Human placental transfer of atazanavir: a case report.
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Adult↗
Biomedical subjects
Amanda Clarke
Publications and source records attributed to Amanda Clarke.
Life story work in health and social care: systematic literature review.
AIM: The aim of this paper is to review the literature on life story work in health and social care practice. BACKGROUND: Life story work as an intervention has been used with a number of health and social care clients, such as children people with learning disabilities, older people on medical wards and with older people who have dementia. It may help challenge ageist attitudes and assumptions, be used as a basis for individualized care, improve assessment, assist in transitions between different care environments, and help to develop improved relationships between care staff and family carers. However, to date there has been no attempt to collate the findings from published accounts. METHODS: A systematic search of the literature on life story work was conducted in February 2004, using nursing, medical and social science databases and a combination of thesaurus and free text search terms. This revealed over 1000 publications; the use of carefully constructed inclusion and exclusion criteria identified 51 relevant items. Fourteen were subsequently selected and reviewed using a set of reflective critical appraisal questions. FINDINGS: A range of methodological approaches has been adopted to explore the use of life story work with no one specific methodology prevailing. The work has been most frequently used with older people and people with a learning disability and life story books are the most common approach. Staff perceptions of life story work have been explored, but patient and carer views are less frequently reported. The findings of the studies are discussed in broad themes, offering some tentative recommendations for using life story work in practice. CONCLUSION: Evidence on the use of life story work is immature, leading to the recommendation for more research. Although appraising literature from a range of approaches is complex, there are some potentially far-reaching benefits of life story work in health and social care practice.
Aged↗
Qualitative interviewing: encountering ethical issues and challenges.
This article, in which Amanda Clarke recounts her own experiences as a novice researcher, explores the ways in which research can affect participants. The author argues that researchers must be mindful of the impact their questioning can have on subjects, especially those who are vulnerable, and suggests that a reflexive approach can help minimise the risk of harmful effects.
Aging↗
Development of a peer education programme for advance end-of-life care planning.
AIM: to develop and evaluate an education programme to help older people find out about treatment and care choices at the end of life. DESIGN: an action research approach was used to develop an education booklet about end-of-life care. A programme of qualitative evaluation ran alongside the project. It comprised a combination of methods, including face-to-face and telephone interviews and questionnaires with those who took part in the small group discussions. SAMPLE: the research team consisted of five academic researchers and eight people recruited from voluntary groups representing older adults to act as community advisors in developing the programme. The booklet was tested in small group discussions with members of the general public. Five community advisors volunteered to act as 'peer educators' and helped to lead the small group discussions after receiving a 3-day training course to prepare them for their role. The project took place in Sheffield. RESULTS: the education discussions and the related booklet were perceived as acceptable in providing information about a sensitive issue. Peer educators felt that the training course prepared them well. Community advisors felt that they were treated as equal members of the research team. This project has served as a useful pilot study of the education programme that has now been extended to other areas of the UK.
Advance Care Planning↗
Seeing the person behind the patient: enhancing the care of older people using a biographical approach.
Recent policy statements have stressed the need for fundamental changes to the NHS, especially to the hospital care of older people. Person-centred care underpins such changes. If practitioners are to deliver person-centred care, then they need to learn more about the patient as an individual. One way that this might be achieved is through biographical approaches. This paper describes the findings of a developmental study undertaken over a 6-month period to investigate the introduction of a biographical approach to care on a unit in a NHS hospital. It concentrates on the views of the practitioners who used the approach. The study aimed to explore whether a biographical approach - in the form of storytelling - might be used to encourage person-centred practice. Using a practice development approach, the study explored the views of older people, their family carers and practitioners regarding their participation in life story work. Initial data were collected by focus groups with staff from a nursing home who regularly used life stories as a basis for care planning. Further data were collected through focus groups, semistructured interviews and observation - undertaken before and after the introduction of life story work - with older people, family carers and practitioners. Findings revealed that life stories helped practitioners to see patients as people, to understand individuals more fully and to form closer relationships with their families. Support workers also said how much they enjoyed using the approach to inform their care. Further longitudinal research is required to investigate biographical approaches more fully and to work more closely with practitioners to explore how biographical approaches can be undertaken as part of standard practice and be integrated into the culture and management of care.
Aged↗
Impact of postdoctoral specialty residencies in drug information on graduates' career paths.
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Career Mobility↗
The role of telematics in assisting family carers and frail older people at home.
The overall aim of the ACTION research project (Assisting Carers using Telematic Interventions to meet Older person's Needs) is to maintain or enhance the autonomy, independence and quality of life of frail older and disabled people and their family carers by providing information, advice and support in the home. The authors report on the first phase of evaluation conducted using a case-study approach to test the ACTION system in several family carers' homes in Sheffield, England. The results reflect the realities of conducting an applied research technology project and are discussed with reference to the government's recent national strategy for carers. The authors acknowledge the need for further evaluation studies to explore the key issues raised within this preliminary evaluation phase.
Journal Article↗