Amelia: with Human Steps Lalala

INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES
humanistic ------------------------------------------- mechanistic
SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL

individual

Just-be
with us	NO! Be still! Just-ice

group - population

My source: Sky Arts 1 and Amelia - my grandmother

Five Fever Tales: Fact-based dramas about malaria, one of the oldest human diseases

The following radio broadcasts may be of interest:

Five Fever Tales by Lavinia Greenlaw

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03yzlhk

Five Fever Tales by Lavinia Greenlaw

These brief plays are very interesting as they present history in a docu-drama approach. The science behind the discovery of what the 'fever' was/is and the challenge for those who first saw new 'living' things through the microscope and then convincing the scientific establishment is quite fascinating.




The economic incentives to solving the 'fever' are also salutary and give pause for thought in considering global health today (and tomorrow - global warning) as is recognition of resistance and current genetic research programmes.

I believe these programmes are freely accessible worldwide, for a limited time period.

Also posted on HIFA2015 c/o the moderator.

Extraordinary lives: Demographic influences on academic studies - Life Writing, Life Story Work

Recent reading for studies at Lancaster included
Ethics of Internet Research: Contesting the Human Subjects Research Model

Beyond a week's focus on ethics the above refers to Life Writing:

The study of Life Writing spans many disciplines, and represents 'a fast changing terrain' which is concerned with the study of the writing of lives, encompassing auto/biography as well as aspects of life story that originate outside the written form, such as oral history, testimony, and artifacts such as photography and the visual arts (Jolly, 2001, p. ix). The written text is viewed as a vehicle for an individual's construction of identity, the personal narrative that it records being

…a fundamental means by which people comprehend their own lives and present a 'self' to their audience. (Borland, 1991, p. 71)
...
The multiple approaches taken in Life Writing research can arguably be attributed to the multidisciplinary background of its practitioners. Like Internet researchers, those researching Life Writing have been trained in a variety of disciplines including anthropology, sociology, history, linguistics and literary theory. These various disciplines have contributed a range of insights into the collection of oral history and analysis of the resultant texts (Gluck and Patai, 1991, p. 3). Ethical guidelines for the conduct of Life Writing researchers, such as those published by the Oral History Society in the UK, appear to follow a human subjects model, focussing on the undertaking of the interview, and restricting discussion of the resultant text to issues of copyright. Yet practitioners emphasise the need to remember that as:

…the typical product of an interview is a text, not a reproduction of reality …models of textuality [are] therefore needed. (Gluck and Patai, 1991, p. 3)

What chance is there that Life Writing will be - is being influenced by current demographic and societal trends? Trends and challenges that inevitably present new meanings for history within life and with this new ethical issues? While life writing is clearly an established discipline, how might it develop and what other challenges might apply?

In health and social care Life Story Work is an important part in of assessment and interventions. Has it been discussed, is it appropriate, completed and if so, is this work available and accessible? Do we need people beyond the existing establishment with a dedicated set of skills and knowledge to engage with people diagnosed early on, or will treatments soon make this less of an issue? Will dementia and early dementia especially, with the latest technology prompt new perspectives, or reinforce existing life writing practices? What is an archive? In life story work these people, persons, individuals (and their lives?) are more than subjects.

There are many overlaps already in the mental health state of past and present national leaders, while health services continue to bridge the dementia gap in diagnosis. Biography: world leaders, other recognised lives in Life Story Work and seeking to preserve personal identities in dementia care: clearly these are figures that count.

Sensing Spaces: Care architecture - memories of choice

Good architecture is often invisible,
but it allows whatever is happening in that space to
be the best experience possible.

Pezo von Ellrichshausen

Good architecture may have something in common with good health; it is something that can be taken for granted. When things go awry and are wrong then architecture and health suddenly impose upon us, a major intrusion.

As I may have mentioned before, in the past I've been asked how I've managed entering such and such care facility for so long. Within health there is recognition of heartsink patients. There are still heartsink buildings too. Not purpose built, seemingly either all narrow dark corridors, interrupted when doors let in shafts of light and assault dignity and privacy; or large 'lounges' that still invite armchairs to be flung against walls.

Architecture like this is not invisible. Walls are walls, blanc, flat and solid. Pictures removed due to safety concerns. Two holes and exposed plaster testify to what? Now, after six months....?

Even for the confused there are few potential found spaces, spaces to sit, stand, be; spaces towards which some personal impetus might have a person gravitate. A space of relative quite, looking out on some-thing relaxing even if not a small garden feature.

"Where's Joan, her friend's here to see her?"

"It's OK, I know where she'll be."

Royal Academy: Sensing Spaces
Education guide



 

Over Here 2: Smart Thinking or Who do you think you are?

Of all the things that tend to merge, overlap, then appear discrete only to dissolve again we can see illness, health and well-being. To these we can add - self-help, intelligent self-help, various forms of literacy (3R's, emotional, economic, information, visual, health) and self-care.

I am sure that Hodges' model can help improve health literacy and general reflective abilities. There are some really difficult-to-reach audiences, clients and communities out there. The challenge is not just spreading the word:

A crude but generally accurate definition of what makes a smart thinking book is anything you could easily imagine being the subject of a TED talk. The recipe is to find a leading expert and get him (alas, still more often than her) to write about an idea in his field that is interesting to a wider audience and which he believes - or at least claims - can help us change our lives for the better. It has been called intelligent self-help, but since most potential readers would not appreciate the implied association with the dumber varieties, "smart thinking" has a certain advantage. ... FT Weekend. p.8

- but demonstration too.

My source: Julian Baggini, Wisdom set to work, Life & Arts, Financial Times. March 8-9, 2014, p.8.
Online: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/70365226-a3c1-11e3-aa85-00144feab7de.html#axzz2wiUqgpuw

Informatics in Primary Care - journal

Informatics in Primary Care Journal

On Wednesday I visited HC2014. Having the week off and with the event literally on the doorstep (London in 2015) it was very convenient.

I'd received an email the evening before on the new informatics federation and heard the official announcement in the opening session. My last HC event was 2005, my first 1986 also in Manchester if I remember correctly.

I posted the federation news this morning. On the BCS stand I picked up a copy of the INFORMATICS IN PRIMARY CARE.

This journal is open access. Despite the title and perhaps illustrative of the dependencies within and need to integrate health (and social care) the journal's coverage is broad and inclusive:

We are interested in how computerised medical records can better record the clinical status of patients and can be used to measure the quality, safety and efficiency of health care professionals and organisations – including primary care, hospital, mental health, and social and community care.  The scope of the journal also includes integrated care and how genetic data might be used to enhance health care.

I will reflect a little more on HC2014 soon.

BCS, UKCHIP and IHRIM announce a new vision for the health informatics profession at HC2014

19 March 2014

BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, the UK Council of Health Informatics Professions (UKCHIP) and the Institute of Health Records and Information Management (IHRIM) are working collaboratively to create a new federation for the Informatics profession. The three autonomous bodies will work closely together in a federation to ensure that UK health informatics is recognised as a valued profession. 

Justin Whatling, Chair of BCS Health, part of the Chartered Institute for IT, explains: “This is a very exciting moment for health informatics. Today technology has an immense and profound impact on the health and wellbeing of people. Therefore it’s time for the profession to mature to meet the increasing demand on our skills and capability. We want health to be an attractive place for informatics professionals from other sectors to come and work, and we want to provide a clear career path and professional development opportunities to retain those already working in health. The federation will help us to achieve this.”

The initiative comes as the NHS is under increasing pressure to find and implement new models of health and social care that will provide services closer to people’s homes. This requires health professionals to share accurate information securely and confidentially. In addition, the Caldicott 2 Review has introduced a Duty of Care to Share health information. Both of these things have happened at a time when public trust in the NHS’ ability to handle personal health information has taken a hit.

The federation will be open to all other informatics professional bodies, the private sector, the home countries and lay representation. It will provide leadership of the overall profession with a single professional register and point of entry for professionals, oversee an agreed regulatory framework with a common code of ethical practice and coordinate access to resources providing a unified set of capabilities for all professional areas of practice.

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