Role Of Visitors Research Articles

Child public health in 21st-century practice: Examples of collaborative working with the paediatrician

Public health is central to health visitors’ work, and a key element of effective health promotion is joint working with other professionals. Paediatrician Professor Mitch Blair discusses the health visitor's crucial role in primary prevention, and shares examples from his own practice of working with health visitors in child public health.

Bouncy versus idles: On the different role of pollinators in the generalist Gentiana lutea L.

Generalist flowers are visited by a broad variety of insects that function as pollinators, occasional visitors and as pollen and/or nectar robbers. Moreover, among legitimate pollinators the pollination efficiency can be different. Nectar greatly affects visitor behaviour and fidelity to a certain species, influencing plant reproductive effort. In this study we have investigated a generalist system (Gentiana lutea L.), examining the role of flower visitors and quantifying the contribution of each pollinating taxon in three natural populations. In order to verify the level of generalization, we introduce an index of Pollinator Performance (PoP), based on insect visitation rate and cross-pollen transport efficiency. Our results confirm the high degree of pollinator-generalization of the study species. Nevertheless, flower visitors show various degree of pollinating performance, mainly defined by their sedentary versus dynamic behaviour. Sedentary insects enhance geitonogamous pollen transfer, which results in reduced seed set and pollen limitation. In particular, an unusual sluggish behaviour was observed in bumblebees feeding on nectar. The hexose-rich abundant nectar offered by G. lutea flowers is remarkably rich in proline and β-alanine amino acids: this composition presumably influences feeding choice and insect dynamism, likely exerting a narcotic effect on pollinators. The consequences on plant fitness are discussed in an evolutionary perspective.

Floral biology of Senecio macrophyllus M. BIEB. (Asteraceae), a rare Central European steppe plant

Knowledge of the flowering phase and plant pollination ecology is very important for understanding the life history of long-lived perennials. In the case of rare species, the information may have implications for conservation practices. Our studies on flower morphology and blooming biology of the vulnerable plant <em>Senecio macrophyllus</em> M. BIEB. were conducted in situ (flowering, activity of insect visitors) in the largest population in SE Poland and in laboratory (light and scanning electron microscopy). The disc florets open diurnally with most intensive anthesis in the early afternoon and attract insect visitors with nectar and pollen. In highly protandrous disc florets, pollen viability decreases in time, whereas stigma receptivity increases. The upper part of the pistil forms a brush-like pollen presenter, covered with unicellular trichomes with chromoplasts. Pollen presentation lasts 4–11 hours per floret, and 8 days in a single head, the main function of which is to extend the availability of male gamets for reproduction. The number of florets per head, the head size, and the number of pollen grains produced per anther, and the pollen grain viability differed significantly between microsites. The finding indicates that, apart from the biotic factors, abiotic conditions may considerably influence generative reproduction of the species. In the study area, the principal visitors of <em>S. macrophyllus</em> flowers were Hymenoptera, with predominance of <em>Apis mellifera</em> (53.4% of visits). The remarkable share of butterflies (13.9%) recognized as the long-distance moving insects may improve the genetic variability of individuals within a fragmented population. A more detailed study is necessary to explain the role of insect visitors in effective pollination and in gene transfer between patches. The assessment of optimal conditions for the generative reproduction is fundamental for the in situ conservation of this rare species.

Universal glove and gown use for healthcare workers: what is the role of visitors?

Critical illness is a life-threatening course of the disease affecting almost all human organs; unfortunately, it can lead to significant morbidity or mortality. Critical illness is mostly heralded by physiological deterioration. It is globally accepted that all clinical staff are extremely influential through their vigilance and intensive care provided for the critically-ill.1 Early-weaning systems and modes have contributed immensely to the prevention of deterioration and serious adverse events in these patients.2 Outcome depends vastly on prompt identification, diagnosis and treatment; hence, all doctors should have the knowledge to identify the critically-ill patient and initiate the situation management as soon as possible. The use of gloves and gowns for all contacts versus routine care among patients in medical and surgical ICUs has recently been shown not to be associated with a significant difference in the MRSA or VRE acquisition1. In their study, Harris et al. reported that all health care workers (nurses, physicians, respiratory therapist, etc.) wore gloves and gowns for all contacts with patients and when entering each patient’s room.3 Admission to an intensive care unit is per se a highly-stressful event for both patients and their relatives. Traditionally, infection control concerns and a belief that liberal visiting by patients’ relatives interferes with the provision of patient care has led many units to impose restricted visiting policies. However, recent studies suggest that partially-unrestricted vs. restricted visiting policy not only improves visitors’ satisfaction and reduces anxiety but also does not result in an increase in ICU-acquired infections.4,5 Hence, considering the increase in the popularity of open and partially-restricted visitor policies, provision of infection control (gowns and gloves) for visitors’ contacts with the patients seems to be of great important in decreasing infection in the critically-ill patients.

Expanding the health visitor's role to include the 6–8 week assessment

Journal of Health VisitingVol. 1, No. 12 ProfessionalExpanding the health visitor's role to include the 6–8 week assessmentRajeev GuptaRajeev GuptaSearch for more papers by this authorRajeev GuptaPublished Online:20 Jan 2014https://doi.org/10.12968/johv.2013.1.12.712AboutSectionsView articleView Full TextPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail View articleReferencesCoster S, Redfern S, Wilson-Barnett J, Evans A, Peccei R, Guest D (2006) Impact of the role of nurse, midwife and health visitor consultant. J Adv Nurs 55(3): 352–63. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2006.03910.x Crossref, Google ScholarDavies C (1988) The Health Visitor as Mother's Friend: A Woman's place in public health, 1900–14. Soc Hist Med 1(1): 39–59. doi:https://doi.org/ 10.1093/shm/1.1.39 Crossref, Google ScholarDepartment of Health (2009) Healthy Child Programme: Pregnancy and the first five years of life. Department of Health, London Google ScholarDepartment of Health (2011) Health Visitor Implementation Plan 2011–2015: A Call to Action. Department of Health, London Google ScholarDrennan VM, Goodman C (2011) Sustaining innovation in the health care workforce: A case study of community nurse consultant posts in England. BMC Health Serv Res 11: 200. doi:https://doi.org/ 10.1186/1472-6963-11-200 Crossref, Google ScholarDrennan VM, Porter EM, Grant RL (2013) Graduates from dual qualification courses, registered nurse and health visitor: a career history study. Nurse Educ Today 33(8): 925–30. doi:https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.nedt.2012.08.001 Crossref, Google ScholarGupta R (2013) 6–8 weeks baby check: Training health visitors and practice nurses. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, Surrey Google ScholarHall D, Elliman D (2006) Health for all children. 4th edn. Oxford University Press, Oxford Crossref, Google ScholarLowe R (2007) Facing the Future: A review of the role of health visitors. Department of Health, London Google ScholarMorrell CJ, Slade P, Warner R et al. (2009) Clinical effectiveness of health visitor training in psychologically informed approaches for depression in postnatal women: pragmatic cluster randomised trial in primary care. BMJ 338:a3045. doi:https://doi.org/ 10.1136/bmj.a3045 Crossref, Google ScholarNewson L (2011) The Basics—The six-to-eight week baby check. http://tinyurl.com/nhwnqwb (accessed 14 November 2013) Google ScholarNursing and Midwifery Council (2008) The code: Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives. Nursing and Midwifery Council, London Google ScholarRedsell SA, Swift JA, Nathan D, Siriwardena AN, Atkinson P, Glazebrook C (2012) UK health visitors’ role in identifying and intervening with infants at risk of developing obesity. Matern Child Nutr 9(3): 396–408. doi:https://doi.org/ 10.1111/j.1740-8709.2012.00427.x. Crossref, Google ScholarRussell A (2013) A lecturer–practitioner's contribution to the Health Visitor Implementation Plan in East London. Community Pract 86(8): 29–31 Google ScholarUK National Screening Committee (2008) Newborn and Infant Physical Examination: Standards and Competencies. UK National Screening Committee, London Google ScholarWright CM, Callum J, Birks E, Jarvis S (1998) Effect of community based management in failure to thrive: randomised controlled trial. BMJ 317(7158): 571–4 Crossref, Google Scholar FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited byA project to improve the way in which complementary feeding advice is issued to familiesEmma Kelly20 September 2017 | Journal of Health Visiting, Vol. 5, No. 9 1 December 2013Volume 1Issue 12ISSN (print): 2050-8719ISSN (online): 2052-2908 Metrics History Published online 20 January 2014 Published in print 1 December 2013 Information© MA Healthcare LimitedPDF download

Childhood obesity: An overview of the health visitor's role

Evidence suggests that the path to overweight and obesity is set in the early years, with multiple causes and risk factors having been identified. Methods of identification, intervention and prevention of obesity in infants and families are multifaceted, and health visitors have a unique range of skills that—with appropriate training and resources—could be effectively used in the prevention of obesity and subsequent associated diseases, as well as a reduction in costs to individuals, families and society as a whole.

What does the Independent Visitor role offer looked after children?

The Children Act 1989 introduced the role of Independent Visitors (IVs) for looked after children; their task is ‘visiting, advising and befriending the child’ (section 7(2)(a)). However, research has found that IVs are not being made available for all children in care who qualify for this support (Knight, 1998; Oakley and Masson, 2000). Knight (1998) estimated that there were fewer than 40 schemes running for around 120 English local authorities, a situation which is at the very least questionable given the established legal right of young people to access such a service. This article examines existing research studies of IV schemes and considers what Visitors can offer young people. Additionally, it shows that looked after children tend to view their IVs as friends and sources of emotional support, encouragement and practical advice, offering a consistent adult presence in their life, clearly demonstrating their significance for separated children.

Enjoying theater: The role of visitor’s response to the performance.

Enjoying theater: The role of visitor’s response to the performance.

Long-term conditions: Is there a role for health visitors?

Long-term conditions are the leading cause of mortality in the UK and represent a major public health challenge. While such illnesses primarily affect adults, there are various long-term conditions affecting significant numbers of children, such as asthma and diabetes. The health promotion role of health visitors means they are well placed to help prevent the development of long-term conditions in children and the wider community, in collaboration with colleagues in primary care. This paper discusses the existing and potential role of health visitors in preventing, screening for and helping children and families to live well with long-term conditions.

Volunteer Identity Salience, Role Enactment, and Well-Being

Two concepts of identity salience are linked to different outcomes in the social psychological literature. Identity accumulation research relates identity importance (one salience concept) to physical and mental health; identity theory connects readiness to invoke an identity (another salience concept) to role enactment. A “cross-over” line of research links volunteer identity importance to frequent enactment of the volunteer role. To integrate these lines of work, I propose that both types of salience spur more frequent role enactment, which in turn benefits well-being. Rating versus ranking measures of salience are contrasted. The identity of community volunteer is the focus, specifically, the role of hospital visitor for the Mended Hearts organization (N = 458). Analyses are disconfirming, instead showing hours spent visiting links to greater visitor identity salience (of both types), which relates to better mental health. Rating measures are more predictive than the ranking measure. Identity salience seems a key mechanism that links time spent in volunteer work to greater well-being.

Visitor-oriented information supply in the industrial fair

In a trade show environment, the contact between the booth exhibitor and interested visitors is relatively essential because it plays a key role in turning visitors into customers. Contact efficiency refers not only to visitor retention but also involves creating business development opportunities with visitors. Hence, exhibitors should develop strategies to contact with visitors based on visitors’ preferences in their mind. Regulatory focus theory can be used in understanding visitors’ psychological states. The purpose of this study is to examine the extent of contact efficiency from a regulatory-focused perspective. The empirical evidence suggests that a chronic regulatory focus has a greater influence on contact efficiency than a regulatory focus that is situational. Therefore, exhibitors should consider reallocating marketing resources for trade shows to improve the chronic regulatory fit effect on visitors. Key words: Trade show, contact efficiency, chronic regulatory focus, situational regulatory focus, regulatory fit.

Sudden infant death syndrome: How can health visitors help?

Every year in the UK, around 300 apparently healthy babies will die suddenly and unexpectedly ( Office for National Statistics, 2013 ). Although it is still not known how to prevent these deaths, there are practical steps that parents can take to reduce their baby's risk. Health visitors play a pivotal role in the delivery of ‘safer sleep’ advice to new parents. Families bereaved through sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) are often left feeling isolated and searching for answers; specialist services can provide the necessary and appropriate support at this time. This article gives an overview of evidence-based recommendations that can help to save more lives, and looks at the health visitor's role in supporting parents who have lost a child.

English Health Visitors' Perceptions of Conducting Indoor Environmental Assessments: Barriers and Facilitators

The aim of this qualitative research was to explore health visitors' perceptions of assessing their clients' homes and providing evidence-informed advice about environmental health. Between 2004 and 2007, an explorative study was conducted in Plymouth, England, during which interviews were held with health visitors trained to conduct environmental assessments in combination with routine visits. Face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted. Content analysis was used to explore emergent themes. The health visitors perceived that assessing the indoor environment was relevant to their role; however, conducting environmental measurements within routine visits was not feasible. The main barriers were the changing roles of health visitors (reducing time available), the time implications of being perceived as an environmental expert, and the impact on clients, such as raising expectations, imposing opinions on the state of clients' homes, and expecting clients to implement advice. Facilitators included the natural link to health visitors' roles, the ability to provide evidence of an environmental risk, and the satisfaction of observing clients implementing advice. Health visitors lacked propositional knowledge on the indoor environment, highlighting a need for more training. Access to an environmental assessment system increased the health visitors' confidence in dealing with indoor environmental issues.

Perspectives on Visitors in the Emergency Department: Their Role and Importance

BackgroundVisitors may play a significant role in patient care by interceding on patients' behalf and advocating proper care. Study ObjectivesThe objectives of this study were to determine the percentage of emergency department (ED) patients with visitors, whether this varied by gender or race, and to compare patient and visitor perspectives on the role and importance of visitors. MethodsThis cross-sectional study was done in a 46,035 adult-visit, urban ED during a consecutive 96-h period. A “visitor” was defined as any non-health-care provider present in a patient's room. Perspectives of visitors' role were assessed in five domains: transportation, emotional support, physical care, communication, and advocacy. ResultsForty-two percent of patients had at least one visitor during their ED stay. Visitor presence was unaffected by patients' age, gender, or triage score; however, 57% of white patients had at least one visitor during their stay, compared to 39% for non-Whites (p = 0.02). When patients had one or more visitors, gender and triage score did not influence the number of visitors; however, older patients and nonwhite patients had greater numbers of visitors (age ≥ 40 years, 1.5 ± 0.8 vs. age < 40, 1.2 ± 0.6 visitors/patient; p = 0.03 and nonwhite patients, 1.4 ± 0.7 vs. white patients, 1.1 ± 0.3 visitors/patient; p = 0.03). Seventy-eight percent of patients felt that visitors were important to their care. ConclusionsVisitors represent a valuable resource for patients, and methods of partnering with visitors to improve outcomes merit further work.

Health visitor V100 prescribing: The current context

The main purpose of nurse prescribing has always been to provide patients with safe and timely access to medicines. Prescribing is a valuable tool in realising the ambitions of current health-care policy to improve health outcomes through safe and effective care. Health visitors have a key role in today's health service in the areas of health protection and prevention, so there is a need to ensure that prescribing remains an integral part of the health visitor's role. Over the years, both prescribing itself and the content and assessment of the V100 prescribing education programme have developed. Health visitors have a responsibility to ensure that they are making effective use of prescribing and remain up to date with any developments; there are many useful resources available. Consultation skills and prescribing for children are two areas of particular relevance to health visitors.

Screening for cervical cancer in Hungary: New role for health visitors

In Hungary, opportunistic cervical screening has a long tradition; having been launched in the mid 1950s. Since 2003, a nation-wide organized cervical screening programme has been in operation. However, the “gatekeepers” of the screening are still the gynaecologists who take the smear for cytological examination along with a complex examination, including colposcopy. The compliance rates are unacceptably low because the difficult access to gynaecological services, particularly in rural areas. Therefore, it has been decided that cervical screening would be added to the job description of district health visitors who are qualified to provide preventive care to the female population. The relevant knowledge and skill necessary to provide cervical screening would be included in the health visitors’ curriculum. The early experiences of the feasibility studies are encouraging.

Attuning, listening and observing

Deep listening is difficult because we are programmed to talk back, but listening is a common trait required of the health visitor's role. Anna Houston discusses the importance of listening more closely, hearing more clearly and observing more keenly.

Generalization versus specialization in pollination systems: visitors, thieves, and pollinators of Hypoestes aristata (Acanthaceae).

Many recent studies have suggested that the majority of animal-pollinated plants have a higher diversity of pollinators than that expected according to their pollination syndrome. This broad generalization, often based on pollination web data, has been challenged by the fact that some floral visitors recorded in pollination webs are ineffective pollinators. To contribute to this debate, and to obtain a contrast between visitors and pollinators, we studied insect and bird visitors to virgin flowers of Hypoestes aristata in the Bamenda Highlands, Cameroon. We observed the flowers and their visitors for 2-h periods and measured the seed production as a metric of reproductive success. We determined the effects of individual visitors using 2 statistical models, single-visit data that were gathered for more frequent visitor species, and frequency data. This approach enabled us to determine the positive as well as neutral or negative impact of visitors on H. aristata’s reproductive success. We found that (i) this plant is not generalized but rather specialized; although we recorded 15 morphotaxa of visitors, only 3 large bee species seemed to be important pollinators; (ii) the carpenter bee Xylocopa cf. inconstans was both the most frequent and the most effective pollinator; (iii) the honey bee Apis mellifera acted as a nectar thief with apparent negative effects on the plant reproduction; and (iv) the close relationship between H. aristata and carpenter bees was in agreement with the large-bee pollination syndrome of this plant. Our results highlight the need for studies detecting the roles of individual visitors. We showed that such an approach is necessary to evaluate the pollination syndrome hypothesis and create relevant evolutionary and ecological hypotheses.

Espacios expositivos virtuales: Proyecto UMUSEO, una nueva opción para la difusión artística.

&lt;p&gt;The technology revolution has, in recent years, meant something of a transformation in the way we perceive art and, at the same time, in our way of understanding art exhibition spaces. New works demand updated spaces and different approaches to their care and exhibition. American museums were the first to respond to these changes and begin to put resources behind the necessary objectives. Throughout the 1980s a revolutionary process unfolded which focused on changing attitudes&lt;br /&gt;and opening up to a growing and increasingly diverse audience.&lt;br /&gt;This process soon spread to the rest of the world and gradually museums and exhibition spaces started to become part of an overall impulse of opening-up and conceptual change that, judging by the outcomes, was precisely what society was waiting and asking for. Rather than change their collections, museums changed their interpretation of them, the way in which they were brought to their publics, their approach to external communications and the role of visitors.&lt;br /&gt;New information technologies (particularly the most recent) offer museums the chance to respond to society’s requirements. Hence access to museums takes on a whole new dimension. As well as the traditional uses of the Internet, art online offers two new possibilities: interactivity and the removal of physical barriers. Museums online are open to anybody and everybody, at any time of day, offering easy access and the scope for users to relate directly with a virtual exhibition space. The emergence of the Internet has transcended the barriers of space and time, enabling real-time communication with people from all continents, meaning that messages can be conveyed with limitless reach.&lt;br /&gt;The University of Murcia´s Virtual Museum project – UMUSEO – makes an innovative contribution to the possibilities offered by new technologies in the realm of artistic production and its dissemination. This is a research project designed to be a Centre for a range of art-forms operating exclusively online and specialising in exhibitions relating to the artistic heritage of the University of Murcia.&lt;br /&gt;In the 1960s and 70s questions started to be asked about the role of museums and their future, giving rise to the idea that museums had become passive exhibition centres. Today they are continually evolving, becoming centres of active experimentation in which public participation takes on a special relevance.&lt;/p&gt;

Starting out - Health visitor role has opened my time to eyes to childhood obesity problem.

When I decided on a career change and began my nurse training, I had clear ideas of what I considered 'good parenting' to be, and what constituted a suitable environment in which to raise a child.