1,720,984 research outputs found
Preparing, working, recovering: gendered experiences of night work among women and their families
No full textEffects of night work on sleep, cortisol and mood of female nurses, their husbands and children
Full text linkNegative impacts of night work on employees are well documented, but little is known about immediate consequences for family members. This study examines how night work within a rotating shift pattern affects the sleep, mood and cortisol levels of female nurses, their husbands and children. Participants included twenty nurses (42.7 ± 6.5 years), their husbands and children (n=34, 8-18 years) who completed sleep diaries, rated their sleep quality, alertness and mood daily, and collected saliva samples each morning and evening for 14 days. Comparisons were made between night work and other shifts (Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test); and between periods preceding, during and following night shifts (repeated measures ANOVA with Tukey posthoc tests). Nurses’ sleep after the final night shift was significantly shorter (3h 58 mins ± 46 mins) and ended significantly earlier (13:28 ± 0:48h) than after the first night shift (sleep duration 5h 17 mins ± 1h 36 mins; wake time 14:58 ± 1:41h) (p<0.05, n=16). Nurses felt significantly more sleepy with worse mood during night work compared to periods without night work. Bedtime for pre-teenage children (n=15) was significantly later when mothers were working night shifts. Teenage children (n=19) felt significantly calmer when their mothers were working night shifts. This study found significant negative impacts of night shifts on nurses. Despite some changes to children’s sleep and mood, most parameters were unaffected. There was an absence of changes to husbands’ sleep and mood. This suggests nurses’ night work has minimal impacts on family members participating in our study
A study of socioeconomic disadvantage and end-of-life hospital admissions for older people with heart failure and lung cancer in England
No full textINTRODUCTION: At the end of life, a move into or out of hospital is one of the most disruptive events for older adults and their carers, with consequences for their mental, physical and emotional wellbeing. Evidence from elsewhere suggests that transitions are frequent and make little contribution to patients' wellbeing. Little is known about socioeconomic differences in end of life hospital admissions in England.AIMS AND METHODS: To investigate patterns of end-of-life hospital admissions by socioeconomic disadvantage. Analysis of linked hospital episode statistics and mortality data for England.RESULTS: Between 2001 and 2010, 300,304 people aged over 75 were admitted to hospital in England at least once in their last year of life with a diagnosis of lung cancer or heart failure. Eighty five percent of people admitted with lung cancer and 72% of heart failure cases underwent a transition into hospital in the last 3 months of life. In multivariate analysis, lower socioeconomic status (given by the index of multiple deprivation) being male and younger age were associated with frequent hospital admissions amongst people with heart failure (above the 90th centile). For lung cancer cases, younger age and male sex were associated with numbers of admissions above the 90th centile. People with lung cancer in the most disadvantaged IMD quintile were less likely to be admitted frequently, adjusting for age and sex. Residence in a care home was not associated with frequent admissions to hospital.CONCLUSIONS: Hospital admissions at the end of life are frequent, and vary with social disadvantage. Equitable end-of-life care in the community should be a future priority
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Recognising the influence of inter-professional relations on end of life care transitions: views of bereaved carers and professionals
No full textIntroduction: the end-of-life care needs of older adults with multiple conditions are complex and involve a range of professionals working in different settings. This study focuses on transitions, as vulnerable points in care pathways experienced by a high proportion of the older population at the end of life.Aims and methods: to understand how inter-professional relations influence transitions between settings for older adults at the end of life.Methods: in-depth qualitative interviews with 118 caregivers of decedents aged 66–98?years, who had died with heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, stroke, selected cancers; 43 providers and commissioners of services in primary care, hospital, hospice, social care and ambulance services in England.Results: carers regretted that communication and handovers between professionals did not always take place where they felt them to be necessary, and perceived frequent, repeated assessments and interventions to be the consequence. Families felt compelled to take responsibility themselves and fill gaps left by deficiencies in inter-professional communication and working. Professionals described stereotypical divisions between health and social care, with differences in culture, language and approaches to patients or clients. The dominance of the medical model in end of life care was perceived to be unhelpful in creating close working relationships between health and social care. The impact of inter-professional tensions on patients and families went unacknowledged by staff.Conclusions: inter-professional relationships are an important influence on patient and family experiences of end of life care. It may be an overlooked source of inequit
Improving patient experience of cancer follow up: redesign and evaluation of adult cancer aftercare services for breast, colorectal, and testicular patients, at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
No full textVariations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Funding health and social services for older people: a qualitative study of the views of care recipients in the last year of life
No full textObjectives This study explores the views of older adults who are receiving health and social care at the end of their lives, on how services should be funded, and describes their health-related expenditure. Design Qualitative interview study Setting North West England Participants 30 people aged 69–93 years, diagnosed with lung cancer, heart failure or stroke and judged by health professionals to be in their last year of life. Sixteen participants lived in disadvantaged areas. Main outcome measures Views of older adults on funding of services. Results Participants expressed a belief in an earned entitlement to services funded from taxation, based on a broad sense of being a good citizen. Irrespective of social background, older people felt that those who could afford to pay for social care, should do so. Sale of assets and use of children's inheritance to fund care was widely perceived as an injustice. The costs of living with illness are a burden, and families are filling many of the gaps left by welfare provision. People who had worked in low-wage occupations were most concerned to justify their current acceptance of services, and distance themselves from what they described as welfare ‘spongers’ or ‘layabouts.’ Conclusions There is a gap between the health and social care system that older adults expect and what may be provided by a reformed welfare state at a time of financial stringencies. The values that underpinned the views expressed – mutuality, care for the most needy, and the importance of working to contribute to society – are an important contribution to the debate on welfare funding
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