Staff Profile
Dr Sian Russell
Research Associate
- Email: sian.russell@ncl.ac.uk
- Address: Population Health Sciences Institute
Faculty of Medical Sciences
Newcastle University
Level 2 Newcastle Biomedical Research Building,
Campus for Ageing and Vitality,
Newcastle upon Tyne,
NE4 5PL
Tel: +44 (0) 7508 841849
Qualifications:
PhD: Health Services Research and Sociology, The University of Dundee, School of Nursing and Midwifery
MSc (taught): Social Research, The University of Edinburgh, School of Social and Political Science
MA (Hons.)*: Social Anthropology, The University of Edinburgh, School of Social and Political Science
*A Master of Arts with Honours represents a four year undergraduate qualification as awarded by Scotland’s ancient universities. The fourth year requires students to complete a piece of novel research in the form of a dissertation.
Recent work:
The National Early Warning Score (NEWS) in care homes: Identifying acute illness in older adults is notoriously difficult. The National Early Warning Score (NEWS) is used to identify acute deterioration through recording and monitoring of vital signs. Although embedded across UK hospitals, the NEWS remains uncommon in community setting such as care homes. This project used multiple methods to evaluate an implementation of NEWS into care homes within the North of England. Care home staff were tasked with digitally recording NEWS at baseline and when a resident appeared unwell. Scores were then shared with external health professionals to inform decision-making, triage and avoid unnecessary hospital admissions. The evaluation sought to identify challenges to implementation and potential areas for improvement. Siân lead the qualitative component which explored stakeholders attitudes towards, and experiences of the intervention.
Health literacy policy: Evidence synthesis of health literacy policy, either current or under development, across the WHO European region.
COPD self-management: This project explored the barriers and facilitators to COPD self-management from the perspectives of people with COPD and healthcare professionals involved in the care of COPD patients. The results from a systematic review of reviews, a qualitative synthesis, semi-structured interviews, and workshops were used to inform the development of an evidence-based self-management intervention in the form of Shared Medical Appointments (SMAs). Siân led the qualitative synthesis and interviews with COPD patients.
Mental health disorder in young people (prevention and promotion): This research explored the mental health risks for young people in the North East of England, and the factors impacting on their access to, and engagement with mental health services, from the perspectives of young people and service providers. Siân contributed to the collection and analysis of qualitative data.
Equal North: The Equal North research and practice network aims to build a network of researchers, practitioners, and academics from across the North of England who hold an interest in tackling socio-cultural and health inequalities. Siân assisted with a research prioritisation exercise conducted across the network utilising qualitative workshops and a Delphi survey.
Previous work:
As a research associate at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) Siân worked on a large qualitative study exploring how prevailing constructions of masculinity in socioeconomically deprived areas relate to sexual health attitudes and behaviours in heterosexual men and women. She conducted in-depth interviews and focus groups with men and women from in socioeconomically deprived communities across Scotland.
As a research assistant at GCU she has worked on an intervention design, implementation, and evaluation project for stroke self‐management. The findings from semi-structured interviews and a systematic review were used to inform the developed the tailored self‐management support intervention.
For her PhD study Siân used semi-structured, in‐depth interviews to explore the experiences and perceptions of living with cognitive and physical impairments acquired by stroke. Data were analysed via a theoretically driven thematic analysis in which Bourdieusian theoretical concepts were used to interrogate data and vice versa. Two prominent themes of 'phantom dispositions' and 'devalued identities' were explored further via a case study approach.
Research interests:
Chronic illness and disability; sexual health and pleasure; masculinities and femininities; neoliberalism and inequalities; Bourdieusian, Foucauldian, and Eliasian theoretical perspectives; qualitative approaches.Since 2016 Siân has contributed to the teaching and marking of the qualitative component of the MSc in Public Health and Health Services Research at Newcastle University.
She has also contributed to CPD modules co-hosted by Newcastle University and Northumbria University and co-organised and taught informal qualitative methods workshops for colleagues within the Population Health Sciences Institute (formerly the Institute of Health and Society).
Siân has taught on topics such as developing topic guides, sampling and recruitment, data collection via interviews and focus groups, data analysis, and applying theory in qualitative research.
- Russell S, Stocker R, Barker R, Liddle J, Adamson J, Hanratty B. Implementation of the National Early Warning Score in UK care homes: a qualitative evaluation. British Journal of General Practice 2020, epub ahead of print.
- Barker R, Stocker R, Russell S, Roberts A, Kingston A, Adamson J, Hanratty B. Distribution of the National Early Warning Score (NEWS) in care home residents. Age and Ageing 2020, 49(1), 141-145.
- Russell S, Stocker R, Barker R, Liddle J, Adamson J, Hanratty B. “It is the calibre of the staff”: care home staff as repositories for blame within an evaluation of the implementation of a complex intervention. In: BSA Medical Sociology Group Annual Conference 2019. 2019. In Preparation.
- Rowlands G, Trezona A, Russell S, Lopatina M, Pelikan J, Paasche-Orlow M, Drapkina O, Kontsevaya A, Sørensen K. What is the evidence on the methods, frameworks and indicators used to evaluate health literacy policies, programmes and interventions at the regional, national and organizational levels?. Copenhagen: World Health Organisation, 2019. Health Evidence Network Reports.
- McDaid L, Hunt K, McMillan L, Russell S, Milne D, Ilett R, Lorimer K. Absence of holistic sexual health understandings among men and women in deprived areas of Scotland: Qualitative Study. BMC Public Health 2019, 19, 299.
- Addison M, Kaner E, Johnstone P, Hillier-Brown F, Moffatt S, Russell S, Barr B, Holland P, Salway S, Whitehead M, Bambra C. Equal North: How can we reduce health inequalities in the North of England? A prioritisation exercise with researchers, policymakers and practitioners. Journal of Public Health 2019, 41(4), 652-664.
- Rowlands GP, Russell S, O'Donnell A, Kaner E, Trezona A, Rademakers J, Nutbeam D. What is the evidence on existing policies and linked activities and their effectiveness for improving health literacy at national, regional and organizational levels in the WHO European Region?. Copenhagen, Denmark: World Health Organisation (Europe), 2018. Health Evidence Network (HEN) synthesis reports.
- Russell S, Ogunbayo OJ, Newham JJ, Heslop-Marshall K, Netts P, Hanratty B, Beyer F, Kaner E. Qualitative systematic review of barriers and facilitators to self-management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: views of patients and healthcare professionals. npj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine 2018, 28, 2.
- Ogunbayo OJ, Russell S, Newham JJ, Heslop-Marshall K, Netts P, Hanratty B, Kaner K. Understanding the factors affecting self-management of COPD from the perspectives of healthcare practitioners. Primary Care Respiratory Medicine 2017, 27, 54.
- Lorimer K, McMillan L, McDaid L, Milne D, Russell S, Hunt K. Exploring masculinities, sexual health and wellbeing across areas of high deprivation in Scotland: the depth of the challenge to improve understandings and practices. Health & Place 2018, 50, 27-41.
- Ogunbayo OJ, Russell S, Kaner E. Exploring lived experiences is key to inform the development of self-management intervention for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in primary Care. In: The 16th Qualitative Methods Conference hosted by the International Institute for Qualitative Methodology, University of Alberta. 2018, Banff, Canada.
- Newham JJ, Presseau J, Heslop-Marshall K, Russell S, Ogunbayo OJ, Netts P, Hanratty B, Kaner E. Features of self-management interventions for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease associated with improved health-related quality of life and reduced emergency department visits: a systematic review of reviews with meta-analysis. International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease 2017, 12, 1705-1720.
- Russell S, Spencer L, Newham J, McGovern R, Henderson E, Jackson K, Simpson EG, Kaner E, Lingam R. Complicated Lives and Burdened Services: Young People's Mental Health Services in the North East of England. In: BSA Medical Sociology Group Annual Conference. 2017, University of York: British Sociological Association.
- Russell S, Lorimer K, Hunt K, McDaid L, McMillan L, Ilett R, Milne D. Regression within the Progression: Problematic Inconsistencies in Narratives Concerning Consent and Coercion within Sexual Encounters among Men from Areas of Socioeconomic Deprivation. In: The British Sociological Association Annual Conference. 2015, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow.
- Russell S, Lorimer K, Hunt K, McDaid L, McMillan L, Ilett R, Milne D. Sexist-Hexis?: Observations and Reflections on the Masculine Performances of Men Recruited by Women to a Study on Sexual Health Behaviours. In: BSA Medical Sociology Group Annual Conference 2014. 2014, Birmingham, UK.
- Newham J, Russell S, Ogunbayo O, Heslop K, Netts P, Hanratty P, Kaner K. Improving Self-Management Support and Planning in COPD in a Clinical Commissioning Group in the North East of England. 2017. Submitted.
- Newham J, Henderson E, McGovern R, Russell S, Spencer L, Geijer-Simpson E, Shucksmith J, Reynolds A, Robalino S, McArdle P, Kaner E, Lingam R. PROMOTE: NE - Preventing Risks of Mental Illness Onset and Treating Early in the North East of England. 2017. Submitted.
- Russell S, Williams B, Morris J. Stroke Acquired Impairments and the Creation of 'Phantom Dispositions'. In: The British Sociological Association Annual Conference. 2014, Leeds, UK.
- Kidd K, Lawrence M, Booth J, Rowat A, Russell S. Development and evaluation of a nurse-led, tailored stroke self-management intervention. BMC Health Services Research 2015, 15, 359.
- Ogunbayo O, Russell S. An Evaluation of Shared Medical Appointments (SMAs) to improve self-management in COPD. Academic Health and Science Network: North East and North Cumbria 2017.