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In pediatric settings, the concept of hope is frequently positioned as a fundamental aspect of care and at odds with the possibility and proximity of death. This arguably fosters silence about death and dying in childhood despite evidence indicating the benefits of open communication at the end of life. In this paper, we describe the unspeakable nature of death and dying in childhood, including its conceptual and clinical causes and dimensions, its persistence, and the associated challenges for children and youth facing critical illnesses, their families, and society. We explore how the tension between hope and death can be reframed and apply our analysis to the context of medical assistance in dying for mature minors in Canada. Considering the lack of related literature, this paper offers initial reflections to form a framework for the unspeakable nature of death and dying in childhood and to advance the crucial need for research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Critically ill patients in rural areas at times require an interhospital transfer from their local hospital to an urban tertiary care centre for advanced critical care services not available locally. Family members have described this transfer window as a communication blackout and one of the most stressful times of their relative's critical illness event., Objective: To explore what communication process would be most acceptable between family members and transfer team members (consisting of critical care nurses, paramedics, and physicians) during interhospital transfers of critically ill patients., Research Methodology: Using a qualitative descriptive approach of critical thematic analysis, data were collected in September and November 2022, from focus groups of five family members and four transfer team members who experienced this phenomenon., Setting: Rural Canada where speciality services such as interventional cardiology and neurosurgery are unavailable, and a tertiary care hospital is more than 160 km away., Findings: Within themes of unequal power relations and status-based hierarchies, family members described how communication during interhospital transfers supports connection and coping, challenges experienced in accessing information, an overwhelming unknown, and practical challenges of the transfer. Transfer team members described a context of power relations and status-based hierarchies in which themes of transfer team burden, role confusion or connection, protection and management of family members, and complexities of information sharing during interhospital transfers were identified., Conclusion: In critical illness, communication linkages are created between healthcare providers and family members but are broken during an interhospital transfer resulting in increased stress for family members. Acceptable communication elements described by transfer team members and family members may maintain these linkages during the transfer window., Implications for Clinical Practice: These findings provide the foundation for critical care nurses and their professional colleagues to take family care to the next level with an explicit communication strategy during interhospital transfers., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Palliative care is insufficiently integrated in the continuum of care for older people. It is unclear to what extent healthcare policy for older people includes elements of palliative care and thus supports its integration. Aim: (1) To develop a reference framework for identifying palliative care contents in policy documents; (2) to determine inclusion of palliative care in public policy documents on healthcare for older people in 13 rapidly ageing countries. Design: Directed documentary analysis of public policy documents (legislation, policies/strategies, guidelines, white papers) on healthcare for older people. Using existing literature, we developed a reference framework and data extraction form assessing 10 criteria of palliative care inclusion. Country experts identified documents and extracted data. Setting: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, England, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain. Results: Of 139 identified documents, 50 met inclusion criteria. The most frequently addressed palliative care elements were coordination and continuity of care (12 countries), communication and care planning, care for family, and ethical and legal aspects (11 countries). Documents in 10 countries explicitly mentioned palliative care, nine addressed symptom management, eight mentioned end-of-life care, and five referred to existing palliative care strategies (out of nine that had them). Conclusions: Health care policies for older people need revising to include reference to end-of-life care and dying and ensure linkage to existing national or regional palliative care strategies. The strong policy focus on care coordination and continuity in policies for older people is an opportunity window for palliative care advocacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the concept of leadership communities of practice (COP) as a strategy to enhance succession planning and leadership development within the Canadian healthcare context. Drawing upon Prosci's ADKAR methodology as a foundational change management framework, this paper explores the adaptation of COP, originally developed by Lave and Wenger in 1991, to foster collaborative learning. While COP have a long history in business and education sectors, their formal integration into healthcare, specifically leadership development is relatively recent. This paper highlights the necessity of a robust change management approach to effectively introduce COP as a mechanism to enhance leadership development in healthcare settings, highlighting their potential to facilitate knowledge exchange and support social learning among healthcare leaders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, primary care nurses were often redeployed to areas outside of primary care to mitigate staffing shortages. Despite this, there is a scarcity of literature describing their perceptions of and experiences with redeployment during the pandemic. Objectives: This paper aims to: 1) describe the perspectives of primary care nurses with respect to redeployment, 2) discuss the opportunities/challenges associated with redeployment of primary care nurses, and 3) examine the nature (e.g., settings, activities) of redeployment by primary care nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: In this qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with primary care nurses (i.e., Nurse Practitioners, Registered Nurses, and Licensed/Registered Practical Nurses), from four regions in Canada. These include the Interior, Island, and Vancouver Coastal Health regions in British Columbia; Ontario Health West region in Ontario; the province of Nova Scotia; and the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Data related to redeployment were analyzed thematically. Results: Three overarching themes related to redeployment during the COVID-19 pandemic were identified: (1) Call to redeployment, (2) Redeployment as an opportunity/challenge, and (3) Scope of practice during redeployment. Primary care nurses across all regulatory designations reported variation in the process of redeployment within their jurisdiction (e.g., communication, policies/legislation), different opportunities and challenges that resulted from redeployment (e.g., scheduling flexibility, workload implications), and scope of practice implications (e.g., perceived threat to nursing license). The majority of nurses discussed experiences with redeployment being voluntary in nature, rather than mandated. Conclusions: Redeployment is a useful workforce strategy during public health emergencies; however, it requires a structured process and a decision-making approach that explicitly involves healthcare providers affected by redeployment. Primary care nurses ought only to be redeployed after other options are considered and arrangements made for the care of patients in their original practice area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In 2016–17 an important consensus was established regarding the use of the diagnostic label 'developmental language disorder' (DLD) to describe children with a persistent language problem having a functional impact on communication or learning and in the absence of any other biomedical condition. Despite this consensus, past research has revealed ongoing uncertainty regarding when to use the DLD label among speech–language pathologists (SLPs). Aims: In response to this uncertainty, a survey of SLPs was conducted aimed at investigating which types of clinical language profiles, and specific assessment results, were viewed as warranting the diagnostic label DLD. Methods & Procedures: SLPs were presented with 10 childhood language profiles and assessment results. Participants reviewed each case and described if they felt a diagnosis of DLD was warranted, which presented symptoms were consistent/inconsistent with DLD and if further information/testing was desired. Additionally, participants provided details regarding their personal diagnostic processes. Outcomes & Results: Results indicated a general consensus among SLPs as to when the DLD label should be applied. However, free‐text responses demonstrated considerable variation between clinicians regarding symptoms of importance, points of contention/confusion in language profiles and minimal assessment results viewed as necessary in the diagnostic process. Conclusions & Implications: This detailed look at the assessment/diagnostic process for DLD provides valuable insight into how to build further practice consistency in the provision of the diagnostic label DLD, especially in cases of complex language profiles and assessment results. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on this subject: The label DLD should be used as a diagnostic label to describe children with persistent language problems having a functional impact on communication or learning and in the absence of any biomedical condition. However, in current clinical practice, actual use of the label is inconsistent and SLPs face a number of challenges in diagnosing DLD. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge: This investigation provides clarity regarding which complexities in paediatric language profiles are most challenging for SLPs when determining if a child does/does not have DLD. Additionally, details regarding current assessment beliefs and practices are explored. What are the practical and clinical implications of this work?: By providing a detailed look at the diagnostic processes of practising SLPs, valuable insight is provided into how to build further practice consistency and confidence in the provision of the diagnostic label DLD, especially in cases of complex language profiles and assessment results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is a large body of research showing the negative impact of a total laryngectomy on the resultant voice signal across multiple outcomes (e.g., speech intelligibility/acceptability, listener comprehension, voice quality). However, there is limited information on the effects of laryngectomy on broader communication acts, particularly in the area of pragmatics, commonly referred to as the social use of language. Considering that individuals with a laryngectomy (IWL) frequently report reduced quality of life as well as reduced communicative competency, expanding the current research to include pragmatics is warranted. Aim: To explore the pragmatic changes in communication experienced by tracheoesophageal speakers. Methods & Procedures: The current study adapted an existing 17‐item measure to assess verbal, non‐verbal, paralinguistic and receptive communication competence via self‐report. This adapted measure was then distributed to 65 tracheoesophageal speakers (52 males, 13 females, mean age = 63.4 ± 8.5 years). Outcomes & Results: Both negative and positive pragmatic changes to communication were reported by participants secondary to laryngectomy. This included changes in verbal (negative –37.5%, positive –15.15%); non‐verbal (negative –9.54%, positive –35.45%; and paralinguistic acts (negative –29.55%, positive –34.09%). Changes to receptive communication were also noted (negative –14.78%, positive –43.19%). Conclusions & Implications: The overall results suggest that communication changes post‐laryngectomy exist well beyond the paralinguistic areas (e.g., intelligibility, voice quality) and that males and females may approach or respond to changes in communication differently. Results are discussed specific to clinical intervention and the importance of including assessment of pragmatic function post‐laryngectomy. WHat this paper adds: What is already known on this subject: While there is a large body of research on the changes to the speaker and listener following laryngectomy, there is minimal information on how the use of alaryngeal speech affects overall communication, specifically in the area of pragmatics or the social use of language. What this paper adds to existing knowledge: This study used an adapted version of the widely used Pragmatic Protocol to delineate changes in pragmatic components of communication for tracheoesophageal speakers. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: Clinically, this information can be used by healthcare professionals to educate and prepare IWL on potential changes in the underrecognized area of pragmatics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper utilizes a conceptual analysis and targeted literature review to explore public administrative collaboration models in the context of Canadian fire department interagency relationships. It proposes that effective emergency planning and response links are formed and maintained by the use of thoughtful and tailored communication. Numerous working examples of stakeholder relationships for fire departments are explored including other first responding organizations, various government levels, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), media and the public — including special considerations for specific subsets of the population. Operational recommendations are made based on the review of numerous public management and administration research for the creation of effective interagency relationships. These recommendations, while based in Canada, could easily be adapted to analogous fire departments or other first responding organizations internationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper summarizes the arguments and counterarguments within the scientific discussion on the issue of a chronological step which leads to the phase or status change in the project management. The main purpose of the research is the wedding event in the start to the end of the activities and the event is represented by a node in the network. Systematization of the literary sources and approaches for solving the problem that an event is a specific instant of time which makes the start or end of an activity and event consumes neither time nor resources. It indicates that an activity is the actual performance of the task and requires time and resources for its completion. The relevance of this scientific problem decision is that project management is a tool of functional areas. Investigation of the topic a systematic procedure to implement a weeding event in the paper is carried out in the following logical sequence on project management: Methodological tools of the research methods were a couple of years of research. The object of research is the chosen company that carried out the processes of a wedding project at Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada, because namely they derived this event as a project. The paper presents the results of an empirical analysis on mathematical calculations which showed that were perfect in graphically. The research empirically confirms and theoretically proves that it is the work required to complete a couple of specific tasks: determine your event goals and objectives, visualize the event, draw up a budget, develop a timeline, put the plan into action, double-check the project plan, evaluate the event. The results of the research can be useful for a wedding event cycle consists of five stages: plan, organize measure, analyze and share. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Black youths experience poor mental health especially due to anti-Black racism. Research related to Black youths have been conducted on Black youths with little or no participation or engagement rather than with Black youths. This paper presents information from a dialogue on decolonizing nursing research. I draw on interviews and conversation cafes with around 120 Black youths in Canada to identify strategies for decolonizing research with Black youths. First, I reflect on my relations with the Indigenous land in which the study was conducted as well as my positionality as a Black woman. In this paper, I discuss how community based participatory action research can integrate capacity building component, amplify youth's voices and capitalize on the agency of youths as fruitful actors. I also reflect on the opportunities and benefits of decolonizing nursing research., (© 2023 The Authors. Nursing Philosophy published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Emergency departments (EDs) are an important source of care for people with mental health (MH) concerns. It can be challenging to treat MH in EDs, and there is little research capturing both patient and provider perspectives of these experiences. We sought to summarize the evidence on ED care experiences for people with MH concerns in North America, from both patient and provider perspectives. Medline and EMBASE were searched using PRISMA guidelines to identify primary studies. Two reviewers conducted a qualitative assessment of included papers and inductive thematic analysis to identify common emerging themes from patient and provider perspectives. Seventeen papers were included. Thematic analysis revealed barriers and facilitators to optimal ED care, which were organized into three themes each with sub-themes: (1) interpersonal factors, including communication, patient–staff interactions, and attitudes and behaviours; (2) environmental factors, including accommodations, wait times, and restraint use; and (3) system-level factors, including discharge planning, resources and policies, and knowledge and expertise. People with MH concerns and ED healthcare providers (HCPs) share converging perspectives on improving ED connections with community resources and diverging perspectives on the interplay between system-level and interpersonal factors. Examining both perspectives simultaneously can inform improvements in ED care for people with MH concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schizophrenia is a global concern, and, this paper, describes the caring roles of health professionals who are mothers of adult children with schizophrenia. A thematic analysis of data from a doctoral study identified a blending of expertise into an informed care model. Caring roles included: constant carer; coordinator carer; watchful bystander carer; and life coach carer. Previous research has not explored these dual roles. This paper elucidates their responsive approaches and contributions to mothering and caregiving roles. Informed by a fusion of professional and mothering knowledges, their insights into mental health care have been forged by their experiences and is an untapped resource. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Dental regulatory bodies aim to ensure the health and safety of dentists, dental staff patients and the public. An important responsibility during a pandemic is to communicate risk and guidelines for patient care. Limited data exist on the perceptions and experiences of dentists navigating new guidelines for mitigating risk in dental care during the pandemic. The objective of this study was to use a qualitative approach to explore how dentists in Canada experienced and perceived their regulatory bodies' communication about COVID‐19 risks and guidelines during the pandemic. Methods: Participants were Canadian dentists (N = 644) recruited through the email roster of nine provincial dental associations or regulatory bodies. This qualitative analysis was nested within a prospective longitudinal cohort study in which data were collected using online questionnaires at regular intervals from August 2020 to November 2021. To address the objective reported in this paper, a conventional qualitative content analysis method was applied to responses to three open‐ended questions included in the final questionnaire. Results: Participants encountered challenges and frustrations amid the COVID‐19 pandemic, grappling with diverse regulations and communications from dental bodies. While some bodies offered helpful guidance, many participants felt the need for improved communication on guidelines. Dentists urged for expedited, clearer and more frequent updates, expressing difficulty in navigating overwhelming information. Negative views emerged on the vague and unclear communication of COVID‐19 guidelines, contributing to confusion and frustration among participants. Conclusion: As COVID‐19 persists and in planning for future pandemics, these experiential findings will help guide regulatory bodies in providing clear, timely and practical guidelines to protect the health and safety of dentists, dental staff, patients and the public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As uses of plasma-derived medical products increase globally, so does the demand to collect plasma from donors. There is evidence that positive interactions with center staff motivate plasma donors to return. This paper reports on a focused ethnography investigating experiences of nurses and phlebotomists in one of Canadian Blood Services' first source plasma collection center during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants found the transition from whole blood collection to source plasma amid a global pandemic challenging, but they adapted by coming together as a team, and then worked to put the donor experience first. Their experience resonates with scholarship on emotional labor. As blood services worldwide attempt to increase source plasma collection, there is a need to understand care work that nurses and phlebotomists perform on the front-line. This study offers insight into how blood services can support staff in plasma operations by recognizing emotional labor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of ESSACHESS is the property of ESSACHESS and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In response to the growing body of empirical research demonstrating a substantial co-occurrence of intimate partner violence (IPV) and animal abuse, domestic violence shelters are increasingly offering on- or off-site services to care for the pets of abused women accessing shelter services. This paper analyzes all public websites of first-stage shelters in Canada (n = 337) to offer the first examination of what these shelters are communicating about this co-occurrence of abuse and an appraisal of what services are available to survivors with pets. The findings indicate that less than half of the websites mention pets, and only 1% of shelters report offering on-site pet programs. There are significant relationships between websites addressing the role of pets in both safety planning and help-seeking among abused women and the provision of pet shelter services. The paper concludes with suggestions for pet-related information on domestic violence shelter websites in Canada and elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A recent meta-analysis suggested that the majority of young people in contact with the criminal justice system have cognitive and/or communication impairments. Over the past 20 years, recognition of these complex needs has resulted in support measures being put in place in courtrooms across the globe. It is therefore timely to review evidence for the efficacy of these measures., Aims: This scoping review evaluates evidence on support measures employed to facilitate access to court proceedings for individuals with cognition and communication impairments, and considers how this evidence might inform future research and practice., Methods: Research databases were searched for studies that: directly or indirectly involved a population with a form of functional impairment and/or diagnosed neurodevelopmental disorder; and refer to support delivered to remove barriers or support access to courtroom processes., Results: Searches identified 3,318 distinct articles. Following review, 37 papers were identified for inclusion. The papers were published between 1993 and 2019, with the majority being published since 2010 (n = 23). The majority of papers were from the United Kingdom (n = 26); other countries represented were Australia (n = 1), Canada (n = 3), New Zealand (n = 2), UK papers don't necessarily state which countries involved (n = 2) Scotland specifically state Scotland only and the United States (n = 3). No papers met the criteria for an experimental research design., Conclusions: Whilst the high level of need in this population is well established, which support measures are most effective in enabling engagement in court processes is not currently clear. More robust evaluative research is therefore required to establish the most effective methods of support. Despite this lack of evidence regarding outcomes, both young people and professionals generally view support measures favourably. There is an increasing onus on professionals to adapt their practice rather than to support/enhance the cognition and communication skills of young people., (© 2022 The Authors. Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The global community has been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 global pandemic. LGBTQ+ (i.e., lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, etc.) youth may face increased stressors amidst the pandemic given their significant mental and sexual health disparities, pervasive rejection — including quarantining in homes with heightened risk of abuse and victimization, and a lack of access to essential resources. Responsive supports are needed at this time for vulnerable LGBTQ+ youth, particularly tailored mental health supports. This critical reflexive paper will highlight, as qualitative social work researchers and practitioners, the swift response to the needs of vulnerable LGBTQ+ youth across Canada during this pandemic. We provide a transparent account of how we have utilized critical reflexivity, cultivated through qualitative research, to support LGBTQ+ youth. This article will elucidate the importance of critical reflexivity in effectively transitioning essential offline mental health services for LGBTQ+ youth to a technology-mediated mental health affirmative intervention. The aim of this paper is to provide qualitative researchers and practitioners practical direction through important insights gleaned by supporting marginalized LGBTQ+ youth during particularly trying times such as a global pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Engaging with patients about their lived experience of health and illness and their experience within the healthcare system can help inform the provision of care, health policies and health research. In the context of health research, however, operationalizing the levels of patient engagement is not straightforward. We suggest that a key challenge to the routine inclusion of patients as partners in health research is a lack of tangible guidance regarding how this can be accomplished., Methods: In this article, we provide guidance on how to codesign and operationalize a concrete patient engagement plan for any health research project., Results: We illustrate a seven-step approach using the example of a national clinical trial in Canada and provide a patient engagement planning template for use in any health research project., Conclusion: Such concrete guidance should improve the design and reporting of patient engagement in health research., Patient or Public Contribution: The De-Implementing Wisely Research group is informed by a national 9-member patient partner council (PPC). The research team includes three lead patient partners who are coinvestigators on the grant that funds the program of research. Members of the council advise on all aspects of the study design and implementation. The ideas presented in this paper were informed by regular communication and planning with the PPC; specific contributions of lead patient partner authors are outlined as follows: Brian Johnston, Susan Goold and Vanessa Francis are patient partners with a wide breadth of experience in the healthcare system and health research projects. The guidance in this article draws on their lived and professional expertise. All patient partner authors contributed to the planning of the manuscript, participated in meetings to develop content and provided critical manuscript edits and comments on drafts., (© 2021 The Authors. Health Expectations published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Although previous research studies have defined several prognostic factors that affect cognitive‐communication performance in patients with all traumatic brain injury (TBI) severity, little is known about what variables are associated with cognitive‐communication impairment in complicated mild TBI (mTBI) specifically. Aims: To determine which demographic and trauma‐related factors are associated with cognitive‐communication performance in the early recovery phase of acute care following a complicated mTBI. Methods & Procedures: Demographic and accident‐related data as well as the scores on cognitive‐communication skill measures in the areas of auditory comprehension (complex ideational material subtest of the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination), verbal reasoning (verbal absurdities subtest of the Detroit Test of Learning Aptitude), confrontation naming (short form of the Boston Naming Test), verbal fluency (semantic category and letter category naming), and conversational discourse (conversational checklist of the Protocole Montréal d'évaluation de la communication) were retrospectively collected from the medical records of 128 patients with complicated mTBI admitted to a tertiary care trauma hospital. Multiple linear regressions analyses were carried out on the variables sex, age, education level, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, lesion site and bilingualism. Outcomes & Results: Females performed better than males on letter‐category naming, while those more advanced in age performed worse on most cognitive‐communication measures. Patients with higher education achieved better confrontation and letter‐category naming, whereas reading comprehension results were worse with a lower GCS score. Bilingual individuals presented more difficulty in conversational discourse skills than those who spoke only one language. In terms of site of lesion, the presence of a right frontal injury was associated with worse auditory and reading comprehension and an occipital lesion was related to worse confrontation naming. Conclusions & Implications: Cognitive‐communication skills should be evaluated early in all patients with complicated mTBI, but especially in those who are advanced in age, those with fewer years of education and those who present with lower GCS scores, in order to determine rehabilitation needs. The findings of this study will allow acute care clinicians to better understand how various demographic and injury‐related factors affect cognitive‐communication skills after complicated mTBI and to better nuance the interpretation of their evaluation results in order to improve clinical care. Further study is required regarding the influence of lesion location, sex and bilingualism following complicated mTBI. What this paper addsWhat is already known on the subjectIn early acute recovery studies including all severity of TBI, cognitive‐communication performance was poorer in individuals with more advanced age, those with fewer years of education and with more severe TBI. It is not yet known which demographic and injury‐related variables predict cognitive‐communication performance after a complicated mTBI specifically.What this paper adds to existing knowledgeWe confirmed that age, level of education and TBI severity, as measured with the GCS score, were associated with some areas of cognitive‐communication performance for a group of patients in the acute stage of recovery from a complicated mTBI. We also identified that sex, bilingualism and site of lesion were new variables that show an influence on aspects of cognitive‐communication skills in this group of patients.What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?The findings of this study on prognostic factors in the case of complicated mTBI will help acute care clinicians to better understand evaluation results knowing the variables that can influence cognitive‐communication performance and to nuance the interpretation of these results with the goal of determining rehabilitation needs and enhancing clinical care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online platforms can support health and educational professionals in their daily work; however, it is challenging to keep online platforms sustainable. This paper aims to indicate the most important factors of platform sustainability from the perspective of professionals involved in online platforms. Further, it aims to understand how these factors operate. A mixed methods study was carried out among professionals from Europe, Australia, the USA and Canada. In the first phase, the importance of 54 factors from the literature was assessed with a questionnaire among 17 professionals. The relative importance of the factors and the consensus regarding this importance were calculated using median scores and interquartile deviations. In total, 19 factors were selected representing general characteristics, characteristics related to the platform, communication, visitor and context. In the second phase, insight was gained regarding the experiences with those factors through 12 individual Skype interviews. The most frequently mentioned important factors of platform sustainability were (i) having sufficient time, resources and expertise, (ii) user friendliness and (iii) creating a sense of belonging. Platforms should use a planned approach to address a combination of factors directly from platform development. Gaining long-term resources is challenging and should be considered from the start of a project by building partnerships. To promote user friendliness, platforms should be simple, have a clear set-up and provide high-quality tools. Finally, establishing a sense of belonging could be supported by branding and face-to-face networking activities. For all aspects, involving visitors and stakeholders is essential., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press.)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to determine the extent of online communication by festivals regarding their sustainability practices using Cultivation Theory as the framework to determine perceived value creation. Design/methodology/approach: A mixed method approach was utilized to achieve data triangulation through a content analysis of websites, content analysis of social media sites as well as interviews. Findings: Findings indicated that 64% of festivals did not communicate any sustainable practices through their websites and only 6% communicated via social media. The most common sustainability practices communicated were waste management and sustainable transportation, yet few festivals engaged in effective, consistent and sufficient marketing of initiatives to festivalgoers. Best practice festivals (having communicated 5.47 initiatives or more) were found to have been significantly more likely than non-best practice festivals to be music festivals and have been in operation longer. Best practice festivals were also more likely than non-best practice festivals to have sustainability engrained into their corporate philosophy via a communicated sustainable vision and mission. Interviews revealed that most festivals did not have a designated role responsible for all sustainable initiatives and the responsibility was often taken on by volunteers or festival organizers. Festival organizers that communicated sustainability initiatives efficiently, consistently, and sufficiently perceived these efforts to benefit the festivals value amongst festivalgoers and host communities. Propensity to communicate sustainability initiatives was found to have been impacted by awareness, categorization, timing, policy and funding. Research limitations/implications: While the findings are limited to the country of Canada and the extent of communication on websites and social media platforms as well as those festivals who participated, interviews helped to overcome these limitations as they gained an understanding of what was undertaken but not necessarily communicated. Practical implications: The findings generated from this study could be used as a guide for establishing a benchmark for festivals regarding sustainable communication as well as strategies for overall corporate responsibility. Content regarding sustainability at festivals is scarce, as is information on festival communication. As a result, this paper seeks to understand the sustainable initiatives that are being communicated by festivals. Originality/value: This is the first time Cultivation Theory was used within a tourism context and may be a useful tool to determine value creation. Through Cultivation Theory, festival organizers believed to have the ability to impact perceived value of the festival by implementing efficient, consistent and sufficient communication of sustainability initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous peoples throughout the world, despite being known to suffer from increased risk of stroke and traumatic brain injury (TBI), are marginalised in terms of access to rehabilitation services and have poorer health outcomes than non-indigenous peoples. Speech-language pathology services for indigenous people with aphasia have rarely been discussed in either clinical or research fora in this field, with few guidelines available for clinicians when working with indigenous clients, families, and communities. Exploiting the broad input gathered through the collective problem-solving of a focus group, the paper integrates the input of a group of practitioners and researchers at an international roundtable held in 2016 to generate a "declaration" of issues that need to be addressed regarding aphasia services for indigenous clients with aphasia. The paper aims to promote a transformative approach to service delivery that is driven by decolonizing attitudes and practices, and acknowledges historical, sociopolitical, linguistic, and family contexts as a framework for understanding indigenous clients with aphasia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online platforms can support health and educational professionals in their daily work; however, it is challenging to keep online platforms sustainable. This paper aims to indicate the most important factors of platform sustainability from the perspective of professionals involved in online platforms. Further, it aims to understand how these factors operate. A mixed methods study was carried out among professionals from Europe, Australia, the USA and Canada. In the first phase, the importance of 54 factors from the literature was assessed with a questionnaire among 17 professionals. The relative importance of the factors and the consensus regarding this importance were calculated using median scores and interquartile deviations. In total, 19 factors were selected representing general characteristics, characteristics related to the platform, communication, visitor and context. In the second phase, insight was gained regarding the experiences with those factors through 12 individual Skype interviews. The most frequently mentioned important factors of platform sustainability were (i) having sufficient time, resources and expertise, (ii) user friendliness and (iii) creating a sense of belonging. Platforms should use a planned approach to address a combination of factors directly from platform development. Gaining long-term resources is challenging and should be considered from the start of a project by building partnerships. To promote user friendliness, platforms should be simple, have a clear set-up and provide high-quality tools. Finally, establishing a sense of belonging could be supported by branding and face-to-face networking activities. For all aspects, involving visitors and stakeholders is essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing interest in English-speaking jurisdictions, including Australia, North America, Canada, the United Kingdom and New Zealand, about the prevention of sexual abuse perpetrated by children against other children. The aim of this review was to identify opportunities for research, policy and practice which could enhance the prevention agenda relating to the perpetration of sexual abuse by children through conducting a Critical Interpretive Synthesis. Eleven electronic databases were searched in the period from 22 April to 23 May 2013 and included: SocINDEX, Social Services Abstracts, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts, Family and Society Studies Worldwide, Project Muse, PsychINFO, Family and Society Plus, Jstor, Expanded Academic ASAP, Web of Science and Google Scholar. Key individual journals were also searched, including Child Abuse and Neglect and the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, as well as the grey literature. The search was guided by the research question: How could the prevention agenda relating to sexual abuse perpetrated by children be enhanced? The systematic literature search yielded 3323 titles, and 34 of these papers were included in the final synthesis. The authors identified five domains operating in the evidence base: characteristics, causes, communications, interventions and treatments. A synthesising construct emerged from the review: prevention-enhancing interactions. This construct referred to the potential for enhancing the prevention agenda which exists as the evidence domains interact with one another, and with the public health model of prevention. The authors consider this review to be a timely contribution to the current agenda pertaining to sexual abuse perpetrated by children. It provides researchers, policy makers and practitioners in the field with an evidence-informed conceptualisation of opportunities for enhancing prevention work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communication between health professionals and patients is an intergroup phenomenon where the health professional has the most power and status. Over the past few decades, there has been a steady increase in the availability to patients of information about healthcare and specific diseases on the Internet. In this paper, we ask whether the use of Internet health information assists patients to manage their consultations with health professionals better and whether it alters the intergroup dynamic by providing a more equal status for patients. In this study 370 participants from Australia and Canada completed a survey that included a 'willingness to communicate with health professionals' scale. They also commented on their use and trust of Internet health information. Thematic analysis suggests that patients' use of Internet health information serves as a broker between patients and their health provider in health consultations. We discuss the implications of these findings for health practitioners as they address how easier Internet access influences patient interactions with health professionals. We consider future research directions these finding provide in explaining communication behaviour in this context.

Introduction: With governments worldwide reducing their involvement in the provision of institutional long‐term elder care, community‐based family caregivers (FCs) have become a key element in policies aimed at improving the quality of healthcare systems and maintaining their financial sustainability. This paper uses data from focus groups with FCs providing care to older adults to describe their approaches to and priorities for achieving care quality and sustainability as they work with formal health and social care systems. It describes FCs' views on information and communications technology (ICT) as potential supports for achieving these care quality and sustainability goals. Methods: We held 10 focus groups from May 2017 to August 2018 and recruited 25 FCs through a mix of convenience and snowball sampling strategies. We employed an inductive approach and used qualitative thematic content analysis methods to examine and interpret the resulting data. We used NVIVO 12 software for data analysis. Results: Quality of care – as delivered by both FCs themselves, and formal health and social care systems – was a major preoccupation for our participants. They saw communications quality as a key aspect of the broader concept of care quality. Our data analysis produced a typology of communications quality from the FC perspective. Analysis of our data also revealed ICT development opportunities and available products in key areas. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the formal care system providers could be more caregiver‐oriented in their communications by engaging FCs in the decision‐making process and allowing them to express their own concerns and goals. The implication of our findings for those seeking to develop policies and ICT products in support of FCs is that these should focus on human relationships and seek to expand facilitative communications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Increasing numbers of primary care practitioners in refugee resettlement countries are providing care to refugees. Access to trained interpreters is a priority for these practitioners, but there are many barriers to the implementation of interpreted consultations in routine care. There is a lack of international, theoretically informed research. The purpose of this paper is to understand barriers to interpreter use in primary care consultations in four resettlement countries using Normalisation Process Theory. Method: We conducted a cross-sectional online survey with networks of primary care practitioners (PCPs) who care for refugees in Australia, Canada, Ireland and the US (n = 314). We analysed qualitative data from the survey about barriers to interpreter use (n = 178). We completed an inductive thematic analysis, iteratively developed a Normalisation Process Theory (NPT)-informed coding frame and then mapped the emergent findings onto the theory's construct about enacting interpreted consultations. Results: In all four countries, the use of an interpreter presented communication and interaction challenges between providers and patients, which can impede the goals of primary care consultations. Primary care practitioners did not always have confidence in interpreted consultations and described poor professional practice by some interpreters. There was variation across countries, and inconsistency within countries, in the availability of trained interpreters and funding sources. Conclusion: There are shared and differential barriers to implementation of interpreted consultations in a consistent and sustained way in the four countries studied. These findings can be used to inform country-specific and international level policies and interventions focusing on improving skills and resources for interpreted consultations to improve implementation of interpreted primary care consultations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been well documented that forms of media help create new communities, such as the public sphere and the nation. However, the origin of one major political institution has rarely been considered in this light: the political party. This paper brings together the theory on early party formation in North America and the theory on mediated communities to argue that the first public political organizations in Canada, which resembled modern parties in many ways, should be seen as constituted by the media. The paper presents the case of Upper Canada (1820–1841) where newspaper distribution linked partisans into new communities, and editors and politicians ‘imagined’ new political communities in the pages of their newspapers. Modern political parties should thus be seen as essentially mediated communities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Public health and governmental organizations are expected to provide guidance to the public on emerging health issues in accessible formats. It is, therefore, important to examine how such organizations are discussing cannabis online and the information that is being provided to the public about this increasingly legal and available substance., Methods: This paper presents a concise thematic analysis of both the volume and content of cannabis-related health information from selected (n = 13) national-level public health and governmental organizations in Canada and the U.S. on Twitter., Results: There were eight themes identified in Tweets including 1) health-related topics; 2) legalization and legislation; 3) research on cannabis; 4) special populations; 5) driving and cannabis; 6) population issues; 7) medical cannabis, and 8) public health issues. The majority of cannabis-related Tweets from the organizations studied came from relatively few organizations and there were substantial differences between the topics covered by U.S. and Canadian organizations. The organizations studied provided limited information regarding how to use cannabis in ways that will minimize health-related harms., Conclusions: Authoritative organizations that deal with public health may consider designing timely social media communications with emerging cannabis-related information, to benefit a general public otherwise exposed to primarily pro-cannabis content on Twitter.

Background: Although patient-centred care has become increasingly important across all medical specialties, when it comes to end of life care, research has shown that treatments ordered are not often concordant with people's expressed preferences. Patient and family engagement in Advance Care Planning (ACP) in the primary care setting could improve the concordance between patients' wishes and the healthcare received when patients cannot speak for themselves. The aim of this study was to better understand the barriers faced by older patients regarding talking to their family members and family physicians about ACP. Methods: In this multi-site cross-sectional study, three free text questions regarding reasons patients found it difficult to discuss ACP with their families or their family physicians were part of a self-administered questionnaire about patients' knowledge of and engagement in ACP. The questionnaire, which included closed ended questions followed by three probing open ended questions, was distributed in 20 family practices across 3 provinces in Canada. The free text responses were analyzed using thematic analysis and form the basis of this paper. Results: One hundred two participants provided an analyzable response to the survey when asked why they haven't talked to someone about ACP. Two hundred fifty-four answered the question about talking to their physician and 340 answered the question about talking to family members. Eight distinct themes emerged from the free text response analysis: 1. They were too young for ACP; 2. The topic is too emotional; 3. The Medical Doctor (MD) should be responsible for bringing up ACP 4. A fear of negatively impacting the patient-physician relationship; 5. Not enough time in appointments; 6. Concern about family dynamics; 7. It's not a priority; and 8. A lack of knowledge about ACP. Conclusions: Patients in our sample described many barriers to ACP discussions, including concerns about the effect these discussions may have on relationships with both family members and family physicians, and issues relating to patients' knowledge and interpretation of the importance, responsibility for, or relevance of ACP itself. Family physicians may be uniquely placed to leverage the longitudinal, person- centred relationship they have with patients to mitigate some of these barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vaccine hesitancy (the reluctance to accept recommended vaccines) is a complex issue that poses risk communication challenges for public health authorities and clinicians. Studies have shown that providing too much evidence on vaccine safety and efficacy to those who are vaccine-hesitant has done little to stem the growth of hesitancy-related beliefs and fears. The objective of this paper is to describe good practices in developing communication materials to address vaccine hesitancy. An inventory of vaccination communication materials in Canada was assessed according to the Council of Canadian Academies Expert Panel on Health Product Risk Communication Evaluation (2015). Many of the current communication products could be improved to better align with evidence-based risk communication best practices. Five best practices were identified. First, identify target audience and establish trust. Second, provide both the risks and benefits of vaccination, as most people are looking for balanced information. Third, give the facts before addressing the myths. Fourth, use visual aids. Fifth, test communication material prior to launch. Applying these best practices to current or future communication products will help vaccine providers (including physicians, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, public health professionals) to develop communication materials that are sensitive to the complex ways that people process and value information and thus more likely to optimize vaccine uptake in their communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While it is generally recognized that nurses and nursing issues are underrepresented in the media, the contrary is also true during major public health care crises like Ebola and SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). We see this phenomenon unfolding in the midst of the current COVID-19 pandemic with nurses and nursing issues receiving extensive media coverage in Canada and internationally. To gain more insights into this media coverage, we analyzed the content of Canadian news stories published in both English and French during the first five months of the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper presents the findings of our analysis and identifies important lessons learned. We believe that our findings serve as an important starting point for understanding nurses' agency and the media savviness they displayed during the first months of the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Providing supportive care to long‐term care residents with complex medical conditions generates substantial amounts of health information. This information must be documented, shared and acted upon by the various care providers within the circle of care. Objectives: The purpose of this scoping review is to describe the current digital health information exchange (HIE) processes used within Canadian long‐term care facilities (LTCFs). Methods: The scoping review followed Arksey and O′Malley's approach to the methodology. Electronic databases (e.g. CINAHL, MEDLINE and SCOPUS) were searched between 2010 and 2020 using terms including 'health information exchange', 'communication' and 'health information technology'. Articles were included if they were Canadian‐based and relevant to our definition of health information exchange. Results: The search yielded 2091 citations for title and abstract screening; 78 citations were selected for independent full‐text review, 42 of those met study criteria. The findings revealed gaps between the expectations of HIE for quality health care and the realities of HIE processes that impact the provision of care in long‐term care. Conclusions: We conclude that increased provider engagement and effective use of HIE processes is recommended to improve the safety and quality of health care in the long‐term care sector. Implications for Practice: HIE implementation should be preceded a review of various aspects of workflow to identify information gaps and inefficiencies that can be addressed by digitization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author reflects on the strategic direction for the journal in the short and long term, focusing on its commitment to the indigenous peoples of Canada, the release of its revised Equity and Justice joint position statement, and its priority on its structure and brand.

Aphasia is an acquired communication disorder caused by a cerebral lesion, such as a stroke. People with aphasia can experience various difficulties that may involve speaking, listening, reading, or writing. These difficulties have multiple impacts on their expression of their needs, interests, and opinions. Accordingly, people with aphasia often encounter barriers and facilitators when using local services, which reduces their participation. For instance, grocery shopping or going to a coffee house can be challenging for them. Hence, this systematic review was conducted to synthetize the barriers and facilitators for people with aphasia when using local services. Following the Enhancing Transparency in Reporting the Synthesis of Qualitative Research guidelines, five databases and Google Scholar were searched for the literature published through April 2024. A total of nine studies were included in the present work. The results highlight that most of the barriers to communicational access to local services are environmental ones related to other people or society. A few environmental facilitators were mentioned, but these were mainly a reflection of the barriers. Personal facilitators were noted, but people with aphasia said that they were insufficient for counterbalancing environmental barriers. The results highlight the need to raise awareness of aphasia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Children with motor disorders can have difficulties in producing accurate and consistent movements for speech, gesture or facial expression (or a combination of these), making their communication difficult to understand. Parents may be offered training to help recognise and interpret their child's signals and to stimulate their children's development of new communication skills., Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of parent-mediated communication interventions, compared to no intervention, treatment as usual or clinician-mediated interventions, for improving the communication skills of preschool children up to five years of age who have non-progressive motor disorders., Search Methods: We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, 12 other databases and three trials registers in July 2017. We also searched the reference lists of relevant papers and reviews, and contacted experts working in the field to find unpublished studies., Selection Criteria: We included studies that used randomised or quasi-randomised designs; compared a parent-mediated communication intervention with no treatment, treatment as usual or clinician-mediated therapy; and included children with non-progressive motor disorders up to five years of age., Data Collection and Analysis: We used the standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane., Main Results: This review included two randomised controlled trials involving 38 children (20 boys, 18 girls), aged 15 to 96 months, and their mothers. All children had developmental disabilities; 10 had motor disorders, but it was unclear if these motor disorders affected their gestural, vocal or verbal communication. Mothers attended eight group training sessions over 11 to 12 weeks and received two or three home visits. Outcomes were assessed immediately after training. We found no report of longer-term follow-up. One study took place at an intervention centre in Canada and the other in South Korea.Both studies recruited small numbers of participants from single centres. Since it is not possible to blind participants attending or therapists providing training to group allocation, we considered both studies to be at high risk of performance bias. We also rated one study at high risk of attrition bias, and both studies at low risk of reporting bias.There was very low-quality evidence for all outcomes assessed. There was no evidence of an effect of training for children's initiation of conversation or engagement in joint attention during interaction with their mothers. Mothers who received training became more responsive to their children's communication, but there were no differences in the extent to which they controlled conversation by directing their children. Missing data meant that we were unable to evaluate the effects of training on children's frequency of communication, frequency of spoken language in conversation, speech production, or receptive or expressive language development. There were no effects on maternal stress. We found no reports of the effects of parent training on children's use of individual communication skills, such as asking questions or providing information, on their generic participation or adverse outcomes. Neither did we find reports of mothers' satisfaction with treatment, its acceptability or their compliance with it., Authors' Conclusions: There is only limited, very low quality evidence that parent-mediated communication interventions may be associated with improvements in interaction between mothers and their preschool children who have motor disorders. The indirectness of the study samples and high risk of bias in the included the studies significantly limits our confidence in the evidence, as do issues with study design and lack of detail in results. It is not clear if training has been tested with children whose motor disorders limit the consistency and accuracy of movements underpinning spoken or gestural communication. Some speech and language therapists currently provide communication training for parents. Further research, with larger numbers of children whose movement disorders affect their speech and gestures, coupled with detailed reporting of children's baseline skills, is needed to test whether communication training for parents can help them to promote the communication development of their young children with movement disorders.

Purpose: The life expectancy for persons with intellectual disabilities (ID) has increased significantly, resulting in an increasing number of aging persons with ID. To promote healthy and active aging of persons with ID, discussions on new initiatives to design age-friendly communities have begun at local and international levels. The purpose of this paper, a qualitative research study, is to identify features of an age-friendly community, and facilitators and barriers from the perspectives of older adults with mild ID and their caregivers who live in the city of Winnipeg in Canada. Design/methodology/approach: Seven older persons with mild ID were interviewed, and 15 caregivers participated in focus group discussions. All participants were asked questions about features of community living and their experiences in eight broad topic areas (i.e. transportation, housing, social participation, respect and social inclusion, opportunities for community involvement, communication and information, community support and healthcare services, and outdoor spaces and buildings). Findings: The results indicated that many of the current features of the city of Winnipeg do not adequately address the needs of aging persons with ID; specifically, participants revealed that issues related to accessibility, social participation, social disrespect and inclusion, and lack of resources were important barriers to independence. Originality/value: The findings will increase awareness of the needs of aging persons with ID and inform programme planning, service delivery, coordination of community-based services and policies to support healthy and active aging for this vulnerable population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how formal navigators interpret their roles supporting families of older adults.Design/methodology/approach This study was an interpretive inquiry informed by critical gerontology and discourse analytic methods. Interview data were collected and analyzed from 22 formal service providers who helped older adults and their families navigate health and social care resources in one Western Canadian city.Findings Although acknowledging structural barriers to service access, participants emphasized individual empowerment as their dominant strategy, interpreting their roles as providing information and education about services. In part, these interpretations may reflect the limited nature of their ability to help broker access or advocate; in part, they may also reflect the broader political and economic discourses surrounding care in Canada.Research limitations/implications When providers position navigation and access to care as individual problems, this can obscure structural burden as well as potential inequities among older adults. Future research should examine whether navigational role interpretations are similar or different to those of navigators in other regions. Navigators in other health and social care contexts may enact differing meanings in their work.Practical implications Although formal public navigators can play an important role, approaches that go beyond providing information may better meet families' needs for support.Originality/value This is one of the first studies focused specifically on providers' interpretations of the meaning of navigational work in health and social care for older adults, and to extend a critical gerontological gaze toward the issue of system navigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose People experiencing homelessness are high-users of hospital care in Canada. To better understand the scope of the issue, and how these patients are discharged from hospital, a national survey of key stakeholders was conducted in 2017. The paper aims to discuss this issue.Design/methodology/approach The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness distributed an online survey to their network of members through e-mail and social media. A sample of 660 stakeholders completed the mixed-methods survey, including those in health care, non-profit, government, law enforcement and academia.Findings Results indicate that hospitals and homelessness sector agencies often struggle to coordinate care. The result is that these patients are usually discharged to the streets or shelters and not into housing or housing with supports. The health care and homelessness sectors in Canada are currently structured in a way that hinders collaborative transfers of patient care. The three primary and inter-related gaps raised by survey participants were: communication, privacy and systems pressures.Research limitations/implications The findings are limited to those who voluntarily completed the survey and may indicate self-selection bias. Results are limited to professional stakeholders and do not reflect patient views.Practical implications Identifying systems gaps from the perspective of those who work within health care and homelessness sectors is important for supporting system reforms.Originality/value This survey was the first to collect nationwide stakeholder data on homelessness and hospital discharge in Canada. The findings help inform policy recommendations for more effective systems alignment within Canada and internationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper will demonstrate how the 'museum of memories,' as Pier 21 is often called, refers not only to the memories rooted in the permanent exhibit, but also to those that permeate the site itself. This research examines the relationship between the Pier 21 museum and those who immigrated to Canada through the Pier 21 site. It will be shown how the vibrant community of immigrants that formed at the historic site have had a central role in the Pier 21 Society and the operation of the museum ever since - serving as volunteers, staff, board members, and oral history interviewees. The visible presence of immigrants has enhanced the in-situ experience of visitors to the museum, who hear first-hand accounts of what it was like to arrive at Pier 21. Pier 21 has, in many ways, harnessed the affective power of both the physical site and the source community whose stories animate the exhibition through their active presence and whose participation will be examined. Pier 21 also continues to have a sustained relationship with new immigrants to Canada in order to connect the past and present. In 2009, the museum gained national status and is now attempting to balance the story of Pier 21 while alsofulfilling their mandate to represent all of Canadian immigration history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Communication between the nurse and the patient is recognized as an important component of care that fosters the creation of therapeutic relationships, yet it is seen as a major shortcoming in intensive care units (ICUs). In this paper the authors explore the diverse factors that affect nursing practices with regard to nurse-patient communication. Purpose: 1) To encourage nurses to reflect on how they communicate with patients in their current practice. 2) To contribute to an ongoing, open discussion regarding nurse-to-patient communication within the critical care setting. 3) To increase awareness and understanding of Gottlieb's (2013) Strengths-Based strategies for nurse-to-patient communication. Methods: Subjective information about nursing perspectives on communication practices were obtained through informal discussions with critical care nurses in Montreal, Canada and were then compared to the existing literature. Results: Data was gathered from nineteen ICU nurses; 63% of the participants stated that they believed nurse-to-patient communication was inadequate on their units. Through analysis of the data, challenges to communication were identified as well as suggestions to overcome these barriers. Factors affecting communication were found to exist in four domains: the system, the team, the nurse and the patient. Conclusion: Communication plays an integral role in nursing care but is often neglected in lieu of more technical and medical care. In response to the findings, strengths-based approaches to communicate vital information to patients are proposed. In response to this paper, further evaluation and implementation 0) communication strategies to improve nurse-to-patient communication within the ICU setting may be practised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research pertaining to the experiences and motives of Paralympic athletes who transfer between sports is scant. This study aimed to address this gap through semistructured interviews with Canadian Paralympic coaches (n = 35) and athletes (n = 12). Three higher-order themes of "alternative to retirement," "career extension," and "compatibility" were identified. The subthemes of "psychobehavioral" and "physical and physiological" (from the higher-order theme of alternative to retirement) captured reasons leading to transfer, which are similar to reasons athletes may consider retirement. The subthemes of career extension—"better opportunities" and "beneficial outcomes"—shed light on factors that contributed to the withdrawal of negative experiences and reinforcement of positive outcomes associated with transferring sports. Last, compatibility had three subthemes of "resources," "sport-specific," and "communication," which encapsulated factors athletes should consider prior to their transfer. In conclusion, the participants highlighted the importance of transparent and effective communication between athletes and sports to align and establish realistic expectations for everyone involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work-integrated learning (WIL) experiences rely heavily on the development of relationships between the university, industry and often community organizations. As participation in WIL is increasing, the issue of sustainability becomes paramount, requiring processes and practices for effective collaborations and partnerships. This paper reports on an action research project to develop a framework to represent the critical success factors for sustainable WIL relationships. Drawing on reflections from WIL practitioners on what they considered were the critical success factors and a review of literature, a framework was developed, prioritizing three key themes: communication, commitment and compatibility. Within these themes, nine key factors were identified and then evaluated by academic and industry stakeholders in New Zealand, Canada and Australia. Trust, expectations, reciprocity, coordination, vision, learning, resources, reputation, and recognition were confirmed as important factors for sustainable WIL relationships. The framework provides good practice guidelines for all WIL stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Purposefully building stronger collaborations between primary care (PC) and public health (PH) is one approach to strengthening primary health care. The purpose of this paper is to report: 1) what systemic factors influence collaborations between PC and PH; and 2) how systemic factors interact and could influence collaboration.Methods: This interpretive descriptive study used purposive and snowball sampling to recruit and conduct interviews with PC and PH key informants in British Columbia (n = 20), Ontario (n = 19), and Nova Scotia (n = 21), Canada. Other participants (n = 14) were knowledgeable about collaborations and were located in various Canadian provinces or working at a national level. Data were organized into codes and thematic analysis was completed using NVivo. The frequency of "sources" (individual transcripts), "references" (quotes), and matrix queries were used to identify potential relationships between factors.Results: We conducted a total of 70 in-depth interviews with 74 participants working in either PC (n = 33) or PH (n = 32), both PC and PH (n = 7), or neither sector (n = 2). Participant roles included direct service providers (n = 17), senior program managers (n = 14), executive officers (n = 11), and middle managers (n = 10). Seven systemic factors for collaboration were identified: 1) health service structures that promote collaboration; 2) funding models and financial incentives supporting collaboration; 3) governmental and regulatory policies and mandates for collaboration; 4) power relations; 5) harmonized information and communication infrastructure; 6) targeted professional education; and 7) formal systems leaders as collaborative champions.Conclusions: Most themes were discussed with equal frequency between PC and PH. An assessment of the system level context (i.e., provincial and regional organization and funding of PC and PH, history of government in successful implementation of health care reform, etc) along with these seven system level factors could assist other jurisdictions in moving towards increased PC and PH collaboration. There was some variation in the importance of the themes across provinces. British Columbia participants more frequently discussed system structures that could promote collaboration, power relations, harmonized information and communication structures, formal systems leaders as collaboration champions and targeted professional education. Ontario participants most frequently discussed governmental and regulatory policies and mandates for collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objectives: Rapid genome-wide sequencing (rGWS) continues to transform the care provided to infants with genetic conditions in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Previous research has demonstrated that rGWS has immense benefits on patient care; however, little is known about non-genetic healthcare providers' (HCPs) experiences and perspectives of working with rGWS and supporting families through the rGWS testing process in Canadian NICU facilities. To address this gap, we surveyed and conducted semi-structured interviews with non-genetic HCPs of diverse professions from NICUs in British Columbia. Methods: An interpretive description approach was used to analyze interview transcripts to identify patterns and variations in non-genetic HCPs' experiences and perceptions with rGWS. Results: Participants had varying degrees of exposure to rGWS and levels of comfort with the testing process. Numerous barriers affecting the implementation of rGWS were identified, including low levels of comprehension of rGWS, longer turn-around times than expected, and having to apply for provincial government approval to access testing. Participants desired more education on rGWS, clear guidelines on the use of rGWS in NICUs, and resources for non-genetic HCPs and parents to support implementation. Conclusions: The results from this study can inform the development of workflows and educational resources on the use of rGWS in NICUs, helping to ensure that the NICU team is supported to optimize rGWS implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]