Comfort and confidence levels of health care professionals providing pediatric palliative care in the intensive care unit

Most childhood deaths that occur in the hospital happen in the pediatric intensive care unit. Providing pediatric palliative care in the intensive care unit comes with unique challenges due to the acute care, curative and often medically aggressive focus of these settings. In this study, 190 PICU health care professionals reported on their comfort and confidence in providing palliative care. Findings indicate that professionals report only a moderate level of comfort and confidence in this type of care in the pediatric ICU. For physicians and nurses, comfort and confidence was significantly higher for those who had practiced 8 years or more. Practitioners reported less comfort in providing psychosocial care. Implications for the social work role on the interdisciplinary team and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Comment on Conflict Methodology: a Protagonist Position

In response to Lundman and McFarlane's assessment of what they understand to be conflict methodology, several points of exception and clarification are offered. Conflict methodology is neither a new data collection technology nor an abandonment of professional ethics by sociologists. It is an emerging movement away from the orthodoxy of consensus methodology by sociologists who recognize the ethical and epistemological weaknesses inherent in the dogmas of positivistic science. It proposes an evolutionary epistemology in opposition to the reductionism, operationalism, objectivism, and technocracy of consensus methodology Conflict methodology affirms the unity of science and the social discourse, the centrality of subjectivity in science, and the emancipatory interest in knowledge, while recognizing the threat to the scientific standing of sociology posed by institutional domination of social research.     

Partnership and core groups in the risk society

In this paper, partnerships between parents/carers, children and professionals within child protection social work are critically assessed in relation to Beck's (1992 ) concept of the 'risk society'. Partnerships within core groups provide the specific focus for this paper, as in the authors' view these groups provide particular opportunities for the development of partnerships between professionals, parents/carers and children. In the risk society new dangers and risks are constantly being created and (re)discovered, the status of professional and lay expertise is questioned and professional judgement is often mediated through discourses of risk. In this environment reflexivity becomes an essential element of professional practice. Two case studies of child protection are used to link theory and practice, and to raise questions for professional practice in core groups.     

The Failure of Calendar Reform (1992–1931): Religious Minorities, Businessmen, Scientists, and Bureaucrats

The standardization of measurements of length, mass, temperature, etc is a central part of the process of modernization and rationalization described by Weber. However, attempts by businessmen, scientists and bureaucrats to reform the calendar, as a rationalizing measure and to improve economic efficiency, have been thwarted by religious minorities. Curiously, the religious opposition is rooted in material interests, in contrast to the ideal interests of the calendar reformers. The argument that calendar reform is contrary to religious liberty is shown to be confused. Durkheim's concepts of mechanical and organic solidarity are then used to clarify the nature of the issues involved.     

网络时代澳大利亚版权法中的新型传播权

澳大利亚《数字日程法》规定新型的传播权来执行《版权条约》第8条"向公众传播权"。在国内实施向公众传播权有必要考虑权利类型、网上传播版权作品的主体以及传播发生的时间和地点等问题。澳大利亚的新型传播权包括向公众提供权和电子传输权两部分,传播的主体应为上载人,向公众提供的时间为作品被上载到公众可以访问的网络服务器上的时间,电子传输的时间为作品从网络服务器对外发送的时间,传输的地点为供下载的网络服务器所在地。澳大利亚新型传播权具有域外效力,包括外部域外效力和内部域外效应。     

Do youth in out-of-home care receive recommended mental health and educational services following screening evaluations?

For children in out-of-home care, a significant gap exists between those who need services and those who receive them. Screening all children in out-of-home care is recommended to reduce this gap. This study was designed to determine if recommendations from mental health and educational screening evaluations were related to service implementation for youth in out-of-home care. Screening evaluations were completed with 171 maltreated youth (ages 9 to 11) who had been placed in out-of-home care within the prior year. Written reports summarizing the findings were provided to children's caseworkers. Service utilization was assessed at baseline (T1; before screening reports were completed) and follow-up (T2; 9–12 months later) interviews. For children not already receiving services at T1, logistic regression analyses tested the association between T1 recommendations for services and new service implementation by T2. Mental health (youth-report) and educational (teacher-report) outcomes were analyzed separately. Screening evaluations identified 22% of children with unmet mental health needs and 36% with unmet educational needs at T1. Children who received a recommendation for new services (i.e., all of those with unmet needs) were more likely to receive mental health (OR = 2.50, p = .06) and/or educational (OR = 3.54, p = .04) services by T2 than children who did not receive recommendations for services. While recommendations increased the odds of receiving services, almost half of the children with unmet mental health needs did not receive services, and 84% of children with unmet educational needs did not receive services by T2. Much work remains to ensure youth receive needed services.     

An item response theory investigation of the Family Assessment Form

Drawing from a sample obtained from a large scale, community-based child maltreatment prevention initiative, factor analysis and item response theory (IRT) were used to examine item discrimination and to identify items on the Family Assessment Form (FAF) that statistically do not add value for predictive modeling. Results suggest a consolidated, six-factor structure in general accordance with the current configuration of the instrument. In addition, 13 of the 59 items are identified as low information, indicating that they do not contribute unique measurement information regarding the underlying dimensions of the FAF. Findings suggest that from a statistical measurement perspective, the FAF can be shortened and retain its internal validity, although from a functional assessment perspective, certain items may need to be retained for comprehensive family assessment and case planning.     

Animation-Based Education as a Gambling Prevention Tool: Correcting Erroneous Cognitions and Reducing the Frequency of Exceeding Limits Among Slots Players

In light of the financial harm that often accompanies problem gambling, and the difficulty in resolving it, there is a pressing need for prevention resources. In the present study, we examined the preventive effects of an animation-based video that educated participants on how slot machines function, the prudence of setting financial limits, and strategies to avoid problems. Non-problem gamblers (N = 242) at a slots venue were randomly assigned to watch either an animation or a control video. Compared to participants who watched the control video, those who watched the animation endorsed strategies to gamble within financial limits, reported greater behavioral intentions to use the strategies, and exceeded their pre-set limits less frequently during their subsequent gambling session. Some effects waned over a 30-day period suggesting booster sessions may be required for long term sustainability. The effectiveness of animation-based education as a prevention tool and the need for adjunctive measures is discussed.