Background: There is a lack of evidence regarding the relationship between family involvement and outcomes in gastrointestinal oncology patients after surgery. To evaluate the effect of a family involvement program for patients undergoing oncologic gastrointestinal surgery on unplanned readmissions within 30 days after surgery. Methods: A multicenter patient-preference cohort study compared 2 groups: patients who participated in the family involvement program versus usual care. The program comprised involvement of family caregivers in care and training of health care professionals in family-centered care. Multivariable regression analyses were used to evaluate the effect of the FIP on the number of unplanned readmissions up to 30 days after surgery. Secondary outcomes included complications sensitive to fundamental care activities, emergency department visits, intensive care unit admissions, hospital length of stay, and the need for professional home care after discharge. Results: Of the 301 patients included, 152 chose the family involvement program, and 149 chose usual care. Postoperative readmissions occurred in 25 (16.4%) patients in the family involvement program group, and 15 (10.1%) in the usual care group (P = .11). A significant reduction of 16.2% was observed in the need for professional home care after discharge in the family involvement program group (P < .01). No significant differences were found between the 2 groups in the other secondary outcomes. Conclusion: The family involvement program did not reduce the number of unplanned readmissions, but it led to a substantial reduction in-home care, which suggests an economic benefit from a societal perspective. Implementation of the family involvement program should, therefore, be considered in clinical practice.
MULTIFILE
Integrating professional research into higher education is supposed to intellectually benefit students. However, the literature suggests that students in different academic disciplines experience differing research opportunities. Previous studies have shown how junior students of natural sciences have less opportunity to engage in research than students in ‘soft’ disciplines. To investigate research involvement, undergraduate students (N = 2192) of all seven faculties of a university filled out a survey that included the Research Experience Scale. This scale provides four types of potential research involvement comprised of passive involvement and three types of active research involvement. The categorisation of disciplines was based on the framework constructed by Anthony Biglan, with its distinction between hard/soft and life/nonlife criteria. All disciplines included in this study were applied, thereby excluding Biglan’s pure/applied distinction. A betweengroup analysis showed that each of the types of research involvement yielded a different pattern for students from different study years. The ‘students-as-researcher’ type in particular showed that students of lower study years in the life disciplines were systematically less involved than more senior students. These findings highlight the importance of more precise definitions of research involvement, as well as clearer distinctions between disciplinary differences in research and curriculum design.
Background: Acquiring the theoretical and practical knowhow of conducting patient and public involvement (PPI) in research is not part of the traditional curriculum of researchers. Zuyd University of Applied Sciences and Huis voor de Zorg, a regional umbrella patient organization, therefore started a 1.5-year coaching programme. Objective: To establish a community of practice by developing a PPI coaching programme for senior and junior health services researchers of Zuyd University. The context consisted of research projects conducted by the participants. Methods: A participatory action research methodology. Data were collected from reports of thematic group meetings and individual sessions with participants, field notes and regular reflection meetings with the project team. Data were analysed by reflexive deliberation. Findings: The programme comprised a kick-off meeting (52 attendees), followed by 7 group meetings with 11 junior and 9 senior researchers. The project team constructed a serious game based on the concept of the participation ladder. Questions and concerns differed for junior and senior researchers, and separate tailored meetings were organized for both groups. Between group meetings, participants received individual assignments. Group meetings were accompanied by individual coaching sessions to provide tailor-made feedback. The programme concluded with a combined meeting with all stakeholders. Conclusion: Building a community of PPI practice through action research facilitates the development of a coaching programme that fosters social learning, empowerment and the development of a shared identity concerning PPI. The role and responsibilities of senior researchers should be distinguished from those of junior researchers.
The HAS professorship Future Food Systems is performing applied research with students and external partners to transform our food system towards a more sustainable state. In this research it is not only a question of what is needed to achieve this, but also how and with whom. The governance of our food system needs rethinking to get the transformative momentum going in a democratic and constructive manner. Building on the professorship’s research agenda and involvement in the transdisciplinary NWA research project, the postdoc will explore collective ownership and inclusive participation as two key governance concepts for food system transformation. This will be done in a participatory manner, by learning from and with innovative bottom-up initiatives and practitioners from the field. By doing so, the postdoc will gain valuable practical insights that can aid to new approaches and (policy) interventions which foster a sustainable and just food system in the Netherlands and beyond. A strong connection between research and education is created via the active research involvement of students from different study programs, supervised by the postdoc (Dr. B. van Helvoirt). The acquired knowledge is embedded in education by the postdoc by incorporating it into HAS study program curricula and courses. In addition, it will contribute to the further professional development of qualitative research skills among HAS students and staff. Through scientific, policy and popular publications, participation in (inter)national conferences and meetings with experts and practitioners, the exposure and network of the postdoc and HAS in the field of food systems and governance will be expanded. This will allow for the setting up of a continuous research effort on this topic within the professorship via follow-up research with knowledge institutes, civic society groups and partners from the professional field.
Veel organisaties in met name de publieke sector kampen met bureaucratie, medewerkers die hun passie kwijt zijn en cliënten of burgers die zich een nummer voelen. Hoe kan een organisatie de bedoeling centraal stellen en weer wendbaar worden, waardoor zij weer oog krijgt voor de mensen die zij bedient? Hoe kan een organisatie voor sterke teams, coachend leiderschap en betekenisvol werk zorgen en het werkplezier van medewerkers vergroten? Een 'bottom-up'-aanpak van integrale organisatievernieuwing leidt in de praktijk tot goede resultatenDoel In dit ontwerpgerichte onderzoek wordt op participatieve wijze gewerkt aan een organisatieontwerp waarin de klant centraal staat en teams de bouwsteen vormen van de organisatie. Middels een methodiek ontwikkeld door het lectoraat werken professionals zelf aan het ontwerp van deze platte en eenvoudige organisatie en geven vorm aan hun teams waarin hun professionele autonomie groot is. Er wordt gekeken naar de aanpassingen van de organisatie die nodig zijn om teams te versterken, zoals een passende besturingsfilosofie, coachend leiderschap, ondersteunende diensten en systemen. Resultaten Dit onderzoek loopt. Na afloop vind je hier een samenvatting van de resultaten. Zelforganisatietool De door het lectoraat ontwikkelde zelforganisatietool biedt inzicht in de teamvorming en teamontwikkeling en geeft teams en hun leidinggevenden handvatten voor hun ontwikkelpad. Afstudeeratelier Organiseren van waardig werk Studenten van het Institute for People & Business die bezig zijn met hun afstudeeronderzoek rondom het thema Ontwerpen & Veranderen van organisaties vormen tezamen een afstudeeratelier. Zij verdiepen aan de hand van expertcolleges hun kennis en maken de kennis die zij opdoen vervolgens overdraagbaar naar andere organisaties en het onderwijs door de resultaten van hun onderzoek te delen. Aanpak De ontwerp- en verandermethodiek die in het praktijkgericht onderzoek wordt toegepast, is gebaseerd op een experiment in de ouderenzorg. De aanpak staat beschreven in de handreiking ‘Sociale innovatie in de ouderenzorg: samenwerken aan goede zorg, op reis met de client als kompas’ (Handreiking Sociale Innovatie). In dit artikel (Artikel Organisatieverandering van onderop) worden de resultaten van dit experiment toegelicht. Deze ontwerp- en verandermethode is vervolgens in diverse organisaties toegepast (Edward Lawler – High-Involvement Management). Momenteel wordt een soortgelijke participatieve methode ontwikkeld voor, en toegepast in het hoger onderwijs (https://www.hu.nl/onderzoek/projecten/naar-een-teamgerichte-organisatie). Onderwijsteams binnen de HU gebruiken de aanpak om zelforganiserend te worden en een teamgerichte organisatie te bouwen. Er wordt gelijktijdig onderzoek uitgevoerd om inzicht te krijgen in de verbetering van het organisatieontwerp, in de ontwikkeling van het zelforganiserend vermogen van teams en wat de lessons learned zijn ten behoeve van een handreiking voor het ontwerpen van een teamgerichte organisatie in het hoger onderwijs.
Coastal nourishments, where sand from offshore is placed near or at the beach, are nowadays a key coastal protection method for narrow beaches and hinterlands worldwide. Recent sea level rise projections and the increasing involvement of multiple stakeholders in adaptation strategies have resulted in a desire for nourishment solutions that fit a larger geographical scale (O 10 km) and a longer time horizon (O decades). Dutch frontrunner pilot experiments such as the Sandmotor and Ameland inlet nourishment, as well as the Hondsbossche Dunes coastal reinforcement project have all been implemented from this perspective, with the specific aim to encompass solutions that fit in a renewed climate-resilient coastal protection strategy. By capitalizing on recent large-scale nourishments, the proposed Coastal landSCAPE project C-SCAPE will employ and advance the newly developed Dynamic Adaptive Policy Pathways (DAPP) approach to construct a sustainable long-term nourishment strategy in the face of an uncertain future, linking climate and landscape scales to benefits for nature and society. Novel long-term sandy solutions will be examined using this pathways method, identifying tipping points that may exist if distinct strategies are being continued. Crucial elements for the construction of adaptive pathways are 1) a clear view on the long-term feasibility of different nourishment alternatives, and 2) solid, science-based quantification methods for integral evaluation of the social, economic, morphological and ecological outcomes of various pathways. As currently both elements are lacking, we propose to erect a Living Lab for Climate Adaptation within the C-SCAPE project. In this Living Lab, specific attention is paid to the socio-economic implications of the nourished landscape, as we examine how morphological and ecological development of the large-scale nourishment strategies and their design choices (e.g. concentrated vs alongshore uniform, subaqueous vs subaerial, geomorphological features like artificial lagoons) translate to social acceptance.
