A Systematic Review of the Impacts of Media Mental Health Awareness Campaigns on Young People.

Mental health issues are prevalent among young people. An estimated 10% of children and adolescents worldwide experience a mental disorder, yet most do not seek or receive care. Media mental health awareness campaigns, defined as marketing efforts to raise awareness of mental health issues through mass media, are an effort to address this concern. While previous research has evaluated the outcomes of specific media mental health awareness campaigns, there is limited data synthesizing their overall effects. This study addresses the knowledge gap by reviewing the existing literature on the impact of media mental health awareness campaigns on young people. A search was conducted on MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO, Web of Science, and Google Scholar for studies published between 2004 and 2022 with results specific to people aged 10 to 24. Out of 20,902 total studies identified and screened, 18 studies were included in the review. The following data were extracted from each study: characteristics and descriptions of the campaign, evaluation design and sampling, and summary of impact. The review identified evaluations of 15 campaigns from eight different countries. Outcome evaluation methods commonly comprised of surveys and quantitative data. The campaigns were generally associated with positive changes in the attitudes, beliefs, and intentions of young people (e.g., reduced stigma) and positive changes in behaviors (e.g., increased help-seeking behaviors). The inclusion of few studies in the review indicates a need for ongoing evaluations of media mental health awareness campaigns for young people to inform good practices in their development and distribution.

Pain management communication between parents and nurses after pediatric outpatient surgery.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore parent-nurse pain management communication during a child's discharge process following pediatric outpatient surgery. DESIGN AND METHODS: Thirty-two clinical encounters at discharge between parents (N = 40) and nurses (N = 25) at BC Children's Hospital were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Content analysis was applied on the audio recordings and corresponding transcripts using MAXQDA qualitative research software and Microsoft Excel. RESULTS: Overall, nurses delivered pain management instructions at an average sixth grade readability level and frequently used communication elements of reassurance, optimism, and question-asking. Less consistent communication elements included open-ended questions, interruptions, and promotion of parental decision-making. Parents most frequently asked one to five questions, with pain medication being the most inquired topic. CONCLUSIONS: Several strengths of the nurse communication approach were identified, and parent questions highlighted a need for greater understanding around pain medication. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: These findings will help guide effective pain management communication and care for young patients and their families.

The impact of respite care from the perspectives and experiences of people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and their care partners: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Respite care provides caregiving support to people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and their care partners by providing the care partner with temporary relief from their caregiving duties. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of respite care through the perspectives and lived experiences of people with ALS and their care partners. METHODS: Thirty-one dyads (62 participants) of people with ALS and their care partners were assigned to either the control group or the respite care intervention. Respite care was provided in the form of home-based services. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants at baseline and after a six-month period to gather perspectives on ALS caregiving, perceptions of respite care, and the respite care experience. Interviews were transcribed and subjected to thematic analysis. RESULTS: Caregiving challenges specific to the care partner and the patient-care partnership relationship were identified. Overall, people with ALS and care partners responded positively to in-home respite care and reported improved relationship quality, more time for the care partner to pursue personal commitments or take a break, and improved emotional well-being for both the person with ALS and the care partner. Barriers and concerns were raised surrounding privacy and staff consistency. CONCLUSION: This study highlights respite care as a critical tool to alleviate caregiving challenges and support the needs of people with ALS and their care partners. Engagement with the ALS community and formal evaluations of respite care services should be prioritized in order to minimize barriers and best meet the needs of people with ALS and their care partners.

Barriers and Facilitators to Effective Pain Management by Parents After Pediatric Outpatient Surgery.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to describe the experience of postoperative pain management from the perspectives of parents and identify areas for improvement. METHOD: Forty parents or legal guardians of children aged 5-18 years who underwent outpatient surgery at BC Children's Hospital were recruited. Qualitative semistructured interviews were conducted to explore participants' experiences with the discharge instructions and at-home pain management. RESULTS: Overall, participants reported positive experiences with pain management. Facilitators in pain management communication included the combination of verbal and written instructions. Barriers to effective pain management included discrepancies in the information provided by different health care professionals and the experience of stress at the time of pain management communication. DISCUSSION: The exploration of parent narratives highlighted the need for detailed information resources and patient-centered care surrounding pain management. The practical recommendations identified will inform future research and improve the quality of care for pediatric pain.

Prioritizing Benefits: A Content Analysis of the Ethics in Dementia Technology Policies.

BACKGROUND: As the global prevalence of dementia rises, care costs impose a large burden on healthcare systems. Technology solutions in dementia care have the potential to ease this burden. While policies exist to guide and govern the use of dementia care technologies, little is known about how ethical considerations are incorporated into these documents. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to examine ethics-related content in dementia care technology policies. METHODS: We used a two-step data mining approach to collect a sample of dementia technology policies. Policy documents were analyzed using emergent content analysis. Following the coding of the sample, thematic categories were organized using the principles of biomedical ethics as a framework. RESULTS: A total of 23 policy documents from four Alzheimer associations in four countries were included in our analysis. General ethics considerations and themes related to beneficence were mentioned in 96% of the documents. Thematic categories related to justice were present in 74% of the sample, themes related to non-maleficence appeared in 52% of documents, and themes related to autonomy appeared in 43% of the sample. CONCLUSION: While ethical considerations are present in existing policies for dementia care technology, these considerations revolve primarily around the benefit of the technologies. Further efforts are needed to provide formal guidance that incorporates both benefits and potential harms.

Patient perspectives of the experience of a computerized cognitive assessment in a clinical setting.

INTRODUCTION: Computerized assessments are becoming widely accepted in the clinical setting and as a potential outcome measure in clinical trials. To gain patient perspectives of this experience, the aim of the present study was to investigate patient attitudes and perceptions of the Cognigram [Cogstate], a computerized cognitive assessment. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 older adults undergoing a computerized cognitive assessment at the University of British Columbia Hospital Clinic for Alzheimer Disease and Related Disorders. Thematic analysis was applied to identify key themes and relationships within the data. RESULTS: The analysis resulted in three categories: attitudes toward computers in healthcare, the cognitive assessment process, and evaluation of the computerized assessment experience. The results show shared views on the need for balance between human and computer intervention, as well as room for improvement in test design and utility. DISCUSSION: Careful design and user-testing should be made a priority in the development of computerized assessment interfaces, as well as reevaluating the cognitive assessment process to minimize patient anxiety and discomfort. Future research should move toward continuous data capture within clinical trials and ensuring instruments of high reliability to reduce variance.