PARTNERS in Practice Documentary

PARTNERS in Practice Documentary - Now Available to View

2011-01-04T12:40:00.003Z

The documentary is now available to view from the PARTNERS web site http://www.partnersct.com/ - there is a dedicated page to the documentary and the film can be freely accessed from here.

There is something about Mary!

2010-11-29T11:25:00.004Z

This will be the final entry into this blog as the documentary is now complete. I have deliberately had a couple of days off from looking at the film and the thesis to reflect on the last eight months. Within this timeframe the COP and I have developed the idea of creating a short documentary, worked through the key themes to be presented, devised the storyboard, and filmed. These processes have been very exciting for me on many differing levels. Having the opportunity to work with a group of consummate professionals who are truly committed to improving care and has in itself been inspiring. I have been privileged to work closely with them and learn about their work on the frontline. Health care today is frequently criticized for what it doesn’t achieve - how often do we acknowledge what it does achieve?

From the film production side of things that was a huge learning curve for me and yes I did make mistakes along the way but from these invaluable lessons were learnt for the future. I have also become more critical of my own work, hence the title of this blog entry – there is something about Mary! I could see an inconsistency with the film clip about Mary Lee and though no one else did notice it – it had to be redone!

I have endured a love hate relationship with iMovie over the last few months but we are there for the long haul and I am confident we will become tolerant of each other!

I conclude with a salutary quote from Adam Osborne an entrepreneur from the USA.

“The most valuable thing you can make is a mistake - you can't learn anything from being perfect.”

Documentary Finished!

2010-11-25T10:09:00.008Z

The documentary is now complete! My supervisor reviewed the film and made some suggestions which have now been incorporated and which do improve the sequencing and overall effect of the film. The end product has I am pleased to say received favourable reviews from the members of the group who have seen it so far. The Head of School and Director of Research from the School of Nursing in DCU also attended the launch last Friday. It is currently available for the members of the group to see on Vimeo - a video social networking site. At the moment access to the film is password protected until all members of the COP have had the opportunity to see it. It will then be open to all to view. It will be uploaded to the PARTNERS Channel on YouTube.

Members of the group have suggested additional ideas as to how the film may be used to underpin practice and academic teaching initiatives. Anne McDonald has even suggested that we make a sequel looking at the area of medications management from the patient and family perspective - this would appear to be a natural progression and we could approach the HRB in the future to identify funding for such a venture.

I would like to express my sincere thanks to all the members of the COP and actors who helped make this film - your patience and commitment have been vital to sustaining me through the entire process from our first meeting in the Spring through to now.

Documentary Update

2010-10-27T17:48:00.005+01:00

I am pleased to say that the editing for the documentary is nearly complete - a draft version is available for the participants to view and comment on! and also give their permission for it to be distributed to a wider audience. I still have to make some adjustments to the audio to ensure consistency of sound across the entire film and also have to tweak some of the titles. I have had to be a little creative on occassions when nerves got the better of some of us and rest assured they affected us all one way or another so some transitions had to be inserted and I think they add to sequencing and do not detract at all from the content. I have used differing software in the production of the film - iMovie was used to compile the film and do the editing of the video, the opening sequence and credits were devised in Keynote and imported as a Quickmovie into iMovie. Some of the voice overs were created in Garageband as a podcast and then imported as an MP3 file into iMovie. The soundtracks were by Keith MacLeod and are royalty free and were downloaded from http://incompetech.com/. So all being well I will be able to show the near final product to the group next week. Once again I am so grateful for everyone's help in making and producing this short film... hopefully we are on the final run

Welcome to the PARTNERS Own Avatar!

2010-10-27T15:28:00.007+01:00

I have stumbled across two new pieces of software to play with - one of which is demonstrated here on the blog to the right of the screen - in the form of an avatar - a customizable speaking one at that!!! This is an example of one of the new and emerging technologies being incorporated into e-learning programme's to provide a differing interface for students to engage with. The software is created by Oddcast and is accessible at www.oddcast.com.

For fun you can create your avatar for your own web site or social networking site - visit www.voki.com it is simple and easy to use.

Escaping the Wrath of Igor!

2010-09-23T14:39:00.007+01:00

Arrived in Toronto on Tuesday evening incurring the wrath of Igor as we flew over the eastern seaboard - devastation in many parts of Canada with fallen power lines and roads and bridges just wantonly tossed aside. Thunderstorms and heavy rain swept through Toronto overnight but today the weather is more promising though it is turning a little cooler 22 degrees!!

Tried to get tickets for the Toronto Maple Leafs ice hockey pre season game against the Senators but no joy!!! the ticket prices are astronomical but the opportunity to see a live game is so appealing. Could try to see the baseball game in the Rogers Centre today to see the Blue Jays (Toronto) against the Mariners (Seattle) but I think I should focus on the reason for being here which is the symposium 'Health Outcomes for Better Information and Care... A Foundation for Evidence Based Practice and Quality Care'

The symposium began at 0800hrs this morning and the objectives are as follows:

1. Describe the international state of science on nursing sensitive outcomes measurement and priorities for future research and development.

2. Engage frontline clinicians and managers to share their experience, the perceived benefits, and challenges associated with the integration of outcomes data collection into clinical practice.

3. Establishing a team, consisting of researchers, clinicians, managers, and policy makers, to collaborate on the development of a research protocol investigating strategies for integrating outcomes data collection with evidence based practice, using electronic health records.

An informal review of the first day will be posted later today

AISHE Conference 2010 - Dublin City University August 26th and 27th

2010-09-07T18:13:00.002+01:00

I did squeeze some work in over the summer period - Pam and I put a poster together for the AISHE Conference which was held in the School of Nursing in DCU. The poster can be viewed and downloaded from the PARTNERS web site in the resources page.

Now it is nose to the grindstone to get the documentary edited and the dissertation written. The video camera has gone in for a well deserved service and if needs be will be up and running next week.

Ok ... So I went to Paris as well!

2010-09-07T18:06:00.003+01:00

I have an admission to make I also went to Paris for a few days to enjoy a twin centre break! It was an amazing few days, in stark contrast to the time in Croatia. Plenty of walking and sight seeing thankfully in temperatures rather less than 31 degrees!

Interesting hotel ... described in the brochure as a boutique hotel - different I will stay but extremely comfortable and I would recommend it to anyone. Follow this link if you would like to find out more about the hotel.

August - Holiday Break

2010-08-18T22:55:00.006+01:00

I couldn't really afford to take a break over the summer period but somehow managed to convince myself otherwise!

So I flew off to Dubrovnik on Monday 9th with Pam for a few days - the only plan was to rest by the pool in the day time and visit the old city of Dubrovnik in the evening.

Well ... all went according to plan Aer Lingus dutifully got us there on time and then when we arrived at the hotel to check in it all went a little bit awry!!! our booking had been cancelled 2 days previous (nobody knows who did it!) and there was no accommodation available in the hotel or in fact any other hotel until Wednesday!!!!

So I won't bore you all with the details but we ended up in a basement apartment up in the hills with no kettle or any idea of where we were... all of a sudden 4 star became 0.5 of a star at best.

Heidi came past in the morning with the goats and we then set off on our trek downhill to find civilisation and more importantly tea .... in 30 degrees of heat and 91% humidity.

Any way enough we ended up in the hotel from the Wednesday and we reverted to the original plan.

Dubrovnik is an amazing city steeped in so much history... some of my photographs of the old city have been blended into a short film using Animoto (see right to view).

Do visit this beautiful city if you can.... a word of advice check your hotel booking before you go! and if you like tea take some with you...

If you would like to see the photos in a higher resolution follow this link

Community Rehabilitation Team and Community Interventions Team - Dublin North

2010-07-17T19:53:00.002+01:00

Filming complete! A good day filming in Anam Cara with Mary Lee and Sue Paffrath and in the Clinical Skills Area in the School of Nursing in DCU. Melissa Corbally, Rosaleen Killalea and Rose Hussey were consummate professionals - I am very grateful for their involvement now it is over to me to pull it all together!

Medications Management - Test

2010-07-15T17:28:00.003+01:00

I have been playing with Animoto - (visit www.animoto.com) software that allows you to create videos from your photographs, videos and music -it is simple to use. Have just been tinkering with a view images of Rose and created this small piece of film focussing on medications management in the older person - some times I do think that pictures speak louder than words. Now to think about how it can be applied into the sphere of education.

Practice Makes Perfect!

2010-07-15T15:46:00.006+01:00

Well here are a couple of images of Pam and Daragh Practicing for the filming last Friday - lets see how Mary, Sue and Rosaleen get on this Friday!

Daragh - St Mary's in the Park

2010-07-12T23:09:00.004+01:00

Well last Friday 9th July saw me filming Daragh in St Mary's in the Park, the weather wasn't brilliant but not as bad for us as it was for those at Oxegen 2010!

Part of the filming saw Daragh and Pam, at altitude, suspended over a gorge - the background though was perfect with the lush green trees providing a wonderful back drop.

This week the filming moves to Anam Cara and the DCU Skills Centre - Mary Lee, Sue Paffrath and Rosaleen Murnane will step into the spotlight - excerpts will be posted on this blog at the weekend. Supporting actors have also been recruited for the afternoon filming in DCU - so it is all go!

Lastest Shoot for Documentary Took Place on Friday

2010-07-04T15:21:00.002+01:00

On Friday 2nd July we filmed at Dublin Institute of Technology, Damon Berry and Fabrice Camous were the focus of this part of the documentary. Pam talked to them both about how technology can act as an enabler in health care. The EHRland project was also a focus of the discussion notably in relation to the development of the electronic healthcare record and the need for collaboration across and between all healthcare services.

Kseniya Simonova - Sand Art

2010-06-21T13:03:00.004+01:00

I have added a new video clip to this blog which is freely available to view on You Tube (www.youtube.com). Kseniya is a Ukrainian girl who has an amazing skill - sand art. Here is a video of her depicting her own families experience of the Second World War. It is both evocative and haunting.

Other videos of Kseniya are available to view on YouTube.

Vimeo - Sharing Videos

2010-06-21T12:28:00.003+01:00

Vimeo is a secure web site that enables me to share with you some of the video footage that has been acquired as the documentary filming continues.

Vimeo can be used in differing ways for home or professional use. Check it out at www.vimeo.com

Progress over the Past Month

2010-06-21T12:13:00.003+01:00

I admit I have not been as attentive to the blog as I could have been but I have been progressing the development of the documentary and my dissertation in the background - which I am sure my supervisor will be pleased to hear!!!!

Over the past month Julianne has returned home to the USA, however, she has agreed to remain closely linked to the project by keeping a watchful eye on the documentary and she will become one of my critical friends.

Anne McDonald has been in the limelight this month and both she and Pam allowed me to capture some excellent footage around the role of the Public Health Nurse and the Population Health Information Tool.

Damien Berry, Darragh Roger, Mary Lee and Sue Paffrath and Rosaleen Killalea will be next to contribute to the short film. I am aiming to complete all filming by the end of July and then focus on the editing, and capture of supportive stills for each section.

The sun shine has been kind and so far we have managed to film in sunny conditions - let us hope our luck lasts.

PARTNERS has its own YouTube Channel!

2010-05-14T20:25:00.003+01:00

PARTNERS now has its own YouTube Channel accessible via this link . This means that you can directly access all the clips that are associated with the project from one place.

This will channel will develop over the next 4 months

Julianne - First Sneak Preview of the Documentary

2010-05-11T21:41:00.006+01:00

As promised a short preview of Julianne - filmed Friday 7th May.

Members of the PARTNERS group only will be able to view this video clip and details of how to access the password protected file have been sent initially to some member of the group to test the access. All members will receive a password by the end of this week.

Melissa and Rose - Falls Risk Assessment

2010-05-10T22:46:00.005+01:00

Melissa is here going through her paces with Rose - without the help and support of Rose and Melissa we would not be able to put something like this together. They only needed a couple of takes and then they were into their stride. There were a couple of little hiccoughs along the way but the professionalism shone through in the end. Tomorrow I will put a snippet of the video up for you to see.

First Shoot in the Can!!!!!

2010-05-10T22:27:00.010+01:00

First picture from the first shoot!

Here are Pam and Julianne just rehearsing their lines in Cabra Health Centre last Friday.

Meanwhile........Rose and Melissa are recording their section - Melissa undertakes a falls risk assessment on the ever obliging Rose! It all came very naturally to Rose who unfortunately broke her hip a couple of years ago so could act it all out for real!!! Hopefully that won't mean she will increase her fees!

Thanks to all concerned for participating on Friday and thanks also to the staff in the health centre who were very helpful.

Storyboard for Review

2010-05-04T13:48:00.003+01:00

Each of the members of the PARTNERS team participating in the documentary have now been sent a copy of the full storyboard and a copy of their own sections.

Box.net is an online storage solution and has been used to share the material on line - more information about this application is available at www.box.net. Some of the functionality is free to use and I would strongly recommend it.

Joan Armatrading in Concert - Vicar St, Dublin

2010-04-30T11:22:00.006+01:00

I know that this has absolutely nothing to do with the PARTNERS project however I will try and link it!
I went to see Joan Armatrading in concert in Vicar St last Friday and she was amazing. I have added a link to YouTube where you can see her sing Love and Affection live on the Jools Holland show on the BBC in 2007 - brilliant.
If I try hard enough I can think of a reason to link this to this site - she is nearly 60 (I think!!) plays numerous different guitars so very well and sings amazingly well and sang for 2 hrs and is on a world tour that would leave a youngster breathless! So I am opting to take what ever she takes to remain so youthful- and not a medical card in sight.

Filming Schedule

2010-04-26T09:55:00.004+01:00

The storyboard for the documentary is now complete and the filming schedule is now being devised.

Filming will take place over the months of May, June and July and then editing will take place over the latter part of the summer.

A copy of the storyboard will be available to each of the participants and will also include a detailed overview of each persons respective script etc.

2010-04-16T13:36:00.005+01:00

St Mary's Hospital, Phoenix Park, Dublin

It has been some time since I last made a contribution to the blog - but that does not mean to say that nothing has been happening behind the scenes on the contrary. Within the past 3 weeks I have met with each of the clinical participants in the documentary and we have together worked through the script outline and identified the differing 'cut away's' to be used to augment each of the sections. I have been frantically photographing differing places, people and objects to use within the story board. This week end is D day I have committed to handing in the story board to my module leader in DCU on Monday - so that will make me focus this week end. Filming dates are now being scheduled with the first taking place on Friday 7th May - Julianne and Rose will take centre stage for the first filming session.

Pam will provide the link to each of the sections of the film so that we achieve some sense of continuity.

First Peek at Documentary Story Board

2010-03-29T11:04:00.004+01:00

Outline storyboard for documentary completed using StoryBoard Quick Software.

This will be discussed with the group this afternoon and then with individuals next week. Each member of the group have their own avatars in the storyboard. Here Pam (in the white top) is talking to Mary outside the lifts in Anam Cara.

Follow PARTNERS on Twitter

2010-03-27T10:56:00.004Z

You can follow PARTNERS on Twitter - follow us at Partnersireland

2010-03-27T10:48:00.002Z

PARTNERS now have their own page on Facebook - the social networking site. This is accessible via www.facebook.com - you will need to create your own facebook account before accessing the page - the page is entitled PARTNERS CT Dublin.

Story Board Development for Documentary

2010-03-26T18:23:00.005Z

The script for the documentary is now complete. Over the week end the next stage will see the actual illustration process completed and this will include additional detail re shots, lighting and sound requirements etc. On Monday at the next PARTNERS meeting Pam and I will talk you through the work completed to date so that you can see how it all fits together. Then when I meet with you all individually the following week we will hopefully rubber stamp the storyboard from each of yours' perspectives and set filming dates.

St Patrick's Day - March 17th, Ireland

2010-03-17T12:59:00.002Z

Happy St Patrick's Day

Documentary Story Board

2010-03-12T10:48:00.004Z

I now have the outline scripts for the story board from all services which will be depicted in the film. The focus will be as agreed medications management, the importance of interagency communication and discharge planning - all of these themes will be discussed in the context of the PARTNERS assessment tool. Warfarin is an example of one of the drugs which will be focussed on in the film. The maintenance of warfarin therapy is so vital to so many patients particularly the older clients therefore it is appropriate for us to select this drug as a drug of choice.

Background music for the documentary

2010-03-11T11:27:00.008Z

I am delighted to say that Mary Black has given us permission to use her music to provide the some of the background tracks for the documentary. This will ensure that we maintain a strong Irish identity!

I have always been a fan of Mary's music and some of the haunting and evocative melodies will I think suit our work beautifully.

Mary Black's web site is accessible at www.mary-black.net

Progress to date

2010-03-05T11:13:00.006Z

The initial focus group discussion was held at the Gresham hotel in Dublin on Friday 15th January 2009. The purpose of this first meeting was to reaffirm the aim of the project and to begin to identify the key themes to be represented within the short documentary.

Represented in the film will be some of the primary care, community and acute care service providers within the greater Dublin area. In addition Damon Berry and Fabrice Camous from the Dublin Institute of Technology will also provide a short commentary about the future of technology in healthcare.

Pam Henry as the project lead will provide both the introduction and summary.

Progress update on the documentary development for PARTNERS

2010-03-04T12:55:00.006Z

This blog provides me with an opportunity to share with all the members of the PARTNERS project team the progress being made on the development of the documentary.
Every few days I will write a new posting to this blog to ensure that you are all kept up to date with the progress being made - it will also ensure that I keep to my development schedule and keep me on track!
This blog will be freely accessible to members of the PARTNERS project team. I will also use it to show development of some of the elements of the documentary to my supervisor.