Supervision Meeting for Nothando Ngwenya on the 11th of December 2008 at 11:30am in Paul’s Office.
Present: NN, SM, and PK
1) We discussed the outcome and feedback from the RDC2 MPhil to PhD upgrade which included the following:
a. Include references in the literature review and also include in depth research into palliative care
b. Amend the document to include the revised sample and sample size after ethical approval – (including the online sample)
c. The document to be revised to include current stage, timescale of the project and plans for writing up and submission.
d. Review the aims and objectives of the project in light of the revisions and changes made to the studies. Instead of developing ‘policy recommendations’, the project is most likely to develop ‘recommendations’ for practice rather than for policy.
2) NN to work on the changes and submit before Christmas break. The PhD has a conditional transfer and confirmation of the transfer will be given by the Chair of the transfer after successful completion of the conditions.
3) We had a discussion on the Austria conference and possible collaborations and publications.
4) We discussed the recruitment stage for the hospice participants and the interviews on the response rate from the hospice CEOs. End of the recruitment phase will be on Monday the 15th of December 2008 in …….. The last interview for the response rate will be on the 23rd of December with Dr …….
Things to do by next meeting
1) NN to submit the methodology Chapter
Thursday 11 December 2008
Wednesday 26 November 2008
Has been a while
I know it has been a while since I last updated my blog, but in excuse I have been very very busy, not that I am saying you out there reasing this blog are not busy, but you know an excuse is an excuse.
I am well at the moment, I just went through my MPhil upgrade a few weeks back and got a few knockbacks and so have been licking my wounds (Jokes it wasnt that bad). I have a few amendedments to do and then the upgrade will pass and then back to the field.
I have started doing some interviews within the hospices but at this stage it is mostly with the professionals within the hospice just to clarify a few points like research in palliative care and gatekeeping. I have had some interesting views and I cant wait to muck it and start working with the data. I am hoping to start doing the online interviews soon as well. I think this weekend will be spent following and chasing up participants online and asking them to take part in the interviews and looking into e-consent.
I will log back soon to let you know how it all went and how its all going. I finish this session of interviews on the 5th of December and thats all the data for study 3, which reminds me I have to look at the layout of my thesis again.
I have had a good response from some people online which is really good and I am pleased about it all.
I am well at the moment, I just went through my MPhil upgrade a few weeks back and got a few knockbacks and so have been licking my wounds (Jokes it wasnt that bad). I have a few amendedments to do and then the upgrade will pass and then back to the field.
I have started doing some interviews within the hospices but at this stage it is mostly with the professionals within the hospice just to clarify a few points like research in palliative care and gatekeeping. I have had some interesting views and I cant wait to muck it and start working with the data. I am hoping to start doing the online interviews soon as well. I think this weekend will be spent following and chasing up participants online and asking them to take part in the interviews and looking into e-consent.
I will log back soon to let you know how it all went and how its all going. I finish this session of interviews on the 5th of December and thats all the data for study 3, which reminds me I have to look at the layout of my thesis again.
I have had a good response from some people online which is really good and I am pleased about it all.
Friday 17 October 2008
Supervision meeting
Supervision Meeting for Nothando Ngwenya on the 17th of October 2008 at 2:00pm in K352.
Present: NN, SM
1) We discussed the layout and content of the thesis. We tentatively agreed that the thesis would have 2 studies on a large scale. The 1st study would be using the online recruits and would report on whether the blogs are therapeutic and an observation of the emerging themes.
2) The 2nd study would be using hospice participants. The conclusion will then be used to develop a theoretical framework on the usage (how, when, what for) of blogs within an end of life context. The studies are measuring the wellbeing of participants after blogging through positive and negative emotions. The theoretical framework would be further used to inform and develop general practice guidelines on the use of weblogs in palliative care.
3) We had a discussion on the original contribution of the PhD in preparation for the RDC 2 transfer viva on Monday the 27th of October at 11am. SM contacted the chair of the transfer viva to confirm on the content of the interview.
4) SM advised on potential information to revise for the interview.
5) We also had a brief discussion on the presentation of the Austria conference (3rd – 5th of November) Paper. Mock run of the presentation will be held on Thursday the 30th of October at Blackheath Lane. Rob Merchant and Stella will be present.
Present: NN, SM
1) We discussed the layout and content of the thesis. We tentatively agreed that the thesis would have 2 studies on a large scale. The 1st study would be using the online recruits and would report on whether the blogs are therapeutic and an observation of the emerging themes.
2) The 2nd study would be using hospice participants. The conclusion will then be used to develop a theoretical framework on the usage (how, when, what for) of blogs within an end of life context. The studies are measuring the wellbeing of participants after blogging through positive and negative emotions. The theoretical framework would be further used to inform and develop general practice guidelines on the use of weblogs in palliative care.
3) We had a discussion on the original contribution of the PhD in preparation for the RDC 2 transfer viva on Monday the 27th of October at 11am. SM contacted the chair of the transfer viva to confirm on the content of the interview.
4) SM advised on potential information to revise for the interview.
5) We also had a brief discussion on the presentation of the Austria conference (3rd – 5th of November) Paper. Mock run of the presentation will be held on Thursday the 30th of October at Blackheath Lane. Rob Merchant and Stella will be present.
Monday 29 September 2008
Supervision meeting
Supervision Meeting for Nothando Ngwenya on the 29th of September 2008 at 12:00pm in K352.
Present: NN, SM
1) We discussed the ethics application details and how to contact the online users for the Austria paper. SM called Professor David Clark Carter who confirmed that the ethics application had been approved and advised on how to inform the participants that their blogs would be used in a conference paper.
2) SM advised that I should go and draft an e-mail to be sent to all the online bloggers.
3) We discussed the draft paper for the Austria conference and statistics that would be appropriate for the paper. We both decided and agreed that only descriptive statistics would be relevant to the abstract submitted and a discussion of the results from the LIWC programme.
4) We agreed that I should write a cover letter to the Chair of the Faculty research degrees committee to update on the methodological changes of the project and the new ethical approval gained. This letter would also be sent to the examiners of the RDC 2 upgrade interview.
5) The next meeting will be on Friday the 17th of October at 2pm.
Things to do by next meeting, NN:
1) Send letter to Chair of the Research degrees committee with the latest amendments of the project.
2) E-mail the online bloggers and inform them about the Austria conference paper.
3) Submit the draft paper for the Austria conference paper to SM for feedback.
Present: NN, SM
1) We discussed the ethics application details and how to contact the online users for the Austria paper. SM called Professor David Clark Carter who confirmed that the ethics application had been approved and advised on how to inform the participants that their blogs would be used in a conference paper.
2) SM advised that I should go and draft an e-mail to be sent to all the online bloggers.
3) We discussed the draft paper for the Austria conference and statistics that would be appropriate for the paper. We both decided and agreed that only descriptive statistics would be relevant to the abstract submitted and a discussion of the results from the LIWC programme.
4) We agreed that I should write a cover letter to the Chair of the Faculty research degrees committee to update on the methodological changes of the project and the new ethical approval gained. This letter would also be sent to the examiners of the RDC 2 upgrade interview.
5) The next meeting will be on Friday the 17th of October at 2pm.
Things to do by next meeting, NN:
1) Send letter to Chair of the Research degrees committee with the latest amendments of the project.
2) E-mail the online bloggers and inform them about the Austria conference paper.
3) Submit the draft paper for the Austria conference paper to SM for feedback.
Thursday 11 September 2008
Supervision meeting
Supervision Meeting for Nothando Ngwenya on the 11th of September 2008 at 16:00pm in BL167.
Present: PK, NN, SM
1) We discussed the recruitment situation and all agreed that it would be useful and helpful to include existing blogs written by terminally ill patients. A letter will be sent by NN to David Clarke-Carter to request ethical approval for the changes being made to the methodology of the project.
2) Stella brought feedback on Chapter 4 but we decided to postpone the discussion to a later date due to the changing focus of the project
3) The date for a meeting with ……at…..hospice was set for Monday the 22nd of September at 3:15pm.
4) ………….. Hospice are not happy to have a presentation day for their patients as they feel this might put the patients under pressure to participate. At the moment we have not received any interest from the patients at the hospice, awaiting response from the carers and staff. The hospice is happy for NN to interview some of their staff as to why there is so little interest in the project. Paul suggested that it would be good to try and interview the C.E.O. at every hospice and to have one-to-one interviews rather than focus groups with the nurses.
5) We discussed the paper for the Austria conference. 5 blogs have been selected written by terminally ill patients who are all based in America. The data from these blogs will be used for the Austria paper and the thesis.
6) The next meeting will be on Monday the 29th of September at 12pm
Things to do by next meeting, NN:
1) Work on the ethics application for the amendments to the project.
2) To do some form of statistical analysis of the blogs NN will be using with information such as frequency of posts, length of posts.
Present: PK, NN, SM
1) We discussed the recruitment situation and all agreed that it would be useful and helpful to include existing blogs written by terminally ill patients. A letter will be sent by NN to David Clarke-Carter to request ethical approval for the changes being made to the methodology of the project.
2) Stella brought feedback on Chapter 4 but we decided to postpone the discussion to a later date due to the changing focus of the project
3) The date for a meeting with ……at…..hospice was set for Monday the 22nd of September at 3:15pm.
4) ………….. Hospice are not happy to have a presentation day for their patients as they feel this might put the patients under pressure to participate. At the moment we have not received any interest from the patients at the hospice, awaiting response from the carers and staff. The hospice is happy for NN to interview some of their staff as to why there is so little interest in the project. Paul suggested that it would be good to try and interview the C.E.O. at every hospice and to have one-to-one interviews rather than focus groups with the nurses.
5) We discussed the paper for the Austria conference. 5 blogs have been selected written by terminally ill patients who are all based in America. The data from these blogs will be used for the Austria paper and the thesis.
6) The next meeting will be on Monday the 29th of September at 12pm
Things to do by next meeting, NN:
1) Work on the ethics application for the amendments to the project.
2) To do some form of statistical analysis of the blogs NN will be using with information such as frequency of posts, length of posts.
Tuesday 5 August 2008
Lit Review Chapter 3
I guess all I can say for now is I am busy trying to complete my Literature review. I have so many other things going on, but I have to finish this in order to concentrate on my other work.
I am going to Barnsley hospice on Thursday and hopefully I will have some good news after that. Although most of the hospices were enthusiastic about the research, the response is still very slow and does not look promising at all, I am thinking of changing the study to incorporate existing blogs. At least that way I can catch up on the time I lost dealing with NHS ethics and get on with the field research. I will wait till end of August and then review to see if the change is necessary. I will not remove the hospices completely because if I do get participants then it would still be useful data that I can use to compare with people who are already blogging on their own initiative.
Anyway I have to head home now, I will write soon.
I am going to Barnsley hospice on Thursday and hopefully I will have some good news after that. Although most of the hospices were enthusiastic about the research, the response is still very slow and does not look promising at all, I am thinking of changing the study to incorporate existing blogs. At least that way I can catch up on the time I lost dealing with NHS ethics and get on with the field research. I will wait till end of August and then review to see if the change is necessary. I will not remove the hospices completely because if I do get participants then it would still be useful data that I can use to compare with people who are already blogging on their own initiative.
Anyway I have to head home now, I will write soon.
Friday 6 June 2008
Monday 2 June 2008
Supervision Meeting 20
Supervision Meeting for Nothando Ngwenya on the 2nd of June 2008 at 9:00am in BL167.
Present: PK, NN, SM
1) We discussed and I gave feedback on the meeting that Stella and I attended at …… Hospice on the 24th of April. We presented the amended documents with suggestions that were given at …… Hospice. A few suggestions were made as follows:
· Change the wording on the mental capacity inclusion of participants, and suggest that if there is any change in their circumstances, their participation can be renegotiated after discussion.
· Inform the participants that if they have problems emotional or otherwise due to blogging they can speak to any member of the hospice team.
2) We also confirmed the meeting date for ……. Hospice which is on the 9th of June 2008 at 2pm. We agreed that Stella would meet us at the Centre for Ageing and Mental Health and we will then travel together, leaving at 12:30pm.
3) I shared information on the PhD day conference that I attended at Nottingham University. I also shared my concerns on the sample size of my project and issue of the recruiting time. I suggested searching the internet for blogs of terminally ill patients, carers and staff members. I could then include the analysis of these blogs in my thesis, and would be good to also use the LIWC for practice.
4) We discussed how to move forward with the thesis. I have done the drafts for Chapter 2 and 4. I now have to complete Chapter 3 draft which I have started. I will submit to Stella by the end of June and work on the revisions of Chapter 2.
5) I need to submit my RDC2 transfer application by the 20th of June. I will work on the progress report and the contents of the report will be discussed in the next meeting.
6) The next meeting was set up for Monday the 16th of June at 12:00pm.
Things to do by next meeting
1) Complete the first draft of Chapter 3 of the thesis.
2) Make the necessary changes suggested at …….. Hospice.
3) Work on the RDC2 progress report.
Present: PK, NN, SM
1) We discussed and I gave feedback on the meeting that Stella and I attended at …… Hospice on the 24th of April. We presented the amended documents with suggestions that were given at …… Hospice. A few suggestions were made as follows:
· Change the wording on the mental capacity inclusion of participants, and suggest that if there is any change in their circumstances, their participation can be renegotiated after discussion.
· Inform the participants that if they have problems emotional or otherwise due to blogging they can speak to any member of the hospice team.
2) We also confirmed the meeting date for ……. Hospice which is on the 9th of June 2008 at 2pm. We agreed that Stella would meet us at the Centre for Ageing and Mental Health and we will then travel together, leaving at 12:30pm.
3) I shared information on the PhD day conference that I attended at Nottingham University. I also shared my concerns on the sample size of my project and issue of the recruiting time. I suggested searching the internet for blogs of terminally ill patients, carers and staff members. I could then include the analysis of these blogs in my thesis, and would be good to also use the LIWC for practice.
4) We discussed how to move forward with the thesis. I have done the drafts for Chapter 2 and 4. I now have to complete Chapter 3 draft which I have started. I will submit to Stella by the end of June and work on the revisions of Chapter 2.
5) I need to submit my RDC2 transfer application by the 20th of June. I will work on the progress report and the contents of the report will be discussed in the next meeting.
6) The next meeting was set up for Monday the 16th of June at 12:00pm.
Things to do by next meeting
1) Complete the first draft of Chapter 3 of the thesis.
2) Make the necessary changes suggested at …….. Hospice.
3) Work on the RDC2 progress report.
Friday 16 May 2008
Summary of my Research at the moment
USAGE OF WEB LOGS IN HOSPICE SETTINGS
My name is Nothando B Ngwenya, I am a PhD student at Staffordshire University and I am conducting research and hoping to develop studies to explore the different forms of usages of weblogs in hospice settings. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions in my research. I have drawn up a summary of the main objectives and rationale behind my research.
Key Questions:
- How can technology improve the quality of care for patients in palliative settings?
- How effective and efficient can weblogs be in hospice settings?
- In what ways can hospice blogs be used in end of life care e.g. communication, therapeutic writing, management tool etc
There has been an increase in research on the use of Information Technology to enhance palliative care. Information systems technologies have been built for various reasons within the healthcare industry and these systems could be extended to hospice settings. Some of these could include symptom management, data collecting and therapeutic writing (Kuziemsky, 2004).
The emergence of online communities has seen a rise in the use of blogs. A web log is defined here as "a frequently updated webpage consisting of brief posts presented and archived in reverse-chronological order" (Schiano, Nardi, Gumbrecht and Swartz, 2004) mainly used as an online journal and can contain text, images, and media objects. Different people use them for different purposes mostly linking to things that interest them personally and engaging in conversation. Web logs vary in content as much as they do in use enabling people to manipulate blogs for their personal use. Other sectors (education, journalism, and business) have seen and experienced success in the use of weblogs which could also3 be experienced in palliative care as well whether for the benefit of the patient or the improvement of the service and care offered.
Some uses and benefits predicted on the use of weblogs would be:
- To help patients get more involved with their care and put them in control as palliative care should be person-centred.
- Patients, family members, staff and carers can write therapeutically (Pennebaker, 1986) and possible curb emotional isolation and increase social interaction/networking.
- The weblogs could be used as a symptom management tool with patients self-reporting pain and staff documenting medication use.
- Weblogs can be a source of information for family members and friends where by they can read about the patients' care and treatment process and professionals can post new research.
- Weblogs can give access to palliative care, information and support to people in remote/rural communities.
- By reading what other carers post/write, web logs could offer a transfer of knowledge between staff.
Confidentiality of the patients and staff will be observed at all times. All research will be conducted within NHS Ethical guidelines.
Thank you for taking the time to read this information. Please send any questions, comments or suggestions to Nothando B Ngwenya at Staffordshire University on 01785353742, or email: n.ngwenya@staffs.ac.uk. You can also contact my supervisors Prof Paul Kingston (p.kingston@staffs.ac.uk) and Prof Stella Mills (s.f.mills@staffs.ac.uk). You can view my weblog on http://weblogsastherapy.blogspot.com
Abstract for conference on the 13th of May 2008
Can Weblogs be a Complementary Therapy in Palliative Care?
There is increasing interest and a growing body of literature that connects creative therapies and well-being. Different schools of thought from both the arts and sciences have tried to explain the connection between creative writing and health benefits with many theories being postulated. There is no single theory that convincingly explains why and how creative writing benefits health, but what is important is the effect on patients' health and sense of well-being, whether self-reported or clinically observed. This research is interested in exploring creative writing within the ever-growing technological era in hospice setting. Technological advances have had a huge impact on people's lifestyles, changing the way individuals communicate. There has been an increasing demand on the use of the internet and computer-mediated communication (CMC) for health benefits giving a rise to a new field known as cyber therapy. We have seen the success of computer-mediated communication in different settings within the health service. We have also seen the positive role of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies in palliative care. The imperative question within this research is whether web logs can be used as cyber therapy within the CAM framework in palliative care.
Sue Ryder Care Centre for Palliative and End of Life Studies, School of Nursing
PhD Day – Tuesday May 13th 2008
Venue: Coates Building, A7, University Park Campus, Nottingham
Thursday 17 April 2008
Supervision meeting
Supervision Meeting for Nothando Ngwenya on the 17th of April 2008 at 4:15pm in Paul Kingston’s Office.
Present: PK, NN, SM
1) We had a discussion and gave feedback on the meeting that Stella and I attended at ….. Hospice on the 9th of April 2008. Feedback that we received at …… Hospice is as follows:
· Remove the bold and underlining of text within the information and consent sheet as this gives the impression that some information is more important than other.
· Add the amount of blogging time that will be required of the participants (3 months).
· Change the wording on the mental capacity inclusion of participants, to give them the option to either continue or withdraw
· Inform the participants that the supervisors will have access to the weblogs and might see the content.
· We also implemented a procedure of reporting distressing information or when it is necessary to breach confidentiality
2) We briefly discussed how we would recruit carers as there are limited support activities were I might contact them. We agreed that we would decide that when I start recruiting patients as their carers may be potential participants.
3) The way forward at …….. would be to attend a meeting with the day hospice team and decide on a recruiting strategy.
4) We all are in agreement on recruiting people who might be blogging already, and to include bereaved carers as they are involved in palliative care.
5) We briefly discussed attending the Life before death exhibition at the Wellcome Collection in London.
6) We agreed on that I would complete the first draft of Chapter 2 and submit it to Paul whilst Stella works on my Chapter 4 Revisions. To submit Chapter 2 on the 18th of April 2008.
7) Meeting at …….. Hospice will be on Thursday the 24th of April 2008 at 3pm.
Things to do by next meeting
1) Complete the first draft of Chapter 2 of the thesis.
2) Make the necessary changes suggested at …… Hospice and discussed during the meeting.
3) Chase up on appointment dates with …… and ……. Hospices.
Present: PK, NN, SM
1) We had a discussion and gave feedback on the meeting that Stella and I attended at ….. Hospice on the 9th of April 2008. Feedback that we received at …… Hospice is as follows:
· Remove the bold and underlining of text within the information and consent sheet as this gives the impression that some information is more important than other.
· Add the amount of blogging time that will be required of the participants (3 months).
· Change the wording on the mental capacity inclusion of participants, to give them the option to either continue or withdraw
· Inform the participants that the supervisors will have access to the weblogs and might see the content.
· We also implemented a procedure of reporting distressing information or when it is necessary to breach confidentiality
2) We briefly discussed how we would recruit carers as there are limited support activities were I might contact them. We agreed that we would decide that when I start recruiting patients as their carers may be potential participants.
3) The way forward at …….. would be to attend a meeting with the day hospice team and decide on a recruiting strategy.
4) We all are in agreement on recruiting people who might be blogging already, and to include bereaved carers as they are involved in palliative care.
5) We briefly discussed attending the Life before death exhibition at the Wellcome Collection in London.
6) We agreed on that I would complete the first draft of Chapter 2 and submit it to Paul whilst Stella works on my Chapter 4 Revisions. To submit Chapter 2 on the 18th of April 2008.
7) Meeting at …….. Hospice will be on Thursday the 24th of April 2008 at 3pm.
Things to do by next meeting
1) Complete the first draft of Chapter 2 of the thesis.
2) Make the necessary changes suggested at …… Hospice and discussed during the meeting.
3) Chase up on appointment dates with …… and ……. Hospices.
Friday 11 April 2008
Project status
I know its been a while. I am quite happy with the progress of the project. Everything seems to be going well and coming closer to the real research work. At the moment I am working on my literature review. I thought it ight be easier as I had already read some parts but I am really finding it hard to be critical in my analysis. My style of writing is more descriptive and I know I have to be more critical and so I am working on that. The chapter I am doing now is more confusing that the last one. Some parts have a lot of litearure whereas some areas little has been written so far and I am finding it hard to get up to date articles. It doesnt help that the library's journal subscription is very limited and it costs £5 for a dpcument delivery request and sometimes by the time you get the article a lot of time has been wasted. Let me stop complaning because it can be worse, at least I have access to the Keele health library although if only I could have access to their online material.
Well with the project I have just been in celebratory mode since I got ethics approval. Anyway we went to St Giles on Wednesday the 9th to discuss the progress of the project. The meeting went quite well and Peter (CEO) is always ever so helpful and enthusiastic about the whole project its actually motivating. We discussed the information sheet and consent sheet and a few minor changes are required. We still have to meet the other hospices. Katharine House hospice meeting is on the 24th and hopefully Barnsley and Severn will follow soon after so that the project can start rolling.
I have laso had the opportunity to meet with a palliative care consultant Alison, who has been very very helpful and had me thinking of new ideas and given me a better awareness of ethical issues within my research. I will be meeting with her again to discuss further how she can be involved and assist within the project so I have to just keep looking up and up.
Oh yes bad news, my car. As I was driving to work on Monday mmh dodgy cars and mechanics. The wheel on my car was loose and it was coming off. It was just held in place by 2 nuts, I just cant bear to think what might have happened if I hadnt stopped. Anyway listening to my better conscious I stopped to have it checked at a garage by the road and well the guy told me what the problem was and that he would fix it, and bear in mind today is Friday and my car is still in the garage. Yep, its was just a tyre and you wont believe it. I ring the mechanic Monday end of the day and well he informs me that my brake pads need replacing and well I say go ahead coz really I didnt think much of it. I call on Tuesday to ask when I can collect the car only to be told that well, the master cylinder had to be replaced, otherwise the brakes wouldnt work. Okay so this work went on without my knowledge, and what can I say, its not as if I could just go and ick up the car as it was taken apart. I call on Wednesday and guess what, the servo needs to be replaced because the brakes are not responding. What can I say, work went on with my go-ahead again. I call Thursday and yep you guessed it, the brake discs need to be replaced. This time I just thought nonooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, just stop doing anything to the car otherwise by the end of next week I would need to replace the whole thing, and yes you guessed it again my bill £367. I am so upset I am on theverge of depression and I am so skint, coz that was all my rainy day money and more. I could cut a chicken's head off now.
Bye
Well with the project I have just been in celebratory mode since I got ethics approval. Anyway we went to St Giles on Wednesday the 9th to discuss the progress of the project. The meeting went quite well and Peter (CEO) is always ever so helpful and enthusiastic about the whole project its actually motivating. We discussed the information sheet and consent sheet and a few minor changes are required. We still have to meet the other hospices. Katharine House hospice meeting is on the 24th and hopefully Barnsley and Severn will follow soon after so that the project can start rolling.
I have laso had the opportunity to meet with a palliative care consultant Alison, who has been very very helpful and had me thinking of new ideas and given me a better awareness of ethical issues within my research. I will be meeting with her again to discuss further how she can be involved and assist within the project so I have to just keep looking up and up.
Oh yes bad news, my car. As I was driving to work on Monday mmh dodgy cars and mechanics. The wheel on my car was loose and it was coming off. It was just held in place by 2 nuts, I just cant bear to think what might have happened if I hadnt stopped. Anyway listening to my better conscious I stopped to have it checked at a garage by the road and well the guy told me what the problem was and that he would fix it, and bear in mind today is Friday and my car is still in the garage. Yep, its was just a tyre and you wont believe it. I ring the mechanic Monday end of the day and well he informs me that my brake pads need replacing and well I say go ahead coz really I didnt think much of it. I call on Tuesday to ask when I can collect the car only to be told that well, the master cylinder had to be replaced, otherwise the brakes wouldnt work. Okay so this work went on without my knowledge, and what can I say, its not as if I could just go and ick up the car as it was taken apart. I call on Wednesday and guess what, the servo needs to be replaced because the brakes are not responding. What can I say, work went on with my go-ahead again. I call Thursday and yep you guessed it, the brake discs need to be replaced. This time I just thought nonooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, just stop doing anything to the car otherwise by the end of next week I would need to replace the whole thing, and yes you guessed it again my bill £367. I am so upset I am on theverge of depression and I am so skint, coz that was all my rainy day money and more. I could cut a chicken's head off now.
Bye
Monday 11 February 2008
Supervision meeting
Supervision Meeting for Nothando Ngwenya on the 11th of February 2008 at 10:00am in Paul Kingston’s Office.
Present: PK, NN, SM
1) We had a discussion on the work experience placement. ... hospice in Stoke have a placement programme but are not willing to let me do it as they have a policy against allowing research work / or researchers from having access to their patients. ……..hospice was happy for me to complete a placement in the form of 10days voluntary work. This might be a problem with the ethics committee as they were initially not happy with me doing voluntary work in the hospices.
2) Paul suggested I look into the hospice in Wolverhampton and any other within the geographical boundaries.
3) The LREC committee have so far received 1 letter from the hospice (……………………). I spoke to …..from ….. hospice last week Thursday and she said she would write and post the letter and send us a copy.
4) I have to chase up the other 2 hospices. Paul will call ….. from ……. Hospice and ask for a copy of the letter he sent.
5) I then gave feedback on the Chapter that I am currently working on- (Chapter 3, Web- User interface design).
6) We setup deadlines for the thesis chapters. Chapter 3 that I am currently working on should be submitted to Stella by the end of the week (15/02/08). The second chapter deadline was set for 17th of March 2008.
7) Next meeting will be on Monday 25th of February at 10:30am
Things to do by next meeting
1) Complete the User interface chapter. To be completed by the end of the week (15/02/08).
2) Find another hospice to do the work experience placement.
3) Start working on the second chapter of the Thesis. Deadline is 17th of March 2008.
Present: PK, NN, SM
1) We had a discussion on the work experience placement. ... hospice in Stoke have a placement programme but are not willing to let me do it as they have a policy against allowing research work / or researchers from having access to their patients. ……..hospice was happy for me to complete a placement in the form of 10days voluntary work. This might be a problem with the ethics committee as they were initially not happy with me doing voluntary work in the hospices.
2) Paul suggested I look into the hospice in Wolverhampton and any other within the geographical boundaries.
3) The LREC committee have so far received 1 letter from the hospice (……………………). I spoke to …..from ….. hospice last week Thursday and she said she would write and post the letter and send us a copy.
4) I have to chase up the other 2 hospices. Paul will call ….. from ……. Hospice and ask for a copy of the letter he sent.
5) I then gave feedback on the Chapter that I am currently working on- (Chapter 3, Web- User interface design).
6) We setup deadlines for the thesis chapters. Chapter 3 that I am currently working on should be submitted to Stella by the end of the week (15/02/08). The second chapter deadline was set for 17th of March 2008.
7) Next meeting will be on Monday 25th of February at 10:30am
Things to do by next meeting
1) Complete the User interface chapter. To be completed by the end of the week (15/02/08).
2) Find another hospice to do the work experience placement.
3) Start working on the second chapter of the Thesis. Deadline is 17th of March 2008.
Tuesday 5 February 2008
Supervision meeting
After my last supervision meeing with Stella we discussed the importance of the notes from the meetings. I will start posting the meeting notes so that my supervisors can read if they want to and make amendments. I also know what was decided at the meetings and have a trail of both the meetings and my work
I will have to see how or where I can post them without having too much information or long pages
I will have to see how or where I can post them without having too much information or long pages
Thursday 31 January 2008
Update
I know, this whole month I have been working on the document I just posted on teaching the users how to create a blog. I know it has taken a long time even though I merely almost copied and posted Rob's blogging handbook for his MSc students.(JOKES). Well almost but I have managed to cut it down and its ready for use. I am hopeng to get the website prototype done for next week and get on with the testing
Only problem I am having is with the LREC, which is really becoming a bore now and I have no idea what purpose the NHS ethics committe serve.
Anyway back to work. You can view the how to guide and let me know what you think of it
Only problem I am having is with the LREC, which is really becoming a bore now and I have no idea what purpose the NHS ethics committe serve.
Anyway back to work. You can view the how to guide and let me know what you think of it
"How to" Guide to creating your blog.
A ‘how to’ Guide to blogging and using Blogger.com
Blogs provide a means of journaling, exploration, story telling, information sharing, and anything you can think of involving text and pictures which can be made accessible to as many people as you want
Blogs can be:
Journals
News
Fiction
Web links
Communities
Work based forums
Personal web space
An online photo gallery
Blogger can be found at www.blogger.com and blogs created using Blogger have the following form of web address www.myblog.blogspot.com.
Let’s start blogging
Open Internet Explorer, Firefox, Netscape or which ever web software you are using and go to www.blogger.com.
Take a moment to look around the front-page of Blogger. Blogger.com is fairly easy to use and has useful explanations and descriptions. There is an opportunity to get more information on what a blog is. You can also take a quick tour around the website.
Follow the “Create a blog in 3 easy steps” links on the front-page by placing the mouse pointer over the link marked “Create Your Blog Now” and click.
Create an Account
The next page will request you to create an account. You must have an existing e-mail address in order to do this. This account will then enable you to establish as many different blogs as you would like. You can then return to the account to delete blogs, update blogs, or create new blogs.
To create your blogger account, you will have to input your e-mail address, and a password for your account. Just follow the instructions and directions given on the website as they provide precise guidance on creating a blog.
Finally don’t forget to tick any “terms and conditions” box, if you want to read the terms and conditions following the web link.
And click the “Continue” arrow
Note: With the growth in Blog popularity your first choice of username might not be available – do be patient and try variations until you find one that is accepted.
Name your Blog
This where you can think of what you want to call your blog. This can be related to what you will write about, or named after a favourite pet, friend. The name can either be a phrase or one word.
You will then have the opportunity to choose your blog address .This does not have to match the name/ title of your blog although it may make it easier for you and for others to remember the name.
Blogger uses a word verification box to help with security and data entry. The text for the word verification will appear slightly distorted; simply type the letters you see into the word verification box.
Click the “continue” arrow at the bottom of the page and this will lead you to the next and final step.
Note: The web address for your blog may not be available if it is already used by another blog user. As with Step 2 try different combinations of web address for your blog until you find one which is available.
Choose a template
Blogger hosts your blog for you and provides you with options of what you would like your blog to look like with a series of different templates.
You have the opportunity to select from the list a template of your choice. Not only do the templates differ in colour, but also the settings and layout of content is different. Choose your template by placing your mouse pointer over the template name (e.g. minima, minima black, son of moto) and click.
Once you’ve highlighted your choice of template click on the ‘Continue’ arrow, and CONGRATULATIONS, you have created your blog.
Note: You can always change your template later if you decide you don’t like the one you’ve chosen. Once your blogger account is finalised you’ll find that you access to wider choice of templates than the ones you see at this set up stage.
Blogs provide a means of journaling, exploration, story telling, information sharing, and anything you can think of involving text and pictures which can be made accessible to as many people as you want
Blogs can be:
Journals
News
Fiction
Web links
Communities
Work based forums
Personal web space
An online photo gallery
Blogger can be found at www.blogger.com and blogs created using Blogger have the following form of web address www.myblog.blogspot.com.
Let’s start blogging
Open Internet Explorer, Firefox, Netscape or which ever web software you are using and go to www.blogger.com.
Take a moment to look around the front-page of Blogger. Blogger.com is fairly easy to use and has useful explanations and descriptions. There is an opportunity to get more information on what a blog is. You can also take a quick tour around the website.
Follow the “Create a blog in 3 easy steps” links on the front-page by placing the mouse pointer over the link marked “Create Your Blog Now” and click.
Create an Account
The next page will request you to create an account. You must have an existing e-mail address in order to do this. This account will then enable you to establish as many different blogs as you would like. You can then return to the account to delete blogs, update blogs, or create new blogs.
To create your blogger account, you will have to input your e-mail address, and a password for your account. Just follow the instructions and directions given on the website as they provide precise guidance on creating a blog.
Finally don’t forget to tick any “terms and conditions” box, if you want to read the terms and conditions following the web link.
And click the “Continue” arrow
Note: With the growth in Blog popularity your first choice of username might not be available – do be patient and try variations until you find one that is accepted.
Name your Blog
This where you can think of what you want to call your blog. This can be related to what you will write about, or named after a favourite pet, friend. The name can either be a phrase or one word.
You will then have the opportunity to choose your blog address .This does not have to match the name/ title of your blog although it may make it easier for you and for others to remember the name.
Blogger uses a word verification box to help with security and data entry. The text for the word verification will appear slightly distorted; simply type the letters you see into the word verification box.
Click the “continue” arrow at the bottom of the page and this will lead you to the next and final step.
Note: The web address for your blog may not be available if it is already used by another blog user. As with Step 2 try different combinations of web address for your blog until you find one which is available.
Choose a template
Blogger hosts your blog for you and provides you with options of what you would like your blog to look like with a series of different templates.
You have the opportunity to select from the list a template of your choice. Not only do the templates differ in colour, but also the settings and layout of content is different. Choose your template by placing your mouse pointer over the template name (e.g. minima, minima black, son of moto) and click.
Once you’ve highlighted your choice of template click on the ‘Continue’ arrow, and CONGRATULATIONS, you have created your blog.
Note: You can always change your template later if you decide you don’t like the one you’ve chosen. Once your blogger account is finalised you’ll find that you access to wider choice of templates than the ones you see at this set up stage.
Monday 28 January 2008
GMS training
I havent blogged for a while, I know I have been so busy with my work.
Well just before Christmas vacation I went to a GMS Training with Nick in Liverpool. This is a tool that will be used for the Prison project. It was quite an intense time but was very interesting as well. It does look like a very useful tool although I think it is a bit too long. I guess for prisoners it isnt that bad, I mean they have all the time to offer for the interview.
The tool is called the Geriatric Mental State (GMS), and is self explanatory really. This schedule assess and records mental state in the elderly. After completing the interviews, the data is input into the AGECAT (The Automated Geriatric Examination for Computer Assited Taxonomy), which groups symptoms into symptom components. These components are further grouped, and these groups are used to derive levels of confidence of diagnosis for each syndrome cluster.
The syndrome clusters represent:
Organic
Schizophrenia and related paranoid states
Mania
Depression
Obsessional Neuroses
Hypochondriasis
Phobic Neuroses
Anxiety Neuroses
This is what I understood so far because we didnt actually use the computer tool. I will try and get hold of Nick at a later stage of his project and see what further analysis is done to the data
Well just before Christmas vacation I went to a GMS Training with Nick in Liverpool. This is a tool that will be used for the Prison project. It was quite an intense time but was very interesting as well. It does look like a very useful tool although I think it is a bit too long. I guess for prisoners it isnt that bad, I mean they have all the time to offer for the interview.
The tool is called the Geriatric Mental State (GMS), and is self explanatory really. This schedule assess and records mental state in the elderly. After completing the interviews, the data is input into the AGECAT (The Automated Geriatric Examination for Computer Assited Taxonomy), which groups symptoms into symptom components. These components are further grouped, and these groups are used to derive levels of confidence of diagnosis for each syndrome cluster.
The syndrome clusters represent:
Organic
Schizophrenia and related paranoid states
Mania
Depression
Obsessional Neuroses
Hypochondriasis
Phobic Neuroses
Anxiety Neuroses
This is what I understood so far because we didnt actually use the computer tool. I will try and get hold of Nick at a later stage of his project and see what further analysis is done to the data
Wednesday 9 January 2008
First Meeting this year of 2008!!!!!!
Supervision Meeting for Nothando Ngwenya on the 9th of January 2008 at 1pm in Paul Kingston’s Office.
Present: NN, PK, SM
1) I gave an update on the letters that we sent to the hospices requesting general patient population.
2) The LREC wrote a letter to say they had received all the amendments they had requested except for the hospice letters. They will therefore be waiting for the letters from the hospices before they can give a favourable opinion to the ethical application.
3) We discussed the placement opportunities that I was trying to arrange. I will contact both ……..Hospice and …….. to see whether I could do 10days work experience.
4) We then discussed the schedule for the data collection part of the project. Paul advised that I should include some time to go back to the hospices to motivate the participants to keep blogging.
5) I then shared my concern on using a questionnaire for the research. I was mainly concerned about the time I would have to analyse the interview data in order to create the questionnaires for the last part of the data collection section. We reviewed the need of the questionnaire and Stella advised that I could employ both unstructured and structured interview methods. If the first part of the interview is unstructured and the second part is more structured, then I could get both qualitative and quantitative data.
6) I informed my supervisors that I have completed my PgCRM (Postgraduate certificate in Research Methods) which is a requirement for my PhD upgrade.
7) Stella then advised that I start working on the user characteristics for the design of the website to help with the design guidelines.
Things to do by next meeting
1) Follow up on the hospice letters to the LREC committee.
2) Do some research and on user characteristics and develop design guidelines for the website.
Present: NN, PK, SM
1) I gave an update on the letters that we sent to the hospices requesting general patient population.
2) The LREC wrote a letter to say they had received all the amendments they had requested except for the hospice letters. They will therefore be waiting for the letters from the hospices before they can give a favourable opinion to the ethical application.
3) We discussed the placement opportunities that I was trying to arrange. I will contact both ……..Hospice and …….. to see whether I could do 10days work experience.
4) We then discussed the schedule for the data collection part of the project. Paul advised that I should include some time to go back to the hospices to motivate the participants to keep blogging.
5) I then shared my concern on using a questionnaire for the research. I was mainly concerned about the time I would have to analyse the interview data in order to create the questionnaires for the last part of the data collection section. We reviewed the need of the questionnaire and Stella advised that I could employ both unstructured and structured interview methods. If the first part of the interview is unstructured and the second part is more structured, then I could get both qualitative and quantitative data.
6) I informed my supervisors that I have completed my PgCRM (Postgraduate certificate in Research Methods) which is a requirement for my PhD upgrade.
7) Stella then advised that I start working on the user characteristics for the design of the website to help with the design guidelines.
Things to do by next meeting
1) Follow up on the hospice letters to the LREC committee.
2) Do some research and on user characteristics and develop design guidelines for the website.
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