Books by Elisabeth Schaffalitzky
Papers by Elisabeth Schaffalitzky
Schaffalitzky Elisabeth Manon Optimising the Prescription and Use of Lower Limb Prosthetic Technology a Mixed Methods Approach Phd Thesis Dublin City University, 2010
Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 2015
Youth suicide in Ireland is now the second highest in the European Union. General practitioners (... more Youth suicide in Ireland is now the second highest in the European Union. General practitioners (GPs), as the health-care professional most often consulted by young people, have a central role in early detection of youth mental health problems. However, evidence regarding the perspectives of young people and health-care workers towards screening and treatment for such issues in primary care in Ireland is lacking. This study aimed to examine the role of GP in providing early intervention and treatment for youth mental health problems. A mixed methods study that involved qualitative interviews with health-care workers from primary care, secondary care and community agencies (n = 37) and young people (n = 20) in two of Ireland's most socioeconomically disadvantaged areas and a national cross-sectional survey of GPs (n = 175) were carried out. GP satisfaction rates were low in regard to postgraduate training received in child and adolescent mental health (17%) and substance use (21%). Key barriers to treatment included the attitude of patients/families, lack of specialist staff, poor service availability and time. Access to services (66%), knowing which interventions can be initiated in primary care (44%), having appropriate time and space (47%) and access to a youth worker (42%) were the interventions most commonly identified that would facilitate screening and treatment. The research outlined potential implications for clinical practice, research and education such as promoting awareness of mental health and the role of the GP in helping these issues, education of practitioners and improving access to psychological treatments.
Amputation, Prosthesis Use, and Phantom Limb Pain, 2009
Abstract In this chapter, we focus on psychosocial adaptation to an amputation/ absence of a majo... more Abstract In this chapter, we focus on psychosocial adaptation to an amputation/ absence of a major limb and using a prosthesis. Prosthetic fitting, as a means of addressing cosmesis, functional rehabilitation and quality of life, is the most preva-lent form of intervention for people with ...
Irish journal of medical science, Jan 6, 2014
GPs, as healthcare professionals with whom young people commonly interact, have a central role in... more GPs, as healthcare professionals with whom young people commonly interact, have a central role in early intervention for mental health problems. However, successfully fulfilling this role is a challenge, and this is especially in deprived urban areas. To inform a complex intervention to support GPs in this important role, we aim to identify the key areas in which general practice can help address youth mental health and strategies to enhance implementation. We conducted a modified Delphi study which involved establishing an expert panel involving key stakeholders/service providers at two deprived urban areas. The group reviewed emerging literature on the topic at a series of meetings and consensus was facilitated by iterative surveys. We identified 20 individual roles in which GPs could help address youth mental health, across five domains: (1) prevention, health promotion and access, (2) assessment and identification, (3) treatment strategies, (4) interaction with other agencies/re...
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine, 2015
ABSTRACT Introduction Social context has a major influence on the detection and treatment of yout... more ABSTRACT Introduction Social context has a major influence on the detection and treatment of youth mental and substance use disorders in socioeconomically disadvantaged urban areas, particularly where gang culture, community violence, normalisation of drug use and repetitive maladaptive family structures prevail. This paper aims to examine how social context influences the development, identification and treatment of youth mental and substance use disorders in socioeconomically disadvantaged urban areas from the perspectives of health care workers.Method Semi-structured interviews were conducted with health care workers (n=37) from clinical settings including: primary care, secondary care and community agencies and analysed thematically using Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory to guide analysis.Results Health care workers’ engagement with young people was influenced by the multilevel ecological systems within the individual’s social context which included: the young person’s immediate environment/‘microsystem’ (e.g., family relationships), personal relationships in the ‘mesosystem’ (e.g., peer and school relationships), external factors in the young person’s local area context/‘exosystem’ (e.g., drug culture and criminality) and wider societal aspects in the ‘macrosystem’ (e.g., mental health policy, health care inequalities and stigma).Conclusions In socioeconomically disadvantaged urban areas, social context, specifically the micro-, meso-, exo-, and macro-system impact both on the young person’s experience of mental health or substance use problems and services, which endeavour to address these problems. Interventions that effectively identify and treat these problems should reflect the additional challenges posed by such settings.
Page 1. 12 Psychological Fit of a Prosthetic Arm: An Illustrative Case Study Using Repertory Grid... more Page 1. 12 Psychological Fit of a Prosthetic Arm: An Illustrative Case Study Using Repertory Grid Analysis with a User of a High-Tech Upper Limb Prosthesis Sinéad Ní Mhurchadha, Elisabeth Schaffalitzky, Pamela Gallagher, and Malcolm MacLachlan Overview ...
Disability and Rehabilitation, Dec 2012
Purpose.While lower limb prosthetic prescription is reliant on many physical indicators, it is cl... more Purpose.While lower limb prosthetic prescription is reliant on many physical indicators, it is clear that psychosocial factors need to be emphasised to a greater extent within this field if the needs of users are to be appropriately addressed. The aim of this study is to explore and identify the outcomes of prosthetic prescription through qualitative inquiry. Method.Six focus groups with prosthetic service users and 10 semi-structured interviews with service providers were conducted and then analysed with inductive thematic analysis. Results.The outcomes identified were: independence, not being in a wheelchair, balance and safety, improved quality of life and reaching potential. Conclusions.These emergent themes challenge the predominating focus on physical functioning that many practitioners have. These findings are important for developing a user-based model of service provision and outcome evaluation.
Purpose: The matching of prosthetic devices to the needs of the individual is a challenge for pro... more Purpose: The matching of prosthetic devices to the needs of the individual is a challenge for providers
and patients. The aims of this study are to explore the values and preferences that prosthetic users
have of their prosthetic devices; to investigate users’ perceptions of alternative prosthetic options and to
demonstrate a novel method for exploring the values and preferences of prosthetic users.
Methods: This study describes four case studies of upper limb and lower limb high tech and
conventional prosthetic users. Participants were interviewed using the repertory grid technique (RGT), a
qualitative technique to explore individual values and preferences regarding specific choices and events.
Results: The participants generated distinctive patterns of personal constructs and ratings regarding
prosthetic use and different prosthetic options available. The RGT produced a unique profile of
preferences regarding prosthetic technologies for each participant.
Conclusions: User choice is an important factor when matching prosthetic technology to the user.
The consumer’s values regarding different prosthetic options are likely to be a critical factor in
prosthetic acceptance and ultimate quality of life. The RGT offers a structured method of exploring
these attitudes and values without imposing researcher or practitioner bias and identifies personalized
dimensions for providers and users to evaluate the individuals’ preferences in prosthetic technology.
Teaching Documents by Elisabeth Schaffalitzky
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Books by Elisabeth Schaffalitzky
Papers by Elisabeth Schaffalitzky
and patients. The aims of this study are to explore the values and preferences that prosthetic users
have of their prosthetic devices; to investigate users’ perceptions of alternative prosthetic options and to
demonstrate a novel method for exploring the values and preferences of prosthetic users.
Methods: This study describes four case studies of upper limb and lower limb high tech and
conventional prosthetic users. Participants were interviewed using the repertory grid technique (RGT), a
qualitative technique to explore individual values and preferences regarding specific choices and events.
Results: The participants generated distinctive patterns of personal constructs and ratings regarding
prosthetic use and different prosthetic options available. The RGT produced a unique profile of
preferences regarding prosthetic technologies for each participant.
Conclusions: User choice is an important factor when matching prosthetic technology to the user.
The consumer’s values regarding different prosthetic options are likely to be a critical factor in
prosthetic acceptance and ultimate quality of life. The RGT offers a structured method of exploring
these attitudes and values without imposing researcher or practitioner bias and identifies personalized
dimensions for providers and users to evaluate the individuals’ preferences in prosthetic technology.
Teaching Documents by Elisabeth Schaffalitzky
and patients. The aims of this study are to explore the values and preferences that prosthetic users
have of their prosthetic devices; to investigate users’ perceptions of alternative prosthetic options and to
demonstrate a novel method for exploring the values and preferences of prosthetic users.
Methods: This study describes four case studies of upper limb and lower limb high tech and
conventional prosthetic users. Participants were interviewed using the repertory grid technique (RGT), a
qualitative technique to explore individual values and preferences regarding specific choices and events.
Results: The participants generated distinctive patterns of personal constructs and ratings regarding
prosthetic use and different prosthetic options available. The RGT produced a unique profile of
preferences regarding prosthetic technologies for each participant.
Conclusions: User choice is an important factor when matching prosthetic technology to the user.
The consumer’s values regarding different prosthetic options are likely to be a critical factor in
prosthetic acceptance and ultimate quality of life. The RGT offers a structured method of exploring
these attitudes and values without imposing researcher or practitioner bias and identifies personalized
dimensions for providers and users to evaluate the individuals’ preferences in prosthetic technology.