Comparison of experiences of nursing staff and patients before and after move to 100% single-bed room hospital in Australia: mixed methods.

BACKGROUND: There is sufficient and consistent international evidence of issues reported by nurses working in single-bed room environments, requiring a design that is not only comfortable for patients but meets nurses working needs. This paper presents a comparison of nursing staff and patients experience prior to a move to 100% single-bed room hospital in 2016 (Stage 1) and actual experiences after the move in 2021 (Stage 2) in South Australia. METHOD: Mixed method case study design. Survey sample of forty-two nursing staff; twelve patient interviews of their experiences of current environment and; thirteen nursing staff interviews of their experiences delivering nursing care in 100% single bed-room environment. RESULTS: Nurses and patients highlighted single-bed rooms contributed to patients' privacy, confidentiality, dignity and comfort. As anticipated in Stage 1, nurses in Stage 2 reported lack of patient and staff visibility. This impacted workload, workflow and concern for patient safety. CONCLUSION: Patient and nursing staff experiences are interdependent, and implications of single-bed room accommodation are complicated. Future impacts on the health system will continue to affect hospital design, which must consider nurses working needs and patient safety and comfort.

Investigating Australian Consumers' Perceptions of and Preferences for Different Styles of Sparkling Wine Using the Fine Wine Instrument.

This study investigated consumer preferences for different styles of sparkling wine and the influence of wine style and occasion on sparkling wine purchasing and consumption behavior. Australian consumers (n = 203) completed an online survey and blind tasting of representative styles of commercial sparkling wines, including Champagne. Wine sensory profiles were determined by descriptive analysis using a trained panel (n = 12) and consumers were segmented into 'No Frills', 'Aspirant' and 'Enthusiast' clusters using the Fine Wine Instrument. Consumer perceptions, preferences and liking were measured using 9-point hedonic scales and compared via statistical analysis. Consumers anticipated liking Champagne and sparkling white wine the most, and Moscato and Prosecco the least, but on tasting, could only readily identify the Moscato and sparkling red wines, as the most contrasting wine styles. As such, liking scores for the Champagne and sparkling white wine were significantly lower based on tasting (median scores were 6.0, compared with 9.0 and 8.0 for survey responses, respectively). Consumers' preconceived expectations of different sparkling wine styles clearly influenced purchasing and consumption behavior. Aspirants and Enthusiasts were more likely to spend more per bottle for Champagne and sparkling white wine, and consumption of these sparkling wines was most frequently associated with celebratory occasions, such as anniversaries, birthdays, Christmas, New Year and weddings.

What are school leavers' priorities for festival preparation?

This paper reports on the findings from a qualitative research study that explored how young people prepared to minimise and/or avoid alcohol-related harm while attending a Schoolies Festival (SF). SFs are mass gatherings at which young people (schoolies) celebrate their graduation from high school. The attendance of schoolies, in various Australian communities, ranges between 10 000 and 30 000 individuals during the event. The literature suggests that schoolies are at higher than normal risk of harm at SF from misuse of alcohol, unsafe sex, aggressive behaviour, and other risk-taking factors. As a result of these concerns, SF organisers developed an infrastructure that treats alcohol-related harm, and provides on-site care (first aid stations) by St John Ambulance staff. This study used focus groups to identify strategies used by schoolies to avoid alcohol-related harm during SFs. Data revealed that schoolies did not actively seek health information before attending the event and did not display an interest in doing so. It is important to note that schoolies planned to use alcohol to celebrate and have a good time. Therefore a harm minimisation approach with a focus on providing the necessary infrastructure at SFs to minimise the dangers associated with excess alcohol use is important. Schoolies indicated that they had no desire for information about the hazards of alcohol ingestion. If any health messages were to be used by health authorities, it would be far more appropriate to promote the message of 'take care of your mate', to contribute to building a supportive environment at the event. This may be of more benefit to minimise harm at SFs than funding other health messages.

Understanding the characteristics of patient presentations of young people at outdoor music festivals.

Outdoor music festivals are unique events given that they are, for the most part, bounded and ticketed, and alcohol is served. They frequently have a higher incidence of patient presentations when compared with similar types of mass gatherings. Often, however, single events are reported in the literature, making it difficult to generalize the findings across multiple events and limiting the understanding of the "typical" patient presentations at these mass gatherings. The aim of this paper was to understand the characteristics of young people who have presented as patients to on-site health care at outdoor music festivals in Australia, and the relative proportion and type of injury and illness presentations at these events. This research used a nonexperimental design, utilizing a retrospective review of patient report forms from outdoor music festivals. Data were collected from 26 outdoor music festivals across four States of Australia during the year 2010. Females presented at greater numbers than males, and over two-thirds presented with minor illnesses, such as headaches. Males presented with injuries, in particular lacerations to their face and their hands, and alcohol and substance use made up 15% of all presentations.

Exploring nursing students' understanding of being regulated.

In Australia, a national approach to the regulation of health practitioners and students has been established through the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act (2009; Qld) (the National Act). Whilst regulation of nursing and midwifery students under this new scheme is novel in most jurisdictions, students in South Australia have been registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of South Australia under the Nursing and Midwifery Practice Act 2008 (SA) (the State Act) since January 2010. Given the significant move to national registration of nursing and midwifery students, a mixed method study was initiated exploring South Australian nursing students' understanding of being regulated. Two hundred and twenty online surveys were completed and four focus groups conducted. Analysis revealed participants had little understanding of regulation and how the State Act applied to their student role and practice. The study recommends a nationally consistent strategy to inform students of their regulatory responsibilities.

Exploring culture: audience predispositions and consequent effects on audience behavior in a mass-gathering setting.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this critical review is to look at the current literature regarding mass gatherings and to create further understanding of this area with a particular focus on what the audience brings with them to the event, particularly in a planned event with a cultural theme or focus. Through an understanding of these predispositions and consequent effects on audience behavior in a mass-gathering setting, a more complete understanding of motivation factors of crowds and audiences can also be found. METHODS: A critical review of mass-gathering literature was undertaken by searching various online academic databases. Peer-reviewed scholarly articles relevant to the cultural aspects associated with religious, sporting and music mass gatherings were also analyzed. RESULTS: Results from the review show that the word "culture" is often used to explain what happens at the event without reflecting how the motivations or behaviors of audiences at an event are influenced by the cultural predispositions of the audience. CONCLUSIONS: By understanding the cultural predispositions of the audience, event planners and designers, event risk managers and event safety personnel are able to better understand the motivation of the audience and how this might impact on audience behavior at the event. Further work needs to be done, however, to investigate the broader range of predispositions. The ultimate aim of developing this understanding is to better inform the health promotion and public health messages that can be developed for a particular type of event based on the likely composition of the audience in attendance.