BackgroundAlthough Internet usage can benefit older people by reducing social isolation, increasing access to services, and improving health and well-being, only a minority are online. Barriers to Internet uptake include attitude and a lack of knowledge and help. We have evaluated volunteer support in helping older people go online. Knowing what value the Internet has been to older people who have just gone online should guide how it is “sold” to those remaining offline.ObjectiveObjectives of this study are (1) to assess the feasibility of recruiting volunteers aged 50 years and older and supporting them in helping people (ie, beneficiaries) aged 65 years and older go online, (2) to assess the impact of beneficiaries using the Internet on contacts with others, loneliness, and mental health, and (3) to assess the perceived value to beneficiaries of going online.MethodsBeneficiaries received help in using the Internet from 32 volunteers in one of two ways: (1) one-on-one in their own homes, receiving an average of 12 hours of help over eight visits, or (2) in small group sessions, receiving 12 hours of help over six visits. We assessed, at registration and follow-up, the number of contacts with others, using Lubben’s 6-item Lubben Social Network Scale (LBNS-6), loneliness, using De Jong Gierveld’s 6-item De Jong Gierveld loneliness scale (DJG-6), and mental well-being, using Tennant’s Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (SWEMWBS). We also assessed how beneficiaries valued going online using a Social Return on Investment (SROI) approach by postal survey.ResultsA total of 144 beneficiaries were recruited with the aim of helping them go online via one-on-one (n=58) or small group (n=86) sessions. Data through to follow-up were available on 76.4% (110/144) of participants. From baseline to follow-up, the number of contacts with others was significantly increased—LBNS-6, mean 13.7 to mean 17.6—loneliness scores were reduced—DJG-6, mean 2.38 to mean 1.80—and mental well-being improved—SWEMWBS, mean 24.06 to mean 24.96. Out of six options, beneficiaries valued better communication with family and friends most and better health care least as a benefit of using the Internet. Out of nine options, having the Internet was valued less than having TV, but more than, for example, having a weekly visit from a cleaner. There were no associations between values placed on Internet use or volunteer help and psychological improvements.ConclusionsVolunteer help to go online seemed to result in increased social contacts, reduced loneliness, and improved mental well-being and was valued quite highly by beneficiaries. Although the use of the Internet for health care was the least valued, improved social contact can improve health. Contacting family is likely to be the best “selling point” of the Internet for older people.

The present study investigated the effectiveness of a music therapy programme in the enhancement of the social skills of children with moderate intellectual disability. Thirty‐two children (age range = 5–10 years) from four intellectual disability centres participated. At each centre, four children were randomly selected to participate in the music therapy programme, while four children were assigned to a non‐music control group programme. One staff member was trained in each group procedure at each centre, and requested to run 30‐min group sessions twice weekly over an 8‐week intervention period. Five social skills were targeted for intervention: turn‐taking, imitation, vocalization, initiation and eye contact. Measures of effectiveness involved comparison of pre‐ and post‐intervention scores on five target skills using a brief social skills test specifically designed for the study. Evaluation forms completed by teachers also provided feedback on the effectiveness of the intervention. The results reflect significant improvements in the five target social skills across both conditions following the 8‐week intervention. However, this difference was found to be independent of the music/non‐music intervention.

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Defining how preprinted physician orders are developed within a hospital has the potential to positively affect care, services, reimbursement, safety and patient outcome. When they are well designed, preprinted physician orders have the potential to improve interdisciplinary integration in care, promote accurate communication and reduce variation by combining pertinent reminders, safety alerts and “best practice” into a just-in-time process. Whether in electronic or paper format, preprinted physician orders can transform evidence-based knowledge into practice.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for medical students and educators worldwide. Groups 1, 2 and 3 of year 3, semester 2 medical students at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (n = 275) had only completed 2, 5 and 7 weeks, respectively, of their scheduled 10-week clinical medicine and surgery attachments, prior to the Irish shutdown of all in-person non-essential activities, including medical student education. Methods We developed and delivered an online case-based program, focused on history-taking skills and clinical reasoning, using simulated patients and video technologies. 12 tutorials were delivered over 6 weeks to 35 subgroups of 8 students in line with program learning outcomes. Both simulated patients (n = 36), and tutors (n = 45, from retired clinical professors to newly graduated physicians), were rapidly upskilled in Blackboard Collaborate and Microsoft Teams, and also in the provision of constructive feedback. We evaluated this newly developed program by the following three criteria: student attendance, achieved grades, and student feedback. Results Attendance at the 12 tutorials was higher amongst group 1 and 2 students (75 and 73%) by comparison with group 3 students (60%) (p = < 0.001). Of the 273 students that sat the Year 3 Semester 2 online long case assessment, 93% were successful. Despite group 1 students having the least prior clinical experience, results were similar to those of groups 2 and 3 (1st honors, 2nd honors, pass, and fail grades for group 1, 39%, 33%, 23% and 6%; group 2, 34%, 41%, 17% and 8%; group 3, 39%, 25%, 28% and 7%) (p = 0.48). An increased attendance rate at tutorials was associated with higher numbers of honors grades (p = < 0.001). Anonymous feedback from the students demonstrated considerable satisfaction with program: > 85% agreed that the online program was interactive and very educational. Conclusions Use of online video technology, tutors of varied experience, and simulated patients were demonstrated to replicate patient encounters, and to facilitate the development of clinical skills remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.