Self-efficacy is important for maintaining a person’s belief in their capacity to perform desired behaviours and achieve desired goals; without self-efficacy, in the context of academic writing, one may doubt their ability to achieve writing goals. Previous research showed that the Writing Meeting Framework (WMF) can enable desired changes in writing behaviours but did not consider the role of self-efficacy in this behaviour change. This UK-based study aimed to determine if the WMF could improve writing self-efficacy for postgraduate researchers (PGRs) and early career researchers (ECRs). Participants completed a baseline questionnaire to reflect on their writing experiences and then were randomly matched into 35 pairs. Each pair met online four times over eight weeks using the WMF and then completed a post-questionnaire, reflecting on their experiences. Analysis showed significant improvements in self-efficacy using the WMF: participants improved their ability to set realistic and achievable writing goals and increased their confidence in completing writing goals regularly. This study shows the WMF can develop PGRs’ and ECRs’ academic writing self-efficacy and suggests the WMF can develop writing attributes required to produce academic writing regularly and achieve individual writing goals. The WMF offers a mechanism for developing this important component of effective writing behaviour.

Background The prevalence of coronary heart disease continues to increase in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Despite advances in cardiac surgery, there are no established outpatient cardiac rehabilitation programs in the KSA. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of home-based cardiac rehabilitation compared with outpatient-based cardiac rehabilitation and usual care for patients who are post–coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Method This 3-arm, single-blind, randomized controlled trial was carried out at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital, Riyadh, KSA. A total of 82 patients post–coronary artery bypass graft surgery were randomized and 73 patients completed the study. Recruited patients were distributed to home-based cardiac rehabilitation (n = 24), outpatient-based cardiac rehabilitation (n = 25), or usual care (control group) (n = 24). Participants in the intervention groups completed an individualized exercise program for 2 hours, 3 times a week for 8 weeks. The control group followed usual care (no intervention). The incremental shuttle walk test (ISWT), metabolic equivalence task, Short Form-36, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were measured at baseline, postintervention, and after a 4-week follow-up period. Results Postintervention, there was an increase in mean ISWT score from baseline in both the home-based cardiac rehabilitation and outpatient-based cardiac rehabilitation groups (66 [0.58] m and 71 [9.19] m, respectively). No difference was observed in the control group. At the 4-week follow-up, both intervention groups showed statistically significant improvements in all outcome measures (ISWT, metabolic equivalence tasks, HADS-A, HADS-D, and Short Form-36) compared with baseline (all P < .001). The home-based cardiac rehabilitation group showed statistically continuous improvement compared with the outpatient-based cardiac rehabilitation group. The control group did not show any significant changes across time in outcome measures. Conclusion Home-based cardiac rehabilitation is as effective as outpatient-based cardiac rehabilitation. Home-based cardiac rehabilitation appears to be more effective at maintaining improvements follow the end of the intervention.

The practitioner-academic transition can be a challenge. There are often tensions and difficulties involved in identity change, key aspects of which are writing, publishing, and maintaining the writing habit. In order to support this transition, the writing meeting framework, originally designed to support academic writers in changing and maintaining their writing behaviours, was trialled and evaluated with early career academics who were previously teachers in schools or colleges. We aimed to investigate whether the framework could support former practitioners in changing and maintaining their writing behaviours. Six participants met regularly in pairs to set writing goals and check on progress. Participants were interviewed, and transcripts analysed using self-determination theory to understand what happened in the meetings and whether the framework helped participants to write, keep writing and feel part of a network. Our analysis explored the extent to which it met three psychological needs (competence, relatedness and autonomy). We found evidence that it did, but with varying degrees. We also found that relationships between pairs were important, and that a beneficial writing meeting required a mutualistic relationship. Findings suggest that the framework can, in certain conditions, help former practitioners to maintain change in their writing behaviour so as to be able to perform an aspect of academic work that can be particularly challenging for them during the practitioner-academic transition.

The system currently deployed to assess research outputs in higher education can influence what, how and for whom academics write; for some it may determine whether or not they write at all. This article offers a framework for negotiating this performative context – the writing meeting. This framework uses the established theoretical underpinning of motivational interviewing, which involves autonomy, self-determination, environmental factors and social support. A study showed that the framework helped academics negotiate performativity and re-connect their writing to their values. In this way, they could both privilege writing that was meaningful to them and meet personal and institutional targets. Writing meetings did this by developing writing-oriented peer relationships, defined in this article as peer-formativity. Using writing meetings, academics can submit for research assessment systems without surrendering to performativity.

Predicting uptake and adherence to cardiac rehabilitation (CR) continues to challenge providers of the service in the UK. This study included optimism with the more traditional predictors of adherence. The study included 61 eligible patients (37 men, 24 women) referred to an eight-week phase III CR programme. Socio-demographic data were collected including age, gender, diagnosis, employment, marital status and deprivation. Depression was measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale. Dispositional optimism was measured using the Revised Life Orientation Test (LOT-R). Stages of change (SOC) for exercise were assessed. Attendance and completion of the eight-week CR programme were recorded for all patients. There was adherence to CR by 46 (75%; 27 men and 19 women) and non-adherence by 15 (25%; 10 men and 5 women). Dispositional optimism and SOC were found to be significant predictors of adherence (p=0.001 and p=0.038, respectively), with depression tending towards significance (p=0.0614). Socio-demographic variables were not significant. Greater optimism is associated with attendance at phase III CR. In addition, being in a higher stage of the SOC model is also associated with adherence. These findings can enable CR staff to identify patients at risk of failing to adhere, facilitating focused interventions to encourage adherence.

BACKGROUND: Many individuals, particularly women and older adults, do not maintain physical activity levels after completion of phase III exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation. This study investigated the effect of mode of exercise choice on adherence to a phase IV exercise programme. METHODS: 28 participants who attended either a water-based or a land-based phase IV CR programmes in two socio-economic areas. The group consisted of 15 men and 13 women (mean age 65.0, SD 8.8 years). 19 attended a land-based CR programme and 9 attended a water-based CR programme. All participants had a documented myocardial infarction (MI), percutaneous coronary intervention, coronary artery bypass grafting or other less frequent cardiac event such as heart transplantation. Subjects were asked to complete a questionnaire assessing socio-demographic and clinical information. Those who had been given a choice of exercise mode completed further questions relating to their choice of activity. Subjects completed questionnaires immediately after participation in either a supervised land or water based exercise class. RESULTS: Adherence to the phase IV exercise programme was not statistically significant between the different mode of exercise groups (p=0.63) however females in the water-based exercise group had a mean adherence time of 21 months as compared to females in the land-based group which was 16 months Choice of exercise mode was not statistically significant in predicting adherence to long-term exercise. Factors positively affecting mode of exercise choice included class being held at suitable time of day, enjoyment of type of exercise performed, feeling that they were most suited to this type of activity and feeling that they would be most comfortable doing this type of exercise. Previous participation in the type of exercise was unimportant. CONCLUSION: Provision of mode of exercise choice may improve participation and adherence levels in phase IV Cardiac Rehabilitation community-based exercise programmes after completion of phase III hospital-based exercise programmes

This article describes and analyses a specific mechanism, the writing consultation, designed to help academics to prioritise, reconceptualise and improve their writing practices. It makes the case for its potential to stimulate consideration of writing practices and motivations, a possible precondition for creating time for writing in academic contexts. This article proposes that the process of revealing and developing writing practices in a specific form of regular, structured, collegial discussion has potential to prompt academics to reconceptualise their writing practices and, perhaps crucially, to find different ways to write. In addition, it demonstrates, in a new way, how recognised behaviour change strategies might be embedded in the academic writing process. The writing consultation draws on principles established in other contexts. This article makes the case for adapting them to the context of academic writing, in order to support and improve academic writing output.

Objectives To identify the exercise motives of long-term phase IV cardiac rehabilitation participants.Design A two-stage triangulation approach was used where more than one methodology is used, either sequentially or concurrently, in a study.Setting Phase IV cardiac rehabilitation classes held in the community.Participants Fifty-five phase IV participants (30 men aged 66 +/- 7.4 years and 25 women aged 69 +/- 6.5 years) completed the Exercise Motivation Inventory (EMI-2). Four women and five men were in the focus groups (men aged 65 +/- 5.7 years and women aged 68 +/- 5.4 years). All the participants had attended phase IV exercise sessions for at least 5 years.Results Motivational drivers of ill-health avoidance and positive health were consistently rated highly by men and women, as were social support and fun. Intrinsic motivational drivers of nimbleness, enjoyment and revitalisation were also rated highly by men and women. Only two areas were rated significantly higher by men [i.e. attachment to the group), 3 (2.5 to 3.8) for males and 2.5 (2.0 to 3.0) for females (P=0.022): and stress management, 3.3 (1.4 to 4.3) for males and 2 (1.4 to 3.0) for females (P=0.028). Weight management, competition, challenge. appearance and social recognition were consistently given a low rating by men and women.Conclusions Key motivational factors influence exercise participation. For rehabilitation providers, it is important to have an understanding of these factors and furthermore be able to shape and adapt programmes to promote uptake and maintain exercise adherence. (c) 2008 Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

ObjectivesThis study investigated phase 1 cardiac rehabilitation (P1CR) for patients admitted with acute coronary syndrome and is the first to investigate P1CR in the UK in depth. The aims were to investigate the UK and any national differences in the provision, staffing, content of P1CR, national guidelines achieved and any identified barriers.DesignA self-completion questionnaire was posted to the cardiac rehabilitation centres on the databases of the British Association for Cardiac Rehabilitation and the British Heart Foundation in the period of 2004–2005.ParticipantsTwo hundred and eighty hospitals in the UK were identified.Main instrumentA questionnaire designed by the authors.ResultsA total of 247 (88%) centres returned the questionnaire. Ninety-three percent of these centres (230) provided P1CR for acute coronary syndrome. There was 100% nurse, 63% (145/230) dietician, 59% (135/230) pharmacist and 49% (112/230) physiotherapy involvement but underutilisation of other members of the cardiac rehabilitation healthcare team. Risk stratification to determine future cardiac or exercise complications was not carried out in 27% (59/230) of the P1CR centres. Not all 17 cardiac risk education topics were discussed with patients. Fifty-five percent (126/230) provided P1CR mobilisation plans and 61% (140/230) provided P1CR walking plans. Although 100% identified and consulted national guidelines, many barriers to implementation were identified, with 58% (133/230) citing lack of staff and 31% (71/230) funding.ConclusionCertain areas of P1CR need to be addressed to enable equity of evidence-based service. The underachievement of many aspects of the P1CR guidelines is of concern. The current study has also shown the need for more research into P1CR.

Background The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) 2002 acknowledge the multiprofessional membership of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) teams required to deliver comprehensive CR. 1 The clinical groups chiefly involved in delivering CR in the UK are nurses followed by physiotherapists. 2 The participation, skills and attributes of physiotherapists in the UK have already been identified. 3 This paper reports on the findings of a similar survey for nurses. The survey was piloted and then sent to all registered centres on the British Association for Cardiac Rehabilitation (BACR) and the Scottish CR Interest Group databases (CRIGS).

Cardiac rehabilitation is now embedded in UK government policy. However, women are still under-represented in all aspects surrounding cardiac rehabilitation. Few women are included in research. Moreover, women continue not to take up exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation and are more likely to drop out. This is an ongoing challenge for all involved in the field.

Women are poorly represented in research literature in Cardiac Rehabilitation (CR). Furthermore, women appear not to accept CR and often drop out of programmes early. Three large cardiac rehabilitation programmes in the west of Scotland were involved in this study. The west of Scotland continues to have some of the highest incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) in the UK. These centres provided information on referral and recruitment patterns of women into phase III CR post myocardial infarction (MI), comparing two consecutive years. Comparison of the two years’ uptake of women eligible for the phase III CR of the centres, shows an increase at one centre of 23.7% in uptake. The other two centres saw a reduction of 15.3% and 4.6% uptake. The findings suggest that many women continue not to accept phase III CR. Once women were enrolled in the programmes all centres saw more women completing the phase III CR, one centre improving by 19.3% and the others by 8.8% and 9.4%. If recruitment and adherence to CR phase III are to improve for women, different strategies including the CR programme structure, gender specific information, environment and implementing behavioural change are required to address ‘women specific’ issues.

Health professionals present information in a variety of forms. Poster presentations are increasingly used as a communications medium in physiotherapy. The literature on posters concerns mainly the practicalities of production. This paper offers a more comprehensive approach to the topic, drawing on the audiovisual, scientific and communications expertise of the three authors. It provides an update on the technology for poster production.