No abstract

No abstract

BackgroundIn order to meet the challenges of caring for an injured person, caregivers need access to health information. However, caregivers often feel that they lack adequate information. Previous studies of caregivers have primarily focused on either their time and emotional burdens or their health outcomes, but the information needs of caregivers have not been thoroughly investigated.ObjectiveThe purpose of this investigation was to identify the preferred sources of health information for caregivers supporting individuals with injuries and to explore how access to this information could be improved.MethodsA total of 32 caregivers participated in semistructured interviews, which were used in order to develop a more in-depth understanding of these caregivers’ information needs. Digital audio recordings of the interviews were used for analysis purposes. These audio recordings were analyzed using a thematic analysis or qualitative content analysis. All of participant’s interviews were then coded using the qualitative analysis program, Nvivo 10 for Mac (QSR International).ResultsThe caregivers endorsed similar behaviors and preferences when seeking and accessing health information. Medical professionals were the preferred source of information, while ease of access made the Internet the most common avenue to obtain information. The challenges faced by participants were frequently a result of limited support. In describing an ideal health system, participants expressed interest in a comprehensive care website offering support network resources, instructive services about the injury and caregiving, and injury-specific materials.ConclusionsAccording to the participants, an ideal health information system would include a comprehensive care website that offered supportive network resources, instructive services about the injury and caregiving, and materials specific to the type of patient injury.

PurposeResearch examining the utilization of evidence-based practice (EBP) specifically among rehabilitation clinicians is limited. The objective of this study was to examine how various rehabilitative clinicians including physical therapists, occupational therapists, rehabilitation counselors, and physiatrists are gaining access to literature and whether they are able to implement the available research into practice.MethodsA total of 21 total clinicians were interviewed via telephone. Using NVivo, a qualitative analysis of the responses was performed.ResultsThere were similarities found with respect to the information-seeking behaviors and translation of research across the different clinician types. Lack of time was reported to be a barrier for both access to literature and implementation of research across all clinician types. The majority of clinicians who reported having difficulty with utilizing the published literature indicated that the literature was not applicable to their practice, the research was not specific enough to be put into practice, or the research found was too outdated to be relevant. In addition, having a supportive work environment aided in the search and utilization of research through providing resources central to assisting clinicians in gaining access to health information.ConclusionOur study identified several barriers that affect EBP for rehabilitation clinicians. The findings suggest the need for researchers to ensure that their work is applicable and specific to clinical practice for implementation to occur.

The authors surveyed faculty (n = 239) at three diverse institutions to probe perceived motivations for and barriers to involvement in undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity (URSCA) across scholarly disciplines. URSCA mentors were significantly more likely than nonparticipants to express proficiency in involving students in their research/creative activities, to acknowledge student contributions to their scholarly work, and to state that URSCA mentoring should be considered in personnel decisions. More than half perceived that their institutions did not place sufficient value on mentoring URSCA. Results suggested that institutional URSCA cultures could be enhanced by building mentoring into faculty workload, tenure materials, and promotion documents; using early, course-based research to improve student readiness; providing faculty development on research mentoring aimed at underrepresented disciplines; and seeking novel funding sources targeted at faculty-mentored URSCA.