Original Intentions

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-06

An examination of the needs of parents of hospitalized children: comparing parents' and staff's perceptions

The needs of parents of hospitalized children have received some attention in the health literature, but few studies have compared parents' perceptions of needs with staff's ideas about parents' needs. The aim of this Study was to examine differences between the perceptions of the needs of parents of hospitalized children held by staff - nurses, doctors and allied health staff, and parents in a 150-bed paediatric hospital in Sweden. The convenience sample comprised 132 staff - nurses, doctors and allied health stall and 115 parents of children admitted to all the wards except intensive care. Kristjansdottir's needs of parents of hospitalized children questionnaire (NPQ) was the instrument of choice and was modified slightly for use with staff. Results indicated significant differences in perceptions of the importance of different needs of parents, of how well they were being met in the hospital arid how much help the parents needed to have them filled. Differences between parents' and staff's perceptions of the importance of parental needs were found in areas relating to psychosocial needs, but in general, in that hospital, the needs were being adequately met. The main differences between staff's and parents' results were in the degree of independence shown by parents in requiring hell) to have their needs met. This demonstrates either that parents are much more independent than appraised by staff, or, that parents are sometimes unaware of the level of assistance available.

Who owns the child in hospital? A preliminary discussion

Aim. To 'own' a person is considered an infringement of human rights, but we suggest that concepts of ownership influence interactions between parents and staff when a child is admitted to hospital. This paper aims to stimulate debate and contains an explanation of the exploration of the literature for research and discussion of ownership of the child. Method. A wide variety of library indexes, databases and populist media were examined although it was impossible to examine all literature which may have contained references to this topic, and, apart from databases which contained abstracts in English, we could not include literature written in any language other than English, Swedish, and Icelandic. Findings. We found no research that examines how concepts of ownership of a child affects communication between health professionals and parents and, ultimately, the delivery of health care. This paper begins discussion on the issues. Discussion. Historical literature shows that ownership of humans has been a part of many cultures, and parents were once considered to own their children. Ownership of another has legal connotations, for instance in guardianship struggles of children during marriage breakup and in ethical debates over surrogacy and products of assisted conception. Within health care, it becomes a contentious issue in transplantation of body parts, in discourse on autonomy and informed consent, and for religious groups who refuse blood transfusions. In health care, models such as family centred care and partnership in care depend on positive communication between parents and staff. If a hospital staff member feels that he/she owns a child for whom he/she is caring, then conflict between the staff member and the parents over who has the 'best interests of the child' at heart is possible. Conclusion. We encourage debate about concepts of who owns the hospitalized child - the parents or the staff? Should it be argued at all? Is the whole concept of ownership of another, be it adult or child, the ethical antithesis to modern beliefs about human rights? Comment on this issue is invited.

Applying for ethics committee approval

Provides information on ethics committee approval. Importance of research ethics committee; Application to the relevant local research ethics committee; Information on obtaining ethical approval.

In situ studies on service life and pick consumption characteristics of shearer drums

Longwall shearers usually suffer from excessive pick and pickholder consumptions and severe wear of the backplate of the clearance ring section of shearer drums. In practice, most of the drums were seen to be withdrawn from the face due to the abovementioned problems, while vane picks and their holders were intact due to the improper lacing design of the clearance ring picks. However, few underground investigations and their results on the effect of lacing arrangement of clearance picks on the service life of shearer drums have been published. Nevertheless, the pick consumption characteristics of shearer drums were not investigated in detail, since these are fewer pick consumptions with shearers when compared to roadheaders. This paper is concerned with the comprehensive in situ trials on the effect of lacing of clearance ring picks on the lifespan of shearer drums, and the pick consumption characteristics of longwall shearers at Cayirhan Coal Mine in Turkey. The lifespan of shearer drums employed with shearers in this mine increased 70 per cent, while the consumption rate of clearance ring picks decreased three fold through using an alternative lacing for clearance picks, indicating the significance of utilizing proper design techniques for clearance ring picks for the service life of shearer drums. Statistical analyses carried out, using the raw pick consumption data, implied that the clearance ring picks experienced much higher loads than vane picks, revealing that special attention must be paid to designing clearance ring picks. An average maximum consumption value of 41 was determined for clearance ring picks, with corner-cutting picks having the most replacements, while it was 35 for vane picks, on three-day based pick replacements.

Novel target-field method for designing shielded biplanar shim and gradient coils

A new method is presented here for the systematic design of biplanar shielded shim and gradient coils, for use in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and other applications. The desired target field interior to the coil is specified in advance, and a winding pattern is then designed to produce a field that matches the target as closely as possible. Both gradient and shim coils can be designed by this approach, and the target region can be located asymmetrically within the coil. The interior target field may be matched at two or more interior locations, to improve accuracy. When shields are present, the winding patterns are designed so that the fields exterior to the biplanar coil are made as small as possible. The method is illustrated here by the design of some transverse gradient and shim coils.

The health of children in immigration detention: how does Australia compare?

We live in an age when the number of refugees worldwide is increasing. All of them have suffered physically or emotionally to a varying degree in their country of origin. The transit to a country of resettlement is fraught with further difficulties or the risk of death. This article explores the different approach taken to the management of this issue by Denmark and Iceland, in comparison to that of Australia. In particular, the different approaches to health care for children and their families are identified. The management of these issues by Denmark and Iceland would appear to be a model to follow. Outcomes of the different managements have not been assessed.