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CaHRU study presented at Abu Dhabi medical education conference

ottawa3_750 Dr Julie Pattinson presented at the Ottawa-International Conference on Medical Education (ICME), Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; March 10th – 14th 2018. The conference is held biennially and provides a forum for medical and other health care profession educationalists to network and share ideas on all aspects of the assessment of competence in both clinical and non-clinical domains, throughout the continuum of education. There were near 1500 attendees, and hosted plenary sessions, symposia, oral presentations, workshops and poster sessions. Overall it was an educative programme covering all aspects of Health Professions with special emphasis on assessment.

ottawa2_750Julie Pattinson of CaHRU gave a presentation in parallel session 13, titled Postgraduate Assessment on Understanding Reasons for Variations by Ethnicity in Attainment in the Performance of General Practitioners in Speciality Training completing the Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners (MRCGP) Applied Knowledge Test; cognitive interview study. The study was conducted in collaboration with Professor Niro Siriwardena, University of Lincoln, Dr Bijoy Sinha, GP Speciality Training Director, Lincolnshire, and Dr Carol Blow, MRCGP clinical lead. Dr Pattinson talked about the differences that exists in ottawa4_750candidate performance in high stakes medical licensing examinations, specifically the MRCGP AKT, between black and minority ethnic doctors (BME) compared to white British doctors. Grounded theory analysis generated discussions into why differences exist in candidates of different ethnicity highlighted that overseas trained doctors do face additional difficulties answering AKT questions.

The study has provided a basis for developing interventions to reduce differential attainment in UK speciality training for general practice. Overall the conference was interactive and five minute questions were addressed after each presentation.

By Julie Pattinson

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CaHRU newsletter (Winter 2017/18)

CaHRU_logotypeThe latest edition of the CaHRU Newsletter (Winter 2017/18) was published in March 2018. The newsletter presents the work of the research centre over the previous three months and includes articles from the CaHRU blog covering publications, conferences and funding. The newsletter is written by members of the CaHRU team and produced by Sue Bowler, CaHRU administrator.

[su_document url=”https://communityandhealth.dev.lincoln.ac.uk/files/2018/03/CaHRU-Newsletter-Winter-2017-18.pdf” width=”640″ responsive=”no”]Multi-morbidity, goal-oriented care, the community and equity[/su_document]

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New study from CaHRU on caregivers for people with dementia

brainA qualitative study exploring the experiences and perceptions of informal carers of people with dementia when interacting with health care services was published this month in the journal Dementia. The study entitled ‘Caregivers’ interactions with health care services – Mediator of stress or added strain? Experiences and perceptions of informal caregivers of people with dementia – A qualitative study’ was undertaken by Despina Laparidou (lead author), Dr Jo Middlemass, Professor Terence Karran and Prof Niro Siriwardena.

IMG_0923The study explored carers’ unmet needs for both information/knowledge about dementia and support from healthcare services. The researchers found that carers would greatly benefit from detailed information on disease progression, guidelines and tips on dealing with challenging behaviours, as well as information on financial and legal advice. Carers also felt that health and social care services are often fragmented, making it harder for them to receive the support they need and want.

CaHRU_logotypeAt the same time, healthcare professionals stated that while they have a theoretical knowledge of the disease, they felt they often lack knowledge of how it is to live with dementia, which can make it difficult to know how best to support carers. Another interesting finding of the study was that having carers keep a daily diary of symptoms and behaviour could help to empower carers and facilitate communications with healthcare professionals.

The research team hopes to expand this study and develop an educational intervention for informal carers of people with dementia.

By Despina Laparidou

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New study on health-related causes of gambling in older adults

Courtesy of Wellcome Images

Courtesy of Wellcome Images

Dr Julie Pattinson from the Community and Health Research Unit (CaHRU) at University of Lincoln, recently published an article in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions. The article, entitled ‘Age-related physical and psychological vulnerability as pathways to problem gambling in older adults’, was co-authored by, Dr Adrian Parke, University of Lincoln, Professor Mark Griffiths, Nottingham Trent University and Dr David Keatley, University of Lincoln. This is Julie’s third publication following her PhD thesis on ‘British older adult gambling behaviour; evaluating psychological and physical health as predictive risk for problem gambling.’

JuliePattinsonThe study background discussed clinical treatment and preventative efforts, and highlights the need to understand the pathways to late-life gambling disorder. The study assesses the association between age-related physical health, social networks, and problem gambling in adults aged over 65 years and assesses the mediating role of affective disorders in this association. In total, 595 older adults aged 64-94 years were interviewed using a structured questionnaire to assess physical frailty, geriatric pain, loneliness, geriatric depression, geriatric anxiety, and problem gambling.

Courtesy of Wellcome Images

Courtesy of Wellcome Images

Pathway analysis demonstrated associations between these variables and gambling problems, providing a good fit for the data, but these relationships were mediated by both anxiety and depression symptoms. The study indicated that late-life problem gambling may develop as vulnerable individuals gamble to escape anxiety and depression consequent upon deteriorating physical well-being and social support. Furthermore, when individuals develop late-life problem gambling, it is recommended that the treatment primarily focuses upon targeting and replacing avoidant coping approaches. Full text available at: http://akademiai.com/doi/pdf/10.1556/2006.7.2018.18

By Dr Julie Pattinson

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Laura Simmons presents systematic review on sickness absence interventions

warwick2Laura Simmons, PhD student in CaHRU and the Lincoln Institute for Health, recently attended the Division of Occupational Psychology Annual Conference on the 10th-12th January in Stratford-upon-Avon.

The conference’s main theme surrounded the notion of “Evolution +/or Revolution”, focussing on the contribution of new research whilst strengthening existing evidence. LauraSimmons2Keynote speakers included colleagues with expertise in leadership (Dr Edwin A. Locke) and employee wellbeing (Professor Karina Nielsen). Speaking about his experience of using the P value in Psychology, Andy Field presented an interesting session on the use of research methods within Psychology. There were a mixture of oral presentations, discussions and symposiums on a wide range of topics focused on applying research to an organisational setting. Laura attended sessions on workplace resilience and adventurous training (Nicola Bass) and Schwartz Rounds as an intervention to support employee wellbeing (Imelda McCarthy).

warwick1Laura also presented the results of the review, which was conducted alongside her colleagues Prof Christopher Bridle, Prof Niro Siriwardena and Dr Arwel Jones. The review focused on synthesising evidence on interventions that aimed to reduce sickness absence among healthcare workers. The poster was received well among delegates and sparked conversation regarding the applicability to healthcare systems within the United Kingdom.