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This paper is a position paper, which argues the position that critical thinking is a crucial skill, which needs to be developed in the school curriculum and that the creative arts can do this. The paper explores the states of the Arts in the present curriculum and goes on to argue that knowing how to develop critical thinking is an important pedagogical skill that needs to be developed in our pre-service teachers. This position is supported through data gathered from an innovative project that explored teachers' and mothers' perceptions of children's critical thinking.

Analysis of the quality of health services for families in Belmont, Western Australia, showed varied response levels. Younger persons gave public health services the highest ratings, and larger families felt these services improved health. Families with children and older people had more health concerns. Most respondents were satisfied with the services provided, but requested to have medical staff avoid patronizing attitudes while communicating information simply and honestly.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Interprofessional education (IPE) was investigated in the context of an evaluation of the Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO) course in Australia. Our objectives were to examine doctors' and midwives' perceptions regarding interprofessional learning and measure changes in selfreported confidence in specific interprofessional clinical situations. METHODS: A prospective, mixed methods design was used to survey 165 ALSO course participants before the course and 6 weeks after the course (n=101). Quantitative data were analysed using the Wilcoxon signed rank test, and all P levels lower than .05 were considered significant. Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. RESULTS: There were significant increases in midwives' confidence in all four aspects of interprofessional interaction measured 6 weeks following the course. However, the doctors only reported a significant increase in one aspect, the confidence that their clinical decisions were respected by the midwives with whom they worked. The qualitative data demonstrated an appreciation of different professional approaches to clinical situations and the importance of teamwork, communication, respect, and understanding. While most participants were positive about the advantages of IPE, just under half also believed there were some disadvantages, particularly due to the variable learning needs of individual professionals. CONCLUSIONS: Both doctors and midwives reported various benefits from IPE, and many believed that IPE assisted maternity team collaboration and communication in the workplace. However, educators need to skillfully manage IPE sessions to ensure a similar distribution of learning and that opportunities for discussion are equivalent for all individuals and professional groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate recovery from total hip replacement over a three-year period on the basis of patient perceptions of health-related quality of life, demographic (age, gender, family support) and clinical characteristics (co-morbidities, hospital admissions), use of and satisfaction with health services, unmet health needs and social re-engagement. Design: Telephone survey of patients' scores on the the 36 item Short Form health survey (SF 36) at three-years as a basis for comparison with scores 12 weeks after discharge: analysis of survey responses on demographic and clinical variables, health services use and satisfaction, unmet health needs and resumption of pre-operative social activities. Setting: One tertiary hospital in South East Queensland, Australia. Participants: Sixty-two total hip replacement patients from an original cohort of 95 participants in a study three years previously to investigate these variables at one, two, four, eight and 12 weeks post-discharge. Main outcome measures: SF36 scores, survey responses on number and type of co-morbidities, age, family support, type and frequency of health services used, satisfaction with services, hospital admissions, resumption of social activities. Results: No significant differences were found on any SF-36 scores, hut General Health had declined. Women's Physical Functioning scores fell below population norms, men's remained above the norms. Physical composite scores showed a decline with age, and the Mental Composite Scores increased with age. The number of co-morbidities had increased over three years, with 58% being admitted to hospital. Half reported unmet health needs, related primarily to non-hip problems. Only general practitioner services were used monthly or more, with satisfaction ratings remaining high for all services used. Participation in social activities was increased from prior to surgery for 42% of participants. Conclusions: Recovery after hip replacement surgery is... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on a workshop to improve writing skills to be held at Enoggera Gallipoli Barracks in Queensland on May 3, 2016, which will feature the speakers Anne McMurray, professor of Nursing in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, and Associate Professor Marion Mitchell.