استكشف المجموعة الواسعة من العناوين المتاحة.

Many people with asthma tolerate symptoms and lifestyle limitations unnecessarily by not utilizing proven therapies. Better support for self-management is known to improve asthma control, and increasingly the Internet and other digital media are being used to deliver that support. Our goal was to summarize current knowledge, evidenced through existing systematic reviews, of the effectiveness and implementation of digital self-management support for adults and children with asthma and to examine what features help or hinder the use of these programs. A comprehensive search strategy combined 3 facets of search terms: (1) online technology, (2) asthma, and (3) self-management/behavior change/patient experience. We undertook searches of 14 databases, and reference and citation searching. We included qualitative and quantitative systematic reviews about online or computerized interventions facilitating self-management. Title, abstract, full paper screening, and quality appraisal were performed by two researchers independently. Data extraction was undertaken using standardized forms. A total of 3810 unique papers were identified. Twenty-nine systematic reviews met inclusion criteria: the majority were from the United States (n=12), the rest from United Kingdom (n=6), Canada (n=3), Portugal (n=2), and Australia, France, Spain, Norway, Taiwan, and Greece (1 each). Only 10 systematic reviews fulfilled pre-determined quality standards, describing 19 clinical trials. Interventions were heterogeneous: duration of interventions ranging from single use, to 24-hour access for 12 months, and incorporating varying degrees of health professional involvement. Dropout rates ranged from 5-23%. Four RCTs were aimed at adults (overall range 3-65 years). Participants were inadequately described: socioeconomic status 0/19, ethnicity 6/19, and gender 15/19. No qualitative systematic reviews were included. Meta-analysis was not attempted due to heterogeneity and inadequate information provision within reviews. There was no evidence of harm from digital interventions. All RCTs that examined knowledge (n=2) and activity limitation (n=2) showed improvement in the intervention group. Digital interventions improved markers of self care (5/6), quality of life (4/7), and medication use (2/3). Effects on symptoms (6/12) and school absences (2/4) were equivocal, with no evidence of overall benefits on lung function (2/6), or health service use (2/15). No specific data on economic analyses were provided. Intervention descriptions were generally brief making it impossible to identify which specific \"ingredients\" of interventions contribute most to improving outcomes. Digital self-management interventions show promise, with evidence of beneficial effects on some outcomes. There is no evidence about utility in those over 65 years and no information about socioeconomic status of participants, making understanding the \"reach\" of such interventions difficult. Digital interventions are poorly described within reviews, with insufficient information about barriers and facilitators to their uptake and utilization. To address these gaps, a detailed quantitative systematic review of digital asthma interventions and an examination of the primary qualitative literature are warranted, as well as greater emphasis on economic analysis within trials.

This book provides strategic insights drawn from librarians who are meeting the challenge of digital scholarship, utilizing the latest technologies and creating new knowledge in partnership with researchers, scholars, colleagues and students.

Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have both signed the 2006 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and have a number of acts and policies which support inclusive education for children with disabilities. However, achieving the goals of equitable education at all levels remains a challenge, especially for autistic children. This article reports on the experiences of mothers from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in trying to find schools or autism centres for their autistic adolescent sons. The research is based on in‐depth interviews with 17 mothers, the majority of whom reported that educating their sons is challenging, and that the schools and centres are inadequate or expensive, with the result that a number of participants’ children had to stay at home to the detriment of the boys and their mothers’ wellbeing. The findings are interpreted using the capabilities approach, a normative, evaluative framework on questions of social justice and individual flourishing. A capability evaluation reveals that many mothers experience capability corrosion as a result of gender, cultural, and legal restrictions, as well as difficulties in accessing appropriate education, with respect to three central capabilities: bodily integrity, affiliation, and control over one’s environment.

All were non-smokers with a cough of more than 8 weeks' duration and had negative investigation and trials of treatment for asthma, rhinitis, gastro-oesophageal reflux and respiratory tract infection.

There are few studies on the experiences of spouses of military members, with most focused on adverse impacts of deployment. Responses to an open-ended question in a survey of spouses' health and wellbeing enabled access to perceptions and insights on a broad range of topics. The objective of this investigation was to examine how respondents used the open-ended question and what they discussed, in aim of informing support service agencies and spouses of military members. Thematic analysis was conducted on responses to the open-ended question. Descriptive analysis was performed on the demographics, military member characteristics and self-reported health of respondents and non-respondents to the open-ended question. Over a quarter (28.5%) of the 1,332 survey participants answered the open-ended question, with respondents having a significantly higher level of education than non-respondents. Respondents expressed negative and positive experiences and insights on military life, provided personal information, commented on the survey, and qualified their responses to closed-ended questions. Topics included 'inadequate support', 'deployment impacts', 'suggestions for supporting agencies', 'appraisal of experiences' and 'coping strategies'. This investigation uncovered issues of importance to spouses of military members that were not included or identified in a quantitative study. The findings provide a platform from which to explore these issues further, particularly the impact of military life on the non-serving spouse's career. The findings also provide support agencies with evidence to strengthen their services and they give spouses an opportunity to reflect on their own and others' feelings and evaluations of military life.

[...]whatever one thinks about spirituality, it speaks to, and about, the human condition, as well as about the human imagination and creativity, and the need for human experience that transcends the ordinary. Given the nature of the global problems we face as a result of climate change, mass migration, conflict, water quality, the degradation of land and loss of biodiversity – the simple (if complex) facts our global connectedness - there are, critically, very clear ethical and moral dimensions about how we inquire into, and organise knowledge, and the purposes to which it is put. Transdisciplinary knowledge that does not take account of the (perilous) human condition will fail to improve life and human flourishing. [...]in Article 4. ‘[r]igor, opening and tolerance are the fundamental characteristics of the transdisciplinary attitude and vision’ (Nicolescu 1992) (emphases from the original).

Earlier this year Perth College Junior School received an invitation to apply for funding from AISWA (Association of Independent Schools Western Australia) to take part in an action research project entitled Historical Inquiry through the Arts and Languages as part of the AGQTP (Australian Government Quality Teacher Programme). As a new member of staff, I considered this to be a highly valuable opportunity not only to get involved with school activities, get to know the teaching staff better, but also as a successful way to advocate for the Junior School Library and highlight what a critical role it (and myself) as the teacher librarian could play in helping with the implementation of the Australian Curriculum.

Significant advances have been made in the management of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in the past decade. There is a greater understanding of the disease process, more robust markers of prognostication and a wider range of disease-targeted therapies, with three classes of drug therapy now established. This has resulted in improved prognosis and quality of life but has also increased the complexity in making treatment decisions. To utilise these pharmacotherapies to their best potential, several factors need to be considered. This article will discuss how best to initiate and escalate PAH therapy on an individual patient basis by discussing current pharmacotherapies available, specific patient factors and determining treatment response and prognosis at diagnosis and during follow-up.