scholarly journals The Potential in Preparing Community Health Workers to Address Hearing Loss

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (06) ◽  
pp. 562-574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daisey Sánchez ◽  
Stephanie Adamovich ◽  
Maia Ingram ◽  
Frances P. Harris ◽  
Jill de Zapien ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Communication Strategies ◽  
Effective Communication ◽  
Training Process ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Three Phase ◽  
Hearing Health

Background: In underserved areas, it is crucial to investigate ways of increasing access to hearing health care. The community health worker (CHW) is a model that has been applied to increase access in various health arenas. This article proposes further investigation into the application of this model to audiology. Purpose: To assess the feasibility of training CHWs about hearing loss as a possible approach to increase accessibility of hearing health support services in an underserved area. Research Design: A specialized three-phase training process for CHWs was developed, implemented, and evaluated by audiologists and public health researchers. The training process included (1) focus groups with CHWs and residents from the community to raise awareness of hearing loss among CHWs and the community; (2) a 3-hr workshop training to introduce basic topics to prepare CHWs to identify signs of hearing loss among community members and use effective communication strategies; and (3) a 24-hr multisession, interactive training >6 weeks for CHWs who would become facilitators of educational and peer-support groups for individuals with hearing loss and family members. Study Sample: Twelve Spanish-speaking local CHWs employed by a federally qualified health center participated in a focus group, twelve received the general training, and four individuals with prior experience as health educators received further in-person training as facilitators of peer-education groups on hearing loss and communication. Data Collection and Analysis: Data was collected from each step of the three-phase training process. Thematic analysis was completed for the focus group data. Pre- and posttraining assessments and case study discussions were used to analyze results for the general workshop and the in-depth training sessions. Results: CHWs increased their knowledge base and confidence in effective communication strategies and developed skills in facilitating hearing education and peer-support groups. Through case study practice, CHWs demonstrated competencies and applied their learning to specific situations related to effective communication with hearing loss, family support, availability of assistive technology, use of hearing protection, and making referrals for hearing health care. Needs were identified for ongoing training in the area of use of assistive technology and addressing situations of more severe hearing loss and its effects. Conclusions: Initial results suggest it is feasible to train CHWs to engage community members regarding hearing loss and facilitate culturally relevant peer-health education and peer-support groups for individuals with hearing loss and their family members. In efforts to increase access to audiological services in rural or underserved communities, application of the CHW model with a partnership of audiologists deserves further consideration as a viable approach.

scholarly journals Addressing challenges with systematic review teams through effective communication: a case report

2021 ◽  
Vol 109 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda C. O’Dwyer ◽  
Q. Eileen Wafford
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Case Report ◽  
Review Process ◽  
Communication Strategies ◽  
Core Competency ◽  
Effective Communication ◽  
Low Energy ◽  
Full Participation ◽  
Systematic Review Process

Background: Every step in the systematic review process has challenges, ranging from resistance by review teams to adherence to standard methodology to low-energy commitment to full participation. These challenges can derail the project and result in significant delays, duplication of work, and failure to complete the review. Communication during the systematic review process is key to ensuring it runs smoothly and is identified as a core competency for librarians involved in systematic reviews.Case Presentation: This case report presents effective communication approaches that our librarians employ to address challenges encountered while working with systematic review teams. The communication strategies we describe engage teams through information, questions, and action items and lead to productive collaborations with publishable systematic reviews.Conclusions: Effective communication with review teams keeps systematic review projects moving forward. The techniques covered in this case study strive to minimize misunderstandings, educate collaborators, and, in our experience, have led to multiple successful collaborations and publications. Librarians working in the systematic review space will recognize these challenges and can adapt these techniques to their own environments.

scholarly journals Stress and burnout in anesthesia residency: an exploratory case study of peer support groups

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Spence ◽  
David Smith ◽  
Anne Wong
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Training Program ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Focus Group Interview ◽  
Maslach Burnout Inventory ◽  
Group Interview ◽  
Survey Responses

Stress and burnout are alarmingly prevalent in anesthesiologists, with the highest risk occurring during anesthesia residency training. To better understand this phenomenon, we conducted a mixed methods case study of our anesthesia training program to explore the residents’ accounts of stress and burnout and the potential value of peer support groups. Eight out of thirty eight residents participated in nine monthly peer support group (PSG) meetings followed by a focus group interview about stress and burnout in training and the value of PSG. We compared the participants’ mean pre-and post-PSG Maslach Burnout Inventory® (MBI) and Perceived Stress Scale® (PSS) and analysed the focus group interview for recurring themes. We captured the perspectives of twenty seven out of thirty residents who did not participate in support groups (non-participants) through an online survey on stress and burnout. We found evidence of a high prevalence of stress and burnout from the MBI and PSS scores and survey responses. Analysis of the focus group interview showed that the specific stressors of anesthesia training included: an individually-based model of training that predisposes to isolation from peers, an over-reliance on the quality of the faculty-resident relationship and the critical, high stakes nature of the profession. Residents strongly endorsed the value of PSG in decreasing isolation, enhancing validation, and support through the sharing of experiences. Lack of dedicated time and integration into the training program were major barriers to PSG participation. These barriers need to be overcome in order to fully realize its role in mitigating stress and burnout.

scholarly journals Developing Resources for Staff and Adapting Programing During COVID-19 at Fred Victor

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Carnegie
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Team Meetings ◽  
Health Goal ◽  
Group I ◽  
Health Promotions ◽  
Public Health Goal ◽  
Online Format

Fred Victor is an organization that supports those experiencing poverty and homelessness in Toronto. As a practicum student in the Health Promotions department at Fred Victor, I gained experience working on health promotion projects and was able to work directly with the community. Throughout the practicum, I worked on several projects to adapt Fred Victor’s services during COVID-19. First, I worked to develop a resilience toolkit for Fred Victor staff. COVID-19 has led to higher levels of stress. This prompted Fred Victor to develop tools to support their staff. I designed a toolkit that instructs managers on how to promote resilience in their supervision sessions and team meetings. This toolkit provided information on what resilience is, as well as practical actions that managers can take to promote resilience in staff. This project involved knowledge translation to convey the research on resilience to Fred Victor staff in an accessible way. Additionally, I worked to support the development of online peer support groups. Typically, Fred Victor runs weekly in-person peer support groups for community members. However, due to COVID-19, these groups had to move to an online format. I helped facilitate this transition by developing a guide for facilitating online group programming. This guide included information on the best platforms to run online programming, how to create a safety agreement, and best practices for facilitating the group. I then conducted outreach to community members to ask for their input on the format and content of the groups. These projects are important to public health as they work to meet the public health goal to improve quality of life by promoting and encouraging healthy behaviours. These projects played an important role in promoting the health of Fred Victor staff and clients during COVID-19 by providing them with support and tools to manage their mental health.

Understanding the contribution of effective communication strategies to program performance in humanitarian organizations

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 126-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastián Villa ◽  
Paulo Gonçalves ◽  
Tonny Villy Odong
Keyword(s):  
Communication Theory ◽  
Communication Strategies ◽  
Effective Communication ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Humanitarian Organizations ◽  
Procedure Guidelines ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to employ concepts drawn from communication theory to develop a structural model that it is hoped will improve the understanding of the impact of effective communication mechanisms on the performance of humanitarian organizations. Design/methodology/approach The research is based on a case study of a single humanitarian organization. The authors designed a cross-sectional study, collecting data using structured questionnaires and interviews. Structural equation modeling was used to test and estimate the model. Findings Estimations show that the proper design of internal manuals and procedure guidelines, coupled with formal strategies to foster stakeholder dialogue in organizations and increase the perceived performance of humanitarian programs. Practical implications The paper discusses the importance of designing effective communication strategies that permit humanitarian organizations to use their communication channels properly and improve operations based on lessons learned and the concerns of stakeholders. Originality/value This paper builds on the foundations provided by communication theory to develop a model that explains how communication affects performance in humanitarian organizations. The study further builds on a case study to test the theoretical model.

scholarly journals Assessing challenges to ineffective communication in government institutions: A case study of Vuwani area, Limpopo, South Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernard N. Rasila ◽  
Mavhungu E. Musitha
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Effective Communication ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Government Institutions ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Media Reports

Twenty-five schools were burnt. Others were damaged. This is during the protest at Vuwani area. Five houses were also torched. Businesses were brought to complete shutdown for more than three months.The protests followed lack of effective communication and consultation between Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB), government and communities on matters of municipality boundaries. The MDB took a decision that parts of Vuwani would be incorporated into the Malamulele villages to establish a new municipality, LIM 345. This angered Vuwani communities allegedly because they were not consulted. The MDB denied the allegations.A qualitative study was conducted in the area where there were interactions with government, and community members. Media reports were also used to substantiate the findings. It was revealed through the study results that although there was some communication between government institutions including the MDB and community members, this was not effective, hence violent protests. This paper is intended to provide strategies for future effective communication by state functionaries to avoid violent protests caused by ineffective communication.

How do hearing voices peer-support groups work? A three-phase model of transformation

Psychosis ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 201-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gail A. Hornstein ◽  
Emily Robinson Putnam ◽  
Alison Branitsky
Keyword(s):  
Peer Support ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Phase Model ◽  
Hearing Voices ◽  
Three Phase

scholarly journals Self-Supervised Voltage Sag Source Identification Method Based on CNN

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1059 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danqi Li ◽  
Fei Mei ◽  
Chenyu Zhang ◽  
Haoyuan Sha ◽  
Jianyong Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Source Identification ◽  
The Self ◽  
Convolution Neural Network ◽  
Voltage Sag ◽  
Training Process ◽  
Identification Method ◽  
Network Training ◽  
Three Phase

A self-supervised voltage sag source identification method based on a convolution neural network is proposed in this study. In addition, a self-supervised CNN (Convolutional Neural Networks) voltage sag source identification model is constructed on the basis of the convolution neural network and AutoEncoder. The convolution layer and pool layer in CNN are used to extract the voltage sag characteristics, and the self-supervised network training process is realized based on the principle of AE. In the constructed mode, features which reflect the data characteristics are used rather than artificial features, thus improving the accuracy of practical application. It is unnecessary to input a lot of correct labels before the self-supervised training process. The model can meet the requirements of sag source identification on timeliness, practicability, diversity, and versatility in the context of modern big data. In this study, three-phase asymmetric sag sources in sag sources are classified into more detailed categories according to different fault phases. Therefore, the proposed method can not only identify the voltage sag source, but also accurately determine the specific fault phase. Finally, the optimal parameters of the model are recognized through a case study, and a self-supervised CNN model is established based on the data type of voltage sag. This model extracts features and identifies sag sources through the measured sag data. The superiority of the proposed method is verified by a comparison.

What Clinicians Need to Know About Early Literacy Development in Children With Hearing Loss

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Runnion ◽  
Shelley Gray
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Early Literacy ◽  
Skill Development ◽  
Reading Proficiency ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Literacy Skill ◽  
Early Literacy Development ◽  
Literacy Skill Development ◽  
Children With Hearing Loss

PurposeChildren with hearing loss may not reach the same level of reading proficiency as their peers with typical development. Audiologists and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have important roles to play in preventing this problem early in children's development. In this tutorial, we aim to communicate how the habilitation practices of audiologists and intervention services of SLPs can support early literacy skill development in children with hearing loss.MethodWe describe key findings from peer-reviewed research articles to provide a review of early literacy skill development, to explain the relationship between early literacy skills and conventional reading skills, and to highlight findings from early literacy skill intervention studies that included children with hearing loss who use spoken language. We conclude with a hypothetical case study to illustrate how audiologists and SLPs can support early literacy acquisition in children with hearing loss.ConclusionFindings from studies of young children with hearing loss suggest that a promising approach to improving reading outcomes is to provide explicit early literacy instruction and intervention.

For Those About to Rock

2012 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-35
Author(s):  
Jennifer Tufts
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Cultural Landscape ◽  
Minimal Risk ◽  
Noise Induced Hearing Loss ◽  
Essential Information ◽  
Informed Decisions ◽  
Hearing Health ◽  
Loud Music ◽  
Protective Strategies

Loud music and noisy hobbies are part of our cultural landscape. These activities can be enjoyed with minimal risk to hearing if a few commonsense guidelines are followed. Educating clients about risks and protective strategies will empower them to make informed decisions about their hearing health that best reflect their values and priorities. In this article, the author covers essential information to avoiding noise-induced hearing loss, writing in easily accessible language to better help clinicians convey this information to their clients.

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