ORCID Profile
0000-0001-5597-7263
Current Organisations
Institute for Cognitive Science
,
Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Cote d'Ivoire
,
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
,
University of Sydney
Does something not look right? The information on this page has been harvested from data sources that may not be up to date. We continue to work with information providers to improve coverage and quality. To report an issue, use the Feedback Form.
Related Links
Publications
A tale of two hospitals: Assessing cultural landscapes and compositions
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2005
DOI: 10.1016/J.SOCSCIMED.2004.06.046
Abstract: Clinical directorate service structures (CDs) have been widely implemented in acute settings in the belief that they will enhance efficiency and patient care by bringing teams together and involving clinicians in management. We argue that the achievement of such goals depends not only on changing its formalized structural arrangements but also the culture of the organisation concerned. We conducted comparative observational studies and questionnaire surveys of two large Australian teaching hospitals similar in size, role and CD structure. Martin's conceptualization of culture in terms of integration, differentiation and fragmentation was applied in the analysis of the data. The ethnographic work revealed that compared to Metropolitan Hospital, Royal Hospital was better supported and more favourably viewed by its staff across six categories identified in both settings: leadership, structure, communication, change, finance and human resource management. Royal staff were more optimistic about their organisation's ability to meet future challenges. The surveys revealed that both staff groups preferred CD to traditional structures and shared some favourable and critical views of them. However Royal staff were significantly more positive, reporting many more benefits from CDs e.g. improved working relations, greater accountability and efficiency, better cost management, more devolvement of management to clinicians and a hospital more strategically placed and patient focused. Metropolitan staff were more likely to claim that CDs failed to solve problems and created a range of others including disunity and poor working relationships. There was greater consensus of views among Royal staff and more fragmentation at Metropolitan where both intensely held and uncertain attitudes were more common. The outcomes of implementing CDs in these two similar organisations differed considerably indicating the need to address cultural issues when introducing structural change. Martin's framework provides a useful antidote to researchers' tendency to focus at only one level of culture.
Medicine, the media and political interests
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 22-09-2012
DOI: 10.1136/MEDETHICS-2012-100875
Abstract: The news media is frequently criticised for failing to support the goals of government health c aigns. But is this necessarily the purpose of the media? We suggest that while the media has an important role in disseminating health messages, it is a mistake to assume that the media should serve the interests of government as it has its own professional ethics, norms, values, structures and roles that extend well beyond the interests of the health sector, and certainly beyond those of the government. While considerable attention has been given to the ways in which uncritical publication of industry perspectives by news media can negatively impact on public understandings of health and health behaviours, we would argue that it is equally important that journalists not become the 'lapdogs' of government interests. Further, we suggest that the interests of public health may be served more by supporting the ongoing existence of an independent media than by seeking to overdetermine its purpose or scope.
Women's views about maternity care: How do women conceptualise the process of continuity?
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2015
DOI: 10.1016/J.MIDW.2014.05.007
Abstract: to gain an understanding of how women conceptualise continuity of maternity care. a qualitative study involving in-depth semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis. a range of urban and rural public hospitals in New South Wales, Australia. 53 women aged 18-44 years (median age 27 years) receiving maternity care in 2011-2012. responses from women suggested five concepts of continuity: continuity of staff, continuity of relationship, continuity of information, continuity across pregnancies and continuity across locations. These concepts of continuity differed by parity and location. continuity of maternity care has a variety of meanings to women. If health care providers are to commit to providing woman-centred maternity care it is important to recognise the ersity of women's experiences, and ensure that systems of care are flexible and appropriate to women's circumstances and needs.
Health Journalists' Perceptions of Their Professional Roles and Responsibilities for Ensuring the Veracity of Reports of Health Research
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 19-06-2012
Decision making in a crowded room: The relational significance of social roles in decisions to proceed with allogeneic stem cell transplantation
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 06-04-2011
Abstract: Researchers studying health care decision making generally focus on the interaction that unfolds between patients and health professionals. Using the ex le of allogeneic bone marrow transplant, in this article we identify decision making to be a relational process concurrently underpinned by patients’ engagement with health professionals, their families, and broader social networks. We argue that the person undergoing a transplant simultaneously reconciles numerous social roles throughout treatment decision making, each of which encompasses a system of mutuality, reciprocity, and obligation. As in iduals enter through the doorway of the consultation room and become “patients,” they do not leave their roles as parents, spouses, and citizens outside in the hallway. Rather, these roles and their relational counterpoints—family members, friends, and colleagues—continue to sit alongside the patient role during clinical interactions. As such, the places that doctors and patients discuss diagnosis and treatment become “crowded rooms” of decision making.
Tissue donation to biobanks: A review of sociological studies
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 18-05-2011
DOI: 10.1111/J.1467-9566.2011.01342.X
Abstract: Collections of human tissue (biobanks) are thought to be an essential resource for biomedical research. Biobanks have, however, been a source of debate in both bioethics and sociology. In recent years this theorising has been supplemented with empirical research, including a significant body of qualitative research, into donors' experiences and attitudes. To date, this literature has not been synthesised. We report the findings of a review of qualitative literature regarding the ways in which lay people construct and experience the process of donation to biobanks. Our aim was to determine what the qualitative research literature tells us about the process of donating to biobanks, and how this can enrich existing insights from quantitative research and from theoretical sociology and bioethics. Qualitative research shows that donation to biobanks is a complex process shaped by donors' embeddedness in a number of social contexts by complex relations of trust in biomedicine and by the ambiguous status of human tissue. While these findings are theoretically and practically useful, current sociological theorising is very general. A more detailed and nuanced 'sociology of biobanking' is needed, and this might be best achieved by exploring specific theoretical questions in a variety of biobanking settings.
Policies and practices on competing interests of academic staff in Australian universities
Publisher: AMPCo
Date: 04-2012
DOI: 10.5694/MJA11.11224
Abstract: To document the existence and provisions of Australian universities' policies on the competing interests of academic staff and university practices in recording, updating and making these declarations publicly accessible. A 14-item survey was sent to the vice-chancellors of 39 Australian universities and university websites were searched for relevant policies. Twelve universities declined to provide any information. Of the 27 that did, all had policies on staff competing interests. Fifteen did not require regular declarations from staff and only four required annual declarations. Eight universities maintained a centralised register of COIs of all staff and six had a mechanism in place that allowed members of the public to access information on COIs. None reported that they required that staff place their COI declarations on their website profiles and none had policies that indicated that staff should declare COIs when making a public comment. Australian universities vary significantly in their approaches to the declaration and management of competing interests. While two-thirds of Australian universities require staff to declare competing interests, this information is mostly inaccessible to the public. Australian universities should adopt a standard approach to the declaration and management of competing interests and commit to meaningful transparency and public accountability. This could include frequently updated declarations on website profiles of all staff. In addition, dialogue about what is needed to effectively deal with competing interests should be encouraged.
Whiteboards: Mediating professional tensions in clinical practice
Publisher: Equinox Publishing
Date: 26-10-2007
DOI: 10.1515/CAM.2007.020
Increasing Access to Mental Health Services: Videogame Players’ Perspectives
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 08-03-2023
Abstract: Young men’s mental health is at the forefront of global public health concerns. Young males, who have a high incidence of mental health disorders, are a population that accesses services at lower rates than females and makes up the majority of videogame players. By considering the unique perspectives of digitally connected in iduals on mental health service delivery, interventions may be designed to address their needs with a higher likelihood of success. This study investigated international male videogamers’ perspectives on how their access to mental health services could be improved via an open-ended survey question. From a total of 2515 completed surveys, 761 responded to the qualitative question. Of these, the 71 responses that discussed access to and provision of mental healthcare services are reported in this article. Results suggest that digital mental health services were a promising way to reach this group. Anonymity and confidentiality were found to be important factors when considering online mental health services. Male videogame players identified a preference for both online and in-person services that are delivered synchronously, one-on-one with an expert practitioner, and readily available in settings that in iduals find comfortable.
Optimising consent and adherence in high-risk medical settings: Nurses’ role as information providers in allogeneic bone marrow transplant
Publisher: Cambridge Media
Date: 15-11-2019
Population dynamics and genetic connectivity in recent chimpanzee history
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2022
Patient perceptions of carrying their own health information: Approaches towards responsibility and playing an active role in their own health-implications for a patient-held health file
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-11-2010
When requests become orders-A formative investigation into the impact of a computerized physician order entry system on a pathology laboratory service
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2007
DOI: 10.1016/J.IJMEDINF.2006.04.002
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to identify the key implications of the implementation of a computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system on pathology laboratory services. An in-depth qualitative study using observation, focus groups and interviews with pathology staff, managers, clinicians and information systems staff during implementation of a CPOE system in 2004 at a major Australian teaching hospital. Pathology laboratories experienced a shift in their work roles resulting in altered work practices, responsibilities and procedures. These changes were marked by terminological and procedural changes in the test order process from when clinicians issued a request for a test, to the new system that established clinical orders at the point of care. This change was accompanied by some organizational dysfunctions including the emergence of a new category of "frustrated" orders without specimens problems with the procedure of adding tests to previously existing specimens the appearance of discrepancies in the recorded time of specimen collection. In response to these changes, hospital and pathology staff adopted a variety of means to cope with their changed circumstances. These ranged from efforts to increase clinical awareness to compensatory laboratory workarounds and enforced rule changes. CPOE systems can have a major impact on the nature of the work of pathology laboratories. Understanding how and why these changes occur can be enhanced through considering the organizational and social contexts involved. The effectiveness of CPOE systems will rely on how administrators and staff approach and deal with these challenges.
Power and Control in Interactions Between Journalists and Health-Related Industries: The View From Industry
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-05-2014
DOI: 10.1007/S11673-014-9518-3
Abstract: The mass media is a major source of health information for the public, and as such the quality and independence of health news reporting is an important concern. Concerns have been expressed that journalists reporting on health are increasingly dependent on their sources--including representatives of industries responsible for manufacturing health-related products--for story ideas and content. Many critics perceive an imbalance of power between journalists and industry sources, with industry being in a position of relative power, however the empirical evidence to support this view is limited. The analysis presented here--which is part of a larger study of industry-journalist relationships--draws on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with representatives of health-related industries in Australia to inductively examine their perceptions of power relations between industry and journalists. Participants painted a picture in which journalists, rather than themselves, were in a position to control the nature, extent, and outcome of their interactions with industry sources. Our results resonate with the concept of "mediatisation" as it has been applied in the domain of political reporting. It appears that, from the perspective of industry representatives, the imposition of media logic on health-related industries may inappropriately influence the information that the public receives about health-related products.
Widening the debate about conflict of interest: Addressing relationships between journalists and the pharmaceutical industry
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 19-03-2012
DOI: 10.1136/MEDETHICS-2011-100264
Abstract: The phone-hacking scandal that led to the closure of the News of the World newspaper in Britain has prompted international debate about media practices and regulation. It is timely to broaden the discussion about journalistic ethics and conduct to include consideration of the impact of media practices upon the population's health. Many commercial organisations cultivate relationships with journalists and news organisations with the aim of influencing the content of health-related news and information communicated through the media. Given the significant influence of the media on the health of in iduals and populations, we should be alert to the potential impact of industry-journalist relationships on health care, health policy and public health. The approach taken by the medical profession to its interactions with the pharmaceutical industry provides a useful model for management of industry influence.
Video Research in Health: Visibilising the Effects of Computerising Clinical Care
Publisher: Emerald
Date: 03-08-2006
DOI: 10.3316/QRJ0602015
Abstract: This paper discusses video ethnography as part of a multimethod study of the introduction of information technology to streamline pathology test order entry in hospitals and its effect on the work of pathology laboratory scientists. The paper opens with an overview of video research in health care settings. After acknowledging the limitations inherent in video data, the paper offers a description of how video footage served to enhance insight in three ways. First, the footage enhanced the researchers’ own appreciation of the significance of particular facets of the data, which led them to reassess information collected through interviewing, focus groups and research field notes. Second, the footage enhanced the pathology laboratory scientists’ appreciation of the problems they experienced when incorporating the new information technology into their daily work practice, by enabling them to articulate these problems to outside researchers. Third, by being watched (by the video camera) and by watching themselves perform their work they were enabled to redesign their practices. The paper suggests that, as a result of interactively performing their work in front of the camera, the scientists came to apprehend their practices ‘from under a different aspect’. The paper concludes that by allowing video ethnography as a research method to remain underdefined and emergent, the modality of engagement and uptake shown by participants in the video research can be considered as a further enriching aspect of video ethnography as a research process.
Introduction: Illuminating everyday realities: The significance of video methods for social science and health research
Publisher: Dialectical Publishing
Date: 12-2009
Comparative optimism about infection and recovery from COVID‐19; Implications for adherence with lockdown advice
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 27-09-2020
DOI: 10.1111/HEX.13134
Distance versus dialogue: Modes of engagement of two professional groups participating in a hospitalbased video ethnographic study
Publisher: Dialectical Publishing
Date: 12-2009
DOI: 10.5172/MRA.3.3.276
Views of health journalists, industry employees and news consumers about disclosure and regulation of industry-journalist relationships: An empirical ethical study
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 06-03-2015
DOI: 10.1136/MEDETHICS-2013-101790
Abstract: Bioethicists and policymakers are increasingly concerned about the effects on health journalism of relationships between journalists and private corporations. The concern is that relationships between journalists and manufacturers of medicines, medical devices, complementary medicines and food can and do distort health reporting. This is a problem because health news is known to have a major impact on the public's health-related expectations and behaviour. Commentators have proposed two related approaches to protecting the public from potential harms arising from industry-journalist interactions: greater transparency and external regulation. To date, few empirical studies have examined stakeholders' views of industry-journalist relationships and how these should be managed. We conducted interviews with 13 journalists and 12 industry employees, and 2 focus groups with consumers. Our findings, which are synthesised here, provide empirical support for the need for greater transparency and regulation of industry-journalist relationships. Our findings also highlight several likely barriers to instituting such measures, which will need to be overcome if transparency and regulation are to be accepted by stakeholders and have their intended effect on the quality of journalism and the actions of news consumers.
Rules of engagement: Journalists' attitudes to industry influence in health news reporting
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 24-03-2015
Abstract: Health-related industries use a variety of methods to influence health news, including the formation and maintenance of direct relationships with journalists. These interactions have the potential to subvert news reporting such that it comes to serve the interests of industry in promoting their products, rather than the public interest in critical and accurate news and information. Here, we report the findings of qualitative interviews conducted in Sydney, Australia, in which we examined journalists’ experiences of, and attitudes towards, their relationships with health-related industries. Participants’ belief in their ability to manage industry influence and their perceptions of what it means to be unduly influenced by industry raise important concerns relating to the psychology of influence and the realities of power relationships between industry and journalists. The analysis also indicates ways in which concerned academics and working journalists might establish more fruitful dialogue regarding the role of industry in health-related news and the extent to which increased regulation of journalist–industry relationships might be needed.
Providing Self-Led Mental Health Support Through an Artificial Intelligence–Powered Chat Bot (Leora) to Meet the Demand of Mental Health Care
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 19-06-2023
DOI: 10.2196/46448
Abstract: Digital mental health services are becoming increasingly valuable for addressing the global public health burden of mental ill-health. There is significant demand for scalable and effective web-based mental health services. Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to improve mental health through the deployment of chatbots. These chatbots can provide round-the-clock support and triage in iduals who are reluctant to access traditional health care due to stigma. The aim of this viewpoint paper is to consider the feasibility of AI-powered platforms to support mental well-being. The Leora model is considered a model with the potential to provide mental health support. Leora is a conversational agent that uses AI to engage in conversations with users about their mental health and provide support for minimal-to-mild symptoms of anxiety and depression. The tool is designed to be accessible, personalized, and discreet, offering strategies for promoting well-being and acting as a web-based self-care coach. Across all AI-powered mental health services, there are several challenges in the ethical development and deployment of AI in mental health treatment, including trust and transparency, bias and health inequity, and the potential for negative consequences. To ensure the effective and ethical use of AI in mental health care, researchers must carefully consider these challenges and engage with key stakeholders to provide high-quality mental health support. Validation of the Leora platform through rigorous user testing will be the next step in ensuring the model is effective.
Providing Self-Led Mental Health Support Through an Artificial Intelligence–Powered Chat Bot (Leora) to Meet the Demand of Mental Health Care (Preprint)
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 12-02-2023
Abstract: igital mental health services are becoming increasingly valuable for addressing the global public health burden of mental ill-health. There is significant demand for scalable and effective web-based mental health services. Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to improve mental health through the deployment of chatbots. These chatbots can provide round-the-clock support and triage in iduals who are reluctant to access traditional health care due to stigma. The aim of this viewpoint paper is to consider the feasibility of AI-powered platforms to support mental well-being. The Leora model is considered a model with the potential to provide mental health support. Leora is a conversational agent that uses AI to engage in conversations with users about their mental health and provide support for minimal-to-mild symptoms of anxiety and depression. The tool is designed to be accessible, personalized, and discreet, offering strategies for promoting well-being and acting as a web-based self-care coach. Across all AI-powered mental health services, there are several challenges in the ethical development and deployment of AI in mental health treatment, including trust and transparency, bias and health inequity, and the potential for negative consequences. To ensure the effective and ethical use of AI in mental health care, researchers must carefully consider these challenges and engage with key stakeholders to provide high-quality mental health support. Validation of the Leora platform through rigorous user testing will be the next step in ensuring the model is effective.
Trouble in the Gap: A Bioethical and Sociological Analysis of Informed Consent for High-Risk Medical Procedures
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-01-2013
DOI: 10.1007/S11673-012-9414-7
Abstract: Concerns are frequently raised about the extent to which formal consent procedures actually lead to "informed" consent. As part of a study of consent to high-risk medical procedures, we analyzed in-depth interviews with 16 health care professionals working in bone-marrow transplantation in Sydney, Australia. We find that these professionals recognize and act on their responsibility to inform and educate patients and that they expect patients to reciprocate these efforts by demonstrably engaging in the education process. This expectation is largely implicit, however, and when it is not met, this can give rise to trouble that can have adverse consequences for patients, physicians, and relationships within the clinic. We revisit the concept of the sick role to formalize this new role expectation, and we argue that "informed" consent is a process that is usually incomplete, despite trappings and assumptions that help to create the illusion of completeness.
The urgent need for an evidence-based Digital Mental Health Practice Model of Care for Youth (Preprint)
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 24-04-2023
Abstract: ustralian providers of mental health services for youth include private and public allied health providers, government initiatives (e.g., headspace), non-government organisations (NGOs), GPs and the hospital system. Over 20 years of research has established that youth prefer to seek mental health support online and tend to only access offline services when their needs are not being met online, or their mental health symptoms increase in severity. We propose a Digital Mental Health Practice model of care for youth to assist with digital mental health service mapping. This proposed model offers clear and accessible pathways for a client to enter the online mental health system, provides accurate navigation to access support for in idual needs, and facilitates a seamless connection with offline mental health services using a transferrable patient records system. We conclude with why this is an urgent matter to address, given the impact of COVID-19 on Australia’s health system and the fast-paced changes in technology, such as AI and the metaverse, that must be accounted for as potential tools to be leveraged for digital therapies and support systems. N/A N/A N/A N/A
Related Organisations
University Of St Andrews
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Centre Suisse De Recherches Scientifiques En Cote D'Ivoire
Location: Côte d'Ivoire
Related Funding Activities
No related grants have been discovered for Rowena Forsyth.