Mixed-methods evaluation of a face-to-face educational intervention for health and social care professionals to deliver family-centred cancer supportive care when a parent with dependent children is at end of life.

OBJECTIVE: To deliver and evaluate an educational intervention to equip health and social care professionals (professionals) on how best to support parents at end of life with cancer concerning their dependent children (<18). METHODS: An evidence-based and theory-driven face-to-face educational intervention was developed and evaluated using three levels of Kirkpatrick's Model of Evaluation. Pre-test, post-test surveys were completed immediately before-and-after the intervention using a validated self-efficacy scale and single-item questions evaluating perceived usefulness and relevance (levels one/two). Qualitative interviews ≥ 3-months post-intervention explored if, and how the intervention impacted professionals' practice (level three). Fourteen sessions were delivered at oncology settings to 347 professionals between 2021 and 2023. Two hundred seventy four professionals completed the pre-test survey, with 239 completing the post-test survey. Fourteen professionals were interviewed between three-and 19-months post-intervention. RESULTS: Quantitative findings demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in self-efficacy post-educational intervention (p < 0.001). Qualitative data highlighted professionals gained new approaches to progress end of life conversations with parents, despite some familial resistance to sharing the reality of the situation with children. Positive intervention content shaping clinical practice included the bereaved parent's lived experience, communication framework and roleplay videos. Some professionals considered a booster session and opportunities to practice conversations necessary to further consolidate learning into practice. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence and theory-driven education can positively impact professionals' provision of family-centred cancer care. Future studies should explore the impact of this educational intervention on familial outcomes. Alongside a sustainable delivery of this intervention, advanced communication skills programmes should incorporate parent-child end of life conversations.

How Readable Is the Information the United Kingdom's Statutory Health and Social Care Professional Regulators Provide for the Public to Engage With Fitness to Practise Processes?

BACKGROUND: The public are an important source of notifications and evidence for the investigation of concerns by regulators of professionals. The website is an important source of information for the public, but the complexity of information presented to engage with the public is unknown. OBJECTIVES: This study explored the readability of information provided for the public to engage with fitness to practise processes by examining the websites of the 13 UK statutory health and social care professional regulators. METHODS: Six readability algorithms were utilised to calculate the readability scores of 180 general and 8 easy-read documents published for the 15 sites of the United Kingdom's 13 health and social care statutory professional regulatory bodies. These tests were the Flesch Kincaid Reading Ease, the Flesch Kincaid Grade Level, the Gunning Fog Score, the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) Index, the Coleman Liau Index and the Automated Readability Index (ARI). RESULTS: All the fitness to practise documents analysed in this study are written at a level too difficult for most of the general population to read, except one easy-read document. There was also considerable variation in readability across resources for the same regulator, which could be confusing. Regulatory bodies risk excluding a large proportion of UK adults who may want to engage with professional regulatory proceedings. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first comparative analysis of readability conducted independent of the regulators of the fitness to practise website documents of health and social care regulators. The public are a key source of evidence in regulatory proceedings. Regulators could improve public engagement by addressing the complexity of language used. PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Our advisory group of people with lived experience of involvement as members of the public in fitness to practise proceedings discussed the findings and contributed to the recommendations.

Person-centred care and the work-related health and job satisfaction of health and social care professionals: protocol for a prospective longitudinal cohort study combined with qualitative studies (the PCC@Work project).

BACKGROUND: The interplay of ethical stress, heavy workloads, and job dissatisfaction poses challenges to both the recruitment and retention of health and social care professionals. Person-centred care, rooted in ethical principles, involves collaborative care, and is expected to improve care and job satisfaction. However, prior research on the impact of person-centred care practices on professionals' work-related health and job satisfaction has yielded mixed results, and most studies emanate from residential care. Understanding how person-centred care practices influence health and social care professionals across different care settings thus requires further exploration through rigorous methodology. The overall aim of PCC@Work is to follow, describe, assess, and explore the impact of person-centred care practices in hospital wards, primary care centres and municipal care on health and social care professionals' work-related health and job satisfaction. METHODS: PCC@Work is designed as a prospective, longitudinal cohort study combined with qualitative studies. A web-based questionnaire will be distributed on five occasions within two years to health and social care professionals in the three care settings. In addition, focus groups and interviews will be conducted with a selection of health and social care professionals to explore their experiences of work-related health and job satisfaction in relation to person-centred practices. DISCUSSION: PCC@Work will highlight some of the knowledge gaps on the impact of person-centred care practices regarding work-related health and job satisfaction of health and social care professionals. The uniqueness of the project lies in the multi-method design, combining a prospective longitudinal cohort study with qualitative studies, and the involvement of various professions and settings. This means we will be able to provide a comprehensive and representative understanding of person-centred care practices as a critical component for effective change in the working conditions of health and social care.

Developing a storybook package for bereaved siblings: a pilot study of the effectiveness for enhancing the perceived knowledge and confidence of health and social care professionals in Hong Kong.

A pilot randomized controlled trial was conducted to examine the effectiveness of a storybook package for enhancing the perceived knowledge and confidence of health and social care professionals in working with bereaved child siblings and their parents before and after the loss. Open-ended questions were asked to collect feedback, and thematic analyses were conducted to generate the themes. Quantitative findings provided preliminary but not strong evidence of its effectiveness, but qualitative findings showed that participants perceived their knowledge about supporting bereaved siblings and their parents was enhanced and considered the storybook package a useful tool for facilitating their practice. Participants also reflected on how real and specific the stories in the storybook should be. This study is the first step in developing an evidence-based practice tool for health and social care professionals. Future studies are required to further examine its effectiveness for practice.

The effects of digitalisation on health and social care work: a qualitative descriptive study of the perceptions of professionals and managers.

BACKGROUND: Today, digitalisation is strongly present in health and social care, and it increasingly affects the organisation of work, work requirements, tasks and tools. Due to the constant change in work, up-to-date knowledge is needed about these micro-level effects of digitalisation and how professionals experience the effects in their work. Furthermore, even though managers play a key role in implementing new digital services, their perceptions of the effects of digitalisation and whether they match the views of professionals remain unknown. This study examined how health and social care professionals and managers perceive the effects of digitalisation on the work of professionals. METHODS: We used a qualitative approach and conducted eight semi-structured focus group interviews with health and social care professionals (n = 30) and 21 individual interviews with managers in 2020 in four health centres in Finland. The qualitative content analysis included both an inductive and a deductive approach. RESULTS: Digitalisation was perceived to have changed professionals' 1) workload and pace, 2) the field and nature of work, 3) work community communication and interaction, and 4) information flow and security. Both professionals and managers identified effects such as accelerated work, reduction in workload, constant learning of technical skills, complicated work due to vulnerable information systems, and reduction in face-to-face encounters. However, managers did not bring up all the effects that professionals considered important, such as the creation of new work tasks, increased and duplicated work, or insufficient time to get acquainted with the systems. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that some of the effects of digitalisation on professionals' work and changes in the workplace may receive too little or no recognition from managers. This increases the risk that the potential negative effects may be overlooked and that managers will adopt systems that do not support the work of professionals. To reach a common understanding of the effects of digitalisation, continuous discussions between employees and different management levels are required. This contributes to professionals' well-being and adaptation to changes, as well as the provision of quality health and social services.

Barriers and facilitators to palliative care for patients with non-curable cancer in Colombia: perspectives of allied health and social care professionals.

BACKGROUND: Palliative care aims to improve the quality of life of people with life-limiting illness and their families by addressing physical, psychological, social and spiritual suffering. Allied Health and Social Care Professionals (AHSCP) are key to delivering comprehensive, high quality palliative care. In recent years, Colombia has developed changes in the legal, and regulatory framework for access to palliative care but barriers and facilitators to palliative care for patients with non-curable cancer have not been explored from the perspective of AHSCP. METHOD: This study aims to address this knowledge gap in two cities in Colombia: one in a medium-sized city in a rural area (Popayan) and one in a highly urbanized area (Bogota). Two focus groups with AHSCP were conducted using the World Cafe method, and a subsequent thematic analysis was performed to establish the main barriers and facilitators. RESULTS: A wide range of 18 AHSCPs attended the two World Cafe groups in Popayan and Bogota. As a result of this iterative process, we established five thematic areas: (i) Humanizing care, (ii) Normalizing palliative care: referral at the time of diagnosis, (iii) Misunderstandings related to palliative care, (iv) Barriers within the health system, and (v) Geographic barriers. CONCLUSION: This study provided the perspectives of AHSCPs in Colombia in relation to barriers and facilitators in the framework of comprehensive palliative care attention. Participants identified misconceptions about palliative care, which are explained by the lack of inclusion of this area in the educational programs of health professionals and AHSCPs, along with the limited supply and access to palliative care, especially in rural areas.

Developing a standardized national undergraduate curriculum for future healthcare professionals on self-management support for chronic conditions.

This is a report on the development of the second part of a national undergraduate interprofessional standardized curriculum in chronic disease prevention for healthcare professionals in the Republic of Ireland; National Undergraduate Curriculum for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management Part 2: Self-management Support for Chronic Conditions. The development processes involved in Part 1, Making Every Contact Count for Health Behavior Change, were described earlier. This report presents an overview of the development of a national self-management support curriculum and barriers and enablers encountered. The curriculum was developed by a National Working Group, with interprofessional representation from each of the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Ireland and the national health service, i.e. the Health Service Executive (HSE). All phases of the project were overseen by a Steering Group and supported in each HEI by a local working group. The aim of the curriculum is to introduce standardized self-management support education across all undergraduate and graduate entry healthcare programmes nationally to prepare future healthcare professionals with knowledge, skills and attitudes to support individuals to self-manage their chronic conditions.

'There's something about admitting that you are lonely' - prevalence, impact and solutions to loneliness in terminal illness: An explanatory sequential multi-methods study.

BACKGROUND: Loneliness is a prevalent societal issue and can impact on a person's physical and mental health. It is unclear how loneliness impacts on end of life experiences or how such feelings can be alleviated. AIM: To explore the perceived prevalence, impact and possible solutions to loneliness among people who are terminally ill and their carers in Northern Ireland through the lens of health and social care professionals. DESIGN: An explanatory multi-method study. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: An online survey (n = 68, response rate 30%) followed by three online focus groups with palliative and end of life care health and social care professionals (n = 14). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. RESULTS: Loneliness was perceived by professionals as highly prevalent for people with a terminal illness (92.6%) and their carers (86.8%). Loneliness was considered a taboo subject and impacts on symptoms including pain and breathlessness and overall wellbeing at end of life. Social support was viewed as central towards alleviating feelings of loneliness and promoting connectedness at end of life. Four themes were identified: (1) the stigma of loneliness, (2) COVID-19: The loneliness pandemic (3) impact of loneliness across physical and mental health domains and (4) the power of social networks. CONCLUSION: There is a need for greater investment for social support initiatives to tackle experiences of loneliness at end of life. These services must be co-produced with people impacted by terminal illness to ensure they meet the needs of this population.

The use of formal care for dementia from a professional perspective: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The progressive character of dementia usually leads to a continuously increasing need for support. There is some evidence of late use of professional support during the disease course. We aim to provide an overview of aspects influencing access and use of formal care in dementia from the perspective of health and social care professionals. Additionally, the perspectives of professionals and people with dementia/informal carers will be compared. METHODS: We conducted a scoping review with a systematic literature search in Medline via Ovid in January 2019 and updated this in April 2020 and in May 2021. Publications were considered eligible when focusing on influencing aspects of the use of formal care or support for people with dementia in an outpatient setting from the perspective of health professionals. Included publications were critically appraised using the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool. We identified aspects of access to and use of formal care and support services. A consultation exercise with three specialised trained dementia care nurses was conducted to validate our results. RESULTS: We included 29 studies: n = 20 qualitative, n = 6 quantitative-descriptive, n = 3 mixed-methods. Various support services were identified, but a focus was on services for diagnostic and treatment of dementia. A wide range of influencing aspects (n = 15) describe the access to and use of formal care services. Aspects related to the complexity and structure of the healthcare system and the competence of professionals were frequently addressed. Second, attitudes and expectations of professionals, and experiences with people with dementia and their informal carers were identified. The dementia care nurses highlighted the importance of coordinated care to enhance dementia-specific competencies. CONCLUSIONS: Health and social care professionals still describe barriers in accessing and using formal care due to various influences. Ways to improve access to and use of professional support in dementia should consider individual and system-level activities, as well as overarching aspects. Important topics are therefore education and training of professionals and coordinated dementia-specific care to provide adequate support for people with dementia and their relatives. Several professions may be involved in this increasingly important field, e.g., nurses with a dementia-specific training like dementia care nurses.

Health and social care professionals' experiences of providing end of life care during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Health and social care professionals' ability to address the needs of patients and their relatives at end of life is likely to have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. AIM: To explore health and social care professionals' experiences of providing end of life care during the COVID-19 pandemic to help inform current/future clinical practice and policy. DESIGN: A qualitative interview study. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: Sixteen health and social care professionals working across a range of clinical settings in supporting dying patients during the first wave (March-June 2020) of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. RESULTS: Participants reported emotional and practical challenges to providing end of life care during the pandemic, including increases in patient numbers, reduced staffing levels and relying on virtual platforms for sensitive, emotive conversations with relatives. Participants were central to promoting connections between patients and their families at end of life and creating opportunities for a final contact before the death. However, the provision of support varied as a consequence of the pressures of the pandemic. Results are discussed under two themes: (1) challenges and facilitators to providing end of life care, and (2) support needs of relatives when a family member was dying during the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSION: There is a need for flexible visiting arrangements at end of life during a pandemic. A systems-level approach is necessary to promote the wellbeing of health and social care professionals providing end of life care during and after a pandemic.

Patterns of use and perceived value of social media for population health among population health stakeholders: a cross-sectional web-based survey.

BACKGROUND: Although existing studies have described patterns of social media use in healthcare, most are focused on health professionals in one discipline. Population health requires a multi-disciplinary approach to ensure diversity and to include diverse stakeholders. To date, what is known about using social media in population health is focused on its potential as a communication tool. This study aims to investigate patterns of use and perceived value of social media usage among stakeholders in population health practice, policy, or research. METHODS: We conducted a web-based survey of delegates attending the Singapore Population Health Conversations and Workshop. We designed a 24-item questionnaire to assess 1) social media use in terms of type of platform and frequency of use; 2) perceptions of social media relevance and impact on population health; and 3) top three areas in population health that would benefit from social media. We used descriptive and logistic regression analyses to assess the relationships between variables. RESULTS: Of the 308 survey respondents, 97.7% reported that they use social media in some form. Messaging (96.8%) was the most dominant activity when using social media. Challenges in implementing social media for population health were time investment by health care professionals (56.2%) and patient adoption (52.9%). The top three population health areas that would benefit most from using social media were the promotion of healthy behaviors (60.7%), community engagement (47.7%), and preventive care (40.6%). Older respondents (> = 40 years) were less likely to view social media as useful for the promotion of healthy behaviors (OR = 0.34; 95% CI: 0.19-0.60). Non-social/healthcare professionals were more likely to consider social media to be useful for community engagement (OR = 1.74; 95% CI: 1.10-2.76). For preventive care, older respondents (OR = 0.51; 95% CI: 0.32-0.82) and non-social/healthcare professionals were less likely to view social media as useful (OR = 0.61; 95% CI: 0.38-0.97). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that it may be important to select the specific care areas that would benefit most from using social media. The time investment needed by population health professionals should be fully addressed in planning to maximize the application and potential value of social media.

How to Implement Digital Services in a Way That They Integrate Into Routine Work: Qualitative Interview Study Among Health and Social Care Professionals.

BACKGROUND: Although the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly boosted the implementation of digital services worldwide, it has become increasingly important to understand how these solutions are integrated into professionals' routine work. Professionals who are using the services are key influencers in the success of implementations. To ensure successful implementations, it is important to understand the multiprofessional perspective, especially because implementations are likely to increase even more. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to examine health and social care professionals' experiences of digital service implementations and to identify factors that support successful implementations and should be considered in the future to ensure that the services are integrated into professionals' routine work. METHODS: A qualitative approach was used, in which 8 focus group interviews were conducted with 30 health and social care professionals from 4 different health centers in Finland. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The resulting categories were organized under the components of normalization process theory. RESULTS: Our results suggested 14 practices that should be considered when implementing new digital services into routine work. To get professionals to understand and make sense of the new service, (1) the communication related to the implementation should be comprehensive and continuous and (2) the implementation process should be consistent. (3) A justification for the service being implemented should also be given. The best way to engage the professionals with the service is (4) to give them opportunities to influence and (5) to make sure that they have a positive attitude toward the service. To enact the new service into professionals' routine work, it is important that (6) the organization take a supportive approach by providing support from several easy and efficient sources. The professionals should also have (7) enough time to become familiar with the service, and they should have (8) enough know-how about the service. The training should be (9) targeted individually according to skills and work tasks, and (10) it should be diverse. The impact of the implementation on the professionals' work should be evaluated. The service (11) should be easy to use, and (12) usage monitoring should happen. An opportunity (13) to give feedback on the service should also be offered. Moreover, (14) the service should support professionals' work tasks. CONCLUSIONS: We introduce 14 practices for organizations and service providers on how to ensure sustainable implementation of new digital services and the smooth integration into routine work. It is important to pay more attention to comprehensive and continuing communication. Organizations should conduct a competence assessment before training in order to ensure proper alignment. Follow-ups to the implementation process should be performed to guarantee sustainability of the service. Our findings from a forerunner country of digitalization can be useful for countries that are beginning their service digitalization or further developing their digital services.

Assisted decision-making and interprofessional collaboration in the care of older people: a qualitative study exploring perceptions of barriers and facilitators in the acute hospital setting.

In recent years, there has been a move toward a more human rights-based approach to the issue of supported and assisted decision-making (ADM) with legislative changes strengthening the formal right for older people to participate in care planning and decision-making. Ireland's Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act, 2015 breaks from traditional views of capacity to consider the uniqueness of each decision in relation to topic, time and place for those with impaired or fluctuating capacity. This study set out to explore experiences of assisted decision making (ADM) in acute care hospitals in Ireland and to identify the barriers and enablers to ADM for older people and people with dementia from the perspective of different Health and Social Care Professionals (HSCPs) involved in their care. We carried out 26 semi-structured audio-recorded interviews with a convenience sample of HSCPs working in two acute hospitals and subsequently confirmed the results. HSCPs identified several barriers to, and enablers of, ADM in acute hospitals that were categorized into three key themes: Building meaningful engagement with older people and their family carers; barriers and enablers associated with interprofessional collaboration and barriers and enablers associated with the environment. Our findings suggest that despite concrete policy and legislative underpinnings to ADM, this was not always evident in practice and suggests the need for specialized education and training on ADM in practice settings.

Stakeholders' perspectives on models of care in the emergency department and the introduction of health and social care professional teams: A qualitative analysis using World Cafés and interviews.

BACKGROUND: There is some evidence that health and social care professional (HSCP) teams contribute to enhanced patient and process outcomes in increasingly crowded emergency departments (EDs), but the views of service users and providers on this model of care need investigation to optimize implementation. OBJECTIVE: This qualitative study investigated the perspectives of key ED stakeholders about HSCP teams working in the ED. METHODS: Using a participatory design, we conducted World Café focus groups and individual interviews in two Irish hospital sites with 65 participants (purposive sampling) including ED patients and carers/relatives, ED doctors and nurses, HSCPs and pre-hospital staff. Data were thematically analysed using NVivo software. RESULTS: Participants reported that ED-based HSCP teams could improve quality and integration of care and staff experience (Theme 1) and would be appropriate for older adults with complex needs and non-urgent complaints (Theme 2). Concerns were raised about operational and relational barriers to implementation (Theme 3), and changes in processes and culture were considered necessary for HSCPs to work successfully in the ED (Theme 4). In contrast to service providers, service users' concerns centred on the importance of positive communication and relations (Theme 5). CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates potential acceptability of HSCP teams working in the ED, especially to care for older adults; however, operational and relational aspects, particularly developing interdisciplinary and integrated care, need addressing to ensure successful implementation. Differences in priorities between service users and providers (relational vs operational) highlighted the usefulness of gathering views from multiple stakeholders to understand ED processes.

The prevalence of malnutrition and impact on patient outcomes among older adults presenting at an Irish emergency department: a secondary analysis of the OPTI-MEND trial.

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is common among older adults and is associated with adverse outcomes but remains undiagnosed on healthcare admissions. Older adults use emergency departments (EDs) more than any other age group. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with malnutrition on admission and with adverse outcomes post-admission among older adults attending an Irish ED. METHODS: Secondary analysis of data collected from a randomised controlled trial exploring the impact of a dedicated team of health and social care professionals on the care of older adults in the ED. Nutritional status was determined using the Mini Nutritional Assessment- short form. Patient parameters and outcomes included health related quality of life, functional ability, risk of adverse health outcomes, frailty, hospital admissions, falls history and clinical outcomes at index visit, 30-day and 6-month follow up. Aggregate anonymised participant data linked from index visit to 30-days and 6-month follow-up were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Among 353 older adults (mean age 79.6 years (SD = 7.0); 59.2% (n = 209) female) the prevalence of malnutrition was 7.6% (n = 27) and 'risk of malnutrition' was 28% (n = 99). At baseline, those who were malnourished had poorer quality of life scores, functional ability, were more frail, more likely to have been hospitalised or had a fall recently, had longer waiting times and were more likely to be discharged home from the ED than those who had normal nutrition status. At 30-days, those who were malnourished were more likely to have reported another hospital admission, a nursing home admission, reduced quality of life and functional decline than older adults who had normal nutrition status at the baseline ED visit. Differences between the MNA SF and 6-month outcomes were similar but not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Over one-third of older adults admitted to an Irish ED are either malnourished or at risk of malnourishment. Malnutrition was associated with a longer stay in the ED, functional decline, poorer quality of life, increased risk of hospital admissions and a greater likelihood of admission to a nursing home at 30 days. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Protocol registered in ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT03739515 , first posted November 13, 2018.

Health professionals working effectively with support workers to enhance the quality of support for adults with intellectual disabilities: A meta-ethnography.

BACKGROUND: Paid support workers are often central to the quality of life of adults with intellectual disabilities. Health and social care professionals increasingly carry out interventions indirectly through those support workers and therefore need to understand how best to collaborate. METHODS: This article synthesizes findings from the qualitative research of others investigating health professionals' work with support staff. From sixty-two articles retrieved from a database and journal search, seven met inclusion criteria and a meta-ethnographic synthesis allowed construction of an interpretive line-of-argument. RESULTS: Thirteen themes within the articles were synthesized into three over-archingconstructs, suggesting that professionals should collaborate by providing effective leadership, working in partnership with support workers and managers and recognizing the influence of organizational structures and context. CONCLUSIONS: As these constructs seem reflective of important components of teamwork, a "line-of-argument" is proposed that it could be helpful for professionals to view themselves as part of a "team" with support workers.

When and in what circumstances is patient-targeted googling acceptable for health and social care professionals? A narrative review and thematic analysis.

Background: Patient-targeted Googling (PTG) is the use of Internet search engines by care professionals to source information about their patients. Objective: To thematically analyse research evidence on PTG and explain what, why and how it can be used for the benefit of patient care. Methods: The Scale for the Assessment of Narrative Review articles was used as a reporting tool. Studies were identified via AMED, CINAHL, MEDLINE and APA PsycInfo, ProQuest, and grey literature via Google Scholar. Results: 19 studies were included, and content was thematically analysed. Themes included practitioner behaviours, attitudes and experience, the nature of online information, when PTG is not acceptable, when, why and how is PTG acceptable and the need for education and training on PTG. Discussion & conclusion: In the absence of professional guidance, it makes practical recommendations about why and in what circumstances can use patient-targeted Googling for the benefit of patient care.

Reliability and Validation Study of Advance Care Planning Practice Scale among Health and Social Care Professionals.

Advance care planning (ACP) is a crucial process in clinical practice, enabling individuals to articulate their care preferences and goals, with significant implications for future healthcare. However, ACP practice of health and social care professionals (HSCPs) concerning patients, or their family members are rarely explored. The objective of the study was to adapt and validate a four-item scale assessing ACP practices of HSCPs toward patients or their family members. The ACP Practice Scale was evaluated through a cross-sectional online survey administered to HSCPs in Macao, assessing its factor structure, validity, and reliability. Based on a sample of 186 valid responses, the ACP Practice Scale demonstrated satisfactory levels of validity and reliability among HSPCs in Macao. The four-item scale explained 65.87% of the variance in ACP practice and exhibited strong internal consistency, with Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega coefficients of 0.82. Furthermore, item factor loadings ranged from 0.71 to 0.90. The ACP Practice Scale provides reliable and valid measurements of ACP practice among HSCPs. This instrument can help to enhance our understanding of ACP practices in clinical settings and support the advancement of advance care planning.

What Do Students' Questionnaire Responses Tell Us about Their Language around Person-Centred Care? An Exploratory Sentiment Analysis.

There is a global movement for health and social care to be person-centred: supporting people's active participation when making health decisions and considering their opinions, beliefs, and needs. The World Health Organization recommend the inclusion of person-centred care in health and social care provision. This research aimed to explore Australian health and social care profession students' language around person-centred care. Final-year health and social care professions students, attending one of two Australian universities, participated in an online questionnaire. Responses were analysed and themed to an existing person-centred care framework, then a sentiment analysis was applied to each response. Of the responses collected from 90 students, 235 statements were linked to the four core values of the person-centred care framework: cultivating communication (44%); respectful and compassionate care (35%); engaging patients in managing their care (20%); and integration of care (<1%). Within these, 24 statements were positively aligned (10%); 100 statements were neutral (43%); and 111 statements contained negative sentiments (47%). Almost half of the responses were not aligned with the core values of person-centred care. This suggests that many of the final-year students are not yet conceptualizing care using a person-centred approach.

Student Health and Social Care Professionals' Health Literacy Knowledge: An Exploratory Study.

Health literacy is essential for shared decision-making and improved health outcomes, and patients with inadequate health literacy often need additional support from health and social care professionals. Despite global calls for developing tertiary-level health literacy education, the extent of this in Australian health and social care professional degrees is unknown. This research explored students' health literacy knowledge across five health and social care professional disciplines. A web-based questionnaire was disseminated to student health and social care professionals enrolled in one of two Australian universities. Questions explored students' factual and conceptual health literacy knowledge, and responses were inductively themed and reported descriptively. Of the 90 students who participated, the depth of health literacy knowledge was low. Students frequently identified understanding as components of health literacy; however, most students did not identify health information access, appraisal and use. Additionally, students' knowledge of helping patients with inadequate health literacy was limited. Adjusting patient education to their health literacy level and evaluating patient understanding was poorly understood. Without a solid understanding of fundamental health literacy principles, newly-graduated health and social care professionals will be poorly equipped to facilitate patients' health literacy-related challenges in the community. Further exploration of health literacy education is urgently recommended to identify areas for improvement.