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Background: Health librarians should keep up-to-date in a dynamic environment and accept the importance of continuing personal development (CPD) and growth in their critical reflection and creative thinking skills. They also need to acknowledge the potential value of research activity and the challenges of ongoing improvement and development. Conference programmes may prove a useful source of stimulation, especially if supplemented by creativity techniques, action research and the ideal of 'finding flow'. Objectives: The article analyses the themes and papers presented at the 10th International Conference on International Medical Librarianship (ICML) to identify opportunities for further research, literature reviews, assessment of practices and services, etc. Methods: Content analysis approach to conference papers and suggestions for further action including supplementing with techniques of creativity and group input. Results: A fairly extensive list of further actions (although not intended to be exhaustive) is suggested for the sixteen conference themes. Although subjective, the list might help to stimulate growth in research on health librarianship and demonstrate how one source of stimulation - conference programmes (regularly presented to medical library communities) - can be used. Conclusions: Content analysis has proven a constructive means of generating research questions from a conference programme. Content analysis and other methods aimed at stimulating creative and progressive thinking, including brainstorming, force field analysis, De Bono's 6 hats, creative swiping and creative visualisation, may prove equally useful and require further investigation. To ensure an ongoing cycle, these can be linked to action research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the methodological processes of a qualitative PhD research project with young people aged between 12 and 17 years who are the primary carer for a family member with physical or mental health problems. The field work was conducted over 2 years in rural Australia and involved one‐on‐one discussions with young carers in their family homes. The research was grounded in post‐structural epistemology that questioned existing literature and challenged the assumptions of childhood on which it is based. Consequently, it sought to pursue a different approach to young carer research, one that adopted a participatory methodology that positioned the young people as co‐researchers. Young people were involved in the design and conduct of the research and the analysis process. This paper critiques the research space, reflecting on what was made possible and what was limited or not fully realised. The paper discusses the tensions between post‐structural theory and participatory methodology that reveal limitations to collaboration between adult researchers and young people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Globally, type 2 diabetes care is often fragmented and still organised in a provider‐centred way, resulting in suboptimal care for many individuals. As healthcare systems seek to implement digital care innovations, it is timely to reassess stakeholders' priorities to guide the redesign of diabetes care. This study aimed to identify the needs and wishes of people with type 2 diabetes, and specialist and primary care teams regarding optimal diabetes care to explore how to better support people with diabetes in a metropolitan healthcare service in Australia. Methods: Our project was guided by a Participatory Design approach and this paper reports part of the first step, identification of needs. We conducted four focus groups and 16 interviews (November 2019–January 2020) with 17 adults with type 2 diabetes and seven specialist clinicians from a diabetes outpatient clinic in Brisbane, Australia, and seven primary care professionals from different clinics in Brisbane. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, building on the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation and Behaviour model. Results: People with diabetes expressed the wish to be equipped, supported and recognised for their efforts in a holistic way, receive personalised care at the right time and improved access to connected services. Healthcare professionals agreed and expressed their own burden regarding their challenging work. Overall, both groups desired holistic, personalised, supportive, proactive and coordinated care pathways. Conclusions: We conclude that there is an alignment of the perceived needs and wishes for improved diabetes care among key stakeholders, however, important gaps remain in the healthcare system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background While inclusive research has become an important stream in research with people with intellectual disabilities, there is a tension between the possibly empowering research process and the strength of the research itself to make social change happen. In this paper, we explore the contribution of two inclusive qualitative research studies in Australia and the Republic of Ireland to change in policy and legislation. Materials and methods Both studies used qualitative methods including life stories and focus groups to explore the issue of sexuality and relationships. In both studies, people with intellectual disabilities were actively involved in undertaking the research. Results Both studies revealed that it was difficult for people with intellectual disabilities to express their sexuality openly or to form adult relationships. Conclusions Both studies were used by people with intellectual disabilities and their supporters to promote change in which they had a heard voice. Accessible Abstract This paper is about how people with intellectual disabilities and their supporters can use research which they have done to change policies and laws that affect them. When people with intellectual disabilities are doing research it is called inclusive research.We write about two research studies which were about the sexual lives and relationships of people with intellectual disabilities. One research study was in Australia and one was in the Republic of Ireland.In the Australian study, Living Safer Sexual Lives, 25 people with intellectual disabilities told their life stories and talked about sexuality and relationships.In the Irish study people with intellectual disabilities told life stories and talked with other people with intellectual disabilities about their sexuality and relationships in groups. These are called focus groups.In this paper we explore 4 questions that arose from these studies. Question 1. What impact does doing research have on the people who are involved in it? People with intellectual disabilities in Australia were members of the group that guided the research. They were partners in its design, in deciding what questions should be asked about sexuality and relationships., and thinking about what was found out. They became involved in making films about the study. They learned a lot about research, sexuality and relationships and became members of a government committee to change policy about sexuality and people with disabilities. In Ireland people with intellectual disabilities involved in doing the research talked together about their lives. They then talked with 16 groups of people with intellectual disabilities about their relationships and sexuality. They learned about research and about sexuality and developed plays about their experiences., Question 2. To what extent can inclusive research change policy and practice? In Australia the research led to a change in government policy about sexuality and people with disabilities. The new policy clearly stated people with disabilities had rights to relationships and to a sexual life. It set out rights and responsibilities for people with intellectual disabilities and service providers about relationships and sexuality. It took a long time to get a change in policy and people with intellectual disabilities were part of the getting the change to happen. In Ireland there is a law which says that it is illegal to have some forms of sex with people with intellectual disabilities. From the research people with intellectual disabilities became involved in talking with government about changing this law so that it gives them more rights to a sexual life. The law has not changed yet but the voices of people with intellectual disabilities are now being heard., Question 3 When does research shift into being advocacy? How does this happen? People with intellectual disabilities in both studies became advocates to get change to happen. Partly this was because they had become more 'expert' about sexuality and relationships and the policy and law. They were angry at what they had found out in the research and wanted to get change to happen., Question 4 What added value does including people with intellectual disabilities as researchers give to the research? People with intellectual disabilities had knowledge and experience that made it possible for the research in both Australia and Ireland to happen. They were important in how the research was done and what was done with it after it was finished. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws from interviews with 45 mothers and 52 children who participated in an action research project to develop activities to support women and children in the aftermath of domestic violence. A thematic analysis was used to analyse the data and explore the question: In what ways does the perpetrator of abuse remain present in the lives of women and children following separation? The paper invites workers to recognize the distortions created by domestic violence that may need to be identified and addressed in the aftermath of violence. The ways in which past trauma, erosion of self‐esteem and the undermining of the mother–child relationship continues to create a shadow across the present relationship are identified. The continued presence of the perpetrator of abuse through child contact arrangements and ongoing harassment is also highlighted. The ‘absent presence’ of the abusive partner is posited as a concept to assist workers with a framework through which to understand problems in the mother–child relationship which emerge when living with and separating from a violent partner. The paper has implications for social workers orientating practice to focus on perpetrator accountability and support strengthening the mother–child relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In the aftermath of fires which swept through a regional community in 2013, community leaders were thrust, unprepared, into the disaster recovery arena. The objective of this research was to investigate the subsequent lived experience of these community leaders and, based on this information, develop a guide to meet the challenges for their personal preparation in the context of disaster. Design: Ethical approval for the overarching Community Connections project was provided by Charles Sturt University (H2014073). The project design was informed by an interpretivist paradigm and the methodology embraced participatory action research and thus engaged community members and leaders as research partners. This paper reports on the community leader component of the overarching project. Setting: Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia. Participants: There were 7 interview participants in both 2014 and 2018; 5 participated in both years. Participants were either managers of a local non‐government organisation, peak body, school, emergency service or large relief organisation with a local presence. Main outcome measure: The development of a guide for the personal preparation of community leaders. Results: The stress of community leaders escalated after the disaster, resulting in a debilitating blurring of professional and personal boundaries, heightened demand on personal knowledge, networking relationships and communication strategies. Conclusion: The guide is practical and far reaching; the researchers could not locate anything similar to guide community leaders in their personal planning and preparation for work in disaster recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Internationally, cultural factors are associated with vaccine uptake and completion in ethnic minority communities. Whilst Australia has achieved high human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, little is known about how culture or ethnicity influences HPV vaccination engagement. To address these gaps, we partnered with our Local Health District to explore how one culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) community engages with school and HPV vaccination. Methods: We adapted a participatory research method (the World Café) to engage one local CALD community—the Macedonian community (Our bi‐cultural researcher and participants preferred the term 'Macedonia' rather than The Republic of North Macedonia as outlined in the 2018 Prespa agreement) in New South Wales (Australia)—to discuss HPV and school vaccination. Our qualitative analysis combined deductive codes taken from the Tailoring Immunization Programme framework, inductive codes guided by narrative inquiry (temporality, sociality and place) and previously known vaccination 'trust' frameworks. Results: In late 2019, 31 local Macedonian community members were purposely recruited for two World Cafés (n = 15 mothers/grandmothers and n = 16 young adults). Our themes reveal a community narrative grounded in historical vaccine experiences, family views on vaccination and a general trust in schools. Participants collectively discussed how 'increasing knowledge' and 'tailoring health communications' could strengthen community vaccine decision‐making. Conclusion: This study demonstrates how research partnerships and participatory methods can be applied in CALD community settings to research engagement with school and HPV vaccination. Our World Café dialogues highlight a positive narrative about vaccines, where community vaccination behaviours were built on multilayer trust relationships despite low vaccine knowledge. Our findings further knowledge around 'public trust' in school vaccination, highlighting the importance of existing (or missing) trust relationships when tailoring vaccine communication to local CALD communities. Patient or Public Contribution: Participants who took part in the World Cafes were all local Macedonian community parents or young adults who have been or will be exposed to the health services offered by school‐based HPV vaccination. Thus, all the data collected came from their personal experiences with the school vaccination programme, or how they expect to participate in the programme. To ensure our study design was culturally appropriate and tailored to the Macedonian community, we engaged with the relevant local health stakeholders (the bi‐cultural Multicultural Health Officer and Multicultural Health Service Manager Programme Director) to adapt and refine the World Café method for this context and setting. Our local health stakeholders also reviewed our preliminary findings, assisted with data interpretation and participated in manuscript editing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper first considers the impacts on children who have experienced domestic and family violence and consequential homelessness. This is followed by an account of an Australian qualitative research project, Safe from the Start, which was designed to identify and form a register of intervention activities and therapeutic play for affected young children aged up to six. The key finding of this innovative applied research, substantiated by the participatory evaluation, is that effective early intervention with such children can be conducted by non-specialised workers and parents, given the right training and tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Men's groups are increasingly being accepted as an important strategy in improving health and well-being, especially in Indigenous communities. However, it is hard to find systematic documentation and evaluation of such initiatives in the literature. This paper analyses the formative stages of a participatory action research (PAR) process which aims to engage and support the members of the Yarrabah Men's Health Group plan, implement and evaluate their activities. Data for the paper are based on a combination of a review of relevant literature, analysis of project documentation, participant observation and discussion and reflection with the participants of the men's group. The paper highlights the importance of (a) using a reflective approach, such as PAR, to engage men's support groups to clearly define the principles and values which both define them and to which they aspire and (b) personal development, education and employment, as a prerequisite for Indigenous men taking greater control and responsibility for their lives. These types of micro-level studies have important implications for the way community development is perceived and approached in Indigenous settings. There are also implications for the roles that academic researchers can play in supporting and adding value to community-driven initiatives to the mutual benefit of both parties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluation of students undertaking fieldwork education placements is a critical process in the health professions. As training programs and practice evolve, systems for assessing students need to be reviewed and updated constantly. In 1995, staff of the occupational therapy training program at the University of Queensland, Australia decided to develop a new tool for assessing student fieldwork performance. Using an action research methodology, a team developed the Student Placement Evaluation Form, a flexible and comprehensive criterion-referenced evaluation tool. The present paper examines action research as an appropriate methodology for considering real-life organisational problems in a systematic and participatory manner. The action research cycles undertaken, including preliminary information gathering, tool development, trial stages and current use of the tool, are detailed in the report. Current and future development of the tool is also described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores staff work patterns in an Australian residential aged care facility and the implications for high‐quality care. Rarely available minute by minute, time and motion, and ethnographic data demonstrate that nurses and care staff engage in high degrees of multitasking and mental switching between residents. Mental switching occurs up to 18 times per hour (every 3 min); multitasking occurs on average for 37 min/h. Labor process theory is used to examine these outcomes and to explore the concepts of high demand and high commitment as core components of work intensification. These conditions of work result in high levels of cognitive burden and stress on staff in managing the multitasking and mental switching, exacerbated by lack of knowledge about residents associated with labor force casualization. These new interpretations of data in relation to mental and manual labor can contribute to understanding, and, therefore, problem solving, in the aged care sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Internationally, the adoption of technology into residential aged care settings has been slow and fraught with multiple challenges for residents, staff and service providers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the acceptability, efficiency, and quality of health information system implementation into aged care. Methods: Three‐stage, mixed‐methods participatory action research, concurrent with the natural experiment of a co‐designed health information system implementation into a 169‐bed aged care home in Australia. Data were collected pre‐, during, and post implementation between 2019 and 2021. Qualitative data included focus groups, interviews, and observations. Quantitative data included work observations, pedometers, record audits, incident reports and staff and resident surveys. There were 162 participants composed of 65 aged care residents, 90 staff, and 7 managers/consultants. Results: Improved work efficiency included reduced staff time searching for information (6%); reduced nurse time on documentation (20.4% to 6.4%), and 25% less steps. Documentation improvement included resident assessments (68% to 96%); resident‐focused goals (56% to 88%) and evaluations (31% to 88%). The staff reported being better equipped to manage the 'delicacies of dignity'. Conclusion: Implementation of a health information system into a residential aged care facility was associated with improved resident‐focused care and staff efficiency. Clinical relevance: Technology can support nurses and care staff to spend more time with residents in residential aged care homes, improve the quality of resident care, and assist meeting regulatory reporting requirements. Flexible and tailored co‐design strategies can enhance both effectiveness and success of technology implementation into residential aged care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To co‐create a culturally responsive student‐implemented allied health service in a First Nations remote community and to determine the feasibility and acceptability of the service. Design: Co‐creation involved a pragmatic iterative process, based on participatory action research approaches. Feasibility and acceptability were determined using a mixed‐method pre/postdesign. Setting: The service was in Nhulunbuy, Yirrkala and surrounding remote First Nations communities of East Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia. Participants: Co‐creation of the service was facilitated by the Northern Australia Research Network, guided by Indigenous Allied Health Australia leadership, with East Arnhem local community organisations and community members. Co‐creation of the day‐to‐day service model involved local cultural consultants, service users and their families, staff of community organisations, students, supervisors, placement coordinators and a site administrator. Findings A reciprocal learning service model was co‐created in which culturally responsive practice was embedded. The service was feasible and acceptable: it was delivered as intended; resources were adequate; the service management system was workable; and the service was acceptable. Health outcome measures, however, were not appropriate to demonstrate impact, particularly through the lens of the people of East Arnhem. Recommendations for the service included: continuing the reciprocal learning service model in the long term; expanding to include all age groups; and connecting with visiting and community‐based services. Conclusion: The co‐created service was feasible and acceptable. To demonstrate the impact of the service, measures of health service impact that are important to First Nations people living in remote communities of northern Australia are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical learning experiences are known to exacerbate nursing student anxiety, causing them to present to clinical placement in distressed, meaning anxious, states. Students already living with anxiety are also more likely to suffer setbacks at this time. Supervising Registered Nurses (RNs), in the clinical settings, struggle to support this student cohort. A professional development activity was designed to introduce RNs to higher education and nursing students' known mental health concerns (such as anxiety) and to arm them with strategies for working with distressed students. A research approach that enabled researchers to collaborate with participants was employed to design the intervention. A study evaluated the impact of the educational intervention with 45 Australian RN supervisors. Two tailed T‐tests were chosen to explore the statistical difference between pre‐ and post‐test mean results across the survey items. A 95% confidence interval was used. Statistical significance was set at <0.05. The evaluation indicated the activity could be useful for improving supervising RNs' mental health literacy, thus enhancing their understanding of how to work with distressed students. Participants recommended the activity be offered to any staff supporting student clinical learning. Collaboration between nursing researchers and nursing clinical staff produced a meaningful professional development activity and motivated the participants to increase their mental health literacy and understanding of strategies to support distressed students. Future projects should adopt similar approaches that would support both RNs' ability to support students' during clinical learning and students in distress would also benefit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Being culturally secure, respectful and responsive can mean occupational therapists can contribute to improving the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. New culturally responsive accreditation and competency standards provide an opportunity to decolonise the profession to enhance the cultural capabilities of graduates. The purpose of this study was to explore how well‐prepared Australian occupational therapy courses are to implement the new standards. Methods: The principles of participatory action research were applied. An initial survey with occupational therapy academic staff was used to inform questions for semi‐structured interviews. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 10 occupational therapy academics and occupational therapy accreditors. Interview data were thematically analysed. Findings: The four themes identified from the interviews were: occupational therapy profession drivers, effective leadership, community and Elder involvement, and course design and delivery. Conclusion: The new accreditation and competency standards are a promising step forward for the profession. However, the profession needs to be better prepared to decolonise Australian occupational therapy. A positive and culturally secure way forward is to engage Elders and other community members in learning experiences to build student, academic and practicing occupational therapist's cultural capability. Non‐Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership at all levels of the profession and within universities is crucial to establishing trusting, reciprocal relationships to support deep knowledge exchange. These relationships lay the foundation to build cultural capabilities and decolonise processes in the profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Fathers of refugee background are dealing with multiple, interrelated stressors associated with forced migration and establishing their lives in a new country. This has implications for the role of men in promoting the health and well-being of their families. Methods Afghan community researchers conducted interviews with 30 Afghan women and men who had recently had a baby in Australia. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with health professionals working with families of refugee background. Results Fourteen men, 16 women, and 34 health professionals participated. Afghan men reported playing a major role in supporting their wives during pregnancy and postnatal care, accompanying their wives to appointments, and providing language and transport support. Although men embraced these roles, they were rarely asked by health professionals about their own concerns related to their wife's pregnancy, or about their social circumstances. Perinatal health professionals queried whether it was their role to meet the needs of men. Conclusion There are many challenges for families of refugee background navigating maternity services while dealing with the challenges of settlement. There is a need to move beyond a narrow conceptualization of antenatal and postnatal care to encompass a broader preventive and primary care approach to supporting refugee families through the period of pregnancy and early years of parenting. Pregnancy and postnatal care needs to be tailored to the social and psychological needs of families of refugee background, including men, and incorporate appropriate language support, in order to improve child and family health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

XIAO LD, KELTON M and PATERSON J. Nursing Inquiry 2012; 19: 322-333 Critical action research applied in clinical placement development in aged care facilities The aim of this study was to develop quality clinical placements in residential aged care facilities for undergraduate nursing students undertaking their nursing practicum topics. The proportion of people aged over 65 years is expected to increase steadily from 13% in 2006 to 26% of the total population in Australia in 2051. However, when demand is increasing for a nursing workforce competent in the care of older people, studies have shown that nursing students generally lack interest in working with older people. The lack of exposure of nursing students to quality clinical placements is one of the key factors contributing to this situation. Critical action research built on a partnership between an Australian university and five aged care organisations was utilised. A theoretical framework informed by Habermas' communicative action theory was utilised to guide the action research. Multiple research activities were used to support collaborative critical reflection and inform actions throughout the action research. Clinical placements in eight residential aged care facilities were developed to support 179 nursing students across three year-levels to complete their practicum topics. Findings were presented in three categories described as structures developed to govern clinical placement, learning and teaching in residential aged care facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT National surveillance data indicate marked differences between Indigenous and other Australians in the prevalence of many sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Young Indigenous people bear a particularly high burden of these infections. A collaboration of university researchers, Indigenous health workers and young Indigenous people conducted 45 field interviews to examine how young Indigenous Australians keep themselves healthy and protected against STIs. Our findings emphasise the complexity of health behaviours, where individuals are rarely always 'risky' or always 'safe', as well as subtle gender differences in health practices. Preventive strategies employed by the young people were contingent on beliefs and knowledge about sexual partners, the type of relationship, the context of the sexual encounter and access to condoms. Tangible strengths such as young Indigenous people's commitments to condoms and STI screening should be celebrated and bolstered to enhance their ability to protect themselves against adverse health outcomes and enhance their resilience against STIs. Focusing on strengths helps to counter the deficit model of health commonly deployed in Indigenous health research and draws attention to health issues facing young Indigenous people and their communities, without reinforcing negative stereotypes or focusing solely on individual risk behaviour. We provide concrete recommendations for health promotion and education. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is a reflective narrative bringing together personal, collective, and action learning reflections from three women: all mothers, feminists, and community psychology practitioners. Its focus on mothering highlights the interconnectedness and tensions across these roles, as well as the shared learnings arising from this collaboration. The article draws on our experiences in two participatory action research projects in different parts of Melbourne, Australia, to illustrate how our feminism informed approaches to improving mothers' and children's well-being within a community environment. Learnings for practice include the importance of support and partnership with and empowerment of mothers in all their diversity, and of community change towards communal and child-centered structures. The combined community psychology and feminist focus may assist those working with mothers in other communities. Sociocultural and political considerations include individualistic notions of motherhood, judgements about ''good' and 'neglectful' mothers, and lack of priority for children's needs in community contexts. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Typically people with intellectual disability have small, highly restricted social networks characterized by interactions with other people with intellectual disabilities, family members, and paid workers. The goal of ‘inclusion’ has been central to policies that have shaped services over the past 30 years. It is an ill defined concept with disagreement about its meaning, the problems it seeks to overcome and how it should be realized. Method Ethnographic and action research methods were used to support and collect data on the implementation of a programme, known as the Community Inclusion Framework, in a group home for five adults with severe intellectual disabilities in Victoria, Australia. Results and Conclusions A pattern of service delivery based on community presence rather than participation evolved and endured over 16 months. The findings show that most staff attached a different meaning to inclusion from that proposed in the Community Inclusion Framework, disagreed with the proposed meaning or felt these residents were too different for it to be meaningful. This suggests that priority will only be accorded to activities that lead to inclusion if staff are convinced of the veracity of this and given strong and consistent direction and support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To increase Aboriginal participation with mainstream health professionals in an Aboriginal health and well-being centre. Design: Participatory Action Research using Aboriginal traditional symbolism to depict aspects of the research process, interview surveys and a document review. Setting: A regional town with 629 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents and a newly established Aboriginal health and well-being centre (Nunyara). Participants: Thirty Aboriginal community members were interviewed about their involvement with Nunyara and their health issues. Participants were selected through purposive ‘pass-me-around’ sampling to ensure that all family groups were included. Results: The results are presented in two areas: the structure of the Aboriginal community that affects participation and community views about health issues. Aboriginal people living in the town come from 10 or more different language groups and relate almost exclusively within their own groups. Activities at Nunyara were seen as individual family group events and not for everyone. Aboriginal community participants had a broad view of health as they reported problems that included smoking and alcohol use. Almost all would like more involvement in health issues through Nunyara. Conclusion: Aboriginal community members are willing to get involved in health issues in collaboration with Nunyara. However, fundamental to increasing participation is to bring people together from different family groups and increase social cohesion. This can be done through developing relationships with groups enabling different points of view to be heard and valued. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This project facilitated reflective practice processes in experienced Registered Nurses (RNs) in order to raise critical awareness of practice problems, work systematically through problem-solving processes to uncover constraints, and improve the quality of care given by nurses in light of the identified constraints and possibilities. Twelve experienced female RNs working in a large Australian rural hospital shared their experiences of nursing during three action research cycles. A thematic concern of dysfunctional nurse–nurse relationships was identified, as evidenced by bullying and horizontal violence. The negotiated action plan was put into place and participants reported varying degrees of success in attempting to improve nurse–nurse relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]