Biomedical subjects
Janice Muir
Publications and source records attributed to Janice Muir.
Telephone follow-up for day surgery patients: patient perceptions and nurses' experiences.
This article is an analysis of qualitative data collected from telephone interviews by a nurse researcher with patients recovering from day surgery. The nurse researcher used a standard protocol to telephone 238 recovering day surgery patients. While answering their questions and providing advice, the researcher found that patients held many biases and misconceptions about pain and pain management. Many of these misconceptions were not apparent preoperatively nor at discharge because patients are anxious, still recovering from the surgical experience, and not always able to absorb information or anticipate future issues. This article discusses those misconceptions and the necessity that follow-up occurs over a time period, as the patient's need for advice and support changes throughout the recovery process.
The effects of saliency and task difficulty on visual search performance in ageing and Alzheimer's disease.
We asked whether the poor performance on visual search tasks typical of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the result of a selective deficit in the ability to shift attention from item to item, or the consequence of an inefficient processing of each item within the search set. We attempted to manipulate the ease of attention shifting and item processing in a visual search task by manipulating target salience and task difficulty, respectively. Significant effects of both target saliency and task difficulty for both AD patients and age-matched controls were obtained, with the AD group displaying greater effects of both of these manipulations than the controls. This interaction remained even when the reaction time data were log-transformed to account for the overall slower reaction times of the AD group. We conclude that inefficiency in visual search tasks in AD probably represents the product of both attention shifting and target processing factors.
Development of guidelines for non-indigenous people undertaking research among the indigenous population of north-east Victoria.
The Department of Rural Health, University of Melbourne, has developed a framework for conducting research in partnership with Indigenous communities. The framework addresses past inappropriate research practices, incorporates cultural understandings, and outlines culturally appropriate protocols. The four parts of the framework are a committee to initiate, direct and oversee all research projects; a Koorie Team to guide research; a set of research guidelines; and a policy for the department. The framework has been used to develop strong relations with Koorie communities and conduct various health projects.