Dr Julie Myers, Occupational and Aviation Medicine Unit

Role within the department

Senior Lecturer and Course Director Research, Master's Co-ordinator

Julie Myers is a Senior Lecturer and Course Director Research, and the Masters Co-ordinator for the Occupational and Aviation Medicine Unit (OAMU). She also teaches the paper AVME 785 Research Methods. Her professional background is Physiotherapy and she has a Research Master's Degree endorsed in Rehabilitation.

Julie has recently completed her PhD, for which she undertook a series of studies focused on understanding the extent and consequences of fatigue-related performance decrements critical care clinicians, particularly those involved in air ambulance transfer. She has adapted methods for assessing clinicians' non-technical skills as a measure of their clinical performance; and has evaluated the impact of fatigue on the clinical performance and safety of critical care clinicians. She is also interested in Occupational Health issues and measurement of health and quality of life.

Research expertise and interest

I am currently undertaking a series of studies focused on understanding the extent and consequences of fatigue-related performance decrements in clinicians undertaking intensive-care air transfer of patients. Most recent work has focused on methods for measuring clinical performance such as the evaluation of the non-technical skills of intensive care flight clinicians; as well as the impact clinician fatigue has on their performance and safety. I am interested in clinical workload, training, and fatigue risk management for aeromedical transport clinicians. My professional background is Physiotherapy, and I have a Research Master's Degree endorsed in Rehabilitation. While most research I have undertaken and supervised recently has focused on issues in Aeromedical Retrieval and Transport, and the health of flight crew, I am also interested in Occupational Health issues and measurement of health and quality of life.

Publications

• Myers JA, Powell DM, Aldington S, Psirides A, Hathaway K, Haney MF. Non-technical skills evaluation in the critical care air ambulance environment: introduction of an adapted rating instrument - an observational study. Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine 2016; 24: 24. DOI: 10.1186/s13049-016-0216-5
• Myers JA, Haney MF, Griffiths RF, Pierse NF, Powell DM. Fatigue in Air Medical Clinicians Undertaking High-acuity Patient Transports. Prehospital Emergency Care. 2015 January-March;19(1):36-43. Epub 2014 Jul 30
• Myers J, Psirides A, Hathaway K, Larsen P. Air transport by the Wellington Flight Service: A descriptive analysis of interhospital transfers over a five year period in the Wellington region. The New Zealand Medical Journal 2012; 125 (1351): 19 - 28
• Zaidi Moazzam. A, Griffiths R.F, Beshyah S. A, Myers J, Zaidi Mukurram. A. Blood and body fluid exposure related knowledge, attitude and practices of hospital based health care providers in UAE. Safety and Health at Work 2012; 3: 1 – 9
• Mahony PH, Myers J, Larsen PD, Powell D, Griffiths RF. Symptom based categorisation of in-flight medical incidents: Time for a change. Aviation Space & Environmental Medicine 2011; 82: (12) 1131 -1137
• McPherson K, Myers J, Taylor W, McNaughton H, Weatherall M. Self-valuation and societal valuations of health state differ with disease severity in chronic and disabling conditions. Medical Care 2004; 42 (11): 1143 – 1151
• Taylor WJ, Myers J, Simpson RT, McPherson KM, Weatherall M. The quality of life of people with rheumatoid arthritis as measured by the WHOQOL-BREF instrument: score distributions and psychometric properties. Arthritis Care & Research 2004; 51 (3):350-357
• Myers J, McPherson K, Taylor W, Weatherall M and McNaughton H (2003). “Duration of condition is unrelated to health-state valuation on the EuroQol”. Clinical Rehabilitation; 17: 209 – 215.
• Taylor W, Myers J, McNaughton H, McPherson K (2001). Evidence for inadequate construct validity of the Disease Repercussions Profile in people with rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatology; 40: 757 – 762.

Conference presentations (peer reviewed):

• Myers J. “A rating system for non-technical skills in the aeromedical environment”. ASAM+ASA+FNA 2014 Conference, Brisbane 10 – 13 September
• Myers J, Powell D, Griffiths R, Haney M. “Fatigue in aeromedical clinical crew”. Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine (2013), Vol 84, No.4. Presented at the Aerospace Medicine Association Conference (ASMA), May 2013.
• Myers J. “Measuring fatigue in aeromedical clinicians: is it an issue?” Aeromedical Society of Australasia, 25th Scientific Meeting, Melbourne August 28 - 30, 2013.

Conference presentations (non peer reviewed):

• Myers J. “The extent and impact of fatigue in aeromedical clinicians undertaking interhospital transport work in the New Zealand setting”. Invited guest speaker New Zealand Flight Nurse Association Aeromedical Symposium, Life Flight Trust, Auckland. November 16, 2013

Poster papers (peer reviewed):

• Myers J, McPherson K, Taylor W (2002). “The relationship between self-valuation of health and general population valuation of health using EuroQol in three disabled populations. Australasian Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine ASM, Brisbane 2002.
• Taylor WJ, Myers J, Simpson RT, McPherson KM, Weatherall M. The quality of life of people with rheumatoid arthritis as measured by the WHOQOL-BREF instrument: score distributions and psychometric properties. Ann Rheum Dis 2003 (supplement). Presented at the European League against Rheumatism (EULAR) ASM, June 2003.

Contact details

University of Otago Wellington
PO Box 7343
Wellington 6242
New Zealand
julie.myers@otago.ac.nz