Defining 'research inspired teaching' and introducing a research inspired online/offline teaching (riot) framework for fostering it using a co-creation approach.

BACKGROUND: There are calls to ensure that evidence-based practice is enabled for every midwife and nurse by means of education, research, leadership and access to evidence. Concurrently, there is a global call for universities to foster 'Research Inspired Teaching'. Yet such teaching must first be defined and may usefully be developed, delivered, and evaluated as part of a framework approach. OBJECTIVE: To co-create a uniform definition of 'Research Inspired Teaching' and a framework for developing, delivering, and evaluating it. DESIGN: A co-creation approach was taken, underpinned by the interpretive framework of communal constructivism. SETTING: United Kingdom. PARTICIPANTS: The sampling strategy was purposive, whereby those who had reportedly actively engaged in 'Research Inspired Teaching' were invited to participate. The resulting multidisciplinary team of co-creators (n = 14) included students, educators, and self-identified facilitators of 'Research Inspired Teaching'. METHODS: The co-creation of outputs was facilitated by two online co-creation workshops. All creative, written, and verbal contributions made by co-creators were collected as data and used to 'co-define', 'co-design' and 'co-refine' outputs. To enhance credibility, triangulation was used throughout. A final review of results presented in this article via all co-creators concluded this process. RESULTS: This article presents a definition of teaching, a definition of research, a founding definition of Research Inspired Teaching and a guiding framework along with 10 core principles for developing, delivering, and evaluating it. CONCLUSIONS: These outputs may be useful for both midwifery and nursing faculties, providing common language for collaboration and inspiring further developments and research. In pursuit of excellence, further international research could usefully investigate how these outputs may further bridge the Research-Teaching Nexus in Higher Education, and partner with other universities looking to cultivate, evidence and promote their own 'Research Inspired Teaching' in practice. In this pursuit, inter-university partnerships would be welcomed.

Use of functional near-infrared spectroscopy to evaluate cognitive change when using healthcare simulation tools.

Background: The use of brain imaging techniques in healthcare simulation is relatively rare. However, the use of mobile, wireless technique, such as functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), is becoming a useful tool for assessing the unique demands of simulation learning. For this study, this imaging technique was used to evaluate cognitive load during simulation learning events. Methods: This study took place in relation to six simulation activities, paired for similarity, and evaluated comparative cognitive change between the three task pairs. The three paired tasks were: receiving a (1) face-to-face and (2) video patient handover; observing a simulated scene in (1) two dimensions and (2) 360° field of vision; and on a simulated patient (1) taking a pulse and (2) taking a pulse and respiratory rate simultaneously. The total number of participants was n=12. Results: In this study, fNIRS was sensitive to variations in task difficulty in common simulation tools and scenarios, showing an increase in oxygenated haemoglobin concentration and a decrease in deoxygenated haemoglobin concentration, as tasks increased in cognitive load. Conclusion: Overall, findings confirmed the usefulness of neurohaemoglobin concentration markers as an evaluation tool of cognitive change in healthcare simulation. Study findings suggested that cognitive load increases in more complex cognitive tasks in simulation learning events. Task performance that increased in complexity therefore affected cognitive markers, with increase in mental effort required.

Feasibility of a group-based laughter yoga intervention as an adjunctive treatment for residual symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in people with depression.

BACKGROUND: Laughter Yoga (LY) is a group-based intervention involving simulated laughter, gentle stretching, rhythmic breathing and meditation. There is some limited evidence that LY reduces depressive symptoms over the short term. However, the quality of previous LY studies is poor and none involved working-aged people with a clinical diagnosis of depression. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the feasibility and potential efficacy of LY for improving residual mood, anxiety and stress symptoms in adults diagnosed with depression. METHODS: Fifty participants were randomised to the group LY intervention (n = 23) consisting of eight sessions over four weeks, or treatment-as-usual (n = 27). Participants completed the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale and the Short Form 12 item Health Survey at baseline (T0), post-intervention (T1) and at 3 months follow-up (T2). LY participants also completed a Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ8) at T1 and eleven participated in individual qualitative interviews at T2. RESULTS: The LY group had statistically greater decreases in depression and improvements in mental health related quality of life compared to the control group from T0 to T1. The CSQ8 scores indicated a favourable level of satisfaction with the LY intervention. The qualitative interviews highlighted aspects of the intervention that were effective and those requiring modification. LIMITATIONS: Limitations include the small sample size and treatment-as-usual control group. CONCLUSIONS: A full scale RCT of LY could be feasible if some modifications were made to the protocol/intervention. The intervention may be effective to improve depression and mental health related quality of life immediately post intervention.

Health promotion and intellectual disability: listening to men.

Taking responsibility for your own health has been a central tenet of public health policy internationally for a number of decades. Governments in the UK and internationally continue to promote a plethora of health promotion strategies, encouraging individuals and communities to adopt healthy lifestyle choices. Although it is widely recognised that men are not as proactive in seeking out medical help or taking on health promotion advice as women, limited gender-sensitive research exists in the field of intellectual disability. Despite many health promotion policy and practice strategies targeted at this population, little research exists exploring whether men with intellectual disability acknowledge health promotion advice. The study aimed to explore how men with mild-to-moderate intellectual disability understood and perceived their health and what health promotion messages they acted upon. The study was based on a participatory approach which enabled 11 men with intellectual disability to contribute as steering group members and as participants through one-to-one interviews. Data were collected between September 2011 and July 2012. Thematic analysis was undertaken. The participants demonstrated a capacity to understand their own health. This was inclusive of a concern about associating being obese with being unhealthy. The participants reported good relationships with their general practitioners (GPs) and felt valued, in particular when the GP was prepared to offer specific intellectual disability and health promotion advice. More gendered research inclusive of the views of this male population is required and the study reiterates the importance of promoting the health of men and women with intellectual disability.

Involving people with learning disabilities in nurse education: towards an inclusive approach.

There is limited evidence that explores how to effectively include people with learning disabilities in nurse education in the U.K. The majority of reported work relates to mental health nursing and social work training (Morgan and Jones, 2009). This paper specifically reports on the processes and activities undertaken by the authors with people with learning disabilities in the development of a new BSc learning disability nursing programme, a specific branch of nursing in the U.K. In doing so, findings and discussion from two separate projects involving students and people with learning disabilities will be integrated into the paper. EPICURE (Engagement, Processing, Interpretation, Critique, Usefulness, Relevance and Ethics (Stige et al. 2009) is adopted as a qualitative framework throughout the paper to evaluate the reported work that took place between September 2006 and October 2010. Suggestions are therefore made regarding the benefits and challenges of striving towards an inclusive approach to user involvement in nurse education, with particular reference to learning disability. The work presented in the paper demonstrates how through careful involvement of this population, deeper learning opportunities for all nursing students can be created.

Health promotion and learning disability.

The author argues that nurses should adopt a health promotion role with people who have learning disabilities. This will enable them to build partnerships with patients and develop caring relationships.