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Biomedical subjects

H Masters

Publications and source records attributed to H Masters.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Evaluating the impact of training in psychosocial interventions: a stakeholder approach to evaluation--part I.

A range of psychosocial interventions (PSI) have developed as approaches to the treatment and support of people with enduring mental health problems and their carers. The impact of training mental health workers in PSI has also been subject to extensive research and evaluation for the past decade. Most previous research in the PSI and PSI training arenas have tended to adopt quasi-experimental designs and professionally defined outcomes-focused approaches to judging the success of training. This paper offers a critique of such approaches and presents a rationale for the methodology used in a qualitative study that evaluated five short PSI courses. The study emphasized a stakeholder approach to evaluation, involving collaborative activities between service users, carers, lecturers and mental health workers. These activities were intended to define what outcomes should be used to judge the success of training and how these should be examined during the research process. This paper details the processes and findings of these stakeholder activities that suggested, for service users particularly, process rather than outcome issues were the most important determinants of the success of PSI. Additionally, if outcomes were used to judge the success of interventions these should be highly individualized to reflect the aspirations of the person receiving the intervention. On the basis of the findings presented, discussion explores a proposal for a different methodological direction to the evaluation of PSI training. Part II of this paper presents and discusses the findings from the evaluation of the courses.

Cooperative Behavior↗
PubMed2004

Evaluating the impact of training in psychosocial interventions: a stakeholder approach to evaluation--part II.

Part I of this article presented an examination of the methodology used in previous psychosocial interventions (PSI) research and the rationale for the collaborative, qualitative design used in this study. In this second article the findings from an evaluation of five short PSI training courses are presented. Findings demonstrated that while the training was positively evaluated by participants and seen to be relevant to practice, the actual dissemination of PSI training into practice was a complex and context dependent process. There was difficulty for course participants in using PSI in practice as discrete, formal interventions. Rather the predominant way participants used PSI in practice was via a process of modifying PSI. The course philosophy, content and mode of delivery impacted on how the respondents constructed PSI as an overall approach to care and working relationships. Participants reported other 'hidden' benefits of training, such as reaffirming practice, increasing confidence and perhaps most powerfully, a change in attitude linked to the importance and impact attached to the service user and carer involvement in delivering the courses. Discussion locates the findings within the findings from previous PSI training evaluations and recommendations are made for a reappraisal of approaches to PSI training and research.

Education↗
PubMed2002

Involving mental health service users and carers in curriculum development: moving beyond 'classroom' involvement.

Recent policy statements that address the future priorities for nurse education have emphasized that service users and carers should be actively engaged in partnerships with education professionals in all aspects of the curriculum. The development of this agenda is well advanced; however, examples of 'how to do it' are sparse. The development of a strategy to involve users and carers in the design and delivery of the Diploma of Higher Education in Nursing at Napier University provided an opportunity to evaluate the process of developing partnerships in this area of nurse education. This paper presents the findings from a process evaluation from the various standpoints of the key interest groups. The overall project and evaluation is outlined, along with methodological and practical issues surrounding this type of 'collaborative' evaluation. The importance and satisfaction of practical aspects of the project are examined. The issues of representativeness, expertise in 'involvement' and the importance of the 'process' of involvement are explored. Finally, the challenges to developing 'meaningful involvement' that goes beyond 'classroom involvement' in nurse education are identified and discussed.

Curriculum↗
PubMed2000

Mental health service user involvement in nurse education: exploring the issues.

This paper reports on findings and issues arising from a study designed to promote mental health service users' involvement in a preregistration nursing curriculum. Users' views about the knowledge, skills and attributes required by mental health nurses were explored to inform the curriculum design. Strategies that would facilitate long term, active user involvement in the design and delivery of the curriculum were also explored. Findings are presented with concurrent discussion of issues arising from the research process in relation to user involvement in education. The issue of 'conflict' explores findings relating to users' views of a 'good' mental health nurse and inherent conflicts between user and professional views are highlighted. The representativeness of the research participants is explored and debated in relation to service user involvement in nurse education. Finally, the concepts of 'involvement' and 'tokenism' are discussed and recommendations made about how active user involvement in nurse education can be achieved.

Curriculum↗
PubMed1998

Mental health: what do we know, how did we find it out and what does it mean for nurses?

In recent years service providers, practitioners and academics have all moved away from the term mental illness in favour of mental health. At the same time nurses have been increasingly asked to go beyond work aimed at the alleviation or reduction of mental illness and to actively promote mental health. Such a perspective acknowledges that those who experience mental illness can equally experience and have the potential for mental health. In this paper we review key works from within psychology and health promotion (including medical sociology) that have shed light on the factors that influence mental health in its positive sense. Throughout the review we are careful to reflect on the role that research methods have played in constructing our current understanding of mental health. The aim of the review is to provide nurses with the knowledge that is necessary to undertake the challenge of promoting mental health in a practical but also reflective way.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1997

Does prior infection with varicella-zoster virus influence risk of adult glioma?

To evaluate a possible association between varicella-zoster virus infection and glioma, the authors asked adults with glioma (n = 462) whose tumors were diagnosed between August 1, 1991, and March 31, 1994, and age-, sex-, and ethnicity-matched controls (n = 443) about their histories of chickenpox or shingles. Cases were significantly less likely than controls to report a history of either chickenpox (odds ratio = 0.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.3-0.6) or shingles (odds ratio = 0.5, 95% CI 0.3-0.8). To obtain serologic support for these findings, the authors conducted double-blind enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for immunoglobulin G antibodies to varicella-zoster virus among 167 self-reporting subjects for whom blood samples were available. Cases and controls reporting no history of chickenpox were equally likely to test positive (73% vs. 75%), but among those reporting a positive history, cases were less likely than were controls to test positive (71% vs. 85%). Despite the misclassification, an odds ratio of 0.6 was obtained using either serologic data (95% CI 0.3-1.3) or reported history of chickenpox (95% CI 0.3-1.1) in this subgroup of subjects. This suggests that adults with glioma were less likely than controls either to have had prior varicella-zoster virus infection or to have an immunoglobulin G antibody response adequate to indicate positivity. Since either explanation suggests novel mechanisms for brain tumor pathogenesis, these findings require corroboration and elaboration.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

The selenium status of children with phenylketonuria: results of selenium supplementation.

The selenium status of children with phenylketonuria on a synthetic low phenylalanine diet was assessed. Correlation between blood selenium and red cell glutathione peroxidase was unsatisfactory (r = 0.65) due to the poor discrimination of red cell glutathione peroxidase with a low selenium diet. No symptoms of deficiency were observed. Supplementation with 50 micrograms per week of selenium as brewers yeast tablets over a period of 6 months significantly increased the blood selenium of the phenylketonuric children. Plasma Vitamin E levels were within normal limits. The supplementation effectively doubled their selenium intake to 15-17 micrograms per day, which is probably sufficient for this group with an adequate Vitamin E status, though considerably lower than the recommended minimum intake of 50 micrograms per day.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

White muscle disease of sheep and associated tissue selenium levels in Western Australia.

White Muscle Disease of sheep occurs in Western Australia as distinct syndromes in lambs and weaner sheep. Mean liver selenium concentrations of lambs and weaners with WMD and unaffected by WMD were 0.19 and 0.46 ppm, and 0.20 and 0.41 ppm (dry weight) respectively. There was considerable overlap between levels suggesting that selenium status was not the only factor involved in the development of WMD.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

Noncrushing intestinal clamp without handles.

This noncrushing intestinal clamp is so designed that it can be used in poorly exposed areas. It also is so constructed that a scissors-like effect is avoided and satisfactory noncrushing occlusion is obtained.

Esophagus↗