Professional Beliefs Research Articles

Hospital-Based Health Professionals' Perceptions of Frailty in Older People.

There is a high prevalence of frailty amongst older patients in hospital settings. Frailty guidelines exist but implementation to date has been challenging. Understanding health professional attitudes, knowledge, and beliefs about frailty is critical in understanding barriers and enablers to guideline implementation, and the aim of this study was to understand these in rehabilitation multidisciplinary teams in hospital settings. Twenty-three semistructured interviews were conducted with health professionals working in multidisciplinary teams on geriatric and rehabilitation wards in Adelaide and Sydney, Australia. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and coded by 2 researchers. A codebook was created and interviews were recoded and applied to the Framework Method of thematic analysis. Three domains were developed: diagnosing frailty, communicating about frailty, and managing frailty. Within these domains, 8 themes were identified: (1) diagnosing frailty has questionable benefits, (2) clinicians don't use frailty screening tools, (3) frailty can be diagnosed on appearance and history, (4) frailty has a stigma, (5) clinicians don't use the word "frail" with patients, (6) frailty isn't always reversible, (7) there is a lack of continuity of care after acute admission, and (8) the community setting lacks resources. Implementation of frailty guidelines will remain challenging while staff avoid using the term "frail," don't perceive benefit of using screening tools, and focus on the individual aspects of frailty rather than the syndrome holistically. Clinical champions and education about frailty identification, reversibility, management, and communication techniques may improve the implementation of frailty guidelines in hospitals.

Attitudes of U.S. Public Broadcasters: A Liberal Helping of Interpretive Journalism

Even though U.S. public broadcasting has existed for more than 50 years, little research has been done on the attitudes of its journalists. This study, based on a sample of 394 U.S. public media journalists, represents the largest-scale effort to date to catalog the professional values and beliefs of these professionals. Our findings suggest these journalists are more liberal than both the U.S. population and commercial journalists, though they find it important not to be seen as partisan in their work. And while more people of color work in public broadcasting than in commercial media, public media journalists are unsatisfied with the diversity in their newsrooms and how it represents the communities they serve. When asked about their preferred professional roles, U.S. public media journalists tend to identify more with the interpretive and populist-mobilizer functions of journalism than the adversarial and disseminator functions.

Rural healthcare professionals’ participation in Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD): beyond a binary decision

BackgroundMedical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) was legalized in Canada in 2016 and amended in 2021. At the time that this study was conducted, the federal government was considering expanding the eligibility criteria to include patients whose death was not reasonably foreseeable. The purpose of this study was to better understand rural healthcare professionals’ experiences with assisted dying set against the backdrop of legislative expansion.MethodsA qualitative exploratory study was undertaken with general rural practice physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, ethicists, patients, and patient families in rural Southern Alberta, Canada. For this paper, data from 18 audio-recorded and transcribed semi-structured interviews with healthcare professionals were analyzed using thematic analysis. Categories and patterns of shared meaning that linked to an overarching theme were identified.ResultsBetween the binary positions of full support for and conscientious objection to assisted dying, rural healthcare professionals’ decisions to participate in MAiD was based on their moral convictions, various contextual factors, and their participation thresholds. Factors including patient suffering; personal and professional values and beliefs; relationships with colleagues, patients and family, and community; and changing MAiD policy and legislation created nuances that informed their decision-making.ConclusionsThe interplay of multiple factors and their degree of influence on healthcare professionals’ decision-making create multiple decision points between full support for and participation in MAiD processes and complete opposition and/or abstention. Moreover, our findings suggest evolving policy and legislation have the potential to increase rural healthcare professionals’ uncertainty and level of discomfort in providing services. We propose that the binary language typically used in the MAiD discourse be reframed to reflect that decision-making processes and actions are often fluid and situational.

Adaptation and validation of the Physical Restraint-Theory of Planned Behaviour Questionnaire to the paediatric context.

Physical restraint is applied in pediatric intensive care units to carry out certain painful procedures and to ensure the maintenance and continuity of life support devices. There is a need to analyse the factors that influence the behaviour or intention to use physical restraint. To create and test psychometrically a paediatric version of the Physical Restraint-Theory of Planned Behaviour Questionnaire to assess paediatric critical care nurses' intention to use physical restraint. A psychometric study. Five medical-surgical Paeditric Intensive care Units from five hospitals in Spain. The study took place in three phases. In phase 1, the questionnaire was adapted. In phase 2, the content validity of each item was determined, and a pilot test was conducted. In phase 3, we administered the questionnaire and determined its psychometric properties. The assessment of the intention to use physical restraint was extended to all critical paediatric patients, two items were eliminated from the initial questionnaire, four new items were included, and the clinical scenarios of the intention subscale were expanded from three to six. Overall content validity index for the full instrument of 0.96 out of 1. The Paediatric Physical Restraint-Theory of Planned Behaviour Questionnaire is made up of four subscales (attitude, subjective norms (SN), perceived behavioural control (PBC), and intention) subdivided into 7 factors and 51 items. The internal consistency for the attitude subscale obtained a Cronbach's Alpha of 0.80 to 0.73, for the SN it was 0.72 to 0.89, for the PBC it was from 0.80 to 0.73 and for the intention subscale it was 0.75. The Paediatric Physical Restraint-Theory of Planned Behaviour Questionnaire is an instrument composed of seven factors and 51 items that validly and reliably assesses the intention of paediatric nurses to apply PR in PICUs. Having this instrument will help health centres move towards restraint-free care by allowing managers to assess professionals' attitudes, beliefs, and intentions around the use of PR in PICUs.

The Impact of The Double Reduction Policy on The Construction of The Professional Identity of Tutoring Class Teachers

The double reduction policy launched by our country on July 24, 2021 aims to reduce the number of teachers in private teaching auxiliary institutions for basic education, achieve a fair distribution of educational resources, and reduce the academic burden of students and the pressure of extracurricular tutoring. However, the research on the self-identity construction of cram school teachers after the "double reduction policy" is still a blank field. This paper focuses on the status quo of the professional status of teachers in private tutoring institutions after the "double reduction policy". The authors' data are based on fixed structured interviews with 6 teachers from private tutoring institutions in different regions of China. The results show that after the double reduction policy, the professional identity of teachers in private teaching auxiliary institutions is based on their professional beliefs and has not been significantly affected. The discussion in this article prompts each teacher to reflect on his own identity factors, and at the same time complements the construction of the professional identity framework of teachers in private teaching auxiliary institutions.

How Do Praxis-Oriented Themes Inform the Unity of Language Teachers’ Beliefs, Practices, and Identities? A Narrative Inquiry

Abstract Praxis, according to the Vygotskian thoughts and tenets, entails the unity of and dialectical relationship between theory and practice. As a vital concept grounded in sociocultural theory, praxis has received increasing attention among language teacher education scholars, typically over recent years (e. g., Johnson et al., 2020, 2022). Yet, there remains scant research through the lens, thus requiring extended efforts from researchers. To join the existing literature and bridge the gap, we explored how praxis- oriented themes may inform the development of professional beliefs and practices between mentor-mentee duos through TESOL-related programs. In addition, we investigated how the development of beliefs and practices may, in turn, inform the mentorships and contribute to the identity development of these duos. We adopted the narrative inquiry method and captured the participants’ experiences and emotional episodes over their mentoring journeys. We reported a common developmental path along the two duos’ mentoring journeys, while they differed in a few places. These journeys were found to unfold through a 3E pattern with three distinct stages, each contributing to the evolution of their beliefs and practices. These stages were identified as enhancing learning, embodying the mentor, and embracing heritage and identity. Accordingly, three different types of identities, including learner and apprentice, mentee and novice researcher, and language teacher and Chinese culture embodiment, were identified in the stages. Our study provides valuable insights for language teachers and teacher educators by shedding light on praxis-oriented themes that can enhance teacher professional development programs.

#nursing. What Nurses Do on Instagram- A Mixed Methods Study.

Social media use is increasing every year, and nurses use social media to connect with each other. As Instagram was the most downloaded application in 2022 worldwide, this study focused on nurses' use of Instagram in the context of the development of a professional identity and in support of the professionalization of nursing. The aim of the study was to find out how nurses use their Instagram profiles to influence their followers' professional identity and support the professionalization of nursing. Therefore, nurses' Instagram posts and the hashtags they used were analyzed. A visual content analysis to analyze different Instagram posts using a hierarchical cluster analysis, an ANOVA, and a qualitative content analysis were conducted. The most frequently used nursing-related hashtags were analyzed to include different Instagram profiles (n = 15) in the study. This study identified three different clusters of Instagram profiles, which can be characterized as "Show me what you do," "Let's do education," and "The things we believe in." Consequently, it can be stated that nurses who display their values and beliefs in Instagram reels, half in nursing settings and half at home, have the highest number of followers and significantly more comments per post. The cluster that showed significantly more knowledge-based posts had the lowest number of followers and significantly the lowest number of comments. The content analysis of the hashtags used suggested that nurses who identify themselves as such want to attract attention from other nurses who use nursing-related hashtags. The results reveal that there is a possible benefit of the use of social media in the development of the nursing profession and professional identity. Followers and interactions can be generated when Instagram users identify with the profile and wish to discuss professional beliefs and values.

Perceptions and beliefs on sports injury prediction as an injury risk reduction strategy: An online survey on elite athletics (track and field) athletes, coaches, and health professionals

ObjectivesTo explore perceptions and beliefs of elite athletics (track and field) athletes, coaches, and health professionals, towards the use of injury prediction as an injury risk reduction strategy. DesignCross-sectional study. MethodDuring the 2022 European Athletics Championships in Munich, registered athletes, coaches, and health professionals were asked to complete an online questionnaire on their perceptions and beliefs of injury prediction use as an injury risk reduction strategy. The perceived level of interest, intent to use, help, potential stress (psychological impact) and dissemination were assessed by a score from 0 to 100. ResultsWe collected 54 responses from 17 countries. Elite athletics stakeholders expressed a perceived level of interest, intent to use, and help of injury prediction of (mean ± SD) 85 ± 16, 84 ± 16, and 85 ± 15, respectively. The perceived level of potential stress was 41 ± 33 (range from 0 to 100), with an important inter-individual variability in each elite athletics stakeholder's category. ConclusionsThis was the first study investigating the perceptions and beliefs of elite athletics stakeholders regarding the use of injury prediction as an injury risk reduction strategy. Regardless of the stakeholders, there was a high perceived level of interest, intent to use and help reported in this potential strategy.

What Teachers Always Wanted to Say About Inclusive Physical Education but Were Afraid to Speak Out Loud . . . Microlinguistic Analysis as a Path to the Core of Interviews

Purpose: The aim of the qualitative study was to identify inclusion-related challenges and to specify the need for professional development of physical education (PE) teachers. To achieve this, the integrative basic procedure (IBP) is suggested as a suitable method. Methods: The methodological approach consisted of a combination of grounded theory methodology and IBP. The IBP is designed to reconstruct meaning beyond surface level of statements. The sample was comprised of 17 interviews with German primary and secondary PE teachers. Results: Reconstructions along the IBP revealed challenges in relation to teachers’ professional beliefs and abilities. Five crystallization points suggesting the need for professional development were identified: PE lesson design, teacher’s focus of attention, teaching ambition, performance concept, and attitudes. Conclusions: The methodological procedure places high demands on data and the expertise of researchers. Yet, it allows a deeper understanding of teaching requirements in inclusive PE and highlights areas for professional development.

Knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding skin cancer among health sciences students in Turkey: A cross-sectional study.

Healthcare professionals' knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding skin cancer are important for reducing the future impact of the disease. This study evaluated university students' knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about skin cancer and examined the variables influencing their attitudes and beliefs about the disease. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the Faculty of Health Sciences at Manisa Celal Bayar University, Manisa, Turkey. A total of 960 students participated in this study. Data were collected using the Student Introduction Form, Fitzpatrick Skin Type Scale, Skin Cancer and Sun Knowledge Scale (SCSKS), and Health Belief Model Scale for Skin Cancer (HBMSSC). The mean SCSKS score of the participants was 14.91 ±4.23. The mean HBSSC scores of the participants were 23.58±7.79 for perceived susceptibility, 14.79±4.59 for perceived severity, 20.64±6.60 for perceived benefits, 15.93±4.09 for perceived barriers, and 21.78±7.14 for self-efficacy. The mean SCSKS total scores of the university students were significantly and positively correlated with the HBMSSC subdimensions. Gender explained 1.58 of the variance in perceived benefits and 1.65 of the variance in self-efficacy, whereas the SCSKS score explained most other variables. The students' knowledge of skin cancer and sun protection was moderate. Their attitudes and beliefs regarding skin cancer were unexpected. This study identified students' knowledge of skin cancer and sun protection as the most important variables for improving their attitudes and beliefs about skin cancer.

School counseling practices related to postsecondary STEM participation

AbstractThis qualitative exploratory cross‐case analysis analyzed the beliefs and practices of high school counselors related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) academic advisement, postsecondary planning, and career participation. Interviews were conducted with high school counselors (N = 13) who were purposively sampled to represent a diversity of schools in terms of demographic variables. Findings indicated that high school counselors perceived that (a) sociocultural factors influenced student preparation for STEM, career planning, and decision making; (b) students’ STEM‐related career goals and academic behaviors were sometimes misaligned, and academic advisement often mediated this tension; and (c) their professional STEM knowledge, beliefs, and practices were influenced by professional preparation, workplace characteristics, and their academic experiences. Implications include the need for early, sustained high school STEM counseling and academic advisement; accessible professional development in STEM preparation and careers to promote multiple pathways and reduce school counselor bias; and encouraging family involvement in STEM career decision making.

ACADEMIC ESSAY ON ELDERLY FUNCTIONALITY: ASPECTS OF AUTONOMY AND INDEPENDENCE IN DAILY LIFE ACTIVITIES

The Brazilian population is aging, necessitating a reevaluation of healthcare in the country. In therapeutic processes, there are technically qualified healthcare professionals to propose appropriate treatments. However, often, the elderly cannot express their preferences due to illnesses, and healthcare decisions may be influenced by family or close individuals. This raises questions about how to protect the will of elderly patients and ensure their capacity to make decisions, especially in a caregiving culture that tends to underestimate the elderly's ability to manage their health. The term "autonomy" has been interpreted in various ways, with some interpretations broader than others. Autonomy in the elderly is defined as their capacity to confront, control, and make personal decisions according to their daily preferences. From a gerontological perspective, autonomy is seen as the ability to judge and act and can be approached from two perspectives: as an ethical responsibility for the elderly and as a moral requirement for their caregivers. Autonomy is a fundamental need related to aging, and the social environment significantly impacts how this life stage is experienced. Not all elderly patients who depend on others for care have compromised autonomy. Often, they are not given the opportunity to express their desires, which conflicts with the beliefs of healthcare professionals or the wishes of the family. Several studies have been conducted to analyze the impact of autonomy at different life stages, with particular attention to the elderly population due to sociocultural and physiological transformations affecting the aging process. The perception of autonomy in old age is influenced by individual, psychosocial, and sociodemographic factors. Race and age are factors influencing the perception of autonomy, with white elderly individuals having a greater perception of autonomy compared to individuals of other ethnicities. Furthermore, younger elderly individuals tend to have greater autonomy compared to the older elderly. As the level of education increases, elderly individuals are more likely to make active decisions. General health and quality of life have a significant impact on their perception of autonomy. The ability to communicate and express desires is essential for autonomy, but the elderly may face difficulties due to the loss of mobility, hearing, and vision, as well as the lack of control over daily situations. Loneliness and chronic non-communicable diseases can also lead to communication difficulties. Additionally, in some cases, the loss of cognitive functions may be related to lifestyle or daily situations, such as isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the importance of the mental health of the elderly. In summary, the autonomy of the elderly is an important issue, and ensuring that they have the capacity to make active decisions and express their preferences is essential for satisfactory aging and, consequently, quality of life.

‘I feel like the Wicked Witch’: Identifying tensions between school readiness policy and teacher beliefs, knowledge and practice in Early Childhood Education

AbstractThis paper critically examines the tensions arising between Reception teachers' professional beliefs and knowledge, and the school readiness agenda in England. It scrutinises how the increasing academic expectations placed on children to ensure they are ‘ready for school’ may conflict with teachers' understanding of how young children learn, their pedagogical philosophies and classroom practices. In this paper, cultural‐historical activity theory (CHAT) is utilised as a methodological and analytical framework, specifically harnessing Engeström and Sannino's work on ‘manifestations of contradictions’. This theoretical lens is applied to elucidate the specific contradictions that surface at the policy–practice interface and to explore how teachers navigate these conflicts and tensions. Data were gathered through interviews with two Reception teachers and analysed to identify four distinct contradiction categories: dilemmas, double binds, critical conflicts and conflicts. The findings make a critical contribution to ongoing debates about the implications of the school readiness agenda on teacher beliefs, professional knowledge and the impact on children. Furthermore, this paper extends an original contribution to the practical application of CHAT in Early Childhood Education (ECE) research and emphasises the utility of identifying linguistic cues as an effective strategy to reveal contradictions in textual data, thereby furthering understanding of policy–practice tensions in ECE.

Conceptualizing Professional Identity Formation in Medicine.

Professional Identity Formation (PIF) in medicine is the gradual transformation that occurs in the process of becoming a doctor, as professional values, beliefs, behaviors, relationships, roles, and responsibilities become integrated into an aggregate of existing identities. 1 Conceptually, this process may be considered as a trajectory of self-perceived identities that transpires between an individual's existing identity and an evolving, aspirational identity toward which the individual may strive. 2 This process is individualized, yet contextual, psychosocially grounded, and subject to lifelong deconstruction and reconstruction depending on how the person experiences, and thus responds to, events. 2. Faced with key transitions, conflicts, or crises, a medical student or physician may experience dissonance between their personal values and beliefs and their professional roles and expectations.1 If left unsupported (see light blue lines in graph below), this can challenge their sense of belonging or meaning, lower self-esteem or self-efficacy, or breed distress, burnout, or attrition. When recognized and supported (see dark blue line below), defining experiences can enhance tolerance for ambiguity, enable meaning-making, foster socialization into communities of learning or practice, and deepen enculturation and commitment to the profession. 2. PIF is implicitly a fundamental goal of medical education, necessitating institutional support along the medical education continuum. 1-3.

The Impact of COVID-19 Visitor Restrictions on Clinical Cancer Nurses

To explore the impact of visitor restrictions on clinical cancer nurses, their roles and duties, and the coping strategies used to address the impact. Semistructured qualitative interviews were conducted through purposive sampling with nurses working in a clinical role within cancer services at the study site for at least 1 year. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. Textual data transcribed from interviews were analyzed for themes using NVivo version 12 software, following Braun and Clarke's six phases of thematic analysis. Visitor restrictions implemented due to COVID-19 had a significant impact on clinical cancer nurses. The study found evidence of moral injury and conflict-within the role of the nurse, the implementation of organizational policies, and nurses' professional identity and personal beliefs. Despite this adversity, nurses remained committed to their clinical practice. Changes to nurses' roles and the practice environment have potentially significant impact on well-being and retention. To ensure that nurses can continue to provide high-quality nursing care in challenging environments, organizations must minimize this impact. Consistent communication and support activities, including recognizing and responding appropriately to situations, may be used in the reduction of potential moral injury and stress.

O'zbekistondagi boshlang'ich maktab o'quvchilari uchun ingliz tili o'quv materiallarida gender stereotiplarining ifodalanishi

The current study examines the representation of gender stereotype in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) textbooks, namely Guess What, for elementary school pupils produced in Uzbekistan. The research aims to ascertain how gender is represented and what kinds of stereotypes expressions are used in the Guess What series by focusing on four areas; Adult Social Role Beliefs, Domestic Role Beliefs, Educational Role Beliefs, and Professional Role Beliefs concerning school type variables. The method used in this research was descriptive qualitative method. Language is not perceived only orally or in written forms, but through visual language too, such as pictures on posters, images in books, magazines. They are ubiquitous in modern life and are of great importance to get the message, as they convey and represent particular meaning (Fairclough, 2013). English language teaching materials, which are one of the main sources of target language and culture input, have a great impact in the formation of pragmatic competence and the development of relational identity.

Education for all in action: Measuring teachers’ competences for inclusive education

While inclusive education has achieved international importance, there is no valid instrument to measure teachers’ competences in creating quality classrooms for diverse learners, which this study aims to remedy. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses with 975 pre-service teachers and 600 in-service teachers were used. Central to teachers’ inclusive teaching competency is both beliefs and efficacy. Results show that teachers hold professional beliefs on student diversity, organized in four factors mapping unto axes of diversity (specifically ethnicity, disability, SES, and gender & sexuality). Teachers also hold beliefs on the responsibility of the educational field to create inclusion, organized in three factors: general school policy, initiatives geared specifically towards ethnic minority students, and initiatives for students with a disability. Furthermore, the results show five factors related to self-efficacy: noticing student diversity, enabling high-quality student-interactions, creating stimulating learning environments, collaborating with colleagues and diverse parents. The factorial structure and scale-scores are discussed for what they unveil of teachers’ thinking about diversity in the classroom.

The process of nurses' role negotiation in general practice: A grounded theory study.

To explain the process by which nurses' roles are negotiated in general practice. Primary care nurses do important work within a social model of health to meet the needs of the populations they serve. Latterly, in the face of increased demand and workforce shortages, they are also taking on more medical responsibilities through task-shifting. Despite the increased complexity of their professional role, little is known about the processes by which it is negotiated. Constructivist grounded theory. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 participants from 17 New Zealand general practices between December 2020 and January 2022. Due to COVID-19, 11 interviews were via Zoom™. Concurrent data generation and analysis, using the constant comparative method and common grounded theory methods, identified the participants' main concern and led to the construction of a substantive explanatory theory around a core category. The substantive explanatory theory of creating place proposes that the negotiation of nurse roles within New Zealand general practice is a three-stage process involving occupying space, positioning to do differently and leveraging opportunity. Nurses and others act and interact in these stages, in accordance with their conceptualizations of need-responsive nursing practice, towards the outcome defining place. Defining place conceptualizes an accommodation between the values beliefs and expectations of individuals and pre-existing organizational norms, in which individual and group-normative concepts of need-responsive nursing practice are themselves developed. The theory of creating place provides new insights into the process of nurses' role negotiation in general practice. Findings support strategies to enable nurses, employers and health system managers to better negotiate professional roles to meet the needs of the populations they serve, while making optimum use of nursing skills and competencies. Findings can inform nurses to better negotiate the complexities of the primary care environment, balancing systemic exigencies with the health needs of populations. What Problem Did the Study Address? In the face of health inequity, general practice nurses in New Zealand, as elsewhere, are key to meeting complex primary health needs. There is an evidence gap regarding the processes by which nurses' roles are negotiated within provider organizations. A deeper understanding of such processes may enable better use of nursing skills to address unmet health need. What Were the Main Findings? Nurses' roles in New Zealand general practice are determined through goal-driven negotiation in accordance with individual concepts of need-responsive nursing practice. Individuals progress from occupying workspaces defined by the care-philosophies of others to defining workplaces that incorporate their own professional beliefs, values and expectations. Negotiation is conditional upon access to role models, scheduled dialogue with mentors and decision-makers, and support for safe practice. Strong clinical and organizational governance and individuals' own positive personal self-efficacy are enablers of effective negotiation. Where and on Whom Will the Research Have Impact? The theory of Creating Space can inform organizational and individual efforts to advance the roles of general practice nurses to meet the health needs of their communities. General practice organizations can provide safe, supported environments for effective negotiation; primary care leaders can promote strong governance and develop individuals' sense of self-efficacy by involving them in key decisions. Nurses themselves can use the theory as a framework to support critical reflection on how to engage in active negotiation of their professional roles. The authors adhered to relevant EQUATOR guidelines using the COREQ reporting method. Researchers and participants currently working in general practice were involved in the development of this study. By the process of theoretical sampling and constant comparison, participants' comments helped to shape the study design. WHAT DOES THIS PAPER CONTRIBUTE TO THE WIDER GLOBAL CLINICAL COMMUNITY?: An understanding of the processes by which health professionals negotiate their roles is important to support them to meet the challenges of increased complexity across all health sectors globally.

Primary School Teachers’ Personal and Professional Beliefs on Diversity

The paper presents research conducted among Croatian primary school classroom teachers and subject teachers regarding their personal and professional beliefs about diversity. The notion of diversity in the context of education was presented as individual differences between students based on race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, gender, abilities, sexual orientation and social class. The results indicate that teachers show different levels of openness towards certain aspects of diversity in the domains of both personal and professional beliefs, but that their personal beliefs are statistically more positive than their professional beliefs. Differences in teachers’ beliefs with respect to years of work experience, previous education and professional position were also examined. Statistically significant differences were established only regarding professional position and only in the segment of professional beliefs. The results indicate that there is a need for further research in this area, that is, research that primarily investigates the factors that influence teachers’ professional beliefs.

Determinants of Communication Failure in Intubated Critically Ill Patients: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study from the Perspective of Critical Care Nurses.

To explore what factors determine communication with awake intubated critically ill patients from the point of view of critical care nursing professionals. Impaired communication frequently affects mechanically ventilated patients with artificial airways in the intensive care unit. Consequences of communication breaches comprise emotional and ethical aspects as well as clinical safety, affecting both patients and their conversation partners. Identification of determining factors in communication with awake intubated patients is needed to design effective action strategies. A qualitative phenomenological approach was used. Semi-structured interviews were used as the data collection method. A total of 11 participants from three intensive care units of three Majorcan public hospitals, selected by purposive sampling, were interviewed. Three major themes regarding the communication determinants of the awake intubated critically ill patients were identified from the interviewees' statements: factors related to the patient (physical and cognitive functionality to communicate, their relational and communicative style and their personal circumstances), to the context (family presence, ICU characteristics, workload, availability/adequacy of communication aids, features of the messages and communication situations) and, finally, those related to the professionals themselves (professional experience and person-centredness). The present study reveals determinants that influence communication with the awake intubated patient, as there are attitudes and professional beliefs. The discovery of relations between different kinds of determinants (of patient, context or professionals) provides a multi-factor perspective on the communicative problem which should be considered in the design of new approaches to improve communicative effectiveness. This study is reported according to the COREQ checklist.