UK Audience Research Articles

P033 Online educational resources in paediatric and adolescent rheumatology- what’s new?

Abstract Background/Aims Paediatric and adolescent rheumatology (PAR) is a small sub-specialty, and due to the rarity of some conditions, UK trainees find it difficult to access relevant educational materials. Furthermore, due to the wide geographical distribution of paediatric rheumatology centres, regional educational opportunities are limited. A 2022 survey of the UK PAR trainee group confirmed that the creation of more PAR specific online educational materials and signposting of current guidelines/ resources was needed. Survey participants were supportive of a range of delivery methods, including webinars, e-learning, case studies and podcasts. Methods A PAR trainee education team was formed in 2022, with the aim of promoting learning opportunities, by developing and collating educational resources. The PAR trainee education team has been working both independently and in conjunction with the British Society of Rheumatology (BSR) education team and Digital Learning Board (DLB) to achieve this aim. Activities have included the following: a) Creation of a BSR hosted Teams channel to store PAR specific educational information; b) PAR trainee inclusion on the BSR DLB, which creates digital education resources including podcasts and the monthly blended learning Spotlight topic series; c) Creation of PAR focused podcasts within the BSR Talking Rheumatology podcast series; d) Organisation of webinars on PAR relevant topics; e) Creation of a PAR podcast playlist on the Spotify platform; f) Production of a resource list and education newsletter to signpost relevant existing/upcoming learning opportunities and events. Results A 2023 follow up survey of the PAR trainee group (n = 16 respondents), showed the most used resources were podcasts (69%), the newsletter (63%) and resource list (43%). Webinars (38%), the Teams channel (38%) and the BSR Spotlight series (31%) had been accessed less. BSR podcast download data illustrated that PAR relevant podcasts from the Talking Rheumatology/ Talking Rheumatology Spotlight series have a UK and international audience. There have been over 2500 downloads from six PAR relevant podcasts covering myositis guidelines, biologics in PAR, HLH, antiphospholipid syndrome and ultrasound in PAR. Feedback from those who have used the various educational resources has been extremely positive, although comments have indicated a barrier in terms of awareness of the materials and how to access them. Conclusion Good progress has been made, however maximising means and opportunities to disseminate available resources within the PAR community is vital. Work to develop, collate and signpost more PAR educational content is ongoing. A project is in progress to create condition-specific lists of classification criteria, guidelines and key studies. The PAR trainee group are very grateful to all of those who have supported this work including the professionals who have shared their knowledge and expertise via podcasts and webinars, members of the BSR DLB and the education team at BSR. Disclosure J. Lemon: Other; Unpaid member of the BSR Digital Learning Board. R. Close: None. G. Dobson: None. K. Maxey: Other; Works for the BSR as Events and Education Officer. J. May: None. D. McLaughlin: None. I. Rajarathinam: None. S. Saadalla: None. L. Yeo: None. P.A. Watson: Other; Works for the BSR in a paid role (2PA per week ) as digital learning editor.

Post-Brexit regional policy in England: exploring ‘Levelling Up’ in practice

ABSTRACT ‘Levelling Up’ has come to dominate debates around regional inequality in England, but has been criticized for lacking clarity and definition. This paper addresses this critique by providing an early assessment of the concept. It summarizes and critically reviews Levelling Up, arguing that the concept offers a mix of marginal and familiar policies, alongside aspirations for industrial policy and research and development. Furthermore, Levelling Up begins to diverge from recent policy in its spatial focus and approach to governance and devolution. As governments in Europe and the United States grapple with similar challenges, the paper has value beyond a UK audience.

The future integrated care workforce.

The future integrated care workforce.

Identity, Interculturality, and Language Learning on British Television: A Case Study of International Crime Drama and Its Reception in the UK

A recent article in the <em>Evening Standard</em> posed the question, “Is it a coincidence that just as governments are seeking to close their borders, television is opening them? […] With the boom in streaming services, a single TV drama can cross borders like never before. Yet still, telling local stories appears to be the secret to international appeal”. Indeed, in post-Brexit Britain, television viewers have access to an ever-increasing number of foreign-language programmes. But what is the relationship between the local, national, and transnational presented on screen? And how do these dramas influence viewers’ perceptions of the countries, nationalities, and languages depicted? This article addresses these questions by focusing on popular crime dramas from France, Italy, and Germany as case studies, and analysing their reception amongst UK audiences. The programmes taken into consideration here are: <em>Spiral, Mafiosa, Inspector Montalbano, Maltese: The Mafia Detective, Inspector Falke, Dark</em>. All are readily available in the UK through the BBC, Walter Presents, and Netflix. In order to explore how these programmes are received by the UK audience, viewing groups were held in Hull, between September and November 2018. Members of the public were invited to watch examples of the series and discuss the presentation of themes such as national identity and nationhood, and to reflect on the ways in which these programmes challenge or reaffirm preconceived ideas about languages and European cultures. This article presents the findings of these viewing groups, exploring how these programmes promote and challenge national cultural and linguistic stereotypes. The article ultimately sheds light on the extent to which international crime drama can function to encourage language learning and intercultural awareness in the UK in the twenty-first century.

The Psychological Empowerment Potential of Solutions Journalism: Perspectives from Pandemic News Users in the UK

ABSTRACT Traditional problem-focussed news often cast audiences in passive and reactive ways, which can disempower them from participating in civic life. With influences from positive psychology, solutions journalism (SOJO) is proposed as a way to improve audiences’ mental wellbeing and engagement with the news. However, research seldom systematically examines how SOJO psychologically empowers audiences, leaving a gap for a more thorough understanding of the potential of SOJO in fulfilling the democratic role of journalism. Drawing on the theory of psychological empowerment (PE) and through 59 in-depth interviews with members of the public in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we examine UK audience responses to the concept of SOJO. Normatively promising findings emerged from our study. SOJO was considered to be useful in intrapersonal empowerment (i.e., increasing perceived control and self-efficacy), interactional empowerment (i.e., enhancing critical awareness), and behavioural empowerment (i.e., motivating community involvement and coping behaviours). Theoretically, this study establishes a firm connection between SOJO and PE which, we argue, has important implications for journalism’s often troubled relationship with civic engagement. As such, we call for a rethinking of the often taken-for-granted problem-focussed news practices.

Window on the weather: a case study in multi-platform visual communication design, with a relationship to Design Thinking

In February 2018, after three years of design and development work, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Weather launched its redesigned service across multiple platforms. The project involved new ways of cross-disciplinary communication design working across broadcast and digital services. This research examines these innovations and considers the transcorporeality of our relationship with weather forecasting. BBC Weather developed an iconography in the mid-1970s that has been integral to its brand identity and which has survived the changes in television graphics technology from magnetised acrylic symbols to digital systems. Satellite imagery, advanced computer weather modelling, mobile interaction, and weather on the move in realtime, have become integral to presenting different layers of visual sophistication and information that require translation and editing to communicate the weather across multiple platforms and formats. An ethnographic study of the leading participants in the design project mapped out the creative process and highlighted reflexive points where design practice was modified and adapted by the interdisciplinarity of the team. Their approach to design anthropology and service design approaches are revealed in the context of Design Thinking, and how the domestication of digital services is linked to a relationship to the weather for a UK and Irish audience.

'It's Getting People More Engaged in Things': Responses to Solutions-Oriented News in the Context of COVID-19

This preprint presents preliminary findings from a major new study that examines UK audience perceptions of solutions-oriented journalism in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a nationally representative survey (n=2015) and in-depth interviews (n=59), members of the UK public were asked about their evaluations of problems-focussed news and solutions-orientated news. Findings suggest that UK audiences are – on the whole – positive towards the concept of solutions-oriented news, identifying its potential to enhance their interest in the news, feel more positive about the potential for change, and empower them to take actions in their local community. We also reveal some of the demographic factors that are associated with support for solutions journalism.

An American Jurist in London: Bruce Ackerman’s Proposals for Constitutional Reform in the UK Versus Bruce Ackerman’s Constitutional Theory

The American constitutional theorist Bruce Ackerman has recently suggested that the UK Parliament should call a constitutional convention to draft a written constitution that can be put to voters in a national referendum after a two-year drafting period. In this article, I examine a number of points of disjoint between these proposals and Ackerman’s own, “dualist” theory of constitutional change, developed from an intriguingly novel reading of American constitutional history. While this theory advocates generation-spanning, multi-institutional processes of constitutional change, Ackerman’s UK proposals involve a more fleeting and nationalistic approach, with unitary majorities apparently reigning supreme. The question is: can this disjoint between Ackerman 1 and Ackerman 2 be justified as Ackerman’s attempt to work within the contours of the UK’s constitutional culture, traditionally conceived? Or might Ackerman’s unfiltered American theory have something important to offer a UK audience today, given the divisions that the Brexit process has revealed in British society between opposing, traditional and non-traditional understandings of British sovereignty and democracy?

Watching disability: UK audience perceptions of the Paralympics, equality and social change

Despite the social change ambitions of Paralympic governing bodies and National broadcasters, there is still a shortage of evidence of where public social attitudes stand with respect to disabled bodies, and how these respond to the changing nature of Paralympic broadcasting. Based on a large-scale qualitative audience study across England and Wales, we aim to address this empirical gap. Our findings demonstrate how audiences internalise socially progressive ideas towards disability in line with Channel 4’s broadcasting strategy. These include a greater appreciation of Paralympic sport as an elite sporting event, the ‘normalisation’ of the technologically enhanced disabled body and an awareness of emerging cultural citizenship concerning disability rights-based discourses. Yet, at the same time, we evidence new, potentially damaging stigma hierarchies of disability preference framed by ‘ablenational’ sentiments. Findings are discussed within ongoing debates around mega sporting events, media audiences and disability biopolitics.

A preliminary insight into the role and importance of management skills in the prevention of occupational derailment: An exploratory analysis of UK and Spanish pharmacists

The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence and importance of management skills in the pharmacy profession and pharmacists’ ability to respond to current and future challenges in healthcare provision. As service professionals, pharmacists are engaged based on their expertise and skills, and are noted for their contribution to the knowledge-based economy and control over the application of their knowledge (Abbott, 1991). The same premise would apply to other professionals e.g. healthcare (nurses, doctors and psychologists); legal (lawyers, solicitors and barristers); consultancy; accountancy; banking and architecture (von Nordenflycht, 2010). An exploratory analysis of UK and Spanish pharmacists’ roles and their adoption of management skills was thus undertaken. Both healthcare systems are very similar and likewise the clinical training and role of pharmacists, professional standards and regulations are similar but there are subtle differences. Data were collected using semi-structured online surveys; two thirds of the data were collected from a UK audience and the final third from Spanish pharmacists. The data collection was planned and iterative in the first two stages (stage one influencing stage two) (UK) and the final stage (Spain) offered an opportunistic comparator study. The results demonstrated that there was overwhelming support for management skills to be part of undergraduate studies. The outputs of this study identify the most important management skills pharmacists need to perform effectively. Consideration was also given to the impact of inability to perform in their role, and hence the possibility of occupational derailment (leaving their role or being demoted). These findings offer important learning to support workforce development in all professional services.

Data Interpretation in Anesthesia: A Clinical Guide

Data Interpretation in Anesthesia: A Clinical Guide

Reports of the death of British theatrical comedy? Greatly exaggerated or sadly accurate?

ABSTRACTAre the twin masks of Tragedy and Comedy in the process of transformation?I am seeking in this article to address challenging questions concerning the increasing disappearance of the ‘serious’ comedy, especially the satirical play, on the UK stage and ask why:Has the UK audience deserted comedy in general and satire in particular?Is it too difficult to write? Why in the context of a troubled world is contemporary theatrical comedy not more popular?Controversially, is it something to do with the inverse relationship between the increasing benefits of a multi-national, multi-racial UK society and a declining national consensus on shared symbols concerning issues of humour and satire?

Does a universal sleep education programme improve the sleep habits of primary school children?

While a number of studies have evaluated sleep education programmes for adolescents and for parents of very young children, there is much less research available on similar programmes for children of primary school age. The current study used both subjective (sleep diary) and objective (actigraphy) data to compare an intervention and a control group of children aged 9–10 years. The intervention was adapted for a UK audience from the Australian Centre for Education in Sleep (ACES) programme. Data were collected pre- and post-intervention and at follow-up 8–12 weeks later. The results show a sustained increase in sleep knowledge for the intervention group compared to the control group. There was a mean increase in sleep duration for the intervention group of 11 min per night, which was not statistically significant and was not sustained at follow-up. Sleep efficiency increased in both groups. Programme acceptability was good. It is concluded that universal sleep education programmes may require long-term follow-up to capture any clinically significant benefits and, as with adolescents, a targeted approach may be a better use of resources.

Cartoons vs. Manga Movies: A Brief History of Anime in the UK

This paper has as main objective to explore, adopting a historical and critical perspective, the release of film and anime TV in UK. This would be a first step towards the studio of the peculiar implementation of manganime Culture in Britain. Compared with other European countries, UK has shown to be slower and even reluctant in importing Japanese television products. Thus, while major markets of anime such as France, Italy or Spain expanded considerably during 1975-1995 period, in a recurrent synergy of television markets, and technological publishing, the implantation of the principal channel (televised anime) in UK has been irregular and unstable. Even today, the catalogue of broadcasting anime is limited to some high success movies, late night television on thematic channels and quite recently, video-on-demand services (Netflix). The offer cannot be compare in importance and diversity to other European countries. This fact, far from being anecdotal, has had an impact on the subsequent implantation of media Japanese cultures such as manga, anime, video games and cosplay. What can be the reason of this irregular development of Japanese visual culture in United Kingdom? Characteristic having the television market and / or the UK audience? Main hypothesis in relation to these issues can be considered to be of sociological character, but are reflected in the idiosyncrasies of British television culture and production system. Thus, compared to other Western markets (including the US) which saw the opportunity to purchase economic products for children’s television audiences in the late 70s and early 80s, the British ‘telly’ already offered a broad catalogue (Roobarb, Super Ted, Danger Mouse, etc. ...). The only exception to this children’s ‘made in Britain’ programming was the co-production model. This caused a leak of few products that were not even considered as “Japanese” (Seven Cities of Gold, Godzilla) but mere ‘cartoons’. This competition with the British children production as well as the wide catalogue of other forms of British Popular Culture would explain why the film, domestic video and later adults programming would be the marginal routes of entry for manganime.

The International Centre for Chinese Heritage and Archaeology (ICCHA): After a Decade of Success

The International Centre for Chinese Heritage and Archaeology (ICCHA) is a centre formed jointly by the UCL Institute of Archaeology and the Peking University School of Archaeology and Museology, and launched in Beijing on 15th December 2003. It was very much an initiative promoted by the then Institute director Peter Ucko, who continued to run the ICCHA after his retirement from UCL, until 2007. Since its beginnings the ICCHA has fostered links between the UK’s largest archaeology department and the oldest and most prestigious university department of archaeology in China. It aims to enhance communication both ways, about Chinese archaeology and heritage issues for a UK audience, and about world archaeology and archaeological method and theory in the West for the Chinese archaeological community. The ICCHA fosters important joint research, organises significant international academic conferences, promotes interest in Chinese archaeology and heritage in London through its regular seminar series ‘China Night’ at the Institute of Archaeology, and facilitates scholarly exchanges, at the level of research students, postdoctoral researchers, and academic staff. For further information see www.ucl.ac.uk/iccha.

From awww to awe factor: UK audience meaning-making of the 2012 Paralympics as mediated spectacle

Abstract This article considers UK audiences’ meaning-making of television coverage of the London 2012 Paralympic Games. As an elite sporting event, the Paralympics has been categorized alongside other high-profile media spectacles. Yet, an analysis of the ‘spectacle’ has further significance here in relation to what Mitchell and Snyder conceptualize as ‘fascination with spectacles of difference’, which encourages audiences to view the disabled person through their impairment, rather than as a human being. Inspirational ‘supercrip’ stories that glorify ‘special achievement’ fuel perceptions that disabled athletes have extraordinary, heroic qualities, and coverage of the 2012 Paralympics was no different. The spectacle is created through everyday talk. Therefore, we utilize in-depth interviews supported by netnography-inspired methods to consider to what extent media representations appropriated disability into ‘spectacle’, consequently perpetuating ablest discourses, whilst also addressing the intended social agenda by facilitating greater understanding. Our findings suggest an unexpected emotional engagement with the (mostly) sporting spectacle, with audience narratives moving from ‘awww’ to ‘awe’ as sporting achievement was celebrated. The disabled sporting ‘hero’ as ‘superhero’ is, we argue, further evidence of the influence of discourses that attempt to transform a stigmatized identity, i.e. disability, into a revered one – athleticism, thus reinforcing existing hierarchies of ability/disability.

Patients recording clinical encounters: a path to empowerment? Assessment by mixed methods

ObjectiveTo examine the motivations of patients recording clinical encounters, covertly or otherwise, and why some do not wish to record encounters.DesignMixed-methods analysis of survey data and nested semistructured interviews.SettingSurvey to...

Poetry out of pain: how Primo Levi found his UK audience

Poetry out of pain: how Primo Levi found his UK audience

Review Editors' Introduction

We are pleased to introduce an addition to the familiar environmental law book review format called the ‘review article’. We would also like to welcome Steven Vaughan’s founding contribution. Vaughan has used the space of an article-length review to compare and contrast two books on a specialist subject area (chemicals regulation). However, it is not so much the number of books under review that defines the format, as the use of a more generous word limit to reflect on specific works of secondary literature in a deeper manner than is often feasible within the constraints of a ‘classic’ book review. Part of the spirit of this innovation is the wish to accommodate the changing character of environmental law scholarship as the discipline matures. One aspect of this is the increasing variety of perspectives that the current literature offers, and the consequential interest in and delicacy of framing the scholarly analysis. There is also—at least for a UK audience—the Research Excellence Framework (REF) to take into account. For fairly obvious reasons, it difficult for a concise book review to satisfy the REF criteria of originality, rigour and significance. However, there are greater possibilities with an article-length review.

Review: Devolution in the United Kingdom

Russell Deacon's book advertises itself as a one-stop guide to devolution in the UK. It seeks to explain the basics of devolution to a UK audience in terms of history, culture, institutions, elections and parties, the process of gaining devolution and the working reality of devolution. It is intended for Higher and A-level students as well as first year undergraduates in Politics and follows a textbook-style format throughout, with key questions, web links and guides to further reading.