Adolescent Expert Advisors. They then used advisors’ feedback to generate text messages designed to engage adolescents with the Health4Life app.
Results: Twenty-five adolescents attended the online consultation. While none of the adolescents chose to speak or share video during the consultation, they were highly engaged with online activities and provided detailed feedback via the chat. Adolescents expressed preferences for: relatable and personable quotes; positive, relatable messages including health facts; and delivery at 6-8am or 8-9pm. A final library of 20 text messages was produced that will be implemented in upcoming studies examining adolescents’ health app engagement.
Conclusions: Employing Young Person Research Assistants to lead this research, in addition to engaging Adolescent Expert Advisors, meant young people were meaningfully involved in every stage of this research and resulted in a library of engaging and relevant text messages to prompt adolescent engagement with health apps. This study also generated important insights regarding how to effectively engage adolescents with research. For example researchers might consider using asynchronous methods for gaining feedback from this population (e.g. group chats)
Impact of Online Preparation Modules on Students' Engagement and Interactions in Face-to-Face Fluid Mechanics Laboratories
Full text linkThe transformation of laboratory activities to better embed the development of essential personal attributes and the attainment of specific learning outcomes in the engineering curriculum has been supported by the integration of online preparation modules. Beyond the widely demonstrated effectiveness of multimedia pre-laboratory activities in strengthening students’ engagement and preparedness for the execution of experimental tasks, this study also focuses on the effect of these online modules on student-student and student-instructor interactions in face-to-face fluid mechanics laboratories. Survey data show that students with a mid-level of academic performance were more likely to adopt the new resources but that most students perceived them as a valuable complement to, or replacement for, the traditional instruction sheet. While students’ self-assurance in conducting the laboratory tasks and appreciation of the instructor’s support appear unaffected by the completion of the modules, observations suggest these modules can strengthen students’ autonomy and engagement within their group during the conduct of the laboratory activities. Indeed, the introduction of the modules appears to facilitate a transition of the instructor’s role from directing the laboratory to guiding students in peer-learning
Improving confidence in hands-on scientific skills post-pandemic
Full text linkBACKGROUND AND AIMS
For undergraduate science classes, practical activities serve to reinforce theory; familiarise students with a scientific laboratory; promote laboratory techniques and technical dexterity; and facilitate peer-to-peer learning and interaction (Kemm & Dantas, 2007; Rice et al., 2009). In comparison to other disciplines, practical classes and hands-on skills are an essential part of face-to-face teaching (Anderton et al., 2021). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is now obvious in science-based disciplines with some students having studied two thirds of their degree online. The consequence of not providing opportunities to use equipment, handle instruments, and physically see reactions and specimens while learning online, has increased anxiety and knocked confidence of students returning to face-to-face study. Academics are having to teach basic hands-on skills that students were not able to practice early in their programs. This project, funded by the Australian Council of Deans of Science, aimed to identify the key core competencies for scientific skills across disciplines from a student and academic perspective; co-create appropriate resources to supplement and support learning of hands-on skills for these competencies; and improve student confidence in developing their hands-on skills.
DESIGN AND METHODS
Core scientific skills and preference of learning style during the pandemic were identified by surveying academics and students in science-based disciplines. This information was used to inform a co-creation workshop where academics and students worked together to blueprint resources to support learning of key hands-on skills. Researchers of this project supported the development of resources in their scientific discipline with expertise from professional staff. The effectiveness of resources, in supporting learning of core hands-on scientific skills to improve student confidence, will be reviewed in a focus group where students will trial the resources while completing scientific tasks.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS
Students and academics ranked lab safety, calculations, keeping a lab book and data analysis as the most required hands-on scientific skills. The most favoured resources to support them were instructional videos produced by staff or peers, hands-on practice sessions outside of structured class time and quizzes. Students also found text resources and regular Zoom meetings important to their online learning. Interestingly, the required hands-on skills did not explicitly need to be taught face-to-face for students to master the skill. In addition, academics also used data sets, photos and computer simulations to teach hands-on skills online with an overall 50% engagement from students.
Students were most impacted by not being able to handle equipment (45.5%) which caused a lack of confidence (44%) in their hands-on skills. Both academics and students believed this could be supported by authentic videos and practice sessions where there is no time limit or assessment pressure to learn a skill. This may improve student engagement in scientific courses and reduce the skills gap for those students who studied during the pandemic.
REFERENCES
Anderton, R. S., Vitali, J., Blackmore, C., W. & Bakeberg, M.C. (2021). Flexible Teaching and Learning Modalities in Undergraduate Science amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Frontiers in Education, 5:609703.
Kemm R. E., & Dantas, A. M. (2007). Research-led learning in biological science practical activities: supported by student-centered e-learning. Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. 21, A220–A220.
Rice, J. W., Thomas, S. M., O’Toole, P., & Pannizon, D. (2009). Tertiary Science Education in the 21st Century (pp. 136). Melbourne, Australia: Australian Learning and Teaching Council
Patterns demonstrated by college students in drawings regarding sodium chloride and implications for the classroom
Full text linkOne of the important aspects in Chemistry Education is to enable students to represent explanatory models at the submicro level, which are difficult for students to understand (Davidowitz & Chittleborough, 2009; Kelly et al., 2010, Locatelli & Davidowitz, 2021, for example). However, students’ understanding of submicro entities is necessary to explain the behaviour of macroscopic phenomena (Davidowitz & Chittleborough, 2009), as well as to make the transition between the three levels of representation: macro, symbolic, and submicro levels. Taking this into account, it is essential to research possible representation patterns demonstrated by students when representing chemical substances, as well as their reactions. This study presents preliminary results of ongoing research, considering 18 Brazilian undergraduate students, being first-year college students. The activity consisted of asking students to represent kitchen salt, a student-generated drawing, in the best way for them, without consulting any material beforehand. Next, the drawings were analyzed to find possible misconceptions in chemistry. The findings showed that few students represented the macro level (5/18), most considered the symbolic level (15/18), and for the submicro level, only 6 considered ionic clusters and 11 of them considered salt as formed by “molecules”. Despite the limitation of the considered sample, it can bring implications for the teaching of this topic, in which the teacher will be able to think and propose metavisual activities that allow the revision of chemical concepts (Locatelli & Davidowitz, 2021). For example, to review the incorrect designation “molecule” of salt, as well as proper access to representational levels. In line with this, Park and colleagues (2020) have suggested that teachers can consider the different levels of representation (in our case, chemistry) with the aim that students can build scientific explanations using their generated drawings. Acknowledgments to FAPESP for grant #2022/16395-3.
REFERENCES
Davidowitz, B., & Chittleborough, G. (2009). Linking the Macroscopic and Sub-microscopic Levels: Diagrams. In: Gilbert, J.K., Treagust, D. (eds) Multiple Representations in Chemical Education. Models and Modeling in Science Education, vol 4. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8872-8_9
Kelly R. M., Barrera J. H., & Mohamed S. C. (2010), An analysis of undergraduate general chemistry students’ misconceptions of the submicroscopic level of precipitation reactions. Journal of Chemical Education, 87(1), 113–118. https://doi.org/10.1021/ed800011a
Locatelli, S., & Davidowitz, B. (2021). Using metavisualization to revise an explanatory model regarding a chemical reaction between ions. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 22, 382–395. https://doi.org/10.1039/D0RP00339E
Park, J., Chang, J., Tang, K., Treagust, D., & Won, M. (2020): Sequential patterns of students’ drawing in constructing scientific explanations: focusing on the interplay among three levels of pictorial representation. International Journal of Science Education, 42(5), 677-702 https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2020.172435