Purpose: The purpose of this research program was three-fold. First it aimed to determine the effectiveness of smoking cessation interventions in increasing cessation rates in smokers with cerebrovascular disease and whether smoking cessation reduces stroke recurrence. Second it aimed to determine the prognostic influence of smoking and its association with stroke severity, disability, length of stay in hospital and mortality. Third it aimed to identify multi-level correlates of smoking cessation in Canadians who reported stroke symptoms in a large population based survey. Methods: Two systematic reviews and meta-analyses were performed to achieve the first objective. For the second objective, a retrospective cohort study was undertaken using variables from the Registry of the Canadian Stroke Network. Finally, the third objective was achieved by analyzing respondents from the Canadian Community Health Survey. Results: There is a paucity of intervention studies examining the effectiveness of smoking cessation in smokers with cerebrovascular disease. Most intervention studies that were found, failed to employ evidence-based approaches to smoking cessation. No evidence was found in regards to the effect of smoking cessation on stroke recurrence. We found smokers had strokes at a younger age compared to non-smokers. We found that in transient ischemic attacks and intracerbral haemorrhage, smoking was a significant predictor of stroke severity, disability, length of stay in hospital and 1 year mortality. Correlates of smoking cessation among Canadians who have experienced symptoms of a stroke included: higher education and income, implementation of household and vehicle smoking restrictions, access to a general practitioner and the use of smoking cessation pharmacotherapies and counselling support. Co-morbidities such as depression and alcohol consumption reduced the likelihood of successful cessation. Conclusions: This three-phase research program elucidated the gaps in intervention research for this population along with co-morbidities that hinder success in cessation. Smoking negatively impacted outcomes such as disability, hospital length of stay and mortality in patients with transient ischemic attacks and intracerebral haemorrhage strokes. Future interventions should take into account modifiable smoking cessation correlates in order to increase cessation rates in smokers with cerebrovascular disease.

Introduction:Psychosocial intervetions are the actions taken to offer psychosocial support to cancer patients and their relatives for the improvement of their quality of life. They are aimed at meeting patients' mental, emotional, social, and spiritual needs and those of their families.Various previous studies have explored different forms of psychosocial support offered to different groups of cancer patients and their relatives. However, there are few literature reviews about how spirituality is included in psychosocial support among cancer patients. Aims:The aim of this literature review is to explore the spiritual features within psychosocial interventions in cancer care. Method:Two databases were used in this study: CINAHL and PubMed.Thirteen scientific studies involving various psychosocial interventions were included. Content anlysis with three steps' strategy was done. Results:Various spiritual aspects within psychosocial interventions in cancer care were identified, and the most prevalent among them were finding meaning,spirirual coping,spiritual transecendence,connection with others and the Sacred, life completion tasks and preperation for death.Conclusion:Psychosocial spiritual support is an essential element of psychosocial cancer care.There is need for more awareness of how spiritual health is to be addressed in cancer care. / Inledning: Psykosociala interventioner är de återgärder som vidtagits för att erbjuda psykosocialt stöd till cancerpatienter och deras anhöriga för att förbättra deras livskvalitet.De är inriktade på att möta pateinternas mentala,emotionella,sociala och andliga behöv och deras familjers behov.Tidigare studier har undersökt olika former av psykosocialt stöd som erbjuds olika grupper av cancerpatienter och deras anhöriga.Det finns dock få litteraturöversikter om hur andlighet ingår i psykosocialt stöd bland cancerpatienter. Syfte:Syftet med denna litteraturöversikt är att utförska de andliga asoekter inom psykosociala interventioner i cancervård. Metod:Två databaser användes i denna i denna studie: CINAHL och PubMed. Treton vetenskapliga studier med olika psykosociala interventioner inkluderades. Trestegsstrategi innehållanalys gjordes. Resultat:Olika andliga aspekter inom psykosocialt stöd identifierades, och de vanligaste bland dem var meningsskapande, andlig hantering(spiritual coping), andlig transcedens, förbindelser med andra och det Heliga, och föberedelser inför döden. Slutsats:Psykosocialt andligt stöd är en viktig del av psykosocial cancervård. Det finns behöv av mer medvetenhet om hur andlig hälsa hanteras i cancervården.

Purpose: To analyze the strategies that Elizabeth Kenny, an Australian nurse, used when trying to obtain medical endorsement for an innovation that was not based on knowledge of pathology, but was empirically demonstrated. Significance: When faced with the need to "Do the best you can with the symptoms presenting themselves," Kenny used keen observation to develop a new treatment for poliomyelitis in the early 1900s. Her innovation was to use hot packs to relieve muscle spasms in people with early symptoms of poliomyelitis when orthodox medical treatment included use of splints or casts to immobilize affected limbs. Method: Historical case analysis. Findings and Conclusions: Sister Kenny made bold assertions, obtained scientific validation, learned from experience, used publicity, and opposed resistance. Although some strategies were unsuccessful (and Kenny faced many obstacles) medical practice changed in a relatively short time. Immobilization of limbs was largely discontinued in the acute stage of the disease. Kenny persisted in caring for children who otherwise might have sustained deformities.

This case reports the implementation of post-care patient interviews to determine whether or not patients received screening and brief intervention (when needed) for alcohol problems.

No description available.

While group homes seemed to be the ideal solution for the deinstitutionalization movement started in the 1950s, many group homes face significant challenges regarding staffing, and staff training and performance. Organization behavior management (OBM) may offer some solutions to increasing staff performance. Additionally, choice is a topic rarely researched in OBM and applied behavior analytic (ABA) research. The purpose of this study is not only to create a treatment package that increases data collection among group home staff, but also to examine choice, and whether increased choices related to a behavioral intervention package impacts the efficacy of the treatment package. Participants were divided into two groups. The choice group was able to make four decisions regarding the procedures used in the treatment package, while the no choice group had those decisions imposed upon them in the treatment package. The results of the groups were compared. The four-component treatment package was successful in increasing average weekly data collection from 0% during baseline to over 50% in the four weeks of intervention. The choice group performed higher than the no choice group every week of intervention, showing that the minimal effort needed to take choice into consideration in an intervention would be worthwhile.

Sexual and gender minorities (SGM) often face worse health outcomes in comparison with their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts. Positive psychology interventions (PPIs) have the potential to improve these outcomes. In this article we review 130 articles containing online positive psychology interventions and evaluate them based on effect size, length of follow-up, and sample characteristics. Based on these findings applied to the psychological mediation framework (Hatzenbuehler, 2009), we recommend the following interventions be tested in SGM samples: self-compassion, optimism, love, forgiveness, humor, and spirituality. Future research that tailors existing positive psychology interventions to the lived experiences of SGM individuals could ameliorate health disparities.

No description available.

The present study explored the impact of the individual difference, goal orientation, on the team intervention, debriefing, thus contributing insight into a previously unexplored component behind debriefing effectiveness. Three sub-dimensions of goal orientation were examined in terms of their influence on debriefing: learning goal orientation, performance-prove goal orientation and performance-avoid goal orientation. The outcomes investigated included elements of a successful debrief: self-correction, self-promotion and speaking up behavior. A sample (N=69) of undergraduate students at the University of Central Florida individually completed a goal orientation self-report measure and participated in a team debriefing session within their three-person teams. The audio-recorded debriefing videos were transcribed and coded line-by-line to indicate the presence of the outcome variables. Hierarchical multiple regressions were utilized to analyze the direct relationships between the specific goal orientation sub-dimensions and hypothesized outcomes. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

The effect of a treatment package consisting of social stories and role play on the verbal initiation of one 4-year old girl with autism was examined. Using a multiple baseline across activities treatment design, the investigator measured the number of verbal initiations during 10-minute sessions while the participant engaged in one of three activities, board games, pretend play, or constructive play. Baseline data, baseline probes and treatment data were collect for the three activities. The results indicate that the treatment package was effective in increasing the participant’s verbal initiations across all three activities.