Consultation Exercise Research Articles

The interpretation of policies in administrative law: the significance of audience

AbstractThe interpretation of administrative policies is of great importance in contemporary public law. The correct approach to policy interpretation has, however, been subject to insufficient academic scrutiny. The effect of policies is to provide guidance: not only to decision-makers, but also to stakeholders in the decision. Obvious stakeholders include the applicant or the individual who is the subject of the administrative decision, but the scope of potential legitimate stakeholders may go far beyond this. In matters of general interest, the broader public may be guided by policy (for instance, whether to object to a proposal during a consultation exercise, or on what basis to object). When considering how policy should be interpreted, the court should have regard to the extent of the appropriate audience of the policy, specifically considering how the least expert reader of the policy would interpret it. This ‘least expert reader principle’ will assist in answering difficult questions, such as whether the court should have regard to the underlying evidence base when interpreting a policy. The courts should rely upon, and express their reasoning by reference to, the least expert reader principle, in order to increase the transparency of judgments in the field of policy interpretation.

Multiple chemical sensitivity scoping review protocol: overview of research and MCS construct

IntroductionMultiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) has been characterised by reported adverse responses to environmental exposures of common chemical agents (eg, perfumes, paint, cleaning products and other inhaled or ingested agents) in...

Exploring the Poststroke Experiences and Needs of South Asian Communities Living in High-Income Countries: Findings from a Scoping Review.

Despite the high prevalence of stroke among South Asian communities in high-income countries, a comprehensive understanding of their unique experiences and needs after stroke is lacking. This study aimed to synthesize the literature examining the experiences and needs of South Asian community members impacted by stroke and their family caregivers residing in high-income countries. A scoping review methodology was utilized. Data for this review were identified from seven databases and hand-searching reference lists of included studies. Study characteristics, purpose, methods, participant characteristics, results, limitations, recommendations, and conclusions were extracted. Data were analyzed using descriptive qualitative analysis. In addition, a consultative focus group exercise with six South Asian community members who had experienced a stroke and a program facilitator was conducted to inform the review interpretations. A total of 26 articles met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Qualitative analysis identified four descriptive categories: (1) rationale for studying the South Asian stroke population (e.g., increasing South Asian population and stroke prevalence), (2) stroke-related experiences (e.g., managing community support versus stigma and caregiving expectations), (3) stroke service challenges (e.g., language barriers), and (4) stroke service recommendations to address stroke service needs (e.g., continuity of care). Several cultural factors impacted participant experiences, including cultural beliefs about illness and caregiving. Focus group participants from our consultation activity agreed with our review findings. The clinical and research recommendations identified in this review support the need for culturally appropriate services for South Asian communities across the stroke care continuum; however, more research is necessary to inform the design and structure of culturally appropriate stroke service delivery models.

PS04 Assessment and management of patients with vitiligo and psychological distress: clinician survey

Abstract Vitiligo is a common, pigmentary skin disorder, affecting 1% of people worldwide. People with vitiligo have a significantly higher prevalence of psychosocial comorbidities, including anxiety, depression and suicidal ideations, than nonaffected individuals (Ezzedine K, Eleftheriadou V, Jones H et al. Psychosocial effects of vitiligo: a systematic literature review. Am J Clin Dermatol 2021; 22:757–74). The British Association of Dermatologists’ (BAD) 2022 vitiligo guidelines recommend the assessment of psychosocial impact in all patients with vitiligo, with management tailored to severity (Eleftheriadou V, Atkar R, Batchelor J et al. BAD guidelines for the management of people with vitiligo 2021. Br J Dermatol 2022; 186:18–29). We conducted a UK-wide consultation exercise aimed at establishing the current assessment and management practices of patients with vitiligo who experience psychological distress due to their skin. This project was supported by the UK Dermatology Clinical Trials Network and was also distributed to BAD members. Seventy-eight responders completed the online questionnaire (83% doctors, 14% nurses and 3% psychologists). On average, responders reviewed eight patients with vitiligo in the clinic during the preceding 6 months; 37% of these patients were estimated to have moderate/severe psychological distress. Sixty-seven per cent reported routine screening for psychological impact using mainly the Dermatology Life Quality Index (56%) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (16%). Forty-eight per cent used no formal screening tool but asked general questions. Thirty-three per cent do not routinely screen for psychological impact. For the management of mild psychological distress, 83% of responders signpost to online resources or advise self-referral to local services; 16% wrote to the general practitioner only. For the management of moderate-to-severe psychological distress, 28% referred patients to psychiatric services, 29% to psychological services and 37% to community services. Four per cent stated they would not take any action. Interestingly, 18% were not aware of any available local, regional or national psychological services. Waiting times for urgent psychological input ranged from 2 months to 2 years. Eighty-seven per cent of responders felt that their patients with vitiligo would benefit from a tailor-made online psychological intervention targeting specific aspects of the condition and that patients with vitiligo would engage with it (80%). Digital accessibility was highlighted as the main concern by remaining responders. Sixty per cent of responders expressed interest in participating in a trial examining the effectiveness of an online-delivered psychological intervention for patients with vitiligo and moderate/severe psychological distress. In summary, significant variation exists in the assessment and management of patients with vitiligo and psychological distress. Our survey suggests an unmet need for such an online intervention and a need for educational resources to give to clinicians regarding pathways to mental health services.

Calorie accounting: The introduction of mandatory calorie labelling on menus in the UK food sector

Obesity has become a topic of public discourse in Britain with claims that it is now one of the major causes of ill health and premature death. In an effort to tackle this obesity ‘crisis’, the UK government has introduced mandatory calorie labelling on menus. This legislation requires that the number of calories associated with a meal option, together with the recommended calorie consumption per day, be displayed on menus. Such ‘calorie accounting’ seeks to prompt the consumer to make menu choices consistent with public health ambitions and to encourage food establishments to reformulate lower calorie menu offerings. Drawing on the concepts of technologies of government (Miller & Rose, 1990; Rose & Miller, 1992) and biopedagogy (Harewood, 2009; Wright, 2009), this paper suggests that calorie accounting operates as a technology of biopedagogy which seeks to discipline and govern the body in contemporary neoliberal society. The paper also contributes to recent accounting scholarship on counter-conduct (Foucault, 2007) by highlighting how calorie accounting produces a form of counter-conduct that coexists with conformity to governmental goals. The paper draws upon three primary data sources: a documentary analysis of 44 policy documents on obesity and calorie reduction, an analysis of 112 responses to a public consultation exercise on calorie labelling, and 20 interviews with relevant actors.

Design and Application of Virtual Reality Simulation for Rehabilitation Nursing of Patients With Cervical Spondylosis Under the Background of New Medical Science.

Objectives: Our objective was to develop and implement a system to solve the problems that students have as a result of few opportunities for consultation and hands-on exercise in nursing practice teaching, including an inability to participate in the whole process of patients' treatment and nursing, and lack of humanistic care for patients. Methods: The application of the system was conducted among undergraduate nursing students. In 2020, we cooperated with companies and jointly developed a virtual reality (VR) simulation of rehabilitation nursing for patients with cervical spondylosis (CS) and applied it to undergraduate nursing students. Results:The cumulative online training time of 79 students was (30.52±16.28) minutes/person and the average number of learning times was (3.12±1.78) times/person. Overall, 97.5% of the students rated the system as excellent. Conclusions: In thi s paper, we introduce the design, system construction, teaching design, and preliminary application effects of the system. In addition, we discuss the advantages, characteristics, limitations and countermeasures of the system, to provide reference for the construction of VR simulation experimental teaching courses for undergraduate nursing students under the background of new medical science.

Smoking cessation interventions and implementations in Japan: a study protocol for a scoping review and supplemental survey

IntroductionDespite various tobacco control measures in Japan, smoking remains a leading cause of mortality. This manuscript outlines proposed methodology for scoping review that aims to describe the knowledge gaps for...

Supporting patient and public partners in writing lay summaries of scientific evidence in healthcare: a scoping review protocol

IntroductionDespite growing interest among patient and public partners to engage in writing lay summaries, evidence is scarce regarding the availability of resources to support them. This protocol describes the process...

Assessing pre-licensure collaborative skills using a simulated interprofessional team consultation exercise

Assessing pre-licensure collaborative skills using a simulated interprofessional team consultation exercise

Caring for the caregiver: Why policy must shift from addressing needs to enabling caregivers to flourish.

Policies supporting caregivers ("caregiver policies") are limited in the extent to which they meet the needs of those who care for others. Where policies do exist, they focus on relieving the burdens associated with caring or the needs of the person they care for, rather than consider the holistic needs of the caregiver that would enable them to flourish. We argue that the established approach to caregiver policies reflects a policy failure, requiring a reassessment of current practice related to caregiver support. Often, caregiver policies target the care recipient rather than the caregiver's needs. Through a consultative exercise, we identified five areas of need that existing caregiver policies touch upon. Yet current approaches remain piecemeal and inadequate in a global context. Caregiver policies should not just relieve burden to the extent that caregivers can continue in the role, but they should support caregivers to flourish, and future work may benefit from drawing on related frameworks from positive psychology, such as the PERMA™ model; this is important for both policymakers and researchers.

The money laundering and terrorist financing risks of new and disruptive technologies: a futures-oriented scoping review

New and disruptive technologies, including cryptocurrencies and new payment methods, are revolutionising the way people engage with finance. Although they provide significant benefits to consumers, they are also inadvertently creating new money laundering and terrorist financing risks. This paper examines the risks that are, or are predicted to be, prevalent in three technology sectors—distributed ledger technologies (including cryptocurrencies), new payment methods and financial technologies (FinTech), through a systematic scoping review process. Specifically, the paper identifies enablers of both crimes, the precise criminal methods they might facilitate, at-risk stakeholders (of exploitation and/or complicity) and risk characteristics. The study involves systematic scoping reviews of the academic and futures literatures as well as a consultation exercise with experts to assess the likely veracity of the findings. In addition to identifying an array of specific risks, we identify six underlying trends that facilitate them. We discuss these, their policy implications, future directions for research and their benefit for conducting risk assessments to assess forthcoming technological developments.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1057/s41284-022-00356-z.

Research priority setting for paediatric rheumatology in the UK.

The evidence base that underlies the management of children and young people with paediatric rheumatic diseases is deficient. In this field, there are many crucial unanswered questions. The UK Paediatric Rheumatology Clinical Studies Group, supported by UK National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network: children and Versus Arthritis, elicited ideas for research priorities from paediatric rheumatologists, trainees, allied health-care professionals, nurse specialists, patients, parents of patients, carers, and charities. These ideas were collected through online surveys and face-to-face meetings. A modified Delphi process was used, which included online research priority ranking surveys and a consensus workshop. A longlist of 55 disease-specific research priorities and 37 general research priorities were voted on in the first survey. A list of 11 top general research priorities was produced. The top ten disease-specific research priorities were discussed in depth at a Delphi workshop to determine their final ranking. This Health Policy paper will help to guide clinicians, academics, and funding bodies to prioritise research in paediatric rheumatic diseases, specifically in areas of unmet patient needs.

Applying ‘cultural humility’ to occupational therapy practice: a scoping review protocol

IntroductionCultural humility is becoming increasingly important in healthcare delivery. Recognition of power imbalances between clients and healthcare providers is critical to enhancing cross-cultural interactions in healthcare delivery. While cultural humility...

The use of formal care for dementia from a professional perspective: a scoping review

Background and objectivesThe progressive character of dementia usually leads to a continuously increasing need for support. There is some evidence of late use of professional support during the disease course. We aim to provide an overview of aspects influencing access and use of formal care in dementia from the perspective of health and social care professionals. Additionally, the perspectives of professionals and people with dementia/informal carers will be compared.MethodsWe conducted a scoping review with a systematic literature search in Medline via Ovid in January 2019 and updated this in April 2020 and in May 2021. Publications were considered eligible when focusing on influencing aspects of the use of formal care or support for people with dementia in an outpatient setting from the perspective of health professionals. Included publications were critically appraised using the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool. We identified aspects of access to and use of formal care and support services. A consultation exercise with three specialised trained dementia care nurses was conducted to validate our results.ResultsWe included 29 studies: n = 20 qualitative, n = 6 quantitative-descriptive, n = 3 mixed-methods. Various support services were identified, but a focus was on services for diagnostic and treatment of dementia. A wide range of influencing aspects (n = 15) describe the access to and use of formal care services. Aspects related to the complexity and structure of the healthcare system and the competence of professionals were frequently addressed. Second, attitudes and expectations of professionals, and experiences with people with dementia and their informal carers were identified. The dementia care nurses highlighted the importance of coordinated care to enhance dementia-specific competencies.ConclusionsHealth and social care professionals still describe barriers in accessing and using formal care due to various influences. Ways to improve access to and use of professional support in dementia should consider individual and system-level activities, as well as overarching aspects. Important topics are therefore education and training of professionals and coordinated dementia-specific care to provide adequate support for people with dementia and their relatives. Several professions may be involved in this increasingly important field, e.g., nurses with a dementia-specific training like dementia care nurses.

European Society of Clinical Pharmacy definition of the term clinical pharmacy and its relationship to pharmaceutical care: a position paper

Many definitions of the term clinical pharmacy exist, but a number of ambiguities remain. In order to clarify the European Society of Clinical Pharmacy (ESCP) position on what defines clinical pharmacy, a consultation exercise was conducted among ESCP members with the findings used as the basis for an updated definition. The updated definition clarifies that clinical pharmacy (1) represents both a professional practice and field of research, (2) aims to optimise the utilisation of medicines in order to achieve person-centered and public health goals, (3) as a practice encompasses cognitive, managerial and interpersonal activities targeting all stages of the medicines use process, and as a field of research generates knowledge that informs clinical decision-making, health care organisation or policy, (4) as a practice is restricted to pharmacists, (5) can be practiced regardless of setting, and (6) encompasses pharmaceutical care but is not restricted to it.

Gross and applied anatomy pedagogical approaches in occupational therapy education: protocol for a scoping review

IntroductionHistorically, dissection is considered the ‘gold standard’ for teaching foundational anatomy to student occupational therapists. However, many programmes no longer have access to gross anatomy laboratory resources, as it is...

Exposure as a Method to Experiencing Hospitality in Education

Abstract There is increasing pressure for all education institutions to undergo transformation, with education as needing to adapt in ways that meet the conceptual needs of our time. Reflecting this is the educators’ role in the classroom. The purpose of this scoping review is to provide a comprehensive overview of relevant research regarding the emergence of different kind of creative and innovative methods used by educators at all levels – and the links to including pedagogy. The scoping review is underpinned by the framework of Arksey & O`Malley (2005) that offers a new approach by including a consultation exercise in this sort of study that may enhance the results, making them more useful to policy makers, practitioners and service users. The results indicate that there is much indirect evidence emerging of improved academic performance and student and staff satisfaction with methodologies connected to or compared with what we call exposure methods. The literature points out, that exposure is coherent to aesthetic performance such as drama and applied aesthetics may lead to practical ethics. It is evident that methodologies connected to exposure have a significant impact on people involved – both educators and students.

Transformative roles in tourism: adopting living systems' thinking for regenerative futures

PurposeThe “tourism living systems” (Tourism Living System – TLS) concept is underdeveloped, with limited relevant theoretical analysis to understand how it can support the transformations of tourism systems towards healthy communities and places. This paper aims to conceptualise TLSs and key stakeholder roles for enacting regenerative tourism using a living systems perspective.Design/methodology/approachKnowledge synthesis and co-production were used to identify the conceptual framework and its applications. Knowledge synthesis was undertaken through a scoping review of the regenerative tourism literature and supplemented by a consultation exercise with leading regenerative tourism practitioners. Co-production of knowledge involved case study research to assess the conceptual framework's practical applications and revise it with regenerative tourism practitioners.FindingsThe study revealed that regenerative tourism is informed by living systems' thinking. The authors identify five diverse, interdependent and interconnected stakeholder roles from the case studies and scoping review. All stakeholder roles are vital for constituting tourism systems that contribute to the healthy evolution of social-ecological systems.Practical implicationsReal-world case study applications of the TLS framework will guide tourism stakeholders who seek to adopt regenerative tourism approaches.Originality/valueThe study contributes to developing new frontiers in tourism stakeholder roles and paradigms with implications for regenerative tourism futures. The TLS framework challenges industrial conceptions of tourism by proposing a shift in stakeholder roles from extraction to generating new life to survive, thrive and evolve.

From Digital Divide to Technostress during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review

Abstract Background and purpose: This paper relates challenges faced by older adult employees during the COVID-19 crisis in order to describe strategies to reduce the digital divide and technostress, thereby supporting inclusion and retention in the marketplace. Older adults are particularly at risk of Internet-related social exclusion, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The main research question of the current scoping review were: What kind of strategies can reduce the digital divide and technostress of older adult employees and contribute to their inclusion and retention in the working market during the COVID-19 pandemic? Methodology: This review is based on the Arksey and O’Malley framework for scoping reviews. The six-stage framework includes: identifying research questions, identifying relevant studies, study selection, charting the data, summarizing and reporting the results, and a consultation exercise. A scoping review was conducted using five humanistic and social electronic databases - CINAHL with full text, EBSCO, Medline, SocIndex, Web of Science - and additionally hand-searches performed on Google Scholar. The search was limited to studies published from January 2020 to March 2021. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 10 articles were included. Results: This review shows that the most important strategies are: 1) ICT educational training courses; 2) social dialog; 3) building inclusive workplaces; 4) implementation of successful ‘aging in public’ policies. Our results are beneficial for individuals, organizations, industries and different societies by showing how concrete strategies can be implemented at multiple levels. Conclusion: The study has found that one of the most effective strategies to reduce the digital divide faced by older adult employees during the COVID-19 crisis and technostress is social dialog between employers and employees, which can be a source of innovative and creative solutions (e.g. partnership programs or tailored support). Social dialog should include active cooperation with older adult workers - asking what they need and want - to enable skills development through training.

What Do the Public Want to Know about Farming and Why? Findings from a Farmer-Initiated Public Consultation Exercise in Ireland

With advances in information communication technologies and sustainability-driven changes in consumer behavior, farmer–citizen communication is a communicative dyad that is receiving attention. Farmers and citizens view farming practices through very different lenses of prior knowledge, experiences, beliefs, and values, presenting unique communication challenges. Dialogue-based communication can help to build empathy and trust. Initiated by a committee of farmers, a public consultation exercise was carried out to facilitate citizens to deliberate over farming and farming practices in Ireland to better understand their views and perspectives, and identify information needs and knowledge gaps. Employing a participatory deliberative approach, 10 focus groups were carried out with members of the public (n = 65) carefully selected to represent diverse demographics in the general population. Findings are structured around two central themes. ‘Bridging the disconnect’ reflects the strong support found across the focus groups for farmer-led dialogic communication with citizens on farming practices. ‘Understanding knowledge gaps’ revealed the nature and underlying motivations of public information needs and knowledge gaps in specific areas: (1) the basics of farming; (2) the life of the farmer; (3) minding animals; (4) minding the environment; and (5) buying local and natural. Dialogue-based communication between farmers and citizens offers opportunities for supporting connected and sustainable food and farming systems through value-driven and responsive behavior change.