News
The National Student Survey is now available for you to complete the survey will remain open until 30 April 2012.
The School of Nursing and Midwifery encourages all final year students to fill in the survey as more students participating means more reliable results.
The survey is important as the results are used by the university to identify areas in which it is doing well and areas that need to be improved
For more information please click here
The School of Nursing and Midwifery has been awarded a Bronze Award by Athena SWAN (http://www.athenaswan.org.uk/html/athena-swan/) in recognition of good practice in recruiting, retaining and promoting women in Science in higher education. SWAN Champions Dr Jenny McNeill and Dr Valerie Holmes, together with the School Self Assessment Team prepared the application which was submitted in May 2010. Dr Valerie Holmes accepted the award on behalf of the School at an awards lunch at The Royal Society, London. The team will now continue their work, implementing their 3 year action plan to promote good practice and support career progression and success for women in science within the School of Nursing and Midwifery.
To contact the SWAN Champions about their application or SWAN activities please email v.holmes@qub.ac.uk or j.mcneill@qub.ac.uk
Karen McConnell, Nursing and Midwifery PhD student, was awarded the Marcia Mackie Studentship in April this year allowing her to travel to Australia in the autumn. The studentship will facilitate discussion and exploration of research opportunities with distinguished researchers from The University of Melbourne, Royal Children’s Hospital and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in relation to the epidemiology, assessment and treatment of cerebral palsy (CP) in children and young people.
During her visit, Karen will meet with therapists and researchers who have utilised constraint induced movement therapy, a novel treatment for children with CP that she is investigating as part of her PhD. She will also meet with researchers who have been involved in developing and validating measurement tools for children with CP which will include a visit to the Rehabilitation Sciences Research Centre at the University of Melbourne. Karen will also link up with the Melbourne CP register. She anticipates that the visit will greatly enhance the writing up of her PhD and provide her with an international perspective on rehabilitation of CP. It will also provide an opportunity to identify areas of mutual interest that may be amenable for collaborative research between Belfast and Melbourne.
The School of Nursing and Midwifery is pleased to announce a scholarship award for an international student to undertake a PhD in the School over a period of three years, commencing September 2011. The scholarship will cover both international tuition fees and a stipend of £13,590 per annum. The area of research that the student will undertake is as follows:
BUBS: Bringing Up Baby after Surgery
For Further information on this Scholarship please click here
Dr Bronagh Blackwood
A systematic review undertaken by researchers from Queens has shown that the time spent receiving mechanical ventilation can be reduced by about a quarter when standardised weaning protocols are used in comparison with usual practice.
The review was led by Dr Bronagh Blackwood from the School of Nursing and Midwifery, together with Drs Peter O’Halloran and Fiona Alderdice also from Nursing; Dr Chris Cardwell from the School of Medicine; Dr Gavin Lavery from the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast Trust; and Dr Karen Burns from University of Toronto, Canada. They looked at 11 clinical trials involving 1971 patients. The trials compared the use of protocols to wean intensive care patients from the ventilator against usual practice and were conducted in America, Europe and Australia. Published in the British Medical Journal (details of which can be found here), the review showed that in comparison with usual practice, weaning protocols reduced the average total time spent on the ventilator by 25%. The duration of weaning was reduced by 78% and length of stay in the intensive care unit reduced by 10%.
Dr Blackwood explained that many critically ill patients require mechanical ventilation to help with their breathing. However, ventilation brings additional risks such as mechanical injury to the throat or vocal cords, injury to or infection of the lungs and complications of prolonged patient immobility. It's important, therefore, to reduce and stop ventilator support (known as weaning) as soon as a patient is able to breathe independently. Weaning from mechanical ventilation is an enduring challenge for patients in the intensive care unit. For a number of years using clinical protocols to guide practice has been suggested as one way to reduce the length of time patients spend on a ventilator. For the first time, this review brings together the best current evidence on the use of protocols. It asks the question: Can the use of protocols by both doctors and nurses reduce time spent on the ventilator and length of stay in intensive care without an increase in adverse events? Broadly speaking, the answer this review gives is 'yes'.
However, the research team found that reductions were not consistent across all studies. There was considerable variation in the types of protocols used, the criteria for considering when to start weaning, the methods of weaning, the medical conditions of the patients and usual practice in weaning. This means that caution needs to be applied when generalising findings to other intensive care units. Nevertheless, although the review provides some answers, it raises a number of intriguing questions that require further exploration: What is the optimal weaning protocol? Which patient groups will benefit most from the use of protocols? How does organisational context affect successful implementation?
The study was funded through a Cochrane Fellowship award for Dr Blackwood by the Research and Development Office, Northern Ireland and the Health Research Board, Ireland.
Joy Browne, Ph.D., CNS-BC, IMH (IV), is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics. She holds dual licensure as a Pediatric Psychologist and a Clinical Nurse Specialist and has an Endorsement as an Infant Mental Health Mentor (IV) . Dr. Browne is the Director of Interdisciplinary Training at JFK Partners University Centre of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, and Director of the Centre for Family and Infant Interaction, a component of JFK Partners. She directs the Colorado Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program (NIDCAP) Center and the Family Infant Relationship Support Training (FIRST) programs as well as the Fragile Infant Feeding Institute (FIFI) and is on the faculty of the Developmental Psychobiology Research Group and the Irving Harris Program for Child Development and Infant Mental Health at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine. Dr. Browne’s area of expertise is in neurobehavioural assessment and intervention with high-risk infants and their families, as well as systems change toward developmentally supportive and family centered care in both hospital and community settings. Dr. Browne developed BEGINNINGS, an interim Individualized Family Service Plan for newborns with special needs and provides training in the IFSP for newborns and young infants. She is a Zero to Three graduate fellow, and Founding President of the Colorado Association for Infant Mental Health. Dr. Browne is an international speaker and conference organizer in areas of neurodevelopment and developmental care.
A new report published by medical journal The Lancet this weekend, reveals women with type 1 diabetes, who are at high risk of pre-eclampsia and preterm delivery, will not have their risk lowered by taking vitamin supplements C and E.
The report, involving researchers from the Centre for Public Health and the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Queen’s University Belfast and the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust also found, however, that vitamin supplementation could be beneficial in those women with low levels of dietary antioxidants in their blood and that this possibility needs further investigation.
" The causes of pre-eclampsia are not known, but it has been suggested that oxidative stress, (where free radicals harm cells), might play a key role in the development of the condition.",according to Dr Valerie Holmes from the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Queen’s University Belfast.
In 1999, a small trial suggested that vitamin C and E might reduce pre-eclampsia in all pregnant women, not just those with type 1 diabetes. Since then however, subsequent larger trials found no benefit of vitamin C and E supplementation during regular pregnancies.
Several previous research studies had also previously suggested that because type 1 diabetes is associated with both increased oxidative stress (and a reduction in antioxidants), antioxidant vitamin supplements could improve outcomes for these women.
To investigate further, the Diabetes and Pre-Eclampsia Intervention Trial (DAPIT) study group examined the benefits of 1000mg vitamin C and 400 IU (international units) vitamin E in 762 pregnant women with type 1 diabetes, recruited from 25 UK antenatal clinics in the UK. Women were randomly assigned to vitamins (379) or placebo (383) daily from between 8 and 22 weeks until delivery.
Overall, findings showed that the rate of pre-eclampsia was similar in both groups (15 per cent vs 19 per cent). In women with low antioxidant status at the start of the study however, taking vitamins was associated with a significantly lower risk of pre-eclampsia.
There was no evidence of harm from vitamin supplementation to either mothers or babies. Antioxidant vitamins did not increase the likelihood of developing high blood pressure during pregnancy (11 per cent vs 11 per cent) and actually tended to reduce the risk of having a low birthweight baby (6 per cent vs 10 per cent). Additionally, fewer babies were born preterm to women taking vitamin C.
Professor Ian Young from the Centre for Public Health, Queen’s School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences said: “Dietary intervention rich in various antioxidants might have benefits that cannot be replicated by individual supplements. Alternatively, prescription of antioxidant vitamins at 8–22 weeks’ gestation might be too late to affect the pathological process for most patients with diabetes.”
“In principle, the notion that oxidative stress is implicated in the cause and development of pre-eclampsia remains plausible, but the benefit of vitamin supplementation might be limited to women with vitamin depletion; however, this idea needs confirmation.”
The research was presented at the American Diabetes Association meeting in Florida. The article has been published online first in The Lancet.
For further information please contact Dr Valerie Holmes. v.holmes@qub.ac.uk
The number of referrals for trauma-related support as a result of the violence in Northern Ireland has increased by 34 per cent in the last year.
The figure relates to referrals made to the WAVE Trauma Centre. According to WAVE Chief Executive Sandra Peake, the referrals are largely the result of a “ripple effect” from cases being addressed by the Historical Enquiries Team.
The figure has been revealed ahead of an event at Queen’s today attended by actor James Nesbitt.
The event will highlight the launch of a new Trauma Training and Learning Pathway delivered by WAVE, and financially supported by the EU PEACE III Programme, managed for the Special EU Programmes Body by the Community Relations / Pobal Consortium.
Speaking ahead of the event, James Nesbitt, who is patron of WAVE said: “Events like this are vital in showcasing how expertly-led programmes, held in the true spirit of partnership, are vital in forming a better society for all in Northern Ireland.
“Their collaboration in the field of trauma studies has a real, tangible impact on the lives of those who they care and support on a daily basis. It is vital that the forthcoming Executive recognise this and enable this unique, vital and valuable work to continue.”
James Nesbitt will be in conversation with former BBC security correspondent Barney Rowan at the event.
Marianne Moutray, Director of Education in Nursing and Midwifery at Queen’s said: “In Northern Ireland the need to deal with the past is growing in emphasis. I am proud that WAVE, Gaslight Productions, and Queen’s through its School of Nursing and Midwifery and School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work are making a real difference in assisting and enabling our local communities to resolve at least some of the pain of the past.
“For the first time Social Work students will be trained by members of WAVE who have had direct personal experience of the troubles. They will gain an invaluable insight into what life is like for the many they may well be helping in their future career.
“Such initiatives are vital to the future success of our health and caring professionals. I hope today’s event will encourage more people from the healthcare field, the emergency services and the victim survivor community, to come on board and continue this crucial and necessary work which is set against the context of the violence experienced by many in Northern Ireland”.
Sandra Peake, Chief Executive of WAVE, said: “For many of those affected by the Troubles, the past is not in the past, it forms the present and it needs to be addressed in order that individuals can progress to the future.
“Today’s event will highlight the positive and often transformational effects our trauma-studies programmes have on people who access our services and study on our courses. It is also a celebration of the trauma training courses we run in the community and of course, the launch of our PEACE III European Union funded training and learning pathway which works across Northern Ireland and the border counties to provide specialist trauma training programmes and equip members of the community to assist with learning from the past in order to shape our future.
“The work undertaken as a result of the collaboration between WAVE and all our partners offers a real opportunity to assist communities and also to contribute to an overall societal response in dealing with the past. I would like to thank James Nesbitt for his ongoing support in highlighting this important and very real issue and hope it will stay as a priority on the political agenda.”
Also speaking at today’s event will be Dr Karen Murphy from New York, Director of International programmes for Facing History and Ourselves and students who have benefitted from the courses on offer.
Further information on studying Trauma Studies at Queen’s is available online at the School of Nursing and Midwifery website via www.qub.ac.uk
Further information on WAVE can be found online at http://www.wavetraumacentre.org.uk/
Media inquiries to Lisa McElroy, Senior Press Officer, 028 9097 5384 or m07814 422 572, lisa.mcelroy@qub.ac.uk
The School of Nursing and Midwifery at Queen's has been ranked as the Number 7 Nursing School in 'The Times' Good University Guide 2010, published on June 4th 2009. The Guide’s judging criteria includes research (as determined by the results of the 2008 RAE), entry standards, teaching quality (as determined by the National Student Survey ) and employment prospects for a graduate of the School. Professor Linda Johnston, Head of School, said “The School’s outstanding perfomance in the ranking is a reflection of the internationally recognized research and excellent teaching by our academic staff in the School, together with the first class frameworks in place within the School to support students through their Queens experience and to prepare them for their careers ahead”.
Queen’s University is to play a major role in the biggest trial ever conducted to investigate how music therapy can help children and young people with severe mental health problems.
Researchers from the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Queen’s will work on the project with Northern Ireland Music Therapy Trust (NIMTT), a charity providing music therapy services to people with disabilities and disorders who have profound communication difficulties.
NIMTT has been awarded £326,164 from the Big Lottery Fund’s Research programme, to carry out Music in Mind - the largest study ever undertaken into the effects of music therapy on children and young people with severe mental health problems – with Queen’s and the Belfast Trust.
The therapy will be trialled over a three year period on over 300 children and young people to test whether it improves their communication, self-confidence and self-esteem.
The Queen’s research team is being led by Professor Sam Porter and includes psychologist Dr Katrina McLaughlin and Dr Valerie Holmes, who has extensive experience in carrying out major trials.
Professor Porter said: “The role of the Queen’s research team is to take an impartial and objective look at whether or to what extent music therapy improves the communication skills of children with severe mental health problems.
“Research to date has not been able to conclusively answer these questions so this is why the Queen’s trial is of such importance.
“The Music in Mind trial is by far the largest ever conducted in this area. Its size means that it will be able to generate results in which commissioners and practitioners of health care can have confidence.
“It is a landmark in the scientific investigation of music therapy. Given that music therapy is practiced around the world, the significance of its results will be global.
“Through our dynamic partnership with the Northern Ireland Music Therapy Trust, we have the opportunity to position the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Queen’s as the world-leader in this very important area of health care research.”
NIMTT Executive Director Fiona Davidson explained that the findings of the pioneering study will have the potential to improve the psychiatric services provided for children and young people in Northern Ireland and across the UK.
“The report by the Chief Medical Officer in Northern Ireland in 2005 showed that 20 per cent of children and young people in Northern Ireland are experiencing severe mental health problems by their 18th birthday.
“The impact of 30 years of conflict also continues to have an effect on communities in Northern Ireland.
“We want to show that music therapy can improve young people’s communication and mental health and their ability to work with other psychiatric services such as counselling. Music therapy builds a new language of communication for people who can’t use words or find it difficult to express how they feel.
“We hope that the findings, which will be presented to professionals and policymakers in Northern Ireland and further afield through an international conference, will if positive, lead to an increase in the provision of music therapy across the UK. Currently, attracting Government funding for music therapy is very difficult and this sort of evidence is increasingly required given the competing demands on health service funding.
John Devine, Principal of Edmund Rice PS, on the Antrim Road in the New Lodge Road area of north Belfast, said he had seen a marked improvement in the communication and confidence of pupils who have taken part in music therapy.
“I hope this research will prove the benefits that music therapy brings to the lives of young people. This school is in an inner city area - the fifth most deprived area in Northern Ireland.
“The legacy of the Troubles has been passed down through the generations and continues to affect young people today. Some young people struggle to cope with the everyday interactions involved in school and society.
“We have children here who can be completely introverted and find it difficult to socialise and mix with their classmates. We also have pupils who can be complete extroverts and can be aggressive towards others.
“From the minute they go to the therapist we see a change in them. They look forward to going to the therapist and return to class settled and more receptive. They are more relaxed, so their learning improves, and the learning of everyone around them improves.
“Consequently when parents, used to the problems of difficult behaviour, hear their child is doing better in school they themselves take more of an interest in school life.”
The funding is part of a grants roll-out of over £20million across the UK from the Big Lottery Fund’s Research programme which supports high quality social and medical research projects across the UK.
Crisis Pregnancy Agency Ireland launches new report by School of Nursing and Midwifery Lecturer, Dr Maria Lohan and colleagues in University College Dublin. The report is entitled Parents’ Approaches to Educating their Pre-Adolescent and Adolescent Children about Sexuality. More details can be found on the press release here
