Structure and agency attributes of residents' use of dining space during mealtimes in care homes for older people.

Research stresses that mealtimes in care homes for older people are vital social events in residents' lives. Mealtimes have great importance for residents as they provide a sense of normality, reinforce individuals' identities and orientate their routines. This ethnographic study aimed to understand residents' use of dining spaces during mealtimes, specifically examining residents' table assignment processes.

Process of implementing and delivering the Prevention of Delirium system of care: a mixed method preliminary study.

Background: Delirium is a frequent complication of hospital admission among older people. Multicomponent interventions which can reduce incident delirium by ≈one-third are recommended by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence. Currently, a standardised delirium prevention system of care suitable for adoption in the UK National Health Service does not exist.

Needles, Jabs and Jags: a qualitative exploration of barriers and facilitators to child and adult immunisation uptake among Gypsies, Travellers and Roma.

Background: Gypsies, Travellers and Roma (referred to as Travellers) are less likely to access health services including immunisation. To improve immunisation rates, it is necessary to understand what helps and hinders individuals in these communities in taking up immunisations. This study had two aims.

UNderstanding uptake of Immunisations in TravellIng aNd Gypsy communities (UNITING): a qualitative interview study.

Background: Gypsies, Travellers and Roma (referred to as Travellers) are less likely to access health services, including immunisation. To improve immunisation rates, we need to understand what helps and hinders individuals in these communities in taking up immunisations.

Aims: (1) Investigate the barriers to and facilitators of acceptability and uptake of immunisations among six Traveller communities across four UK cities; and (2) identify possible interventions to increase uptake of immunisations in these Traveller communities that could be tested in a subsequent feasibility study.

Client and clinical staff perceptions of barriers to and enablers of the uptake and delivery of behavioural interventions for urinary incontinence: qualitative evidence synthesis.

Aim: To evaluate factors influencing uptake and delivery of behavioural interventions for urinary incontinence from the perspective of clients and clinical staff.

Background: Behavioural interventions are recommended as first-line therapy for the management of urinary incontinence. Barriers to and enablers of uptake and delivery of behavioural interventions have not been reviewed.

Expectant parents' views of factors influencing infant feeding decisions in the antenatal period: A systematic review.

Objective: To explore the factors that influence expectant parents' infant feeding decisions in the antenatal period.

Design: Mixed method systematic review focussing on participant views data.

Data Sources: CINAHL, Medline, Embase and PsychInfo databases were interrogated using initial keywords and then refined terms to elicit relevant studies.

The PiTSTOP study: a feasibility cluster randomized trial of delirium prevention in care homes for older people.

Background And Objectives: delirium is a distressing but potentially preventable condition common in older people in long-term care. It is associated with increased morbidity, mortality, functional decline, hospitalization and significant healthcare costs. Multicomponent interventions, addressing delirium risk factors, have been shown to reduce delirium by one-third in hospitals.

A Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial of 6-Step vs 3-Step Hand Hygiene Technique in Acute Hospital Care in the United Kingdom.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the microbiologic effectiveness of the World Health Organization's 6-step and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 3-step hand hygiene techniques using alcohol-based handrub. DESIGN A parallel group randomized controlled trial. SETTING An acute care inner-city teaching hospital (Glasgow).

Implementing a Systematic Voiding Program for Patients With Urinary Incontinence After Stroke.

We explored health professionals' views of implementing a systematic voiding program (SVP) in a multi-site qualitative process evaluation in stroke services recruited to the intervention arms of a cluster randomized controlled feasibility trial during 2011-2013. We conducted semi-structured group or individual interviews with 38 purposively selected nursing, managerial, and care staff involved in delivering the SVP. Content analysis of transcripts used normalization process theory (NPT) as a pre-specified organization-level exploratory framework.

Prevention of delirium (POD) for older people in hospital: study protocol for a randomised controlled feasibility trial.

Background: Delirium is the most frequent complication among older people following hospitalisation. Delirium may be prevented in about one-third of patients using a multicomponent intervention. However, in the United Kingdom, the National Health Service has no routine delirium prevention care systems.

British-Pakistani women's perspectives of diabetes self-management: the role of identity.

Aims And Objectives: To explore the effects of type 2 diabetes on British-Pakistani women's identity and its relationship with self-management.

Background: Type 2 diabetes is more prevalent and has worse outcomes among some ethnic minority groups. This may be due to poorer self-management and an inadequate match of health services to patient needs.

UNderstanding uptake of Immunisations in TravellIng aNd Gypsy communities (UNITING): protocol for an exploratory, qualitative study.

Introduction: Gypsies, Travellers and Roma (referred to here as Travellers) experience significantly poorer health and have shorter life expectancy than the general population. They are also less likely to access health services including immunisation. To improve immunisation rates, we need to understand what helps and hinders individuals in these communities in taking up immunisations.

Tailored interventions to address determinants of practice.

Background: Tailored intervention strategies are frequently recommended among approaches to the implementation of improvement in health professional performance. Attempts to change the behaviour of health professionals may be impeded by a variety of different barriers, obstacles, or factors (which we collectively refer to as determinants of practice). Change may be more likely if implementation strategies are specifically chosen to address these determinants.

The association between social capital and mental health and behavioural problems in children and adolescents: an integrative systematic review.

Background: Mental health is an important component of overall health and wellbeing and crucial for a happy and meaningful life. The prevalence of mental health problems amongst children and adolescent is high; with estimates suggesting 10-20% suffer from mental health problems at any given time. These mental health problems include internalising (e.

Identifying continence options after stroke (ICONS): a cluster randomised controlled feasibility trial.

Background: Urinary incontinence (UI) affects half of patients hospitalised after stroke and is often poorly managed. Cochrane systematic reviews have shown some positive impact of conservative interventions (such as bladder training) in reducing UI, but their effectiveness has not been demonstrated with stroke patients.

Methods: We conducted a cluster randomised controlled feasibility trial of a systematic voiding programme (SVP) for the management of UI after stroke.

Cost effectiveness of a web-based decision aid for parents deciding about MMR vaccination: a three-arm cluster randomised controlled trial in primary care.

Background: Levels of measles in England and Wales are at their highest for 18 years, and strategies targeting the different groups of parents who do not vaccinate their children continue to be needed. Decision aids for decisions regarding childhood immunisation appear to be effective in achieving an increase in vaccine uptake but their cost effectiveness is unknown.

Aim: To assess the cost effectiveness of a web-based decision aid to increase uptake of the MMR vaccine.

Systematic review investigating the reporting of comorbidities and medication in randomized controlled trials of people with dementia.

Objectives: dementia is a debilitating condition characterised by global loss of cognitive and intellectual functioning, which reduces social and occupational performance. This population frequently presents with medical co-morbidities such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The CONSORT statement outlines recommended guidance on reporting of participant characteristics in clinical trials.

Pilot trial of Stop Delirium! (PiTStop)--a complex intervention to prevent delirium in care homes for older people: study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial.

Background: Delirium (or acute confusion) is a serious illness common in older people, in which a person's thinking and perceptions may be affected. Reducing delirium is important because of the considerable distress it causes, and the poor outcomes associated with it, such as increased admissions to hospital, falls, mortality and costs to the National Health Service (NHS). Preventing delirium is possible using multicomponent interventions; successful interventions in hospitals have reduced it by one-third.

Parents' experiences of living with a child with hydrocephalus: a cross-sectional interview-based study.

Background: Shunts, the main treatment for hydrocephalus, are problematic because they frequently malfunction. Detecting shunt malfunction is challenging because symptoms are similar to those of common childhood illnesses, particularly viral infections. Parents are responsible for identifying shunt malfunction and responding accordingly.

Self-management of urinary and fecal incontinence.

Widely used by patients to control symptoms of chronic conditions such as diabetes, asthma, and arthritis, self-management can also help patients with urinary or fecal incontinence. The authors discuss the principles of self-management, the behaviors and skills self-managing patients need to acquire, and the nurse's role in reinforcing their use. They then describe strategies that can be incorporated within the framework of self-management to control urinary, fecal, or dual incontinence.

Undertaking qualitative health research in social virtual worlds.

Aims: This paper discusses the methodological challenges of using the 3D social virtual world Second Life for research and offers some solutions on a range of research issues including research ethics committee approval, gaining consent, recruitment of sample, data collection and engagement with 'in - world culture'.

Background: The attraction of social virtual worlds to researchers is their ability to mimic the physical world, as they, are seen as 'places' where people have a feeling of presence (being there) and social presence (being there with others) through the use of a 'customisable' avatar (digital self-representation). Emerging research demonstrating the persuasive nature of avatars on health behaviours through virtual worlds, online games and the 3D web has increased the use of and interest in these areas for delivering health information, advice and support.

The association between family and community social capital and health risk behaviours in young people: an integrative review.

Background: Health risk behaviours known to result in poorer outcomes in adulthood are generally established in late childhood and adolescence. These 'risky' behaviours include smoking, alcohol and illicit drug use and sexual risk taking. While the role of social capital in the establishment of health risk behaviours in young people has been explored, to date, no attempt has been made to consolidate the evidence in the form of a review.