Welcome to Research Repository UCD
Research Repository UCD is a digital collection of open access scholarly research publications from University College Dublin. Research Repository UCD collects, preserves and makes freely available publications including peer-reviewed articles, working papers and conference papers created by UCD researchers. Where material has already been published it is made available subject to the open-access policies of the original publishers. This service is maintained by UCD Library.
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- PublicationThe economic and social impact of higher education(Irish Universities Association, 2006)
47518 - PublicationCorporate governance, accountability and mechanisms of accountability : an overview(Emerald, 2008)Purpose – This paper reviews traditional corporate governance and accountability research, to suggest opportunities for future research in this field. The first part adopts an analytical frame of reference based on theory, accountability mechanisms, methodology, business sector/context, globalisation and time horizon. The second part of the paper locates the seven papers in the special issue in a framework of analysis showing how each one contributes to the field. The paper presents a frame of reference which may be used as a 'roadmap' for researchers to navigate their way through the prior literature and to position their work on the frontiers of corporate governance research. Design/methodology/approach – The paper employs an analytical framework, and is primarily discursive and conceptual. Findings – The paper encourages broader approaches to corporate governance and accountability research beyond the traditional and primarily quantitative approaches of prior research. Broader theoretical perspectives, methodological approaches, accountability mechanism, sectors/contexts, globalisation and time horizons are identified. Research limitations/implications – Greater use of qualitative research methods are suggested, which present challenges particularly of access to the “black box” of corporate boardrooms. Originality/value – Drawing on the analytical framework, and the papers in the special issue, the paper identifies opportunities for further research of accountability and corporate governance.
34206Scopus© Citations 314 - PublicationElderly care in Ireland - provisions and providers(University College Dublin. School of Social Justice, 2010-04)
32445 - PublicationEquality in education : an equality of condition perspective(Sage Publications, 2005)Transforming schools into truly egalitarian institutions requires a holistic and integrated approach. Using a robust conception of 'equality of condition', we examine key dimensions of equality that are central to both the purposes and processes of education: equality in educational and related resources; equality of respect and recognition; equality of power; and equality of love, care and solidarity. We indicate in each case some of the major changes that need to occur if we are to promote equality of condition. Starting with inequalities of resources, and in particular with inequalities tied to social class, we argue for abandoning rigid grouping policies, challenging the power of parents in relation to both selection and grouping, and changing curricula and assessment systems to make them more inclusive of the wide range of human intelligences. In relation to respect and recognition, we call for much more inclusive processes for respecting differences, not only in schools' organizational cultures, but also in their curriculum, pedagogy and assessment systems. Regarding inequalities of power, we call for democratization of both teacher-student relationships and school and college organization. For promoting equality of love, care and solidarity, we argue that schools need to develop an appreciation of the intrinsic role that emotions play in the process of teaching and learning, to provide a space for students and teachers to talk about their feelings and concerns, and to devise educational experiences that will enable students to develop their emotional skills or personal intelligences as a discrete area of human capability.
24018Scopus© Citations 147 - PublicationDiscretionary disclosure strategies in corporate narratives : incremental information or impression management?(University of Florida. Fisher School of Accounting, 2007)The purpose of this paper is to review and synthesize the literature on discretionary narrative disclosures. We explore why, how, and whether preparers of corporate narrative reports use discretionary disclosures in corporate narrative documents and why, how, and whether users react thereto. To facilitate the review, we provide three taxonomies based on: the motivation for discretionary narrative disclosures (opportunistic behavior, i.e. impression management, versus provision of useful incremental information); the research perspective (preparer versus user); and seven discretionary disclosure strategies. We also examine the whole range of theoretical frameworks utilized by prior research, and we put forward some suggestions for future research.
23009 - PublicationFrom asset based welfare to welfare housing? The changing function of social housing in Ireland(Routledge, 2011)This article examines a distinctive and significant aspect of social housing in Ireland – its change in function from an asset-based role in welfare support to a more standard model of welfare housing. It outlines the nationalist and agrarian drivers which expanded the initial role of social housing beyond the goal of improving housing conditions for the poor towards the goal of extending home ownership and assesses whether this focus made it more similar to the ‘asset based welfare’ approach to housing found in south-east Asia than to social housing in western Europe. From the mid-1980s, the role of Irish social housing changed as the sector contracted and evolved towards the model of welfare housing now found in many other western countries. Policy makers have struggled to address the implications of this transition and vestiges of social housing’s traditional function are still evident, consequently the boundaries between social housing, private renting and home ownership in Ireland have grown increasingly nebulous.
Scopus© Citations 29 22645 - PublicationUsing Twitter to recommend real-time topical news(ACM, 2009-10)Recommending news stories to users, based on their preferences,has long been a favourite domain for recommender systems research. In this paper, we describe a novel approach to news recommendation that harnesses real-time micro-blogging activity, from a service such as Twitter, as the basis for promoting news stories from a user's favourite RSS feeds. A preliminary evaluation is carried out on an implementation of this technique that shows promising results.
21482Scopus© Citations 340 - PublicationConstructive approaches towards water treatment works sludge management : an international review of beneficial re-uses(Taylor & Francis, 2007-03)Till date, virtually all known drinking water processing systems generate an enormous amount of residual sludge, and what else to do with this rapidly increasing 'waste' stream in an economic and environmentally sustainable manner remains a significant environmental issue. Perhaps, the realization of this fact has led to series of concerted efforts aimed at beneficial re-uses in an effort to close the loop between efficient water treatment and sustainable sludge management. This paper therefore presents a comprehensive review of available literature on attempts at beneficial reuses of water treatment plant sludge, in an effort to provide a compendium of recent and past developments, and update our current state of knowledge. Four broad categories of uses, which included over eleven possible ways in which waterworks sludges can be reused were identified and examined. Obvious advantages of such reuse options were highlighted and knowledge gaps identified. Future issues that will assist in the development of sustainable waterworks sludge management options with a multi-prong approach were equally discussed.
20087Scopus© Citations 401 - PublicationExpansive cements and soundless chemical demolition agents : state of technology review(2009-10)Expansive cements and soundless chemical demolition agents (SCDAs) were first introduced in the early 1970s but failed to gain widespread adoption for selective removal of rock and concrete due to their proprietary nature and a lack of usage guidelines. Nearly 40 years later, the patents have expired, and a large number of competitive products have entered the market. These factors coupled with a heightened interest in their potential environmental benefits have greatly expanded their usage. Specifically, these chemicals can be introduced into a pattern of small, drilled holes in concrete and/or rock. After a specific period (usually less than 24 hours), the in-situ material will crack sufficiently that it can be removed without the use of traditional explosives or further percussive efforts. The products generate substantially less noise and vibration than usually associated with the removal of rock and concrete. This paper provides a state-of-the-technology review of five available products. The focus is on the proposed applicability of various products under specific conditions. Special attention is paid to the viability of such agents under varying temperatures and with materials of particular strengths.
18745 - PublicationCurriculum Design in Higher Education: Theory to Practice(University College Dublin. Teaching and Learning, 2015-09)This eBook emphasises the theory to practice of curriculum design in higher education. The book focuses on programme (not module) level of design; incorporates face-to-face, blended and online curricula; attempts to link theory to practice by giving some practical resources and/or exercises; draws the author's experiences of working and researching into curriculum design in the Irish higher education sector; is aimed at all staff involved in curriculum design, including academic staff (faculty), institutional managers, educational developers and technologists, support staff, library staff and curriculum researchers; is primarily drawn from literature and experiences in the higher education sector, however those in adult and further education may also find it useful. The structure of this book is based on a curriculum design process that the author has developed as part of her experience and research on curriculum design.
17986 - PublicationInequality and crime(MIT Press, 2000-11)This paper considers the relationship between inequality and crime using data from urban counties. The behavior of property and violent crime are quite different. Inequality has no effect on property crime but a strong and robust impact on violent crime, with an elasticity above 0.5. By contrast, poverty and police activity have significant effects on property crime, but little on violent crime. Property crime is well explained by the economic theory of crime, while violent crime is better explained by strain and social disorganization theories.
17825Scopus© Citations 456 - PublicationClustering with the multivariate normal inverse Gaussian distribution(Elsevier, 2016-01)Many model-based clustering methods are based on a finite Gaussian mixture model. The Gaussian mixture model implies that the data scatter within each group is elliptically shaped. Hence non-elliptical groups are often modeled by more than one component, resulting in model over-fitting. An alternative is to use a mean–variance mixture of multivariate normal distributions with an inverse Gaussian mixing distribution (MNIG) in place of the Gaussian distribution, to yield a more flexible family of distributions. Under this model the component distributions may be skewed and have fatter tails than the Gaussian distribution. The MNIG based approach is extended to include a broad range of eigendecomposed covariance structures. Furthermore, MNIG models where the other distributional parameters are constrained is considered. The Bayesian Information Criterion is used to identify the optimal model and number of mixture components. The method is demonstrated on three sample data sets and a novel variation on the univariate Kolmogorov–Smirnov test is used to assess goodness of fit.
17822Scopus© Citations 67 - PublicationAgent-based coordination for the sensor web(ACM, 2010-03-26)The approach described advocates the use of a multi-agent system, and specifically the use of multi-agent distributed constraint optimisation algorithms. Developing software for low powered sensing devices introduces several problems to be addressed; the most obvious being the limited computational resources available. In this paper we discuss an implementation of ADOPT, a pre-existing algorithm for distributed constraint optimisation, and describe how it has been integrated with a reflective agent platform developed for resource constrained devices, namely Agent Factory Micro Edition (AFME). The usefulness of this work is illustrated through the canonical multi-agent coordination problem, namely graph colouring.
16103Scopus© Citations 2 - PublicationMichael White's narrative therapy(Springer Verlag, 1998)A systematized description of a number of practices central to Michael Whites' narrative approach to therapy is given. These include collaborative positioning of the therapist, externalizing the problem, excavating unique outcomes, thickening the new plot, and linking the new plot to the past and the future. The practices of remembering and incorporation, using literary means to achieve therapeutic ends, and facilitating taking-it-back practices are also described. A number of questions are given which may be useful for those concerned with narrative therapy to address.
15766Scopus© Citations 110 - PublicationVisualization in sporting contexts : the team scenario(SciTePress, 2011-01-29)Wearable sensor systems require an interactive and communicative interface for the user to interpret data in a meaningful way. The development of adaptive personalization features in a visualization tool for such systems can convey a more meaningful picture to the user of the system. In this paper, a visualization tool called Visualization in Team Scenarios (VTS), which can be used by a coach to monitor an athlete’s physiological parameters, is presented. The VTS has been implemented with a wearable sensor system that can monitor players’ performance in a game in a seamless and transparent manner. Using the VTS, a coach is able to analyze the physiological data of athletes generated using select wearable sensors, and subsequently analyse the results to personalize training schedules thus improving the performance of the players.
15442 - PublicationProvision of childcare services in Ireland(University College Dublin. School of Social Justice, 2008-03)External report commissioned by and presented to the EU Directorate-General Employment and Social Affairs, Unit G1 'Equality between women and men'
15362 - PublicationFinancial statement fraud : some lessons from US and European case studies(Wiley-Blackwell, 2007-07)This paper studies 14 companies which were subject to an official investigation arising from the publication of fraudulent financial statements. The research found senior management to be responsible for most fraud. Recording false sales was the most common method of financial statement fraud. Meeting external forecasts emerged as the primary motivation. Management discovered most fraud, although the discovery was split between incumbent and new management.
15213Scopus© Citations 40 - PublicationThe effectiveness of family therapy and systemic interventions for child-focused problems(Wiley, 2009-02)This review updates a similar paper published in the Journal of Family Therapy in 2001. It presents evidence from meta-analyses, systematic literature reviews and controlled trials for the effectiveness of systemic interventions for families of children and adolescents with various difficulties. In this context, systemic interventions include both family therapy and other family-based approaches such as parent training. The evidence supports the effectiveness of systemic interventions either alone or as part of multimodal programmes for sleep, feeding and attachment problems in infancy; child abuse and neglect; conduct problems (including childhood behavioural difficulties, ADHD, delinquency and drug abuse); emotional problems (including anxiety, depression, grief, bipolar disorder and suicidality); eating disorders (including anorexia, bulimia and obesity); and somatic problems (including enuresis, encopresis, recurrent abdominal pain, and poorly controlled asthma and diabetes).
15166Scopus© Citations 163 - PublicationFocus groups versus individual interviews with children : A comparison of data(Routledge (Taylor & Francis), 2006)In recent years there has been an increase in the use of qualitative data collection techniques in research with children. Among the most common of these methods are focus groups and individual interviews. While many authors claim that focus groups have advantages over individual interviews, these claims have not been tested empirically with children. The present study reports on the use of focus groups and interviews to collect qualitative data from 116 children in three age groups, with mean ages of 8.4, 11.5 and 14.3 years. The children were randomly allocated to participate in either focus groups or individual interviews where they were presented with identical material and questions relating to their beliefs about peers with psychological disorders. In line with previous research, the interviews produced significantly more relevant and unique ideas about the causes of these disorders than the focus groups, but the latter gave rise to greater elaboration of ideas. The participating children showed no significant difference in their preference for one method over the other. Thus, whether to choose individual interviews or focus groups is likely to depend on the nature of the research question in any given study.
14661Scopus© Citations 45
Recent Submissions
- PublicationExploring LGBTQI+ Healthcare in Ireland(GCN Magazine, 2022-06-10)Editorial in Pride edition of Ireland’s largest LGBT publication.
9 - PublicationIncluding Sexual and Gender Minorities in Clinical Research(2023-11-16)Dr John P Gilmore is a Registered General Nurse and Assistant Professor in Nursing at UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems. John’s work focusses on issues of social justice, inclusion health and gender and sexual minority healthcare; and he is a member of UCD’s Centre for Interdisciplinary Research, Education and Innovation in Health Systems. In 2022 John was awarded a Fulbright HRB Health Impact Scholar award, and in Spring/Summer 2023 was based at the Center for Gender and Sexual Minority Health and the Gender and Sexual Minority Health Equity Lab at University of California San Francisco, and the Center for Gender and Sexual Minority Health Research at Columbia University New York. While in the USA John conducted research exploring the enablers and barriers to providing LGBTQI+ primary care and visited a number of specialist LGBTQI+ health services. John received a PhD with examiner commendation in 2021 from Canterbury Christ Church University, UK and he holds a visiting position at the University of Huddersfield, UK. John’s presentation will focus on the inclusion of gender and sexual minority communities in clinical research.
- PublicationCommunity needs of gbMSM in Ireland in Response to Mpox Public Health Emergency of International Concern(2023-11-18)Introduction: In May 2022 there was a growing number of globally reported cases of mpox, most reported in communities of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM). In July 2022, the WHO designated the outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC; Nuzzo et al., 2022). The first mpox case was reported in Ireland on the 27th of May 2022 and confirmed reported cases to the end of 2022 stood at 227. Throughout the response to the PHEIC, community organisations were responsible for leading community-focussed communication and support. Methods: ● A cross sectional, online, mixed methods survey was deployed and completed by 163 gay and bisexual men in Ireland. ● Descriptive statistical analysis for quantitative data. ● Reflexive Thematic Analysis informed by Critical realism utilised for qualitative open ended answers (Braun et al 2021) Results: Quantitative responses focussed on perceptions of mpox, sources of information on mpox and perceived trustworthiness of information sources. Qualitative responses reflected four broad themes 1. Perceptions of the mpox response: divergence in urgency, priority & care 2. The mpox outbreak as a sign of otherness for gbMSM. 3. The potential for othering through mpox prevention practices. 4. Fear of mpox and the influence of previous culturally significant pandemics. Discussion: While there was dissatisfaction with the response from statutory public health agencies reflected by participants, overall participants felt well informed and supported within the community and by community organisations. This would suggest that the strategy to engage with the community through community organisations was a successful one. 11 recommendations were co-developed with the expert advisory group, including the formation of a national LGBTQ+ health strategy, further investment in sexual health infrastructure, equity and inclusion audits of public health strategies amongst others.
- PublicationCommunity and Statutory Responses to Mpox in Ireland(HIV Ireland, 2023-11-10)Report on a mixed-methods survey of gay, bi and other men who have sex with men in Ireland.
- PublicationCommunity Needs Analysis of Gay, Bisexual and MSM Communities in Ireland in response to Mpox(2023-09-30)The first cases of mpox were noted in Ireland in late May 2022, which were part of a WHO designated Public Health Emergency of International Concern. This poster presents findings of a community needs analysis carried out with gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men through an online mixed methods survey
5 - PublicationQueer Expressions: Intersections of Sexuality, Identity and Healthcare for Irish Gay Men(Springer, 2023-11-01)This chapter offers an insight into how issues of identity, sexuality and healthcare interactions intersect for Irish Gay Men. Grounded in original research with twelve Irish Gay Men, their experiences of discussing sexuality in healthcare contexts offer an insight into how this group conceptualise and express their sexuality and how this steers the way they engage with healthcare practitioners. Irish Gay Men offer an expression of sexuality which is both a being and a doing, and contextually located to place, space and social encounters. Their encounters with healthcare professionals are scaffolded by expectations and observations and they carefully navigate how disclosure of their gayness and discussions of sexuality take place. This chapter not only allows insight into how these men make sense of their own experiences, but furthermore offers a conceptual insight into how healthcare encounters might be understood and responded to through practice.
4 - PublicationReduced fetal movements in pregnancy: systematic reviews of the evidence and a case-control study of perinatal risk factors and outcomes(Trinity College Dublin, 2023)Background: The presence of fetal movements (FMs) is regarded as an indicator of fetal wellbeing during pregnancy. Conversely, maternal perception of reduced fetal movements (RFM) is considered a potential sign of a fetus at risk of adverse perinatal outcomes, particularly stillbirth. Early detection of RFM is considered an opportunity for fetal health screening, thus current clinical guidance encourages women to contact the maternity hospital for any FM concerns. Preventing and reducing adverse outcomes can only be achieved through better detection and management of women with RFM. Pregnancy characteristics of women with RFM however vary across studies. Aim: The thesis aim was to present an investigation of perinatal risk factors for, and pregnancy, birth and neonatal outcomes associated with RFM in pregnancy. Methodology and Methods: A review of the existing literature was conducted to provide background information on FMs and RFM. A systematic review was also conducted to synthesise the evidence from non-randomised studies on perinatal risk factors for and pregnancy, birth and neonatal outcomes in women who presented with RFM. Subsequently, a case-control study, underpinned by a positivist philosophy, was chosen as the most appropriate research design to address the study aims and objectives in the context of maternity care in Ireland. Ethical approval was granted by the University and Hospital Research Ethics Committees. A prospective case-control study of women with a singleton pregnancy, presenting to the emergency department, of a large urban maternity hospital, with a primary complaint of RFM after 24 weeks’ gestation (cases) between 1 January -30 September 2020 were compared with women who did not have RFM during pregnancy (controls). To provide up to date contemporary evidence on perinatal risk factors for and outcomes associated with RFM, the systematic review was updated to include the findings of the prospective case-control study. Findings: The effectiveness of many strategies to raise awareness of FMs and improve detection of RFM remains inconclusive. Several maternal characteristics also impact on maternal perception of FMs, some of which can be classified as risk factors for RFM e.g., anterior placenta and obesity. Modifiable (smoking) and non-modifiable (ethnicity, anterior placenta, and abnormalities of amniotic fluid) risk factors for RFM were identified in the systematic review. Variation in the reporting of risk factors deemed prominent in contemporary maternity care was emphasised. The association between RFM and stillbirth was almost 4-fold at increased risk, while babies born small for gestational age (SGA) were nearly two-fold. The case-control study compared 850 women who presented with RFM with 1743 women who did not present with RFM during the study period. The rate of women attending with RFM has nearly doubled in the last two decades. Women with RFM, were more likely to be younger than 35 years, nulliparous, have a higher mean body mass index and have an anterior positioned placenta. Women with a history of pregnancy after loss, specifically recurrent miscarriages or neonatal death were also more likely to attend with RFM during pregnancy. In contrast to the findings of the systematic review, RFM was not found to be associated with stillbirth, however, was associated with babies born SGA. Consistent with numerous studies, women with RFM were more likely to have induction of labour, although emergency caesarean section was not associated when other factors were included in the analysis. The updated systematic review identified risk factors for RFM as nulliparity, women with anterior placenta, assisted conception, a medical history of psychiatric illness and a previous history of neonatal death. African Black ethnic groups were less likely to attend for RFM than Asian/Chinese women, including women aged 35 years and over. The risk of stillbirth associated with RFM is declining, though potentially only in cases where women have increased awareness of FMs and RFM and is dependent on the timing of assessment for RFM and subsequent clinical management. Conclusion: Knowledge of maternal characteristics associated with RFM could assist in identifying pregnancies at higher risk of adverse perinatal outcomes and aid decision making regarding need for further investigation when a woman presents with RFM during pregnancy. Contemporary evidence also signifies the groups of women that may require additional support through information and education on fetal movements. It also identifies that improvement in the detection of SGA during pregnancy is required.
- PublicationSocial Justice Praxis in Nursing and Healthcare(2023-05-19)Invited lecture hosted by the Center for Gender and Sexual Minority Health Research and CUSON Global Health Division
7 - PublicationNursing as Social Justice(2023-05-22)Lecture supported by the Fulbright Outreach Lecturung Fund to faculty and students in the Department of Allied Health.
8 - PublicationHealthcare Rights for Gender and Sexual Minorities(Intech Open, 2024-01-17)There is broad consensus that a key factor for human flourishing is access to safe, effective, and appropriate healthcare. Whilst health inequalities exist for many marginalised and minoritised groups, the impact of broader social inequities on healthcare delivery and health outcomes is particularly notable in gender and sexual minority groups. Health inequalities faced by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, and other gender and sexual minority groups exist across domains of physical, psychological, and emotional wellbeing; many stemming from experiences of broad social exclusion and discrimination, explained through the concept of ‘Minority Stress’. This chapter will explore the concept of health inequality and inequity faced by LBGTQI+ groups, considering the relationships between social inclusion, legislative protection, and access to healthcare. It will also question why, even in societies with high acceptance rates of gender and sexuality diversity, health inequalities remain evident. Furthermore, the chapter will present strategies to enhance the healthcare rights of sexual and gender minority groups.
10 - PublicationIntegrating UDL into an enquiry-based learning approach to social justice education(University College Dublin, 2023-03-15)Social injustices and inequalities are significant issues within healthcare education; and are inextricably linked to poorer health outcomes especially for the most marginalised. In developing a module which aims to empower healthcare practitioner students to challenge injustices, within society and healthcare systems, a combined hybrid enquiry-based learning with UDL underpinnings can address issues of social justice AS learning as well as social justice IN learning. This presentation will practically address how UDL principles can be integrated into an enquiry-based learning approach; maximising learner autonomy, engagement and action.
12 - PublicationIntegrating Universal Design for Learning with an Enquiry-Based Learning Approach to Social Justice in Healthcare Education(Access and Lifelong Learning, University College Dublin, 2023-02-01)Social injustices and inequalities are significant issues within healthcare and are inextricably linked to poorer healthcare outcomes. In developing a module which aims to empower healthcare practitioner students to challenge injustices, within society and healthcare systems, a combined hybrid enquiry-based learning with UDL underpinnings was adopted. In this way, learners were empowered and facilitated to take leadership in their own learning while being supported to engage through multiple means of engagement, representation, action, and expression.
17 - PublicationSocial justice in integrated care: educational preparation for healthcare professionals(2022-10-27)Social Justice in integrated care - Educational preparation for healthcare professionals An integral part of any integrated health and care system, is the appropriate educational preparation and support of the healthcare practitioners and leaders working within that system. While a biomedical education provides a basis for some aspects of healthcare delivery, it in itself will fail to address social and political determinants of health. In order to address issues of social inequality and injustice within healthcare, an interdisciplinary module was developed for undergraduate healthcare professional students. Rather than focusing on any one aspect of social exclusion, the ‘Challenging Injustices in Healthcare’ module used an Intersectional Social Justice approach, to facilitate students in engaging in critical reflection on broad issues of injustice; and how these may impact health and well-being from a global perspective. Cross-cutting themes of poverty, racism, gender inequality, ableism, homophobia amongst others were explored through engagement with peer reviewed scholarship, first person testimonial, arts, literature and multimedia. The proposed presentation will outline the theoretical underpinnings and concepts explored through this module as well as discuss considerations for the delivery of such education within formal or informal settings. The module itself utilised an enquiry-based learning approach with principals of Universal Design for Learning integrated throughout to ensure social justice in learning as well as social justice as learning (Gilmore et al 2022).
6 - PublicationA qualitative study to understand the barriers and facilitators in smoking cessation practices among oncology health care practitioners in one health system(Oxford University Press (OUP), 2024-07-22)Introduction: Despite the benefits of quitting smoking for those who have cancer, including improved health outcomes and reduced therapeutic toxicities, it is unclear how many people are supported in quit attempts during this time. Variations in the availability and provision of smoking cessation (SC) services are reported, with little understanding of the challenges and solutions. This co-designed study aimed to understand the perspectives of health care professionals (HCPs) working in oncology settings to engage in SC practices and identify recommendations for developing an SC pathway. Methods: This was a qualitative study. Eighteen HCPs participated in semi-structured interviews from July 2021 to May 2022. We used thematic analysis approaches to code data and present four emergent themes and SC strategies at micro, meso and organizational levels. Results: Four themes emerged specifically: 1) timing and knowledge, 2) building a relationship, 3) frequent asking with infrequent action, and 4) removing the barriers and tailoring the system. While HCPs discuss SC, there are variations in documentation and when conversations occur. Primarily, HCPs value the time to build therapeutic relationships with patients and thus may limit SC discussions in preference to treatment in clinical interactions. The role of structural barriers, including prescriptive authority for nurses, hinders active SC processes, as it is the lack of continuity and embedding of services supported by a clinical champion for SC. Conclusions: The study suggests re-evaluating the status quo in SC service, highlighting service gaps and suggesting opportunities at organizational levels to reduce structural barriers. Implications: Variations in smoking cessation services exist in designated cancer centres. The data from this study can be used to inform a real time health systems approach for SC services in oncology settings. Developing tailored smoking cessation services and interventions that are patient-centred and informed by their experiences are required. The data in this study suggests developing specialist education and training to upskill HCPs for equitable engagement if we are to meet EU and Moonshot goals for cancer reduction.
3 - PublicationCommercial Tobacco and Nicotine Industry-Funded Research Has No Place in SRNT and Nicotine & Tobacco Research(Oxford University Press (OUP), 2024-08)N&TR does not have a policy regarding industry-affiliated research or researchers, who are not tobacco industry employees, and SRNT holds the policy that “Individuals who consult for the tobacco industry are, at this time, eligible for membership.” Industry-funded consultants continue to be visible participants at SRNT meetings, and N&TR’s reviewer list for 2023 includes individuals who are industry employees or consultants. The second article,2 falls into this “consultant” loophole, even though the article’s disclaimer indicates that JUUL Labs, Inc. funded the research and “reviewed and provided comments on a draft manuscript.” Additionally, SRNT’s policy only applies to JUUL because of the financial relationship between JUUL and Altria; the employees of other e-cigarette and commercial nicotine companies not owned by cigarette companies remain able to publish in N&TR.
7 - PublicationSexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) and electronic health record data, a mechanism for gender-affirming care and evidence-based practice for sexual and gender minority healthcare – Response to Ginaldi et al.(Elsevier, 2024-10)While accurate sexual orientation and gender identity data will of course be useful in direct patient care, ensuring accurate interventions and gender-affirming practice; it is also essential for the further development of research and evidence on the health needs of sexual and gender minorities.
7 - PublicationCaring for Transgender patients in the ICU: Current insights for equitable care(Elsevier, 2024-06)There is ever more focus on issues surrounding Transgender/Trans people and their healthcare needs, and while there is a dearth of evidence related to Intensive Care, this paper aims to address considerations for ICU nurses when caring for Trans patients. These include both the overall approach to person-centred care for Trans patients as well as the physiological considerations that necessitate nursing interventions. The term Trans is an umbrella term which refers to a person whose gender identity differs from the biological sex they were assigned at birth. Not everybody ascribes to a gender identity which is either male, nor female; people who identify outside of this binary might be described as Non-Binary or a number of other terms. Further terminology is outlined in Table 1.
6Scopus© Citations 2 - PublicationEthical considerations for the nursing care of Transgender patients in the Intensive Care Unit(Wiley, 2024-02-21)There is more discussion than ever surrounding the health and care needs of Transgender communities. However, there is limited research on the care of Transgender patients in the Intensive Care Unit which can contribute to knowledge gaps, inconsistencies and uncertainties surrounding health care practices. This article is not intended to address all of the specific needs of Transgender patients in ICU, but to explore the ethical considerations for caring for a Transgender woman in the ICU. In doing so, this article will explore some specific considerations around gender affirming care, challenging discrimination, physiological changes, and systems change to enhance care.
6Scopus© Citations 1