COVID-19

 by Tom Q

Ongoing Studies Seeking Participants

Please have a look at any relevant studies and help if you can. Details below.

Questionnaire on the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on assessment of cognition:

Survey by Oxford. Please see the link for more information.

https://oxford.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/impacts-of-covid-19-pandemic-on-assessment-of-cognition-2

Survey on fatigue management (additional information in the links)

Letter from Professor Avril Drummond from the University of Nottingham on a study on post-stroke fatigue and other topics.

Dear colleagues,

Apologies for a mass email!

We have been funded by the UK Stroke Association to do a survey on fatigue management in the UK- both post stroke fatigue and for other conditions. To date, the response has been good, but we want to have a final push in the last month. 

We need more medics, more psychologists, and more nurses- but are also keen to have more OTs and PTs if possible. We also need more clinicians from Scotland, Wales, and N.Ireland!

If you have not done so already, please would you complete the survey below and/or pester your mates?

Many thanks indeed.

With best wishes,

Avril 

(on behalf of the NotFAST2 – Nottingham Fatigue after stroke- team)

Professor Avril Drummond

Professor of Healthcare Research and

 Lead for Rehabilitation Research Group,

School of Health Sciences,

University of Nottingham

Nottingham Fatigue Study (NOTFAST2) Online survey BOS nottingham.onlinesurveys.ac.uk

https://nottingham.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/nottingham-fatigue-study-notfast2-copy

Survey on goal setting with stroke survivors with aphasia

Please see the letter and links below for more details

Dear OPSYRIS members,

This is a gentle reminder to consider participating in our survey about goal setting with stroke survivors with aphasia. The survey is open now and closes on Tuesday 13th October 2020. Please see further information and survey link below.

We are conducting a survey to find out how healthcare professionals set goals with stroke survivors with aphasia and the training and support they have received. Your participation will help us to improve the rehabilitation experiences of stroke survivors with aphasia and the support available to healthcare professionals in future. We would very much appreciate your help!

You can take part if you are:

·        a healthcare professional (e.g. occupational therapist, physiotherapist, speech and language therapist, social worker, psychologist, dietician, rehabilitation/healthcare/therapy assistant) 

·        providing rehabilitation to stroke survivors in any setting 

·        setting goals with stroke survivors 

·        based in Ireland, the UK, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia 

The survey is ethically approved, takes 10-15 minutes to complete, and closes on 13th October.

To complete the survey, click on the following link:

https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/goalsettingaphasia/

Please consider sharing the survey with colleagues who may be interested.

Sophie Eleanor Brown (PhD Researcher) | Glasgow Caledonian University, UK

Dr Lesley Scobbie | Glasgow Caledonian University, UK

Professor Linda Worrall | University of Queensland, Australia

Professor Marian Brady | Glasgow Caledonian University, UK

If you have any queries, please contact sophie.brown@gcu.ac.uk

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 by Tom Q

Future of the Website

Yet more content has been added to the website and, while it will need several updates and tweaks, has taken shape in its current form. Recent additions are

However, suggestions and feedback regarding the site are welcome and changes yet may be made. Other content that has been discussed are:

  • Information and links on psychological reasearch and pratice for stroke for both experts and laypeople
  • Details on research and work opportunities, particularly those for PhDs
  • Information on ongoing studies

As usual contact OPSYRIS about any such issue or me directly at tom@OPSYRIS.org

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 by Tom Q

Virtual Meeting Coming Soon

While sadly we will have to wait another year for the OPSYRIS meeting in Norwich, we can look ahead to the upcoming virtual meeting which should be coming very soon on Friday the 18th of September.

The next OPSYRIS meeting shall be held virtually on Friday 18 September

Many things will of course be different. Apart from being online and physically distant, the meeting will be shorter than those in the past, for half a day 9:30-12:30 (BST). Given the shorter time and online nature of the meeting, presentations shall be in a different format, those of 3-5 minute online videos. On the plus side participation will be free, see the Eventbrite site to register for the event. Also no travel needs to be arranged and it may make sharing of work presented easier. We hope to share video submissions from an online hub with details on this site soon.

The date for abstract submission is passed, but we have already received interesting submissions. Indeed, we are delighted to announce two exciting keynotes from our Australian colleagues, on topics highly relevant to current circumstances. Dr. Dana Wong ,Clinical Neuropsychologist and Senior Lecturer at La Trobe University shall present Remote Assessment and Intervention Delivery in Psychological Stroke Care while Dr. Rene Stolwyk, Clinical Neuropsychologist and Senior Lecturer, Monash University hopes to present Embracing Technology in Cognitive Rehabilitation Post-Stroke: Using Telehealth and Smartphones.

The primary focus will be on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on stroke care and research, and overcoming associated challenges. On this theme we will particularly look at remote patient assessments and interventions, resources for people living with stroke, staff training and support of staff well-being. However, we do not want to overlook the valuable contributions of recently completed and ongoing projects in other areas and look forward to a wide range of relevant topics covered.

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 by Tom Q

Message from the Chair of OPSYRIS Regarding COVID-19

Dr. Terry Quinn, chair of OPSYRIS, earlier in the year released this message regarding the troubling times of COVID-19. While the situation is always changing and varies from place to place, much of the message is still just as relevant today.

COVID-19 has fundamentally changed stroke care and stroke research.  My diary, which had been full of the usual mix of travel, grants, meetings is now a continuous block of clinical work – initially COVID and now stroke related again.  Its been a tough few months.

As we enter the next phase of the COVID response, and the novelty wears off, the clapping fades and the rainbows are taken down, I fear we are faced with an even tougher road to recovery.  Psychological research in stroke may be hit especially hard and I foresee something analogous to what I am seeing on the wards. The prognosis for many university departments, charity funders and specialist clinical services is, at best, uncertain. Without the necessary life-support, some of these groups may not survive.  

Now, more than ever, the stroke psychology community needs to come together.  If OPSYRIS can help, even in a small way to protect and encourage stroke psychology research, then I am keen that we do that. 

  • In uncertain times, knowledge is power.  I am hearing about lots of innovative new ways of clinical and research working – why not share these with your colleagues through OPSYRIS. 
  • Support and networking are really important at the moment. We can’t have an in-person annual meeting this year, but we shall set up a virtual meeting. 
  • The academic job market is not going to get any kinder and so I am keen that OPSYRIS continues to bolster CVs, for example with our Rising Star award – nominations please. 
  • We probably all have questionnaire fatigue, but if we don’t respond to these requests, we can’t be sure our voice will be heard – links to some relevant surveys below. 

These are my ideas for OPSYRIS in the time of COVID. I am sure you will have better ideas – let us know.

Stay safe,

Terry

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 by Tom Q

Psychological Researh on the Effects of COVID-19

The psychopsychological effects of COVID-19 and lockdowns is a very important issue that is frequently discussed both in specialist and mainstream media. This earlier article discusses some of the studies in the field.

You may be interested in some of the ongoing research on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic from a psychological perspective. Many of these projects are using snowball sampling, so you may wish to share via your networks:

https://thepsychologist.bps.org.uk/volume-33/april-2020/coronavirus-psychological-perspectives

https://digest.bps.org.uk/2020/03/26/how-psychology-researchers-are-responding-to-the-covid-19-pandemic/

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/nr/psychologists-study-mental-health-social-impacts-covid-19-coronavirus-epidemic-1.884797

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2020/mar/new-study-psychological-and-social-effects-covid-19

Our parent body, the World Federation for Neurorehabilitation, is planning a special COVID themed issue of the Neuropsychological Rehabilitation journal. Plans are still at an early stage, but if any OPSYRIS members would want to contribute something around stroke then let us know and we can make the necessary connections.

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 by Tom Q

Resources for Stroke during the COVID-19 pandemic

The situation regarding the COVID pandemic is one which continues to keep changing with time and between countries, and even within countries. But the article below was written earlier this year with usuefull links to resources relating to stroke during the time of the pandemic.

During this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, which introduces so much change and uncertainty to both our personal and professional lives, we are all trying to keep a close eye on how the situation is evolving.  There is a real danger of information overload and not everything that is being circulated in the public domain is useful or even true.  With this in mind, you might find some useful resources following these links and/or might like to contribute to the information being posted. 

We would especially commend the resources collated by the British Association of Stroke Physicians (BASP) – which are relevant to all clinicians working in stroke care and not just medics.

https://basp.ac.uk/covid-19-basp-resouce-hub/

Keeping up to date with COVID is a challenge.  Yvonne Chun (previous winner of the OPSYRIS Rising Star award), Terry Quinn and others are working to keep the BASP pages regularly updated. Even if you are not a physician you may want to follow BASP on Twitter @british_stroke

Below are also some useful and aphasia-friendly resources for people living with stroke: 

https://www.stroke.org.uk/finding-support/information-coronavirus-stroke-survivors

http://speakeasy-aphasia.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/The-Coronavirus.pdf

In the constantly changing COVID landscape knowledge is power.  If you are aware of other useful resources or have developed local guidance that could be shared nationally via BASP then email Terry (terry.quinn@glasgow.ac.uk).

Other materials:

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1161/STROKEAHA.120.029701

https://eso-stroke.org/eso/stroke-care-during-covid-19-pandemic/

https://www.world-stroke.org/news-and-blog/news/words-from-the-president-of-wso-on-covid-19

https://www.bps.org.uk/sites/www.bps.org.uk/files/News/News%20-%20Files/Psychological%20needs%20of%20healthcare%20staff.pdf

https://www.bps.org.uk/sites/www.bps.org.uk/files/Policy/Policy%20-%20Files/Effective%20therapy%20via%20video%20-%20top%20tips.pdf

https://www.bps.org.uk/sites/www.bps.org.uk/files/Policy/Policy%20-%20Files/Responding%20to%20the%20coronavirus%20-%20psychological%20impact%20on%20older%20people.pdf

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScQQIapbl0Z72Vh5txQI3UGJbdUWEKh_b_d-nuxscIR2MjDKw/viewform

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/50a3e393e4b07025e1a4f0d0/t/5e8260be9a64587cfd3a9832/1585602750557/Recommendations-Guidance+for+Teleneuropsychology-COVID-19-4.pdf

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