Louise Burgoyne

• PhD Epidemiology & Public Health
• Research Support Officer at University College Cork

Interdisciplinary learning is often limited to student groups which already have significant overlap in either their curricular content or whose day-to-day duties entail regular interactions. This is not generally the case for engineers and clinicians, and almost never the case for students of engineering and medicine. In this feasibility study, in...

Objective While there is an emerging literature on the usefulness of assistance dogs for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), there is a dearth of quantitative data on the value of assistance dog interventions for the family unit and family functioning. Using previously validated scales and scales developed specifically for this study, we...

Healthcare worldwide needs translation of basic ideas from engineering into the clinic. Consequently, there is increasing demand for graduates equipped with the knowledge and skills to apply interdisciplinary medicine/engineering approaches to the development of novel solutions for healthcare. The literature provides little guidance regarding barri...

Learning outcomes are typically developed using standard group-based consensus methods. Two main constraints with standard techniques such as the Delphi method or expert working group processes are: (1) the ability to generate a comprehensive set of outcomes and (2) the capacity to reach agreement on them. We describe the first application of Group...

We explored the opinions of healthcare providers on the antenatal management and outcome of preterm delivery at less than 28 weeks gestation. An anonymous postal questionnaire was sent to health care providers. The response rate was 55% (74% Obstetrician, 70% neonatologist). Twenty four weeks is the limit at which most would advocate intervention....

Research training is essential in a modern undergraduate medical curriculum. Our evaluation aimed to (a) gauge students' awareness of research activities, (b) compare students' perceptions of their transferable and research-specific skills competencies, (c) determine students' motivation for research and (d) obtain students' personal views on doing...

Objectives This study assessed students’ awareness of radiation exposures and determined the impact a curriculum in clinical radiology (CICR) had on awareness. Methods Six hundred seventy medical students at one medical school were studied. CICR was delivered in yearly modules over the 5-year programme. Five hundred twenty-three students (years 1–...

A number of recent developments in medical and nursing education have highlighted the importance of communication and consultation skills (CCS). Although such skills are taught in all medical and nursing undergraduate curriculums, there is no comprehensive screening or assessment programme of CCS using professionally trained Standardized Patients E...

To examine the extent of EEG monitoring in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), and to survey the level of experience and training of those using it. A web-based survey, the link to which was circulated via e-mail, personal contact, specialist societies and professional groups. Survey data were exported to SPSS for analysis. In total 210 surveys...

Advances in neonatal care continue to lower the limit of viability. Decision making in this grey zone remains a challenging process. To explore the opinions of healthcare providers on resuscitation and outcome in the less than 28-week preterm newborn. An anonymous postal questionnaire was sent to health care providers working in maternity units in...

Accurate diagnosis of neonatal seizures is critically important and is often made clinically, without EEG (electroencephalography) monitoring. This observational study aimed to determine the accuracy and interobserver reliability of healthcare professionals in distinguishing clinically manifested seizures from other neonatal movements, when present...

Effective promotion of physical activity in low income communities is essential given the high prevalence of inactivity in this sector. This study explored determinants of engaging in physical activity in two Irish city based neighbourhoods using a series of six focus groups and twenty five interviews with adult residents. Data were analysed using...

There is an increasing interest in the use of walking routes to promote physical activity. We explored the stated attitudes of selected residents from two adjacent low-income city neighbourhoods towards walking. This was in response to negative results obtained in a quantitative study assessing the impact of the Slí-na-Sláinte (path to health), a s...