DMDiana E. McMillan

Diana E. McMillan

*This is an algorithmically generated author record based on publicly available information.

Current Organizations / Institutes

The organizations/institutes from the scholar's latest article


Diana E. McMillan has a total of 77 co-authors. Here are the top co-authors by number of shared publications:


Latest Publications

  • Open Access

    Constructing TheKeep.Ca With Thrivers of Cancer in Manitoba, Canada, in Support of Enhancing Patient Engagement: Protocol for a Pragmatic Multimethods Study

    by Maclean Thiessen, Kellie Jewitt, Raina Stromberg, Janelle Marie Lamontagne, Genevieve Richardson Tanguay, Annette Albo, Chantale Thurston, Diana E McMillan

    Background: TheKeep.Ca was built to facilitate engagement with those experiencing cancer in Manitoba, Canada. Constructed between 2020 and 2024 with a group of patient advisors, the website includes information on engagement activities including research participation, the patient advisor role, and how those experiencing cancer can access these Manitoba activities. A link allows visitors to register to be contacted about activities that match their demographics, cancer history, and activity preferences. After TheKeep.Ca was constructed, this protocol was developed to establish TheKeep.Ca as a platform for scientific research focused on optimally engaging those experiencing cancer. Objective: We asked the following questions: (1) What was the patient advisors’ experience who participated in developing TheKeep.Ca? (2) What are the baseline characteristics of website traffic and registrants at TheKeep.Ca? (3) How does registering with TheKeep.Ca impact the cancer experience? Methods: The planned launch date for the website and initiation of research activities is January 2025. For objective 1, the active patient advisors (N=6) participating in the website project will be invited to participate in project activities including with responses to a question prompt sheet, semistructured audio-recorded interviews, or both. Responses and interviews will be analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis to understand and inform practices for patient engagement on projects. At the website launch, TheKeep.Ca will become publicly accessible and indexable on internet search engines, but no additional promotional interventions will take place in the initial 6 months resulting in visitors primarily from web search traffic. For objective 2, Google Analytics and website registrant data collected during the first six months will be analyzed to obtain baseline characteristics of website visitors. For objective 3, an online survey will be emailed to registrants six months after the website launch characterizing their website experience, the activities they participated in, and collecting feedback on the website. For objectives 2 and 3, quantitative data will be analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics, and qualitative data from open-ended questions will be analyzed using thematic analysis guided by an inductive descriptive semantic approach. Results: This study was approved by the University of Manitoba Health Research Ethics Board on December 12, 2024 (HS26614-H2024L263). Institutional approval from CancerCare Manitoba is pending as of December 23, 2024. Findings from objective 1 are expected to be finalized within the first six months after the website launch. Those from objectives 2 and 3 are expected by the 12-month mark. Reporting will include peer-reviewed journals, conferences, and a lay-language summary on TheKeep.Ca. Conclusions: The research outlined in this protocol will facilitate understanding patient advisors’ experience in developing TheKeep.Ca. It will also characterize the website’ effectiveness and its impact on the cancer experience, providing a baseline and direction for future research and development. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/63597

  • Open Access

    Constructing TheKeep.Ca With Thrivers of Cancer in Manitoba, Canada, in Support of Enhancing Patient Engagement: Protocol for a Pragmatic Multimethods Study (Preprint)

    by Maclean Thiessen, Kellie Jewitt, Raina Stromberg, Janelle Marie Lamontagne, Genevieve Richardson Tanguay, Annette Albo, Chantale Thurston, Diana E McMillan

    BACKGROUND TheKeep.Ca was built to facilitate engagement with those experiencing cancer in Manitoba, Canada. Constructed between 2020 and 2024 with a group of patient advisors, the website includes information on engagement activities including research participation, the patient advisor role, and how those experiencing cancer can access these Manitoba activities. A link allows visitors to register to be contacted about activities that match their demographics, cancer history, and activity preferences. After TheKeep.Ca was constructed, this protocol was developed to establish TheKeep.Ca as a platform for scientific research focused on optimally engaging those experiencing cancer. OBJECTIVE We asked the following questions: (1) What was the patient advisors’ experience who participated in developing TheKeep.Ca? (2) What are the baseline characteristics of website traffic and registrants at TheKeep.Ca? (3) How does registering with TheKeep.Ca impact the cancer experience? METHODS The planned launch date for the website and initiation of research activities is January 2025. For objective 1, the active patient advisors (N=6) participating in the website project will be invited to participate in project activities including with responses to a question prompt sheet, semistructured audio-recorded interviews, or both. Responses and interviews will be analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis to understand and inform practices for patient engagement on projects. At the website launch, TheKeep.Ca will become publicly accessible and indexable on internet search engines, but no additional promotional interventions will take place in the initial 6 months resulting in visitors primarily from web search traffic. For objective 2, Google Analytics and website registrant data collected during the first six months will be analyzed to obtain baseline characteristics of website visitors. For objective 3, an online survey will be emailed to registrants six months after the website launch characterizing their website experience, the activities they participated in, and collecting feedback on the website. For objectives 2 and 3, quantitative data will be analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics, and qualitative data from open-ended questions will be analyzed using thematic analysis guided by an inductive descriptive semantic approach. RESULTS This study was approved by the University of Manitoba Health Research Ethics Board on December 12, 2024 (HS26614-H2024L263). Institutional approval from CancerCare Manitoba is pending as of December 23, 2024. Findings from objective 1 are expected to be finalized within the first six months after the website launch. Those from objectives 2 and 3 are expected by the 12-month mark. Reporting will include peer-reviewed journals, conferences, and a lay-language summary on TheKeep.Ca. CONCLUSIONS The research outlined in this protocol will facilitate understanding patient advisors’ experience in developing TheKeep.Ca. It will also characterize the website’ effectiveness and its impact on the cancer experience, providing a baseline and direction for future research and development. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT PRR1-10.2196/63597

  • University students’ knowledge, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and barriers related to reducing sedentary behavior: a qualitative study

    by Navjot Pachu, Shaelyn Strachan, Diana McMillan, Jacquie Ripat, Sandra Webber

    Objective: To explore university students’ knowledge, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, barriers and ideas related to reducing sedentary behavior using a qualitative approach. Participants: Nineteen students from a Canadian university participated. Methods: Four focus groups were conducted. Discussions were recorded, transcribed, and coded to identify categories and themes. Results: Some students lacked knowledge of the concept, but most were generally aware of health risks associated with sedentary behavior. Most students were confident they could reduce sedentary behavior, but felt it would be unlikely they would actually do so because: (a) it is not a priority, (b) the health consequences are distal, (c) increasing standing and light-intensity activity would not provide meaningful health benefits, and (d) class schedules/norms/infrastructure encourage sitting and are not under their control to change. Conclusion: Findings from this study may help inform intervention strategies aimed at decreasing excessive sedentary behavior among university students.


  • Open Access

    The arts as a catalyst for learning with undergraduate nursing students: findings from a constructivist grounded theory study

    by Kendra L. Rieger, Wanda M. Chernomas, Diana E. McMillan, Francine L. Morin

    Background: There is a growing interest in arts-based pedagogy (ABP) to promote the wide range of competencies needed for professional nursing. The aim of this study was to develop a theoretical understanding of how students learn through ABP in undergraduate nursing education. Methodology and Methods: We used a constructivist grounded theory methodology which incorporated art-elicitation interviews. Thirty nursing students and eight nurse educators shared about their ABP experiences. Data were analyzed with grounded theory procedures. Results: The arts as a catalyst for learning emerged as the core category and elucidates how the unique quality of the arts created powerful pedagogical processes for many students. When students engaged with these processes, they resulted in surprising and transformative learning outcomes for professional nursing. Conclusions: These findings provide insight into why and how students learned through ABP, and can inform the effective implementation of ABP into healthcare education.


  • Ethical and moral considerations of (patient) centredness in nursing and healthcare: Navigating uncharted waters

    by Deanne J. O'ROurke, Genevieve N. Thompson, Diana E. McMillan

    This discussion paper aims to explore potential ethical and moral implications of (patient) centredness in nursing and healthcare. Healthcare is experiencing a philosophical shift from a perspective where the health professional is positioned as the expert to one that re‐centres care and service provision central to the needs and desires of the persons served. This centred approach to healthcare delivery has gained a moral authority as the right thing to do. However, little attention has been given to its moral and ethical theoretical grounding and potential implications for nurses, persons served and the healthcare system. Based upon a review of academic and grey literature, centredness is proposed as a value‐laden concept in nursing inquiry. Potential moral and ethical implications of centredness on nurses/healthcare providers, persons served and the healthcare system are discussed. These challenges are then considered within the context of normative and relational ethical theories. These perspectives may offer guidance relative to how one should act in those circumstances as well as an understanding as to how interdependency and engagement with the other person(s) can help navigate the challenges of a centred care approach. Viewing centredness through an ethical theoretical lens provides a valuable discourse to nursing in efforts to expand the knowledge base and integrate centred approaches into practice and policy.


  • Open Access

    Understanding access to healthcare among Indigenous peoples: A comparative analysis of biomedical and postcolonial perspectives

    by Tara Horrill, Diana E McMillan, Annette S H Schultz, Genevieve Thompson

    As nursing professionals, we believe access to healthcare is fundamental to health and that it is a determinant of health. Therefore, evidence suggesting access to healthcare is problematic for many Indigenous peoples is concerning. While biomedical perspectives underlie our current understanding of access, considering alternate perspectives could expand our awareness of and ability to address this issue. In this paper, we critique how access to healthcare is understood through a biomedical lens, how a postcolonial theoretical lens can extend that understanding, and the subsequent implications this alternative view raises for the nursing profession. Drawing on peer‐reviewed published and gray literature concerning healthcare access and Indigenous peoples to inform this critique, we focus on the underlying theoretical lens shaping our current understanding of access. A postcolonial analysis provides a way of understanding healthcare as a social space and social relationship, presenting a unique perspective on access to healthcare. The novelty of this finding is of particular importance for the profession of nursing, as we are well situated to influence these social aspects, improving access to healthcare services broadly, and among Indigenous peoples specifically.


  • Open Access

    Writing self‐efficacy in nursing students: The influence of a discipline‐specific writing environment

    by Kim M. Mitchell, Tom Harrigan, Diana E. McMillan

    Aim: To explore if writing self‐efficacy improved among first‐year nursing students in the context of discipline‐specific writing. The relationship between writing self‐efficacy, anxiety and student grades are also explored with respect to various learner characteristics such as postsecondary experience, writing history, English as a second language status and online versus classroom instruction.Design: A one group quasi‐experimental study with a time control period.Method: Data was collected over the 2013–2014 academic year at orientation, start of writing course and end of writing course.Results: Writing self‐efficacyimproved from pre‐ to post writing course but remained stable during the time control period. Anxiety was negatively related towriting self‐efficacybut remained stable across the study period. Inexperienced students and students with less writing experience, appeared to over‐inflate their self‐assessedwriting self‐efficacyearly in the programme. This study gives promising evidence that online and classroom delivery of instruction are both feasible for introducing discipline specific writing.


  • A Template Analysis of Writing Self-Efficacy Measures

    by Kim M. Mitchell, Kendra L. Rieger, Diana E. McMillan

    Background and Purpose: This investigation reviews the item content of writing self-efficacy (WSE) measures developed for undergraduate students. Bandura’s self-efficacy theory and a writing theory by Flower and Hayes informed the a priori themes used to develop a template of WSE categories critical to the concept. Method: Articles describing WSE measures were identified through Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PsycINFO, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar (1984–2015). A template analysis method was used to analyze 182 individual items present on 11 WSE instruments. A nursing perspective was applied. Results: The analysis identified 16 categories influencing WSE as well as gaps in current measurement items. Conclusion: The theoretical examination of WSE is the first step toward the development of a WSE measure specific to the nursing context and contributes to nursing education by advancing the measurement of WSE.


  • Using Shared Treadmill Workstations to Promote Less Time Spent in Daily Low Intensity Physical Activities: A Pilot Study

    by Danielle R. Bouchard, Shaelyn Strachan, Leslie Johnson, Fiona Moola, Radhika Chitkara, Diana McMillan, Semone Myrie, Gordon Giesbrecht

    Objective: Our objective was to test the feasibility of sharing treadmill workstations among office workers to reduce time spent at low intensity and explore changes in health outcomes after a 3-month intervention.Methods: Twenty-two office workers were asked to walk 2 hours per shift on a shared treadmill workstation for 3 months. Physical activity levels (ie, low, light, moderate, and vigorous), health-related measures (eg, sleep, blood pressure), treadmill usage information, and questions regarding participants’ expectation and experiences were collected.Results: Physical activity time at low intensity during workdays was reduced by 20.1% (P = .007) in the 71% of participants completing the study. Participants were 70% confident that they would keep using the treadmill workstations. Interestingly, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and sleep quality scores were significantly improved (P < .05).Conclusions: The use of such equipment to replace a few hours of sitting is feasible and might offer important health benefits.