Papers by Megan H O'Donnell
Previous studies show that shorter gestation, lower birth-weight and fewer male births can result... more Previous studies show that shorter gestation, lower birth-weight and fewer male births can result from maternal exposure to environmental disasters. We examined the 2009 Black Saturday fires in Victoria, Australia using a population cohort method. This study principally finds small but significant increases in pre-term birth (p ¼0.04) and decreases in birth-weight (p¼ 0.001) in infants whose mothers were exposed to the fires late in the second trimester or during the third trimester. Because environmental disasters are an increasing threat and poor birth outcomes can have detrimental effects across the lifespan, understanding the relationship between environmental disasters and birth outcomes is important for future disaster policy.
Protocols, 1996
Effectiveness of staffing models in residential, subacute, extended aged care settings on patient... more Effectiveness of staffing models in residential, subacute, extended aged care settings on patient and staff outcomes (Review)
Adapting to disaster? A commentary on Hamamatsu et al.
O’Donnell, M.H. & Behie, A.M. (2014) Adapting to disaster? A commentary on Hamamatsu et al. (2014... more O’Donnell, M.H. & Behie, A.M. (2014) Adapting to disaster? A commentary on Hamamatsu et al. (2014). Journal of Biosocial Science, 47(3), 413-416 doi:10.1017/S0021932014000285
Adapting to disaster? A brief reply.
O’Donnell, M.H. & Behie, A.M. (2014) Adapting to disaster? A brief reply. Journal of Biosocial Sc... more O’Donnell, M.H. & Behie, A.M. (2014) Adapting to disaster? A brief reply. Journal of Biosocial Science, 47(3), 413-416 doi:10.1017/S0021932014000303
The impact of prenatal smoking on age at menarche in Australian females.
ehie, A.M. & O’Donnell, M.H. (2015) The impact of prenatal smoking on age at menarche in Australi... more ehie, A.M. & O’Donnell, M.H. (2015) The impact of prenatal smoking on age at menarche in Australian females. Human Reproduction, 30(4),1-6, doi:10.1093/humrep/dev033
Journal of Advanced Nursing, 2009
Title. Pain assessment in older people with dementia: literature review.Aim. This paper is a rep... more Title. Pain assessment in older people with dementia: literature review.Aim. This paper is a report of a literature review conducted to identify barriers to successful pain assessment in older adults with dementia and possible strategies to overcome such barriers.Background. Pain is frequently undetected, misinterpreted, or inaccurately assessed in older adults with cognitive impairment. These people are often unable to articulate or convey how they feel and are often perceived as incapable of experiencing or recalling pain.Data sources. Searches were conducted of CINAHL, Medline and other databases for the period 1993–2007 using the search terms pain, dementia, assess*, barrier* and obstacle*.Methods. Studies were critically appraised by two independent reviewers. Data were extracted using instruments specifically developed for the review. Studies were categorized according to levels of evidence defined by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council and Joanna Briggs Institute.Results. Perceived barriers to successful pain assessment in people with dementia included lack of recognition of pain, lack of sufficient education and/or training, misdiagnosis or late diagnosis, and non-use of assessment tools. Barriers related to people with dementia included insufficient evidence, the possibility of a ‘no pain’ subset of people with dementia, type of pain, and stoical attitudes. Strategies proposed as means of overcoming these barriers included knowing the person, knowing by diversity/intuitive perception, education and training, and use of adequate tools.Conclusion. More extensive education and training about the relationship between pain and dementia are urgently needed, as is the development and implementation of an effective pain assessment tool specifically designed to detect and measure pain in older adults with all stages of dementia.
Previous studies show that shorter gestation, lower birth-weight and fewer male births can result... more Previous studies show that shorter gestation, lower birth-weight and fewer male births can result from maternal exposure to environmental disasters. We examined the 2009 Black Saturday fires in Victoria, Australia using a population cohort method. This study principally finds small but significant increases in pre-term birth (p ¼0.04) and decreases in birth-weight (p¼ 0.001) in infants whose mothers were exposed to the fires late in the second trimester or during the third trimester. Because environmental disasters are an increasing threat and poor birth outcomes can have detrimental effects across the lifespan, understanding the relationship between environmental disasters and birth outcomes is important for future disaster policy.
Successful Pain Assessment in Older Adults with Dementia: Barriers and Strategies
... Rhonda Nay Professor of Gerontic Nursing, La Trobe University, Director of Australian Centre ... more ... Rhonda Nay Professor of Gerontic Nursing, La Trobe University, Director of Australian Centre for Evidence Based Aged Care (ACEBAC) ... by two independent reviewers in accordance with methods described in the Cochrane Re-viewers' Handbook 4.2.2 (Alderson, Green, & ...
Journal of Advanced Nursing, 2009
Title. Pain assessment in older people with dementia: literature review. Aim. This paper is a rep... more Title. Pain assessment in older people with dementia: literature review. Aim. This paper is a report of a literature review conducted to identify barriers to successful pain assessment in older adults with dementia and possible strategies to overcome such barriers. Background. Pain is frequently undetected, misinterpreted, or inaccurately assessed in older adults with cognitive impairment. These people are often unable to articulate or convey how they feel and are often perceived as incapable of experiencing or recalling pain. Data sources. Searches were conducted of CINAHL, Medline and other databases for the period 1993-2007 using the search terms pain, dementia, assess*, barrier* and obstacle*. Methods. Studies were critically appraised by two independent reviewers. Data were extracted using instruments specifically developed for the review. Studies were categorized according to levels of evidence defined by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council and Joanna Briggs Institute. Results. Perceived barriers to successful pain assessment in people with dementia included lack of recognition of pain, lack of sufficient education and/or training, misdiagnosis or late diagnosis, and non-use of assessment tools. Barriers related to people with dementia included insufficient evidence, the possibility of a 'no pain' subset of people with dementia, type of pain, and stoical attitudes. Strategies proposed as means of overcoming these barriers included knowing the person, knowing by diversity/intuitive perception, education and training, and use of adequate tools. Conclusion. More extensive education and training about the relationship between pain and dementia are urgently needed, as is the development and implementation of an effective pain assessment tool specifically designed to detect and measure pain in older adults with all stages of dementia.
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Papers by Megan H O'Donnell