Whose place? Lessons from a case study of a guardianship determination for an Australian Indigenous child

Whose values matter when considering which environment is healthier for a child whose guardianship is contested? The biological mother from a remote Australian Aboriginal community, who voluntarily relinquished her but has now requested her return? The foster mother who has cared for her in a metropolitan centre in another State of Australia, thousands of kilometres away? The welfare professionals who also live in that city? Or the child herself, who left her birth home and community five years earlier at the age of two? Drawing on a case study of a seven-year old Aboriginal girl, the authors argue that non-Indigenous values trumped Indigenous values without the realisation of key players who were empowered to make such determinations. The article uses Manuel DeLanda's neo-assemblage theory to consider the range of processes that exert themselves to shape place-values and social identity in colonised nations. It will also draw on Erik Erikson's and Lev Vygotsky's theories of psychosocial development to consider competing sets of values that raised feelings of dissonance within the child. Beliefs about what makes a place health-giving are revealed to be complex in colonised nations. Despite policy and legislative changes to better support Aboriginal people and their right to difference, non-Indigenous professionals can continue to be driven by an unrecognised systemic racism. While place-values are not, of course, the only (or perhaps even the most significant) consideration in guardianship determinations, this article will argue they can play a significant and covert role.     

The Portuguese Osteopathic Practitioners Estimates and RAtes (OPERA): A cross-sectional survey

ObjectivesOsteopathy is regulated as an independent healthcare profession in Portugal. The Osteopathic Practitioners Estimates and RAtes (OPERA) project was developed as a survey to profile the osteopathic profession. This study aimed to describe the characteristics of Portuguese osteopathic practitioners.MethodsA voluntary online-based survey was distributed across Portugal between February and June 2020. The survey, composed of 52 questions and seven sections, was formally translated from English to Portuguese and adapted from the original version. Two pilot tests evaluated cultural adaptation and reproducibility. Adult, self-defined osteopaths working in Portugal were eligible. Recruitment of participants was performed through social media and an e-based campaign.ResultsA total of 222 osteopaths participated in the study, 143 were male (64%), aging between 30 and 39 years (42%), mainly working in Lisbon (30%). Most respondents had preliminary healthcare training (68%), mainly as massage therapists. The majority of respondents were self-employed (83%), owner of a clinic (55%) and working alone (59%). The median number of consultations per week was 21–25 and respondents scheduled 46–60 min for each consultation. The majority of patients seek care for lumbar (52%), cervical (38%) and upper spine (38%) complaints. Although most respondents experience a strong osteopathic identity, they do not advertise themselves exclusively as osteopaths.ConclusionsThis study represents the first nationwide document to determine osteopaths' characteristics in Portugal. The study results provide a basis for future surveys that will include cohorts with higher levels of education, as well as findings from other European countries.     

糖尿病护理门诊在糖尿病健康教育中的作用探究

目的:研究糖尿病护理门诊在糖尿病健康教育中作用.方法:取78例糖尿病患者,其中39例患者进行常规护理为对照组,39例患者进行糖尿病门诊护理为观察组,对比2组患者护理后自我管理能力和血糖指标.结果:观察组自我管理能力均高于对照组(P<0.05).观察组血糖指标均低于对照组(P<0.05).结论:向糖尿病患者进行健康教育时,糖尿病门诊护理的应用,可以科学创建护理档案,明确随访策略,提升糖尿病的管理水平,使患者具有较强自我管理能力,同时降低其血糖指标.     

Organic and Inorganic Mercury in Biological Samples of Flouresecent Lamp Industries Workers and Health Risks

Objective The present study aims to investigate the concentrations of Hg and its aspects methyl mercury(Me-Hg) and inorganic mercury(I-Hg) in the biological samples(BSs) of fluorescent lamp industries workers(FLIWs).Methodology Different BSs including red blood cells(RBCs),plasma,urine,hair and nails were collected from the workers exposed to Hg and unexposed persons were selected as control group to measure both the T-Hg concentration as well as its species in different biological samples through quantitative analysis.Health data was collected through questionnaire survey.Results The mean concentrations of T-Hg(31.9 μg/L),Me-Hg(27.7 μg/L),and I-Hg(5.36 μg/L) in RBCs were found significantly(P 0.001) higher among the workers(n = 40) as compared to the control group(n = 40).Similarly the mean Hg concentrations in plasma,urine,hair and nails were also significantly higher among the workers than the control group.The statistical relation between Hg concentration and demographic characteristics observed that workers experience and fish consumption has increased the Hg concentration while age,weight and smoking found no significant effect on Hg concentration in the BSs.Conclusion The study observed that the workers were highly exposed to high concentration of Hg and they are at a high health risk.