Self-management programs in stage 1-4 chronic kidney disease : a literature review.

Background Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a complex health problem, which requires individuals to invest considerable time and energy in managing their health and adhering to multifaceted treatment regimens. Objectives To review studies delivering self-management interventions to people with CKD (Stages 1–4) and assess whether these interventions improve patient outcomes. Design: Systematic review. Methods Nine electronic databases (MedLine, CINAHL, EMBASE, ProQuest Health & Medical Complete, ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health, The Cochrane Library, The Joanna Briggs Institute EBP Database, Web of Science and PsycINFO) were searched using relevant terms for papers published between January 2003 and February 2013. Results The search strategy identified 2,051 papers, of which 34 were retrieved in full with only 5 studies involving 274 patients meeting the inclusion criteria. Three studies were randomised controlled trials, a variety of methods were used to measure outcomes, and four studies included a nurse on the self-management intervention team. There was little consistency in the delivery, intensity, duration and format of the self-management programmes. There is some evidence that knowledge- and health-related quality of life improved. Generally, small effects were observed for levels of adherence and progression of CKD according to physiologic measures. Conclusion The effectiveness of self-management programmes in CKD (Stages 1–4) cannot be conclusively ascertained, and further research is required. It is desirable that individuals with CKD are supported to effectively self-manage day-to-day aspects of their health.

The impact of work-family programs on the relationship between gender diversity and performance

Work–family programs signal an employer's perspective on gender diversity to employees, and can influence whether the effects of diversity on performance are positive or negative. This article tests the interactive effects of nonmanagement gender diversity and work–family programs on productivity, and management gender diversity and work–family programs on financial performance. The predictions were tested in 198 Australian publicly listed organizations using primary (survey) and secondary (publicly available) data based on a two-year time lag between diversity and performance. The findings indicate that nonmanagement gender diversity leads to higher productivity in organizations with many work–family programs, and management gender diversity leads to lower financial performance in organizations with few work–family programs. The results suggest different business cases at nonmanagement and management levels for the adoption of work–family programs in gender-diverse organizations.

A little learning is a dangerous thing: Factors influencing the increased identification of special educational needs from the perspective of education policymakers and school practitioners

This article considers the increased identification of special educational needs in Australia’s largest education system from the perspectives of senior public servants, regional directors, principals, school counsellors, classroom teachers, support class teachers, learning support teachers and teaching assistants (n = 30). While their perceptions of an increase generally align with the story told by official statistics, participants’ narratives reveal that school-based identification of special educational needs is neither art nor science. This research finds that rather than an objective indication of the number and nature of children with SEN, official statistics may be more appropriately viewed as a product of funding eligibility and the assumptions of the adults who teach, refer and assess children who experience difficulties in school and with learning.

Teaching spelling in the middle years : reviewing programs for diverse student groups

In what follows, I draw attention to understandings about the teaching of Standard Australian English spelling developed by being immersed in the URL project site for four years though sharing professional dialogue with teachers and educators and entering into informal conversations with some of the students and their parents. My understandings focus on the potential and problematics of oft-used generic spelling programs and approaches for student cohorts marked by social, cultural and linguistic diversity. This article concludes by considering two possible extensions to the word study approach that may have utility for working with middle years students from diverse backgrounds: creating a discursive ‘Third Space’ that overtly recognises students’ language experiences and the technique of colour blocking to create a visual stress.

Gain's in knowledge, attitude and skills of counselors across three trainings programs

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) sponsored by the G20 nations has helped fund the development of training programs for HIV/AIDS counselors in India. To date no study has examined the effectiveness of these training programs. This study, therefore, aimed to examine the impact of a 12 training program in improving the knowledge of new HIV/AIDS counselors in West Bengal and compare benefits of three training programs. Pre and post measures were taken from 87 counsellors attending three training programs organized by the GFATM-7 team of the Department of Applied Psychology, University of Calcutta. Overall pre and post training scores of three training programs together show significant improvements in knowledge. The findings from this study provide confidence that the 12 day training program can be effectively implemented among West Bengal HIV/AIDS counsellors.

Insomnia : A Self Help Handbook

This book is a practical and useful tool for getting your sleep back on track. Even if you have suffered from insomnia for many years, this book contains simple, easy to learn strategies to manage your sleep loss through evidence-based techniques such as cognitive therapy and stimulus control. Dr. Sacre will guide you through these approaches and explain how they work and why they are recommended above other approaches. There is a chapter on special populations that tells you what to do if you are a shift worker, long distance traveller, parent, older adult, woman (including pregnancy and menopause) or an elite athlete. If you want to enjoy natural, healthy and satisfying sleep again, this handbook gives you all the tools you need to achieve it. You only need to have the motivation and discipline to apply the strategies and stick to them over time. This handbook first explains what normal sleep is all about and challenges some myths about sleep and insomnia. Then you will be guided through a thorough sleep assessment. Insomnia is then described in detail including different types of insomnia and the kinds of factors that contribute to sleep loss. Through the following chapters, you will be shown step-by-step what to do to bring about change in your sleeping patterns and habits, through addressing the factors that perpetuate poor sleep. These factors mainly revolve around unhelpful thinking, compensatory behaviors, poor sleep hygiene and environmental influences. These are all things that are within your control and Dr. Sacre will show you how. Dr. Sacre has worked in the fields of sleep health, mental health and addictive disorders for 25 years and over that time, she has encountered hundreds of people who have struggled with insomnia and sleep loss due to other causes. She currently heads the Therapy Programs department at Belmont Private Hospital in Brisbane, Australia, where there is an emphasis on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, including a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-i) program. A psychologist and nurse, Dr. Sacre is a long-time member of the Australasian Sleep Association and the Australian Psychological Society. She has conducted research into the function of dreaming, online sleep surveys and the usefulness of sleep self-help guides for students, older adults and carers of people with dementia. She has also published on diverse topics, including the management of nightmares in war veterans. She is an Adjunct Associate Professor at Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane and lectures professionals, including psychologists, school counselors and psychiatrists, on sleep disorders and their management as well as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

Special Issue : Media/Politics in Indonesia [Editors]

Emma Baulch and Julian Millie are editors of this special issue.

Evaluation of Indigenous justice programs.: final report / Project D, Safe Aboriginal Youth Patrol Programs in New South Wales and Northbridge Policy and Juvenile Aid Group in Western Australia

The Australian Government has provided funding to evaluate the effectiveness of Indigenous law and justice programs across five subject areas to identify the best approaches to tackling crime and justice issues and better inform government funding decisions in the future. This report presents the findings of subject area "D", which examined two different approaches to delivering community and night patrol services for young people: the Safe Aboriginal Youth Patrol programs in New South Wales, and the Northbridge Policy project (the Young People in Northbridge project), in Western Australia. Night patrols can address crime either directly or indirectly, by prevention work or by addressing the social causes of crime through community development.

Transnational preservice teachers in local education programs : a critical realist approach to narratives

This study explores how preservice teachers with non-Australian educational backgrounds and prerequisite qualifications make their way into and through a local teacher education program. It is informed by Margaret Archer's sociology of reflexivity to understand the interplay between these people's personal resources and institutional constraints and enablements. Data were collected from seven participants through narrative interviews. A narrative analysis identified big and small stories. Findings show that these preservice teachers purposefully exercise their agency as they invest in a common project for a variety of transnational goals. The outcome of that project emerges from the interaction between structure and agency.

Adverse breast cancer treatment effects: The economic case for making rehabilitative programs standard of care

Purpose: The purpose of this work was to evaluate the patient-borne financial cost of common, adverse breast cancer treatment-associated effects, comparing cost across women with or without these side-effects. Methods: 287 Australian women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer were prospectively followed starting at six months post-surgery for 12 months, with three-monthly assessment of detailed treatment-related side effects and their direct and indirect patient costs attributable to breast cancer. Bootstrapping statistics were used to analyze cost data and adjusted logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between costs and adverse events from breast cancer. Costs were inflated and converted from 2002 Australian to 2014 US dollars. Results: More than 90% of women experienced at least one adverse effect (i.e. post-surgical issue, reaction to radiotherapy, upper-body symptoms or reduced function, lymphedema, fatigue or weight gain). On average, women paid $5,636 (95%CI: $4,694, $6,577) in total costs. Women with any one of the following symptoms (fatigue, reduced upper-body function, upper-body symptoms) or women who report ≥4 adverse treatment-related effects, have 1.5 to nearly 4 times the odds of having higher healthcare costs than women who do not report these complaints (p<0.05). Conclusions: Women face substantial economic burden due to a range of treatment-related health problems, which may persist beyond the treatment period. Improving breast cancer care by incorporating prospective surveillance of treatment-related side effects, and strategies for prevention and treatment of concerns (e.g., exercise) has real potential for reducing patient-borne costs.

Entrepreneurship Programs and the Modern University

Entrepreneurship Programs and the Modern University is an excellent resource for those who intend to set up an entrepreneurship program or centre, and arguably even more so for those who wish to coordinate or expand such activities into an effective "entrepreneurship eco-system" across the university and its external stakeholders. Morris, Kuratko, and Cornwall's intention in writing this book is to "advocate a more strategic and integrative framework for building the curricular, co-curricular, research, community engagement, and infrastructure components of a program" (p. xii).

Maternal employment, work experiences, and financial well-being of Australian mothers who care for young children with special health care needs

The employment and work experiences of mothers who care for young children with special health care needs is the focus of this study. It addresses a gap in the research literature, by providing an understanding of how mothers’ caring role may affect employment conditions, family life, and financial well-being. Quantitative data are drawn from Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. The current study employs a matched case–control methodology to compare the experiences of a group of 292 mothers whose children (aged 4-5 years) with long-term special health care needs with those mothers whose children were typically developing. There were few differences between the two groups with regard to job characteristics and job quality. There were significant differences between the two groups with regard to work–family balance. Fewer mothers with children with special health care needs reported work having a positive effect on family functioning.

Educating the creative citizen : design education programs in the knowledge economy

The shift in the last twenty years from an industrialised economy to a knowledge economy demands new modes of education in which individuals can effectively acquire 21st century competencies. This article builds on the findings and recommendations of a Knowledge Economy Market Development Mapping Study (KEMDMS), conducted in Queensland, Australia. The study was conducted to identify the value of design education programs from primary school through to the professional development level. This article considers the ability of design education as a framework to deliver on the 21st century competences required for the three defining features of the creative knowledge economy – Innovation, Transdisciplinarity and Networks. This is achieved by contextualising key findings from the KEMDMS, including current design education initiatives, and outlining the current and future challenges faced. From this, this article focuses on the role of the tertiary education sector as the central actor in the creative economy in the development of generic design/design education capabilities. Through the unpacking of the study's three key observation themes for change, a holistic design education framework is proposed, and further research directions are discussed.

Developing graduate TPACK capabilities in initial teacher education programs: Insights from the Teaching Teachers for the Future Project

There is increased accountability of initial teacher education (ITE) programs in Australia to develop Graduate teachers who are better prepared. Most ITE programs have been designed using Pedagogical Content Knowledge. Informed by the growing Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) research, this journal article suggests that ITE programs need to develop Graduate teachers who have the TPACK capabilities to use technologies to support teaching and student learning. Insights from the research and evaluation of the Teaching Teachers for the Future (TTF) Project, which was guided by the TPACK conceptualisation, are provided. The TTF Project, which involved all Higher Education Institutions providing ITE programs in Australia, drew upon the TPACK conceptualisation. The TTF Project research and evaluation included the development and administration of a TTF TPACK Survey and the implementation of the Most Significant Change Methodology. Key findings resulting from the employment of these methodologies are summarised to provide guidance to inform the improvement of ITE programs to develop Graduate TPACK capabilities.