Journal of Health and Human Services Administration
Trauma-informed care is rising in popularity as services are recognising that traditional models ... more Trauma-informed care is rising in popularity as services are recognising that traditional models are not offering a capacity for healing once thought. Service providers are becoming aware of individuals facing significant re-traumatisation using their services, and so a practical need to explore and understand approaches that accounts for these occurrences has arisen. Trauma-informed care is observed to be represented as a culture and an understanding of what this means is necessary to begin to understand trauma-informed care and its implementation. At present, there are a wide array of instruments available to evaluate the implementation and facilitation of trauma-informed care in numerous organisational services. A review of existing qualitative and quantitative instruments for exploring trauma-informed care was conducted. Many of these instruments require further validation or are limited in their construction. Foundational and substantial research on instruments were identified ...
BackgroundThe trauma-informed care programme at the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys Foundation NHS Tru... more BackgroundThe trauma-informed care programme at the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys Foundation NHS Trust identified a need to evaluate the ongoing service-wide trauma-informed care implementation effort. An absence of staff, service user and system-related outcomes specific to trauma-informed care presented barriers to monitoring the adoption of trauma-informed approaches and progress over time across the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys Foundation NHS Trust. This paper describes the co-production of a new self-assessment tool, Roots, a discussion-based framework that facilitates learning and improvement by reflecting on positive or negative examples of trauma-informed services.MethodsUsing secondary data obtained from an affiliated national trauma summit and instruments found in literature, domains and items were co-produced with the help of trauma-informed care leads, NHS staff and service users. The research design consisted of community-based co-production methods such as surveys, focus gr...
The use of music therapy in healthcare, including mental health and general wellbeing has become ... more The use of music therapy in healthcare, including mental health and general wellbeing has become common in many parts of the world, and is usually supported by clinical validation and supervision. In the last decades, research into music therapy and music medicine has advanced rapidly in step with advances in music neuroscience, brain imaging, neuroendocrinology and increasingly easy access to physiological measurements through a new generation of sensors. X-System has developed algorithms predicated upon these developments. These algorithms are intended to model areas and functions of the brain relating to the processing of music, in order to predict the differing neurophysiological effects of different music, and to stream music to achieve desired states of mind and body. X-System has been able to verify these results by both subjective measures and physiological measures including, heart rate and galvanic skin conductance. However, predictions of valence, leading to predictions of mood and emotion, are important for work in mental health but have been difficult to verify physiologically. In this context, Heart Rate Variability (HRV) has proved to be a very promising way forward. This study had two main objectives 1) Understanding the impact of different types of music on heart rate variability as a means of understanding the effects on the subject, and 2) Exploring the potentials of the X-System algorithm to predict psychophysiological effects of music by comparing the output data to HRV data, and where possible offering validation of existing algorithms Methods: Six participants listened to four such pre-selected pieces (two "happy" and two "sad", according to internet-sourced popular curations) and one self-selected song in a random order whilst ECG data was recorded continuously throughout. After each song, participants were asked to fill a valence questionnaire. The pre-selected songs were analysed by X-system software to predict the effects of songs on the subjects, and the results were compared to the corresponding HRV data. Results: Results showed that song 4 (happy song), had the largest significant impact on HRV (P=.05), in particular the total power domain where an average increase of 574 ms 2 was seen. Promising potential correlations were identified between X-System predictions for both arousal and valence on the one hand and subjective responses of participants on the other. Both arousal and valence, X-System predictions and subjective rankings correlated with HR and HRV rankings for three out of four songs. In the cases that deviated there appeared to be possible bases for prediction in X-System analyses Conclusions: There were some tentative, identifiable correlations between the X-System predictions, subjective responses and HRV data that suggest that further work should be undertaken, directed towards improving X-System mood predictions and developing treatments for autonomic and mood disorders based on music streaming.
Background: Qigong embraces a range of self-care exercises originating from China. Lung-Strengthe... more Background: Qigong embraces a range of self-care exercises originating from China. Lung-Strengthening Qigong (LSQ) is a specific technique for maintaining and improving physical and mental wellbeing. Methods: We recruited 170 practitioners and 42 non-practitioner/control samples to investigate the impacts of LSQ practice on body, mind, thoughts, and feelings. This is a pilot study pursued to plan for an adequately powered, non-clinical randomized controlled trials (RCT) on overall wellbeing and health and to evaluate the adequacy of delivering the physical activity intervention with fidelity. Self-evaluation-based data collection schemes were developed by regularly requesting completion of a questionnaire from both practitioner and control group, and an online diary and end of study survey (EOS) completion only from the practitioners. Diverse types of analyses were conducted, including statistical tests, machine learning, and qualitative thematic models. Results: We evaluated all different data resources together and observed that (a)the impacts are diverse, including improvements in physical (e.g., elevated sleep quality, physical energy, reduced fatigue), mental (e.g., increased positivity, reduced stress), and relational (e.g., enhanced connections to self and nature) wellbeing, which were not observed in control group; (b)measured by the level-of-effectiveness, four distinct clusters were identified, from no-effect to a high-level of effect; (c)a majority (84 %) of the LSQ practitioners experienced an improvement in wellbeing; (d)qualitative and quantitative analyses of the diary entries, questionnaires, and EOS were all found to be consistent, (e)majority of the positively impacted practitioners had no or some little prior experience with LSQ. Conclusions: Novel features of this study include (i)an increased sample size vis-à-vis other related studies; (ii) provision of weekly live-streamed LSQ sessions; (iii)integration of quantitative and qualitative type of analyses. The pilot study indicated that the proportion of practitioners who continued to engage in completing the regularinterval questionnaires over time was higher for practitioners compared to the control group. The engagement of practitioners may have been sustained by participation in the regular live LSQ sessions. To fully understand the impacts of LSQ on clinical/physiological outcomes, especially for specific patient groups, more objective biomarkers (e.g. respiratory rate, heart rate variation) could be tracked in future studies.
International Journal of Systems and Society, 2018
This article takes an ecological perspective that views management systems and information system... more This article takes an ecological perspective that views management systems and information systems as dimensions of the overall business platform. The concepts of double-loop learning and knowledge creation are found to be useful in contemplating, explaining and evaluating the role of Information Systems in organisations. It is argued that the role of information systems is to support, facilitate and improve the knowledge creation and knowledge implementation processes in the organisation the skills of awareness and reflection need to be enacted within the communication processes of organizations. Dialogue is considered fundamental to learning and creativity.
Qigong is an umbrella term for a group of traditional exercises originated from China. Lung- Stre... more Qigong is an umbrella term for a group of traditional exercises originated from China. Lung- Strengthening Qigong (LSQ) is one of these techniques enabling practitioners to maintain and improve their physical and mental wellbeing. We recruited 170 practitioners and 42 non- practitioner/control samples to investigate the impacts of LSQ practice on body, mind, thoughts, and feelings. We requested completion of a questionnaire regularly from both of the practitioner and control group, fill in an online diary and end of study survey (EOS) only from the practitioners. Statistical analysis was conducted on the questionnaires, whereas qualitative thematic- and quantitative machine learning-based analyses were applied to the free-text diary entries. We evaluated all different data resources together and observed that (a) there was a significant improvement in physical and mental wellbeing (increase in sleep quality, feeling life, coping with life, feeling life energy and a decline in stress...
Background The detrimental impact of Covid-19 has led to an urgent need to support the wellbeing ... more Background The detrimental impact of Covid-19 has led to an urgent need to support the wellbeing of UK National Health Service and care workers.Objective To develop a diary to support the wellbeing of staff in public healthcare in real-time, allowing the exploration of population wellbeing and pro-active responses to issues identified.Methods The diary was co-produced by NHS and care stakeholders and university researchers. It was based on an integrative model of mental health and wellbeing. Diary users were encouraged to reflect on their experience confidentially, empowering them to monitor their wellbeing. The data collected was analysed using Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon and Kruskal-Wallis statistical tests to determine any significant wellbeing trends and issues.Findings A statistically significant decline in wellbeing (P<2.2E-16), and a significant increase in symptoms (P=1.2E-14) was observed. For example, indicators of post-traumatic stress, including, flashbacks, dissociation, a...
This paper explores mindsight in virtual communication, examining problems people face while comm... more This paper explores mindsight in virtual communication, examining problems people face while communicating in virtual spaces with a focusing on email communication. Many have documented the problems encountered when they are communicating with others on email. Face to face communication includes facial and interpersonal clues that enhances interaction. Other problems people face include misunderstanding in communication and information overload. These problems disrupt workflow, and can cause stress among workers, which in turn reduces job satisfaction and production. These problems are common in academic world, especially among people found in learning environment, who have to use email communicate continuously because of the nature of their job and activities. It is believed that every learning environment utilizes one form of email communication or the other on several levels and for different purposes. Scholars have put forward suggested technical solutions that are mainly softwa...
Intranets and the learning organisation : Intranets
Recent developments in e-commerce and the Web suggest that few businesses in the next decade will... more Recent developments in e-commerce and the Web suggest that few businesses in the next decade will remain unchallenged by new technologies. It is our contention that an intranet, appropriately designed, implemented, and managed, provides organisations with a relatively simple and inexpensive means of enhancing organisational learning capability.
International Conference on Information Society (i-Society 2011), 2011
Considering the variety of focuses and the perceived lack of consensus found when measuring e-lea... more Considering the variety of focuses and the perceived lack of consensus found when measuring e-learning in higher education institutions, especially in campus courses under the scheme of blended learning, we propose a new system of indicators based on evidence found in systems of wide-scope indicators and other systems of specific-scope indicators; the former introduced as proposals by organizations and the latter as academic case studies. The work of building the proposal is based on benchmarking activities and statistical analysis of frequent observable elements in e-learning in both kind of systems of indicators. As a result, we introduce a set of categories, variables and indicators that aim to satisfy certain desired features in metrics for measuring the Information Society; this is a set of elements proposed to be validated near in the future through experimentation in on-campus courses in higher education.
International Journal of Systems and Society, 2015
In this paper the authors consider two contrasting viewpoints; Complex responsive processes which... more In this paper the authors consider two contrasting viewpoints; Complex responsive processes which deal with interactions in the present, and complex adaptive systems which focus on learning through the production of what are called mental models. The paper shows that rather than being contradictory, these viewpoints are – at least in some respects - complementary. From the resulting perspective we are able to identify qualitative synergies between the two approaches. Complex responsive processes involve reflections on interactions that take place in time. But you cannot stop time so these present reflections always refer back to a present now gone. Complex adaptive systems are analytic tools. They are not explicitly in the present or in time at all, but they shape our thoughts and actions which are in the present. They shape how people behave, respond and think in a context. In this way people can combine, or reorganise, the approach to complex responsive processes and complex adapt...
AbstractThere is a large body of literature by the Chilean biologists Humberto Maturana and Franc... more AbstractThere is a large body of literature by the Chilean biologists Humberto Maturana and Francisco Varela, usually referred to as Autopoietic Theory. This theory describes the dynamics of living systems; dealing with cognition as a biological phenomenon. The theory, however, has found far wider application than may be suggested from its biological roots. This is because the theory builds from its cognitive base to generate implications for epistemology, communication and social systems theory. Since, in essence, there is no discontinuity between what is social and what is human, from the perspective of their biological roots.This paper presents some of the key elements of autopoietic theory and explores their application to organisations and their management. The topics considered are: i) the epistemological qualities of our knowledge and its relevance in understanding organisation; ii) human enterprises as autonomous selforganising systems; iii) the meaning of communication and the role of language in organisations. The paper also describes a new approach to organisational inquiry. This brings together, in a co-determinate fashion, a pragmatic attitude to human experience and language, and the value of theoretical insight.
International Journal of Information Systems and Supply Chain Management, 2009
This article presents analysis of the behaviour of a model of a centralised supply chain. The res... more This article presents analysis of the behaviour of a model of a centralised supply chain. The research was conducted within the manufacturing sector and involved the breathing equipment manufacturer Draeger Safety, UK. A simplified model of the Draeger Safety, UK centralised supply chain has been developed and validated. Simulation and analysis have been performed using System Dynamics, non-linear dynamics and control theory. The findings suggest that destructive oscillations of inventory could be generated by internal decision making practices. A management microworld has been developed allowing managers to experiment with different decision policies and learn how the supply chain performs.
International Journal of Technology and Human Interaction, 2011
Recent trends in researching Information Behaviour in organisations show that the initial focus o... more Recent trends in researching Information Behaviour in organisations show that the initial focus on technology has shifted to cognitive methods that take the individual into account, but more recently there has been a move to the social sciences approach. Literature shows that this approach has been informative but rather theoretic as there has been limited work using this approach to handle information problems in organisations. There is a need to develop and test theories to help understand Information Behaviour in organisations in a social science context that gives direct benefits to the organisation. It is useful to view organisations as complex social networks of interactions, where importance is put on the relationships between people in the organisations, as well as on the individual actor. A need exists to evaluate and connect insights from social sciences communities of practice, and complexity theory. This paper explores insights from these theories and develops a conceptu...
The Development of Language for Implementing IT Within a Learning Organisation
Abstract: This paper explores the role that language can play in the development of technologies ... more Abstract: This paper explores the role that language can play in the development of technologies or other processes within an organisation. Examples and lessons from the literature of the learning organisation are looked as a key in the development of language. The paper uses a practical example of a customer complaints management system to demonstrate how the theoretical insights discussed in this paper can be put into practice. Finally the authors propose that a common organisational language can be developed. Then the design and use of IT for learning within organisations can be achieved.
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