COVID times make ‘deep listening' explicit: changing the space between interviewer and participant

This article draws on the research project Post-abortion narratives shared by Perth women via face-to-face interviews. The project was subsequently disrupted by the arrival of COVID-19 in Perth, Australia, making it necessary to conduct interviews via video call. The experience of using an online platform to conduct interviews became an opportunity to consider more carefully the practice of ‘deep listening'. This kind of listening involves creating an emotional connection with the participant so that the interviewer is able to hear multiple layers of meaning and context. It includes listening mixed with perception in which one can hear the emotions of the other. In a paradigm where the interview is seen as an interaction between two embodied individuals and the interviewer herself is the instrument of research, this article examines the communication that occurs in the space between two co-present, embodied individuals and explicates the practice of deep listening. While interviewing via video call is an excellent tool, I argue that a layer of meaning is removed by the technological medium, which impacts the researcher relationship and thus the ability to listen deeply.

Tell Me About It: Adolescent Self-Disclosure with an Online Robot for Mental Health

Self-disclosure to a social robot is a mental health intervention that can decrease stress for adolescents. Online digital robots provide the potential to scale this intervention especially in COVID-19 social distancing situations. However, self-disclosure interactions with digital social robots remain relatively unexplored. We conducted two online self-disclosure studies with adolescents (13-19 years old): our Active Listening Study compared experiences sharing positive, negative, and neutral feelings with a social robot, while our Journaling Study explored differences in sharing stressors by speaking with and without a social robot and by writing. We found that positive prompt tone improved mood while neutral prompt decreased stress, and less negative attitudes toward robots correlate with more qualitatively positive experiences with robot interactions.We also found robot disclosure interactions hold promising potential as a preferred method of self-disclosure over solo speaking, moderated by negative attitudes toward robots. This paper outlines limitations and future work from these studies. © 2023 IEEE Computer Society. All rights reserved.

Writing-to-learn: Strategies to promote engagement, peer-to-peer learning, and active listening in economics courses

Incorporating writing into an economics course is a beneficial goal of economic educators. The potential benefits of using writing to enhance learning among economics students have been emphasized in the literature. Writing to Learn (WTL) is an act of using writing activities to help students think through key concepts presented in a course. The authors' objective in this article is to describe WTL activities that promote engagement, peer-to-peer learning, and active listening. This WTL strategy was born out of a desire to help students focus and learn in an online format during a particularly stressful time of the COVID-19 global pandemic. However, this strategy can be applied in all teaching formats: face-to-face, online or hybrid, and to both graduate and undergraduate students.

Group think or shared endeavors?

Purpose>This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approach>This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.Findings>Active listening to customers can help drive eco-knowledge and the adoption of green and radical innovations.Originality/value>The briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Group think or shared endeavors?: Using active listening and knowledge co-creation with customers to boost sustainability and green credentials

Purpose>This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approach>This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.Findings>Active listening to customers can help drive eco-knowledge and the adoption of green and radical innovations.Originality/value>The briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Utilization of a novel humble inquiry interview approach in assessing implementation barriers to a Nurse Driven Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) order set

Background. Timely diagnosis and use of contact precautions for Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is key to prevent spread in hospital settings. Empowering nursing staff to order stool tests and proactively implement precautions has been shown to reduce hospital acquired CDI. Our institution established a nurse driven CDI order set in 2019, however only 1% of tests were ordered by nurses in the past year. The goal of this quality improvement project was to understand current use of the nurse-driven CDI order set using a novel humble inquiry approach. Methods. We used humble inquiry, an interview approach that poses questions while building relationships with participants through humility, curiosity, and active listening skills to explore barriers to utilization of a nurse driven CDI order set. Two nursing students at a 182-bed Veterans Health Administration (VA) hospital were trained to use humble inquiry and a three-item interview guide. A convenience sample of nurses and nursing assistants were interviewed about a) what they know about the nurse driven CDI order set, b) where there is documentation about the order set and c) barriers to use of the order set (if any). Interviews were conducted from January to April 2022. Demographics were analyzed descriptively. Interview data and the experience of conducting humble inquiry were analyzed using manifest content analysis. Results. Interviews (n=19) with nurses (n=16) and nursing assistants (n=3) revealed the majority (13/19 = 68%) were not aware of the nurse driven CDI order set. Of those aware, most were able to identify the location of information on their unit and where to document in the electronic medical record. The two most common barriers included lack of awareness of the order set and patient reluctance to disclose their bowel habits. Delay in providers reading notes (3/19=16%) and lack of PPE during COVID (1/19= 5%) were also identified as barriers. The nursing students reported the humble inquiry approach allowed participants to be the "experts" and "teachers". Conclusion. The humble inquiry method was valuable in understanding viewpoints and identifying barriers to utilization of a nurse drive CDI order set. Lack of awareness of the order set and patient modesty were identified as barriers and may be targeted for future interventions.

Writing-to-learn: Strategies to promote engagement, peer-to-peer learning, and active listening in economics courses

Incorporating writing into an economics course is a beneficial goal of economic educators. The potential benefits of using writing to enhance learning among economics students have been emphasized in the literature. Writing to Learn (WTL) is an act of using writing activities to help students think through key concepts presented in a course. The authors' objective in this article is to describe WTL activities that promote engagement, peer-to-peer learning, and active listening. This WTL strategy was born out of a desire to help students focus and learn in an online format during a particularly stressful time of the COVID-19 global pandemic. However, this strategy can be applied in all teaching formats: face-to-face, online or hybrid, and to both graduate and undergraduate students.

Psychiatrytele consultation/teleconsulting: Experience of general confinement in Tunisia

Introduction: The outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic in Tunisia has led a total confinement starting from March 23rd, 2020. Remote interventions of psychiatrists and psychologists have been set up to help Tunisian citizens. The requests concerned panic attacks, acute stress disorder, sleep disorders and relapse of some patients followed for mood disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder or anxiety disorders. Objective(s): We propose to present 3 types of interventions by apsychiatrist in response to the request of 3 Tunisian citizens in this first experience. Method(s): We will summarize three interventions with the history of each patient and his or her request as well as the short term evolution of the presented disorder. Result(s): As a first experience, were sponded to numerous requests from people of all ages and living all over Tunisia. The first intervention concerned a lady who was voluntarily vomiting in order to maintain her current weight.She was afraid of having the covid infection related to a sore throat. The second situation is a gentleman who did not tolerate home confinement because for 20 year she has been going out for a daily walk at exactly 4 pm. The third request came from a father living in a rural area who chose to self isolate in his room and refused to go out and see his children despite their pressing demand. We offered active listening, reassurance and behavioural psychotherapy techniques. Conclusion(s): During this first experience in Tunisia, we found that citizens have adhered to new communication techniques. Anxiety, stress and relapse of priormedical conditions were the most frequent diagnoses. Several interventions have proven to be effective despite obstacles related to teleconsultation.

Leaning into Controversy: Pandemic Conversations in a Science Classroom

It has been over a year since our schools, like many across the world, had to shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This forced many teachers to pivot by changing curricula and lessons to be engaging for students and include opportunities for interactions while incorporating digital tools that were accessible for all students. The COVID-19 pandemic also shed light on systemic issues that became politicized. Discussing controversial topics within the contexts of the classroom discipline has always been important but will be even more so as we move forward. Here, Laub shares her experiences incorporating a polarizing topic that investigated the science surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and how doing so engaged her students in critical thinking and drove academic discussions. She also shares the challenges that she faced by centering her curriculum around a controversial topic in her classroom along with her suggestions to educators.

Enhancing Digital Empathy and Reimagining the Telehealth Experience

As telehealth is increasingly adopted across all care settings, it is important to understand how clinicians can adapt and respond to patient needs. Drawing from experiences of a virtual primary care physician and a patient advocate, this Perspectives editorial provides additional insights beyonds the telehealth basics for establishing digital empathy and a remote therapeutic connection.

[Listening and support groups in a teaching hospital as a model of intervention for healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic]. / Grupos de escucha y apoyo en un hospital universitario como modelo de intervención para profesionales de la salud durante la pandemia de COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare workers facing the COVID-19 pandemic have experienced unexpectedly traumatic situations associated with concerns about the possibility of acquiring the infection, excessive workloads, and the increased inpatient mortality rates. The objective was to make changes in hospital practices that facilitate spaces for the well-being of healthcare worker teams. METHODS: We conducted an ongoing intervention during the first year of this outbreak. We established peer support groups by videoconference and individual virtual interventions for specialist physicians, resident physicians, nurses, and support personnel, focusing on problems and emotions related to the psychological impact of being on the clinical front line working with patients with pneumonia due to SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). RESULTS: The group work helped the expression of feelings, peer support, and validation of personal emotional experience. The participants expressed the need for physical and psychological security in the battle against COVID-19 and the need for interpersonal ties and giving meaning to their experiences. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our findings, we consider it necessary to investigate the potentially traumatic experiences of healthcare workers and provide evidence-based knowledge that can generate novel approaches in psychosocial support work structures for this group.

Using Appreciative Inquiry to Explore Effective Medical Interviews.

The objective of this study was to uncover the elements of successful medical interviews so that they can be easily shared with health educators, learners, and practitioners. The medical interview is still considered the most effective diagnostic tool available to physicians today, despite decades of rapid advancements in medical technology. When the physician-patient interaction is successful, outcomes are improved. Semi-structured interviews were conducted using an Appreciative Inquiry approach, which seeks to uncover strengths from positive experiences. The inquiry sought to identify the elements that comprise the participating physicians' most successful patient interviews. Subsequent qualitative analysis revealed eight themes: social support, mutual respect, trust, active listening, relationships, nonverbal cues, empathy, and confidentiality. These themes do not each exist separately or in a vacuum from one another; they are in fact strongly interconnected and equally important. For instance, if a physician and a patient cannot at least maintain mutual respect, then building a relationship, or even trust, is impossible. Given the qualitative nature of this study, future quantitative research should seek to validate the results. As patients assume a more participatory role in modern medical encounters, communication and other soft skills will be key in satisfying patients and improving their medical outcomes.

Moving from face-to-face to telephone assessments with patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to an increase in the number of healthcare consultations being undertaken remotely rather than face to face, including telephone assessments with patients. When undertaking telephone assessments, the communication and clinical skills used in face-to-face consultations must be adapted to compensate for the loss of visual contact between the patient and the nurse. Specific techniques such as visualisation and managing silence can enable the nurse to develop trust and rapport with the patient, and contribute to effective telephone assessments.