Biomedical subjects

Elizabeth Parker

Publications and source records attributed to Elizabeth Parker.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

A framework for evaluating health promotion programs.

Evaluation of health promotion interventions is essential in order to collect evidence about the efficacy of a program, identify ways to improve practice, justify the use of resources, and identify unexpected outcomes. This paper clarifies the role of evaluation as a crucial component of health promotion interventions. Moreover, it summarises the key elements of the most widely used planning/evaluation frameworks necessary for constructive evaluations of health promotion interventions and incorporates them into a single approach. It provides a methodical framework for the provision of evaluation guidance to health promotion practitioners and discusses the importance of including evaluation when planning any health promotion intervention. The focus of this paper is on the essential elements of the evaluation of health promotion programs.

Health Promotion↗

PubMed2006

Our games our health: a cultural asset for promoting health in indigenous communities.

ISSUE ADDRESSED: Indigenous Australians have higher morbidity and mortality rates than non-Indigenous Australians. Until recently, few health promotion interventions have had more than limited success in Indigenous populations. METHODS: This community-based health promotion initiative introduced traditional Indigenous games into schools and community groups in Cherbourg and Stradbroke Island (Queensland, Australia). A joint community forum managed the project, and the Indigenous community-based project officers co-ordinated training in traditional games and undertook community asset audits and evaluations. RESULTS: The games have been included in the activities of a range of community organisations in Cherbourg and Stradbroke Island. Several other organisations and communities in Australia have included them in their projects. A games video and manual were produced to facilitate the initiative's transferability and sustainability. CONCLUSIONS: Conventional approaches to health promotion generally focus on individual risk factors and often ignore a more holistic perspective. This project adopted a culturally appropriate, holistic approach, embracing a paradigm that concentrated on the communities' cultural assets and contributed to sustainable and transferable outcomes. There is a need for appropriate evaluation tools for time-limited community engagement projects.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Rural generalist nurses' perceptions of the effectiveness of their therapeutic interventions for patients with mental illness.

OBJECTIVE: To explore generalist nurses' perceptions of their efficacy in caring for mentally ill clients in rural and remote settings, and their educational needs in the area of mental health care. DESIGN: A self-administered questionnaire adapted from the Mental Health Problems Perception Questionnaire; a Likert scale used to rate the perceptions of nursing staff of their own ability to adequately treat and care for patients experiencing mental illness. SETTING: The Roma and Charleville Health Service Districts, Queensland, Australia. SUBJECTS: Nurses (Registered Nurses, Assistants in Nursing and Enrolled Nurses) in the Roma and Charleville health service districts (n = 163). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Generalist nurses' perceptions regarding their therapeutic commitment, role competency and role support. RESULTS: Seventy per cent of respondents indicated that limited knowledge of mental health problems was an issue preventing nursing staff in rural and remote settings from providing optimum care to patients with mental illness. Twenty-nine per cent of respondents indicated that they had never received or undertaken training or education in relation to the care, treatment or assessment of patients with mental illness. CONCLUSION: Rural nurses do not feel competent, nor adequately supported, to deal with patients with mental health problems. In addition, the nurses' education and ongoing training do not adequately prepare them for this sphere.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Developing a cardiac rehabilitation education resource for rural health workers in Queensland: reviewing the process and outcomes.

The provision of cardiac rehabilitation services to people living in rural and remote areas is often limited to the nearest large hospital situated in urban coastal centres, leaving a gap in the rehabilitation of cardiac patients. This paper discusses the development, composition and the results of a process evaluation of a cardiac rehabilitation education resource for rural health workers. The development of the structure and content of the manual were informed by a review of current rehabilitation literature, the results of focus groups with 60 rural health workers in five Queensland rural centres, and survey results of 135 rural cardiac patients admitted to five Queensland hospitals. The draft manual was trialled by health workers in seven rural centres throughout Queensland by the National Heart Foundation (Queensland Division). The results of the process evaluation provided valuable feedback on the efficacy of the manual as an educational resource for rural health workers in the cardiac rehabilitation of their patients. Specific content in the educational resource was strengthened as a result of this evaluation. The limitations of the evaluation and suggestions for its improvement are also discussed. The paper highlights the importance of this level of evaluation in the development of health promotion education resources.

Australia↗