Carole Robinson

A UBC researcher is pointing towards the need for oncologists to have advance care planning and end-of-life discussions with cancer patients sooner rather than later.

“Traditionally it was thought that having advance care planning discussions—related to things such as do not resuscitate orders or opting out of chemotherapy in the final weeks of life— before the final stages of cancer, was disempowering, but this research tells us that is not the case,” says Prof. Carole Robinson, who teaches at the School of Nursing at UBC Okanagan. “What we have learned from the participants in this study is that having the conversations earlier, rather than at a time of crisis, are empowering for both doctors and patients.”

Robinson’s study, conducted in partnership with the BC Cancer Agency, involved nine oncologists throughout British Columbia who were asked to have ‘goals of care’ discussions with their patients and document the results.

The oncologists were asked to talk with both new patients as well as those with whom they had established relationships, and to start the conversations before patients were in their last stages of life, which is typically when advance care planning discussions are conducted.

Oncologists participating in the study emphasized that good goals of care conversations need to happen at a meaningful time for the patient and in a meaningful way. For physicians this means having established relationships with their patients, beginning conversations as soon as advanced cancer is diagnosed, and ensuring that ongoing conversations are documented.

The study determined two major barriers to having good goals of care conversations include a lack of dedicated time for physicians to have and document the discussions, and the possibility that patients may view these discussions, a key component of advance care planning, as an indirect ‘bad news’ message that they are dying.

“This information has been used to inform a supportive program of resources and tools to enable oncologists to have these conversations earlier,” says Robinson. “If the conversations don’t happen, people may not have their wishes respected, and if they don’t happen well, it can create relationship problems.”

Robinson’s work was recently published in the Journal of Cancer Education. The research was funded by the BC Cancer Foundation.

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Researchers find peer support a key to successful quitting

UBC’s Joan Bottorff is seeing positive results with her Dads In Gear smoking cessation program.

A smoking cessation program designed at UBC is showing some promising results with new and expectant fathers.

UBC’s Dads in Gear (DIG) is a novel smoking cessation program that targets new and expectant fathers. In a way that has never been done before, the DIG program integrates tips on quitting, fathering skills, and physical activity in an eight-week group program.

Initial results from two DIG sessions offered in the spring of 2015 show 65 per cent of fathers had quit smoking by the end of the DIG program and were still smoke-free at the three-month follow-up.

These are encouraging results compared to success rates with other smoking cessation approaches. Available statistics show that approximately 10 per cent of people are able to quit following doctors’ advice, about 29 per cent are able to quit using a Quitline, and 27 per cent of people quit successfully having received nicotine gum or patches through the B.C. Smoking Cessation Program.

“The quit rates from the first two DIG programs are very promising and together with men’s overwhelmingly positive responses indicate that we have the right formula to increase the chance of quitting,” says Prof. Joan Bottorff, Director of the Institute for Chronic Disease Prevention and Healthy Living at UBC’s Okanagan campus. “This is good news because when fathers quit smoking there are benefits to the whole family. New and expectant mothers’ chances of quitting and staying smoke-free are higher when their partners don’t smoke, and children can grow up in smoke-free homes.”

The development of resources to support fathers’ smoking cessation began five years ago as a motivational booklet entitled: “The Right Time, The Right Reasons. Dads talk about reducing and quitting smoking.” This booklet was based on research conducted by the UBC team with funding from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and the Canadian Cancer Society. The booklet was initially published and distributed by the B.C. Ministry of Health and has now found its way into many other Canadian jurisdictions. The demand for the booklet led the research team to translate the resource into French in 2012 and Chinese in 2015.

With $200,000 in support from the Canadian Cancer Society, the Dads in Gear program is now available offered in several B.C. communities for evaluation. To date, the DIG program has been offered in West Kelowna and Abbotsford. Trained facilitators are now ready to run programs in Prince George, Merritt, Mission, Vernon, and Nelson.

“While experts have developed smoking cessation programs for expectant mothers, fathers have largely been left out of the equation,” says Gayl Sarbit, Knowledge Broker for the Institute of Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention and co-creator of DIG. “The men we worked with said they wanted to connect with other dads who were trying quit and the DIG program provided them the opportunity to share experiences and support each other in their efforts to quit.”

“There has been little support for new and expectant fathers, even though they want to quit and their partners want them to quit,” adds Prof. John Oliffe, lead investigator of UBC’s Men’s Health Research program and co-creator of DIG. “Men realize that continuing to smoke is at odds with being a healthy role model for their children and being actively engaged in their lives.”

According to Statistics Canada, 18.1 per cent of Canadians smoked in 2014, including 21.4 per cent of men and 14.8 per cent of women. Tobacco use causes up to 6,000 deaths in British Columbia each year.

For more information on the Dads in Gear program, visit www.dadsingear.ok.ubc.ca.

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Researchers find peer support a key to successful quitting

UBC’s Joan Bottorff is seeing positive results with her Dads In Gear smoking cessation program.

A smoking cessation program designed at UBC is showing some promising results with new and expectant fathers.

UBC’s Dads in Gear (DIG) is a novel smoking cessation program that targets new and expectant fathers. In a way that has never been done before, the DIG program integrates tips on quitting, fathering skills, and physical activity in an eight-week group program.

Initial results from two DIG sessions offered in the spring of 2015 show 65 per cent of fathers had quit smoking by the end of the DIG program and were still smoke-free at the three-month follow-up.

These are encouraging results compared to success rates with other smoking cessation approaches. Available statistics show that approximately 10 per cent of people are able to quit following doctors’ advice, about 29 per cent are able to quit using a Quitline, and 27 per cent of people quit successfully having received nicotine gum or patches through the B.C. Smoking Cessation Program.

“The quit rates from the first two DIG programs are very promising and together with men’s overwhelmingly positive responses indicate that we have the right formula to increase the chance of quitting,” says Prof. Joan Bottorff, Director of the Institute for Chronic Disease Prevention and Healthy Living at UBC’s Okanagan campus. “This is good news because when fathers quit smoking there are benefits to the whole family. New and expectant mothers’ chances of quitting and staying smoke-free are higher when their partners don’t smoke, and children can grow up in smoke-free homes.”

The development of resources to support fathers’ smoking cessation began five years ago as a motivational booklet entitled: “The Right Time, The Right Reasons. Dads talk about reducing and quitting smoking.” This booklet was based on research conducted by the UBC team with funding from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and the Canadian Cancer Society. The booklet was initially published and distributed by the B.C. Ministry of Health and has now found its way into many other Canadian jurisdictions. The demand for the booklet led the research team to translate the resource into French in 2012 and Chinese in 2015.

With $200,000 in support from the Canadian Cancer Society, the Dads in Gear program is now available offered in several B.C. communities for evaluation. To date, the DIG program has been offered in West Kelowna and Abbotsford. Trained facilitators are now ready to run programs in Prince George, Merritt, Mission, Vernon, and Nelson.

“While experts have developed smoking cessation programs for expectant mothers, fathers have largely been left out of the equation,” says Gayl Sarbit, Knowledge Broker for the Institute of Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention and co-creator of DIG. “The men we worked with said they wanted to connect with other dads who were trying quit and the DIG program provided them the opportunity to share experiences and support each other in their efforts to quit.”

“There has been little support for new and expectant fathers, even though they want to quit and their partners want them to quit,” adds Prof. John Oliffe, lead investigator of UBC’s Men’s Health Research program and co-creator of DIG. “Men realize that continuing to smoke is at odds with being a healthy role model for their children and being actively engaged in their lives.”

According to Statistics Canada, 18.1 per cent of Canadians smoked in 2014, including 21.4 per cent of men and 14.8 per cent of women. Tobacco use causes up to 6,000 deaths in British Columbia each year.

For more information on the Dads in Gear program, visit www.dadsingear.ok.ubc.ca.

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From left: Nursing students Gurpreet Thur, Laura May, Cassandra Werkema, Julianne Siewert, Noella Gomes

This fall, Aberdeen Hall welcomed nursing students from Muriel Kranabetter’s Engaging in Leadership course into grade three and six classrooms to help learn more about global health issues.

The students were there to discuss the importance of clean water and sanitation, the impact of malaria, how the education systems work in several African countries, and a variety of other global health topics.

“Our students really enjoyed the experience. Their eyes were opened to a whole new perspective of life for school-aged children across the globe,” says Aberdeen Hall teacher Christina Kuhn.

“We also discussed how we need to work together as a global community to help others.”

During their time at Aberdeen Hall, nursing students Noella Gomes, Laura May, Julianne Siewert, Gurpreet Thur, and Cassandra Werkema helped establish a partnership between Aberdeen Hall and Kaande Basic School in Zambia.

These partners helped the classes create a list of supplies that would be useful for schools in Ghana and Zambia. Aberdeen Hall students then supplied the items, which will go to these schools when several nursing students complete their final nursing practicum there this March.

“Through the amazing support of the Aberdeen Hall teachers and our professor Muriel Kranabetter we were able to help build awareness of global health issues, as well as create a meaningful partnership between the Canadian and Zambian schools,” says Cassandra Werkema.

The nursing students will be returning to Aberdeen Hall after their practicum is complete to provide an update on their work and share their experiences.

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From left: Nursing students Gurpreet Thur, Laura May, Cassandra Werkema, Julianne Siewert, Noella Gomes

This fall, Aberdeen Hall welcomed nursing students from Muriel Kranabetter’s Engaging in Leadership course into grade three and six classrooms to help learn more about global health issues.

The students were there to discuss the importance of clean water and sanitation, the impact of malaria, how the education systems work in several African countries, and a variety of other global health topics.

“Our students really enjoyed the experience. Their eyes were opened to a whole new perspective of life for school-aged children across the globe,” says Aberdeen Hall teacher Christina Kuhn.

“We also discussed how we need to work together as a global community to help others.”

During their time at Aberdeen Hall, nursing students Noella Gomes, Laura May, Julianne Siewert, Gurpreet Thur, and Cassandra Werkema helped establish a partnership between Aberdeen Hall and Kaande Basic School in Zambia.

These partners helped the classes create a list of supplies that would be useful for schools in Ghana and Zambia. Aberdeen Hall students then supplied the items, which will go to these schools when several nursing students complete their final nursing practicum there this March.

“Through the amazing support of the Aberdeen Hall teachers and our professor Muriel Kranabetter we were able to help build awareness of global health issues, as well as create a meaningful partnership between the Canadian and Zambian schools,” says Cassandra Werkema.

The nursing students will be returning to Aberdeen Hall after their practicum is complete to provide an update on their work and share their experiences.

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UBC Assoc. Prof. Kathy Rush says people often engage in self-care when they are in physical distress but tend to stop looking after themselves when they are better.

In the modern world, stress is a constant companion for nearly every man, woman, and child.

While it is becoming well known that managing the life-related stress associated with such everyday things as work, family, and finances is a key to good health, recent research by UBC Assoc. Prof. Kathy Rush shows that poor health could actually be a greater motivator.

In research recently published in the Journal of Applied Gerontology, Rush found that seniors who suffered from atrial fibrillation (AF) were more likely to practice stress-related self-care, such as relaxation exercises or lifestyle changes, when they were experiencing physical symptoms related to their medical condition than they were when those symptoms abated through treatment.

“While everyone in our study reported having life-related stress before and after they were treated, we found that people were far more likely to address their stress when they were experiencing AF symptoms such as lack of energy, shortness of breath, dizziness, or fatigue,” says Rush, who teaches in UBC Okanagan’s School of Nursing. “Even though their non-AF stressors often remained consistent, most reported having stopped doing the things that had helped them manage their stress levels altogether once they had been successfully treated.”

AF is a condition involving an irregular heart rhythm that impacts about 350,000 Canadians. The condition can be treated through medication or, as it was in patients involved in Rush’s research, through electrical cardioversion, which involves an electric shock to the heart to normalize its rhythm.

Rush’s research, conducted over a four-month period, involved multiple interviews with 16 seniors (13 men and three women) who suffered from AF. Interviews were designed to examine stressors and associated coping strategies before and after the corrective procedure.

Working with Rush, the project’s lead researcher, were UBC Assoc. Profs. Linda Hatt and Colin Reid, Interior Health’s Carol Laberge, and Nicole Gorman from Kelowna General Hospital’s AF Clinic.

Rush would like to continue her research by looking at how people with AF and other medical conditions can manage stress in a way that helps promote good mental health and keeps people from prematurely or unnecessarily having to access the health-care system.

“Our research shows that navigating the health system is in itself quite stressful for people,” she says.

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Donation provides new “child” simulator to help with student medical training

For anyone working in the medical field, they know the challenges they face helping a child in trouble.

Finding and treating what’s wrong can be difficult.

Children have challenges communicating their feelings, are in tune with their parents’ anxiety, and have a unique perspective of the world.

To help their students prepare for these challenges, UBC Okanagan’s School of Nursing has enlisted the help of six-year-old Parker, a mannequin that can simulate with stark realism lifelike behaviours —including lung and heart sounds — along with verbal responses.

“Paediatric simulation is a crucial part of our program as caring for children who are unwell presents unique challenges in nursing,” says School of Nursing Acting Director Sheila Epp. “Learning to engage with children of all ages is a necessary skill and Parker gives our students the ability to learn how to work with and communicate with kids in an often complicated and emotional setting.”

Parker was purchased with a gift from The Colin & Lois Pritchard Foundation and will be used by third-year students training in paediatric nursing. This includes Okanagan College students who under a partnership agreement with UBC Okanagan, complete their first two years of nursing at Okanagan College and transfer to the university in their third year.

Known to be passionate about health care and health education in the region, Colin and Lois Pritchard established the Colin & Lois Pritchard Foundation. The family has previously partnered with UBC’s Southern Medical Program and Interior Health to establish the Pritchard Simulation Centre at the Clinical Academic Campus at Kelowna General Hospital.

“Nurses and other health care professionals work in very complex environments today,” says Colin Pritchard. “We’re pleased to be able to help UBC Okanagan expand its simulation space and provide enriched training for nursing students so they graduate with strong skills that will benefit us all.”

Colleen DuManoir, Lab and Simulation Coordinator, says that Parker, a high-fidelity, Sim Junior mannequin, simulates scenarios like an asthma attack after playing soccer, or before and after an appendectomy.

“Simulation within our nursing curriculum allows students to hone their clinical and interpersonal skills in scenarios that evoke the real-world aspects of high-risk patient care,” says DuManoir.

Parker joins other simulators already in place at UBC Okanagan that are designed to bring real-world experience to academic settings.

Fourth-year UBC Okanagan nursing student Jasmine Worsford checks the vitals of Parker, the new child simulator donated to the university by the Colin & Lois Pritchard Foundation.

: From left: Kathy Butler, Executive Director, Okanagan College Foundation and Director; Lisa Kraft, Associate Dean for Science, Technology and Health, Okanagan College; Sheila Epp, Acting Director School of Nursing, UBC Okanagan; UBC Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Principal Deborah Buszard.

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Donation provides new “child” simulator to help with student medical training

For anyone working in the medical field, they know the challenges they face helping a child in trouble.

Finding and treating what’s wrong can be difficult.

Children have challenges communicating their feelings, are in tune with their parents’ anxiety, and have a unique perspective of the world.

To help their students prepare for these challenges, UBC Okanagan’s School of Nursing has enlisted the help of six-year-old Parker, a mannequin that can simulate with stark realism lifelike behaviours —including lung and heart sounds — along with verbal responses.

“Paediatric simulation is a crucial part of our program as caring for children who are unwell presents unique challenges in nursing,” says School of Nursing Acting Director Sheila Epp. “Learning to engage with children of all ages is a necessary skill and Parker gives our students the ability to learn how to work with and communicate with kids in an often complicated and emotional setting.”

Parker was purchased with a gift from The Colin & Lois Pritchard Foundation and will be used by third-year students training in paediatric nursing. This includes Okanagan College students who under a partnership agreement with UBC Okanagan, complete their first two years of nursing at Okanagan College and transfer to the university in their third year.

Known to be passionate about health care and health education in the region, Colin and Lois Pritchard established the Colin & Lois Pritchard Foundation. The family has previously partnered with UBC’s Southern Medical Program and Interior Health to establish the Pritchard Simulation Centre at the Clinical Academic Campus at Kelowna General Hospital.

“Nurses and other health care professionals work in very complex environments today,” says Colin Pritchard. “We’re pleased to be able to help UBC Okanagan expand its simulation space and provide enriched training for nursing students so they graduate with strong skills that will benefit us all.”

Colleen DuManoir, Lab and Simulation Coordinator, says that Parker, a high-fidelity, Sim Junior mannequin, simulates scenarios like an asthma attack after playing soccer, or before and after an appendectomy.

“Simulation within our nursing curriculum allows students to hone their clinical and interpersonal skills in scenarios that evoke the real-world aspects of high-risk patient care,” says DuManoir.

Parker joins other simulators already in place at UBC Okanagan that are designed to bring real-world experience to academic settings.

Fourth-year UBC Okanagan nursing student Jasmine Worsford checks the vitals of Parker, the new child simulator donated to the university by the Colin & Lois Pritchard Foundation.

: From left: Kathy Butler, Executive Director, Okanagan College Foundation and Director; Lisa Kraft, Associate Dean for Science, Technology and Health, Okanagan College; Sheila Epp, Acting Director School of Nursing, UBC Okanagan; UBC Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Principal Deborah Buszard.

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UBC Okanagan nursing student Sarah Buchsbaum receives her flu shot from fellow student Talia Fraser.

Number of students, staff, and faculty rolling up their sleeves rises 780 per cent in 10 years

Ten years ago, 92 people took part in the first flu clinic held at UBC’s Okanagan campus. This year, the number of students, faculty, and staff attending on-campus flu clinics has risen to 810 — a 780 per cent increase.

Campus flu clinics are offered annually through a partnership with UBC Okanagan’s School of Nursing, UBC’s Risk Management Services, the Southern Medical Program (SMP), as well as representatives from Safeway Pharmacy.

“While a portion of the increase we are seeing can be attributed to the growth of our campus, it’s clear that awareness is resulting in more people deciding to protect themselves and others from influenza,” says Gord Binsted, dean of the Faculty of Health and Social Development. “We look forward to increasing the awareness and the number of flu shots given on campus in the years to come.”

This year’s flu clinics were held at UBC Okanagan’s administration building on November 4 and 9. Flu shots were available on a first-come, first-served basis. Additional clinics were held for UBC Okanagan nursing and SMP students on November 17 and 19.

“Our nursing students possess a wide variety of knowledge and skills that prepare them to partner in community health initiatives such as flu clinics,” says Sheila Epp, acting director of UBC Okanagan’s School of Nursing. “These flu clinics provide additional opportunities for experiential learning as well as assisting them with their goal of increasing the overall health and wellness of our campus.”

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, there were about 8,000 reported hospitalizations due to influenza and 600 reported influenza-related deaths in 2014-15. The best way to prevent the flu, according to the Government of Canada, is to get a flu shot.

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Universities and colleges put priority on health promotion locally and globally

A new international charter, an outcome of the 2015 International Conference on Health Promoting Universities and Colleges / VII International Congress, signals a challenge to universities and colleges to create healthier campuses and healthier communities.

“Universities and colleges must be exemplars of health-promoting communities,” says Deborah Buszard, University of British Columbia Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the Okanagan campus, where the Charter was drafted last June. “The Okanagan Charter is a powerful call to action for post-secondary institutions to embed health in our campus policies and services, to create environments which support health and personal development, and to become communities with a culture of well-being.”

Alfonso Contreras, Regional Advisor, Health Education and Social Change, Pan American Health Organization, Washington DC, describes development of the Charter as “an historical moment” of global significance.

People from 45 countries designed the Charter to confront increasingly complex issues about health, wellbeing, and sustainability of people and the planet. The Okanagan Charter puts higher education at the forefront of this movement. Conference delegates pledged to take the Charter back to their countries and organizations to mobilize health promotion action on and off campuses.

“The goal was to strengthen a movement that was already developing for health promoting universities and colleges,” says Mark Dooris, professor in Health and Sustainability at the University of Central Lancashire, UK,  “Integral to that was to develop a Charter that gives a sense of direction, a map of where we go from here.”

Aligned with the World Health Organization’s Cross Sector Action and Healthy Cities movements and the United Nation’s Post-2015 Development Agenda, the Okanagan Charter reflects the latest research and thinking in health promotion.

“Universities and colleges have unique potential as living labs, to develop, test and model policies and best practices that can be translated for use in other communities,” notes Tara Black, co-chair of the Charter Working Group and Associate Director of Health Promotion at Simon Fraser University.

“The Okanagan Charter is especially valuable because it is visionary, inspiring and also very practical, with an action framework that can be adapted to any campus,” says conference chair Claire Budgen, Associate Professor Emerita Nursing.

The Charter is available at: http://internationalhealthycampuses2015.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2015/10/Okanagan_Charter_Oct_6_2015.pdf

To find out more, visit: www.internationalhealthycampuses2015.com/charter-renewal

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