Sample records for identify good practice

  1. [Identifying indicators of good practice in clinical and healthcare management].

    PubMed

    Bermúdez Tamayo, C; Olry de Labry Lima, A; García Mochón, L

    To identify good practices in order to develop and implement indicators of health outcomes for clinical and healthcare management, as well as the characteristics for an indicator to be considered adequate. A scoping review was performed, with the following phases: 1) Search and identification of bibliography. 2) Selection of relevant documents. Including those studies that discussed issues related to good practices for the use of health indicators in the management field. Those published in a language other than English or Spanish or before 2006 were excluded. 3) Analysis and extraction of information. 4) Consultation with stakeholders, using a qualitative methodology through Concept Mapping, with the participation of 40 experts (decision-makers, scientific societies, and health professionals). The data collection process included an inductive and structured procedure, with prioritisation of ideas grouped into clusters, according to feasibility and importance criteria (0-10 scale). Good practices identified 2 levels: 1) macro-management: Define a framework for the evaluation of indicators and establish a benchmark of indicators. 2) meso-management: Establish indicators according to evidence and expert consensus, taking into account priority areas and topics, testing before final use, and communicate results adequately. The characteristics of a suitable indicator are: 1) Approach of an important issue, 2) Scientific validity, 3) Possibility of measurement with reliable data, 4) Meaning of useful and applicable measurement, and 5) Wide scope. The best practices for the use of indicators in clinical and healthcare management can make it easier to monitor performance and accountability, as well as to support the decision-making addressed at the development of initiatives for quality improvement. Copyright © 2018 SECA. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  2. Integrating Education: Parekhian Multiculturalism and Good Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McGlynn, Claire

    2009-01-01

    This paper explores the concept of good practice in integrating education in divided societies. Using Northern Ireland as a case study, the paper draws on data from eight schools (both integrated Catholic and Protestant, and separate) that are identified as exemplifying good practice in response to cultural diversity. Analysis is provided through…

  3. Good documentation practice in clinical research.

    PubMed

    Bargaje, Chitra

    2011-04-01

    One of the most common inspection findings in investigator site inspections is lack of reliable, accurate and adequate source documentation. This also happens to be the most common pitfall identified during sponsor audits. The importance of good documentation practice needs to be emphasized to investigator sites to ensure that the study results are built on the foundation of credible and valid data. This article focuses on the key principles of good documentation practice and offers suggestions for improvement.

  4. Good documentation practice in clinical research

    PubMed Central

    Bargaje, Chitra

    2011-01-01

    One of the most common inspection findings in investigator site inspections is lack of reliable, accurate and adequate source documentation. This also happens to be the most common pitfall identified during sponsor audits. The importance of good documentation practice needs to be emphasized to investigator sites to ensure that the study results are built on the foundation of credible and valid data. This article focuses on the key principles of good documentation practice and offers suggestions for improvement. PMID:21731856

  5. Good practices in Local Government - A first overview of Portuguese reality

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carvalhosa, P.; Portela, F.; Machado, J.; Santos, M. F.; Abelha, A.

    2017-03-01

    Good practices in eGov are being increasingly used by Local Governments being that it is considered by them as an advantage. The main goal is providing to the town hall a differentiation point and approximate their services to the citizens. For this, it is necessary to define and apply innovative strategies in order to increase the use of services by the citizens. This paper is framed in a research work and it presents a first overview of the existing good practices in eGov, taking in consideration the Portuguese’s reality. The good practices identified were distinguished with many awards and with a positive response from the target audience. The use of digital marketing strategies aims to increase their membership and coming closer the municipalities of its citizens through the dissemination of the good practices. At this moment the data collected are almost exclusively of good practice in Portugal, however some international practices were also identified. As a result of this study the community has a list of good practices that can be applied in their municipalities.

  6. Good practice or positive action? Using Q methodology to identify competing views on improving gender equality in academic medicine

    PubMed Central

    Burkinshaw, Paula; West, Robert M; Ward, Vicky

    2017-01-01

    Objectives The number of women entering medicine has increased significantly, yet women are still under-represented at senior levels in academic medicine. To support the gender equality action plan at one School of Medicine, this study sought to (1) identify the range of viewpoints held by staff on how to address gender inequality and (2) identify attitudinal barriers to change. Design Q methodology. 50 potential interventions representing good practice or positive action, and addressing cultural, organisational and individual barriers to gender equality, were ranked by participants according to their perception of priority. Setting The School of Medicine at the University of Leeds, UK. Participants Fifty-five staff members were purposively sampled to represent gender and academic pay grade. Results Principal components analysis identified six competing viewpoints on how to address gender inequality. Four viewpoints favoured positive action interventions: (1) support careers of women with childcare commitments, (2) support progression of women into leadership roles rather than focus on women with children, (3) support careers of all women rather than just those aiming for leadership, and (4) drive change via high-level financial and strategic initiatives. Two viewpoints favoured good practice with no specific focus on women by (5) recognising merit irrespective of gender and (6) improving existing career development practice. No viewpoint was strongly associated with gender, pay grade or role; however, latent class analysis identified that female staff were more likely than male to prioritise the setting of equality targets. Attitudinal barriers to the setting of targets and other positive action initiatives were identified, and it was clear that not all staff supported positive action approaches. Conclusions The findings and the approach have utility for those involved in gender equality work in other medical and academic institutions. However, the impact of such

  7. [Identification of Good-Practice Projects in Promoting Physical Activity - Methods, Pitfalls and Sampled Outcomes].

    PubMed

    Henn, Annette; Karger, Claudia; Wöhlken, Katrin; Meier, Diana; Ungerer-Röhrich, Ulrike; Graf, Christine; Woll, Alexander

    2017-03-01

    The aim of this paper is to identify and show examples of good practice of public health promotion. For this, uniform quality criteria were worked out under consideration of national and international scientific literature.For the identification of examples of good practice, a comparison of different quality criteria was carried out and combined with each other in a first step. In the following step, examples of good practice were identified after a comprehensive search. The choice of the "good-practice" projects is exemplary and lays no claim to completeness.6 main quality criteria (QC) of programs promoting physical activity could be identified in the national and international context. The analysis showed altogether 10 projects which can exemplarily be classified as examples of good practice of the target groups of children and teenagers, adults, older people and people with pre-existing illnesses. These projects, however, show major differences in their (methodological) quality.The analysis reports a lack of "Good-Practice" examples. Deficits lie mainly in documentation and sustainability. Because of incomplete documentation, an assessment as a "Good-Practice" example is only possible to a limited extent; a lot of information, particularly in the evaluation, is missing. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  8. Good practice or positive action? Using Q methodology to identify competing views on improving gender equality in academic medicine.

    PubMed

    Bryant, Louise D; Burkinshaw, Paula; House, Allan O; West, Robert M; Ward, Vicky

    2017-08-22

    The number of women entering medicine has increased significantly, yet women are still under-represented at senior levels in academic medicine. To support the gender equality action plan at one School of Medicine, this study sought to (1) identify the range of viewpoints held by staff on how to address gender inequality and (2) identify attitudinal barriers to change. Q methodology. 50 potential interventions representing good practice or positive action, and addressing cultural, organisational and individual barriers to gender equality, were ranked by participants according to their perception of priority. The School of Medicine at the University of Leeds, UK. Fifty-five staff members were purposively sampled to represent gender and academic pay grade. Principal components analysis identified six competing viewpoints on how to address gender inequality. Four viewpoints favoured positive action interventions: (1) support careers of women with childcare commitments, (2) support progression of women into leadership roles rather than focus on women with children, (3) support careers of all women rather than just those aiming for leadership, and (4) drive change via high-level financial and strategic initiatives. Two viewpoints favoured good practice with no specific focus on women by (5) recognising merit irrespective of gender and (6) improving existing career development practice. No viewpoint was strongly associated with gender, pay grade or role; however, latent class analysis identified that female staff were more likely than male to prioritise the setting of equality targets. Attitudinal barriers to the setting of targets and other positive action initiatives were identified, and it was clear that not all staff supported positive action approaches. The findings and the approach have utility for those involved in gender equality work in other medical and academic institutions. However, the impact of such initiatives needs to be evaluated in the longer term.

  9. Principles of Good Practice in SoTL

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Felten, Peter

    2013-01-01

    For the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) to be understood as significant intellectual work in the academy, SoTL practitioners need to identify shared principles of good practice. While honoring the diversity of SoTL in its many forms across the globe, such principles can serve as a heuristic for assessing work in our field. These…

  10. Supporting practice teachers to identify failing students.

    PubMed

    Skingley, Ann; Arnott, J; Greaves, J; Nabb, J

    2007-01-01

    The subject of identifying and supporting failing students in community nursing education programmes has been largely overlooked in the literature, yet is of great concern to practice teachers. This article discusses the views on the topic of a group of practice teachers in the light of existing, related research and proposes a number of indicators for good practice. It is suggested that of central importance is the need for higher education institutions and practice teachers to work together in identifying students causing concern at an early stage in their studies, based on both objective and subjective observations, and to have in place documented procedures to be followed when such situations arise.

  11. Good practices : incorporating safety into resurfacing and restoration projects

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2006-12-01

    Integrating safety improvements into resurfacing and restoration projects is a subject of long-standing interest by Federal, State, and local transportation agencies. A Scan Tour was conducted to identify and subsequently observe good practices in th...

  12. Good Practices for Transforming Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Benavente, Ana; Panchaud, Christine

    2008-01-01

    This text is a guide to the reading and interpretation of the "good practices" that are developing in the countries participating in this project and elsewhere. A systematic approach to the factors making up a "good practice" has enabled us to share our analyses in a more structured manner and to reflect on their potential for…

  13. Do quality indicators for general practice teaching practices predict good outcomes for students?

    PubMed

    Bartlett, Maggie; Potts, Jessica; McKinley, Bob

    2016-07-01

    Keele medical students spend 113 days in general practices over our five-year programme. We collect practice data thought to indicate good quality teaching. We explored the relationships between these data and two outcomes for students; Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) scores and feedback regarding the placements. Though both are surrogate markers of good teaching, they are widely used. We collated practice and outcome data for one academic year. Two separate statistical analyses were carried out: (1) to determine how much of the variation seen in the OSCE scores was due to the effect of the practice and how much to the individual student. (2) to identify practice characteristics with a relationship to student feedback scores. (1) OSCE performance: 268 students in 90 practices: six quality indicators independently influenced the OSCE score, though without linear relationships and not to statistical significance. (2) Student satisfaction: 144 students in 69 practices: student feedback scores are not influenced by practice characteristics. The relationships between the quality indicators we collect for practices and outcomes for students are not clear. It may be that neither the quality indicators nor the outcome measures are reliable enough to inform decisions about practices' suitability for teaching.

  14. Improving nutritional care: innovation and good practice.

    PubMed

    Chapman, Carol; Barker, Mary; Lawrence, Wendy

    2015-04-01

    This paper presents examples of good practice in nutritional screening and care and identifies methods used to overcome contextual constraints and discusses the implications for nursing practice in hospitals. Nutritional screening is an important step in identifying those at risk of malnutrition, but does not produce improved nutritional care unless it results in a care plan that is acted on. The importance of nutrition and implications for clinical care make it imperative to improve practice. Qualitative investigation. Between January 2011-February 2012, focus groups were held using a semi-structured discussion guide with nine groups of health professionals (n = 80) from one hospital: four with nurses, three with doctors and two with dietitians. Discussions were audio-recorded, transcribed and coded into themes and sub-themes, which were then depicted in a thematic map and illustrated with verbatim quotes. Three strategies for sustaining effective nutritional practice emerged: establishing routines to ensure screening was undertaken; re-organizing aspects of care to promote good practice; developing innovative approaches. Issues to be addressed were the perceived disconnection between mandatory screening and the delivery of effective care, a requirement for nutrition education, organizational constraints of a large university hospital and the complexities of multidisciplinary working. Professionals seeking to improve nutritional care in hospitals need to understand the interaction of system and person to facilitate change. Nursing staff need to be able to exercise autonomy and the hospital system must offer enough flexibility to allow wards to organize nutritional screening and care in a way that meets the needs of individual patients. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  15. Good practices in transportation evacuation preparedness and response : results of the FHWA workshop series.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2009-08-01

    This document provides an overview of the good practices identified during a series of multi-state workshops on Transportation Evacuation Preparedness and Response in four regions across the United States. Good practices are not presented in priority...

  16. Good practices in transportation evacuation preparedness and response : results of the FHWA Workshop Series

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2009-08-01

    This document provides an overview of the good practices identified during a series of multi-state workshops on Transportation Evacuation Preparedness and Response in four regions across the United States. Good practices are not presented in priority...

  17. Good Practice in GNVQ Induction Programmes. Project Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Benett, Yves

    A 2-year research and development project was conducted to identify existing good practices for introducing students in the United Kingdom (UK) to General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs) and available teaching and learning materials for use in the induction of GNVQs in UK schools and colleges. The main activities of the project's three…

  18. HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT FOR DECISION MAKING IN LATIN AMERICA: GOOD PRACTICE PRINCIPLES.

    PubMed

    Pichon-Riviere, Andrés; Soto, Natalie C; Augustovski, Federico Ariel; García Martí, Sebastián; Sampietro-Colom, Laura

    2018-06-11

    The aim of this study was to identify good practice principles for health technology assessment (HTA) that are the most relevant and of highest priority for application in Latin America and to identify potential barriers to their implementation in the region. HTA good practice principles proposed at the international level were identified and then explored during a deliberative process in a forum of assessors, funders, and product manufacturers. Forty-two representatives from ten Latin American countries participated. Good practice principles proposed at the international level were considered valid and potentially relevant to Latin America. Five principles were identified as priority and with the greatest potential to be strengthened at this time: transparency in the production of HTA, involvement of relevant stakeholders in the HTA process, mechanisms to appeal decisions, clear priority-setting processes in HTA, and a clear link between HTA and decision making. The main challenge identified was to find a balance between the application of these principles and the available resources in a way that would not detract from the production of reports and adaptation to the needs of decision makers. The main recommendation was to progress gradually in strengthening HTA and its link to decision making by developing appropriate processes for each country, without trying to impose, in the short-term, standards taken from examples at the international level without adequate adaptation of these to local contexts.

  19. 21 CFR 110.5 - Current good manufacturing practice.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Current good manufacturing practice. 110.5 Section...) FOOD FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION CURRENT GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICE IN MANUFACTURING, PACKING, OR HOLDING HUMAN FOOD General Provisions § 110.5 Current good manufacturing practice. (a) The criteria and...

  20. 21 CFR 225.1 - Current good manufacturing practice.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 4 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Current good manufacturing practice. 225.1 Section...) DRUGS: GENERAL CURRENT GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICE FOR MEDICATED FEEDS General Provisions § 225.1 Current good manufacturing practice. (a) Section 501(a)(2)(B) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act...

  1. 21 CFR 226.1 - Current good manufacturing practice.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 4 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Current good manufacturing practice. 226.1 Section...) DRUGS: GENERAL CURRENT GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICE FOR TYPE A MEDICATED ARTICLES General Provisions § 226.1 Current good manufacturing practice. (a) The criteria in §§ 226.10 through 226.115, inclusive...

  2. Helping Displaced Older Workers Get Back into Employment: Good Practice Guide

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Callahan, Victor J.; Bowman, Kaye

    2015-01-01

    This good practice guide is based on the report "Industry Restructuring and Job Loss: Helping Older Workers Get Back into Employment" by Victor J. Callan and Kaye Bowman. The aim of the research was to identify evidence-based practices that led to successful skills transfer, re-skilling, training and the attainment of new jobs for older…

  3. Good pharmacovigilance practices: technology enabled.

    PubMed

    Nelson, Robert C; Palsulich, Bruce; Gogolak, Victor

    2002-01-01

    The assessment of spontaneous reports is most effective it is conducted within a defined and rigorous process. The framework for good pharmacovigilance process (GPVP) is proposed as a subset of good postmarketing surveillance process (GPMSP), a functional structure for both a public health and corporate risk management strategy. GPVP has good practices that implement each step within a defined process. These practices are designed to efficiently and effectively detect and alert the drug safety professional to new and potentially important information on drug-associated adverse reactions. These practices are enabled by applied technology designed specifically for the review and assessment of spontaneous reports. Specific practices include rules-based triage, active query prompts for severe organ insults, contextual single case evaluation, statistical proportionality and correlational checks, case-series analyses, and templates for signal work-up and interpretation. These practices and the overall GPVP are supported by state-of-the-art web-based systems with powerful analytical engines, workflow and audit trials to allow validated systems support for valid drug safety signalling efforts. It is also important to understand that a process has a defined set of steps and any one cannot stand independently. Specifically, advanced use of technical alerting methods in isolation can mislead and allow one to misunderstand priorities and relative value. In the end, pharmacovigilance is a clinical art and a component process to the science of pharmacoepidemiology and risk management.

  4. Investigating Good Practice in Supporting Deaf Pupils in Mainstream Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Powers, Steve

    2001-01-01

    A survey of parents, teachers, therapists, psychologists, and deaf adults (n=628) and 15 case study sites were used to identify the following good practices supporting deaf students in mainstream schools: direct support for teachers of the deaf, joint planning by support and mainstream teachers, student involvement in decision making, and…

  5. 21 CFR 129.1 - Current good manufacturing practice.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Current good manufacturing practice. 129.1 Section... Current good manufacturing practice. The applicable criteria in part 110 of this chapter, as well as the..., methods, practices, and controls used in the processing, bottling, holding, and shipping of bottled...

  6. Teleworking: Guidelines for Good Practice. IES Report 329.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huws, Ursula; And Others

    Because teleworking presents major new challenges to human resource managers, trade unions, and others involved in the development of good employment practices, this book provides practical guidelines for good practice in regard to teleworkers that recognize that teleworking is not a single category, but covers at least five distinct groups with…

  7. 21 CFR 1271.150 - Current good tissue practice requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Current good tissue practice requirements. 1271... HUMAN CELLS, TISSUES, AND CELLULAR AND TISSUE-BASED PRODUCTS Current Good Tissue Practice § 1271.150 Current good tissue practice requirements. (a) General. This subpart D and subpart C of this part set...

  8. Good Laboratory Practice. Part 3. Implementing Good Laboratory Practice in the Analytical Lab

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wedlich, Richard C.; Pires, Amanda; Fazzino, Lisa; Fransen, Joseph M.

    2013-01-01

    Laboratories submitting experimental results to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in support of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) nonclinical laboratory studies must conduct such work in compliance with the GLP regulations. To consistently meet these requirements, lab managers employ a "divide…

  9. 21 CFR 113.5 - Current good manufacturing practice.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Current good manufacturing practice. 113.5 Section... CONTAINERS General Provisions § 113.5 Current good manufacturing practice. The criteria in §§ 113.10, 113.40..., methods, practices, and controls used by the commercial processor in the manufacture, processing, or...

  10. Emergency management training program: Guide to good practice

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    1991-07-01

    The Emergency Management Training Program Guide to Good Practice is a project of the Training Resources and Data Exchange (TRADE) Emergency Management Issues Special Interest Group (EMI SIG). EMI SIG members expressed interest in a resource to assist in development of a comprehensive emergency management training program. This publication provides guidelines, methods, and materials for EMI SIG members to use, assisting in complete and effective emergency management programs. The purposes of the Emergency Management Training Program Guide to Good Practice are: Provide guidance in the development and management of Emergency Management (EM) training programs; Assist EM trainers to incorporate componentsmore » of the DOE Emergency Management System philosophy of planning, preparedness, readiness assurance, and response into EM training programs; Help EM training managers meet EM training requirements and conditions established by current regulations and policies; Supplement other TRADE EMI SIG documents and complement individual facility training documents. This program is designed for emergency management personnel who are responsible for providing or overseeing EM training but who do not necessarily possess expertise in developing training. It provides good practices from the manager's point of view on how to produce, administer, and document facility EM training programs in the spirit of the DOE EM system philosophy. Basic guidance is also included for personnel who design, develop, deliver, and/or evaluate EM training programs or parts. This guidance includes key points of EM training programs and identifies other documents that contain useful and/or more detailed training information.« less

  11. Emergency management training program: Guide to good practice

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    1991-07-01

    The Emergency Management Training Program Guide to Good Practice is a project of the Training Resources and Data Exchange (TRADE) Emergency Management Issues Special Interest Group (EMI SIG). EMI SIG members expressed interest in a resource to assist in development of a comprehensive emergency management training program. This publication provides guidelines, methods, and materials for EMI SIG members to use, assisting in complete and effective emergency management programs. The purposes of the Emergency Management Training Program Guide to Good Practice are: Provide guidance in the development and management of Emergency Management (EM) training programs; Assist EM trainers to incorporate componentsmore » of the DOE Emergency Management System philosophy of planning, preparedness, readiness assurance, and response into EM training programs; Help EM training managers meet EM training requirements and conditions established by current regulations and policies; Supplement other TRADE EMI SIG documents and complement individual facility training documents. This program is designed for emergency management personnel who are responsible for providing or overseeing EM training but who do not necessarily possess expertise in developing training. It provides good practices from the manager`s point of view on how to produce, administer, and document facility EM training programs in the spirit of the DOE EM system philosophy. Basic guidance is also included for personnel who design, develop, deliver, and/or evaluate EM training programs or parts. This guidance includes key points of EM training programs and identifies other documents that contain useful and/or more detailed training information.« less

  12. Images of otoscopy: rate and extent of non-compliance with good practice standards.

    PubMed

    Crundwell, G; Harmer, J; Maltby, M; Mills, T; Neumann, C; Walsh, L; Baguley, D

    2015-01-01

    The British Society of Audiology has produced clear guidelines as to how otoscopy should be undertaken; however, no nationally recognised guidelines exist for the wider clinical community. Images of otoscopy appear in many books, journals, magazines and websites. This study aimed to determine the rate of non-compliance with good practice in images of otoscopy, the seriousness of the breach, and whether this is more common in sites for professionals or the general public. Google Images was searched using the terms 'otoscopy' and 'ear examination'. A total of 200 images were identified and collated. The images were reviewed for compliance with good practice standards. Only 12.75 per cent of the images were graded as having no breach of good practice standards. Professional websites have a responsibility to show best practice. When choosing an image, the source of the image needs to be carefully considered.

  13. Good cell culture practices &in vitro toxicology.

    PubMed

    Eskes, Chantra; Boström, Ann-Charlotte; Bowe, Gerhard; Coecke, Sandra; Hartung, Thomas; Hendriks, Giel; Pamies, David; Piton, Alain; Rovida, Costanza

    2017-12-01

    Good Cell Culture Practices (GCCP) is of high relevance to in vitro toxicology. The European Society of Toxicology In Vitro (ESTIV), the Center for Alternatives for Animal Testing (CAAT) and the In Vitro Toxicology Industrial Platform (IVTIP) joined forces to address by means of an ESTIV 2016 pre-congress session the different aspects and applications of GCCP. The covered aspects comprised the current status of the OECD guidance document on Good In Vitro Method Practices, the importance of quality assurance for new technological advances in in vitro toxicology including stem cells, and the optimized implementation of Good Manufacturing Practices and Good Laboratory Practices for regulatory testing purposes. General discussions raised the duality related to the difficulties in implementing GCCP in an academic innovative research framework on one hand, and on the other hand, the need for such GCCP principles in order to ensure reproducibility and robustness of in vitro test methods for toxicity testing. Indeed, if good cell culture principles are critical to take into consideration for all uses of in vitro test methods for toxicity testing, the level of application of such principles may depend on the stage of development of the test method as well as on the applications of the test methods, i.e., academic innovative research vs. regulatory standardized test method. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Examples of Holistic Good Practices in Promoting and Protecting Mental Health in the Workplace: Current and Future Challenges.

    PubMed

    Sivris, Kelly C; Leka, Stavroula

    2015-12-01

    While attention has been paid to physical risks in the work environment and the promotion of individual employee health, mental health protection and promotion have received much less focus. Psychosocial risk management has not yet been fully incorporated in such efforts. This paper presents good practices in promoting mental health in the workplace in line with World Health Organization (WHO) guidance by identifying barriers, opportunities, and the way forward in this area. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 17 experts who were selected on the basis of their knowledge and expertise in relation to good practice identified tools. Interviewees were asked to evaluate the approaches on the basis of the WHO model for healthy workplaces. The examples of good practice for Workplace Mental Health Promotion (WMHP) are in line with the principles and the five keys of the WHO model. They support the third objective of the WHO comprehensive mental health action plan 2013-2020 for multisectoral implementation of WMHP strategies. Examples of good practice include the engagement of all stakeholders and representatives, science-driven practice, dissemination of good practice, continual improvement, and evaluation. Actions to inform policies/legislation, promote education on psychosocial risks, and provide better evidence were suggested for higher WMHP success. The study identified commonalities in good practice approaches in different countries and stressed the importance of a strong policy and enforcement framework as well as organizational responsibility for WMHP. For progress to be achieved in this area, a holistic and multidisciplinary approach was unanimously suggested as a way to successful implementation.

  15. Examples of Holistic Good Practices in Promoting and Protecting Mental Health in the Workplace: Current and Future Challenges

    PubMed Central

    Sivris, Kelly C.; Leka, Stavroula

    2015-01-01

    Background While attention has been paid to physical risks in the work environment and the promotion of individual employee health, mental health protection and promotion have received much less focus. Psychosocial risk management has not yet been fully incorporated in such efforts. This paper presents good practices in promoting mental health in the workplace in line with World Health Organization (WHO) guidance by identifying barriers, opportunities, and the way forward in this area. Methods Semistructured interviews were conducted with 17 experts who were selected on the basis of their knowledge and expertise in relation to good practice identified tools. Interviewees were asked to evaluate the approaches on the basis of the WHO model for healthy workplaces. Results The examples of good practice for Workplace Mental Health Promotion (WMHP) are in line with the principles and the five keys of the WHO model. They support the third objective of the WHO comprehensive mental health action plan 2013–2020 for multisectoral implementation of WMHP strategies. Examples of good practice include the engagement of all stakeholders and representatives, science-driven practice, dissemination of good practice, continual improvement, and evaluation. Actions to inform policies/legislation, promote education on psychosocial risks, and provide better evidence were suggested for higher WMHP success. Conclusion The study identified commonalities in good practice approaches in different countries and stressed the importance of a strong policy and enforcement framework as well as organizational responsibility for WMHP. For progress to be achieved in this area, a holistic and multidisciplinary approach was unanimously suggested as a way to successful implementation. PMID:26929841

  16. Top 10 metrics for life science software good practices.

    PubMed

    Artaza, Haydee; Chue Hong, Neil; Corpas, Manuel; Corpuz, Angel; Hooft, Rob; Jimenez, Rafael C; Leskošek, Brane; Olivier, Brett G; Stourac, Jan; Svobodová Vařeková, Radka; Van Parys, Thomas; Vaughan, Daniel

    2016-01-01

    Metrics for assessing adoption of good development practices are a useful way to ensure that software is sustainable, reusable and functional. Sustainability means that the software used today will be available - and continue to be improved and supported - in the future. We report here an initial set of metrics that measure good practices in software development. This initiative differs from previously developed efforts in being a community-driven grassroots approach where experts from different organisations propose good software practices that have reasonable potential to be adopted by the communities they represent. We not only focus our efforts on understanding and prioritising good practices, we assess their feasibility for implementation and publish them here.

  17. Top 10 metrics for life science software good practices

    PubMed Central

    2016-01-01

    Metrics for assessing adoption of good development practices are a useful way to ensure that software is sustainable, reusable and functional. Sustainability means that the software used today will be available - and continue to be improved and supported - in the future. We report here an initial set of metrics that measure good practices in software development. This initiative differs from previously developed efforts in being a community-driven grassroots approach where experts from different organisations propose good software practices that have reasonable potential to be adopted by the communities they represent. We not only focus our efforts on understanding and prioritising good practices, we assess their feasibility for implementation and publish them here. PMID:27635232

  18. 21 CFR 123.5 - Current good manufacturing practice.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Current good manufacturing practice. 123.5 Section...) FOOD FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION FISH AND FISHERY PRODUCTS General Provisions § 123.5 Current good manufacturing practice. (a) Part 110 of this chapter applies in determining whether the facilities, methods...

  19. [What everybody should know about good clinical practices].

    PubMed

    Osorio, Lyda

    2015-01-01

    An increasing number of countries are adopting good clinical practices guidelines as part of the regulation of clinical studies to register pharmaceutical products and other health-related products. Consequently, all parties involved in the research and development of these products should know them, implement them and ensure their compliance. However, good clinical practices guidelines are just one of the initiatives seeking to achieve the highest ethical and scientific standards in health research and in other areas where humans are research subjects. This review defines such practices and their objectives presenting in a practical manner their legal framework in Colombia, and clarifying their application in studies where interventions use no medications or those that are not clinical trials. Finally, the work discusses the challenges to ensure that good clinical practices contribute to the protection of research participants, the education of trustworthy health professionals, and a culture of respect for human beings.

  20. 21 CFR 114.5 - Current good manufacturing practice.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Current good manufacturing practice. 114.5 Section...) FOOD FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION ACIDIFIED FOODS General Provisions § 114.5 Current good manufacturing practice. The criteria in §§ 114.10, 114.80, 114.83, 114.89, and 114.100, as well as the criteria in part...

  1. Creating Opportunities: Good Practice in Small Business Training for Australian Rural Women.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Simpson, Lyn; Daws, Leonie; Wood, Leanne

    2002-01-01

    To overcome barriers to participation in small business training faced by rural Australian women, training needs and delivery issues were identified and a good practice matrix was developed with the following components: marketing, content, delivery, support, impact, and innovation. Underlying principles included unique needs, diversity, use of…

  2. Prakriti-based research: Good reporting practices.

    PubMed

    Bhalerao, Supriya; Patwardhan, Kishor

    2016-03-01

    The recent advances in the fields of genomics, personalized medicine, and Ayurveda have motivated many researchers to look at the relationship between Prakriti (phenotype-based Ayurveda constitution) and various objective biological parameters. As a result, a number of studies reporting such a relationship have made their way into mainstream scholarly journals. However, when it comes to the protocols that these workers follow to identify one's Prakriti, there are several issues that are yet to be resolved. In this communication, we propose a few reporting practices that such workers are required to be encouraged to follow, while submitting their work on Prakriti to scholarly journals. We have arranged this proposal under the following domains that may serve as a preliminary checklist in this context: The textual references, validation process, assessment of characters, scoring pattern, weightage assignment, criterion for expressing the final Prakriti type, and a need to publish the complete Prakriti-determination tool. We advocate that only if the workers in the field adhere to these good reporting practices, one will be able to draw meaningful, generalizable, and applicable interpretations out of such studies. We also suggest that the editors of relevant scholarly journals may recommend these reporting practices while considering such reports for publication. Copyright © 2016 Transdisciplinary University, Bangalore and World Ayurveda Foundation. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. "Inclusive Working Life" in Norway--experience from "Models of Good Practice" enterprises.

    PubMed

    Lie, Arve

    2008-08-01

    a higher than expected sickness absence rate. This indicates that it is difficult to identify Models of Good Practice enterprises and that they cannot be treated as role model enterprises. Good cooperation with the occupational health service and the empowerment and involvement of the employees is associated with a low sickness absence rate.

  4. Good practices for quantitative bias analysis.

    PubMed

    Lash, Timothy L; Fox, Matthew P; MacLehose, Richard F; Maldonado, George; McCandless, Lawrence C; Greenland, Sander

    2014-12-01

    Quantitative bias analysis serves several objectives in epidemiological research. First, it provides a quantitative estimate of the direction, magnitude and uncertainty arising from systematic errors. Second, the acts of identifying sources of systematic error, writing down models to quantify them, assigning values to the bias parameters and interpreting the results combat the human tendency towards overconfidence in research results, syntheses and critiques and the inferences that rest upon them. Finally, by suggesting aspects that dominate uncertainty in a particular research result or topic area, bias analysis can guide efficient allocation of sparse research resources. The fundamental methods of bias analyses have been known for decades, and there have been calls for more widespread use for nearly as long. There was a time when some believed that bias analyses were rarely undertaken because the methods were not widely known and because automated computing tools were not readily available to implement the methods. These shortcomings have been largely resolved. We must, therefore, contemplate other barriers to implementation. One possibility is that practitioners avoid the analyses because they lack confidence in the practice of bias analysis. The purpose of this paper is therefore to describe what we view as good practices for applying quantitative bias analysis to epidemiological data, directed towards those familiar with the methods. We focus on answering questions often posed to those of us who advocate incorporation of bias analysis methods into teaching and research. These include the following. When is bias analysis practical and productive? How does one select the biases that ought to be addressed? How does one select a method to model biases? How does one assign values to the parameters of a bias model? How does one present and interpret a bias analysis?. We hope that our guide to good practices for conducting and presenting bias analyses will encourage

  5. Good Practice and Recommendations for Research Team Leadership

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-05-01

    ARL-SR-0372 ● MAY 2017 US Army Research Laboratory Good Practice and Recommendations for Research Team Leadership by Mark L...Do not return it to the originator. ARL-SR-0372 ● MAY 2017 US Army Research Laboratory Good Practice and Recommendations for...information, including suggestions for reducing the burden, to Department of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services , Directorate for Information

  6. Securing the Adoption of Good Practice in Scotland's Colleges. A Report by HM Inspectors of Education for the Scottish Funding Council

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education, 2006

    2006-01-01

    The purpose of this report is to describe the main mechanisms currently in use in Scotland's colleges to ensure that the adoption of good practice actually happens. It investigates how colleges identify and promote good practice in their own institutions; how they develop strategies and processes to ensure good practice is shared, adopted and…

  7. 21 CFR 210.1 - Status of current good manufacturing practice regulations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 4 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Status of current good manufacturing practice... SERVICES (CONTINUED) DRUGS: GENERAL CURRENT GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICE IN MANUFACTURING, PROCESSING, PACKING, OR HOLDING OF DRUGS; GENERAL § 210.1 Status of current good manufacturing practice regulations...

  8. Self-assessed competency at working with a medical interpreter is not associated with knowledge of good practice.

    PubMed

    Hudelson, Patricia; Perneger, Thomas; Kolly, Véronique; Perron, Noëlle Junod

    2012-01-01

    Specific knowledge and skills are needed to work effectively with an interpreter, but most doctors have received limited training. Self-assessed competency may not accurately identify training needs. The purpose of this study is to explore the association between self-assessed competency at working with an interpreter and the ability to identify elements of good practice, using a written vignette. A mailed questionnaire was sent to 619 doctors and medical students in Geneva, Switzerland. 58.6% of respondents considered themselves to be highly competent at working with a professional interpreter, but 22% failed to mention even one element of good practice in response to the vignette, and only 39% could name more than one. There was no association between self-rated competency and number of elements mentioned. Training efforts should challenge the assumption that working with an interpreter is intuitive. Evaluation of clinicians' ability to work with an interpreter should not be limited to self-ratings. In the context of large-scale surveys, written vignettes may provide a simple method for identifying knowledge of good practice and topics requiring further training.

  9. Emerging Good Practices for Transforming Value Assessment: Patients' Voices, Patients' Values.

    PubMed

    Perfetto, Eleanor M; Harris, Jason; Mullins, C Daniel; dosReis, Susan

    2018-04-01

    Patient engagement is a transformative strategy for improving value assessment. US value framework developers have increased engagement activities, but more needs to be learned about how to best achieve meaningful patient engagement in value assessment. The objective was to glean good practices in patient engagement emerging from patient community experiences, to be used in value assessment. The National Health Council Value Workgroup conducted a survey and held a focus group with its member advocacy organizations to gather experiences with value framework developers and views on emerging good practices. Ten of 13 organizations completed the survey; reporting 13 interactions with four framework developers. Most rated experiences as "good" to "very good." Emerging good practices included (1) engage early; (2) engage a range of patients; (3) leverage patient-provided information, data resources, and outreach mechanisms; (4) be transparent; and (5) appreciate and accommodate resource constraints. Twelve of 13 organizations participated in the focus group, and this produced 30 emerging good practices in four areas: (1) timing; (2) methodology and data; (3) partnering; and (4) characterizing engagement. Patient engagement was limited in early development of value frameworks but has increased in the past few years. Patient groups report positive experiences that can serve as emerging good practices. These groups also reported experienced challenges in their interactions and recommended good practices to mitigate those challenges. The growing pool of patient engagement experiences can be translated into good practices to advance a patient-centered, value-driven health care ecosystem. Lessons learned from these early experiences can help establish recommend emerging good practices that can eventually result in best practices and standards in the field. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc

  10. 75 FR 16345 - Administrative Practices and Procedures; Good Guidance Practices; Technical Amendment

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-01

    .... FDA-1999-N-3539] (formerly Docket No. 1999N-4783) Administrative Practices and Procedures; Good Guidance Practices; Technical Amendment AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS. ACTION: Final rule... Subjects in 21 CFR Part 10 Administrative practice and procedure, News media. 0 Therefore, under the...

  11. Specificity of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) for Biomedical Cell Products.

    PubMed

    Tulina, M A; Pyatigorskaya, N V

    2018-03-01

    The article describes special aspects of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) for biomedical cell products (BMCP) that imply high standards of aseptics throughout the entire productio process, strict requirements to donors and to the procedure of biomaterial isolation, guaranty of tracing BMCP products, defining processing procedures which allow to identify BMCP as minimally manipulated; continuous quality control and automation of the control process at all stages of manufacturing, which will ensure product release simultaneously with completion of technological operations.

  12. Multiple Images, Common Threads. Case Studies of Good Practice in Adult Community Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bradshaw, Delia

    This document presents 10 case studies of adult community education programs (ACE) in the state of Victoria, Australia, in the mid 1990s, that were identified as exemplifying the following principles of good practice in ACE: expansiveness, integration, responsiveness, innovation, belonging, explicitness, autonomy, accessibility, synthesis, and…

  13. [Qualitative evaluation of employer requirements associated with occupational health and safety as good practice in small-scale enterprises].

    PubMed

    Kuroki, Naomi; Miyashita, Nana; Hino, Yoshiyuki; Kayashima, Kotaro; Fujino, Yoshihisa; Takada, Mikio; Nagata, Tomohisa; Yamataki, Hajime; Sakuragi, Sonoko; Kan, Hirohiko; Morita, Tetsuya; Ito, Akiyoshi; Mori, Koji

    2009-09-01

    The purpose of this study was to identify what motivates employers to promote good occupational health and safety practices in small-scale enterprises. Previous studies have shown that small-scale enterprises generally pay insufficient attention to issues of occupational health and safety. These findings were mainly derived from questionnaire based surveys. Nevertheless, some small-scale enterprises in which employers exercise good leadership do take a progressive approach to occupational health and safety. Although good practices can be identified in small-scale enterprises, it remains unclear what motivates employers in small-scale enterprises to actively implement occupational health and safety practices. We speculated that identifying employer motivations in promoting occupational health would help to spread good practices among small-scale enterprises. Using a qualitative approach based on the KJ methods, we interviewed ten employers who actively promote occupational health and safety in the workplace. The employers were asked to discuss their views of occupational health and safety in their own words. A semi-structured interview format was used, and transcripts were made of the interviews. Each transcript was independently coded by two or more researchers. These transcripts and codes were integrated and then the research group members discussed the heading titles and structural relationships between them according to the KJ method. Qualitative analysis revealed that all the employers expressed a strong interest in a "good company" and "good management". They emphasized four elements of "good management", namely "securing human resources", "trust of business partners", "social responsibility" and "employer's health condition itself", and considered that addressing occupational health and safety was essential to the achievement of these four elements. Consistent with previous findings, the results showed that implementation of occupational health and safety

  14. [Good drug distribution practice and its implementation in drug distribution companies].

    PubMed

    Draksiene, Gailute

    2002-01-01

    Good Distribution Practice is based on the Directive of the Board of the European Community 92/25/EEC regarding the wholesale distribution of drugs for human consumption. It is stated in the Directive that the whole drug distribution channel is to be controlled from the point of drug production or import down to the supplies to the end user. In order to reach the goal, the drug distribution company must create the quality assurance system and facilitate its correct functioning. This aim requires development of the rules of the Good Distribution Practice. Those rules set the general requirements of the Good Distribution Practice for distribution companies that they must conduct. The article explains main requirements postulated in the rules of the Good Distribution Practice and implementation of the Good Distribution Practice requirements in drug distribution companies.

  15. Good practices in free-energy calculations.

    PubMed

    Pohorille, Andrew; Jarzynski, Christopher; Chipot, Christophe

    2010-08-19

    As access to computational resources continues to increase, free-energy calculations have emerged as a powerful tool that can play a predictive role in a wide range of research areas. Yet, the reliability of these calculations can often be improved significantly if a number of precepts, or good practices, are followed. Although the theory upon which these good practices rely has largely been known for many years, it is often overlooked or simply ignored. In other cases, the theoretical developments are too recent for their potential to be fully grasped and merged into popular platforms for the computation of free-energy differences. In this contribution, the current best practices for carrying out free-energy calculations using free energy perturbation and nonequilibrium work methods are discussed, demonstrating that at little to no additional cost, free-energy estimates could be markedly improved and bounded by meaningful error estimates. Monitoring the probability distributions that underlie the transformation between the states of interest, performing the calculation bidirectionally, stratifying the reaction pathway, and choosing the most appropriate paradigms and algorithms for transforming between states offer significant gains in both accuracy and precision.

  16. VET Retention in Remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities. Good Practice Guide

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), 2017

    2017-01-01

    This good practice guide is based on the research project "Enhancing training advantage for remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learners" by John Guenther et al. on behalf of Ninti One Limited. The project examines five unique and successful vocational education and training (VET) programs in remote areas and identifies how…

  17. Good Laboratory Practice. Part 1. An Introduction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wedlich, Richard C.; Libera, Agata E.; Pires, Amanda; Therrien, Matthew T.

    2013-01-01

    The Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) regulations were put into place in 1978. They establish a standard of practice to ensure that results from the nonclinical laboratory study reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are valid and that the study report accurately reflects the conduct of the study. While the GLP regulations promulgate…

  18. Protection of people and environment from radiation risk through good regulatory practice

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jais, Azlina Mohammad; Hassan, Najwa

    2017-01-01

    The term "good regulatory practice" has seen growing frequency of usage worldwide, especially since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear incident. However, the term appears quite ambiguous as it may mean differently to different people. This leads us to the first important question: what does "good regulatory practice" actually mean? When used in conjunction with the Fukushima incident, do we imply that there is an absence of "good regulatory practice" in the Japanese' Nuclear and Industry Safety Agency (NISA)? This is quite troubling. It is clear that the term should be defined formally so that our understanding of "good regulatory practice" can be standardized. There is still another important question beyond agreeing on what "good regulatory practice" is: is "good regulatory practice" specific to a region, or is it global? And is it applicable only to nuclear regulators, or to all types of regulators per se? This paper aims to deliberate on the above mentioned questions. Specifically, we hope to discuss the "good regulatory practice" for atomic energy activities in order to protect the people and the environment from radiation risk of such activities. By understanding what "good regulatory practice" truly means, a newcomer country such as Malaysia can quickly learn and adopt these practices so as to assure a competent national nuclear regulatory authority who will be responsible in ensuring the safety, security and safeguards of peaceful atomic energy activities in the country including nuclear liability. In understanding this concept, a holistic approach will be taken by looking into example of advanced and newcomer countries of various nuclear regulatory authorities all around the world. Then the paper will focus on the challenges that the current nuclear regulatory authority in Malaysia which is Atomic Energy Licensing Board has, its challenges to follow the concept of "good regulatory practice" and its ways to overcome it. This study explore the initiatives could be

  19. Understanding Graduate School Aspirations: The Effect of Good Teaching Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hanson, Jana M.; Paulsen, Michael B.; Pascarella, Ernest T.

    2016-01-01

    This study examined the effects of good teaching practices on post-baccalaureate degree aspirations using logistic regression techniques on a multi-institutional, longitudinal sample of students at 4-year colleges and universities in the USA. We examined whether eight good teaching practices (non-classroom interactions with faculty, prompt…

  20. How good are the internal controls in your group practice? Ten questions to contemplate.

    PubMed

    Grant, Barbara J; Foley, Lori A

    2002-01-01

    Internal controls are the methods and procedures used by any business to prevent or detect errors, safeguard assets (especially cash) from being misappropriated, and encourage staff adherence to prescribed managerial policies. Internal controls in a medical practice differ depending on the size and complexity of the practice. The key, however, is that they prevent or detect errors and efforts to circumvent the established policies and procedures of the organization. How good are the internal controls in your group practice? This article identifies ten questions you should use to evaluate your risk of asset misappropriation.

  1. Evaluation Instruments and Good Practices in Online Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baldwin, Sally J.; Trespalacios, Jesús

    2017-01-01

    Chickering and Gamson's (1987) "Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education" offers extensively researched and validated tenets for best practices in higher education. After a review of the literature, twenty-eight evaluation instruments currently used to design and review online courses in higher education institutions…

  2. Promoting good health research practice in low- and middle-income countries

    PubMed Central

    Mahendradhata, Yodi; Nabieva, Jamila; Ahmad, Riris Andono; Henley, Patricia; Launois, Pascal; Merle, Corinne; Maure, Christine; Horstick, Olaf; Elango, Varalakshmi

    2016-01-01

    Background Good clinical practice (GCP) guidelines have been the source of improvement in the quality of clinical trials; however, there are limitations to the application of GCP in the conduct of health research beyond industry-sponsored clinical trials. The UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Program for Research and Training in Tropical Disease is promoting good practice in all health research involving human through the Good Health Research Practice (GHRP) training program initiative. Objective To report the results of piloting the GHRP training program and formulate further steps to harness GHRP for promoting good practices in all health research involving human, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Design The objective of this training is to impart knowledge and skills for the application of ethical and quality principles to the design, conduct, recording, and reporting of health research involving human participants based on the level of risk, to ensure a fit-for-purpose quality system. This has been formulated into five sequential modules to be delivered in a 4-day course. Four courses have been organized in the pilot phase (2014–2015). The courses have been evaluated and assessed based on course feedback (quantitative and qualitative data) collected during course implementation and qualitative email-based pre- and post-course evaluation. Results Participants were highly satisfied with the course content and its organization. The relevance and applicability of the course content resulted in positive feedback and an articulated willingness to adapt and disseminate the course. Action points to strengthen the training program have been identified, and showed the imminent need to develop a consensus with a broader range of key stakeholders on the final set of GHRP standards and means for implementation. Conclusions There is an urgent need to harness the momentum to promote high-quality and ethical health research in LMICs through scaling

  3. Behavioral Patterns in Special Education. Good Teaching Practices.

    PubMed

    Rodríguez-Dorta, Manuela; Borges, África

    2017-01-01

    Providing quality education means to respond to the diversity in the classroom. The teacher is a key figure in responding to the various educational needs presented by students. Specifically, special education professionals are of great importance as they are the ones who lend their support to regular classroom teachers and offer specialized educational assistance to students who require it. Therefore, special education is different from what takes place in the regular classroom, demanding greater commitment by the teacher. There are certain behaviors, considered good teaching practices, which teachers have always been connected with to achieve good teaching and good learning. To ensure that these teachers are carrying out their educational work properly it is necessary to evaluate. This means having appropriate instruments. The Observational Protocol for Teaching Functions in Primary School and Special Education (PROFUNDO-EPE, v.3., in Spanish) allows to capture behaviors from these professionals and behavioral patterns that correspond to good teaching practices. This study evaluates the behavior of two special education teachers who work with students from different educational stages and educational needs. It reveals that the analyzed teachers adapt their behavior according the needs and characteristics of their students to the students responding more adequately to the needs presented by the students and showing good teaching practices. The patterns obtained indicate that they offer support, help and clear guidelines to perform the tasks. They motivate them toward learning by providing positive feedback and they check that students have properly assimilated the contents through questions or non-verbal supervision. Also, they provide a safe and reliable climate for learning.

  4. Conjoint analysis applications in health--a checklist: a report of the ISPOR Good Research Practices for Conjoint Analysis Task Force.

    PubMed

    Bridges, John F P; Hauber, A Brett; Marshall, Deborah; Lloyd, Andrew; Prosser, Lisa A; Regier, Dean A; Johnson, F Reed; Mauskopf, Josephine

    2011-06-01

    The application of conjoint analysis (including discrete-choice experiments and other multiattribute stated-preference methods) in health has increased rapidly over the past decade. A wider acceptance of these methods is limited by an absence of consensus-based methodological standards. The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) Good Research Practices for Conjoint Analysis Task Force was established to identify good research practices for conjoint-analysis applications in health. The task force met regularly to identify the important steps in a conjoint analysis, to discuss good research practices for conjoint analysis, and to develop and refine the key criteria for identifying good research practices. ISPOR members contributed to this process through an extensive consultation process. A final consensus meeting was held to revise the article using these comments, and those of a number of international reviewers. Task force findings are presented as a 10-item checklist covering: 1) research question; 2) attributes and levels; 3) construction of tasks; 4) experimental design; 5) preference elicitation; 6) instrument design; 7) data-collection plan; 8) statistical analyses; 9) results and conclusions; and 10) study presentation. A primary question relating to each of the 10 items is posed, and three sub-questions examine finer issues within items. Although the checklist should not be interpreted as endorsing any specific methodological approach to conjoint analysis, it can facilitate future training activities and discussions of good research practices for the application of conjoint-analysis methods in health care studies. Copyright © 2011 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Good Practices in Free-energy Calculations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pohorille, Andrew; Jarzynski, Christopher; Chipot, Christopher

    2013-01-01

    As access to computational resources continues to increase, free-energy calculations have emerged as a powerful tool that can play a predictive role in drug design. Yet, in a number of instances, the reliability of these calculations can be improved significantly if a number of precepts, or good practices are followed. For the most part, the theory upon which these good practices rely has been known for many years, but often overlooked, or simply ignored. In other cases, the theoretical developments are too recent for their potential to be fully grasped and merged into popular platforms for the computation of free-energy differences. The current best practices for carrying out free-energy calculations will be reviewed demonstrating that, at little to no additional cost, free-energy estimates could be markedly improved and bounded by meaningful error estimates. In energy perturbation and nonequilibrium work methods, monitoring the probability distributions that underlie the transformation between the states of interest, performing the calculation bidirectionally, stratifying the reaction pathway and choosing the most appropriate paradigms and algorithms for transforming between states offer significant gains in both accuracy and precision. In thermodynamic integration and probability distribution (histogramming) methods, properly designed adaptive techniques yield nearly uniform sampling of the relevant degrees of freedom and, by doing so, could markedly improve efficiency and accuracy of free energy calculations without incurring any additional computational expense.

  6. Editorial: A Note on Good Research Practice

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Dooley, James J.

    Good scientific practice and research misconduct have been concerns of mine for more than a decade (Dooley and Kerch, 2000) and in my role as an editor of the International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, I feel it is time to speak up and at the very least share my concerns and suggestions as they relate to the integrity of the research published in this journal. Rather than wait to write an editorial on good research practices in response to a major incident, I thought it might be best to be proactive and address some of the trends we seemore » in submissions to this peer reviewed journal and to offer some suggestions for improvement improving the level of scholarship in some – but by no means all – of the papers submitted.« less

  7. Sharing Good Practice: Prevention and Support Concerning Pupils Presenting Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lloyd, Gwynedd, Ed.; Munn, Pamela, Ed.

    This book is the result of a project to identify and disseminate examples of good practice in providing for children experiencing social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties in schools. The focus is on whole-school or classroom approaches to mainstreaming with experience from teachers of preschool to secondary grades. A major theme is providing…

  8. Behavioral Patterns in Special Education. Good Teaching Practices

    PubMed Central

    Rodríguez-Dorta, Manuela; Borges, África

    2017-01-01

    Providing quality education means to respond to the diversity in the classroom. The teacher is a key figure in responding to the various educational needs presented by students. Specifically, special education professionals are of great importance as they are the ones who lend their support to regular classroom teachers and offer specialized educational assistance to students who require it. Therefore, special education is different from what takes place in the regular classroom, demanding greater commitment by the teacher. There are certain behaviors, considered good teaching practices, which teachers have always been connected with to achieve good teaching and good learning. To ensure that these teachers are carrying out their educational work properly it is necessary to evaluate. This means having appropriate instruments. The Observational Protocol for Teaching Functions in Primary School and Special Education (PROFUNDO-EPE, v.3., in Spanish) allows to capture behaviors from these professionals and behavioral patterns that correspond to good teaching practices. This study evaluates the behavior of two special education teachers who work with students from different educational stages and educational needs. It reveals that the analyzed teachers adapt their behavior according the needs and characteristics of their students to the students responding more adequately to the needs presented by the students and showing good teaching practices. The patterns obtained indicate that they offer support, help and clear guidelines to perform the tasks. They motivate them toward learning by providing positive feedback and they check that students have properly assimilated the contents through questions or non-verbal supervision. Also, they provide a safe and reliable climate for learning. PMID:28512437

  9. Robust data enables managers to promote good practice.

    PubMed

    Bassett, Sally; Westmore, Kathryn

    2012-11-01

    This is the third in a series of articles examining the components of good corporate governance. The effective and efficient use of information and sources of information is crucial for good governance. This article explores the ways in which boards and management can obtain and use information to monitor performance and promote good practice, and how boards can be assured about the quality of information on which they rely. The final article in this series will look at the role of accountability in corporate governance.

  10. 21 CFR 212.2 - What is current good manufacturing practice for PET drugs?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 4 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What is current good manufacturing practice for... HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) DRUGS: GENERAL CURRENT GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICE FOR POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY DRUGS (Eff. 12-12-2011) General Provisions § 212.2 What is current good manufacturing practice for...

  11. Media fill for validation of a good manufacturing practice-compliant cell production process.

    PubMed

    Serra, Marta; Roseti, Livia; Bassi, Alessandra

    2015-01-01

    According to the European Regulation EC 1394/2007, the clinical use of Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products, such as Human Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells expanded for the regeneration of bone tissue or Chondrocytes for Autologous Implantation, requires the development of a process in compliance with the Good Manufacturing Practices. The Media Fill test, consisting of a simulation of the expansion process by using a microbial growth medium instead of the cells, is considered one of the most effective ways to validate a cell production process. Such simulation, in fact, allows to identify any weakness in production that can lead to microbiological contamination of the final cell product as well as qualifying operators. Here, we report the critical aspects concerning the design of a Media Fill test to be used as a tool for the further validation of the sterility of a cell-based Good Manufacturing Practice-compliant production process.

  12. 21 CFR 210.2 - Applicability of current good manufacturing practice regulations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 4 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Applicability of current good manufacturing practice regulations. 210.2 Section 210.2 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) DRUGS: GENERAL CURRENT GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICE IN MANUFACTURING...

  13. Defense programs beryllium good practice guide

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Herr, M.

    1997-07-01

    Within the DOE, it has recently become apparent that some contractor employees who have worked (or are currently working) with and around beryllium have developed chronic beryllium disease (CBD), an occupational granulomatous lung disorder. Respiratory exposure to aerosolized beryllium, in susceptible individuals, causes an immunological reaction that can result in granulomatous scarring of the lung parenchyma, shortness of breath, cough, fatigue, weight loss, and, ultimately, respiratory failure. Beryllium disease was originally identified in the 1940s, largely in the fluorescent light industry. In 1950, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) introduced strict exposure standards that generally curtailed both the acute and chronicmore » forms of the disease. Beginning in 1984, with the identification of a CBD case in a DOE contractor worker, there was increased scrutiny of both industrial hygiene practices and individuals in this workforce. To date, over 100 additional cases of beryllium-specific sensitization and/or CBD have been identified. Thus, a disease previously thought to be largely eliminated by the adoption of permissible exposure standards 45 years ago is still a health risk in certain workforces. This good practice guide forms the basis of an acceptable program for controlling workplace exposure to beryllium. It provides (1) Guidance for minimizing worker exposure to beryllium in Defense Programs facilities during all phases of beryllium-related work, including the decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) of facilities. (2) Recommended controls to be applied to the handling of metallic beryllium and beryllium alloys, beryllium oxide, and other beryllium compounds. (3) Recommendations for medical monitoring and surveillance of workers exposed (or potentially exposed) to beryllium, based on the best current understanding of beryllium disease and medical diagnostic tests available. (4) Site-specific safety procedures for all processes of beryllium that is

  14. Alternative Pathways to Apprenticeships. Good Practice Guide

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), 2015

    2015-01-01

    Apprenticeships are changing. The increasing proportions of people entering apprenticeships at various levels of ability and backgrounds are stimulating demand for alternative pathways to completions. This good practice guide assembles the key findings for education practitioners and workplace supervisors from three related research reports on…

  15. 47 CFR 73.508 - Standards of good engineering practice.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Standards of good engineering practice. 73.508 Section 73.508 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) BROADCAST RADIO SERVICES... engineering practice. (a) All noncommercial educational stations and LPFM stations operating with more than 10...

  16. 47 CFR 73.508 - Standards of good engineering practice.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Standards of good engineering practice. 73.508 Section 73.508 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) BROADCAST RADIO SERVICES... engineering practice. (a) All noncommercial educational stations and LPFM stations operating with more than 10...

  17. 47 CFR 73.508 - Standards of good engineering practice.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Standards of good engineering practice. 73.508 Section 73.508 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) BROADCAST RADIO SERVICES... engineering practice. (a) All noncommercial educational stations and LPFM stations operating with more than 10...

  18. 47 CFR 73.508 - Standards of good engineering practice.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Standards of good engineering practice. 73.508 Section 73.508 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) BROADCAST RADIO SERVICES... engineering practice. (a) All noncommercial educational stations and LPFM stations operating with more than 10...

  19. 47 CFR 73.508 - Standards of good engineering practice.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Standards of good engineering practice. 73.508 Section 73.508 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) BROADCAST RADIO SERVICES... engineering practice. (a) All noncommercial educational stations and LPFM stations operating with more than 10...

  20. [Implementation of good quality and safety practices. Descriptive study in a occupational mutual health centre].

    PubMed

    Manzanera, R; Plana, M; Moya, D; Ortner, J; Mira, J J

    2016-01-01

    To describe the level of implementation of quality and safety good practice elements in a Mutual Society health centre. A Cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the level of implementation of good practices using a questionnaire. Some quality dimensions were also assessed (scale 0 to 10) by a set of 87 quality coordinators of health centres and a random sample of 54 healthcare professionals working in small centres. Seventy quality coordinators and 27 professionals replied (response rates 80% and 50%, respectively. There were no differences in the assessment of quality attributes between both groups. They identified as areas for improvement: use of practice guidelines (7.6/10), scientific and technical skills (7.5/10), and patient satisfaction (7.7/10). Availability and accessibility to clinical reports, informed consent, availability of hydro-alcoholic solution, and to record allergies, were considered of high importance to be implemented, with training and research, improvements in equipment and technology plans, adherence to clinical practice guidelines and the preparation of risk maps, being of less importance. The good practices related to equipment and resources have a higher likelihood to be implemented, meanwhile those related to quality and safety attitudes have more barriers before being implemented. The mutual has a similar behaviour than other healthcare institutions. Copyright © 2015 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  1. 21 CFR 225.1 - Current good manufacturing practice.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... Current good manufacturing practice. (a) Section 501(a)(2)(B) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act... the methods used in, or the facilities or controls used for, its manufacture, processing, packing, or...

  2. 21 CFR 225.1 - Current good manufacturing practice.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... Current good manufacturing practice. (a) Section 501(a)(2)(B) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act... the methods used in, or the facilities or controls used for, its manufacture, processing, packing, or...

  3. 21 CFR 225.1 - Current good manufacturing practice.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... Current good manufacturing practice. (a) Section 501(a)(2)(B) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act... the methods used in, or the facilities or controls used for, its manufacture, processing, packing, or...

  4. 21 CFR 225.1 - Current good manufacturing practice.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... Current good manufacturing practice. (a) Section 501(a)(2)(B) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act... the methods used in, or the facilities or controls used for, its manufacture, processing, packing, or...

  5. Healthcare associated infection: good practices, knowledge and the locus of control in heatlhcare professionals.

    PubMed

    Taffurelli, Chiara; Sollami, Alfonso; Camera, Carmen; Federa, Francesca; Grandi, Annise; Marino, Marcella; Marrosu, Tiziano; Sarli, Leopoldo

    2017-07-18

      The incidence of Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI) is an important indicator of the quality of care. The behaviors associated with the prevention of infections are not only supported by rational knowledge or motivation, but are mediated by social, emotional and often stereotyped behaviors. The awarness of the good practices related to HAI, may be a factor. Other studies, identify how the perception of the problem in healthcare professionals is often influenced by a tendency towards an external Locus of Control: the patient, the family, the other wards, other care settings. The aim of this study is to investigate the perception of healthcare professionals. In particular they have been measured their  awarness of the good practices, perceptions of the potential contamination level of some commonly used objects, knowledge about the management of invasive devices, Locus of Control.   A cross-sectional correlational design was utilized.  An ad hoc questionnaire was interviewed by 222 health professionals nurses and physicians in a northern hospital of Italy. The percentage of professionals who have attended training courses over the last 5 years was quite high, both for upgrades on HAI (78.7%) and Vascular Catheters (78.8%), while the percentage of professionals who updated on bladder catheterization (59.46%) was lower. The mean  score of good practice awareness towards HAI (5.06), is high. The perception of the potential level of contamination of some devices had a  mean ranging from 4.62 (for the drip) to 5.26 (for the door handle). The average value of the Locus of Control (43.54) indicates that participants demonstrated a value that is midway between External and Internal. The correlation test analysis revealed no significant relationships among professionals'age, knowledge about HAI, or infection related venus catheter. Also, results revealed that there were statistically significant positive relationships between professionals' Good Practices

  6. Good enough practices in scientific computing.

    PubMed

    Wilson, Greg; Bryan, Jennifer; Cranston, Karen; Kitzes, Justin; Nederbragt, Lex; Teal, Tracy K

    2017-06-01

    Computers are now essential in all branches of science, but most researchers are never taught the equivalent of basic lab skills for research computing. As a result, data can get lost, analyses can take much longer than necessary, and researchers are limited in how effectively they can work with software and data. Computing workflows need to follow the same practices as lab projects and notebooks, with organized data, documented steps, and the project structured for reproducibility, but researchers new to computing often don't know where to start. This paper presents a set of good computing practices that every researcher can adopt, regardless of their current level of computational skill. These practices, which encompass data management, programming, collaborating with colleagues, organizing projects, tracking work, and writing manuscripts, are drawn from a wide variety of published sources from our daily lives and from our work with volunteer organizations that have delivered workshops to over 11,000 people since 2010.

  7. Tourism. Leonardo da Vinci Series: Good Practices.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Commission of the European Communities, Brussels (Belgium). Directorate-General for Education and Culture.

    This brochure, part of a series about good practices in vocational training in the European Union, describes 10 projects that have promoted investment in human resources through training in the tourism sector to promote sustainable, or responsible, tourism. The projects and their countries of origin are as follows: (1) BEEFT, training of mobility…

  8. Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) / Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) Review and Applicability for Chemical Security Enhancements

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Iveson, Steven W.

    Global chemical security has been enhanced through the determined use and integration of both voluntary and legislated standards. Many popular standards contain components that specifically detail requirements for the security of materials, facilities and other vital assets. In this document we examine the roll of quality management standards and how they affect the security culture within the institutions that adopt these standards in order to conduct business within the international market place. Good manufacturing practices and good laboratory practices are two of a number of quality management systems that have been adopted as law in many nations. These standards aremore » designed to protect the quality of drugs, medicines, foods and analytical test results in order to provide the world-wide consumer with safe and affective products for consumption. These standards provide no established security protocols and yet manage to increase the security of chemicals, materials, facilities and the supply chain via the effective and complete control over the manufacturing, the global supply chains and testing processes. We discuss the means through which these systems enhance security and how nations can further improve these systems with additional regulations that deal specifically with security in the realm of these management systems. We conclude with a discussion of new technologies that may cause disruption within the industries covered by these standards and how these issues might be addressed in order to maintain or increase the level of security within the industries and nations that have adopted these standards.« less

  9. 78 FR 12068 - Device Good Manufacturing Practice Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-02-21

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA-2013-N-0001] Device Good Manufacturing Practice Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Food and Drug... Committee: Device Good Manufacturing Practice Advisory Committee. General Function of the Committee: To...

  10. Good Policy, Good Practice II. Improving Outcomes and Productivity in Higher Education: A Guide for Policymakers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brenneman, Meghan Wilson; Callan, Patrick M.; Ewell, Peter T.; Finney, Joni E.; Jones, Dennis P.; Zis, Stacey

    2010-01-01

    This new edition of "Good Policy, Good Practice II" revises and updates the authors' 2007 publication. Like the earlier edition, it responds to one of the questions that is raised most frequently in the authors' work with public policy and education leaders as they begin to address the national and state imperatives to increase the proportion of…

  11. The constraints of good governance practice in national solid waste management policy (NSWMP) implementation: A case study of Malaysia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wee, Seow Ta; Abas, Muhamad Azahar; Chen, Goh Kai; Mohamed, Sulzakimin

    2017-10-01

    Nowadays, international donors have emphasised on the adoption of good governance practices in solid waste management which include policy implementation. In Malaysia, the National Solid Waste Management Policy (NSWMP) was introduced as the main guideline for its solid waste management and the Malaysian government has adopted good governance practice in the NSMWP implementation. However, the good governance practices implemented by the Malaysian government encountered several challenges. This study was conducted to explore the good governance constraints experienced by stakeholders in the NSWMP implementation. An exploratory research approach is applied in this study through in-depth interviews with several government agencies and concessionaires that involved in the NSWMP implementation in Malaysia. A total of six respondents took part in this study. The findings revealed three main good governance constraints in the NSWMP implementation, namely inadequate fund, poor staff's competency, and ambiguity of policy implementation system. Moreover, this study also disclosed that the main constraint influenced the other constraints. Hence, it is crucial to identify the main constraint in order to minimise its impact on the other constraints.

  12. 21 CFR 210.2 - Applicability of current good manufacturing practice regulations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 4 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Applicability of current good manufacturing... AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) DRUGS: GENERAL CURRENT GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICE IN MANUFACTURING, PROCESSING, PACKING, OR HOLDING OF DRUGS; GENERAL § 210.2 Applicability of current good manufacturing...

  13. Investigating School-Wide Antecedents of Good Practice Dissemination from Individual Subject Projects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Christophersen, Knut-Andreas; Elstad, Eyvind; Turmo, Are

    2012-01-01

    Good practice dissemination is an unsolved problem in education. This article describes how clear and "soft" leadership and perceptions of social and economic exchange operate in the bottom-up processes of school reforms and examines the relative impact of these factors on school-wide good practice dissemination and discusses how…

  14. The Conditional Nature of High Impact/Good Practices on Student Learning Outcomes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Seifert, Tricia A.; Gillig, Benjamin; Hanson, Jana M.; Pascarella, Ernest T.; Blaich, Charles F.

    2014-01-01

    Using a multi-institutional sample of undergraduate students, this study found that the relationships between engaging in high impact/good practices and liberal arts outcomes differ based on students' precollege and background characteristics. Findings suggest that high impact/good practices are not a panacea and require a greater degree of…

  15. Nursing practice: compassionate deception and the Good Samaritan.

    PubMed

    Tuckett, A

    1999-09-01

    This article reviews the literature on deception to illuminate the phenomenon as a background for an appraisal within nursing. It then describes nursing as a practice of caring. The character of the Good Samaritan is recommended as indicative of the virtue of compassion that ought to underpin caring in nursing practice. Finally, the article concludes that a caring nurse, responding virtuously, acts by being compassionate, for a time recognizing the prima facie nature of the rules or principles of truth telling.

  16. Management Documentation: Indicators & Good Practice at Cultural Heritage Places

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Eppich, R.; Garcia Grinda, J. L.

    2015-08-01

    Documentation for cultural heritage places usually refers to describing the physical attributes, surrounding context, condition or environment; most of the time with images, graphics, maps or digital 3D models in their various forms with supporting textural information. Just as important as this type of information is the documentation of managerial attributes. How do managers of cultural heritage places collect information related to financial or economic well-being? How are data collected over time measured, and what are significant indicators for improvement? What quality of indicator is good enough? Good management of cultural heritage places is essential for conservation longevity, preservation of values and enjoyment by the public. But how is management documented? The paper will describe the research methodology, selection and description of attributes or indicators related to good management practice. It will describe the criteria for indicator selection and why they are important, how and when they are collected, by whom, and the difficulties in obtaining this information. As importantly it will describe how this type of documentation directly contributes to improving conservation practice. Good practice summaries will be presented that highlight this type of documentation including Pamplona and Ávila, Spain and Valletta, Malta. Conclusions are drawn with preliminary recommendations for improvement of this important aspect of documentation. Documentation of this nature is not typical and presents a unique challenge to collect, measure and communicate easily. However, it is an essential category that is often ignored yet absolutely essential in order to conserve cultural heritage places.

  17. The confusion in complying with good manufacturing practice requirements in Malaysia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jali, Mohd Bakri; Ghani, Maaruf Abdul; Nor, Norazmir Md

    2016-11-01

    Food manufacturing operations need to fulfil regulatory requirements related to hygiene and good manufacturing practices (GMP) to successfully market their products as safe and quality products. GMP based on its ten elements used as guidelines to ensure control over biological, chemical and physical hazards. This study aims to investigate the confusion for design and facilities elements among food industries. Both qualitative and quantitative techniques are used as systematic tools. Design and facilities elements lay a firm foundation for good manufacturing practice to ensure food hygiene and should be used in conjunction with each specific code of hygiene practice and guidelines.

  18. IT-supported integrated care pathways for diabetes: A compilation and review of good practices.

    PubMed

    Vrijhoef, Hubertus Jm; de Belvis, Antonio Giulio; de la Calle, Matias; de Sabata, Maria Stella; Hauck, Bastian; Montante, Sabrina; Moritz, Annette; Pelizzola, Dario; Saraheimo, Markku; Guldemond, Nick A

    2017-06-01

    Integrated Care Pathways (ICPs) are a method for the mutual decision-making and organization of care for a well-defined group of patients during a well-defined period. The aim of a care pathway is to enhance the quality of care by improving patient outcomes, promoting patient safety, increasing patient satisfaction, and optimizing the use of resources. To describe this concept, different names are used, e.g. care pathways and integrated care pathways. Modern information technologies (IT) can support ICPs by enabling patient empowerment, better management, and the monitoring of care provided by multidisciplinary teams. This study analyses ICPs across Europe, identifying commonalities and success factors to establish good practices for IT-supported ICPs in diabetes care. A mixed-method approach was applied, combining desk research on 24 projects from the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA) with follow-up interviews of project participants, and a non-systematic literature review. We applied a Delphi technique to select process and outcome indicators, derived from different literature sources which were compiled and applied for the identification of successful good practices. Desk research identified sixteen projects featuring IT-supported ICPs, mostly derived from the EIP on AHA, as good practices based on our criteria. Follow-up interviews were then conducted with representatives from 9 of the 16 projects to gather information not publicly available and understand how these projects were meeting the identified criteria. In parallel, the non-systematic literature review of 434 PubMed search results revealed a total of eight relevant projects. On the basis of the selected EIP on AHA project data and non-systematic literature review, no commonalities with regard to defined process or outcome indicators could be identified through our approach. Conversely, the research produced a heterogeneous picture in all aspects of the projects

  19. 21 CFR 113.5 - Current good manufacturing practice.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Current good manufacturing practice. 113.5 Section 113.5 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) FOOD FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION THERMALLY PROCESSED LOW-ACID FOODS PACKAGED IN HERMETICALLY SEALED...

  20. 21 CFR 113.5 - Current good manufacturing practice.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Current good manufacturing practice. 113.5 Section 113.5 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) FOOD FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION THERMALLY PROCESSED LOW-ACID FOODS PACKAGED IN HERMETICALLY SEALED...

  1. 21 CFR 113.5 - Current good manufacturing practice.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Current good manufacturing practice. 113.5 Section 113.5 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) FOOD FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION THERMALLY PROCESSED LOW-ACID FOODS PACKAGED IN HERMETICALLY SEALED...

  2. 21 CFR 113.5 - Current good manufacturing practice.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Current good manufacturing practice. 113.5 Section 113.5 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) FOOD FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION THERMALLY PROCESSED LOW-ACID FOODS PACKAGED IN HERMETICALLY SEALED...

  3. 21 CFR 129.1 - Current good manufacturing practice.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... drinking water are in conformance with or are operated or administered in conformity with good manufacturing practice to assure that bottled drinking water is safe and that it has been processed, bottled...) FOOD FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION PROCESSING AND BOTTLING OF BOTTLED DRINKING WATER General Provisions § 129.1...

  4. 21 CFR 120.5 - Current good manufacturing practice.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Current good manufacturing practice. 120.5 Section 120.5 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) FOOD FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION HAZARD ANALYSIS AND CRITICAL CONTROL POINT (HACCP) SYSTEMS General...

  5. 21 CFR 120.5 - Current good manufacturing practice.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Current good manufacturing practice. 120.5 Section 120.5 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) FOOD FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION HAZARD ANALYSIS AND CRITICAL CONTROL POINT (HACCP) SYSTEMS General...

  6. 21 CFR 120.5 - Current good manufacturing practice.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Current good manufacturing practice. 120.5 Section 120.5 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) FOOD FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION HAZARD ANALYSIS AND CRITICAL CONTROL POINT (HACCP) SYSTEMS General...

  7. 21 CFR 120.5 - Current good manufacturing practice.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Current good manufacturing practice. 120.5 Section 120.5 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) FOOD FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION HAZARD ANALYSIS AND CRITICAL CONTROL POINT (HACCP) SYSTEMS General...

  8. 21 CFR 120.5 - Current good manufacturing practice.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Current good manufacturing practice. 120.5 Section 120.5 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) FOOD FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION HAZARD ANALYSIS AND CRITICAL CONTROL POINT (HACCP) SYSTEMS General...

  9. ASSESSMENT OF GOOD PRACTICES IN HOSPITAL FOOD SERVICE BY COMPARING EVALUATION TOOLS.

    PubMed

    Macedo Gonçalves, Juliana; Lameiro Rodrigues, Kelly; Santiago Almeida, Ângela Teresinha; Pereira, Giselda Maria; Duarte Buchweitz, Márcia Rúbia

    2015-10-01

    since food service in hospitals complements medical treatment, it should be produced in proper hygienic and sanitary conditions. It is a well-known fact that food-transmitted illnesses affect with greater severity hospitalized and immunosuppressed patients. good practices in hospital food service are evaluated by comparing assessment instruments. good practices were evaluated by a verification list following Resolution of Collegiate Directory n. 216 of the Brazilian Agency for Sanitary Vigilance. Interpretation of listed items followed parameters of RCD 216 and the Brazilian Association of Collective Meals Enterprises (BACME). Fisher's exact test was applied to detect whether there were statistically significant differences. Analysis of data grouping was undertaken with Unweighted Pair-group using Arithmetic Averages, coupled to a correlation study between dissimilarity matrixes to verify disagreement between the two methods. Good Practice was classified with mean total rates above 75% by the two methods. There were statistically significant differences between services and food evaluated by BACME instrument. Hospital Food Services have proved to show conditions of acceptable good practices. the comparison of interpretation tools based on RCD n. 216 and BACME provided similar results for the two classifications. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

  10. GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR GOOD PRACTICES IN HOSPITAL-BASED HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT UNITS.

    PubMed

    Sampietro-Colom, Laura; Lach, Krzysztof; Pasternack, Iris; Wasserfallen, Jean-Blaise; Cicchetti, Americo; Marchetti, Marco; Kidholm, Kristian; Arentz-Hansen, Helene; Rosenmöller, Magdalene; Wild, Claudia; Kahveci, Rabia; Ulst, Margus

    2015-01-01

    Health technology assessment (HTA) carried out for policy decision making has well-established principles unlike hospital-based HTA (HB-HTA), which differs from the former in the context characteristics and ways of operation. This study proposes principles for good practices in HB-HTA units. A framework for good practice criteria was built inspired by the EFQM excellence business model and information from six literature reviews, 107 face-to-face interviews, forty case studies, large-scale survey, focus group, Delphi survey, as well as local and international validation. In total, 385 people from twenty countries have participated in defining the principles for good practices in HB-HTA units. Fifteen guiding principles for good practices in HB-HTA units are grouped in four dimensions. Dimension 1 deals with principles of the assessment process aimed at providing contextualized information for hospital decision makers. Dimension 2 describes leadership, strategy and partnerships of HB-HTA units which govern and facilitate the assessment process. Dimension 3 focuses on adequate resources that ensure the operation of HB-HTA units. Dimension 4 deals with measuring the short- and long-term impact of the overall performance of HB-HTA units. Finally, nine core guiding principles were selected as essential requirements for HB-HTA units based on the expertise of the HB-HTA units participating in the project. Guiding principles for good practices set up a benchmark for HB-HTA because they represent the ideal performance of HB-HTA units; nevertheless, when performing HTA at hospital level, context also matters; therefore, they should be adapted to ensure their applicability in the local context.

  11. Guide to good practices for operations and administration updates through required reading

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    1992-12-01

    The purpose of this Guide to Good Practices is to provide Department of Energy (DOE) contractors with information that can be used to validate and/or modify existing programs relative to Conduct of Operations. This Guide to Good Practices is part of a series of guides designed to enhance the guidelines set forth in DOE Order 5480. 19, Conduct of Operations Requirements for DOE Facilities.'' (JDB)

  12. Guide to good practices for operations and administration updates through required reading

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    1992-12-01

    The purpose of this Guide to Good Practices is to provide Department of Energy (DOE) contractors with information that can be used to validate and/or modify existing programs relative to Conduct of Operations. This Guide to Good Practices is part of a series of guides designed to enhance the guidelines set forth in DOE Order 5480. 19, ``Conduct of Operations Requirements for DOE Facilities.`` (JDB)

  13. 21 CFR 212.2 - What is current good manufacturing practice for PET drugs?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 4 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false What is current good manufacturing practice for PET drugs? 212.2 Section 212.2 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) DRUGS: GENERAL CURRENT GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICE FOR POSITRON EMISSION...

  14. Perceptions of good medical practice in the NHS: a survey of senior health professionals.

    PubMed

    Hutchinson, A; Williams, M; Meadows, K; Barbour, R S; Jones, R

    1999-12-01

    To categorize senior health professionals' experience with poor medical practice in hospitals and in general practice, to describe perceptions which senior NHS staff have of good medical practice, and to describe how problems of poor medical practice are currently managed. A postal questionnaire survey. The questionnaire sought perceptions of good medical practice, asked participants to characterise deviations from good practice, and to describe experience with managing poor performance at the time of the introduction of the General Medical Council (GMC) performance procedures. A range of NHS settings in the UK: hospital trusts, health authorities/boards, local medical committees, community health councils. Senior health professionals involved in the management of medical professional performance. Perceptions of what constitutes good medical practice. Most respondents considered that persistent problems related to clinical practice (diagnosis, management, and outcome and prescribing) would require local management and, possibly, referral to the GMC performance procedures. Informal mechanisms, including informal discussion, education, training, and work shifting, were the most usual means of handling a doctor whose performance was poor. Many took a less serious view of deficiencies in performance on manner and attitude and communication, although consultation skills rather than technical skills comprised the greatest number of complaints about doctors. Senior NHS professionals seem reluctant to consider persistently poor consultation skills in the same critical light as they do persistently poor technical practice. These attitudes may need to change with the implementation of clinical governance and updated guidance from the GMC on what constitutes good medical practice.

  15. 76 FR 47593 - Guidance for Small Business Entities on Current Good Manufacturing Practice for Positron Emission...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-08-05

    ...] Guidance for Small Business Entities on Current Good Manufacturing Practice for Positron Emission... entitled ``PET Drugs--Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP); Small Entity Compliance Guide.'' FDA has... consistent with FDA's good guidance practices regulation (21 CFR 10.115). The guidance represents the Agency...

  16. Importance and globalization status of good manufacturing practice (GMP) requirements for pharmaceutical excipients

    PubMed Central

    Abdellah, Abubaker; Noordin, Mohamed Ibrahim; Wan Ismail, Wan Azman

    2013-01-01

    Pharmaceutical excipients are no longer inert materials but it is effective and able to improve the characteristics of the products’ quality, stability, functionality, safety, solubility and acceptance of patients. It can interact with the active ingredients and alter the medicament characteristics. The globalization of medicines’ supply enhances the importance of globalized good manufacturing practice (GMP) requirements for pharmaceutical excipients. This review was intended to assess the globalization status of good manufacturing practice (GMP) requirements for pharmaceutical excipients. The review outcomes demonstrate that there is a lack of accurately defined methods to evaluate and measure excipients’ safety. Furthermore good manufacturing practice requirements for excipients are not effectively globalized. PMID:25685037

  17. 21 CFR 212.2 - What is current good manufacturing practice for PET drugs?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... PET drugs? 212.2 Section 212.2 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND... TOMOGRAPHY DRUGS General Provisions § 212.2 What is current good manufacturing practice for PET drugs? Current good manufacturing practice for PET drugs is the minimum requirements for the methods to be used...

  18. 21 CFR 212.2 - What is current good manufacturing practice for PET drugs?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... PET drugs? 212.2 Section 212.2 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND... TOMOGRAPHY DRUGS General Provisions § 212.2 What is current good manufacturing practice for PET drugs? Current good manufacturing practice for PET drugs is the minimum requirements for the methods to be used...

  19. 21 CFR 212.2 - What is current good manufacturing practice for PET drugs?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... PET drugs? 212.2 Section 212.2 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND... TOMOGRAPHY DRUGS General Provisions § 212.2 What is current good manufacturing practice for PET drugs? Current good manufacturing practice for PET drugs is the minimum requirements for the methods to be used...

  20. Harmonization of good laboratory practice requirements and laboratory accreditation programs.

    PubMed

    Royal, P D

    1994-09-01

    Efforts to harmonize Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) requirements have been underway through the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) since 1981. In 1985, a GLP panel was established to facilitate the practical implementation of the OECD/GLP program. Through the OECD/GLP program, Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) agreements which foster requirements for reciprocal data and study acceptance and unified GLP standards have been developed among member countries. Three OECD Consensus Workshops and three inspectors training workshops have been held. In concert with these efforts, several OECD countries have developed GLP accreditation programs, managed by local health and environmental ministries. In addition, Canada and the United States are investigating Laboratory Accreditation programs for environmental monitoring assessment and GLP-regulated studies. In the European Community (EC), the need for quality standards specifying requirements for production and international trade has promoted International Standards Organization (ISO) certification for certain products. ISO-9000 standards identify requirements for certification of quality systems. These certification programs may affect the trade and market of laboratories conducting GLP studies. Two goals identified by these efforts are common to both programs: first, harmonization and recognition of requirements, and second, confidence in the rigor of program components used to assess the integrity of data produced and study activities. This confidence can be promoted, in part, through laboratory inspection and screening processes. However, the question remains, will data produced by sanctioned laboratories be mutually accepted on an international basis?(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

  1. Tools to share good chairside teaching practice: a clinical scenario and appreciative questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Sweet, J; Wilson, J; Pugsley, L; Schofield, M

    2008-12-13

    This article provides a scenario for analysis of good chairside teaching practice to serve as a starting point for continued discussion in this complex field. Documented issues of good chairside teaching practice are cross-referenced to a clinical scenario with explanations in the form of a commentary. This provided the context for generating a set of questions that are provided as tools to support good chairside practice. These tools are designed to be used with 'Appreciative Inquiry', which claims that there is much to be gained by discovering where excellence is possible and elaborating upon this. Although this process can be carried out in single units or departments, it is proposed that collaboration between institutions would allow sharing of valuable innovations and greater understanding of educational training, production of good practice guidance and professional development of staff. This article is the third in a series of three and provides a scaffold for a scenario and questions to encourage collaboration in evolving and sharing good chairside teaching practice. The first article investigated the perceptions of stakeholders in chairside teaching at a single dental school and the second evaluated chairside teaching on a UK wide scale. A further accompanying article reviews some of the educational methodology and innovations in teaching and learning that may be applied to dentistry.

  2. Distance Learning. Leonardo da Vinci Series: Good Practices.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Commission of the European Communities, Brussels (Belgium). Directorate-General for Education and Culture.

    This brochure, part of a series about good practices in vocational training in the European Union, describes 12 projects that use distance learning to promote lifelong learning in adults. The projects and their countries of origin are as follows: (1) 3D Project, training in the use of IT tools for 3D simulation and animation and practical…

  3. Sharing Good Practices: Teenage Girls, Sport, and Physical Activities.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vescio, Johanna A.; Crosswhite, Janice J.

    2002-01-01

    Investigated initiatives to increase teenage girls' participation in sport and physical activities, examining good practice case studies from Australia. Surveys of national, state, and regional sporting organizations and various community and school organizations (including culturally diverse girls and girls with disabilities) highlighted three…

  4. Supporting good practice in the provision of services to people with comorbid mental health and alcohol and other drug problems in Australia: describing key elements of good service models.

    PubMed

    Merkes, Monika; Lewis, Virginia; Canaway, Rachel

    2010-12-03

    The co-occurrence of mental illness and substance use problems (referred to as "comorbidity" in this paper) is common, and is often reported by service providers as the expectation rather than the exception. Despite this, many different treatment service models are being used in the alcohol and other drugs (AOD) and mental health (MH) sectors to treat this complex client group. While there is abundant literature in the area of comorbidity treatment, no agreed overarching framework to describe the range of service delivery models is apparent internationally or at the national level. The aims of the current research were to identify and describe elements of good practice in current service models of treatment of comorbidity in Australia. The focus of the research was on models of service delivery. The research did not aim to measure the client outcomes achieved by individual treatment services, but sought to identify elements of good practice in services. Australian treatment services were identified to take part in the study through a process of expert consultation. The intent was to look for similarities in the delivery models being implemented across a diverse set of services that were perceived to be providing good quality treatment for people with comorbidity problems. A survey was designed based on a concept map of service delivery devised from a literature review. Seventeen Australian treatment services participated in the survey, which explored the context in which services operate, inputs such as organisational philosophy and service structure, policies and procedures that guide the way in which treatment is delivered by the service, practices that reflect the way treatment is provided to clients, and client impacts. The treatment of people with comorbidity of mental health and substance use disorders presents complex problems that require strong but flexible service models. While the treatment services included in this study reflected the diversity of

  5. Team Science Approach to Developing Consensus on Research Good Practices for Practice-Based Research Networks: A Case Study.

    PubMed

    Campbell-Voytal, Kimberly; Daly, Jeanette M; Nagykaldi, Zsolt J; Aspy, Cheryl B; Dolor, Rowena J; Fagnan, Lyle J; Levy, Barcey T; Palac, Hannah L; Michaels, LeAnn; Patterson, V Beth; Kano, Miria; Smith, Paul D; Sussman, Andrew L; Williams, Robert; Sterling, Pamela; O'Beirne, Maeve; Neale, Anne Victoria

    2015-12-01

    Using peer learning strategies, seven experienced PBRNs working in collaborative teams articulated procedures for PBRN Research Good Practices (PRGPs). The PRGPs is a PBRN-specific resource to facilitate PBRN management and staff training, to promote adherence to study protocols, and to increase validity and generalizability of study findings. This paper describes the team science processes which culminated in the PRGPs. Skilled facilitators used team science strategies and methods from the Technology of Participation (ToP®), and the Consensus Workshop Method to support teams to codify diverse research expertise in practice-based research. The participatory nature of "sense-making" moved through identifiable stages. Lessons learned include (1) team input into the scope of the final outcome proved vital to project relevance; (2) PBRNs with diverse domains of research expertise contributed broad knowledge on each topic; and (3) ToP® structured facilitation techniques were critical for establishing trust and clarifying the "sense-making" process. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  6. Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad. Fourth Edition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Forum on Education Abroad, 2011

    2011-01-01

    This fourth edition of the Forum on Education Abroad's "Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad" augments previous editions of the "Standards." Since the last edition was published in 2008, Forum member institutions and organizations have implemented the Standards in program development and assessment, using the Standards in the Forum's…

  7. 21 CFR 1271.150 - Current good tissue practice requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ....150 Section 1271.150 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN... HUMAN CELLS, TISSUES, AND CELLULAR AND TISSUE-BASED PRODUCTS Current Good Tissue Practice § 1271.150... implemented for reproductive HCT/Ps described in § 1271.10 and regulated solely under section 361 of the...

  8. 21 CFR 1271.150 - Current good tissue practice requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ....150 Section 1271.150 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN... HUMAN CELLS, TISSUES, AND CELLULAR AND TISSUE-BASED PRODUCTS Current Good Tissue Practice § 1271.150... implemented for reproductive HCT/Ps described in § 1271.10 and regulated solely under section 361 of the...

  9. 21 CFR 1271.150 - Current good tissue practice requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ....150 Section 1271.150 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN... HUMAN CELLS, TISSUES, AND CELLULAR AND TISSUE-BASED PRODUCTS Current Good Tissue Practice § 1271.150... implemented for reproductive HCT/Ps described in § 1271.10 and regulated solely under section 361 of the...

  10. 21 CFR 1271.150 - Current good tissue practice requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ....150 Section 1271.150 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN... HUMAN CELLS, TISSUES, AND CELLULAR AND TISSUE-BASED PRODUCTS Current Good Tissue Practice § 1271.150... implemented for reproductive HCT/Ps described in § 1271.10 and regulated solely under section 361 of the...

  11. VET Providers Planning to Deliver Degrees: Good Practice Guide

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), 2015

    2015-01-01

    This good practice guide is intended to assist public and private registered training organisations (RTOs) planning to commence higher education (HE) delivery. The guide is based on research undertaken by Victor Callan and Kaye Bowman, who completed case studies with six providers currently delivering higher education qualifications in addition to…

  12. Implementing Good Practices Programs to Encourage Production of High-Quality, Safer Produce in Mississippi

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mahmoud, Barakat S. M.; Stafne, Eric T.; Coker, Christine H.; Bachman, Gary R.; Bell, Nicole

    2016-01-01

    Fifty-four growers/producers attended four 1-day good agricultural practices (GAP) and good handling practices (GHP) workshops at four locations in Mississippi. Pre- and post workshop survey data indicated that the participants' food safety knowledge increased by 15%. Furthermore, the workshops helped producers develop their own food safety plans.…

  13. Defending the four principles approach as a good basis for good medical practice and therefore for good medical ethics.

    PubMed

    Gillon, Raanan

    2015-01-01

    This paper argues that the four prima facie principles-beneficence, non-maleficence, respect for autonomy and justice-afford a good and widely acceptable basis for 'doing good medical ethics'. It confronts objections that the approach is simplistic, incompatible with a virtue-based approach to medicine, that it requires respect for autonomy always to have priority when the principles clash at the expense of clinical obligations to benefit patients and global justice. It agrees that the approach does not provide universalisable methods either for resolving such moral dilemmas arising from conflict between the principles or their derivatives, or universalisable methods for resolving disagreements about the scope of these principles-long acknowledged lacunae but arguably to be found, in practice, with all other approaches to medical ethics. The value of the approach, when properly understood, is to provide a universalisable though prima facie set of moral commitments which all doctors can accept, a basic moral language and a basic moral analytic framework. These can underpin an intercultural 'moral mission statement' for the goals and practice of medicine. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  14. Establishing good collaborative research practices in the responsible conduct of research in nursing science.

    PubMed

    Ulrich, Connie M; Wallen, Gwenyth R; Cui, Naixue; Chittams, Jesse; Sweet, Monica; Plemmons, Dena

    2015-01-01

    Team science is advocated to speed the pace of scientific discovery, yet the goals of collaborative practice in nursing science and the responsibilities of nurse stakeholders are sparse and inconclusive. The purpose of this study was to examine nurse scientists' views on collaborative research as part of a larger study on standards of scientific conduct. Web-based descriptive survey of nurse scientists randomly selected from 50 doctoral graduate programs in the United States. Nearly forty percent of nurse respondents were not able to identify good collaborative practices for the discipline; more than three quarters did not know of any published guidelines available to them. Successful research collaborations were challenged by different expectations of authorship and data ownership, lack of timeliness and communication, poorly defined roles and responsibilities, language barriers, and when they involve junior and senior faculty working together on a project. Individual and organizational standards, practices, and policies for collaborative research needs clarification within the discipline. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Guide of good practices for occupational radiological protection in plutonium facilities

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    NONE

    1998-06-01

    This Technical Standard (TS) does not contain any new requirements. Its purpose is to provide guides to good practice, update existing reference material, and discuss practical lessons learned relevant to the safe handling of plutonium. the technical rationale is given to allow US Department of Energy (DOE) health physicists to adapt the recommendations to similar situations throughout the DOE complex. Generally, DOE contractor health physicists will be responsible to implement radiation protection activities at DOE facilities and DOE health physicists will be responsible for oversight of those activities. This guidance is meant to be useful for both efforts. This TSmore » replaces PNL-6534, Health Physics Manual of Good Practices for Plutonium Facilities, by providing more complete and current information and by emphasizing the situations that are typical of DOE`s current plutonium operations; safe storage, decontamination, and decommissioning (environmental restoration); and weapons disassembly.« less

  16. Good Publication Practice for Communicating Company-Sponsored Medical Research: GPP3.

    PubMed

    Battisti, Wendy P; Wager, Elizabeth; Baltzer, Lise; Bridges, Dan; Cairns, Angela; Carswell, Christopher I; Citrome, Leslie; Gurr, James A; Mooney, LaVerne A; Moore, B Jane; Peña, Teresa; Sanes-Miller, Carol H; Veitch, Keith; Woolley, Karen L; Yarker, Yvonne E

    2015-09-15

    This updated Good Publication Practice (GPP) guideline, known as GPP3, builds on earlier versions and provides recommendations for individuals and organizations that contribute to the publication of research results sponsored or supported by pharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostics, and biotechnology companies. The recommendations are designed to help individuals and organizations maintain ethical and transparent publication practices and comply with legal and regulatory requirements. These recommendations cover publications in peer-reviewed journals and presentations (oral or poster) at scientific congresses. The International Society for Medical Publication Professionals invited more than 3000 professionals worldwide to apply for a position on the steering committee, or as a reviewer, for this guideline. The GPP2 authors reviewed all applications (n = 241) and assembled an 18-member steering committee that represented 7 countries and a diversity of publication professions and institutions. From the 174 selected reviewers, 94 sent comments on the second draft, which steering committee members incorporated after discussion and consensus. The resulting guideline includes new sections (Principles of Good Publication Practice for Company-Sponsored Medical Research, Data Sharing, Studies That Should Be Published, and Plagiarism), expands guidance on the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors' authorship criteria and common authorship issues, improves clarity on appropriate author payment and reimbursement, and expands information on the role of medical writers. By following good publication practices (including GPP3), individuals and organizations will show integrity; accountability; and responsibility for accurate, complete, and transparent reporting in their publications and presentations.

  17. What makes a good GP? An empirical perspective on virtue in general practice

    PubMed Central

    Braunack-Mayer, A

    2005-01-01

    This paper takes a virtuist approach to medical ethics to explore, from an empirical angle, ideas about settled ways of living a good life. Qualitative research methods were used to analyse the ways in which a group of 15 general practitioners (GPs) articulated notions of good doctoring and the virtues in their work. I argue that the GPs, whose talk is analysed here, defined good general practice in terms of the ideals of accessibility, comprehensiveness, and continuity. They regarded these ideals significant both for the way they dealt with morally problematic situations and for how they conducted their professional lives more generally. In addition, I argue that the GPs who articulated these ideals most clearly were able to, in part, because they shared the experience of working in rural areas. This experience helped them to develop an understanding of the nature of general practice that their urban colleagues were less able to draw on. In that sense, the structural and organisational framework of general practice in rural areas provided the context for their understanding of ideals in general practice. PMID:15681671

  18. Good vaccination practice: it all starts with a good vaccine storage temperature.

    PubMed

    Vangroenweghe, Frédéric

    2017-01-01

    Recent introduction of strategies to reduce antibiotic use in food animal production implies an increased use of vaccines in order to prevent the economic impact of several important diseases in swine. Good Vaccination Practice (GVP) is an overall approach on the swine farm aiming to obtain maximal efficacy of vaccination through good storage, preparation and finally correct application to the target animals. In order to have a better insight into GVP on swine farms and the vaccine storage conditions, a survey on vaccination practices was performed on a farmers' fair and temperatures in the vaccine storage refrigerators were measured during farm visits over a period of 1 year. The survey revealed that knowledge on GVP, such as vaccine storage and handling, needle management and injection location could be improved. Less than 10% had a thermometer in their vaccine storage refrigerator on the moment of the visit. Temperature measurement revealed that only 71% of the measured refrigerators were in line with the recommended temperature range of +2 °C to +8 °C. Both below +2 °C and above +8 °C temperatures were registered during all seasons of the year. Compliance was lower during summer with an average temperature of 9.2 °C while only 43% of the measured temperatures were within the recommended range. The present study clearly showed the need for continuous education on GVP for swine veterinarians, swine farmers and their farm personnel in general and vaccine storage management in particular. In veterinary medicine, the correct storage of vaccines is crucial since both too low and too high temperatures can provoke damage to specific vaccine types. Adjuvanted killed or subunit vaccines can be damaged (e.g. structure of aluminiumhydroxide in adjuvans) by too low temperatures (below 0 °C), whereas lyophilized live vaccines are susceptible (e.g. loss of vaccine potency) to heat damage by temperatures above +8 °C. In conclusion, knowledge and awareness of GVP

  19. Practical Strategies for Integrating Final Ecosystem Goods and ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The concept of Final Ecosystem Goods and Services (FEGS) explicitly connects ecosystem services to the people that benefit from them. This report presents a number of practical strategies for incorporating FEGS, and more broadly ecosystem services, into the decision-making process. Whether a decision process is in early or late stages, or whether a process includes informal or formal decision analysis, there are multiple points where ecosystem services concepts can be integrated. This report uses Structured Decision Making (SDM) as an organizing framework to illustrate the role ecosystem services can play in a values-focused decision-process, including: • Clarifying the decision context: Ecosystem services can help clarify the potential impacts of an issue on natural resources together with their spatial and temporal extent based on supply and delivery of those services, and help identify beneficiaries for inclusion as stakeholders in the deliberative process. • Defining objectives and performance measures: Ecosystem services may directly represent stakeholder objectives, or may be means toward achieving other objectives. • Creating alternatives: Ecosystem services can bring to light creative alternatives for achieving other social, economic, health, or general well-being objectives. • Estimating consequences: Ecosystem services assessments can implement ecological production functions (EPFs) and ecological benefits functions (EBFs) to link decision alt

  20. Developing a policy for paediatric biobanks: principles for good practice

    PubMed Central

    Hens, Kristien; Van El, Carla E; Borry, Pascal; Cambon-Thomsen, Anne; Cornel, Martina C; Forzano, Francesca; Lucassen, Anneke; Patch, Christine; Tranebjaerg, Lisbeth; Vermeulen, Eric; Salvaterra, Elena; Tibben, Aad; Dierickx, Kris

    2013-01-01

    The participation of minors in biobank research can offer great benefits for science and health care. However, as minors are a vulnerable population they are also in need of adequate protective measures when they are enrolled in research. Research using biobanked biological samples from children poses additional ethical issues to those raised by research using adult biobanks. For example, small children have only limited capacity, if any, to understand the meaning and implications of the research and to give a documented agreement to it. Older minors are gradually acquiring this capacity. We describe principles for good practice related to the inclusion of minors in biobank research, focusing on issues related to benefits and subsidiarity, consent, proportionality and return of results. Some of these issues are currently heavily debated, and we conclude by providing principles for good practice for policy makers of biobanks, researchers and anyone involved in dealing with stored tissue samples from children. Actual implementation of the principles will vary according to different jurisdictions. PMID:22713814

  1. Psychiatrists' follow-up of identified metabolic risk: a mixed-method analysis of outcomes and influences on practice.

    PubMed

    Patterson, Sue; Freshwater, Kathleen; Goulter, Nicole; Ewing, Julie; Leamon, Boyd; Choudhary, Anand; Moudgil, Vikas; Emmerson, Brett

    2016-10-01

    Aims and method To describe and explain psychiatrists' responses to metabolic abnormalities identified during screening. We carried out an audit of clinical records to assess rates of monitoring and follow-up practice. Semi-structured interviews with 36 psychiatrists followed by descriptive and thematic analyses were conducted. Results Metabolic abnormalities were identified in 76% of eligible patients screened. Follow-up, recorded for 59%, was variable but more likely with four or more abnormalities. Psychiatrists endorse guidelines but ambivalence about responsibility, professional norms, resource constraints and skills deficits as well as patient factors influences practice. Therapeutic optimism and desire to be a 'good doctor' supported comprehensive follow-up. Clinical implications Psychiatrists are willing to attend to physical healthcare, and obstacles to recommended practice are surmountable. Psychiatrists seek consensus among stakeholders about responsibilities and a systemic approach addressing the social determinants of health inequities. Understanding patients' expectations is critical to promoting best practice.

  2. Practice-based Research Network Research Good Practices (PRGPs): Summary of Recommendations.

    PubMed

    Dolor, Rowena J; Campbell-Voytal, Kimberly; Daly, Jeanette; Nagykaldi, Zsolt J; O'Beirne, Maeve; Sterling, Pamela; Fagnan, Lyle J; Levy, Barcey; Michaels, LeAnn; Louks, Hannah A; Smith, Paul; Aspy, Cheryl B; Patterson, V Beth; Kano, Miria; Sussman, Andrew L; Williams, Robert; Neale, Anne Victoria

    2015-12-01

    Practice-based research networks (PBRNs) conduct research in community settings, which poses quality control challenges to the integrity of research, such as study implementation and data collection. A foundation for improving research processes within PBRNs is needed to ensure research integrity. Network directors and coordinators from seven U.S.-based PBRNs worked with a professional team facilitator during semiannual in-person meetings and monthly conference calls to produce content for a compendium of recommended research practices specific to the context of PBRNs. Participants were assigned to contribute content congruent with their expertise. Feedback on the draft document was obtained from attendees at the preconference workshop at the annual PBRN meeting in 2013. A revised document was circulated to additional PBRN peers prior to finalization. The PBRN Research Good Practices (PRGPs) document is organized into four chapters: (1) Building PBRN Infrastructure; (2) Study Development and Implementation; (3) Data Management, and (4) Dissemination Policies. Each chapter contains an introduction, detailed procedures for each section, and example resources with information links. The PRGPs is a PBRN-specific resource to facilitate PBRN management and staff training, to promote adherence to study protocols, and to increase validity and generalizability of study findings. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. Electroencephalographic neurofeedback: Level of evidence in mental and brain disorders and suggestions for good clinical practice.

    PubMed

    Micoulaud-Franchi, J-A; McGonigal, A; Lopez, R; Daudet, C; Kotwas, I; Bartolomei, F

    2015-12-01

    The technique of electroencephalographic neurofeedback (EEG NF) emerged in the 1970s and is a technique that measures a subject's EEG signal, processes it in real time, extracts a parameter of interest and presents this information in visual or auditory form. The goal is to effectuate a behavioural modification by modulating brain activity. The EEG NF opens new therapeutic possibilities in the fields of psychiatry and neurology. However, the development of EEG NF in clinical practice requires (i) a good level of evidence of therapeutic efficacy of this technique, (ii) a good practice guide for this technique. Firstly, this article investigates selected trials with the following criteria: study design with controlled, randomized, and open or blind protocol, primary endpoint related to the mental and brain disorders treated and assessed with standardized measurement tools, identifiable EEG neurophysiological targets, underpinned by pathophysiological relevance. Trials were found for: epilepsies, migraine, stroke, chronic insomnia, attentional-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, addictive disorders, psychotic disorders. Secondly, this article investigates the principles of neurofeedback therapy in line with learning theory. Different underlying therapeutic models are presented didactically between two continua: a continuum between implicit and explicit learning and a continuum between the biomedical model (centred on "the disease") and integrative biopsychosocial model of health (centred on "the illness"). The main relevant learning model is to link neurofeedback therapy with the field of cognitive remediation techniques. The methodological specificity of neurofeedback is to be guided by biologically relevant neurophysiological parameters. Guidelines for good clinical practice of EEG NF concerning technical issues of electrophysiology and of learning are suggested. These require validation by

  4. Understanding Graduate School Aspirations: The Effect of Good Teaching Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hanson, Jana Marie

    2013-01-01

    This study examined the effects of good teaching practices on post-baccalaureate degree aspirations using logistic regression techniques on a multi-institutional, longitudinal sample of students at four-year colleges and universities. Using College Choice and College Outcomes models as a theoretical foundation, I examined whether eight good…

  5. Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis for Health Care Decision Making--Emerging Good Practices: Report 2 of the ISPOR MCDA Emerging Good Practices Task Force.

    PubMed

    Marsh, Kevin; IJzerman, Maarten; Thokala, Praveen; Baltussen, Rob; Boysen, Meindert; Kaló, Zoltán; Lönngren, Thomas; Mussen, Filip; Peacock, Stuart; Watkins, John; Devlin, Nancy

    2016-01-01

    Health care decisions are complex and involve confronting trade-offs between multiple, often conflicting objectives. Using structured, explicit approaches to decisions involving multiple criteria can improve the quality of decision making. A set of techniques, known under the collective heading, multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA), are useful for this purpose. In 2014, ISPOR established an Emerging Good Practices Task Force. The task force's first report defined MCDA, provided examples of its use in health care, described the key steps, and provided an overview of the principal methods of MCDA. This second task force report provides emerging good-practice guidance on the implementation of MCDA to support health care decisions. The report includes: a checklist to support the design, implementation and review of an MCDA; guidance to support the implementation of the checklist; the order in which the steps should be implemented; illustrates how to incorporate budget constraints into an MCDA; provides an overview of the skills and resources, including available software, required to implement MCDA; and future research directions. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Knowledge for the good of the individual and society: linking philosophy, disciplinary goals, theory, and practice.

    PubMed

    McCurry, Mary K; Revell, Susan M Hunter; Roy, Sr Callista

    2010-01-01

    Nursing as a profession has a social mandate to contribute to the good of society through knowledge-based practice. Knowledge is built upon theories, and theories, together with their philosophical bases and disciplinary goals, are the guiding frameworks for practice. This article explores a philosophical perspective of nursing's social mandate, the disciplinary goals for the good of the individual and society, and one approach for translating knowledge into practice through the use of a middle-range theory. It is anticipated that the integration of the philosophical perspective and model into nursing practice will strengthen the philosophy, disciplinary goal, theory, and practice links and expand knowledge within the discipline. With the focus on humanization, we propose that nursing knowledge for social good will embrace a synthesis of the individual and the common good. This approach converges vital and agency needs described by Hamilton and the primacy of maintaining the heritage of the good within the human species as outlined by Maritain. Further, by embedding knowledge development in a changing social and health care context, nursing focuses on the goals of clinical reasoning and action. McCubbin and Patterson's Double ABCX Model of Family Adaptation was used as an example of a theory that can guide practice at the community and global level. Using the theory-practice link as a foundation, the Double ABCX model provides practising nurses with one approach to meet the needs of individuals and society. The integration of theory into nursing practice provides a guide to achieve nursing's disciplinary goals of promoting health and preventing illness across the globe. When nursing goals are directed at the synthesis of the good of the individual and society, nursing's social and moral mandate may be achieved.

  7. Good Laboratory Practice. Part 2. Recording and Retaining Raw Data

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wedlich, Richard C.; Libera, Agata E.; Pires, Amanda; Tellarini, Cassandra

    2013-01-01

    A clear understanding of how "raw data" is defined, recorded, and retained in the laboratory record is essential to the chemist employed in the laboratory compliant with the Good Laboratory Practices regulations. This article is intended to provide an understanding by drawing upon examples taken from the modern pharmaceutical analysis…

  8. Practical identifiability analysis of a minimal cardiovascular system model.

    PubMed

    Pironet, Antoine; Docherty, Paul D; Dauby, Pierre C; Chase, J Geoffrey; Desaive, Thomas

    2017-01-17

    Parameters of mathematical models of the cardiovascular system can be used to monitor cardiovascular state, such as total stressed blood volume status, vessel elastance and resistance. To do so, the model parameters have to be estimated from data collected at the patient's bedside. This work considers a seven-parameter model of the cardiovascular system and investigates whether these parameters can be uniquely determined using indices derived from measurements of arterial and venous pressures, and stroke volume. An error vector defined the residuals between the simulated and reference values of the seven clinically available haemodynamic indices. The sensitivity of this error vector to each model parameter was analysed, as well as the collinearity between parameters. To assess practical identifiability of the model parameters, profile-likelihood curves were constructed for each parameter. Four of the seven model parameters were found to be practically identifiable from the selected data. The remaining three parameters were practically non-identifiable. Among these non-identifiable parameters, one could be decreased as much as possible. The other two non-identifiable parameters were inversely correlated, which prevented their precise estimation. This work presented the practical identifiability analysis of a seven-parameter cardiovascular system model, from limited clinical data. The analysis showed that three of the seven parameters were practically non-identifiable, thus limiting the use of the model as a monitoring tool. Slight changes in the time-varying function modeling cardiac contraction and use of larger values for the reference range of venous pressure made the model fully practically identifiable. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  9. Variable implementation of good practice recommendations for the assessment and management of UK children with neurodisability.

    PubMed

    Gray, L; Gibbs, J; Jolleff, N; Williams, J; McConachie, H; Parr, J R

    2015-11-01

    The aims of this study were to determine whether UK child development teams (CDTs) have implemented good practice recommendations for the co-ordinated assessment and support of children with neurodisability and to explore some of the factors associated with variations in good practice implementation. Surveys were sent to every UK CDT in 2009/2010. Responses about CDT provision and ways of working were compared with good practice recommendations from national policy documents and professional organizations. The extent to which CDTs in England and Wales met 11 selected good practice recommendations was scored; teams in Scotland and Northern Ireland were given a score out of 9 to reflect the optional use of the common assessment framework and early support materials in these countries. Responses were received from 225/240 (94%) UK CDTs. Thirty-seven per cent of CDTs in England and Wales had implemented nine or more of the 11 recommendations. Fifty-nine per cent of teams in Scotland and 78% of teams in Northern Ireland met between six and nine recommendations of good working practice. Higher levels of implementation of recommendations were found when the CDT had a Child Development Centre base and for teams who had received increased funding in the 5 years preceding the survey. There was considerable variability in the degree to which CDTs implemented good practice recommendations for the diagnosis and management of children with neurodisability. Evidence about child and parent satisfaction, and the effectiveness of CDT practices and provision, is required, so policymakers, healthcare commissioners and clinicians can provide the most appropriate services to children with neurodisability and their families. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  10. Knowledge Gained from Good Agricultural Practices Courses for Iowa Growers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shaw, Angela; Strohbehn, Catherine; Naeve, Linda; Domoto, Paul; Wilson, Lester

    2015-01-01

    Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) educational courses provide produce growers with the fundamental information for producing and processing safe produce. To determine the effectiveness of the current 7-hour GAP course provided in Iowa, growers were surveyed before and 7-14 days after the course to determine changes in knowledge and opinions.…

  11. Student Accommodation Projects: A Guide to PFI Contracts. Good Practice.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Curtis, Pinsent

    This guide is intended for higher education institutions in England that are about to embark on student residential accommodation projects. It focuses on procurements under the Private Financial Initiative (PFI), a form of Public Private Partnership in the United Kingdom, but other approaches are considered. The guide draws on good practices from…

  12. Psychiatrists' follow-up of identified metabolic risk: a mixed-method analysis of outcomes and influences on practice

    PubMed Central

    Patterson, Sue; Freshwater, Kathleen; Goulter, Nicole; Ewing, Julie; Leamon, Boyd; Choudhary, Anand; Moudgil, Vikas; Emmerson, Brett

    2016-01-01

    Aims and method To describe and explain psychiatrists' responses to metabolic abnormalities identified during screening. We carried out an audit of clinical records to assess rates of monitoring and follow-up practice. Semi-structured interviews with 36 psychiatrists followed by descriptive and thematic analyses were conducted. Results Metabolic abnormalities were identified in 76% of eligible patients screened. Follow-up, recorded for 59%, was variable but more likely with four or more abnormalities. Psychiatrists endorse guidelines but ambivalence about responsibility, professional norms, resource constraints and skills deficits as well as patient factors influences practice. Therapeutic optimism and desire to be a ‘good doctor’ supported comprehensive follow-up. Clinical implications Psychiatrists are willing to attend to physical healthcare, and obstacles to recommended practice are surmountable. Psychiatrists seek consensus among stakeholders about responsibilities and a systemic approach addressing the social determinants of health inequities. Understanding patients' expectations is critical to promoting best practice. PMID:27752343

  13. Identifying, studying and making good use of macromolecular crystals

    PubMed Central

    Calero, Guillermo; Cohen, Aina E.; Luft, Joseph R.; Newman, Janet; Snell, Edward H.

    2014-01-01

    Structural biology has contributed tremendous knowledge to the understanding of life on the molecular scale. The Protein Data Bank, a depository of this structural knowledge, currently contains over 100 000 protein structures, with the majority stemming from X-ray crystallography. As the name might suggest, crystallography requires crystals. As detectors become more sensitive and X-ray sources more intense, the notion of a crystal is gradually changing from one large enough to embellish expensive jewellery to objects that have external dimensions of the order of the wavelength of visible light. Identifying these crystals is a prerequisite to their study. This paper discusses developments in identifying these crystals during crystallization screening and distinguishing them from other potential outcomes. The practical aspects of ensuring that once a crystal is identified it can then be positioned in the X-ray beam for data collection are also addressed. PMID:25084371

  14. Going GLP: Conducting Toxicology Studies in Compliance with Good Laboratory Practices.

    PubMed

    Carroll, Erica Eggers

    2016-01-01

    Good laboratory practice standards are US federal regulations enacted as part of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (40 CFR Part 160), the Toxic Substance Control Act (40 CFR Part 792), and the Good Laboratory Practice for Nonclinical Laboratory Studies (21 CFR Part 58) to support protection of public health in the areas of pesticides, chemicals, and drug investigations in response to allegations of inaccurate data acquisition. Essentially, good laboratory practices (GLPs) are a system of management controls for nonclinical research studies involving animals to ensure the uniformity, consistency, reliability, reproducibility, quality, and integrity of data collected as part of chemical (including pharmaceuticals) tests, from in vitro through acute to chronic toxicity tests. The GLPs were established in the United States in 1978 as a result of the Industrial Bio-Test Laboratory scandal which led to congressional hearings and actions to prevent fraudulent data reporting and collection. Although the establishment of infrastructure for GLPs compliance is labor-intensive and time-consuming, achievement and maintenance of GLP compliance ensures the accuracy of the data collected from each study, which is critical for defending results, advancing science, and protecting human and animal health. This article describes how and why those in the US Army Medical Department responsible for protecting the public health of US Army and other military personnel made the policy decision to have its toxicology laboratory achieve complete compliance with GLP standards, the first such among US Army laboratories. The challenges faced and how they were overcome are detailed.

  15. Emerging good practices for Translatability Assessment (TA) of Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO) measures.

    PubMed

    Acquadro, Catherine; Patrick, Donald L; Eremenco, Sonya; Martin, Mona L; Kuliś, Dagmara; Correia, Helena; Conway, Katrin

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents emerging Good Practices for Translatability Assessment (TA) of Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO) Measures. The ISOQOL Translation and Cultural Adaptation Special Interest Group (TCA-SIG) undertook the review of several TA approaches, with the collaboration of organizations who are involved in conducting TA, and members of the TCA-SIG. The effort led to agreement by the writing group on Good Practices for 1) the terminology to be used in referring to translatability process, 2) the best definition of TA, 3) the methodology that is recommended at each step of the process, 4) the persons involved in TA, 5) the timing of assessment, 6) the review criteria for TA, and 7) the recommendations to be made at the end of the TA process. With input from the TCA-SIG membership and in consultation with experts in the field, these emerging good practices can guide the future use of TA in the development of PROs.

  16. Guidelines on Good Clinical Laboratory Practice

    PubMed Central

    Ezzelle, J.; Rodriguez-Chavez, I. R.; Darden, J. M.; Stirewalt, M.; Kunwar, N.; Hitchcock, R.; Walter, T.; D’Souza, M. P.

    2008-01-01

    A set of Good Clinical Laboratory Practice (GCLP) standards that embraces both the research and clinical aspects of GLP were developed utilizing a variety of collected regulatory and guidance material. We describe eleven core elements that constitute the GCLP standards with the objective of filling a gap for laboratory guidance, based on IND sponsor requirements, for conducting laboratory testing using specimens from human clinical trials. These GCLP standards provide guidance on implementing GLP requirements that are critical for laboratory operations, such as performance of protocol-mandated safety assays, peripheral blood mononuclear cell processing and immunological or endpoint assays from biological interventions on IND-registered clinical trials. The expectation is that compliance with the GCLP standards, monitored annually by external audits, will allow research and development laboratories to maintain data integrity and to provide immunogenicity, safety, and product efficacy data that is repeatable, reliable, auditable and that can be easily reconstructed in a research setting. PMID:18037599

  17. Adaptive governance good practice: Show me the evidence!

    PubMed

    Sharma-Wallace, Lisa; Velarde, Sandra J; Wreford, Anita

    2018-09-15

    -based adaptive governance good practice within and across diverse sectors, issues, and contexts. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  18. [Analysis of good practices for inhabitant participation in the clinical management units of the Andalusian Health Service (Spain)].

    PubMed

    Gómez Martínez, M Eugenia; Pastor Moreno, Guadalupe; Pérez Corral, Olivia; Iriarte de Los Santos, M Teresa; Mena Jiménez, Ángel Luis; Escudero Espinosa, M Cecilia; García Romera, Inmaculada; Blanco García, Martín Germán; Martín Barato, Amelia

    To discover good practices for inhabitant participation in the clinical management units (CMUs) of the Andalusian Health Service (AHS) (Spain) and to explore the reasons perceived by CMU and AHS professionals that may influence the presence and distribution of those good practices among the CMU. Study with mixed methodology carried out in Andalusia (Spain) in two phases (2013-2015). Firstly, an online survey was delivered to the Directors of the CMUs which had set up an inhabitant participation commission. In a second phase, a qualitative study was carried out through semi-structured interviews with professionals from the Andalusian Health Service with previous experience in inhabitant participation. A descriptive analysis of the quantitative information and a semantic content analysis of the qualitative information were carried out. 530 CMUs took part in the survey. The inhabitant participation practices more often implemented in the CMUs are those related to the informing and consultation levels. Twelve professionals were interviewed in the second phase. Other practices with higher inhabitant involvement and delegation are secondary. The barriers which were identified by professionals are related to the beliefs and attitudes of the inhabitants, the professionals, the health system and the environment. The main practices for inhabitant participation in the CMUs are related to the most basic levels of participation. The method and dynamics which facilitate inhabitant empowerment within the health system are not clearly recognised. Copyright © 2016 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  19. Liberal Arts Colleges and Good Practices in Undergraduate Education: Additional Evidence

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Seifert, Tricia A.; Pascarella, Ernest T.; Goodman, Kathleen M.; Salisbury, Mark H.; Blaich, Charles F.

    2010-01-01

    Liberal arts colleges have prided themselves on providing students with a quality undergraduate education among a scholarly community who are interested in their holistic development. Past research has found students who attended liberal arts colleges more frequently experienced Chickering and Gamson's (1987, 1991) good practices in undergraduate…

  20. Factors associated with good TB infection control practices among primary healthcare workers in the Free State Province, South Africa.

    PubMed

    Engelbrecht, Michelle; Janse van Rensburg, André; Kigozi, Gladys; van Rensburg, Hcj Dingie

    2016-11-04

    Despite the availability of TB infection control guidelines, and good levels of healthcare worker knowledge about infection control, often these measures are not well implemented. This study sought to determine the factors associated with healthcare workers' good TB infection control practices in primary health care facilities in the Free State Province, South Africa. A cross-sectional self-administered survey among nurses (n = 202) and facility-based community healthcare workers (n = 34) as well as facility observations were undertaken at all 41 primary health care facilities in a selected district of the Free State Province. The majority of respondents were female (n = 200; 87.7 %) and the average age was 44.19 years (standard deviation ±10.82). Good levels of knowledge were recorded, with 42.8 % (n = 101) having an average score (i.e. 65-79 %) and 31.8 % (n = 75) a good score (i.e. ≥ 80 %). Most respondents (n = 189; 80.4 %) had positive attitudes towards TB infection control practices (i.e. ≥ 80 %). While good TB infection control practices were reported by 72.9 % (n = 161) of the respondents (i.e. ≥75 %), observations revealed this to not necessarily be the case. For every unit increase in attitudes, good practices increased 1.090 times (CI:1.016-1.169). Respondents with high levels of knowledge (≥80 %) were 4.029 (CI: 1.550-10.469) times more likely to have good practices when compared to respondents with poor levels of knowledge (<65 %). The study did not find TB/HIV-related training to be a predictor of good practices. Positive attitudes and good levels of knowledge regarding TB infection control were the main factors associated with good infection control practices. Although many respondents reported good infection control practices - which was somewhat countered by the observations - there are areas that require attention, particularly those related to administrative controls and the use of personal

  1. The good laboratory practice and good clinical practice requirements for the production of radiopharmaceuticals in clinical research.

    PubMed

    De Vos, Filip J; De Decker, Mario; Dierckx, Rudi A

    2005-07-01

    Radiopharmaceuticals account for more than 95% of the group of sterile pharmaceutical products and should therefore be handled and produced with care. Since the introduction of the European directive, all pharmaceuticals used in clinical studies must be prepared under good manufacturing practice (GMP) conditions. This review aims to give an overview of the basic principles and guidelines for the preparation of radiopharmaceuticals. Special attention is given to the production area environment and personnel, the two basic requirements for GMP productions. Especially for the production area, two philosophies have to be combined: the cascade system of over-pressure for the production of pharmaceuticals and the under pressure system for the manufacturing of radioisotopes. Personnel should be selected based on education and regularly given special training for the handling of radioactive material. Compared to pharmaceuticals, radiopharmaceuticals have their own labels, taking into account their specific nature. Besides the standard quality control, other items for quality control of radiopharmaceuticals are also discussed in this article.

  2. Do Liberal Arts Colleges Really Foster Good Practices in Undergraduate Education?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pascarella, Ernest T.; Cruce, Ty M.; Wolniak, Gregory C.; Blaich, Charles F.

    2004-01-01

    Researchers estimated the net effects of liberal arts colleges on 19 measures of good practices in undergraduate education grouped into seven categories. Analyses of 3-year longitudinal data from five liberal arts colleges, four research universities, and seven regional universities were conducted. Net of a battery of student precollege…

  3. Values Education as Good Practice Pedagogy: Evidence from Australian Empirical Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lovat, Terence

    2017-01-01

    This article focuses on the Australian Government's Values Education Program and, within its context, the "Values Education Good Practice Schools Project" (VEGPSP) Reports and the "Project to Test and Measure the Impact of Values Education on Student Effects and School Ambience," funded federally from 2003 to 2010. Findings…

  4. Identification of Good Practices in the Implementation of Innovative Learning Methodologies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lincaru, Cristina; Ciuca, Vasilica; Grecu, Liliana; Atanasiu, Draga; Dragoiu, Codruta

    2011-01-01

    We intend to present the partial issues resulted from the development of the European Project DeInTRA "cooperation for innovative training methodologies deployment in the European Labour Market"--Stage 4: Identification of good practices in the implementation of innovative learning methodologies. This project is included into the…

  5. Prevention of occupational injuries: Evidence for effective good practices in foundries.

    PubMed

    Porru, Stefano; Calza, Stefano; Arici, Cecilia

    2017-02-01

    Occupational injuries are a relevant research and practical issue. However, intervention studies evaluating the effectiveness of workplace injury prevention programs are seldom performed. The effectiveness of a multifaceted intervention aimed at reducing occupational injury rates (incidence/employment-based=IR, frequency/hours-based=FR, severity=SR) was evaluated between 2008 and 2013 in 29 Italian foundries (22 ferrous; 7 non-ferrous; 3,460 male blue collar workers/year) of varying sizes. Each foundry established an internal multidisciplinary prevention team for risk assessment, monitoring and prevention of occupational injuries, involving employers, occupational physicians, safety personnel, workers' representatives, supervisors. Targets of intervention were workers, equipment, organization, workplace, job tasks. An interrupted time series (ITS) design was applied. 4,604 occupational injuries and 83,156 lost workdays were registered between 2003 and 2013. Statistical analysis showed, after intervention, a reduction of all injury rates (-26% IR, -15% FR, -18% SR) in ferrous foundries and of SR (-4%) in non-ferrous foundries. A significant (p=0.021) 'step-effect' was shown for IR in ferrous foundries, independent of secular trends (p<0.001). Sector-specific benchmarks for all injury rates were developed separately for ferrous and non-ferrous foundries. Strengths of the study were: ITS design, according to standardized quality criteria (i.e., at least three data points before and three data points after intervention; clearly defined intervention point); pragmatic approach, with good external validity; promotion of effective good practices. Main limitations were the non-randomized nature and a medium length post-intervention period. In conclusion, a multifaceted, pragmatic and accountable intervention is effective in reducing the burden of occupational injuries in small-, medium- and large-sized foundries. Practical Applications: The study poses the basis for

  6. Identifying emotional intelligence in professional nursing practice.

    PubMed

    Kooker, Barbara Molina; Shoultz, Jan; Codier, Estelle E

    2007-01-01

    The National Center for Health Workforce Analysis projects that the shortage of registered nurses in the United States will double by 2010 and will nearly quadruple to 20% by 2015 (Bureau of Health Professionals Health Resources and Services Administration. [2002]. Projected supply, demand, and shortages of registered nurses, 2000-2020 [On-line]. Available: http:bhpr.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/reports/rnprojects/report.htm). The purpose of this study was to use the conceptual framework of emotional intelligence to analyze nurses' stories about their practice to identify factors that could be related to improved nurse retention and patient/client outcomes. The stories reflected evidence of the competencies and domains of emotional intelligence and were related to nurse retention and improved outcomes. Nurses recognized their own strengths and limitations, displayed empathy and recognized client needs, nurtured relationships, used personal influence, and acted as change agents. Nurses were frustrated when organizational barriers conflicted with their knowledge/intuition about nursing practice, their communications were disregarded, or their attempts to create a shared vision and teamwork were ignored. Elements of professional nursing practice, such as autonomy, nurse satisfaction, respect, and the professional practice environment, were identified in the excerpts of the stories. The shortage of practicing nurses continues to be a national issue. The use of emotional intelligence concepts may provide fresh insights into ways to keep nurses engaged in practice and to improve nurse retention and patient/client outcomes.

  7. Identifying characteristics and practices of multidisciplinary team reviews for patients with severe mental illness: a systematic review.

    PubMed

    Woody, Charlotte A; Baxter, Amanda J; Harris, Meredith G; Siskind, Dan J; Whiteford, Harvey A

    2018-06-01

    Multidisciplinary teams in mental health receive limited guidance, leading to inconsistent practices. We undertook a systematic review of the characteristics and practices of multidisciplinary team reviews for patients with severe mental illness or in relevant mental health service settings. Sources published since 2000 were located via academic database and web searches. Results were synthesised narratively. A total of 14 sources were analysed. Important characteristics and practices identified included routine monitoring and evaluation, good communication, equality between team members, and clear documentation practices. Success factors included defined leadership and clear team goals. Four sources described considerations for patients with complex clinical needs, including allocating sufficient time for discussion, maintaining connections with community providers, and ensuring culturally sensitive practices. No single best practice model was found, due to variations in team caseload, casemix, and resourcing levels. However, key ingredients for success were proposed. Sources were mostly descriptive; there remains a lack of evidence-based guidance regarding multidisciplinary team review characteristics and practices.

  8. A Rapid Assessment Tool for affirming good practice in midwifery education programming.

    PubMed

    Fullerton, Judith T; Johnson, Peter; Lobe, Erika; Myint, Khine Haymar; Aung, Nan Nan; Moe, Thida; Linn, Nay Aung

    2016-03-01

    to design a criterion-referenced assessment tool that could be used globally in a rapid assessment of good practices and bottlenecks in midwifery education programs. a standard tool development process was followed, to generate standards and reference criteria; followed by external review and field testing to document psychometric properties. review of standards and scoring criteria were conducted by stakeholders around the globe. Field testing of the tool was conducted in Myanmar. eleven of Myanmar׳s 22 midwifery education programs participated in the assessment. the clinimetric tool was demonstrated to have content validity and high inter-rater reliability in use. a globally validated tool, and accompanying user guide and handbook are now available for conducting rapid assessments of compliance with good practice criteria in midwifery education programming. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  9. Irrigation water quality and the benefits of implementing good agricultural practices during tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum) production.

    PubMed

    Estrada-Acosta, M; Jiménez, M; Chaidez, C; León-Félix, J; Castro-Del Campo, N

    2014-07-01

    The implementation of good agricultural practices (GAP) from irrigation water to the tomato packaging process enhances the safety of fresh produce and its value throughout the food chain. The aim of the present study was to show that fresh produce farms that apply and enforce GAP could reduce the presence of Salmonella in finished produce. Samples were collected biweekly from six packing houses from the central region of Sinaloa, México, for the isolation of Salmonella spp by the ISO 6579:2002 method, and the isolated strains were serotyped and genotyped by the Kauffmman-White scheme and pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), respectively. Salmonella strains were detected in 13 (36.1 %) irrigation water samples, while only two tomato samples were positive (5.5 %). Eight different serotypes were identified in irrigation water, and Salmonella Oranienburg (34 %) was the most prevalent; however, only Salmonella Agona and Salmonella Weltevreden were present on tomatoes. Salmonella Oranienburg was the most widely dispersed and variable serotype, with 10 different PFGE profiles. Salmonella Weltevreden was isolated from both types of samples, albeit with distinct genetic profiles, implying that the sources of contamination differ. These results confirm the utility of implementing good agricultural practices to reduce Salmonella contamination in irrigation water and the packaging process.

  10. Regulatory Monitoring of Fortified Foods: Identifying Barriers and Good Practices

    PubMed Central

    Rowe, Laura A; Vossenaar, Marieke; Garrett, Greg S

    2015-01-01

    While fortification of staple foods and condiments has gained enormous global traction, poor performance persists throughout many aspects of implementation, most notably around the critical element of regulatory monitoring, which is essential for ensuring foods meet national fortification standards. Where coverage of fortified foods is high, limited nutritional impact of fortification programs largely exists due to regulatory monitoring that insufficiently identifies and holds producers accountable for underfortified products. Based on quality assurance data from 20 national fortification programs in 12 countries, we estimate that less than half of the samples are adequately fortified against relevant national standards. In this paper, we outline key findings from a literature review, key informant interviews with 11 fortification experts, and semi-quantitative surveys with 39 individuals from regulatory agencies and the food fortification industry in 17 countries on the perceived effectiveness of regulatory monitoring systems and barriers to compliance against national fortification standards. Findings highlight that regulatory agencies and industry disagree on the value that enforcement mechanisms have in ensuring compliance against standards. Perceived political risk of enforcement and poorly resourced inspectorate capacity appear to adversely reinforce each other within an environment of unclear legislation to create a major hurdle for improving overall compliance of fortification programs against national standards. Budget constraints affect the ability of regulatory agencies to create a well-trained inspector cadre and improve the detection and enforcement of non-compliant and underfortified products. Recommendations to improve fortification compliance include improving technical capacity; ensuring sustained leadership, accountability, and funding in both the private and the public sectors; and removing political barriers to ensure consistent detection of

  11. Good quantification practices of flavours and fragrances by mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Begnaud, Frédéric; Chaintreau, Alain

    2016-10-28

    Over the past 15 years, chromatographic techniques with mass spectrometric detection have been increasingly used to monitor the rapidly expanded list of regulated flavour and fragrance ingredients. This trend entails a need for good quantification practices suitable for complex media, especially for multi-analytes. In this article, we present experimental precautions needed to perform the analyses and ways to process the data according to the most recent approaches. This notably includes the identification of analytes during their quantification and method validation, when applied to real matrices, based on accuracy profiles. A brief survey of application studies based on such practices is given.This article is part of the themed issue 'Quantitative mass spectrometry'. © 2016 The Authors.

  12. Clinician-Reported Outcome Assessments of Treatment Benefit: Report of the ISPOR Clinical Outcome Assessment Emerging Good Practices Task Force

    PubMed Central

    Powers, John H.; Patrick, Donald L.; Walton, Marc K.; Marquis, Patrick; Cano, Stefan; Hobart, Jeremy; Isaac, Maria; Vamvakas, Spiros; Slagle, Ashley; Molsen, Elizabeth; Burke, Laurie B.

    2017-01-01

    A clinician-reported outcome (ClinRO) assessment is a type of clinical outcome assessment (COA). ClinRO assessments, like all COAs (patient-reported, observer-reported, or performance outcome assessments), are used to 1) measure patients’ health status and 2) define end points that can be interpreted as treatment benefits of medical interventions on how patients feel, function, or survive in clinical trials. Like other COAs, ClinRO assessments can be influenced by human choices, judgment, or motivation. A ClinRO assessment is conducted and reported by a trained health care professional and requires specialized professional training to evaluate the patient’s health status. This is the second of two reports by the ISPOR Clinical Outcomes Assessment—Emerging Good Practices for Outcomes Research Task Force. The first report provided an overview of COAs including definitions important for an understanding of COA measurement practices. This report focuses specifically on issues related to ClinRO assessments. In this report, we define three types of ClinRO assessments (readings, ratings, and clinician global assessments) and describe emerging good measurement practices in their development and evaluation. The good measurement practices include 1) defining the context of use; 2) identifying the concept of interest measured; 3) defining the intended treatment benefit on how patients feel, function, or survive reflected by the ClinRO assessment and evaluating the relationship between that intended treatment benefit and the concept of interest; 4) documenting content validity; 5) evaluating other measurement properties once content validity is established (including intra- and inter-rater reliability); 6) defining study objectives and end point(s) objectives, and defining study end points and placing study end points within the hierarchy of end points; 7) establishing interpretability in trial results; and 8) evaluating operational considerations for the implementation

  13. Commentary on the MID3 Good Practices Paper.

    PubMed

    Manolis, Efthymios; Brogren, Jacob; Cole, Susan; Hay, Justin L; Nordmark, Anna; Karlsson, Kristin E; Lentz, Frederike; Benda, Norbert; Wangorsch, Gaby; Pons, Gerard; Zhao, Wei; Gigante, Valeria; Serone, Francesca; Standing, Joseph F; Dokoumetzidis, Aris; Vakkilainen, Juha; van den Heuvel, Michiel; Mangas Sanjuan, Victor; Taminiau, Johannes; Kerwash, Essam; Khan, David; Musuamba, Flora Tshinanu; Skottheim Rusten, Ine

    2017-07-01

    During the last 10 years the European Medicines Agency (EMA) organized a number of workshops on modeling and simulation, working towards greater integration of modeling and simulation (M&S) in the development and regulatory assessment of medicines. In the 2011 EMA - European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) Workshop on Modelling and Simulation, European regulators agreed to the necessity to build expertise to be able to review M&S data provided by companies in their dossier. This led to the establishment of the EMA Modelling and Simulation Working Group (MSWG). Also, there was agreement reached on the need for harmonization on good M&S practices and for continuing dialog across all parties. The MSWG acknowledges the initiative of the EFPIA Model-Informed Drug Discovery and Development (MID3) group in promoting greater consistency in practice, application, and documentation of M&S and considers the paper is an important contribution towards achieving this objective. © 2017 The Authors CPT: Pharmacometrics & Systems Pharmacology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

  14. Good Laboratory Practices of Materials Testing at NASA White Sands Test Facility

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hirsch, David; Williams, James H.

    2005-01-01

    An approach to good laboratory practices of materials testing at NASA White Sands Test Facility is presented. The contents include: 1) Current approach; 2) Data analysis; and 3) Improvements sought by WSTF to enhance the diagnostic capability of existing methods.

  15. Good practices of publishing AYUSH research: A practical checklist for authors.

    PubMed

    Patwardhan, Kishor; Tillu, Girish; Jadhav, Priyanka M

    Since its inception, Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine (J-AIM) has been constantly striving to create an environment that inculcates and strengthens "Good Publication Practices (GPP)" amongst students, practitioners and researchers in AYUSH community. The J-AIM has been doing this in the form of conducting workshops on scientific writing and research methods on different platforms. This article is based on our experiences and varied discussions that we have had with students, teachers, practitioners and researchers during these interactive sessions, and is intended at addressing the gap that prevails in the domain. The need for such awareness is felt even more strongly ever since the Beall's list of predatory journals has been unpublished. This article tries to fill the void this disappearance has created. We analyze the current scenario of AYUSH publications, enumerate the common perceptions and concerns among the workers in the field, and consider the periodicals where the doctoral and postgraduate level of Ayurveda research works are being published at present. The article also presents a practical checklist that will be helpful for students and teachers to refer authentic resources and submit their work to an appropriate scholarly journal. Copyright © 2017 Transdisciplinary University, Bangalore and World Ayurveda Foundation. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Medical Gas Containers and Closures; Current Good Manufacturing Practice Requirements. Final rule.

    PubMed

    2016-11-18

    The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or the Agency) is amending its current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) and labeling regulations regarding medical gases. FDA is requiring that portable cryogenic medical gas containers not manufactured with permanent gas use outlet connections have gas-specific use outlet connections that cannot be readily removed or replaced except by the manufacturer. FDA is also requiring that portable cryogenic medical gas containers and high-pressure medical gas cylinders meet certain labeling, naming, and color requirements. These requirements are intended to increase the likelihood that the contents of medical gas containers are accurately identified and reduce the likelihood of the wrong gas being connected to a gas supply system or container. FDA is also revising an existing regulation that conditionally exempts certain medical gases from certain otherwise-applicable labeling requirements in order to add oxygen and nitrogen to the list of gases subject to the exemption, and to remove cyclopropane and ethylene from the list.

  17. Analysis of good practice of public health Emergency Operations Centers.

    PubMed

    Xu, Min; Li, Shi-Xue

    2015-08-01

    To study the public health Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs)in the US, the European Union, the UK and Australia, and summarize the good practice for the improvement of National Health Emergency Response Command Center in Chinese National Health and Family Planning Commission. Literature review was conducted to explore the EOCs of selected countries. The study focused on EOC function, organizational structure, human resources and information management. The selected EOCs had the basic EOC functions of coordinating and commanding as well as the public health related functions such as monitoring the situation, risk assessment, and epidemiological briefings. The organizational structures of the EOCs were standardized, scalable and flexible. Incident Command System was the widely applied organizational structure with a strong preference. The EOCs were managed by a unit of emergency management during routine time and surge staff were engaged upon emergencies. The selected EOCs had clear information management framework including information collection, assessment and dissemination. The performance of National Health Emergency Response Command Center can be improved by learning from the good practice of the selected EOCs, including setting clear functions, standardizing the organizational structure, enhancing the human resource capacity and strengthening information management. Copyright © 2015 Hainan Medical College. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Personal Transferable Skills in Higher Education: The Problems of Implementing Good Practice.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Drummond, Ian; Nixon, Iain; Wiltshire, John

    1998-01-01

    Promotion of effective development of personal transferable skills has had limited success in British higher education. Difficulties inherent in implementing established good practice include institutional inertia, issues of academic freedom, resources, high levels of commitment to a particular discipline, and modularization. (SK)

  19. Development and implementation of the Good Neighbor Agreement (GNA) practice in the USA sustainable mining development.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Masaitis, Alexandra

    2014-05-01

    New economic, environmental and social challenges for the mining industry in the USA show the need to implement "responsible" mining practices that include improved community involvement. Conflicts which occur in the US territory and with US mining companies around the world are now common between the mining proponents, NGO's and communities. These conflicts can sometimes be alleviated by early development of modes of communication, and a formal discussion format that allows airing of concerns and potential resolution of problems. One of the methods that can formalize this process is to establish a Good Neighbor Agreement (GNA), which deals specifically with challenges in relationships between mining operations and the local communities. It is a new practice related to mining operations that are oriented toward social needs and concerns of local communities that arise during the normal life of a mine, which can achieve sustainable mining practices. The GNA project being currently developed at the University of Nevada, USA in cooperation with the Newmont Mining Corporation has a goal of creating an open company/community dialog that will help identify and address sociological and environmental concerns associated with mining. Discussion: The Good Neighbor Agreement currently evolving will address the following: 1. Identify spheres of possible cooperation between mining companies, government organizations, and NGO's. 2. Provide an economically viable mechanism for developing a partnership between mining operations and the local communities that will increase mining industry's accountability and provide higher levels of confidence for the community that a mine is operated in a safe and sustainable manner. Implementation of the GNA can help identify and evaluate conflict criteria in mining/community relationships; determine the status of concerns; determine the role and responsibilities of stakeholders; analyze problem resolution feasibility; maintain the community

  20. Good manufacturing practices for medicinal products for human use.

    PubMed

    Gouveia, Bruno G; Rijo, Patrícia; Gonçalo, Tânia S; Reis, Catarina P

    2015-01-01

    At international and national levels, there are public and private organizations, institutions and regulatory authorities, who work and cooperate between them and with Pharmaceutical Industry, in order to achieve a consensus of the guidelines and laws of the manufacturing of medicinal products for human use. This article includes an explanation of how operate and cooperate these participants, between them and expose the current regulations, following the line of European Community/European Economic Area, referencing, wherever appropriate, the practiced guidelines, outside of regulatory action of space mentioned. In this way, it is intended to achieve quality, security and effectiveness exceptional levels in the manufacturing of health products. Good Manufacturing Practice aim the promotion of the human health and consequently, to the improvement of quality of life. For achieve the proposed objectives, it is necessary to ensure the applicability of the presented concepts and show the benefits arising from this applicability.

  1. Good manufacturing practices for medicinal products for human use

    PubMed Central

    Gouveia, Bruno G.; Rijo, Patrícia; Gonçalo, Tânia S.; Reis, Catarina P.

    2015-01-01

    At international and national levels, there are public and private organizations, institutions and regulatory authorities, who work and cooperate between them and with Pharmaceutical Industry, in order to achieve a consensus of the guidelines and laws of the manufacturing of medicinal products for human use. This article includes an explanation of how operate and cooperate these participants, between them and expose the current regulations, following the line of European Community/European Economic Area, referencing, wherever appropriate, the practiced guidelines, outside of regulatory action of space mentioned. In this way, it is intended to achieve quality, security and effectiveness exceptional levels in the manufacturing of health products. Good Manufacturing Practice aim the promotion of the human health and consequently, to the improvement of quality of life. For achieve the proposed objectives, it is necessary to ensure the applicability of the presented concepts and show the benefits arising from this applicability. PMID:25883511

  2. Identifying, studying and making good use of macromolecular crystals

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Calero, Guillermo; Cohen, Aina E.; Luft, Joseph R.

    2014-07-25

    As technology advances, the crystal volume that can be used to collect useful X-ray diffraction data decreases. The technologies available to detect and study growing crystals beyond the optical resolution limit and methods to successfully place the crystal into the X-ray beam are discussed. Structural biology has contributed tremendous knowledge to the understanding of life on the molecular scale. The Protein Data Bank, a depository of this structural knowledge, currently contains over 100 000 protein structures, with the majority stemming from X-ray crystallography. As the name might suggest, crystallography requires crystals. As detectors become more sensitive and X-ray sources moremore » intense, the notion of a crystal is gradually changing from one large enough to embellish expensive jewellery to objects that have external dimensions of the order of the wavelength of visible light. Identifying these crystals is a prerequisite to their study. This paper discusses developments in identifying these crystals during crystallization screening and distinguishing them from other potential outcomes. The practical aspects of ensuring that once a crystal is identified it can then be positioned in the X-ray beam for data collection are also addressed.« less

  3. Good practice statements on safe laboratory testing: A mixed methods study by the LINNEAUS collaboration on patient safety in primary care.

    PubMed

    Bowie, Paul; Forrest, Eleanor; Price, Julie; Verstappen, Wim; Cunningham, David; Halley, Lyn; Grant, Suzanne; Kelly, Moya; Mckay, John

    2015-09-01

    The systems-based management of laboratory test ordering and results handling is a known source of error in primary care settings worldwide. The consequences are wide-ranging for patients (e.g. avoidable harm or poor care experience), general practitioners (e.g. delayed clinical decision making and potential medico-legal implications) and the primary care organization (e.g. increased allocation of resources to problem-solve and dealing with complaints). Guidance is required to assist care teams to minimize associated risks and improve patient safety. To identify, develop and build expert consensus on 'good practice' guidance statements to inform the implementation of safe systems for ordering laboratory tests and managing results in European primary care settings. Mixed methods studies were undertaken in the UK and Ireland, and the findings were triangulated to develop 'good practice' statements. Expert consensus was then sought on the findings at the wider European level via a Delphi group meeting during 2013. We based consensus on 10 safety domains and developed 77 related 'good practice' statements (≥ 80% agreement levels) judged to be essential to creating safety and minimizing risks in laboratory test ordering and subsequent results handling systems in international primary care. Guidance was developed for improving patient safety in this important area of primary care practice. We need to consider how this guidance can be made accessible to frontline care teams, utilized by clinical educators and improvement advisers, implemented by decision makers and evaluated to determine acceptability, feasibility and impacts on patient safety.

  4. Guidelines for Good Epidemiology Practices for Occupational and Environmental Epidemiologic Research. The Chemical Manufacturers Association's Epidemiology Task Group.

    PubMed

    1991-12-01

    The Guidelines for Good Epidemiology Practices (GEPs) for Occupational and Environmental Epidemiologic Research address the conduct of studies generally undertaken to answer questions about human health in relationship to the work place or the environment. The GEPs propose minimum practices and procedures that should be considered to help ensure the quality and integrity of data used in epidemiologic research and to provide adequate documentation of the research methods. The GEPs address the process of conducting individual epidemiologic studies and do not prescribe specific research methods. The Guidelines for Good Epidemiology Practices propose minimum practices and procedures in the following areas: I. Organization and Personnel II. Facilities, Resource Commitment, and Contractors III. Protocol IV. Review and Approval V. Study Conduct VI. Communication VII. Archiving VIII. Quality Assurance Although the Guidelines for Good Epidemiology Practices will not guarantee good epidemiology, they do provide a useful framework for ensuring that all research issues are adequately addressed. This framework is proposed as a first step in improving epidemiologic research practices through adherence to sound scientific research principles. Appendices provide an overview of standard operating procedures, a glossary of terms used in the Guidelines, and suggested references on occupational epidemiology methods.

  5. Computer ergonomics: the medical practice guide to developing good computer habits.

    PubMed

    Hills, Laura

    2011-01-01

    Medical practice employees are likely to use computers for at least some of their work. Some sit several hours each day at computer workstations. Therefore, it is important that members of your medical practice team develop good computer work habits and that they know how to align equipment, furniture, and their bodies to prevent strain, stress, and computer-related injuries. This article delves into the field of computer ergonomics-the design of computer workstations and work habits to reduce user fatigue, discomfort, and injury. It describes practical strategies medical practice employees can use to improve their computer work habits. Specifically, this article describes the proper use of the computer workstation chair, the ideal placement of the computer monitor and keyboard, and the best lighting for computer work areas and tasks. Moreover, this article includes computer ergonomic guidelines especially for bifocal and progressive lens wearers and offers 10 tips for proper mousing. Ergonomically correct posture, movements, positioning, and equipment are all described in detail to enable the frequent computer user in your medical practice to remain healthy, pain-free, and productive.

  6. Knowledge, compliance with good clinical practices and barriers to effective control of postoperative pain among nurses from hospitals with and without a "Hospital without Pain" certificate.

    PubMed

    Tomaszek, Lucyna; Dębska, Grażyna

    2018-04-01

    (i) To compare knowledge and compliance with good clinical practices regarding control of postoperative pain among nurses employed at hospitals with and without a "Hospital without Pain" certificate, (ii) to identify the determinants of nurses' knowledge and (iii) to define barriers to effective control of postoperative pain. Only a slight improvement in postoperative pain control has been observed recently, if any. Implementation of good clinical practices in the control of postoperative pain requires involvement of nurses. A cross-sectional study. The study included 257 nurses from hospitals with a "Hospital without Pain" certificate and 243 nurses from noncertified hospitals, with mean job seniority of 17.6 ± 9.6 years. All respondents answered 26 questions regarding postoperative pain control-related issues. Based on the answers, overall scores were calculated for (i) nurses' knowledge, (ii) compliance with good clinical practices and (iii) barriers to effective control of postoperative pain. Nurses from the certified hospitals presented with significantly higher levels of knowledge and compliance with good clinical practices and identified significantly more barriers to effective control of postoperative pain. Apart from certification of a hospital, better knowledge of postoperative pain control was determined by higher education, participation in postgraduate training programmes and other relevant courses, self-education from medical journals, employment at paediatric ward or intensive care unit. The most commonly reported barriers to effective control of pain included too low doses of painkillers prescribed by physicians and inability to modify the protocol of pain treatment by the nurse. Control of postoperative pain can be improved by enrolling nurses in various forms of continuous training and by providing them with greater autonomy in administering painkillers to surgical patients. Better quality of care offered to patients with postoperative pain

  7. 9 CFR 147.26 - Procedures for establishing isolation and maintaining sanitation and good management practices...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... and maintaining sanitation and good management practices for the control of Salmonella and Mycoplasma... management practices for the control of Salmonella and Mycoplasma infections. (a) The following procedures...) Allow no visitors except under controlled conditions to minimize the introduction of Salmonella and...

  8. Taking personal responsibility: Nurses' and assistant nurses' experiences of good nursing practice in psychiatric inpatient care.

    PubMed

    Gabrielsson, Sebastian; Sävenstedt, Stefan; Olsson, Malin

    2016-10-01

    Therapeutic nurse-patient relationships are considered essential for good nursing practice in psychiatric inpatient care. Previous research suggests that inpatient care fails to fulfil patients' expectations in this regard, and that nurses might experience the reality of inpatient care as an obstruction. The aim of the present study was to explore nurses' and assistant nurses' experiences of good nursing practice in the specific context of psychiatric inpatient care. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 12 skilled, relationship-oriented nurses and assistant nurses in order to explore their experiences with nursing practice related to psychiatric inpatient care. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using an interpretive descriptive approach. Findings describe good nursing practice as a matter of nurses and assistant nurses taking personal responsibility for their actions and for the individual patient as a person. Difficulties in providing dignified nursing care and taking personal responsibility cause them to experience feelings of distress and frustration. Shared values and nursing leadership supports being moral and treating patients with respect, having enough time supports being present and connecting with patients, and working as a part of a competent team with critical daily discussions and diversity supports being confident and building trust. The findings suggest that taking personal responsibility is integral to good nursing practice. If unable to improve poor circumstances, nurses might be forced to promote their own survival by refuting or redefining their responsibility. Nurses need to prioritize being with patients and gain support in shaping their own nursing practice. Nursing leadership should provide moral direction and defend humanistic values. © 2016 Australian College of Mental Health Nurses Inc.

  9. Review of guidelines for good practice in decision-analytic modelling in health technology assessment.

    PubMed

    Philips, Z; Ginnelly, L; Sculpher, M; Claxton, K; Golder, S; Riemsma, R; Woolacoot, N; Glanville, J

    2004-09-01

    To identify existing guidelines and develop a synthesised guideline plus accompanying checklist. In addition to provide guidance on key theoretical, methodological and practical issues and consider the implications of this research for what might be expected of future decision-analytic models. Electronic databases. A systematic review of existing good practice guidelines was undertaken to identify and summarise guidelines currently available for assessing the quality of decision-analytic models that have been undertaken for health technology assessment. A synthesised good practice guidance and accompanying checklist was developed. Two specific methods areas in decision modelling were considered. The first method's topic is the identification of parameter estimates from published literature. Parameter searches were developed and piloted using a case-study model. The second topic relates to bias in parameter estimates; that is, how to adjust estimates of treatment effect from observational studies where there are risks of selection bias. A systematic literature review was conducted to identify those studies looking at quantification of bias in parameter estimates and the implication of this bias. Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria and were reviewed and consolidated into a single set of brief statements of good practice. From this, a checklist was developed and applied to three independent decision-analytic models. Although the checklist provided excellent guidance on some key issues for model evaluation, it was too general to pick up on the specific nuances of each model. The searches that were developed helped to identify important data for inclusion in the model. However, the quality of life searches proved to be problematic: the published search filters did not focus on those measures specific to cost-effectiveness analysis and although the strategies developed as part of this project were more successful few data were found. Of the 11 studies meeting the

  10. A New Survey of "Good Practices" Could Be an Alternative to Rankings.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gose, Ben

    1999-01-01

    A new national survey, developed by professionals in higher education assessment, seeks to measure the extent to which colleges use "good practices" that encourage learning. Creators of the National Survey of Student Engagement will study undergraduates at 750 colleges over three years to establish benchmarks for different institution…

  11. Good manufacturing practice and viral safety.

    PubMed

    Kerner, B

    1995-07-01

    The concept of virus inactivation during the manufacture of blood products raises questions about possible recontamination of the product by the environment. A strict regime of good manufacturing practice (GMP) is mandatory. The guidelines originally issued by the World Health Organization (WHO), and now law in most countries, are an excellent basis for the operation of a production plant. The following elements of GMP require special concern: (i) All functions shall be defined in a clear organization chart. (ii) Personnel shall be appropriately trained for the job and to perfect hygiene. (iii) Buildings and facilities, as well as supply systems, shall exclude the possibility of recontamination of already virus-inactivated materials. (iv) Equipment shall be easy to clean and fully sterilizable. (v) Production shall follow appropriate written procedures. (vi) The Quality Control Organization shall monitor the process by in-process controls and review the records for possible deviations. All GMP issues are coordinated by a Quality Assurance Organization that also reviews the overall performance of the operation. The maintenance of viral safety of the products basically depends upon the full commitment of all bodies involved to proper and non-negotiable GMP.

  12. Clinician-Reported Outcome Assessments of Treatment Benefit: Report of the ISPOR Clinical Outcome Assessment Emerging Good Practices Task Force.

    PubMed

    Powers, John H; Patrick, Donald L; Walton, Marc K; Marquis, Patrick; Cano, Stefan; Hobart, Jeremy; Isaac, Maria; Vamvakas, Spiros; Slagle, Ashley; Molsen, Elizabeth; Burke, Laurie B

    2017-01-01

    A clinician-reported outcome (ClinRO) assessment is a type of clinical outcome assessment (COA). ClinRO assessments, like all COAs (patient-reported, observer-reported, or performance outcome assessments), are used to 1) measure patients' health status and 2) define end points that can be interpreted as treatment benefits of medical interventions on how patients feel, function, or survive in clinical trials. Like other COAs, ClinRO assessments can be influenced by human choices, judgment, or motivation. A ClinRO assessment is conducted and reported by a trained health care professional and requires specialized professional training to evaluate the patient's health status. This is the second of two reports by the ISPOR Clinical Outcomes Assessment-Emerging Good Practices for Outcomes Research Task Force. The first report provided an overview of COAs including definitions important for an understanding of COA measurement practices. This report focuses specifically on issues related to ClinRO assessments. In this report, we define three types of ClinRO assessments (readings, ratings, and clinician global assessments) and describe emerging good measurement practices in their development and evaluation. The good measurement practices include 1) defining the context of use; 2) identifying the concept of interest measured; 3) defining the intended treatment benefit on how patients feel, function, or survive reflected by the ClinRO assessment and evaluating the relationship between that intended treatment benefit and the concept of interest; 4) documenting content validity; 5) evaluating other measurement properties once content validity is established (including intra- and inter-rater reliability); 6) defining study objectives and end point(s) objectives, and defining study end points and placing study end points within the hierarchy of end points; 7) establishing interpretability in trial results; and 8) evaluating operational considerations for the implementation of

  13. 9 CFR 147.26 - Procedures for establishing isolation and maintaining sanitation and good management practices...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... rodent population and other pests under control; (6) Tailor vaccination programs to needs of farm and... and maintaining sanitation and good management practices for the control of Salmonella and Mycoplasma... management practices for the control of Salmonella and Mycoplasma infections. (a) The following procedures...

  14. 9 CFR 147.26 - Procedures for establishing isolation and maintaining sanitation and good management practices...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... rodent population and other pests under control; (6) Tailor vaccination programs to needs of farm and... and maintaining sanitation and good management practices for the control of Salmonella and Mycoplasma... management practices for the control of Salmonella and Mycoplasma infections. (a) The following procedures...

  15. 9 CFR 147.26 - Procedures for establishing isolation and maintaining sanitation and good management practices...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... rodent population and other pests under control; (6) Tailor vaccination programs to needs of farm and... and maintaining sanitation and good management practices for the control of Salmonella and Mycoplasma... management practices for the control of Salmonella and Mycoplasma infections. (a) The following procedures...

  16. Advances in participatory occupational health aimed at good practices in small enterprises and the informal sector.

    PubMed

    Kogi, Kazutaka

    2006-01-01

    Participatory programmes for occupational risk reduction are gaining importance particularly in small workplaces in both industrially developing and developed countries. To discuss the types of effective support, participatory steps commonly seen in our "work improvement-Asia" network are reviewed. The review covered training programmes for small enterprises, farmers, home workers and trade union members. Participatory steps commonly focusing on low-cost good practices locally achieved have led to concrete improvements in multiple technical areas including materials handling, workstation ergonomics, physical environment and work organization. These steps take advantage of positive features of small workplaces in two distinct ways. First, local key persons are ready to accept local good practices conveyed through personal, informal approaches. Second, workers and farmers are capable of understanding technical problems affecting routine work and taking flexible actions leading to solving them. This process is facilitated by the use of locally adjusted training tools such as local good examples, action checklists and group work methods. It is suggested that participatory occupational health programmes can work in small workplaces when they utilize low-cost good practices in a flexible manner. Networking of these positive experiences is essential.

  17. Health care for immigrants in Europe: Is there still consensus among country experts about principles of good practice? A Delphi study

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background European Member States are facing a challenge to provide accessible and effective health care services for immigrants. It remains unclear how best to achieve this and what characterises good practice in increasingly multicultural societies across Europe. This study assessed the views and values of professionals working in different health care contexts and in different European countries as to what constitutes good practice in health care for immigrants. Methods A total of 134 experts in 16 EU Member States participated in a three-round Delphi process. The experts represented four different fields: academia, Non-Governmental Organisations, policy-making and health care practice. For each country, the process aimed to produce a national consensus list of the most important factors characterising good practice in health care for migrants. Results The scoring procedures resulted in 10 to 16 factors being identified as the most important for each participating country. All 186 factors were aggregated into 9 themes: (1) easy and equal access to health care, (2) empowerment of migrants, (3) culturally sensitive health care services, (4) quality of care, (5) patient/health care provider communication, (6) respect towards migrants, (7) networking in and outside health services, (8) targeted outreach activities, and (9) availability of data about specificities in migrant health care and prevention. Although local political debate, level of immigration and the nature of local health care systems influenced the selection and rating of factors within each country, there was a broad European consensus on most factors. Yet, discordance remained both within countries, e.g. on the need for prioritising cultural differences, and between countries, e.g. on the need for more consistent governance of health care services for immigrants. Conclusions Experts across Europe asserted the right to culturally sensitive health care for all immigrants. There is a broad consensus

  18. Practical Strategies for Integrating Final Ecosystem Goods and Services into Community Decision-Making.

    EPA Science Inventory

    The concept of Final Ecosystem Goods and Services (FEGS) explicitly connects ecosystem services to the people that benefit from them. This report presents a number of practical strategies for incorporating FEGS, and more broadly ecosystem services, into the decision-making proces...

  19. Qualification of computerized monitoring systems in a cell therapy facility compliant with the good manufacturing practices.

    PubMed

    Del Mazo-Barbara, Anna; Mirabel, Clémentine; Nieto, Valentín; Reyes, Blanca; García-López, Joan; Oliver-Vila, Irene; Vives, Joaquim

    2016-09-01

    Computerized systems (CS) are essential in the development and manufacture of cell-based medicines and must comply with good manufacturing practice, thus pushing academic developers to implement methods that are typically found within pharmaceutical industry environments. Qualitative and quantitative risk analyses were performed by Ishikawa and Failure Mode and Effects Analysis, respectively. A process for qualification of a CS that keeps track of environmental conditions was designed and executed. The simplicity of the Ishikawa analysis permitted to identify critical parameters that were subsequently quantified by Failure Mode Effects Analysis, resulting in a list of test included in the qualification protocols. The approach presented here contributes to simplify and streamline the qualification of CS in compliance with pharmaceutical quality standards.

  20. [Good professional practices of French CICs - version # 2].

    PubMed

    Chevassus, Hugues; Duchesne, Charlène; Sailly, Annabelle; Vigouroux, Céline; Foulon, Christine; Kubiak, Christine; Binquet, Christine; Felin, Alexandra Lamotte; Chaud, Pascal; Thalamas, Claire; Cornu, Catherine

    2017-10-01

    French clinical investigation centers (CICs) are academic platforms dedicated to clinical research. The QUALI-CIC working group helps to improve and harmonize practices within the CIC network. After some years of implementation, the manual of good professional practices of CICs (MGPP CIC) completed in 2010, needed to be revised to best fit with the large panel of CIC activities. The aim was also to make it more accurate and to reinforce requirements about participants safety and data security. In its second version published in the present article, the MGPP CIC includes 255 items divided into 15 chapters. An explanatory document, currently being drafted, will complete the manual to facilitate its implementation. Copyright © 2017 Société française de pharmacologie et de thérapeutique. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  1. Establishing Good Practices for Exposure–Response Analysis of Clinical Endpoints in Drug Development

    PubMed Central

    Overgaard, RV; Ingwersen, SH; Tornøe, CW

    2015-01-01

    This tutorial aims at promoting good practices for exposure–response (E-R) analyses of clinical endpoints in drug development. The focus is on practical aspects of E-R analyses to assist modeling scientists with a process of performing such analyses in a consistent manner across individuals and projects and tailored to typical clinical drug development decisions. This includes general considerations for planning, conducting, and visualizing E-R analyses, and how these are linked to key questions. PMID:26535157

  2. Perceptions of Science Teachers on Implementation of Seven Principles for Good Practice in Education by Chickering and Gamson in Courses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ugras, Mustafa; Asiltürk, Erol

    2018-01-01

    The present study aimed to determine the perceptions of science teachers on the implementation of the seven principles for good practice in education by Chickering and Gamson in their courses. Seven principles for good science education were used as a data collection tool in the survey. "The seven principles for good practice in science…

  3. CHRODIS criteria applied to the MASK (MACVIA-ARIA Sentinel NetworK) Good Practice in allergic rhinitis: a SUNFRAIL report.

    PubMed

    Bousquet, J; Onorato, G L; Bachert, C; Barbolini, M; Bedbrook, A; Bjermer, L; de Sousa, J Correia; Chavannes, N H; Cruz, A A; De Manuel Keenoy, E; Devillier, P; Fonseca, J; Hun, S; Kostka, T; Hellings, P W; Illario, M; Ivancevich, J C; Larenas-Linnemann, D; Millot-Keurinck, J; Ryan, D; Samolinski, B; Sheikh, A; Yorgancioglu, A; Agache, I; Arnavielhe, S; Bewick, M; Annesi-Maesano, I; Anto, J M; Bergmann, K C; Bindslev-Jensen, C; Bosnic-Anticevich, S; Bouchard, J; Caimmi, D P; Camargos, P; Canonica, G W; Cardona, V; Carriazo, A M; Cingi, C; Colgan, E; Custovic, A; Dahl, R; Demoly, P; De Vries, G; Fokkens, W J; Fontaine, J F; Gemicioğlu, B; Guldemond, N; Gutter, Z; Haahtela, T; Hellqvist-Dahl, B; Jares, E; Joos, G; Just, J; Khaltaev, N; Keil, T; Klimek, L; Kowalski, M L; Kull, I; Kuna, P; Kvedariene, V; Laune, D; Louis, R; Magnan, A; Malva, J; Mathieu-Dupas, E; Melén, E; Menditto, E; Morais-Almeida, M; Mösges, R; Mullol, J; Murray, R; Neffen, H; O'Hehir, R; Palkonen, S; Papadopoulos, N G; Passalacqua, G; Pépin, J L; Portejoie, F; Price, D; Pugin, B; Raciborski, F; Simons, F E R; Sova, M; Spranger, O; Stellato, C; Todo Bom, A; Tomazic, P V; Triggiani, M; Valero, A; Valovirta, E; VandenPlas, O; Valiulis, A; van Eerd, M; Ventura, M T; Wickman, M; Young, I; Zuberbier, T; Zurkuhlen, A; Senn, A

    2017-01-01

    A Good Practice is a practice that works well, produces good results, and is recommended as a model. MACVIA-ARIA Sentinel Network (MASK), the new Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) initiative, is an example of a Good Practice focusing on the implementation of multi-sectoral care pathways using emerging technologies with real life data in rhinitis and asthma multi-morbidity. The European Union Joint Action on Chronic Diseases and Promoting Healthy Ageing across the Life Cycle (JA-CHRODIS) has developed a checklist of 28 items for the evaluation of Good Practices. SUNFRAIL (Reference Sites Network for Prevention and Care of Frailty and Chronic Conditions in community dwelling persons of EU Countries), a European Union project, assessed whether MASK is in line with the 28 items of JA-CHRODIS. A short summary was proposed for each item and 18 experts, all members of ARIA and SUNFRAIL from 12 countries, assessed the 28 items using a Survey Monkey-based questionnaire. A visual analogue scale (VAS) from 0 (strongly disagree) to 100 (strongly agree) was used. Agreement equal or over 75% was observed for 14 items (50%). MASK is following the JA-CHRODIS recommendations for the evaluation of Good Practices.

  4. Preoperative Site Marking: Are We Adhering to Good Surgical Practice?

    PubMed

    Bathla, Sonia; Chadwick, Michael; Nevins, Edward J; Seward, Joanna

    2017-06-29

    Wrong-site surgery is a never event and a serious, preventable patient safety incident. Within the United Kingdom, national guidance has been issued to minimize the risk of such events. The mandate includes preoperative marking of all surgical patients. This study aimed to quantify regional variation in practice within general surgery and opinions of the surgeons, to help guide the formulation and implementation of a regional general surgery preoperative marking protocol. A SurveyMonkey questionnaire was designed and distributed to 120 surgeons within the Mersey region, United Kingdom. This included all surgical trainees in Mersey (47 registrars, 56 core trainees), 15 consultants, and 2 surgical care practitioners. This sought to ascertain their routine practice and how they would choose to mark for 12 index procedures in general surgery, if mandated to do so. A total of 72 responses (60%) were obtained to the SurveyMonkey questionnaire. Only 26 (36.1%) said that they routinely marked all of their patients preoperatively. The operating surgeon marked the patient in 69% of responses, with the remainder delegating this task. Markings were visible after draping in only 55.6% of marked cases. Based on our findings, surgeons may not be adhering to "Good Surgical Practice"; practice is widely variable and surgeons are largely opposed and resistant to marking patients unless laterality is involved. We suggest that all surgeons need to be actively engaged in the design of local marking protocols to gain support, change practice, and reduce errors.

  5. Who Sleeps by Whom Revisited: A Method for Extracting the Moral Goods Implicit in Practice.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schweder, Richard A; And Others

    1995-01-01

    Explores the specific family practice of determining which family members share a bed or sleeping space. Discusses ways of extracting the moral principles implicit in the practice of arranging where family members sleep at night. Examines similarities and differences in the preferred moral goods of two culture regions--rural Hindu India and urban…

  6. [Good practices and techniques for prevention of accidents at work and occupational diseases. New database of Inail].

    PubMed

    Bindi, L; Ossicini, A

    2007-01-01

    The project "The publication of good practices and good techniques for prevention" is one the priorities of nail. This computerized system for the collection of good practices and standards of Good Technology is aimed to health and safety of workers. The basic objective of the database is to provide a valuable tool, usable, dynamic and implemented, in order to facilitate and direct the access to BP and BT it by people responsible for SSL. At the same time constitutes a tool strategically important for enterprises (especially SMEs) in terms of technological innovation and competitiveness, related to the prevention, safety and health of workers. The realization of this project has involved many of the professionals (chemists, engineers, doctors, biologists, geologists, etc.), and everyone gives his intake of qualified professional competence.

  7. Good Education, the Good Teacher, and a Practical Art of Living a Good Life: A Catholic Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hermans, Chris

    2017-01-01

    What is good education? We value education for reasons connected to the good provided by education in society. This good is connected to be the pedagogical aim of education. This article distinguishes five criteria for good education based on the concept of "Bildung". Next, these five criteria are used to develop the idea of the good…

  8. Impacts of Good Practices on Cognitive Development, Learning Orientations, and Graduate Degree Plans during the First Year of College

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cruce, Ty M.; Wolniak, Gregory C.; Seifert, Tricia A.; Pascarella, Ernest T.

    2006-01-01

    This study estimated separately the unique effects of three dimensions of good practice and the global effects of a composite measure of good practices on the cognitive development, orientations to learning, and educational aspirations of students during their first year of college. Analyses of longitudinal data from a representative sample of…

  9. Good Practices in Model‐Informed Drug Discovery and Development: Practice, Application, and Documentation

    PubMed Central

    Burghaus, R; Cosson, V; Cheung, SYA; Chenel, M; DellaPasqua, O; Frey, N; Hamrén, B; Harnisch, L; Ivanow, F; Kerbusch, T; Lippert, J; Milligan, PA; Rohou, S; Staab, A; Steimer, JL; Tornøe, C; Visser, SAG

    2016-01-01

    This document was developed to enable greater consistency in the practice, application, and documentation of Model‐Informed Drug Discovery and Development (MID3) across the pharmaceutical industry. A collection of “good practice” recommendations are assembled here in order to minimize the heterogeneity in both the quality and content of MID3 implementation and documentation. The three major objectives of this white paper are to: i) inform company decision makers how the strategic integration of MID3 can benefit R&D efficiency; ii) provide MID3 analysts with sufficient material to enhance the planning, rigor, and consistency of the application of MID3; and iii) provide regulatory authorities with substrate to develop MID3 related and/or MID3 enabled guidelines. PMID:27069774

  10. Of Organic Farmers and "Good Farmers": Changing Habitus in Rural England

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sutherland, Lee-Ann; Darnhofer, Ika

    2012-01-01

    In recent years, numerous studies have identified the importance of cultural constructions of "good farming" to farming practice. In this paper, we develop the "good farming" construct through an empirical study of organic and conventional farmers, focussing on how change occurs. Drawing on Bourdieu's concepts of cultural…

  11. Encouraging Good Writing Practice in First-Year Psychology Students: An Intervention Using Turnitin

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Betts, Lucy R.; Bostock, Stephen J.; Elder, Tracey J.; Trueman, Mark

    2012-01-01

    There is growing concern among many regarding plagiarism within student writing. This has promoted investigation into both the factors that predict plagiarism and potential methods of reducing plagiarism. Consequently, we developed and evaluated an intervention to enhance good practice within academic writing through the use of the plagiarism…

  12. Building Skills and Qualifications among SME Employees. Leonardo da Vinci Good Practices Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Commission of the European Communities, Brussels (Belgium). Directorate-General for Education and Culture.

    This document profiles 10 European programs that exemplify good practice in building skills and qualifications among employees of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The programs profiled are as follows: (1) TRICTSME (a program providing World Wide Web-based information and communication technologies training for SMEs in manufacturing); (2)…

  13. [How to promote the respect of good infusion practices by meeting health care professionals?].

    PubMed

    Le Reste, C; Fiedler, A; Dubois, S; Dewailly, A; Le Du, I; Cogulet, V

    2016-05-01

    Health care professionals often forget that there are risks associated with infusion therapy even if it is a common care. In order to assess this practice and to draw potential improvement actions, an audit of local gravity-flow intravenous infusion practices was conducted. The audit, based on a grid including 66 items from the medical prescription to the end of the infusion therapy administration, was conducted in the 6 units which use the most gravity-flow intravenous infusion devices. A multidisciplinary working group was created to decide and organize priority corrective measures in order to improve infusion practices and quality of healthcare. The audit enabled to observe 90hours of nurse's practices (96 infusions) and highlighted heterogeneity in infusion, in some cases inappropriate infusion practices and misuse of infusion devices. We found 4 main issues: labelling infusion therapy, training of health care professionals on good practices, support the purchase of infusion pumps and standardize perfusion line. An interactive educational program for nurses (workshops) was organized to enhance the respect of good practices: infusion identification at any time, respect of hygiene rules, flow rate regulation by counting drops, appropriate use of pumps and flow rate regulators. The audit drew up work priorities. The workshops made easier exchanges between professionals and had a warm welcome that's why it is essential to carry on such training. This collaborative approach between pharmacists, nurses, hygienists and biomedical technicians contribute to drug management improvement and promote optimal patient care. Copyright © 2015 Académie Nationale de Pharmacie. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  14. What Is "Good" Mentoring? Understanding Mentoring Practices of Teacher Induction through Case Studies of Finland and Australia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pennanen, Matti; Bristol, Laurette; Wilkinson, Jane; Heikkinen, Hannu L. T.

    2016-01-01

    Mentoring is a practice widely utilised to support new teachers. However, in locally formed systems, the practice of mentoring is conditioned by traditions and arrangements specific to the site. To understand "good" mentoring, these local arrangements cannot be ignored. In this article, the theory of practice architectures is employed to…

  15. Discrimination and Good Practice Activities in Education: Trends and Developments in the 27 EU Member States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pollak, Alexander

    2008-01-01

    The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights collects, through its network of observation points, information on discrimination and good practice in the areas of legislation, employment, housing, racist violence, and education. Data on education includes information on: access to education for vulnerable groups, discriminatory practices,…

  16. Promoting good practice in health promotion in Spain: the potential role of a new agency.

    PubMed

    Paredes-Carbonell, Joan J; Peiró-Pérez, Rosana; Morgana, Antony

    2016-11-01

    Health promotion (HP) activities should be evaluated both in terms of process and results. However there remains a lack of information regarding the types of HP community interventions that are performed in our country, which of these are based on the best available evidence, and how the evidence available can be translated into HP recommendations for action? Spain does not have a dedicated body to answer such questions. If one existed, its role should be to identify the full range of interventions available to promote health, evaluate them and, in cases where there are positive results, facilitate their transfer and implementation. The aim of this article is to reflect on the need and usefulness of an institution with these functions. It also aims to identify the possible strengths and weaknesses of such an institution and what external experiences could be used in developing it. The discussion draws on the experience of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) highlighting possibilities for collaborative strategies. One might argue that the largely published English language evidence base needs simply to be translated to improve knowledge. However, good practice in HP is based and nurtured within the context where it is to be implemented. Therefore, a strategy to improve practice cannot rely solely on direct translations. Successful evidence-based HP must rely not only on robust scientific evidence but also on a process that ensures appropriate contextualization, that tests methodologies and develops guidance for action appropriate to the country, and that systematizes the process and evaluates the impact once the guidance have been put into practice. Copyright © 2016 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  17. Performance-based risk-sharing arrangements-good practices for design, implementation, and evaluation: report of the ISPOR good practices for performance-based risk-sharing arrangements task force.

    PubMed

    Garrison, Louis P; Towse, Adrian; Briggs, Andrew; de Pouvourville, Gerard; Grueger, Jens; Mohr, Penny E; Severens, J L Hans; Siviero, Paolo; Sleeper, Miguel

    2013-01-01

    There is a significant and growing interest among both payers and producers of medical products for agreements that involve a "pay-for-performance" or "risk-sharing" element. These payment schemes-called "performance-based risk-sharing arrangements" (PBRSAs)-involve a plan by which the performance of the product is tracked in a defined patient population over a specified period of time and the amount or level of reimbursement is based on the health and cost outcomes achieved. There has always been considerable uncertainty at product launch about the ultimate real-world clinical and economic performance of new products, but this appears to have increased in recent years. PBRSAs represent one mechanism for reducing this uncertainty through greater investment in evidence collection while a technology is used within a health care system. The objective of this Task Force report was to set out the standards that should be applied to "good practices"-both research and operational-in the use of a PBRSA, encompassing questions around the desirability, design, implementation, and evaluation of such an arrangement. This report provides practical recommendations for the development and application of state-of-the-art methods to be used when considering, using, or reviewing PBRSAs. Key findings and recommendations include the following. Additional evidence collection is costly, and there are numerous barriers to establishing viable and cost-effective PBRSAs: negotiation, monitoring, and evaluation costs can be substantial. For good research practice in PBRSAs, it is critical to match the appropriate study and research design to the uncertainties being addressed. Good governance processes are also essential. The information generated as part of PBRSAs has public good aspects, bringing ethical and professional obligations, which need to be considered from a policy perspective. The societal desirability of a particular PBRSA is fundamentally an issue as to whether the cost of

  18. The impact of a good practice manual on professional practice associated with psychotropic PRN in acute mental health wards: an exploratory study.

    PubMed

    Baker, J A; Lovell, K; Harris, N

    2008-10-01

    As required or pro re nata (PRN) psychotropic medicines are frequently used in acute mental health wards. PRN is known to contribute to polypharmacy and high doses of antipsychotic medication. Few studies have attempted to improve clinician's use of these potentially harmful drugs. The objectives of the study were to determine the impact and acceptability of a good practice manual on prescribing and administration practices of PRN psychotropic medication in acute mental health wards. The study used a pre-post exploratory design with two acute mental health wards in the NW of England. Over the total trial period of 10 weeks, 28 of 35 patients received 484 doses of PRN. Patients had a mean of 3.6 prescriptions of 14 different PRN medications in 34 different dose combinations prescribed. Medication errors beyond poor quality of prescribing occurred in 23 of the 35 patients (65.7%). Prescription quality improved following the introduction of the intervention but quality of nursing notes reduced. Acceptability of the manual to both nursing and medical staff was high. The introduction of the manual appeared to influence some of the practices associated with the prescribing and administration of PRN psychotropic medications. Further, larger, more robust studies are required in this area. In particular research is required to identify the reasons why professionals continue to rely so heavily on using PRN medication.

  19. Social and Occupational Integration of Disadvantaged People. Leonardo da Vinci Good Practices Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Commission of the European Communities, Brussels (Belgium). Directorate-General for Education and Culture.

    This document profiles nine European programs that exemplify good practice in social and occupational integration of disadvantaged people. The programs profiled are as follows: (1) Restaurant Venezia (a CD-ROM program to improve the reading and writing skills of young people in Luxembourg who have learning difficulties); (2) an integrated…

  20. Evaluation of the Implementation of Good Handling Practices in Food and Beverage Areas of Hotels.

    PubMed

    Serafim, A L; Hecktheuer, L H R; Stangarlin-Fiori, L; Medeiros, L B; Martello, L; Machado, C E

    2015-11-01

    Because of the major international-level events that have recently been held in Brazil, concerns about the sensory and hygienic-sanitary conditions of food have increased. The objective of this study was to evaluate the implementation of good handling practices in food and beverage areas of hotels, with and without outsourced professional intervention. We evaluated 19 food and beverage areas in hotels in Porto Alegre, Rio do Sul, Brazil, using a checklist that was developed by a municipal surveillance team based on existing laws for good handling practices. The evaluation was done by a skilled professional in the food safety area on two occasions, at the beginning of the study (January to May 2013) and at the end (July to November 2014), and the establishments were classified as good, regular, or poor. After the baseline evaluation, an action plan listing the noncompliance found at each location was given to those responsible for the establishments, and a period of 1 year 6 months was stipulated for improvements to be made. In the repeat evaluation, those responsible for the establishments were asked whether they had hired an outsourced professional to assist them in the improvements. The hotels showed improvement during the repeat evaluation, but a significant increase in the percentage of overall adequacy was seen only in the food and beverages areas of the 12 hotels that used the intervention of an outsourced professional. The better percentage of adequacy in establishments with outsourced professional intervention underlines the importance of an external and impartial view of routine activities in the implementation of good handling practices.

  1. Good practice in reviewing and publishing studies on herbal medicine, with special emphasis on traditional Chinese medicine and Chinese materia medica.

    PubMed

    Chan, Kelvin; Shaw, Debbie; Simmonds, Monique S J; Leon, Christine J; Xu, Qihe; Lu, Aiping; Sutherland, Ian; Ignatova, Svetlana; Zhu, You-Ping; Verpoorte, Rob; Williamson, Elizabeth M; Duez, Pierre

    2012-04-10

    Studies on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), like those of other systems of traditional medicine (TM), are very variable in their quality, content and focus, resulting in issues around their acceptability to the global scientific community. In an attempt to address these issues, an European Union funded FP7 consortium, composed of both Chinese and European scientists and named "Good practice in traditional Chinese medicine" (GP-TCM), has devised a series of guidelines and technical notes to facilitate good practice in collecting, assessing and publishing TCM literature as well as highlighting the scope of information that should be in future publications on TMs. This paper summarises these guidelines, together with what has been learned through GP-TCM collaborations, focusing on some common problems and proposing solutions. The recommendations also provide a template for the evaluation of other types of traditional medicine such as Ayurveda, Kampo and Unani. GP-TCM provided a means by which experts in different areas relating to TCM were able to collaborate in forming a literature review good practice panel which operated through e-mail exchanges, teleconferences and focused discussions at annual meetings. The panel involved coordinators and representatives of each GP-TCM work package (WP) with the latter managing the testing and refining of such guidelines within the context of their respective WPs and providing feedback. A Good Practice Handbook for Scientific Publications on TCM was drafted during the three years of the consortium, showing the value of such networks. A "deliverable - central questions - labour division" model had been established to guide the literature evaluation studies of each WP. The model investigated various scoring systems and their ability to provide consistent and reliable semi-quantitative assessments of the literature, notably in respect of the botanical ingredients involved and the scientific quality of the work described. This

  2. Guide to good practices for operations and administration updates through required reading

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    NONE

    1998-12-01

    This Guide to Good Practices is written to enhance understanding of, and provide direction for, Required Reading, Chapter XIV of Department of Energy (DOE) Order 5480.19, Conduct of Operations Requirements for DOE Facilities. The practices in this guide should be considered when planning or reviewing programs for updating personnel with operations and administration information through required reading. Contractors are advised to adopt procedures that meet the intent of DOE Order 5480.19. Required Reading is an element of an effective Conduct of Operations program. The complexity and array of activities performed in DOE facilities dictate the necessity for a coordinated requiredmore » reading program to promote safe and efficient operations.« less

  3. Twenty-Two Good Educational Practices.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mark, Jorie Lester

    1989-01-01

    Twenty-two educational practices are drawn from nine settings: K-12, vocational and continuing education, proprietary schools, military training, corporate training, union-sponsored programs, second-chance training, job training, and adult education. They are categorized as process-type practices, techniques, and physical teaching props. (SK)

  4. Good practice in social care for disabled adults and older people with severe and complex needs: evidence from a scoping review.

    PubMed

    Gridley, Kate; Brooks, Jenni; Glendinning, Caroline

    2014-05-01

    This article reports findings from a scoping review of the literature on good practice in social care for disabled adults and older people with severe and complex needs. Scoping reviews differ from systematic reviews, in that they aim to rapidly map relevant literature across an area of interest. This review formed part of a larger study to identify social care service models with characteristics desired by people with severe and complex needs and scope the evidence of effectiveness. Systematic database searches were conducted for literature published between January 1997 and February 2011 on good practice in UK social care services for three exemplar groups: young adults with life-limiting conditions; adults who had suffered a brain injury or spinal injury and had severe or complex needs; and older people with dementia and complex needs. Five thousand and ninety-eight potentially relevant records were identified through electronic searching and 51 by hand. Eighty-six papers were selected for inclusion, from which 29 studies of specific services were identified. However, only four of these evaluated a service model against a comparison group and only six reported any evidence of costs. Thirty-five papers advocated person-centred support for people with complex needs, but no well-supported evaluation evidence was found in favour of any particular approach to delivering this. The strongest evaluation evidence indicated the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary specialist team for young adults; intensive case management for older people with advanced dementia; a specialist social worker with a budget for domiciliary care working with psycho-geriatric inpatients; and interprofessional training for community mental health professionals. The dearth of robust evaluation evidence identified through this review points to an urgent need for more rigorous evaluation of models of social care for disabled adults and older people with severe and complex needs. © 2013 John Wiley

  5. Characteristics of good quality pharmaceutical services common to community pharmacies and dispensing general practices.

    PubMed

    Grey, Elisabeth; Harris, Michael; Rodham, Karen; Weiss, Marjorie C

    2016-10-01

    In the United Kingdom, pharmaceutical services can be delivered by both community pharmacies (CPs) and dispensing doctor practices (DPs). Both must adhere to minimum standards set out in NHS regulations; however, no common framework exists to guide quality improvement. Previous phases of this research had developed a set of characteristics indicative of good pharmaceutical service provision. To ask key stakeholders to confirm, and rank the importance of, a set of characteristics of good pharmaceutical service provision. A two-round Delphi-type survey was conducted in south-west England and was sent to participants representing three stakeholder groups: DPs, CPs and patients/lay members. Participants were asked to confirm, and rank, the importance of these characteristics as representing good quality pharmaceutical services. Thirty people were sent the first round survey; 22 participants completed both rounds. Median ratings for the 23 characteristics showed that all were seen to represent important aspects of pharmaceutical service provision. Participants' comments highlighted potential problems with the practicality of the characteristics. Characteristics relating to patient safety were deemed to be the most important and those relating to public health the least important. A set of 23 characteristics for providing good pharmaceutical services in CPs and DPs was developed and attained approval from a sample of stakeholders. With further testing and wider discussion, it is hoped that the characteristics will form the basis of a quality improvement tool for CPs and DPs. © 2016 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

  6. Good Practice Guide: Bringing a Social Capital Approach into the Teaching of Adult Literacy and Numeracy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), 2010

    2010-01-01

    This good practice guide is based on research that looked at how to teach adult literacy and numeracy using a social capital approach. The guide suggests ways vocational education and training (VET) practitioners can adopt a social capital approach to their teaching practice. A social capital approach refers to the process in which networks are…

  7. Simulation of changes on the psychosocial risk in the nursing personnel after implementing the policy of good practices on the risk treatment.

    PubMed

    Bolívar Murcia, María Paula; Cruz González, Joan Paola; Rodríguez Bello, Luz Angélica

    2018-02-01

    Evaluate the change over time of psychosocial risk management for the nursing personnel of an intermediate complexity clinic of Bogota (Colombia). Descriptive and correlational research performed under the approach of risk management (identification, analysis, assessment and treatment). The psychosocial risk of the nursing personnel was studied through 10-year system dynamics models (with and without the implementation of the policy of good practices on the risk treatment) in two scenarios: when the nursing personnel works shifts of 6 hours (morning or afternoon) and when they work over 12 hours (double shift or night shift). When implementing a policy of good practices on the risk treatment, the double shift scenario shows an improvement among 25% to 88% in the variables of: health, labor motivation, burnout, service level and productivity; as well as in the variables of the organization associated to number of patients, nursing personnel and profit. Likewise, the single shift scenario with good practices improves in all the above-mentioned variables and generates stability on the variables of absenteeism and resignations. The best scenario is the single shift scenario with the application of good practices of risk treatment in comparison with the double shift scenario with good practices, which allows concluding that the good practices have a positive effect on the variables of nursing personnel and on those associated to the organization. Copyright© by the Universidad de Antioquia.

  8. Oral health knowledge and practices of dentists practicing in a teaching hospital in Nigeria.

    PubMed

    Jegede, Akinlolu Tolulope; Oyedele, Titus Ayodeji; Sodipo, Babasola Olufemi; Folayan, Morenike Oluwatoyin

    2016-01-01

    To assess the oral health practices and knowledge of practicing dentists at a tertiary health institution in Nigeria, and the possible association of age and sex with caries prevention practices. A cross-sectional study was conducted. All practicing dentists in the institution were eligible to participate in the study. A questionnaire that assessed oral health practices and knowledge was administered. Respondents were expected to select the most appropriate responses that reflected their knowledge of oral health practices and caries prevention practices. Questions included assessment of knowledge and practice of tooth brushing, flossing, refined carbohydrate intake, and dental service utilization. Participants' responses were scored and dichotomized to poor and good knowledge, and poor and good practices, using the median scores. Bivariate analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with good and poor oral health practices, and good and poor knowledge. Fifty-two eligible study participants were accessible at the time of questionnaire administration. Only 46 respondents returned the filled questionnaire giving a response rate of 88.5%. The age of respondents ranged between 25 and 48 years. The majority of respondents had good oral health practices (65.2%) and good oral health knowledge (85%). However, few respondents had good caries prevention practices: 39.2% brushed at least twice daily, 45.7% took refined carbohydrate less than once daily, 36.9% used dental floss at least once daily, and 60.9% undertook preventive dental care. The correlation between the dentists' oral health knowledge score and oral health practices score was insignificant (0.90; P = 0.55). A large number of dentists practicing in the tertiary hospital had good oral health practices and good oral health knowledge. However, the proportion of dentists with good caries prevention practices was low.

  9. Are general practice characteristics predictors of good glycaemic control in patients with diabetes? A cross-sectional study.

    PubMed

    Esterman, Adrian J; Fountaine, Tim; McDermott, Robyn

    2016-01-18

    To determine whether certain characteristics of general practices are associated with good glycaemic control in patients with diabetes and with completing an annual cycle of care (ACC). Our cross-sectional analysis used baseline data from the Australian Diabetes Care Project conducted between 2011 and 2014. Practice characteristics were self-reported. Characteristics of the patients that were assessed included glycaemic control (HbA1c level ≤ 53 mmol/mol), age, sex, duration of diabetes, socio-economic disadvantage (SEIFA) score, the complexity of the patient's condition, and whether the patient had completed an ACC for diabetes in the past 18 months. Clustered logistic regression was used to establish predictors of glycaemic control and a completed ACC. Data were available from 147 general practices and 5455 patients with established type 1 or type 2 diabetes in three Australian states. After adjustment for other patient characteristics, only the patient completing an ACC was statistically significant as a predictor of glycaemic control (P = 0.011). In a multivariate model, the practice having a chronic disease-focused practice nurse (P = 0.036) and running educational events for patients with diabetes (P = 0.004) were statistically significant predictors of the patient having complete an ACC. Patient characteristics are moderately good predictors of whether the patient is in glycaemic control, whereas practice characteristics appear to predict only the likelihood of patients completing an ACC. The ACC is an established indicator of good diabetes management. This is the first study to report a positive association between having completed an ACC and the patient being in glycaemic control.

  10. Good practices and health policy analysis in European sports stadia: results from the 'Healthy Stadia' project.

    PubMed

    Drygas, Wojciech; Ruszkowska, Joanna; Philpott, Matthew; Björkström, Olav; Parker, Mike; Ireland, Robin; Roncarolo, Federico; Tenconi, Maria

    2013-06-01

    Sport plays an important role within society and sports stadia provide significant settings for public health strategies. In addition to being places of mass gathering, stadia are often located in less affluent areas and are traditionally attended by 'harder to reach' communities. Unfortunately sports stadia and the clubs they host are rarely perceived as places that promote healthy lifestyles. Fast food, alcohol and tobacco are commonly advertized, served and consumed during sports games giving the spectators and TV fans contradictory messages concerning healthy choices. As part of a wider programme of work part-funded by the European Union, a study was therefore designed to explore current 'good practice' relating to positive health interventions in sports stadia across a number of European countries. Using a specially designed questionnaire, information about health policies and good practices relating to food offerings in stadia, physical activity promotion among local communities, tobacco policy, positive mental health initiatives, environmental sustainability practices and social responsibility policies were collected in 10 European countries (England and Northern Ireland, Finland, Georgia, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Spain and Sweden) involving 88 stadia. The audit results show that stadia health policies differ considerably between specific countries and sports. Based on the literature analysed, the examples of good practices collected through the study, and the subsequent instigation of a European Healthy Stadia Network, it shows that there is considerable potential for stadia to become health promoting settings.

  11. Validation of good agricultural practices (GAP) on Minnesota vegetable farms.

    PubMed

    Hamilton, Karin E; Umber, Jamie; Hultberg, Annalisa; Tong, Cindy; Schermann, Michele; Diez-Gonzalez, Francisco; Bender, Jeff B

    2015-02-01

    The United States Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture jointly published the "Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables," which is used as a basis for Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) audits. To understand barriers to incorporation of GAP by Minnesota vegetable farmers, a mail survey completed in 2008 was validated with visits to a subset of the farms. This was done to determine the extent to which actual practices matched perceived practices. Two hundred forty-six producers completed the mail survey, and 27 participated in the on-farm survey. Over 75% of the on-farm survey respondents produced vegetables on 10 acres or less and had 10 or fewer employees. Of 14 questions, excellent agreement between on-farm interviews and mail survey responses was observed on two questions, four questions had poor or slight agreement, and eight questions had no agreement. Ninety-two percent of respondents by mail said "they took measures to keep animals and pests out of packing and storage buildings." However, with the on-site visit only 45% met this requirement. Similarly, 81% of respondents by mail said "measures were taken to reduce the risk of wild and/or domestic animals entering into fruit and vegetable growing areas." With direct observation, 70% of farms actually had taken measures to keep animals out of the growing areas. Additional, on-farm assessments were done regarding employee hygiene, training, presence of animals, water sources, and composting practices. This validation study demonstrated the challenge of creating nonleading and concise questions that are not open to broad interpretation from the respondents. If mail surveys are used to assess GAP, they should include open-ended questions and ranking systems to better assess farm practices. To provide the most accurate survey data for educational purposes or GAP audits, on-farm visits are recommended.

  12. Structural and practical identifiability analysis of S-system.

    PubMed

    Zhan, Choujun; Li, Benjamin Yee Shing; Yeung, Lam Fat

    2015-12-01

    In the field of systems biology, biological reaction networks are usually modelled by ordinary differential equations. A sub-class, the S-systems representation, is a widely used form of modelling. Existing S-systems identification techniques assume that the system itself is always structurally identifiable. However, due to practical limitations, biological reaction networks are often only partially measured. In addition, the captured data only covers a limited trajectory, therefore data can only be considered as a local snapshot of the system responses with respect to the complete set of state trajectories over the entire state space. Hence the estimated model can only reflect partial system dynamics and may not be unique. To improve the identification quality, the structural and practical identifiablility of S-system are studied. The S-system is shown to be identifiable under a set of assumptions. Then, an application on yeast fermentation pathway was conducted. Two case studies were chosen; where the first case is based on a larger state trajectories and the second case is based on a smaller one. By expanding the dataset which span a relatively larger state space, the uncertainty of the estimated system can be reduced. The results indicated that initial concentration is related to the practical identifiablity.

  13. Good practices in health care "management experimentation models": insights from an international public-private partnership on transplantation and advanced specialized therapies.

    PubMed

    Longo, Maria Cristina

    2015-01-01

    The research analyzes good practices in health care "management experimentation models," which fall within the broader range of the integrative public-private partnerships (PPPs). Introduced by the Italian National Healthcare System in 1991, the "management experimentation models" are based on a public governance system mixed with a private management approach, a patient-centric orientation, a shared financial risk, and payment mechanisms correlated with clinical outcomes, quality, and cost-savings. This model makes public hospitals more competitive and efficient without affecting the principles of universal coverage, solidarity, and equity of access, but requires higher financial responsibility for managers and more flexibility in operations. In Italy the experience of such experimental models is limited but successful. The study adopts the case study methodology and refers to the international collaboration started in 1997 between two Italian hospitals and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC - Pennsylvania, USA) in the field of organ transplants and biomedical advanced therapies. The research allows identifying what constitutes good management practices and factors associated with higher clinical performance. Thus, it allows to understand whether and how the management experimentation model can be implemented on a broader basis, both nationwide and internationally. However, the implementation of integrative PPPs requires strategic, cultural, and managerial changes in the way in which a hospital operates; these transformations are not always sustainable. The recognition of ISMETT's good management practices is useful for competitive benchmarking among hospitals specialized in organ transplants and for its insights on the strategies concerning the governance reorganization in the hospital setting. Findings can be used in the future for analyzing the cross-country differences in productivity among well-managed public hospitals.

  14. Accommodating Learning Styles: Relevance and Good Practice in Vocational Education and Training--Supporting Documents

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Peter; Dalton, Jennifer; Henry, John

    2005-01-01

    This document was produced by the author(s) based on their research for the Australian report, "Accommodating Learning Styles: Relevance and Good Practice in Vocational Education and Training," and contains three parts. Part 1, Research Methodology and Findings (Peter Smith and Jennifer Dalton), contains: (1) Research Questions; (2)…

  15. Development of good modelling practice for phsiologically based pharmacokinetic models for use in risk assessment: The first steps

    EPA Science Inventory

    The increasing use of tissue dosimetry estimated using pharmacokinetic models in chemical risk assessments in multiple countries necessitates the need to develop internationally recognized good modelling practices. These practices would facilitate sharing of models and model eva...

  16. Current good manufacturing practice in manufacturing, processing, packing, or holding of drugs; revision of certain labeling controls--FDA. Final rule.

    PubMed

    1993-08-03

    The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is amending the current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) regulations for human and veterinary drug products to revise certain labeling control provisions. Specifically, the final rule defines the term "gang-printed labeling," specifies conditions for the use of gang-printed or cut labeling, exempts manufacturers that employ automated 100-percent labeling inspection systems from CGMP labeling reconciliation requirements, and requires manufacturers to identify filled drug product containers that are set aside and held in an unlabeled condition for future labeling operations. These changes are intended to reduce the frequency of drug product mislabeling and associated drug product recalls.

  17. Development and pilot test of a new set of good practice indicators for chronic cancer pain management.

    PubMed

    Saturno, P J; Martinez-Nicolas, I; Robles-Garcia, I S; López-Soriano, F; Angel-García, D

    2015-01-01

    Pain is among the most important symptoms in terms of prevalence and cause of distress for cancer patients and their families. However, there is a lack of clearly defined measures of quality pain management to identify problems and monitor changes in improvement initiatives. We built a comprehensive set of evidence-based indicators following a four-step model: (1) review and systematization of existing guidelines to list evidence-based recommendations; (2) review and systematization of existing indicators matching the recommendations; (3) development of new indicators to complete a set of measures for the identified recommendations; and (4) pilot test (in hospital and primary care settings) for feasibility, reliability (kappa), and usefulness for the identification of quality problems using the lot quality acceptance sampling (LQAS) method and estimates of compliance. Twenty-two indicators were eventually pilot tested. Seventeen were feasible in hospitals and 12 in all settings. Feasibility barriers included difficulties in identifying target patients, deficient clinical records and low prevalence of cases for some indicators. Reliability was mostly very good or excellent (k > 0.8). Four indicators, all of them related to medication and prevention of side effects, had acceptable compliance at 75%/40% LQAS level. Other important medication-related indicators (i.e., adjustment to pain intensity, prescription for breakthrough pain) and indicators concerning patient-centred care (i.e., attention to psychological distress and educational needs) had very low compliance, highlighting specific quality gaps. A set of good practice indicators has been built and pilot tested as a feasible, reliable and useful quality monitoring tool, and underscoring particular and important areas for improvement. © 2014 European Pain Federation - EFIC®

  18. Barriers and enablers to good communication and information-sharing practices in care planning for chronic condition management.

    PubMed

    Lawn, Sharon; Delany, Toni; Sweet, Linda; Battersby, Malcolm; Skinner, Timothy

    2015-01-01

    Our aim was to document current communication and information-sharing practices and to identify the barriers and enablers to good practices within the context of care planning for chronic condition management. Further aims were to make recommendations about how changes to policy and practice can improve communication and information sharing in primary health care. A mixed-method approach was applied to seek the perspectives of patients and primary health-care workers across Australia. Data was collected via interviews, focus groups, non-participant observations and a national survey. Data analysis was performed using a mix of thematic, discourse and statistical approaches. Central barriers to effective communication and information sharing included fragmented communication, uncertainty around client and interagency consent, and the unacknowledged existence of overlapping care plans. To be most effective, communication and information sharing should be open, two-way and inclusive of all members of health-care teams. It must also only be undertaken with the appropriate participant consent, otherwise this has the potential to cause patients harm. Improvements in care planning as a communication and information-sharing tool may be achieved through practice initiatives that reflect the rhetoric of collaborative person-centred care, which is already supported through existing policy in Australia. General practitioners and other primary care providers should operationalise care planning, and the expectation of collaborative and effective communication of care that underpins it, within their practice with patients and all members of the care team. To assist in meeting these aims, we make several recommendations.

  19. Singing in Primary Schools: Case Studies of Good Practice in Whole Class Vocal Tuition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lamont, Alexandra; Daubney, Alison; Spruce, Gary

    2012-01-01

    Within the context of British initiatives in music education such as the Wider Opportunities programme in England and the recommendations of the Music Manifesto emphasising the importance of singing in primary schools, the current paper explores examples of good practice in whole-class vocal tuition. The research included seven different primary…

  20. Long-term effects of good handling practices during the pre-weaning period of crossbred dairy heifer calves.

    PubMed

    Silva, Luciana Pontes; Sant'Anna, Aline Cristina; Silva, Lívia Carolina Magalhães; Paranhos da Costa, Mateus José Rodrigues

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study was to determine whether applying good practices of handling during the pre-weaning period have long-term effects on behavioral and physiological indicators, health status, and average daily gain (ADG) of crossbred Bos taurus × Bos indicus heifer calves. During the pre-weaning period, 98 crossbred of Holstein × Gir heifer calves were allotted into three treatments: (1) good practices of handling + brushing (GPB; n = 25), (2) good practices of handling (GP; n = 25), and (3) control (n = 48). Every 2 months, four evaluation periods (EV 1 to EV 4 ) were conducted to record data. Behavioral indicators comprised time to drive (TD), flight speed (FS), flight distance (FD), and composite reactivity score (CRS). Physiological indicators of acute stress during handling comprised respiratory and heart rates. Health status comprised data regarding occurrence of most common diseases (i.e., pneumonia and anaplasmosis). Collected data were analyzed by using a linear mixed model for repeated measures, Tukey's test, and chi-squared procedures. Treatment influenced (P < 0.05) TD, FS, and FD but not CRS (P = 0.78). From EV 1 to EV 3 , the control calves had the lowest TD. The GPB group had lower FS than the control but did not differ from GP. The GPB group had lower FD means than the other two groups in EV 2 , EV 3 , and EV 4 . No differences (P > 0.05) due to treatment were observed on heart and respiratory rates, ADG, or occurrence of pneumonia and anaplasmosis. It was concluded that adoption of good practices of handling during pre-weaning period may lead to long-term positive effects.

  1. The Health Behavior Checklist: Factor structure in community samples and validity of a revised good health practices scale.

    PubMed

    Hampson, Sarah E; Edmonds, Grant W; Goldberg, Lewis R

    2017-01-01

    This study examined the factor structure and predictive validity of the commonly used multidimensional Health Behavior Checklist. A three-factor structure was found in two community samples that included men and women. The new 16-item Good Health Practices scale and the original Wellness Maintenance scale were the only Health Behavior Checklist scales to be related to cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors. While the other Health Behavior Checklist scales require further validation, the Good Health Practices scale could be used where more objective or longer measures are not feasible.

  2. Evaluating Students' Perspectives about Virtual Classrooms with Regard to Seven Principles of Good Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Çakýroðlu, Ünal

    2014-01-01

    This study assesses the quality of distance learning (DL) in higher education assessed by considering the Seven Principles of Good Practice (SPGP). The participants were 77 second-year students from the Computer and Instructional Technologies Program (CEIT) of a Faculty of Education in Turkey. A questionnaire was developed in line with the SPGP…

  3. The Saudi Arabia Food and Drug Authority: An Evaluation of the Registration Process and Good Review Practices in Saudi Arabia in Comparison with Australia, Canada and Singapore.

    PubMed

    Hashan, Hajed; Aljuffali, Ibrahim; Patel, Prisha; Walker, Stuart

    This study compares the current regulatory review process and good review practices at the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) with those of regulatory agencies in Australia, Canada, and Singapore and identifies opportunities for developing the SFDA as a Regional Centre of Excellence. A questionnaire completed by the SFDA included data regarding the organisation, key milestones, review timelines, and good review practices of the agency. Similar information was obtained within the same timeframe (2014/2015) through the same standard questionnaire regarding the processes and practices for Health Canada, Singapore's Health Sciences Authority, and Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration. All four regulatory agencies have established target times for scientific assessment and regulatory review, examine dossier sections in parallel, and separate company response time from overall timing. Additionally, all four agencies have instituted good review practices including standard operating procedures, templates, dossier monitoring, and continuous improvement processes, and assign a high priority to transparency in their relationships with the public, healthcare professionals and industry. Of the four agencies, however, only the SFDA requires a Certificate of Pharmaceutical Product (CPP) at the time of the submission and pricing negotiations before final product approval. To assist the SFDA in its efforts to become a Regional Centre of Excellence, it is suggested that the agency explore a risk stratification approach to select dossiers for verification, abridged, or full reviews; use forms of certification other than the CPP; make pricing negotiations independent to the review process; and introduce a feedback process for the quality of the dossier.

  4. How to identify, assess and utilise mobile medical applications in clinical practice.

    PubMed

    Aungst, T D; Clauson, K A; Misra, S; Lewis, T L; Husain, I

    2014-02-01

    There are thousands of medical applications for mobile devices targeting use by healthcare professionals. However, several factors related to the structure of the existing market for medical applications create significant barriers preventing practitioners from effectively identifying mobile medical applications for individual professional use. To define existing market factors relevant to selection of medical applications and describe a framework to empower clinicians to identify, assess and utilise mobile medical applications in their own practice. Resources available on the Internet regarding mobile medical applications, guidelines and published research on mobile medical applications. Mobile application stores (e.g. iTunes, Google Play) are not effective means of identifying mobile medical applications. Users of mobile devices that desire to implement mobile medical applications into practice need to carefully assess individual applications prior to utilisation. Searching and identifying mobile medical applications requires clinicians to utilise multiple references to determine what application is best for their individual practice methods. This can be done with a cursory exploration of mobile application stores and then moving onto other available resources published in the literature or through Internet resources (e.g. blogs, medical websites, social media). Clinicians must also take steps to ensure that an identified mobile application can be integrated into practice after carefully reviewing it themselves. Clinicians seeking to identify mobile medical application for use in their individual practice should use a combination of app stores, published literature, web-based resources, and personal review to ensure safe and appropriate use. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  5. High-Quality Traineeships: Identifying What Works. Good Practice Guide

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), 2009

    2009-01-01

    Traineeships were introduced alongside apprenticeships to increase the reach of contracted training to a wider range of occupations and industries and to a broader range of learners (particularly women) and to improve the labour market prospects of young people. Traineeships have given hundreds of thousands of Australians access to nationally…

  6. 77 FR 49449 - Food and Drug Administration Clinical Trial Requirements, Compliance, and Good Clinical Practice...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-08-16

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA-2012-N-0001] Food and Drug Administration Clinical Trial Requirements, Compliance, and Good Clinical Practice; Public Workshop AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice of public workshop. The Food...

  7. 77 FR 49448 - Food and Drug Administration Clinical Trial Requirements, Compliance, and Good Clinical Practice...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-08-16

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA-2012-N-0001] Food and Drug Administration Clinical Trial Requirements, Compliance, and Good Clinical Practice; Public Workshop AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice of public workshop. The Food...

  8. Good Cell Culture Practice for stem cells and stem-cell-derived models.

    PubMed

    Pamies, David; Bal-Price, Anna; Simeonov, Anton; Tagle, Danilo; Allen, Dave; Gerhold, David; Yin, Dezhong; Pistollato, Francesca; Inutsuka, Takashi; Sullivan, Kristie; Stacey, Glyn; Salem, Harry; Leist, Marcel; Daneshian, Mardas; Vemuri, Mohan C; McFarland, Richard; Coecke, Sandra; Fitzpatrick, Suzanne C; Lakshmipathy, Uma; Mack, Amanda; Wang, Wen Bo; Yamazaki, Daiju; Sekino, Yuko; Kanda, Yasunari; Smirnova, Lena; Hartung, Thomas

    2017-01-01

    The first guidance on Good Cell Culture Practice (GCCP) dates back to 2005. This document expands this to include aspects of quality assurance for in vitro cell culture focusing on the increasingly diverse cell types and culture formats used in research, product development, testing and manufacture of biotechnology products and cell-based medicines. It provides a set of basic principles of best practice that can be used in training new personnel, reviewing and improving local procedures, and helping to assure standard practices and conditions for the comparison of data between laboratories and experimentation performed at different times. This includes recommendations for the documentation and reporting of culture conditions. It is intended as guidance to facilitate the generation of reliable data from cell culture systems, and is not intended to conflict with local or higher level legislation or regulatory requirements. It may not be possible to meet all recommendations in this guidance for practical, legal or other reasons. However, when it is necessary to divert from the principles of GCCP, the risk of decreasing the quality of work and the safety of laboratory staff should be addressed and any conclusions or alternative approaches justified. This workshop report is considered a first step toward a revised GCCP 2.0.

  9. 'She sort of shines': midwives' accounts of 'good' midwifery and 'good' leadership.

    PubMed

    Byrom, Sheena; Downe, Soo

    2010-02-01

    to explore midwives' accounts of the characteristics of 'good' leadership and 'good' midwifery. a phenomenological interview survey. Participants were asked about what made both good and poor midwives and leaders. two maternity departments within National Health Service trusts in the North West of England. qualified midwives, selected by random sampling stratified to encompass senior and junior grades. thematic analysis, carried out manually. ten midwives were interviewed. Sixteen codes and six sub-themes were generated. Across the responses, two clear dimensions (themes) were identified, relating on the one hand to aspects of knowledge, skill and competence (termed 'skilled competence'), and on the other hand to specific personality characteristics (termed 'emotional intelligence'). This study suggests that the ability to act knowledgeably, safely and competently was seen as a basic requirement for both clinical midwives and midwife leaders. The added element which made both the midwife and the leader 'good' was the extent of their emotional capability. this small-scale in-depth study could form the basis for hypothesis generation for larger scale work in this area in future. The findings offer some reinforcement for the potential applicability of theories of transformational leadership to midwifery management and practice. Copyright 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Chromosome 17 alterations identify good-risk and poor-risk tumors independently of clinical factors in medulloblastoma

    PubMed Central

    McCabe, Martin G.; Bäcklund, L. Magnus; Leong, Hui Sun; Ichimura, Koichi; Collins, V. Peter

    2011-01-01

    Current risk stratification schemas for medulloblastoma, based on combinations of clinical variables and histotype, fail to accurately identify particularly good- and poor-risk tumors. Attempts have been made to improve discriminatory power by combining clinical variables with cytogenetic data. We report here a pooled analysis of all previous reports of chromosomal copy number related to survival data in medulloblastoma. We collated data from previous reports that explicitly quoted survival data and chromosomal copy number in medulloblastoma. We analyzed the relative prognostic significance of currently used clinical risk stratifiers and the chromosomal aberrations previously reported to correlate with survival. In the pooled dataset metastatic disease, incomplete tumor resection and severe anaplasia were associated with poor outcome, while young age at presentation was not prognostically significant. Of the chromosomal variables studied, isolated 17p loss and gain of 1q correlated with poor survival. Gain of 17q without associated loss of 17p showed a trend to improved outcome. The most commonly reported alteration, isodicentric chromosome 17, was not prognostically significant. Sequential multivariate models identified isolated 17p loss, isolated 17q gain, and 1q gain as independent prognostic factors. In a historical dataset, we have identified isolated 17p loss as a marker of poor outcome and 17q gain as a novel putative marker of good prognosis. Biological markers of poor-risk and good-risk tumors will be critical in stratifying treatment in future trials. Our findings should be prospectively validated independently in future clinical studies. PMID:21292688

  11. Good governance in national solid waste management policy (NSWMP) implementation: A case study of Malaysia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wee, Seow Ta; Abas, Muhamad Azahar; Mohamed, Sulzakimin; Chen, Goh Kai; Zainal, Rozlin

    2017-10-01

    The National Solid Waste Management Policy (NSWMP) was introduced in 2007 under the Act 672. The execution of NSWMP involves stakeholders from various government agencies and a collaboration with the private sectors. Despite the initiatives taken by the stakeholders, the objectives of NSWMP failed to materialise. One of the major constraints is weak governance among stakeholders with regards to the NSWMP implementation. This paper will explore the good governance practices implemented by the stakeholders. Identifying the current good governance practices implemented by the stakeholders is crucial as it will serve as a guideline to improve good governance practice in the future. An exploratory research approach is applied in this study through in-depth interviews with several government agencies and concessionaires involved in the NSWMP implementation. A total of six respondents took part in this study. The findings of this study show that there are several good governance practices implemented in policy promotion, participation of stakeholders, and capacity enhancement programme for the staff. This study also proposed some points on good governance practices in the context of policy promotion and staff development. A paradigm shift by the stakeholders is imperative so as to enhance the good governance practice in NSWMP implementation towards an efficient solid waste management in Malaysia.

  12. Microscopic or occult hematuria, when reflex testing is not good laboratory practice.

    PubMed

    Froom, Paul; Barak, Mira

    2010-01-01

    Consensus opinion suggests that hematuria found by dipstick and not confirmed on microscopic examination (<2 erythrocytes per high power field) signifies a false-positive reagent strip test result. Standard practice is to repeat the dipstick test several days later and if still positive to confirm by microscopic examination. If discordant results are obtained, experts recommend reflex testing for urinary myoglobin and hemoglobin concentrations. The question is whether or not this approach represents good laboratory practice. These recommendations are not evidence based. We conclude that the reference range for red blood cells on the reagent strip should be increased to 25x10(6) cells/L for young men, and 50x10(6) cells/L for the rest of the adult population, ranges consistent with flow cytometry reports. Confirmation reflex testing using tests that have inferior sensitivity, precision and probably accuracy is not recommended.

  13. The Utilization of the Seven Principles for Good Practices of Full-Time and Adjunct Faculty in Teaching Health & Science in Community Colleges

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Musaitif, Linda M.

    2013-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which undergraduate full-time and adjunct faculty members in the health and science programs at community colleges in Southern California utilize the seven principles of good practice as measured by the Faculty Inventory of the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate…

  14. Estimating the harms and benefits of prostate cancer screening as used in common practice versus recommended good practice: A microsimulation screening analysis.

    PubMed

    Carlsson, Sigrid V; de Carvalho, Tiago M; Roobol, Monique J; Hugosson, Jonas; Auvinen, Anssi; Kwiatkowski, Maciej; Villers, Arnauld; Zappa, Marco; Nelen, Vera; Páez, Alvaro; Eastham, James A; Lilja, Hans; de Koning, Harry J; Vickers, Andrew J; Heijnsdijk, Eveline A M

    2016-11-15

    Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening and concomitant treatment can be implemented in several ways. The authors investigated how the net benefit of PSA screening varies between common practice versus "good practice." Microsimulation screening analysis (MISCAN) was used to evaluate the effect on quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) if 4 recommendations were followed: limited screening in older men, selective biopsy in men with elevated PSA, active surveillance for low-risk tumors, and treatment preferentially delivered at high-volume centers. Outcomes were compared with a base model in which annual screening started at ages 55 to 69 years and were simulated using data from the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer. In terms of QALYs gained compared with no screening, for 1000 screened men who were followed over their lifetime, recommended good practice led to 73 life-years (LYs) and 74 QALYs gained compared with 73 LYs and 56 QALYs for the base model. In contrast, common practice led to 78 LYs gained but only 19 QALYs gained, for a greater than 75% relative reduction in QALYs gained from unadjusted LYs gained. The poor outcomes for common practice were influenced predominantly by the use of aggressive treatment for men with low-risk disease, and PSA testing in older men also strongly reduced potential QALY gains. Commonly used PSA screening and treatment practices are associated with little net benefit. Following a few straightforward clinical recommendations, particularly greater use of active surveillance for low-risk disease and reducing screening in older men, would lead to an almost 4-fold increase in the net benefit of prostate cancer screening. Cancer 2016;122:3386-3393. © 2016 American Cancer Society. © 2016 American Cancer Society.

  15. College of American Pathologists Gynecologic Cytopathology Quality Consensus Conference on good laboratory practices in gynecologic cytology: background, rationale, and organization.

    PubMed

    Tworek, Joseph A; Henry, Michael R; Blond, Barbara; Jones, Bruce Allen

    2013-02-01

    Gynecologic cytopathology is a heavily regulated field, with Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 mandating the collection of many quality metrics. There is a lack of consensus regarding methods to collect, monitor, and benchmark these data and how these data should be used in a quality assurance program. Furthermore, the introduction of human papilloma virus testing and proficiency testing has provided more data to monitor. To determine good laboratory practices in quality assurance of gynecologic cytopathology. Data were collected through a written survey consisting of 98 questions submitted to 1245 Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments-licensed or Department of Defense laboratories. There were 541 usable responses. Additional input was sought through a Web posting of results and questions on the College of American Pathologists Web site. Four senior authors who authored the survey and 28 cytopathologists and cytotechnologists were assigned to 5 working groups to analyze data and present statements on good laboratory practices in gynecologic cytopathology at the College of American Pathologists Gynecologic Cytopathology Quality Consensus Conference. Ninety-eight attendees at the College of American Pathologists Gynecologic Cytopathology Quality Consensus Conference discussed and voted on good laboratory practice statements to obtain consensus. This paper describes the rationale, background, process, and strengths and limitations of a series of papers that summarize good laboratory practice statements in quality assurance in gynecologic cytopathology.

  16. Good laboratory practices for biochemical genetic testing and newborn screening for inherited metabolic disorders.

    PubMed

    2012-04-06

    Biochemical genetic testing and newborn screening are essential laboratory services for the screening, detection, diagnosis, and monitoring of inborn errors of metabolism or inherited metabolic disorders. Under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) regulations, laboratory testing is categorized on the basis of the level of testing complexity as either waived (i.e., from routine regulatory oversight) or nonwaived testing (which includes tests of moderate and high complexity). Laboratories that perform biochemical genetic testing are required by CLIA regulations to meet the general quality systems requirements for nonwaived testing and the personnel requirements for high-complexity testing. Laboratories that perform public health newborn screening are subject to the same CLIA regulations and applicable state requirements. As the number of inherited metabolic diseases that are included in state-based newborn screening programs continues to increase, ensuring the quality of performance and delivery of testing services remains a continuous challenge not only for public health laboratories and other newborn screening facilities but also for biochemical genetic testing laboratories. To help ensure the quality of laboratory testing, CDC collaborated with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Food and Drug Administration, the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the National Institutes of Health to develop guidelines for laboratories to meet CLIA requirements and apply additional quality assurance measures for these areas of genetic testing. This report provides recommendations for good laboratory practices that were developed based on recommendations from the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Advisory Committee, with additional input from the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Genetics, Health, and Society; the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children; and representatives of newborn

  17. Sponsorship in non-commercial clinical trials: definitions, challenges and the role of Good Clinical Practices guidelines.

    PubMed

    Ravinetto, Raffaella; De Nys, Katelijne; Boelaert, Marleen; Diro, Ermias; Meintjes, Graeme; Adoke, Yeka; Tagbor, Harry; Casteels, Minne

    2015-12-30

    Non-commercial clinical research plays an increasingly essential role for global health. Multiple partners join in international consortia that operate under the limited timeframe of a specific funding period. One organisation (the sponsor) designs and carries out the trial in collaboration with research partners, and is ultimately responsible for the trial's scientific, ethical, regulatory and legal aspects, while another organization, generally in the North (the funder), provides the external funding and sets funding conditions. Even if external funding mechanisms are key for most non-commercial research, the dependence on an external funder's policies may heavily influence the choices of a sponsor. In addition, the competition for accessing the available external funds is great, and non-commercial sponsors may not be in a position to discuss or refuse standard conditions set by a funder. To see whether the current definitions adequately address the intricacies of sponsorship in externally-funded trials, we looked at how a "sponsor" of clinical trials is defined in selected international guidelines, with particular focus on international Good Clinical Practices codes, and in selected European and African regulations/legislations. Our limited analysis suggests that the sponsors definition from the 1995 WHO Good Clinical Practices code has been integrated as such into many legislations, guidelines and regulations, and that it is not adequate to cover today's reality of funding arrangements in global health, where the legal responsibility and the funding source are de facto split. In agreement with other groups, we suggest that the international Good Clinical Practices codes should be updated to reflect the reality of non-commercial clinical research. In particular, they should explicitly include the distinction between commercial and non-commercial sponsors, and provide guidance to non-commercial sponsors for negotiating with external funding agencies and other

  18. Screening and identifying diabetes in optometric practice: a prospective study.

    PubMed

    Howse, Jennifer H; Jones, Steve; Hungin, A Pali S

    2011-07-01

    Unconventional settings, outside general medical practice, are an underutilised resource in the attempt to identify the large numbers of people with undiagnosed diabetes worldwide. The study investigated the feasibility of using optometry practices (opticians) as a setting for a diabetes screening service. Adults attending high street optometry practices in northern England who self-reported at least one risk factor for diabetes were offered a random capillary blood glucose (rCBG) test. Those with raised rCBG levels were asked to visit their GP for further investigations. Of 1909 adults attending practices for sight tests, 1303 (68.2%) reported risk factors for diabetes, of whom 1002 (76.9%) had rCBG measurements taken. Of these, 318 (31.7%) were found to have a rCBG level of ≥6.1 mmol/l, a level where further investigations are recommended by Diabetes UK; 1.6% of previously undiagnosed individuals were diagnosed with diabetes or pre-diabetes as a result of the service. Refining the number of risk factors for inclusion would have reduced those requiring screening by half and still have identified nearly 70% of the new cases of diabetes and pre-diabetes. Screening in optometric practices provides an efficient opportunity to screen at-risk individuals who do not present to conventional medical services, and is acceptable and appropriate. Optometrists represent a skilled worldwide resource that could provide a screening service. This service could be transferable to other settings.

  19. Regulatory requirements in the good manufacturing practice production of an epithelial cell graft for ocular surface reconstruction.

    PubMed

    Sheth-Shah, Radhika; Vernon, Amanda J; Seetharaman, Shankar; Neale, Michael H; Daniels, Julie T

    2016-04-01

    In the past decade, stem cell therapy has been increasingly employed for the treatment of various diseases. Subsequently, there has been a great interest in the manufacture of stem cells under good manufacturing practice, which is required by law for their use in humans. The cells for sight Stem Cell Therapy Research Unit, based at UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, delivers somatic cell-based and tissue-engineered therapies to patients suffering from blinding eye diseases at Moorfields Eye Hospital (London, UK). The following article is based on our experience in the conception, design, construction, validation and manufacturing within a good manufacturing practice manufacturing facility based in the UK. As such the regulations can be extrapolated to the 28 members stated within the EU. However, the principles may have a broad relevance outside the EU.

  20. Identifying Mechanisms of Teaching Practices: A Study in Swedish Comprehensive Schooling

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reichenberg, Olof

    2018-01-01

    The aim of this article is to identify the mechanisms behind the occurrence of teaching practices of seatwork and recitation across lessons. The study is based on an analysis of 74 video recorded lessons from 4 school classes in Swedish comprehensive schools during 2013. Firstly, the results suggest that teaching practices such as seatwork…

  1. Good practices in normal childbirth: reliability analysis of an instrument by Cronbach's Alpha.

    PubMed

    Gottems, Leila Bernarda Donato; Carvalho, Elisabete Mesquita Peres De; Guilhem, Dirce; Pires, Maria Raquel Gomes Maia

    2018-01-01

    to analyze the internal consistency of the evaluation instrument of the adherence to the good practices of childbirth and birth care in the professionals, through Cronbach's Alpha Coefficient for each of the dimensions and for the total instrument. this is a descriptive and cross-sectional study performed in obstetric centers of eleven public hospitals in the Federal District, with a questionnaire applied to 261 professionals who worked in the delivery care. The study was attended by 261 professionals, 42.5% (111) nurses and 57.5% (150) physicians. The reliability evaluation of the instrument by the Cronbach Alfa resulted in 0.53, 0.78 and 0.76 for dimensions 1, 2 and 3, after debugging that resulted in the exclusion of 11 items. the instrument obtained Cronbach's alpha of 0.80. There is a need for improvement in the items of dimension 1 that refer to attitudes, knowledge, and practices of the organization of the network of care to gestation, childbirth, and birth. However, it can be applied in the way it is used to evaluate practices based on scientific evidence of childbirth care.

  2. A Critical Analysis of the INQAAHE Guidelines of Good Practice for Higher Education Quality Assurance Agencies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blackmur, Douglas

    2008-01-01

    The International Network of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education's Guidelines of Good Practice by higher education quality assurance agencies need substantial revision before they can be considered adequate by stakeholders in any national higher education system. Various revisions are proposed in this article. But the International…

  3. 77 FR 36277 - Academic Development of a Training Program for Good Laboratory Practices in High Containment...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-06-18

    ... requirements in high and maximum biocontainment, scientists working in this environment and FDA staff who will...] Academic Development of a Training Program for Good Laboratory Practices in High Containment Environments... Containment Environments (U24).'' In this FOA, FDA announces its intention to accept and consider a single...

  4. [Pharmaceutical product quality control and good manufacturing practices].

    PubMed

    Hiyama, Yukio

    2010-01-01

    This report describes the roles of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) in pharmaceutical product quality control. There are three keys to pharmaceutical product quality control. They are specifications, thorough product characterization during development, and adherence to GMP as the ICH Q6A guideline on specifications provides the most important principles in its background section. Impacts of the revised Pharmaceutical Affairs Law (rPAL) which became effective in 2005 on product quality control are discussed. Progress of ICH discussion for Pharmaceutical Development (Q8), Quality Risk Management (Q9) and Pharmaceutical Quality System (Q10) are reviewed. In order to reconstruct GMP guidelines and GMP inspection system in the regulatory agencies under the new paradigm by rPAL and the ICH, a series of Health Science studies were conducted. For GMP guidelines, product GMP guideline, technology transfer guideline, laboratory control guideline and change control system guideline were written. For the GMP inspection system, inspection check list, inspection memo and inspection scenario were proposed also by the Health Science study groups. Because pharmaceutical products and their raw materials are manufactured and distributed internationally, collaborations with other national authorities are highly desired. In order to enhance the international collaborations, consistent establishment of GMP inspection quality system throughout Japan will be essential.

  5. Are Principals Good at Identifying Effective Teachers? A Comparison of Teachers' Principal Ratings and Residual Gain on Standardized Tests

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gray, James J.

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to answer the question: Are principals good at identifying effective teachers? Some studies have suggested they are not, but the evidence is not consistent. It is troubling that research results are inconsistent regarding principals' abilities to identify effective teachers. Why is there a disconnect between…

  6. Good Practices in Undergraduate Education from the Students' and Faculty's View: Consensus or Disagreement. AIR 1996 Annual Forum Paper.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Negron-Morales, Patricia; And Others

    This study examined teaching practices in undergraduate education by surveying 180 undergraduate students and 29 faculty, most in the school of education, at the Rio Piedras Campus of the University of Puerto Rico. Factors investigated include: (1) degree of agreement between faculty and students on good teaching practices; (2) relationship…

  7. 78 FR 64425 - Current Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-10-29

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration 21 CFR Parts 16, 225, 500, 507, and 579 [Docket No. FDA-2011-N-0922] Current Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis and Risk- Based Preventive Controls for Food for Animals; Public Meeting on Proposed Rule AGENCY: Food and...

  8. The Euroversity Good Practice Framework (EGPF) and Its Application to Minority Languages and Elder Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Motteram, Gary; Koenraad, Ton; Outakoski, Hanna; Jauregi, Kristi; Molka-Danielsen, Judith; Schneider, Christel

    2014-01-01

    The Euroversity Network project (2011-2014) has built a Good Practice Framework (GPF) that functions as a heuristic for course and activity designers wishing to develop courses and other materials for use in a range of virtual worlds. This framework has been tested with a number of courses during the running of the project and the aim is that it…

  9. Applying the Seven Principles of Good Practice: Technology as a Lever--In an Online Research Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson, Sherryl

    2014-01-01

    This article provides an overview of the seven principles of good practice with emphasis on the implementation of technology in an online healthcare research class in a southwest Georgia (United States) university. The seven principles are outlined using various elements of the online course. Historical and philosophical reasoning are applied to…

  10. A Roadmap for Academic Health Centers to Establish Good Laboratory Practice-Compliant Infrastructure

    PubMed Central

    Adamo, Joan E.; Bauer, Gerhard; Berro, Marlene; Burnett, Bruce K.; Hartman, Karen A.; Masiello, Lisa M.; Moorman-White, Diane; Rubinstein, Eric P.; Schuff, Kathryn G.

    2012-01-01

    Prior to human clinical trials, nonclinical safety and toxicology studies are required to demonstrate that a new product appears safe for human testing; these nonclinical studies are governed by good laboratory practice (GLP) regulations. As academic health centers (AHCs) embrace the charge to increase the translation of basic science research into clinical discoveries, researchers at these institutions increasingly will be conducting GLP-regulated nonclinical studies. Because the consequences for noncompliance are severe and many AHC researchers are unfamiliar with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations, the authors describe the regulatory requirements for conducting GLP research, including the strict documentation requirements, the necessary personnel training, the importance of study monitoring, and the critical role that compliance oversight plays in the process. They then explain the process that AHCs interested in conducting GLP studies should take prior to the start of their research program, including conducting a needs assessment and a gap analysis and selecting a model for GLP compliance. Finally, the authors identify and analyze several critical barriers to developing and implementing a GLP-compliant infrastructure at an AHC. Despite these challenges, the capacity to perform such research will help AHCs to build and maintain competitive research programs and to facilitate the successful translation of faculty-initiated research from nonclinical studies to first-in-human clinical trials. PMID:22373618

  11. Revised guidelines for good practice in IVF laboratories (2015).

    PubMed

    De los Santos, Maria José; Apter, Susanna; Coticchio, Giovanni; Debrock, Sophie; Lundin, Kersti; Plancha, Carlos E; Prados, Fernando; Rienzi, Laura; Verheyen, Greta; Woodward, Bryan; Vermeulen, Nathalie

    2016-04-01

    Which recommendations can be provided by the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology Special Interest Group (ESHRE SIG) Embryology to support laboratory specialists in the organization and management of IVF laboratories and the optimization of IVF patient care? Structured in 13 sections, the guideline development group formulated recommendations for good practice in the organization and management of IVF laboratories, and for good practice of the specific procedures performed within the IVF laboratory. NA. The guideline was produced by a group of 10 embryologists representing different European countries, settings and levels of expertise. The group evaluated the document of 2008, and based on this assessment, each group member rewrote one or more sections. Two 2-day meetings were organized during which each of the recommendations was discussed and rewritten until consensus within the guideline group was reached. After finalizing the draft, the members of the ESHRE SIG embryology were invited to review the guideline. NA. The guideline provides recommendations on the general organization of an IVF laboratory (staffing and direction, quality management, laboratory safety), and on the specific aspects of the procedures performed in IVF laboratories (Identification of patients and traceability of their reproductive cells, consumables, handling of biological material, oocyte retrieval, sperm preparation, insemination of oocytes, scoring for fertilization, embryo culture and transfer, and cryopreservation). A last section provides recommendations regarding an Emergency plan for IVF laboratories. Evidence on most of the issues described is scarce, and therefore it was decided not to perform a formal search for and assessment of scientific evidence. However, recommendations published in the EUTCD and relevant and recent documents, manuals and consensus papers were taken into account when formulating the recommendations. Despite the limitations, the guideline

  12. [Good practice guidelines for health information].

    PubMed

    2016-01-01

    Evidence-based health information is distinguished by the provision of an unbiased and trustworthy description of the current state of medical knowledge. It enables people to learn more about health and disease, and to make health-related decisions - on their own or together with others - reflecting their attitudes and lifestyle. To adequately serve this purpose, health information must be evidence-based. A working group from the German Network for Evidence-based Medicine (Deutsches Netzwerk Evidenzbasierte Medizin) has developed a first draft of good practice guidelines for health information (Gute Praxis Gesundheitsinformation) with the aim of providing support for authors and publishers of evidence-based health information. The group included researchers, patient representatives, journalists and developers of health information. The criteria for evidence-based health information were developed and agreed upon within this author group, and then made available for public comment. All submitted comments were documented and assessed regarding the need to revise or amend the draft. Changes were subsequently implemented following approval by the author group. Gute Praxis Gesundheitsinformation calls for a transparent methodological approach in the development of health information. To achieve this, evidence-based information must be based on (a) a systematic literature search, (b) a justified selection of evidence, (c) unbiased reporting of relevant results, (d) appropriate factual and linguistic communication of uncertainties, (e) either avoidance of any direct recommendations or a strict division between the reporting of results and the derivation of recommendations, (f) the consideration of current evidence on the communication of figures, risks and probabilities, and (g) transparent information about the authors and publishers of the health information, including their funding sources. Gute Praxis Gesundheitsinformation lists a total of 16 aspects to be addressed

  13. Identifying Successful Practices to Overcome Access to Care Challenges in Community Health Centers

    PubMed Central

    Toscos, Tammy; Carpenter, Maria; Flanagan, Mindy; Kunjan, Kislaya; Doebbeling, Bradley N.

    2018-01-01

    Background: Despite health care access challenges among underserved populations, patients, providers, and staff at community health clinics (CHCs) have developed practices to overcome limited access. These “positive deviant” practices translate into organizational policies to improve health care access and patient experience. Objective: To identify effective practices to improve access to health care for low-income, uninsured or underinsured, and minority adults and their families. Participants: Seven CHC systems, involving over 40 clinics, distributed across one midwestern state in the United States. Methods: Ninety-two key informants, comprised of CHC patients (42%) and clinic staff (53%), participated in semi-structured interviews. Interview transcripts were subjected to thematic analysis to identify patient-centered solutions for managing access challenges to primary care for underserved populations. Transcripts were coded using qualitative analytic software. Results: Practices to improve access to care included addressing illiteracy and low health literacy, identifying cost-effective resources, expanding care offerings, enhancing the patient–provider relationship, and cultivating a culture of teamwork and customer service. Helping patients find the least expensive options for transportation, insurance, and medication was the most compelling patient-centered strategy. Appointment reminders and confirmation of patient plans for transportation to appointments reduced no-show rates. Conclusion: We identified nearly 35 practices for improving health care access. These were all patient-centric, uncovered by both clinic staff and patients who had successfully navigated the health care system to improve access. PMID:29552599

  14. Pay for performance of Estonian family doctors and impact of different practice- and patient-related characteristics on a good outcome: A quantitative assessment.

    PubMed

    Merilind, Eero; Salupere, Rauno; Västra, Katrin; Kalda, Ruth

    2016-01-01

    Several practice- and patient-related characteristics are reported to have an influence on a good quality outcome. Estonia started the pay-for-performance (P4P) system for family doctors (FDs) in 2006. Every year the number of FDs participating in P4P has increased, but only half of the FDs achieved good outcome. The aim of this study was to find out which practice- and patient-related characteristics could have an impact on a good outcome. The study was conducted using the database from the Estonian Health Insurance Fund. All working FDs were divided into two groups (with "good" and "poor" outcomes) according their achievements in P4P. We chose characteristics which described structure (practice list size, number of doctors, composition of FDs list: age, number of chronically ill patients) during the observation period 2006-2012. During the observation period 2006-2012, the number of FDs with a good outcome in P4P increased from 6% (2006) to 53% (2012). The high number of FDs in primary care teams, longer experience of participation in P4P and the smaller number of patients on FDs' lists all have an impact on a good outcome. The number of chronically ill patients in FDs lists has no significant effect on an outcome, but P4P increases the number of disease-diagnosed patients. Different practice and patient-related characteristics have an impact on a good outcome. As workload increases, smaller lists of FDs patients or increased staff levels are needed in order to maintain a good outcome. Copyright © 2016 The Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. Production and hosting by Elsevier Urban & Partner Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved.

  15. Achieving Consensus on Principles of Good Practice for School Health in Independent Schools: A Delphi Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marshall, Miguel G.; Allegrante, John P.

    2017-01-01

    Background: Although the 8 components of the coordinated school health (CSH) framework have been implemented to various degrees in the nation's public schools, principles of good practice (PGPs) to guide health promotion efforts in independent schools do not exist. The purpose of this study was to generate PGPs and rate their feasibility of…

  16. A checklist for health research priority setting: nine common themes of good practice.

    PubMed

    Viergever, Roderik F; Olifson, Sylvie; Ghaffar, Abdul; Terry, Robert F

    2010-12-15

    Health research priority setting processes assist researchers and policymakers in effectively targeting research that has the greatest potential public health benefit. Many different approaches to health research prioritization exist, but there is no agreement on what might constitute best practice. Moreover, because of the many different contexts for which priorities can be set, attempting to produce one best practice is in fact not appropriate, as the optimal approach varies per exercise. Therefore, following a literature review and an analysis of health research priority setting exercises that were organized or coordinated by the World Health Organization since 2005, we propose a checklist for health research priority setting that allows for informed choices on different approaches and outlines nine common themes of good practice. It is intended to provide generic assistance for planning health research prioritization processes. The checklist explains what needs to be clarified in order to establish the context for which priorities are set; it reviews available approaches to health research priority setting; it offers discussions on stakeholder participation and information gathering; it sets out options for use of criteria and different methods for deciding upon priorities; and it emphasizes the importance of well-planned implementation, evaluation and transparency.

  17. 12 CFR 308.7 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 5 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Good faith certification. 308.7 Section 308.7... PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE Uniform Rules of Practice and Procedure § 308.7 Good faith certification. (a... in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or...

  18. 12 CFR 263.7 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 4 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Good faith certification. 263.7 Section 263.7... (CONTINUED) RULES OF PRACTICE FOR HEARINGS Uniform Rules of Practice and Procedure § 263.7 Good faith... in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or...

  19. 12 CFR 263.7 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Good faith certification. 263.7 Section 263.7... RULES OF PRACTICE FOR HEARINGS Uniform Rules of Practice and Procedure § 263.7 Good faith certification... in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or...

  20. 12 CFR 263.7 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 4 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Good faith certification. 263.7 Section 263.7... (CONTINUED) RULES OF PRACTICE FOR HEARINGS Uniform Rules of Practice and Procedure § 263.7 Good faith... in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or...

  1. 12 CFR 308.7 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 5 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Good faith certification. 308.7 Section 308.7... PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE Uniform Rules of Practice and Procedure § 308.7 Good faith certification. (a... in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or...

  2. 12 CFR 263.7 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 4 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Good faith certification. 263.7 Section 263.7... (CONTINUED) RULES OF PRACTICE FOR HEARINGS Uniform Rules of Practice and Procedure § 263.7 Good faith... in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or...

  3. 12 CFR 308.7 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 5 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Good faith certification. 308.7 Section 308.7... PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE Uniform Rules of Practice and Procedure § 308.7 Good faith certification. (a... in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or...

  4. 12 CFR 308.7 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 4 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Good faith certification. 308.7 Section 308.7... PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE Uniform Rules of Practice and Procedure § 308.7 Good faith certification. (a... in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or...

  5. 12 CFR 308.7 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Good faith certification. 308.7 Section 308.7... PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE Uniform Rules of Practice and Procedure § 308.7 Good faith certification. (a... in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or...

  6. 12 CFR 263.7 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Good faith certification. 263.7 Section 263.7... RULES OF PRACTICE FOR HEARINGS Uniform Rules of Practice and Procedure § 263.7 Good faith certification... in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or...

  7. Practice‐based Research Network Research Good Practices (PRGPs): Summary of Recommendations

    PubMed Central

    Campbell‐Voytal, Kimberly; Daly, Jeanette; Nagykaldi, Zsolt J.; O'Beirne, Maeve; Sterling, Pamela; Fagnan, Lyle J.; Levy, Barcey; Michaels, LeAnn; Louks, Hannah A.; Smith, Paul; Aspy, Cheryl B.; Patterson, V. Beth; Kano, Miria; Sussman, Andrew L.; Williams, Robert; Neale, Anne Victoria

    2015-01-01

    Abstract Introduction Practice‐based research networks (PBRNs) conduct research in community settings, which poses quality control challenges to the integrity of research, such as study implementation and data collection. A foundation for improving research processes within PBRNs is needed to ensure research integrity. Methods Network directors and coordinators from seven U.S.‐based PBRNs worked with a professional team facilitator during semiannual in‐person meetings and monthly conference calls to produce content for a compendium of recommended research practices specific to the context of PBRNs. Participants were assigned to contribute content congruent with their expertise. Feedback on the draft document was obtained from attendees at the preconference workshop at the annual PBRN meeting in 2013. A revised document was circulated to additional PBRN peers prior to finalization. Results The PBRN Research Good Practices (PRGPs) document is organized into four chapters: (1) Building PBRN Infrastructure; (2) Study Development and Implementation; (3) Data Management, and (4) Dissemination Policies. Each chapter contains an introduction, detailed procedures for each section, and example resources with information links. Conclusion The PRGPs is a PBRN‐specific resource to facilitate PBRN management and staff training, to promote adherence to study protocols, and to increase validity and generalizability of study findings. PMID:26296309

  8. 21 CFR 4.4 - How can I comply with these current good manufacturing practice requirements for a co-packaged or...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... practice operating system in accordance with paragraph (b) of this section, the following requirements..., and the current good manufacturing practice operating system has been shown to comply with the drug... operating system has been shown to comply with the QS regulation, the following provisions of the drug CGMPs...

  9. 21 CFR 4.4 - How can I comply with these current good manufacturing practice requirements for a co-packaged or...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... practice operating system in accordance with paragraph (b) of this section, the following requirements..., and the current good manufacturing practice operating system has been shown to comply with the drug... operating system has been shown to comply with the QS regulation, the following provisions of the drug CGMPs...

  10. 12 CFR 1780.7 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 7 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Good faith certification. 1780.7 Section 1780.7... DEVELOPMENT RULES OF PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE RULES OF PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE General Rules § 1780.7 Good faith... record is well-grounded in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith, nonfrivolous argument...

  11. 12 CFR 1780.7 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Good faith certification. 1780.7 Section 1780.7... DEVELOPMENT RULES OF PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE RULES OF PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE General Rules § 1780.7 Good faith... record is well-grounded in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith, nonfrivolous argument...

  12. Good collaborative practice: reforming capacity building governance of international health research partnerships.

    PubMed

    Ward, Claire Leonie; Shaw, David; Sprumont, Dominique; Sankoh, Osman; Tanner, Marcel; Elger, Bernice

    2018-01-08

    In line with the policy objectives of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, this commentary seeks to examine the extent to which provisions of international health research guidance promote capacity building and equitable partnerships in global health research. Our evaluation finds that governance of collaborative research partnerships, and in particular capacity building, in resource-constrained settings is limited but has improved with the implementation guidance of the International Ethical Guidelines for Health-related Research Involving Humans by The Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS) (2016). However, more clarity is needed in national legislation, industry and ethics guidelines, and regulatory provisions to address the structural inequities and power imbalances inherent in international health research partnerships. Most notably, ethical partnership governance is not supported by the principal industry ethics guidelines - the International Conference on Harmonization Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceutical for Human Use (ICH) Good Clinical Practice (ICH-GCP). Given the strategic value of ICH-GCP guidelines in defining the role and responsibility of global health research partners, we conclude that such governance should stipulate the minimal requirements for creating an equitable environment of inclusion, mutual learning, transparency and accountability. Procedurally, this can be supported by i) shared research agenda setting with local leadership, ii) capacity assessments, and iii) construction of a memorandum of understanding (MoU). Moreover, the requirement of capacity building needs to be coordinated amongst partners to support good collaborative practice and deliver on the public health goals of the research enterprise; improving local conditions of health and reducing global health inequality. In this respect, and in order to develop consistency between sources of research governance, ICH

  13. Educating for Good Work: From Research to Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mucinskas, Daniel; Gardner, Howard

    2013-01-01

    Launched in 1995, the GoodWork Project is a long-term, multi-site effort to understand the nature of good work across the professional landscape and to promote its achievement by relevant groups of students and professionals. In this essay, the authors review the goals and methods of the initial research project and its most salient findings. They…

  14. Identification of good practices for teachers and students training activity in the ENVRIPLUS project

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    D'Addezio, Giuliana; Marsili, Antonella; Beranzoli, Laura

    2016-04-01

    We elaborated basic guiding principles that will be used to improve the content of the ENVRIPLUS e-Training Platform for multimedia education of Secondary School level teachers and students. The purpose is to favour teacher training and consequently students training on selected scientific themes faced within the ENVRIPLUS Research Infrastructures. "Best practices" could positively impacts on students by providing motivation on promoting scientific research and to increase the awareness of the Earth System complexity and Environmental challenges for its preservation and sustainability. Best practice teaching strategies represent an inherent part of a curriculum that exemplifies the connection and relevance identified in education research. The actions are designed to develop thinking and problem-solving skill through integration and active learning. Relationships are built though opportunities for communication and teamwork. Best practices motivate, engage and prompt student to learn and achieve. A starting list of principles is discussed in respect of the following main Best Practices pillars: • Identify the conceptual framework of the subject of the dissemination • Increase personal awareness of the individual potential • Easy personal elaboration and the connection of the subject with the school curriculum.

  15. Synthesizing Single-Case Research to Identify Evidence-Based Practices: Some Brief Reflections

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Horner, Robert H.; Kratochwill, Thomas R.

    2012-01-01

    The purposes of this paper are to (a) propose an operational standard for defining a "practice," (b) encourage development of professional standards for visual and statistical analysis of single-case research, and (c) propose a standard for using single-case research results to identify practices that are "evidence-based." These topics are not new…

  16. The procurement of cells for the derivation of human embryonic stem cell lines for therapeutic use: recommendations for good practice.

    PubMed

    Murdoch, Alison; Braude, Peter; Courtney, Aidan; Brison, Daniel; Hunt, Charles; Lawford-Davies, James; Moore, Harry; Stacey, Glyn; Sethe, Sebastian

    2012-03-01

    The donation of human embryos for the derivation of embryonic stem cell lines that may be used in the development of therapeutic products raises more complex ethical, practical and regulatory problems than the donation of embryos for non-clinical research. This review considers these issues and offers recommendations for good practice.

  17. Constraints on good child-care practices and nutritional status in urban Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.

    PubMed

    Kulwa, Kissa B M; Kinabo, Joyce L D; Modest, Beata

    2006-09-01

    Care is increasingly being recognized as a crucial input to child health and nutrition, along with food security, availability of health services, and a healthy environment. Although significant gains have been made in the fight against malnutrition in Tanzania, the nutritional status of preschool children in urban areas is not improving. To assess child-care practices and the nutritional status of infants and young children with the aim of improvingfeeding practices and child nutritional status. A cross-sectional study was undertaken in urban Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. The study involved 100 randomly selected mothers of children 6 to 24 months old from households in Ilala Municipality, one of the three municipalities that constitute the Dar-es-Salaam City Council. Data were collected by a structured questionnaire, spot-check observations, and anthropometric measurements. The prevalence rates of stunting, underweight, wasting, and morbidity were 43%, 22%, 3%, and 80%, respectively. The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding was very low (9%), and most stunted children (88%) were not exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months. The mean age at which complementary foods and fluids were introduced was 3.26 +/- 1.12 months (range, 1 to 5 months). The fluids given were mainly water and thin cereal-based porridge. More than half of the households practiced good hygiene. Most of the psychosocial practices (e.g., caregiver's attention, affection, and involvement in child feeding, hygiene, health care, and training) were performed by mothers, except for cooking and feeding the children and child training, which were done mostly by alternative caregivers. Nearly half of the mothers (44%) worked out of the home. The mean number of working hours per day was long (10.32 +/- 2.13), necessitating the use of alternative caregivers. A negative correlation was found between height-for-age z-scores and the number of hours mothers worked outside the home. The prevalence rates of chronic

  18. Structural and Practical Identifiability Analysis of Zika Epidemiological Models.

    PubMed

    Tuncer, Necibe; Marctheva, Maia; LaBarre, Brian; Payoute, Sabrina

    2018-06-13

    The Zika virus (ZIKV) epidemic has caused an ongoing threat to global health security and spurred new investigations of the virus. Use of epidemiological models for arbovirus diseases can be a powerful tool to assist in prevention and control of the emerging disease. In this article, we introduce six models of ZIKV, beginning with a general vector-borne model and gradually including different transmission routes of ZIKV. These epidemiological models use various combinations of disease transmission (vector and direct) and infectious classes (asymptomatic and pregnant), with addition to loss of immunity being included. The disease-induced death rate is omitted from the models. We test the structural and practical identifiability of the models to find whether unknown model parameters can uniquely be determined. The models were fit to obtain time-series data of cumulative incidences and pregnant infections from the Florida Department of Health Daily Zika Update Reports. The average relative estimation errors (AREs) were computed from the Monte Carlo simulations to further analyze the identifiability of the models. We show that direct transmission rates are not practically identifiable; however, fixed recovery rates improve identifiability overall. We found ARE is low for each model (only slightly higher for those that account for a pregnant class) and help to confirm a reproduction number greater than one at the start of the Florida epidemic. Basic reproduction number, [Formula: see text], is an epidemiologically important threshold value which gives the number of secondary cases generated by one infected individual in a totally susceptible population in duration of infectiousness. Elasticity of the reproduction numbers suggests that the mosquito-to-human ratio, mosquito life span and biting rate have the greatest potential for reducing the reproduction number of Zika, and therefore, corresponding control measures need to be focused on.

  19. Learning Community Assessment 101--Best Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huerta, Juan Carlos; Hansen, Michele J.

    2013-01-01

    Good assessment is part of all good learning communities, and this article provides a useful set of best practices for learning community assessment planning: (1) articulating agreed-upon learning community program goals; (2) identifying the purpose of assessment (e.g., summative or formative); (3) employing qualitative and quantitative assessment…

  20. Addressing the challenge of diversity in the graduate ranks: good practices yield good outcomes.

    PubMed

    Thompson, Nancy L; Campbell, Andrew G

    2013-01-01

    In this paper, we examine the impact of implementing three systemic practices on the diversity and institutional culture in biomedical and public health PhD training at Brown University. We hypothesized that these practices, designed as part of the National Institutes of Health-funded Initiative to Maximize Student Development (IMSD) program in the Division of Biology and Medicine, would have a positive effect on underrepresented minority (URM) recruitment and retention and objective measures of student success. These practices include: 1) develop strategic partnerships with selected undergraduate institutions; 2) provide a personalized education program of student support and skill-based modules to supplement discipline-based course work; and 3) transform institutional culture by engaging faculty in supporting diversity-related goals and practices. Data comparing URM numbers and key academic milestones before and after implementation of IMSD practices support the initial hypothesis and effectiveness of these practices at Brown. Program components are broadly applicable as best practices for others seeking to improve URM recruitment and achievements of graduate students traditionally underrepresented in the sciences.

  1. Addressing the Challenge of Diversity in the Graduate Ranks: Good Practices Yield Good Outcomes

    PubMed Central

    Thompson, Nancy L.; Campbell, Andrew G.

    2013-01-01

    In this paper, we examine the impact of implementing three systemic practices on the diversity and institutional culture in biomedical and public health PhD training at Brown University. We hypothesized that these practices, designed as part of the National Institutes of Health–funded Initiative to Maximize Student Development (IMSD) program in the Division of Biology and Medicine, would have a positive effect on underrepresented minority (URM) recruitment and retention and objective measures of student success. These practices include: 1) develop strategic partnerships with selected undergraduate institutions; 2) provide a personalized education program of student support and skill-based modules to supplement discipline-based course work; and 3) transform institutional culture by engaging faculty in supporting diversity-related goals and practices. Data comparing URM numbers and key academic milestones before and after implementation of IMSD practices support the initial hypothesis and effectiveness of these practices at Brown. Program components are broadly applicable as best practices for others seeking to improve URM recruitment and achievements of graduate students traditionally underrepresented in the sciences. PMID:23463225

  2. Good life good death according to Christiaan Barnard.

    PubMed

    Toledo-Pereyra, Luis H

    2010-06-01

    Christiaan Barnard (1922-2002), pioneering heart transplant surgeon, introduced his ideas on euthanasia in a well-written and researched book, Good Life Good Death. A Doctor's Case for Euthanasia and Suicide, published in 1980. His courage in analyzing this topic in a forthright and clear manner is worth reviewing today. In essence, Barnard supported and practiced passive euthanasia (the ending of life by indirect methods, such as stopping of life support) and discussed, but never practiced, active euthanasia (the ending of life by direct means). Barnard believed that "the primary goal of medicine was to alleviate suffering-not merely to prolong life-he argued that advances in modern medical technology demanded that we evaluate our view of death and the handling of terminal illness." Some in the surgical community took issue with Barnard when he publicized his personal views on euthanasia. We discuss Barnard's beliefs and attempt to clarify some misunderstandings regarding this particular controversial area of medicine.

  3. Things you never thought of that make a difference: personal goals, common sense, and good behavior in practice.

    PubMed

    Watson, J Tracy

    2011-12-01

    There are many aspects of your practice that you never think of when you first get into your new practice environment. You have spent the better part of your life training in a rigorous surgical residency and possibly fellowship. You have worked hard to get to this station in life. Because of your training and the obvious fact that you are a hard-driving individual, there are certain subtleties to a successful practice that you might have overlooked or never thought about during your training years. In many ways, it is the "little things" that you never learned or never thought of that will affect your overall long-term practice success, personal happiness, and relationships the most. This article reviews aspects of practice that at first glance are merely good common sense.

  4. [The school doctorand suspected child abuse : towards good practice recommendations in the child's interest].

    PubMed

    Noirhomme-Renard, F; Blavier, A; Lachaussée, S; Monville, C; Nihoul, C; Gosset, C

    2016-10-01

    Child maltreatment, including all forms of mal¬treatment, remains a major public health problem in high-income countries. Healthcare professionals only contribute to a small proportion of reports. In French-speaking Belgium, almost 100 % of school-aged children are regularly submitted to periodical school health visits. The school health doctor is well placed to recognize neglected or abused children. Based on international good practice recommendations, this paper proposes means for the detection and management of child abuse in the context of school medicine.

  5. Identifying critical thinking indicators and critical thinker attributes in nursing practice.

    PubMed

    Chao, Shu-Yuan; Liu, Hsing-Yuan; Wu, Ming-Chang; Clark, Mary Jo; Tan, Jung-Ying

    2013-09-01

    Critical thinking is an essential skill in the nursing process. Although several studies have evaluated the critical thinking skills of nurses, there is limited information related to the indicators of critical thinking or evaluation of critical thinking in the context of the nursing process. This study investigated the potential indicators of critical thinking and the attributes of critical thinkers in clinical nursing practice. Knowledge of these indicators can aid the development of tools to assess nursing students' critical thinking skills. The study was conducted between September 2009 and August 2010. In phase 1, a literature review and four focus groups were conducted to identify the indicators of critical thinking in the context of nursing and the attributes of critical thinkers. In phase 2, 30 nursing professionals participated in a modified Delphi research survey to establish consensus and the appropriateness of each indicator and attribute identified in phase 1. We identified 37 indicators of critical thinking and 10 attributes of critical thinkers. The indicators were categorized into five subscales within the context of the nursing process toreflect nursing clinical practice: assessment, 16 indicators of ability to apply professional knowledge and skills to analyze and interpret patient problems; diagnosis, five indicators of ability to propose preliminary suppositions; planning, five indicators of ability to develop problem-solving strategies; implementation, five indicators of ability to implement planning; and evaluation, six indicators of ability to self-assess and reflect. The study operationalized critical thinking into a practical indicator suitable for nursing contexts in which critical thinking is required for clinical problem solving. Identified indicators and attributes can assist clinical instructors to evaluate student critical thought skills and development-related teaching strategies.

  6. Identifying knowledge-attitude-practice gaps to enhance HPV vaccine diffusion.

    PubMed

    Cohen, Elisia L; Head, Katharine J

    2013-01-01

    To examine differences in knowledge, attitudes, and related practices among adopters and nonadopters of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, the researchers conducted 83 in-depth interviews with 18- to 26-year-old women. The study identified knowledge-attitude-practice gaps in the context of the HPV vaccine to explain why diffusion of a preventive innovation (such as the HPV vaccine) requires targeted risk communication strategies in order to increase demand. Salient findings included similarities between vaccinated and unvaccinated women's lack of knowledge and uncertainties about HPV and cervical cancer. Vaccinated women who had no knowledge of HPV or no-risk/low-risk perceptions of HPV reported receiving vaccination, indicating HPV risk protection behavior could precede knowledge acquisition for vaccinated women. These vaccinated women identified an interpersonal network supportive of vaccination and reported supportive social influences. Among unvaccinated women, unsupportive vaccination attitudes included low perceived personal risk of HPV. In contrast, unvaccinated women often cited erroneous beliefs that HPV could be avoided by abstinence, monogamy, and knowledge of their partners' sexual history as reasons that the vaccine was not personally relevant. Unvaccinated women cited interpersonal influences that activated short- and long-term vaccination safety and efficacy concerns. Different levels of fear regarding the HPV vaccine may underlie (a) attitudinal differences between vaccinated and unvaccinated women in perceived vaccination value and (b) attitude-practice gaps.

  7. Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) manufacturing of advanced therapy medicinal products: a novel tailored model for optimizing performance and estimating costs.

    PubMed

    Abou-El-Enein, Mohamed; Römhild, Andy; Kaiser, Daniel; Beier, Carola; Bauer, Gerhard; Volk, Hans-Dieter; Reinke, Petra

    2013-03-01

    Advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMP) have gained considerable attention in academia due to their therapeutic potential. Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) principles ensure the quality and sterility of manufacturing these products. We developed a model for estimating the manufacturing costs of cell therapy products and optimizing the performance of academic GMP-facilities. The "Clean-Room Technology Assessment Technique" (CTAT) was tested prospectively in the GMP facility of BCRT, Berlin, Germany, then retrospectively in the GMP facility of the University of California-Davis, California, USA. CTAT is a two-level model: level one identifies operational (core) processes and measures their fixed costs; level two identifies production (supporting) processes and measures their variable costs. The model comprises several tools to measure and optimize performance of these processes. Manufacturing costs were itemized using adjusted micro-costing system. CTAT identified GMP activities with strong correlation to the manufacturing process of cell-based products. Building best practice standards allowed for performance improvement and elimination of human errors. The model also demonstrated the unidirectional dependencies that may exist among the core GMP activities. When compared to traditional business models, the CTAT assessment resulted in a more accurate allocation of annual expenses. The estimated expenses were used to set a fee structure for both GMP facilities. A mathematical equation was also developed to provide the final product cost. CTAT can be a useful tool in estimating accurate costs for the ATMPs manufactured in an optimized GMP process. These estimates are useful when analyzing the cost-effectiveness of these novel interventions. Copyright © 2013 International Society for Cellular Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Implementation of Good Agricultural Practices Food Safety Standards on Mid-Atlantic States and New York Produce Farms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nayak, Roshan

    2016-01-01

    In the wake of multistate outbreaks and subsequent economic cost and health causalities, food industry stakeholders formulated policies for their produce suppliers. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's guidance on Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) have been the basis for most of the industry initiated GAP certifications or audit processes. In…

  9. Team Science Approach to Developing Consensus on Research Good Practices for Practice‐Based Research Networks: A Case Study

    PubMed Central

    Daly, Jeanette M.; Nagykaldi, Zsolt J.; Aspy, Cheryl B.; Dolor, Rowena J.; Fagnan, Lyle J.; Levy, Barcey T.; Palac, Hannah L.; Michaels, LeAnn; Patterson, V. Beth; Kano, Miria; Smith, Paul D.; Sussman, Andrew L.; Williams, Robert; Sterling, Pamela; O'Beirne, Maeve; Neale, Anne Victoria

    2015-01-01

    Abstract Using peer learning strategies, seven experienced PBRNs working in collaborative teams articulated procedures for PBRN Research Good Practices (PRGPs). The PRGPs is a PBRN‐specific resource to facilitate PBRN management and staff training, to promote adherence to study protocols, and to increase validity and generalizability of study findings. This paper describes the team science processes which culminated in the PRGPs. Skilled facilitators used team science strategies and methods from the Technology of Participation (ToP®), and the Consensus Workshop Method to support teams to codify diverse research expertise in practice‐based research. The participatory nature of “sense‐making” moved through identifiable stages. Lessons learned include (1) team input into the scope of the final outcome proved vital to project relevance; (2) PBRNs with diverse domains of research expertise contributed broad knowledge on each topic; and (3) ToP® structured facilitation techniques were critical for establishing trust and clarifying the “sense‐making” process. PMID:26602516

  10. Good practice in social care: the views of people with severe and complex needs and those who support them.

    PubMed

    Gridley, Kate; Brooks, Jenni; Glendinning, Caroline

    2014-11-01

    This paper reports findings drawn from a study of good practice in English social care for adults with disability and older people with severe and complex needs. People with severe and complex needs are a relatively small proportion of adult social care service users, but they are growing in numbers and have resource-intensive needs. The study involved qualitative research with adults with disability and older people with severe and complex needs, family carers and members of specialist organisations (n = 67), focusing on the features of social care services they considered to be good practice. Data were collected between August 2010 and June 2011. The approach to data collection was flexible, to accommodate participants' communication needs and preferences, including face-to-face and telephone interviews, Talking Mats(©) sessions and a focus group. Data were managed using Framework and analysed thematically. Features of good practice were considered at three levels: (i) everyday support; (ii) service organisation; and (iii) commissioning. Findings relating to the first two of these are presented here. Participants emphasised the importance of person-centred ways of working at all levels. Personalisation, as currently implemented in English social care, aims to shift power from professionals to service users through the allocation of personal budgets. This approach focuses very much on the role of the individual in directing his/her own support arrangements. However, participants in this study also stressed the importance of ongoing professional support, for example, from a specialist key worker or case manager to co-ordinate diverse services and ensure good practice at an organisational level. The paper argues that, despite the recent move to shift power from professionals to service users, people with the most complex needs still value support from professionals and appropriate organisational support. Without these, they risk being excluded from the benefits

  11. Using the Nine Common Themes of Good Practice checklist as a tool for evaluating the research priority setting process of a provincial research and program evaluation program.

    PubMed

    Mador, Rebecca L; Kornas, Kathy; Simard, Anne; Haroun, Vinita

    2016-03-23

    Given the context-specific nature of health research prioritization and the obligation to effectively allocate resources to initiatives that will achieve the greatest impact, evaluation of priority setting processes can refine and strengthen such exercises and their outcomes. However, guidance is needed on evaluation tools that can be applied to research priority setting. This paper describes the adaption and application of a conceptual framework to evaluate a research priority setting exercise operating within the public health sector in Ontario, Canada. The Nine Common Themes of Good Practice checklist, described by Viergever et al. (Health Res Policy Syst 8:36, 2010) was used as the conceptual framework to evaluate the research priority setting process developed for the Locally Driven Collaborative Projects (LDCP) program in Ontario, Canada. Multiple data sources were used to inform the evaluation, including a review of selected priority setting approaches, surveys with priority setting participants, document review, and consultation with the program advisory committee. The evaluation assisted in identifying improvements to six elements of the LDCP priority setting process. The modifications were aimed at improving inclusiveness, information gathering practices, planning for project implementation, and evaluation. In addition, the findings identified that the timing of priority setting activities and level of control over the process were key factors that influenced the ability to effectively implement changes. The findings demonstrate the novel adaptation and application of the 'Nine Common Themes of Good Practice checklist' as a tool for evaluating a research priority setting exercise. The tool can guide the development of evaluation questions and enables the assessment of key constructs related to the design and delivery of a research priority setting process.

  12. What is a good health check? An interview study of health check providers' views and practices.

    PubMed

    Stol, Yrrah H; Asscher, Eva C A; Schermer, Maartje H N

    2017-10-02

    Health checks identify (risk factors for) disease in people without symptoms. They may be offered by the government through population screenings and by other providers to individual users as 'personal health checks'. Health check providers' perspective of 'good' health checks may further the debate on the ethical evaluation and possible regulation of these personal health checks. In 2015, we interviewed twenty Dutch health check providers on criteria for 'good' health checks, and the role these criteria play in their practices. Providers unanimously formulate a number of minimal criteria: Checks must focus on (risk factors for) treatable/preventable disease; Tests must be reliable and clinically valid; Participation must be informed and voluntary; Checks should provide more benefits than harms; Governmental screenings should be cost-effective. Aspirational criteria mentioned were: Follow-up care should be provided; Providers should be skilled and experienced professionals that put the benefit of (potential) users first; Providers should take time and attention. Some criteria were contested: People should be free to test on any (risk factor for) disease; Health checks should only be performed in people at high risk for disease that are likely to implement health advice; Follow up care of privately funded tests should not drain on collective resources. Providers do not always fulfil their own criteria. Their reasons reveal conflicts between criteria, conflicts between criteria and other ethical values, and point to components in the (Dutch) organisation of health care that hinder an ethical provision of health checks. Moreover, providers consider informed consent a criterion that is hard to establish in practice. According to providers, personal health checks should meet the same criteria as population screenings, with the exception of cost-effectiveness. Providers do not always fulfil their own criteria. Results indicate that in thinking about the ethics of health

  13. An assessment of the compliance with good pharmacy practice in an urban and rural district in Sri Lanka.

    PubMed

    Wijesinghe, P R; Jayakody, R L; De A Seneviratne, R

    2007-02-01

    To evaluate the compliance of private pharmacies to good pharmacy practice (GPP) in an urban and rural district in Sri Lanka and identify deficiencies with a view to improving supply of safe and effective drugs to consumers. Lot quality assurance sampling (LQAS) method was used to determine the number of pharmacies that need to be studied and the threshold limit of defective elements. An inspection of 20 pharmacies in the urban and all 18 pharmacies in the rural district was carried out using a structured checklist. Compliance to seven subsystems of GPP was studied. Storage of drugs, maintenance of cold chain, dispensing and documentation were comprehensively substandard in both districts. Individual items of supervision in registration, physical environment and order of the pharmacy were also found to be substandard in both districts. This study shows that the LQAS method can be used to identify inadequate pharmacy services in the community as a whole. There was poor compliance to GPP by the private pharmacies in both districts. There are concerns about the quality of drugs and the safety of private pharmacy services to the community. Some of the deficiencies could be easily corrected by educating the pharmacists and authorised officers, and more effective and streamlined supervision.

  14. The utilization of the seven principles for good practices of full-time and adjunct faculty in teaching health & science in community colleges

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Musaitif, Linda M.

    Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which undergraduate full-time and adjunct faculty members in the health and science programs at community colleges in Southern California utilize the seven principles of good practice as measured by the Faculty Inventory of the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. A second purpose was to compare degree of utilization for gender and class size. Methodology. This is a quantitative study wherein there exists a systematic and mathematical assessment of data gathered through the use of a Likert scale survey to process and determine the mathematical model of the use of the principles by the target population of both full-time and adjunct faculty of health/science programs of community colleges in Southern California. Findings. Examination of the data revealed that both full-time and adjunct faculty members of Southern California community colleges perceive themselves a high degree of utilization of the seven principles of good practice. There was no statistically significant data to suggest a discrepancy between full-time and adjunct professors' perceptions among the utilization of the seven principles. Overall, male faculty members perceived themselves as utilizing the principles to a greater degree than female faculty. Data suggest that faculty with class size 60 or larger showed to utilize the seven principles more frequently than the professors with smaller class sizes. Conclusions. Full-time and adjunct professors of the health and sciences in Southern California community colleges perceive themselves as utilizing the seven principles of good practice to a high degree. Recommendations. This study suggests many recommendations for future research, including the degree to which negative economic factors such as budget cuts and demands affect the utilization of the seven principles. Also recommended is a study comparing students' perceptions of faculty's utilization of the seven

  15. 19 CFR 102.12 - Fungible goods.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... RULES OF ORIGIN Rules of Origin § 102.12 Fungible goods. When fungible goods of different countries of origin are commingled the country of origin of the goods: (a) Is the countries of origin of those... the origin of the commingled good is not practical, the country or countries of origin may be...

  16. Good surgeon: A search for meaning.

    PubMed

    Akopov, Andrey L; Artioukh, Dmitri Y

    2017-01-01

    The art and philosophy of surgery are not as often discussed as scientific discoveries and technological advances in the modern era of surgery. Although these are difficult to teach and pass on to the next generations of surgeons they are no less important for training good surgeons and maintaining their high standards. The authors of this review and opinion article tried to define what being a good surgeon really means and to look into the subject by analysing the essential conditions for being a good surgeon and the qualities that such a specialist should possess. In addition to a strong theoretic knowledge and practical skills and among the several described professional and personal characteristics, a good surgeon is expected to have common sense. It enables a surgeon to make a sound practical judgment independent of specialized medical knowledge and training. The possible ways of developing and/or enhancing common sense during surgical training and subsequent practice require separate analysis.

  17. Identification, definition and quantification of goods and services provided by marine biodiversity: implications for the ecosystem approach.

    PubMed

    Beaumont, N J; Austen, M C; Atkins, J P; Burdon, D; Degraer, S; Dentinho, T P; Derous, S; Holm, P; Horton, T; van Ierland, E; Marboe, A H; Starkey, D J; Townsend, M; Zarzycki, T

    2007-03-01

    This paper identifies and defines ecosystem goods and services provided by marine biodiversity. Case studies have been used to provide an insight into the practical issues associated with the assessment of marine ecosystem goods and services at specific locations. The aim of this research was to validate the definitions of goods and services, and to identify knowledge gaps and likely difficulties of quantifying the goods and services. A validated theoretical framework for the assessment of goods and services is detailed, and examples of the goods and services at a variety of case study areas are documented. These results will enable future assessments of marine ecosystem goods and services. It is concluded that the utilisation of this goods and services approach has the capacity to play a fundamental role in the Ecosystem Approach, by enabling the pressures and demands of society, the economy and the environment to be integrated into environmental management.

  18. Good Practice Chaplaincy: An Exploratory Study Identifying the Appropriate Skills, Attitudes and Practices for the Selection, Training and Utilisation of Chaplains.

    PubMed

    Carey, Lindsay B; Rumbold, Bruce

    2015-08-01

    This article presents an overview of exploratory research regarding the skills, knowledge, attitudes and practices considered necessary for chaplains to be highly competent in providing holistic care to clients and staff. Utilising a qualitative methodology, two focus groups comprising Salvation Army chaplains and their managers provided data about their expectations of chaplaincy personnel and about the pastoral care interventions undertaken by chaplains. The results indicated that while there were some differences in opinion, nevertheless, in overall terms, there was general agreement between chaplains and their managers about particular personal and professional qualities necessary for chaplains to be considered appropriate and proficient. Evidence was also obtained indicating a need for change with regard to the organisational attitude and culture of The Salvation Army towards chaplaincy. Recommendations are presented concerning (1) the selection criteria for chaplaincy, (2) training and utilisation of chaplains plus (3) issues relating to organizational cultural change necessary to develop a future-ready chaplaincy more suitable for the twenty-first century.

  19. Virtue in Medical Practice: An Exploratory Study.

    PubMed

    Kotzee, Ben; Ignatowicz, Agnieszka; Thomas, Hywel

    2017-03-01

    Virtue ethics has long provided fruitful resources for the study of issues in medical ethics. In particular, study of the moral virtues of the good doctor-like kindness, fairness and good judgement-have provided insights into the nature of medical professionalism and the ethical demands on the medical practitioner as a moral person. Today, a substantial literature exists exploring the virtues in medical practice and many commentators advocate an emphasis on the inculcation of the virtues of good medical practice in medical education and throughout the medical career. However, until very recently, no empirical studies have attempted to investigate which virtues, in particular, medical doctors and medical students tend to have or not to have, nor how these virtues influence how they think about or practise medicine. The question of what virtuous medical practice is, is vast and, as we have written elsewhere, the question of how to study doctors' moral character is fraught with difficulty. In this paper, we report the results of a first-of-a-kind study that attempted to explore these issues at three medical schools (and associated practice regions) in the United Kingdom. We identify which character traits are important in the good doctor in the opinion of medical students and doctors and identify which virtues they say of themselves they possess and do not possess. Moreover, we identify how thinking about the virtues contributes to doctors' and medical students' thinking about common moral dilemmas in medicine. In ending, we remark on the implications for medical education.

  20. [ISMP-Spain questionnaire and strategy for improving good medication practices in the Andalusian health system].

    PubMed

    Padilla-Marín, V; Corral-Baena, S; Domínguez-Guerrero, F; Santos-Rubio, M D; Santana-López, V; Moreno-Campoy, E

    2012-01-01

    To describe the strategy employed by Andalusian public health service hospitals to foster safe medication use. The self-evaluation questionnaire on drug system safety in hospitals, adapted by the Spanish Institute for Safe Medication Practices was used as a fundamental tool to that end. The strategy is developed in several phases. We analyse the report evaluating drug system safety in Andalusian public hospitals published by the Spanish Ministry of Health and Consumption in 2008 and establish a grading system to assess safe medication practices in Andalusian hospitals and prioritise areas needing improvement. We developed a catalogue of best practices available in the web environment belonging to the Andalusian health care quality agency's patient safety observatory. We publicised the strategy through training seminars and implemented a system allowing hospitals to evaluate the degree of compliance for each of the best practices, and based on that system, we were able to draw up a map of centres of reference. We found areas for improvement among several of the questionnaire's fundamental criteria. These areas for improvement were related to normal medication procedures in daily clinical practice. We therefore wrote 7 best practice guides that provide a cross-section of the assessment components of the questionnaire related to the clinical process needing improvement. The self-evaluation questionnaire adapted by ISMP-Spain is a good tool for designing a systematic, rational intervention to promote safe medication practices and intended for a group of hospitals that share the same values. Copyright © 2011 SEFH. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  1. Publishing integrity and good practices in editing in biomedicine.

    PubMed

    Polenakovic, Momir; Gucev, Zoran

    2014-01-01

    The Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts (MASA), held a scientific workshop for journal editors in biomedicine: "Publishing integrity and good practices in editing in biomedicine" on April 25, 2014 in MASA, Skopje. The meeting looked into old problems and new situations in editing and publishing, with emphasis on the situation in developing countries. This global knowledge-based society is founded on the results obtained from scientific research. The data from basic research in developed countries contribute in a quite substantial manner to the newly added economic value. One of the main reasons for underdevelopment in South Eastern Europe (SEE) is certainly a low or non-existent contribution of scientific research in the newly added economic value. This has largely to do with the perception of the political elites which simply lack the insight on the crucial importance of science in development. In the long term this leads to societies in which there are distortions in the understanding of the most basic values. Academic publishing has experienced tremendous growth: so far there are at least 50 million scientific articles. Interestingly, publishing in developing countries has experienced a rate of growth higher than in developed countries. However, this is not the case with the Balkan countries. The meeting looked at some old and some newly emerging problems in editing and publishing. First, the high cost for universities and researchers to purchase journals adversely affects both publishing and editing. In developing countries the high cost of purchasing scientific literature is an almost insurmountable problem in spite of the fact that some publishing companies offer discounted fees. Open access journals in South Eastern European (SEE) countries are hardly achievable as this also incurs costs that have to be covered in some way or other. The peer review process has the fundamental difficulty that reviewers are in the situation of a Procrustean bed, tending to

  2. Characteristics of good supervision: a multi-perspective qualitative exploration of the Masters in Public Health dissertation.

    PubMed

    Katikireddi, Srinivasa Vittal; Reilly, Jacqueline

    2017-09-01

    A dissertation is often a core component of the Masters in Public Health (MPH) qualification. This study aims to explore its purpose, from the perspective of both students and supervisors, and identify practices viewed as constituting good supervision. A multi-perspective qualitative study drawing on in-depth one-to-one interviews with MPH supervisors (n = 8) and students (n = 10), with data thematically analysed. The MPH dissertation was viewed as providing generic as well as discipline-specific knowledge and skills. It provided an opportunity for in-depth study on a chosen topic but different perspectives were evident as to whether the project should be grounded in public health practice rather than academia. Good supervision practice was thought to require topic knowledge, generic supervision skills (including clear communication of expectations and timely feedback) and adaptation of supervision to meet student needs. Two ideal types of the MPH dissertation process were identified. Supervisor-led projects focus on achieving a clearly defined output based on a supervisor-identified research question and aspire to harmonize research and teaching practice, but often have a narrower focus. Student-led projects may facilitate greater learning opportunities and better develop skills for public health practice but could be at greater risk of course failure. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health.

  3. A Lesson Plan for the Enhancement of Training and Research in Academia by the Adaptation and Adoption of Good Laboratory Practice Guidelines

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sitaraman, Ramakrishnan

    2010-01-01

    The implementation of good laboratory practices (GLPs) is recognized by the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries as being critical for ensuring the international acceptability of products. However, as universities and colleges (and research organizations) do not necessarily work under similar constraints, actual laboratory practices vary…

  4. Student perceptions of a good teacher: the gender perspective.

    PubMed

    Jules, V; Kutnick, P

    1997-12-01

    A large-scale survey of pupils' perceptions of a good teacher in the Caribbean republic of Trinidad and Tobago is reported. An essay-based, interpretative mode of research was used to elicit and identify constructs used by boys and girls. The study explores similarities and differences between boys and girls in their perceptions of a good teacher, in a society where girls achieve superior academic performance (than boys). A total of 1756 pupils and students aged between 8 and 16 provided the sample, which was proportional, stratified, clustered. Within these constraints classrooms were randomly selected to be representative of primary and secondary schools across the two islands. Altogether 1539 essays and 217 interviews were content analysed, coded for age development and compared between boys and girls. Content items identified by the pupils were logically grouped into: physical and personal characteristics of the teacher, quality of the relationship between the teacher and pupil, control of behaviour by the teacher, descriptions of the teaching process, and educational and other outcomes obtained by pupils due to teacher efforts. Female pupils identified more good teacher concepts at all age levels than males. There was some commonality between the sexes in concepts regarding interpersonal relationships and inclusiveness in the good teachers' teaching practices and boys showed significantly greater concerns regarding teacher control and use of punishment. Males as young as 8 years stated that good teachers should be sensitive to their needs. Only among the 16-year-old males were males noted as good teachers. Consideration is given to the roles of male and female teachers, how their classroom actions may set the basis for future success (or failure) of their pupils, and the needs of pupils with regard to teacher support within developing and developed countries.

  5. Deterring Violent Extremism in America by Utilizing Good Counter-Radicalization Practices from Abroad: A Policy Perspective

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-03-01

    offering rehabilitation programs to former extremists. This thesis provides a way ahead for American policy makers by sharing good practices in each of...and offering training to prevent terrorism from when individuals are young. Understanding that humans are fallible, American policy makers and...in the United Kingdom that provided trained Islamic scholars to offer advice about the true teaching of Islam.102 The hotline “El-Hatef el- Islami’s

  6. Current good manufacturing practice in manufacturing, packaging, labeling, or holding operations for dietary supplements. Final rule.

    PubMed

    2007-06-25

    The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is issuing a final rule regarding current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) for dietary supplements. The final rule establishes the minimum CGMPs necessary for activities related to manufacturing, packaging, labeling, or holding dietary supplements to ensure the quality of the dietary supplement. The final rule is one of many actions related to dietary supplements that we are taking to promote and protect the public health.

  7. Good manufacturing practice (GMP) compliance in the biologics sector: plasma fractionation.

    PubMed

    Ways, J P; Preston, M S; Baker, D; Huxsoll, J; Bablak, J

    1999-12-01

    The U.S. blood supply is the safest it has ever been. Due to blood safety and the introduction of viral inactivation/clearance technologies, protein therapies derived from human blood have also in recent years had a history of product safety. Nevertheless, since 1995, the plasma-fractionation industry has experienced increased compliance-related actions by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as shown by a substantive increase in the number of FDA 483 inspectional observations, FDA warning letters and other FDA regulatory action. An evaluation of these trends shows that they reflect the implementation by the FDA of increased inspectional interest in the plasma-fractionation industry and an evolution of inspectional practices and standards of current good manufacturing practice (cGMP). Plasma fractionators have responded to FDA actions by carefully evaluating and addressing each inspectional observation, assessing impact to product and taking appropriate actions, including corrective actions to prevent future occurrence. They have made major investments in facilities, quality systems, personnel and training to meet the evolving standards of cGMP and in an effort to implement these standards systemically. Through industry associations, manufacturers have further enhanced product safety by adopting additional voluntary standards for plasma to prevent the entry of potentially unsuitable plasma into the production process. The industry remains committed to application of cGMP and to working with the FDA in further evolution of these standards while striving to assure a continued supply of safe, pure and effective plasma-derived therapies.

  8. Good modeling practice guidelines for applying multimedia models in chemical assessments.

    PubMed

    Buser, Andreas M; MacLeod, Matthew; Scheringer, Martin; Mackay, Don; Bonnell, Mark; Russell, Mark H; DePinto, Joseph V; Hungerbühler, Konrad

    2012-10-01

    Multimedia mass balance models of chemical fate in the environment have been used for over 3 decades in a regulatory context to assist decision making. As these models become more comprehensive, reliable, and accepted, there is a need to recognize and adopt principles of Good Modeling Practice (GMP) to ensure that multimedia models are applied with transparency and adherence to accepted scientific principles. We propose and discuss 6 principles of GMP for applying existing multimedia models in a decision-making context, namely 1) specification of the goals of the model assessment, 2) specification of the model used, 3) specification of the input data, 4) specification of the output data, 5) conduct of a sensitivity and possibly also uncertainty analysis, and finally 6) specification of the limitations and limits of applicability of the analysis. These principles are justified and discussed with a view to enhancing the transparency and quality of model-based assessments. Copyright © 2012 SETAC.

  9. Good manufacturing practices production of a purification-free oral cholera vaccine expressed in transgenic rice plants.

    PubMed

    Kashima, Koji; Yuki, Yoshikazu; Mejima, Mio; Kurokawa, Shiho; Suzuki, Yuji; Minakawa, Satomi; Takeyama, Natsumi; Fukuyama, Yoshiko; Azegami, Tatsuhiko; Tanimoto, Takeshi; Kuroda, Masaharu; Tamura, Minoru; Gomi, Yasuyuki; Kiyono, Hiroshi

    2016-03-01

    The first Good Manufacturing Practices production of a purification-free rice-based oral cholera vaccine (MucoRice-CTB) from transgenic plants in a closed cultivation system yielded a product meeting regulatory requirements. Despite our knowledge of their advantages, plant-based vaccines remain unavailable for human use in both developing and industrialized countries. A leading, practical obstacle to their widespread use is producing plant-based vaccines that meet governmental regulatory requirements. Here, we report the first production according to current Good Manufacturing Practices of a rice-based vaccine, the cholera vaccine MucoRice-CTB, at an academic institution. To this end, we established specifications and methods for the master seed bank (MSB) of MucoRice-CTB, which was previously generated as a selection-marker-free line, evaluated its propagation, and given that the stored seeds must be renewed periodically. The production of MucoRice-CTB incorporated a closed hydroponic system for cultivating the transgenic plants, to minimize variations in expression and quality during vaccine manufacture. This type of molecular farming factory can be operated year-round, generating three harvests annually, and is cost- and production-effective. Rice was polished to a ratio of 95 % and then powdered to produce the MucoRice-CTB drug substance, and the identity, potency, and safety of the MucoRice-CTB product met pre-established release requirements. The formulation of MucoRice-CTB made by fine-powdering of drug substance and packaged in an aluminum pouch is being evaluated in a physician-initiated phase I study.

  10. Computer validation in toxicology: historical review for FDA and EPA good laboratory practice.

    PubMed

    Brodish, D L

    1998-01-01

    The application of computer validation principles to Good Laboratory Practice is a fairly recent phenomenon. As automated data collection systems have become more common in toxicology facilities, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have begun to focus inspections in this area. This historical review documents the development of regulatory guidance on computer validation in toxicology over the past several decades. An overview of the components of a computer life cycle is presented, including the development of systems descriptions, validation plans, validation testing, system maintenance, SOPs, change control, security considerations, and system retirement. Examples are provided for implementation of computer validation principles on laboratory computer systems in a toxicology facility.

  11. The importance of Good Clinical Practice guidelines and its role in clinical trials

    PubMed Central

    Vijayananthan, A; Nawawi, O

    2008-01-01

    Good Clinical Practice (GCP) is an international ethical and scientific quality standard for the design, conduct, performance, monitoring, auditing, recording, analyses and reporting of clinical trials. It also serves to protect the rights, integrity and confidentiality of trial subjects. It is very important to understand the background of the formation of the ICH-GCP guidelines as this, in itself, explains the reasons and the need for doing so. In this paper, we address the historical background and the events that led up to the formation of these guidelines. Today, the ICH-GCP guidelines are used in clinical trials throughout the globe with the main aim of protecting and preserving human rights. PMID:21614316

  12. Students' Preferences for Discipline Practices in Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lovegrove, Malcolm; And Others

    Using data collected in Australia, the United States, and Norway, this paper discusses teachers' utilization of disciplinary techniques. Students in each country were asked to identify, from a list of 34 teacher characteristics and practices, those which were "good" and "bad." In general, the study found that the good teacher…

  13. Working women identify influences and obstacles to breast health practices.

    PubMed

    Stamler, L L; Thomas, B; Lafreniere, K

    2000-06-01

    To identify factors contributing to participation in breast screening in working women to drive health education planning and implementation. Survey. Automotive plants in southern Canada. Union and nonunion women working in the plants. Survey using "Health Care Practices: A Worksite Survey," modified for Canadian population. Age, education, breast health practices, influences on decision to participate in breast screening, and physician gender. Differences were noted among three age groups (under 30 years, 30-49 years, 50 years or older) in terms of influences and perceived barriers to the different modalities of breast screening. For clinical breast exams, women preferred an expert in breast health, regardless of whether the professional was a physician or a nurse. In all groups, the physician was noted as being very influential; however, perceptions of encouragement from the physician varied across the age groups. Perceptions of barriers to breast screening differed among the age groups and between women with male physicians and those with female physicians. Coworkers were identified as being a strong influence in the older group, whereas friends and family were identified as being more influential in the younger groups. Health promotion and education strategies may need to be stratified for different age groups. Breast health education may need to be seen as an ongoing educational process, with the target groups being both the women and the primary healthcare professionals. The worksite has strong potential as a setting for health promotion activities.

  14. Good Practice in Promoting Gender Equality in Higher Education in Central and Eastern Europe. Studies on Higher Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grunberg, Laura

    This volume publishes the results of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) European Centre for Higher Education (CEPES) project, Good Practice in Promoting Gender Inequality in Higher Education in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Countries. These case studies offer hope for a future in which…

  15. Promoting Good Clinical Laboratory Practices and Laboratory Accreditation to Support Clinical Trials in Sub-Saharan Africa

    PubMed Central

    Shott, Joseph P.; Saye, Renion; Diakité, Moussa L.; Sanogo, Sintry; Dembele, Moussa B.; Keita, Sekouba; Nagel, Mary C.; Ellis, Ruth D.; Aebig, Joan A.; Diallo, Dapa A.; Doumbo, Ogobara K.

    2012-01-01

    Laboratory capacity in the developing world frequently lacks quality management systems (QMS) such as good clinical laboratory practices, proper safety precautions, and adequate facilities; impacting the ability to conduct biomedical research where it is needed most. As the regulatory climate changes globally, higher quality laboratory support is needed to protect study volunteers and to accurately assess biological parameters. The University of Bamako and its partners have undertaken a comprehensive QMS plan to improve quality and productivity using the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute standards and guidelines. The clinical laboratory passed the College of American Pathologists inspection in April 2010, and received full accreditation in June 2010. Our efforts to implement high-quality standards have been valuable for evaluating safety and immunogenicity of malaria vaccine candidates in Mali. Other disease-specific research groups in resource-limited settings may benefit by incorporating similar training initiatives, QMS methods, and continual improvement practices to ensure best practices. PMID:22492138

  16. Nutrient profiling can help identify foods of good nutritional quality for their price: a validation study with linear programming.

    PubMed

    Maillot, Matthieu; Ferguson, Elaine L; Drewnowski, Adam; Darmon, Nicole

    2008-06-01

    Nutrient profiling ranks foods based on their nutrient content. They may help identify foods with a good nutritional quality for their price. This hypothesis was tested using diet modeling with linear programming. Analyses were undertaken using food intake data from the nationally representative French INCA (enquête Individuelle et Nationale sur les Consommations Alimentaires) survey and its associated food composition and price database. For each food, a nutrient profile score was defined as the ratio between the previously published nutrient density score (NDS) and the limited nutrient score (LIM); a nutritional quality for price indicator was developed and calculated from the relationship between its NDS:LIM and energy cost (in euro/100 kcal). We developed linear programming models to design diets that fulfilled increasing levels of nutritional constraints at a minimal cost. The median NDS:LIM values of foods selected in modeled diets increased as the levels of nutritional constraints increased (P = 0.005). In addition, the proportion of foods with a good nutritional quality for price indicator was higher (P < 0.0001) among foods selected (81%) than among foods not selected (39%) in modeled diets. This agreement between the linear programming and the nutrient profiling approaches indicates that nutrient profiling can help identify foods of good nutritional quality for their price. Linear programming is a useful tool for testing nutrient profiling systems and validating the concept of nutrient profiling.

  17. The Status of Implementation of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Shredded Fish Production in UMKM Az-Zahrah, Makassar

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Latif, Rindam; Dirpan, Andi; Indriani, Sylvia

    2017-12-01

    Good manufacturing practices (GMP) describes the requirements that an industry should follow throughout the production process starting from sorting raw materials to handling final products. The purpose of this research is to disclose each phase of GMP in making shredded fish and to assess the status of the practices implemented by the UMKM Az-zahrah in producing its product. This descriptive study is conducted by doing interview with owner followed by observation and documentation of all activities related to the production process in order to assess the status of GMP applied by the UMKM Az-zahrah. In assessing the status, we referred to Permenperin RI No.75 / M-Ind / Per / 7/2010 and KBPOM regulation no. HK 03.1.23.04.12.22007 Year 2012. The findings indicate some deviation occurred when UMKM Az-zahrah implemented it, those are (1) there is a pet in production room (2) production employees are not yet wearing work uniform (3) production room has directly access to toilet (4) there is no health label about health and nutritional claims. The status of applied GMP in the UMKM Az-zahrah is at D level (less good) with rating IV.

  18. Physician Rating Websites: What Aspects Are Important to Identify a Good Doctor, and Are Patients Capable of Assessing Them? A Mixed-Methods Approach Including Physicians’ and Health Care Consumers’ Perspectives

    PubMed Central

    Schulz, Peter J

    2017-01-01

    Background Physician rating websites (PRWs) offer health care consumers the opportunity to evaluate their doctor anonymously. However, physicians’ professional training and experience create a vast knowledge gap in medical matters between physicians and patients. This raises ethical concerns about the relevance and significance of health care consumers’ evaluation of physicians’ performance. Objective To identify the aspects physician rating websites should offer for evaluation, this study investigated the aspects of physicians and their practice relevant for identifying a good doctor, and whether health care consumers are capable of evaluating these aspects. Methods In a first step, a Delphi study with physicians from 4 specializations was conducted, testing various indicators to identify a good physician. These indicators were theoretically derived from Donabedian, who classifies quality in health care into pillars of structure, process, and outcome. In a second step, a cross-sectional survey with health care consumers in Switzerland (N=211) was launched based on the indicators developed in the Delphi study. Participants were asked to rate the importance of these indicators to identify a good physician and whether they would feel capable to evaluate those aspects after the first visit to a physician. All indicators were ordered into a 4×4 grid based on evaluation and importance, as judged by the physicians and health care consumers. Agreement between the physicians and health care consumers was calculated applying Holsti’s method. Results In the majority of aspects, physicians and health care consumers agreed on what facets of care were important and not important to identify a good physician and whether patients were able to evaluate them, yielding a level of agreement of 74.3%. The two parties agreed that the infrastructure, staff, organization, and interpersonal skills are both important for a good physician and can be evaluated by health care

  19. Caught between the global economy and local bureaucracy: the barriers to good waste management practice in South Africa.

    PubMed

    Godfrey, Linda; Scott, Dianne; Trois, Cristina

    2013-03-01

    Empirical research shows that good waste management practice in South Africa is not always under the volitional control of those tasked with its implementation. While intention to act may exist, external factors, within the distal and proximal context, create barriers to waste behaviour. In addition, these barriers differ for respondents in municipalities, private industry and private waste companies. The main barriers to implementing good waste management practice experienced by respondents in municipalities included insufficient funding for waste management and resultant lack of resources; insufficient waste knowledge; political interference in decision-making; a slow decision-making process; lack of perceived authority to act by waste staff; and a low priority afforded to waste. Barriers experienced by respondents in private industry included insufficient funding for waste and the resultant lack of resources; insufficient waste knowledge; and government bureaucracy. Whereas, barriers experienced in private waste companies included increasing costs; government bureaucracy; global markets; and availability of waste for recycling. The results suggest that respondents in public and private waste organizations are subject to different structural forces that shape, enable and constrain waste behaviour.

  20. To Group or Not to Group? Good Practice for Housing Male Laboratory Mice

    PubMed Central

    Kappel, Sarah; Hawkins, Penny; Mendl, Michael T.

    2017-01-01

    Simple Summary Wild mice live in territories inhabited by one adult male, several females, and their offspring. This cannot be replicated in the laboratory, so male mice are usually housed in single-sex groups or individually. However, there can be serious animal welfare problems associated with both these approaches, such as lack of social contact when housed individually or aggression between males when kept in groups. Group housing is widely recommended to give male laboratory mice the opportunity to behave as ‘social animals’, but social stress can be detrimental to the welfare of these animals, even without injurious fighting. All of this can also affect the quality of the science, giving rise to ethical concerns. This review discusses whether it is in the best welfare interests of male mice to be housed in groups, or alone. We conclude that it is not possible to give general recommendations for good practice for housing male laboratory mice, as responses to single- and group-housing can be highly context-dependent. The welfare implications of housing protocols should be researched and considered in each case. Abstract It is widely recommended to group-house male laboratory mice because they are ‘social animals’, but male mice do not naturally share territories and aggression can be a serious welfare problem. Even without aggression, not all animals within a group will be in a state of positive welfare. Rather, many male mice may be negatively affected by the stress of repeated social defeat and subordination, raising concerns about welfare and also research validity. However, individual housing may not be an appropriate solution, given the welfare implications associated with no social contact. An essential question is whether it is in the best welfare interests of male mice to be group- or singly housed. This review explores the likely impacts—positive and negative—of both housing conditions, presents results of a survey of current practice and

  1. Good practices in normal childbirth: reliability analysis of an instrument by Cronbach’s Alpha 1

    PubMed Central

    Gottems, Leila Bernarda Donato; Carvalho, Elisabete Mesquita Peres De; Guilhem, Dirce; Pires, Maria Raquel Gomes Maia

    2018-01-01

    ABSTRACT Objectives: to analyze the internal consistency of the evaluation instrument of the adherence to the good practices of childbirth and birth care in the professionals, through Cronbach’s Alpha Coefficient for each of the dimensions and for the total instrument. Method: this is a descriptive and cross-sectional study performed in obstetric centers of eleven public hospitals in the Federal District, with a questionnaire applied to 261 professionals who worked in the delivery care. Results: The study was attended by 261 professionals, 42.5% (111) nurses and 57.5% (150) physicians. The reliability evaluation of the instrument by the Cronbach Alfa resulted in 0.53, 0.78 and 0.76 for dimensions 1, 2 and 3, after debugging that resulted in the exclusion of 11 items. Conclusions: the instrument obtained Cronbach’s alpha of 0.80. There is a need for improvement in the items of dimension 1 that refer to attitudes, knowledge, and practices of the organization of the network of care to gestation, childbirth, and birth. However, it can be applied in the way it is used to evaluate practices based on scientific evidence of childbirth care. PMID:29791667

  2. Traditional Chinese medicine research in the post-genomic era: good practice, priorities, challenges and opportunities.

    PubMed

    Uzuner, Halil; Bauer, Rudolf; Fan, Tai-Ping; Guo, De-An; Dias, Alberto; El-Nezami, Hani; Efferth, Thomas; Williamson, Elizabeth M; Heinrich, Michael; Robinson, Nicola; Hylands, Peter J; Hendry, Bruce M; Cheng, Yung-Chi; Xu, Qihe

    2012-04-10

    GP-TCM is the 1st EU-funded Coordination Action consortium dedicated to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) research. This paper aims to summarise the objectives, structure and activities of the consortium and introduces the position of the consortium regarding good practice, priorities, challenges and opportunities in TCM research. Serving as the introductory paper for the GP-TCM Journal of Ethnopharmacology special issue, this paper describes the roadmap of this special issue and reports how the main outputs of the ten GP-TCM work packages are integrated, and have led to consortium-wide conclusions. Literature studies, opinion polls and discussions among consortium members and stakeholders. By January 2012, through 3 years of team building, the GP-TCM consortium had grown into a large collaborative network involving ∼200 scientists from 24 countries and 107 institutions. Consortium members had worked closely to address good practice issues related to various aspects of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) and acupuncture research, the focus of this Journal of Ethnopharmacology special issue, leading to state-of-the-art reports, guidelines and consensus on the application of omics technologies in TCM research. In addition, through an online survey open to GP-TCM members and non-members, we polled opinions on grand priorities, challenges and opportunities in TCM research. Based on the poll, although consortium members and non-members had diverse opinions on the major challenges in the field, both groups agreed that high-quality efficacy/effectiveness and mechanistic studies are grand priorities and that the TCM legacy in general and its management of chronic diseases in particular represent grand opportunities. Consortium members cast their votes of confidence in omics and systems biology approaches to TCM research and believed that quality and pharmacovigilance of TCM products are not only grand priorities, but also grand challenges. Non-members, however, gave priority

  3. Developing a Framework for Evaluating Ethical Outcomes of Good Participatory Practices in TB Clinical Drug Trials.

    PubMed

    MacQueen, Kathleen M; Eley, Natalie T; Frick, Mike; Mingote, Laia Ruiz; Chou, Alicia; Seidel, Stephanie S; Hannah, Stacey; Hamilton, Carol

    2016-07-01

    Good Participatory Practice Guidelines for TB Drug Trials (GPP-TB) were issued in 2012, based on similar guidelines for HIV prevention and reflecting growing acceptance of the importance of community engagement and participatory strategies in clinical research. Though the need for such strategies is clear, evaluation of the benefits and burdens are needed. Working with a diverse group of global TB stakeholders including advocates, scientists, and ethicists, we used a Theory of Change approach to develop an evaluation framework for GPP-TB that includes a clearly defined ethical goal, a set of powerful strategies derived from GPP-TB practices for achieving the goal, and outcomes connecting strategies to goal. The framework is a first step in systematically evaluating participatory research in clinical trials. © The Author(s) 2016.

  4. Addressing the Challenge of Diversity in the Graduate Ranks: Good Practices Yield Good Outcomes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thompson, Nancy L.; Campbell, Andrew G.

    2013-01-01

    In this paper, we examine the impact of implementing three systemic practices on the diversity and institutional culture in biomedical and public health PhD training at Brown University. We hypothesized that these practices, designed as part of the National Institutes of Health-funded Initiative to Maximize Student Development (IMSD) program in…

  5. Subsistence Food Production Practices: An Approach to Food Security and Good Health.

    PubMed

    Rankoana, Sejabaledi A

    2017-10-05

    Food security is a prerequisite for health. Availability and accessibility of food in rural areas is mainly achieved through subsistence production in which community members use local practices to produce and preserve food. Subsistence food production ensures self-sufficiency and reduction of poverty and hunger. The main emphasis with the present study is examining subsistence farming and collection of edible plant materials to fulfill dietary requirements, thereby ensuring food security and good health. Data collected from a purposive sample show that subsistence crops produced in the home-gardens and fields, and those collected from the wild, are sources of grain, vegetables and legumes. Sources of grain and legumes are produced in the home-gardens and fields, whereas vegetables sources are mostly collected in the wild and fewer in the home-gardens. These food sources have perceived health potential in child and maternal care of primary health care.

  6. What makes up good consultations? A qualitative study of GPs' discourses.

    PubMed

    Van Roy, Kaatje; Vanheule, Stijn; Deveugele, Myriam

    2013-05-16

    In medical literature, several principles that define 'good consultations' have been outlined. These principles tend to be prescriptive in nature, overlooking the complexity of general practitioners (GPs)' perspectives of everyday practice. Focusing on perspectives might be particularly relevant, since they may affect decisions and actions. Therefore, the present study adopts a bottom-up approach, analyzing GPs' narratives about 'good' and 'bad' consultations. We aimed at describing the range of discourses GPs use in relating on their practice. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 Belgian GPs. By means of a qualitative analysis, the authors mapped patterns in the interview narratives and described the range of different discourses. Four discourses were identified: a biomedically-centered discourse, a communication-focused discourse, a problem-solving discourse and a satisfaction-oriented discourse. Each discourse was further specified in terms of predominant themes, problems the GPs prefer to deal with and inherent difficulties. Although most participants used elements from all four discourses, the majority of the GPs relied on an individual set of predominant discourses and focused on a limited number of themes. This study clearly indicates that there is no uniform way in which GPs perceive clinical practice. Each of the participants used a subtle mix of different criteria to define good and bad medical consultations. Some discourse elements appear to be rooted in medical literature, whereas others are of a more personal nature. By focusing on the limitations of each discourse, this study can shed new light on some of the difficulties GPs encounter in their daily practice: being confronted with specific problems might be an effect of adhering to a specific discourse. The typification of different discourses on consultations may function as a framework to help GPs reflect on how they perceive their practice, and help them manage some of the challenges

  7. Developing and Optimising the Use of Logic Models in Systematic Reviews: Exploring Practice and Good Practice in the Use of Programme Theory in Reviews

    PubMed Central

    Kneale, Dylan; Thomas, James; Harris, Katherine

    2015-01-01

    Background Logic models are becoming an increasingly common feature of systematic reviews, as is the use of programme theory more generally in systematic reviewing. Logic models offer a framework to help reviewers to ‘think’ conceptually at various points during the review, and can be a useful tool in defining study inclusion and exclusion criteria, guiding the search strategy, identifying relevant outcomes, identifying mediating and moderating factors, and communicating review findings. Methods and Findings In this paper we critique the use of logic models in systematic reviews and protocols drawn from two databases representing reviews of health interventions and international development interventions. Programme theory featured only in a minority of the reviews and protocols included. Despite drawing from different disciplinary traditions, reviews and protocols from both sources shared several limitations in their use of logic models and theories of change, and these were used almost unanimously to solely depict pictorially the way in which the intervention worked. Logic models and theories of change were consequently rarely used to communicate the findings of the review. Conclusions Logic models have the potential to be an aid integral throughout the systematic reviewing process. The absence of good practice around their use and development may be one reason for the apparent limited utility of logic models in many existing systematic reviews. These concerns are addressed in the second half of this paper, where we offer a set of principles in the use of logic models and an example of how we constructed a logic model for a review of school-based asthma interventions. PMID:26575182

  8. Developing and Optimising the Use of Logic Models in Systematic Reviews: Exploring Practice and Good Practice in the Use of Programme Theory in Reviews.

    PubMed

    Kneale, Dylan; Thomas, James; Harris, Katherine

    2015-01-01

    Logic models are becoming an increasingly common feature of systematic reviews, as is the use of programme theory more generally in systematic reviewing. Logic models offer a framework to help reviewers to 'think' conceptually at various points during the review, and can be a useful tool in defining study inclusion and exclusion criteria, guiding the search strategy, identifying relevant outcomes, identifying mediating and moderating factors, and communicating review findings. In this paper we critique the use of logic models in systematic reviews and protocols drawn from two databases representing reviews of health interventions and international development interventions. Programme theory featured only in a minority of the reviews and protocols included. Despite drawing from different disciplinary traditions, reviews and protocols from both sources shared several limitations in their use of logic models and theories of change, and these were used almost unanimously to solely depict pictorially the way in which the intervention worked. Logic models and theories of change were consequently rarely used to communicate the findings of the review. Logic models have the potential to be an aid integral throughout the systematic reviewing process. The absence of good practice around their use and development may be one reason for the apparent limited utility of logic models in many existing systematic reviews. These concerns are addressed in the second half of this paper, where we offer a set of principles in the use of logic models and an example of how we constructed a logic model for a review of school-based asthma interventions.

  9. Medication Errors: New EU Good Practice Guide on Risk Minimisation and Error Prevention.

    PubMed

    Goedecke, Thomas; Ord, Kathryn; Newbould, Victoria; Brosch, Sabine; Arlett, Peter

    2016-06-01

    A medication error is an unintended failure in the drug treatment process that leads to, or has the potential to lead to, harm to the patient. Reducing the risk of medication errors is a shared responsibility between patients, healthcare professionals, regulators and the pharmaceutical industry at all levels of healthcare delivery. In 2015, the EU regulatory network released a two-part good practice guide on medication errors to support both the pharmaceutical industry and regulators in the implementation of the changes introduced with the EU pharmacovigilance legislation. These changes included a modification of the 'adverse reaction' definition to include events associated with medication errors, and the requirement for national competent authorities responsible for pharmacovigilance in EU Member States to collaborate and exchange information on medication errors resulting in harm with national patient safety organisations. To facilitate reporting and learning from medication errors, a clear distinction has been made in the guidance between medication errors resulting in adverse reactions, medication errors without harm, intercepted medication errors and potential errors. This distinction is supported by an enhanced MedDRA(®) terminology that allows for coding all stages of the medication use process where the error occurred in addition to any clinical consequences. To better understand the causes and contributing factors, individual case safety reports involving an error should be followed-up with the primary reporter to gather information relevant for the conduct of root cause analysis where this may be appropriate. Such reports should also be summarised in periodic safety update reports and addressed in risk management plans. Any risk minimisation and prevention strategy for medication errors should consider all stages of a medicinal product's life-cycle, particularly the main sources and types of medication errors during product development. This article

  10. The structure of binding curves and practical identifiability of equilibrium ligand-binding parameters

    PubMed Central

    Middendorf, Thomas R.

    2017-01-01

    A critical but often overlooked question in the study of ligands binding to proteins is whether the parameters obtained from analyzing binding data are practically identifiable (PI), i.e., whether the estimates obtained from fitting models to noisy data are accurate and unique. Here we report a general approach to assess and understand binding parameter identifiability, which provides a toolkit to assist experimentalists in the design of binding studies and in the analysis of binding data. The partial fraction (PF) expansion technique is used to decompose binding curves for proteins with n ligand-binding sites exactly and uniquely into n components, each of which has the form of a one-site binding curve. The association constants of the PF component curves, being the roots of an n-th order polynomial, may be real or complex. We demonstrate a fundamental connection between binding parameter identifiability and the nature of these one-site association constants: all binding parameters are identifiable if the constants are all real and distinct; otherwise, at least some of the parameters are not identifiable. The theory is used to construct identifiability maps from which the practical identifiability of binding parameters for any two-, three-, or four-site binding curve can be assessed. Instructions for extending the method to generate identifiability maps for proteins with more than four binding sites are also given. Further analysis of the identifiability maps leads to the simple rule that the maximum number of structurally identifiable binding parameters (shown in the previous paper to be equal to n) will also be PI only if the binding curve line shape contains n resolved components. PMID:27993951

  11. Identifying unmet needs in older patients--nurse-GP collaboration in general practice.

    PubMed

    Williams, Ian D; O'Doherty, Lorna J; Mitchell, Geoffrey K; Williams, Karen E

    2007-09-01

    Australia's rapidly aging population has a high prevalence of chronic disease and disability, leading to an increased social and economic burden. The Enhanced Primary Care program seeks to reduce this burden by promoting preventive and coordinated care. This study aimed to identify unmet needs in community dwelling general practice patients aged 75 years and over through annual health assessments performed by a general practitioner-nurse team. Community dwelling patients of a large suburban general practice aged 75 years and over were invited to participate. Five hundred and forty-six consecutive, eligible patients were recruited. Data were collected by GP-nurse teams on physical and psychosocial variables using a combination of physical examination, self reporting, and rating scales. Fifty percent of the women and 25% of the men lived alone. Over 90% of participants reported one or more health problems, with musculoskeletal issues being most common. Men rated their health more poorly than women. Incontinence affected one-third of patients, mainly women. Women reported more psychological distress. There were age and gender differences in activities of daily living (ADL). Mobility, ADL, visual impairment, bowel problems, use of sleep medications and psychological wellbeing were strongly associated to self reported health. Health assessments were effective in identifying significant physical and psychosocial problems in older adults. The importance of such assessments is underscored by strong associations between various domains and perceived general health. Collaboration between a GP and a practice based community nurse represents a potential solution to identifying (and responding to) unmet physical and psychosocial needs to improve quality of life in community dwelling older adults.

  12. Identifying Common Practice Elements to Improve Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Outcomes of Young Children in Early Childhood Classrooms.

    PubMed

    McLeod, Bryce D; Sutherland, Kevin S; Martinez, Ruben G; Conroy, Maureen A; Snyder, Patricia A; Southam-Gerow, Michael A

    2017-02-01

    Educators are increasingly being encouraged to implement evidence-based interventions and practices to address the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of young children who exhibit problem behavior in early childhood settings. Given the nature of social-emotional learning during the early childhood years and the lack of a common set of core evidence-based practices within the early childhood literature, selection of instructional practices that foster positive social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes for children in early childhood settings can be difficult. The purpose of this paper is to report findings from a study designed to identify common practice elements found in comprehensive intervention models (i.e., manualized interventions that include a number of components) or discrete practices (i.e., a specific behavior or action) designed to target social, emotional, and behavioral learning of young children who exhibit problem behavior. We conducted a systematic review of early childhood classroom interventions that had been evaluated in randomized group designs, quasi-experimental designs, and single-case experimental designs. A total of 49 published articles were identified, and an iterative process was used to identify common practice elements. The practice elements were subsequently reviewed by experts in social-emotional and behavioral interventions for young children. Twenty-four practice elements were identified and classified into content (the goal or general principle that guides a practice element) and delivery (the way in which a teacher provides instruction to the child) categories. We discuss implications that the identification of these practice elements found in the early childhood literature has for efforts to implement models and practices.

  13. Social determinants of good hand-washing practice (GHP) among adolescents in a rural Indian community.

    PubMed

    Dobe, Madhumita; Mandal, Ram Narayan; Jha, Ayan

    2013-01-01

    A cross-sectional study was conducted in 5 randomly selected villages to assess prevalence of good hand-washing practice (GHP) among adolescents, and describe the social determinants. The prevalence of adolescent GHP was 32.1% (95% CI = 27.1, 37.1). Logistic regression established 5 significant positive predictors-maternal GHP, presence of sanitary latrine, availability of soap at hand-washing locations, in-house water supply, and higher per capita income. Our research provides a scope for better understanding of the socioeconomic determinants of GHP in a rural Indian setting, and may find implications in the Total Sanitation Campaign launched by Government of India.

  14. Minor corral changes and adoption of good handling practices can improve the behavior and reduce cortisol release in Nellore cows.

    PubMed

    Lima, Maria Lúcia Pereira; Negrão, João Alberto; de Paz, Claudia Cristina Paro; Grandin, Temple

    2018-03-01

    Inadequate corral facilities and improper handling are major causes of stress in beef cattle. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of minor changes in the corral and adoption of good handling practices on the behavior, cortisol release, and time spent taking blood samples in Nellore cows. Minor corral changes included obstructing the cow's vision when the handler walked deep into the animal's flight zone and the elimination of bright objects, color contrasts, puddles, shadows, and darkness in the corral. Handling was improved by eliminating dogs, electric goads (prods), and yelling, as well as adopting a calm behavior. A total of 141 Nellore cows from two typical extensive livestock farms were studied. The cows were evaluated individually before and after the corral changes. Blood samples were collected in the restraint device for cortisol measurement. The minor corral changes and the adoption of good handling practices result in better results for all variables studied. The results showed differences in the interactions between treatment and ranch for chute score (P = 0.0091) and exit score (P < 0.0001). The cortisol release was lower (P < 0.001) and better for the improved methods, resulting in calmer cows compared to cortisol released before the minor changes (41.03 ± 2.9 vs 60.40 ± 3.8 ng/mL). Minor changes made in the corrals and the adoption of good handling practices were effective in improving cow behavior in the chute and in reducing exit velocity, cortisol released, and the time spent taking blood samples.

  15. Good Teachers, Good Schools: How to Create a Successful School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hudson, David

    2009-01-01

    "Good schools think 'with' people and not 'to' people" argues David Hudson in this thought provoking practical guide for those wanting to bridge the gap between middle and senior management roles, and make a difference in their schools. Accessibly and engagingly written and packed with real-life examples, this book will prove essential…

  16. 12 CFR 1209.13 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 9 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Good faith certification. 1209.13 Section 1209... PROCEDURE Rules of Practice and Procedure § 1209.13 Good faith certification. (a) General requirement. Every... warranted by existing law or a good faith, non-frivolous argument for the extension, modification, or...

  17. 12 CFR 1209.13 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 10 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Good faith certification. 1209.13 Section 1209... PROCEDURE Rules of Practice and Procedure § 1209.13 Good faith certification. (a) General requirement. Every... warranted by existing law or a good faith, non-frivolous argument for the extension, modification, or...

  18. 12 CFR 1209.13 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 9 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Good faith certification. 1209.13 Section 1209... PROCEDURE Rules of Practice and Procedure § 1209.13 Good faith certification. (a) General requirement. Every... warranted by existing law or a good faith, non-frivolous argument for the extension, modification, or...

  19. HIV & AIDS and Educator Development, Conduct and Support. Good Policy and Practice in HIV & AIDS and Education. Booklet 3

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Attawell, Kathy; Elder, Katharine

    2006-01-01

    Although there is a need for enhanced evidence-based information on successful HIV and AIDS education interventions, much has already been learnt about good practices and policies in the education sector's response to the pandemic. This booklet, to be used in tandem with others in the series, aims to further expand our knowledge by highlighting…

  20. Eliciting, Identifying, Interpreting, and Responding to Students' Ideas: Teacher Candidates' Growth in Formative Assessment Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gotwals, Amelia Wenk; Birmingham, Daniel

    2016-01-01

    With the goal of helping teacher candidates become well-started beginners, it is important that methods courses in teacher education programs focus on high-leverage practices. Using responsive teaching practices, specifically eliciting, identifying, interpreting, and responding to students' science ideas (i.e., formative assessment), can be used…

  1. Physician Rating Websites: What Aspects Are Important to Identify a Good Doctor, and Are Patients Capable of Assessing Them? A Mixed-Methods Approach Including Physicians' and Health Care Consumers' Perspectives.

    PubMed

    Rothenfluh, Fabia; Schulz, Peter J

    2017-05-01

    Physician rating websites (PRWs) offer health care consumers the opportunity to evaluate their doctor anonymously. However, physicians' professional training and experience create a vast knowledge gap in medical matters between physicians and patients. This raises ethical concerns about the relevance and significance of health care consumers' evaluation of physicians' performance. To identify the aspects physician rating websites should offer for evaluation, this study investigated the aspects of physicians and their practice relevant for identifying a good doctor, and whether health care consumers are capable of evaluating these aspects. In a first step, a Delphi study with physicians from 4 specializations was conducted, testing various indicators to identify a good physician. These indicators were theoretically derived from Donabedian, who classifies quality in health care into pillars of structure, process, and outcome. In a second step, a cross-sectional survey with health care consumers in Switzerland (N=211) was launched based on the indicators developed in the Delphi study. Participants were asked to rate the importance of these indicators to identify a good physician and whether they would feel capable to evaluate those aspects after the first visit to a physician. All indicators were ordered into a 4×4 grid based on evaluation and importance, as judged by the physicians and health care consumers. Agreement between the physicians and health care consumers was calculated applying Holsti's method. In the majority of aspects, physicians and health care consumers agreed on what facets of care were important and not important to identify a good physician and whether patients were able to evaluate them, yielding a level of agreement of 74.3%. The two parties agreed that the infrastructure, staff, organization, and interpersonal skills are both important for a good physician and can be evaluated by health care consumers. Technical skills of a doctor and outcomes

  2. Are pediatric Open Access journals promoting good publication practice? An analysis of author instructions.

    PubMed

    Meerpohl, Joerg J; Wolff, Robert F; Antes, Gerd; von Elm, Erik

    2011-04-09

    Several studies analyzed whether conventional journals in general medicine or specialties such as pediatrics endorse recommendations aiming to improve publication practice. Despite evidence showing benefits of these recommendations, the proportion of endorsing journals has been moderate to low and varied considerably for different recommendations. About half of pediatric journals indexed in the Journal Citation Report referred to the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) but only about a quarter recommended registration of trials. We aimed to investigate to what extent pediatric open-access (OA) journals endorse these recommendations. We hypothesized that a high proportion of these journals have adopted recommendations on good publication practice since OA electronic publishing has been associated with a number of editorial innovations aiming at improved access and transparency. We identified 41 journals publishing original research in the subject category "Health Sciences, Medicine (General), Pediatrics" of the Directory of Open Access Journals http://www.doaj.org. From the journals' online author instructions we extracted information regarding endorsement of four domains of editorial policy: the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts, trial registration, disclosure of conflicts of interest and five major reporting guidelines such as the CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) statement. Two investigators collected data independently. The Uniform Requirements were mentioned by 27 (66%) pediatric OA journals. Thirteen (32%) required or recommended trial registration prior to publication of a trial report. Conflict of interest policies were stated by 25 journals (61%). Advice about reporting guidelines was less frequent: CONSORT was referred to by 12 journals (29%) followed by other reporting guidelines (MOOSE, PRISMA or STARD) (8 journals, 20%) and STROBE (3 journals, 7%). The EQUATOR

  3. Are pediatric Open Access journals promoting good publication practice? An analysis of author instructions

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background Several studies analyzed whether conventional journals in general medicine or specialties such as pediatrics endorse recommendations aiming to improve publication practice. Despite evidence showing benefits of these recommendations, the proportion of endorsing journals has been moderate to low and varied considerably for different recommendations. About half of pediatric journals indexed in the Journal Citation Report referred to the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) but only about a quarter recommended registration of trials. We aimed to investigate to what extent pediatric open-access (OA) journals endorse these recommendations. We hypothesized that a high proportion of these journals have adopted recommendations on good publication practice since OA electronic publishing has been associated with a number of editorial innovations aiming at improved access and transparency. Methods We identified 41 journals publishing original research in the subject category "Health Sciences, Medicine (General), Pediatrics" of the Directory of Open Access Journals http://www.doaj.org. From the journals' online author instructions we extracted information regarding endorsement of four domains of editorial policy: the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts, trial registration, disclosure of conflicts of interest and five major reporting guidelines such as the CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) statement. Two investigators collected data independently. Results The Uniform Requirements were mentioned by 27 (66%) pediatric OA journals. Thirteen (32%) required or recommended trial registration prior to publication of a trial report. Conflict of interest policies were stated by 25 journals (61%). Advice about reporting guidelines was less frequent: CONSORT was referred to by 12 journals (29%) followed by other reporting guidelines (MOOSE, PRISMA or STARD) (8 journals, 20%) and STROBE (3

  4. 12 CFR 19.7 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Good faith certification. 19.7 Section 19.7... PROCEDURE Uniform Rules of Practice and Procedure § 19.7 Good faith certification. (a) General requirement... warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or reversal of existing...

  5. 12 CFR 509.7 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 5 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Good faith certification. 509.7 Section 509.7... PROCEDURE IN ADJUDICATORY PROCEEDINGS Uniform Rules of Practice and Procedure § 509.7 Good faith... in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or...

  6. 12 CFR 747.7 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 7 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Good faith certification. 747.7 Section 747.7... of Practice and Procedure § 747.7 Good faith certification. (a) General requirement. Every filing or... good faith argument for the extension, modification, or reversal of existing law; and the filing or...

  7. 12 CFR 109.7 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Good faith certification. 109.7 Section 109.7... PROCEDURE IN ADJUDICATORY PROCEEDINGS Uniform Rules of Practice and Procedure § 109.7 Good faith... in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or...

  8. 12 CFR 509.7 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Good faith certification. 509.7 Section 509.7... PROCEDURE IN ADJUDICATORY PROCEEDINGS Uniform Rules of Practice and Procedure § 509.7 Good faith... in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or...

  9. 12 CFR 509.7 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2014-01-01 2012-01-01 true Good faith certification. 509.7 Section 509.7... PROCEDURE IN ADJUDICATORY PROCEEDINGS Uniform Rules of Practice and Procedure § 509.7 Good faith... in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or...

  10. 12 CFR 19.7 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Good faith certification. 19.7 Section 19.7... PROCEDURE Uniform Rules of Practice and Procedure § 19.7 Good faith certification. (a) General requirement... warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or reversal of existing...

  11. 12 CFR 509.7 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2013-01-01 2012-01-01 true Good faith certification. 509.7 Section 509.7... PROCEDURE IN ADJUDICATORY PROCEEDINGS Uniform Rules of Practice and Procedure § 509.7 Good faith... in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or...

  12. 12 CFR 19.7 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Good faith certification. 19.7 Section 19.7... PROCEDURE Uniform Rules of Practice and Procedure § 19.7 Good faith certification. (a) General requirement... warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or reversal of existing...

  13. 12 CFR 747.7 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 7 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Good faith certification. 747.7 Section 747.7... of Practice and Procedure § 747.7 Good faith certification. (a) General requirement. Every filing or... good faith argument for the extension, modification, or reversal of existing law; and the filing or...

  14. 12 CFR 109.7 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Good faith certification. 109.7 Section 109.7... PROCEDURE IN ADJUDICATORY PROCEEDINGS Uniform Rules of Practice and Procedure § 109.7 Good faith... in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or...

  15. 12 CFR 747.7 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 7 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Good faith certification. 747.7 Section 747.7... of Practice and Procedure § 747.7 Good faith certification. (a) General requirement. Every filing or... good faith argument for the extension, modification, or reversal of existing law; and the filing or...

  16. 12 CFR 19.7 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Good faith certification. 19.7 Section 19.7... PROCEDURE Uniform Rules of Practice and Procedure § 19.7 Good faith certification. (a) General requirement... warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or reversal of existing...

  17. 12 CFR 747.7 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Good faith certification. 747.7 Section 747.7... of Practice and Procedure § 747.7 Good faith certification. (a) General requirement. Every filing or... good faith argument for the extension, modification, or reversal of existing law; and the filing or...

  18. 12 CFR 109.7 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Good faith certification. 109.7 Section 109.7... PROCEDURE IN ADJUDICATORY PROCEEDINGS Uniform Rules of Practice and Procedure § 109.7 Good faith... in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or...

  19. 12 CFR 747.7 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Good faith certification. 747.7 Section 747.7... of Practice and Procedure § 747.7 Good faith certification. (a) General requirement. Every filing or... good faith argument for the extension, modification, or reversal of existing law; and the filing or...

  20. 12 CFR 19.7 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Good faith certification. 19.7 Section 19.7... PROCEDURE Uniform Rules of Practice and Procedure § 19.7 Good faith certification. (a) General requirement... warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or reversal of existing...

  1. 12 CFR 509.7 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 5 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Good faith certification. 509.7 Section 509.7... PROCEDURE IN ADJUDICATORY PROCEEDINGS Uniform Rules of Practice and Procedure § 509.7 Good faith... in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or...

  2. Implementation of Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) in basic scientific research: Translating the concept beyond regulatory compliance.

    PubMed

    Jena, G B; Chavan, Sapana

    2017-10-01

    The principles of Good Laboratory Practices (GLPs) are mainly intended for the laboratories performing studies for regulatory compliances. However, today GLP can be applied to broad disciplines of science to cater to the needs of the experimental objectives, generation of quality data and assay reproducibility. Considering its significance, it can now be applied in academics; industries as well as government set ups throughout the world. GLP is the best way to promote the reliability, reproducibility of the test data and hence facilitates the international acceptability. Now it is high time to translate and implement the concept of GLP beyond regulatory studies. Thus, it can pave the way for better understanding of scientific problems and help to maintain a good human and environmental health. Through this review, we have made an attempt to explore the uses of GLP principles in different fields of science and its acceptability as well as looking for its future perspectives. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. From skin biopsy to neurons through a pluripotent intermediate under Good Manufacturing Practice protocols.

    PubMed

    Karumbayaram, Saravanan; Lee, Peiyee; Azghadi, Soheila F; Cooper, Aaron R; Patterson, Michaela; Kohn, Donald B; Pyle, April; Clark, Amander; Byrne, James; Zack, Jerome A; Plath, Kathrin; Lowry, William E

    2012-01-01

    The clinical application of human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) requires not only the production of Good Manufacturing Practice-grade (GMP-grade) hiPSCs but also the derivation of specified cell types for transplantation under GMP conditions. Previous reports have suggested that hiPSCs can be produced in the absence of animal-derived reagents (xenobiotics) to ease the transition to production under GMP standards. However, to facilitate the use of hiPSCs in cell-based therapeutics, their progeny should be produced not only in the absence of xenobiotics but also under GMP conditions requiring extensive standardization of protocols, documentation, and reproducibility of methods and product. Here, we present a successful framework to produce GMP-grade derivatives of hiPSCs that are free of xenobiotic exposure from the collection of patient fibroblasts, through reprogramming, maintenance of hiPSCs, identification of reprogramming vector integration sites (nrLAM-PCR), and finally specification and terminal differentiation of clinically relevant cells. Furthermore, we developed a primary set of Standard Operating Procedures for the GMP-grade derivation and differentiation of these cells as a resource to facilitate widespread adoption of these practices.

  4. Identifying Evidence-Based Practices for Behavior: Analysis of Studies Reviewed by the What Works Clearinghouse

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    LeRoy, Adam Scott

    2017-01-01

    Prior concerns have been raised about the ability of schools to access evidence-based practices, however, these practices are instrumental for addressing behavior concerns. This is particularly true at the secondary level, where students are more likely to be disproportionately identified for school removal. This review investigates studies of…

  5. 77 FR 13513 - Modernizing the Regulation of Clinical Trials and Approaches to Good Clinical Practice; Public...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-03-07

    ...The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing a 2-day public hearing to obtain input from interested persons on FDA's scope and direction in modernizing the regulations, policies, and practices that apply to the conduct of clinical trials of FDA-regulated products. Clinical trials are a critical source of evidence to inform medical policy and practice, and effective regulatory oversight is needed to ensure that human subjects are protected and resulting clinical trial data are credible and accurate. FDA is aware of concerns within the clinical trial community that certain regulations and policies applicable to the conduct of clinical trials may result in inefficiencies or increased cost and may not facilitate the use of innovative methods and technological advances to improve clinical trial quality. The Agency is involved in an effort to modernize the regulatory framework that governs clinical trials and approaches to good clinical practice (GCP). The purpose of this hearing is to solicit public input from a broad group of stakeholders on the scope and direction of this effort, including encouraging the use of innovative models that may enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the clinical trial enterprise.

  6. 12 CFR 908.23 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 7 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Good faith certification. 908.23 Section 908.23... OPERATIONS RULES OF PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE IN HEARINGS ON THE RECORD General Rules § 908.23 Good faith... filing or submission of record is well-grounded in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith...

  7. 12 CFR 908.23 - Good faith certification.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Good faith certification. 908.23 Section 908.23... OPERATIONS RULES OF PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE IN HEARINGS ON THE RECORD General Rules § 908.23 Good faith... filing or submission of record is well-grounded in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith...

  8. When is good, good enough? Methodological pragmatism for sustainable guideline development.

    PubMed

    Browman, George P; Somerfield, Mark R; Lyman, Gary H; Brouwers, Melissa C

    2015-03-06

    Continuous escalation in methodological and procedural rigor for evidence-based processes in guideline development is associated with increasing costs and production delays that threaten sustainability. While health research methodologists are appropriately responsible for promoting increasing rigor in guideline development, guideline sponsors are responsible for funding such processes. This paper acknowledges that other stakeholders in addition to methodologists should be more involved in negotiating trade-offs between methodological procedures and efficiency in guideline production to produce guidelines that are 'good enough' to be trustworthy and affordable under specific circumstances. The argument for reasonable methodological compromise to meet practical circumstances is consistent with current implicit methodological practice. This paper proposes a conceptual tool as a framework to be used by different stakeholders in negotiating, and explicitly reporting, reasonable compromises for trustworthy as well as cost-worthy guidelines. The framework helps fill a transparency gap in how methodological choices in guideline development are made. The principle, 'when good is good enough' can serve as a basis for this approach. The conceptual tool 'Efficiency-Validity Methodological Continuum' acknowledges trade-offs between validity and efficiency in evidence-based guideline development and allows for negotiation, guided by methodologists, of reasonable methodological compromises among stakeholders. Collaboration among guideline stakeholders in the development process is necessary if evidence-based guideline development is to be sustainable.

  9. Identifying Successful Practices to Overcome Access to Care Challenges in Community Health Centers: A "Positive Deviance" Approach.

    PubMed

    Toscos, Tammy; Carpenter, Maria; Flanagan, Mindy; Kunjan, Kislaya; Doebbeling, Bradley N

    2018-01-01

    Despite health care access challenges among underserved populations, patients, providers, and staff at community health clinics (CHCs) have developed practices to overcome limited access. These "positive deviant" practices translate into organizational policies to improve health care access and patient experience. To identify effective practices to improve access to health care for low-income, uninsured or underinsured, and minority adults and their families. Seven CHC systems, involving over 40 clinics, distributed across one midwestern state in the United States. Ninety-two key informants, comprised of CHC patients (42%) and clinic staff (53%), participated in semi-structured interviews. Interview transcripts were subjected to thematic analysis to identify patient-centered solutions for managing access challenges to primary care for underserved populations. Transcripts were coded using qualitative analytic software. Practices to improve access to care included addressing illiteracy and low health literacy, identifying cost-effective resources, expanding care offerings, enhancing the patient-provider relationship, and cultivating a culture of teamwork and customer service. Helping patients find the least expensive options for transportation, insurance, and medication was the most compelling patient-centered strategy. Appointment reminders and confirmation of patient plans for transportation to appointments reduced no-show rates. We identified nearly 35 practices for improving health care access. These were all patient-centric, uncovered by both clinic staff and patients who had successfully navigated the health care system to improve access.

  10. A general model-based design of experiments approach to achieve practical identifiability of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic models.

    PubMed

    Galvanin, Federico; Ballan, Carlo C; Barolo, Massimiliano; Bezzo, Fabrizio

    2013-08-01

    The use of pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) models is a common and widespread practice in the preliminary stages of drug development. However, PK-PD models may be affected by structural identifiability issues intrinsically related to their mathematical formulation. A preliminary structural identifiability analysis is usually carried out to check if the set of model parameters can be uniquely determined from experimental observations under the ideal assumptions of noise-free data and no model uncertainty. However, even for structurally identifiable models, real-life experimental conditions and model uncertainty may strongly affect the practical possibility to estimate the model parameters in a statistically sound way. A systematic procedure coupling the numerical assessment of structural identifiability with advanced model-based design of experiments formulations is presented in this paper. The objective is to propose a general approach to design experiments in an optimal way, detecting a proper set of experimental settings that ensure the practical identifiability of PK-PD models. Two simulated case studies based on in vitro bacterial growth and killing models are presented to demonstrate the applicability and generality of the methodology to tackle model identifiability issues effectively, through the design of feasible and highly informative experiments.

  11. Managers' duty to maintain good workplace communications skills.

    PubMed

    Timmins, Fiona

    2011-06-01

    Communication is a fundamental element of care at every level of nursing practice. It is important, therefore, for nurse managers to create environments that promote and encourage good communication, and help nurses to develop their communication skills formally and informally. This article discusses the effects of communication on the quality of care. It examines nurses' professional duty to maintain good communication skills and how managers can help them do this. It also discusses nurse managers' communication skills in the context of leadership style, conflict resolution and self-awareness. Finally, it considers the notion of shared governance as good practice.

  12. Perceptions of Pre-Service Teachers on the Design of a Learning Environment Based on the Seven Principles of Good Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Al-Furaih, Suad Abdul Aziz

    2017-01-01

    This study explored the perceptions of 88 pre-service teachers on the design of a learning environment using the Seven Principles of Good Practice and its effect on participants' abilities to create their Cloud Learning Environment (CLE). In designing the learning environment, a conceptual model under the name 7 Principles and Integrated Learning…

  13. 16 CFR 301.48a - Guaranties not received in good faith.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Guaranties not received in good faith. 301.48a Section 301.48a Commercial Practices FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION REGULATIONS UNDER SPECIFIC ACTS OF... received in good faith. A guaranty shall not be deemed to have been received in good faith within the...

  14. 16 CFR 301.48a - Guaranties not received in good faith.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Guaranties not received in good faith. 301.48a Section 301.48a Commercial Practices FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION REGULATIONS UNDER SPECIFIC ACTS OF... received in good faith. A guaranty shall not be deemed to have been received in good faith within the...

  15. 16 CFR 301.48a - Guaranties not received in good faith.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Guaranties not received in good faith. 301.48a Section 301.48a Commercial Practices FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION REGULATIONS UNDER SPECIFIC ACTS OF... received in good faith. A guaranty shall not be deemed to have been received in good faith within the...

  16. 16 CFR 301.48a - Guaranties not received in good faith.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Guaranties not received in good faith. 301.48a Section 301.48a Commercial Practices FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION REGULATIONS UNDER SPECIFIC ACTS OF... received in good faith. A guaranty shall not be deemed to have been received in good faith within the...

  17. The good pharmacy practice on Einstein Program at Paraisópolis Community

    PubMed Central

    de Oliveira, Lara Tânia de Assumpção Domingues Gonçalves; da Silva, Camila Pontes; Guedes, Maria das Vitorias; Sousa, Ana Célia de Oliveira; Sarno, Flávio

    2016-01-01

    ABSTRACT Objectives: To describe indicators and processes developed and implemented for pharmaceutical assistance at the Einstein Program at Paraisópolis Community pharmacy. Methods: This was a descriptive study of retrospective data from January 2012 to December 2015. Data were obtained from spreadsheets developed for monitoring the productivity and care quality provided at the pharmacy. The evaluated variables were pharmaceutical assistance to prescription, pharmaceutical intervention, orientation (standard and pharmaceutical) and pharmaceutical orientation rate. Results: The pharmacy assisted, on average, 2,308 prescriptions monthly, dispensing 4,871 items, including medications, materials and food supplements. Since March 2015, virtually, the pharmacist analyzed all prescriptions, prior to dispensing. In the analyzed period, there was an increase in monthly pharmaceutical interventions from 7 to 32 on average, and, although there was a decrease in the number of standard orientation, the pharmaceutical orientation had an increase, causing a rise of pharmaceutical orientation rate from 4 to 11%. Conclusion: The processes developed and implemented at the program pharmacy sought to follow the good pharmacy practice, and help patients to make the best use of their medications. PMID:27759833

  18. Guided by Theory, Informed by Practice: Training and Support for the Good Behavior Game, a Classroom-Based Behavior Management Strategy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Poduska, Jeanne M.; Kurki, Anja

    2014-01-01

    Moving evidence-based practices for classroom behavior management into real-world settings is a high priority for education and public health. This article describes the development and use of a model of training and support for the Good Behavior Game (GBG), one of the few preventive interventions shown to have positive outcomes for elementary…

  19. Identifying the Gaps in Practice for Combating Lead in Drinking Water in Hong Kong

    PubMed Central

    Lee, Wai Ling; Jia, Jie; Bao, Yani

    2016-01-01

    Excessive lead has been found in drinking water in Hong Kong in tests carried out in 2015. Investigations have identified that the problem in public rental housing estates was caused by the problematic solders used in the plumbing, and recommendations on enhancing the quality control system and strengthening the relevant water quality standards have been proposed. The cause for the same problem happening in other premises where soldering has not been adopted for water pipe connections is left unidentified. Considering the unidentified cause and the recommendations made, this study aims to identify the gaps in practice followed in Hong Kong for safeguarding the water quality of new installations. A holistic review of governing ordinances and regulations, products and materials used and the testing and commissioning requirements adopted in Hong Kong and elsewhere in the world were conducted. Based on international practices and parametric analysis, it was found that there are gaps in practices followed in Hong Kong, which are directly and indirectly leading to the lead-in-water crisis. Recommendations for improvement in the quality control system, and the water quality standards including the allowable lead content and leaching limit for products and materials and the testing and commissioning requirements on plumbing installations have been made. The review and the identified gaps would become useful reference for countries in strengthening their relevant water quality standards. PMID:27706062

  20. Identifying the Gaps in Practice for Combating Lead in Drinking Water in Hong Kong.

    PubMed

    Lee, Wai Ling; Jia, Jie; Bao, Yani

    2016-09-30

    Excessive lead has been found in drinking water in Hong Kong in tests carried out in 2015. Investigations have identified that the problem in public rental housing estates was caused by the problematic solders used in the plumbing, and recommendations on enhancing the quality control system and strengthening the relevant water quality standards have been proposed. The cause for the same problem happening in other premises where soldering has not been adopted for water pipe connections is left unidentified. Considering the unidentified cause and the recommendations made, this study aims to identify the gaps in practice followed in Hong Kong for safeguarding the water quality of new installations. A holistic review of governing ordinances and regulations, products and materials used and the testing and commissioning requirements adopted in Hong Kong and elsewhere in the world were conducted. Based on international practices and parametric analysis, it was found that there are gaps in practices followed in Hong Kong, which are directly and indirectly leading to the lead-in-water crisis. Recommendations for improvement in the quality control system, and the water quality standards including the allowable lead content and leaching limit for products and materials and the testing and commissioning requirements on plumbing installations have been made. The review and the identified gaps would become useful reference for countries in strengthening their relevant water quality standards.

  1. Good Practices for Learning to Recognize Actions Using FV and VLAD.

    PubMed

    Wu, Jianxin; Zhang, Yu; Lin, Weiyao

    2016-12-01

    High dimensional representations such as Fisher vectors (FV) and vectors of locally aggregated descriptors (VLAD) have shown state-of-the-art accuracy for action recognition in videos. The high dimensionality, on the other hand, also causes computational difficulties when scaling up to large-scale video data. This paper makes three lines of contributions to learning to recognize actions using high dimensional representations. First, we reviewed several existing techniques that improve upon FV or VLAD in image classification, and performed extensive empirical evaluations to assess their applicability for action recognition. Our analyses of these empirical results show that normality and bimodality are essential to achieve high accuracy. Second, we proposed a new pooling strategy for VLAD and three simple, efficient, and effective transformations for both FV and VLAD. Both proposed methods have shown higher accuracy than the original FV/VLAD method in extensive evaluations. Third, we proposed and evaluated new feature selection and compression methods for the FV and VLAD representations. This strategy uses only 4% of the storage of the original representation, but achieves comparable or even higher accuracy. Based on these contributions, we recommend a set of good practices for action recognition in videos for practitioners in this field.

  2. [Ecological agriculture: future of Good Agriculture Practice of Chinese materia medica].

    PubMed

    Guo, Lan-ping; Zhou, Liang-yun; Mo, Ge; Wang, Sheng; Huang, Lu-qi

    2015-09-01

    Based on the ecological and economic problems in Good Agriculture Practice (GAP) of Chinese material medica, we introduced the origin, concept, features and operative technology of eco-agriculture worldwide, emphasizing its modes on different biological levels of landscape, ecosystem, community, population, individual and gene in China. And on this basis, we analyzed the background and current situation of eco-agriculture of Chinese materia medica, and proposed its development ideas and key tasks, including: (1) Analysis and planning of the production pattern of Chinese material medica national wide. (2) Typical features extraction of regional agriculture of Chinese materia medica. (3) Investigation of the interaction and its mechanism between typical Chinese materia medica in each region and the micro-ecology of rhizosphere soil. (4) Study on technology of eco-agriculture of Chinese materia medica. (5) Extraction and solidification of eco-agriculture modes of Chinese materia medica. (6) Study on the theory of eco-agriculture of Chinese materia medica. Also we pointed out that GAP and eco-agriculture of Chinese material medica are both different and relative, but they are not contradictory with their own features. It is an irresistible trend to promote eco-agriculture in the GAP of Chinese material medica and coordinate ecological and economic development.

  3. Advancing practice relating to SEA alternatives

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    González, Ainhoa, E-mail: agonzal@tcd.ie; Thérivel, Riki, E-mail: levett-therivel@phonecoop.coop; Fry, John, E-mail: john.fry@ucd.ie

    Developing and assessing alternatives is a key and central stage to Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). However, research has repeatedly reported this stage as one of the most poorly undertaken aspects of the SEA process. Current practice limitations include belated consideration of reasonable alternatives, narrow scope of alternatives that often include unrealistic or retrofitted options, limited stakeholder and public involvement in their identification, assessment and selection, lack of systematic approaches to their assessment and comparison, and inadequate reporting of the ‘storyline’ on how they were identified, what the potential impacts are and why the preferred alternative was selected. These issues havemore » resulted in objections and judicial reviews. On the positive side, a number of good practice case studies enable extraction of key lessons and formulation of a set of general recommendations to advance practice in SEA alternatives. In this paper, practical guidance on the identification and development of alternatives, their assessment and comparison, selection of the preferred option, and documentation of the process and the reasons for selection is provided and discussed to frame good practice approaches. - Highlights: • Alternatives are one of the most poorly completed aspects of Strategic Environmental Assessment. • Current practice limitations need to be addressed to enhance SEA effectiveness. • A set of recommendations are extracted from good practice case studies. • These recommendations can be applied across jurisdictions and sectors and tailored as necessary.« less

  4. Is it good to make happy people?

    PubMed

    Rachels, Stuart

    1998-04-01

    Would it be good, other things being equal, for additional people to exist whose lives would be worth living? I examine and reject several arguments for the answer that it would not be good; then I offer opposing arguments that I believe are more successful. Thus, I agree with utilitarians who say that it is better for there to be more happy people. Next I argue for the stronger claim that the happiness of potential people is as important as that of adults. Potential quality of life, then, matters in a host of bioethical issues: abortion, commercial surrogacy, the treatment of defective newborns, and so on. What is the practical upshot of all this? I reject the idea that we must do whatever is necessary to prolong life worth living. But I also reject the view that the side-effects of overpopulation always outweigh the value of realizing potential happiness. So I advocate a middle position, which I do not identify precisely. Even from this middle position, however, potential happiness is more important that is commonly assumed in bioethics.

  5. Examining the practice of generalist expertise: a qualitative study identifying constraints and solutions

    PubMed Central

    Reeve, Joanne; Dowrick, Christopher F; Freeman, George K; Gunn, Jane; Mair, Frances; May, Carl; Mercer, Stewart; Palmer, Victoria; Howe, Amanda; Irving, Greg; Shiner, Alice; Watson, Jessica

    2013-01-01

    Objectives Provision of person-centred generalist care is a core component of quality primary care systems. The World Health Organisation believes that a lack of generalist primary care is contributing to inefficiency, ineffectiveness and inequity in healthcare. In UK primary care, General Practitioners (GPs) are the largest group of practising generalists. Yet GPs fulfil multiple roles and the pressures of delivering these roles along with wider contextual changes create real challenges to generalist practice. Our study aimed to explore GP perceptions of enablers and constraints for expert generalist care, in order to identify what is needed to ensure health systems are designed to support the generalist role. Design Qualitative study in General Practice. Setting UK primary care. Main outcome measures A qualitative study – interviews, surveys and focus groups with GPs and GP trainees. Data collection and analysis was informed by Normalisation Process Theory. Design and setting Qualitative study in General Practice. We conducted interviews, surveys and focus groups with GPs and GP trainees based mainly, but not exclusively, in the UK. Data collection and analysis were informed by Normalization Process Theory. Participants UK based GPs (interview and surveys); European GP trainees (focus groups). Results Our findings highlight key gaps in current training and service design which may limit development and implementation of expert generalist practice (EGP). These include the lack of a consistent and universal understanding of the distinct expertise of EGP, competing priorities inhibiting the delivery of EGP, lack of the consistent development of skills in interpretive practice and a lack of resources for monitoring EGP. Conclusions We describe four areas for change: Translating EGP, Priority setting for EGP, Trusting EGP and Identifying the impact of EGP. We outline proposals for work needed in each area to help enhance the expert generalist role. PMID:24475347

  6. Identifying best management practices to minimize P loss in a tile drained landscape

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Phosphorus losses from agriculture have been identified as a primary contributor to harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie. The objectives of this presentation will be to provide estimates of cropping systems management and other conservation practices that can be used to minimize P losses from this land...

  7. International survey for good practices in forecasting uncertainty assessment and communication

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Berthet, Lionel; Piotte, Olivier

    2014-05-01

    communication practices. Some countries are quite advanced in uncertainty communication to the general public whereas most of them restrain this communication to pre-defined stakeholders who have previously been sensitized or trained. Differents forms of communication were met during the survey, from written comments to complex graphics. No form could claim a clear leadership. This survey revealed useful to identify some difficulties in the design of the next French forecast uncertainty assessment and communication schemes.

  8. Practical implementation of good practice in health, environment and safety management in enterprise in the Lodz region.

    PubMed

    Michalak, Jacek

    2002-10-01

    Good practice in health, environment and safety management in enterprise (GP HESME) is the process that aims at continuous improvement in health, environment and safety performance, involving all stakeholders within and outside the enterprise. The GP HESME system is intended to function at different levels: international, national, local community, and enterprise. The most important issues at the first stage of GP HESME implementation in the Lodz region are described. Also, the proposals of future activities in Lodz are presented. Practical implementation of GP HESME requires close co-operation among all stakeholders: local authorities, employers, employees, research institutions, and the state inspectorate. The WHO and the Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine (NIOM) are initiating implementation, delivering professional consultation, education and training of stakeholders in the NIOM School of Public Health. The implementation of GP HESME in the Lodz region started in 1999 from a WHO meeting on criteria and indicators, followed by close collaboration of NIOM with the city's Department of Public Health. 'Directions of Actions for Health of Lodz Citizens' is now the city's official document that includes GP HESME as an important part of public health policy in Lodz. Several conferences were organized by NIOM together with the Professional Managers' Club, Labor Inspection, and the city's Department of Public Health to assess the most important needs of enterprises. The employers and managerial staff, who predominated among the participants, stated the need for tailored sets of indicators and economic appraisal of GP HESME activities. Special attention is paid to GP HESME in supermarkets and community-owned enterprises, e.g., a local transportation company. A special program for small- and medium-size enterprises will be the next step of GP HESME in the Lodz region. The implementation of GP HESME is possible if the efforts of local authorities; research

  9. Differences between Good and Poor Child Writers on fMRI Contrasts for Writing Newly Taught and Highly Practiced Letter Forms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Richards, Todd L.; Berninger, Virginia W.; Stock, Pat; Altemeier, Leah; Trivedi, Pamala; Maravilla, Kenneth R.

    2011-01-01

    During fMRI imaging, 12 good and 8 poor writers aged 11 wrote a newly taught pseudoletter and a highly practiced letter. Both letters were formed from the same components, but the pseudoletter had a novel configuration not corresponding to a written English letter form. On the first fMRI contrast between the newly taught pseudoletter and highly…

  10. Assessing the Reliability of Merging Chickering & Gamson's Seven Principles for Good Practice with Merrill's Different Levels of Instructional Strategy (DLISt7)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jabar, Syaril Izwann; Albion, Peter R.

    2016-01-01

    Based on Chickering and Gamson's (1987) Seven Principles for Good Practice, this research project attempted to revitalize the principles by merging them with Merrill's (2006) Different Levels of Instructional Strategy. The aim was to develop, validate, and standardize a measurement instrument (DLISt7) using a pretest-posttest Internet…

  11. Good Practices in Forensic Toxicology.

    PubMed

    Drummer, Olaf H

    2017-01-01

    This manuscript provides an overview for analysts, medical and scientific investigators, and laboratory administrators, the range of factors that should be considered to implement best practice forensic toxicology. These include laboratory influence over the collection of specimens, their proper transport and chain-of-custody before arrival in the laboratory. In addition, the laboratory needs to ensure properly trained staff use suitably validated and documented analytical procedures that meet the intended purpose and type of case in an accredited or suitably quality oriented management system. To assist the investigating officers laboratory results require an interpretation over their possible significance when sufficient details are available over the circumstances of the case. This requires a thorough understanding of the various factors that influence concentrations of substances and ultimately their likely physiological effect. These include consideration of the route of ingestion, influence over chronicity of usage on tissue concentrations and tolerance, possible combined drug effects or likely adverse reactions and consideration of relevant genetic factors that may have influenced pharmacokinetic or pharmacodynamic response. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  12. DOE handbook: Guide to good practices for training and qualification of maintenance personnel

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    NONE

    1996-03-01

    The purpose of this Handbook is to provide contractor training organizations with information that can be used to verify the adequacy of and/or modify existing maintenance training programs, or to develop new training programs. This guide, used in conjunction with facility-specific job analyses, provides a framework for training and qualification programs for maintenance personnel at DOE reactor and nonreactor nuclear facilities. Recommendations for qualification are made in four areas: education, experience, physical attributes, and training. The functional positions of maintenance mechanic, electrician, and instrumentation and control technician are covered by this guide. Sufficient common knowledge and skills were found tomore » include the three disciplines in one guide to good practices. Contents include: qualifications; on-the-job training; trainee evaluation; continuing training; training effectiveness evaluation; and program records. Appendices are included which relate to: administrative training; industrial safety training; fundamentals training; tools and equipment training; facility systems and component knowledge training; facility systems and component skills training; and specialized skills training.« less

  13. Death knocks, professional practice, and the public good: the media experience of suicide reporting in New Zealand.

    PubMed

    Collings, Sunny C; Kemp, Christopher G

    2010-07-01

    Health, government, and media organizations around the world have responded to research demonstrating the imitative effects of suicide coverage in the news media by developing guidelines to foster responsible reporting. Implementation of these guidelines has encountered some resistance, and little is known about the media perspective on suicide coverage and its effects on guideline use. This qualitative study provides an in-depth appreciation of this perspective by investigating the experiences of journalists covering suicide in New Zealand. Fifteen newspaper, television and radio journalists were interviewed between December 2008 and March 2009 and transcripts were analyzed using a grounded hermeneutic editing approach. Five themes were identified: public responsibility, media framing of suicide, professional practice, personal experience of suicide reporting, and restricted reporting. Participants asserted the role of the media in the protection of the public good. Though this stance aligns them with the goals of health policymakers, it is derived from a set of professional mores at odds with the perceived paternalism of suicide reporting guidelines. Participants were stakeholders in the issue of suicide coverage. We conclude that policymakers must engage with the news media and acknowledge the competing imperatives that provide the context for the application of suicide reporting guidelines by individual journalists. Collaborative guideline development will be vital to effective implementation. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. High-Quality Traineeships: Identifying What Works. A National Vocational Education and Training Research and Evaluation Program Report

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Erica; Comyn, Paul; Kemmis, Roslin Brennan; Smith, Andy

    2009-01-01

    This study explores the common features of high-quality traineeships using case studies from the cleaning, child care, construction, retail, finance and insurance, and meat processing areas. The research identifies a range of policy measures that could improve both the practice and image of traineeships. A good practice guide has also been…

  15. Diabetes and Diabetic Retinopathy: Knowledge, Attitude, Practice (KAP) among Diabetic Patients in A Tertiary Eye Care Centre

    PubMed Central

    Srinivasan, Nithin Keshav; John, Deepa; Rebekah, Grace; Kujur, Evon Selina; Paul, Padma

    2017-01-01

    Introduction Diabetic retinopathy is becoming an increasingly important cause of visual impairment in India. Many diabetic patients who come to our centre have undetected, advanced diabetic retinopathy. If diabetic retinopathy had been detected earlier in these patients, irreversible visual impairment could have been prevented. Aim To document Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) patterns of diabetic patients regarding diabetes and diabetic retinopathy, to determine association between them, and to identify barriers to compliance with follow up and treatment regimes. Materials and Methods This was a hospital-based, cross-sectional study, conducted at the Department of Ophthalmology at Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India, over a six-month period from June 2013 to November 2013. Two hundred and eighty eight diabetic patients, who fulfilled the eligibility criteria, were included in the study. KAP of patients was assessed using a 45-point, verbally administered questionnaire. Patients were placed in different categories, such as, ‘good/ poor’ knowledge, ‘positive/negative’ attitude and ‘good/poor’ practice. Data were analysed using Chi-square test and binary logistic regression, as appropriate. The proportion of patients with ‘good/poor’ knowledge, ‘positive/negative’ attitude and ‘good/poor’ practice, and the association between KAP were studied. Barriers to compliance with follow up/treatment regimes were identified. Results Out of the 288 patients in the study, 42% had good knowledge about diabetes, but only 4.5% had good knowledge about retinopathy. Good knowledge about diabetes was significantly associated with positive attitude towards diabetes and good practice patterns regarding retinopathy; awareness of retinopathy was also significantly associated with good practice. A total of 61.1% of patients did not have periodic eye examination; most common barrier identified was lack of awareness about the necessity for this

  16. Using the reference framework for good measles management in practice--a case study from North Rhine-Westphalia.

    PubMed

    Schröter, Matthias; Schröder-Bäck, Peter; Brand, Helmut

    2009-12-01

    In 2005, WHO Europe reconfirmed the objective of eradicating measles and fixed a strategy plan for the years 2005 up to 2010. While a downward trend of measles infections in Germany between 2001 and 2004 could be observed, as many as 780 cases of measles were reported in 2005 and in 2006 even 2.281 cases. These high figures in 2006 were almost exclusively caused by an outbreak in the German region of North Rhine-Westphalia. This case study describes how a reference framework for good health management of measles prevention was applied for this region. As a result, various recommendations for action could be given, among them the recommendation to implement individual vaccination reminder systems for parents and bonus systems for parents. Based on these results, a comprehensive policy concept has been drawn up and has become the subject of a political agreement process in this region. Thus this case study shows a paradigm how reference frameworks for good health management can be utilised in practice.

  17. Identified Palliative Care Approach Needs with SPICT in Family Practice: A Preliminary Observational Study.

    PubMed

    Hamano, Jun; Oishi, Ai; Kizawa, Yoshiyuki

    2018-02-09

    Identifying patients who require palliative care approach is challenging for family physicians, even though several identification tools have been developed for this purpose. To explore the prevalence and characteristics of family practice patients who need palliative care approach as determined using Supportive and Palliative Care Indicators Tool (SPICT™, April 2015) in Japan. Single-center cross-sectional study. We enrolled all patients ≥65 years of age who visited the chief researcher's outpatient clinic in October 2016. We used Japanese version of SPICT (SPICT-J) to identify patients who need palliative care approach. We assessed patients' backgrounds and whether they had undergone advance care planning with their family physicians. This study included 87 patients (61 females) with a mean age of 79.0 ± 7.4 years. Eight patients (9.2%) were identified as needing palliative care approach. The mean age of patients who needed this approach was 82.3 ± 8.3 years and main underlying conditions were heart/vascular disease (37.5%), dementia/frailty (25.0%), and respiratory disease (12.5%). Only two of eight patients identified as needing palliative care approach had discussed advance care planning with their family physicians. In family practice, 9.2% of outpatients ≥65 years of age were identified as needing palliative care approach. Family physicians should carefully evaluate whether outpatients need palliative care approach.

  18. A Patient Record-Filing System for Family Practice

    PubMed Central

    Levitt, Cheryl

    1988-01-01

    The efficient storage and easy retrieval of quality records are a central concern of good family practice. Many physicians starting out in practice have difficulty choosing a practical and lasting system for storing their records. Some who have established practices are installing computers in their offices and finding that their filing systems are worn, outdated, and incompatible with computerized systems. This article describes a new filing system installed simultaneously with a new computer system in a family-practice teaching centre. The approach adopted solved all identifiable problems and is applicable in family practices of all sizes.

  19. Concept analysis of good death in long term care residents.

    PubMed

    Krishnan, Preetha

    2017-01-02

    The purpose of this concept analysis paper is to delineate the meaning of good death in long term care (LTC) settings and examine its implications for nursing. The Walker and Avant (2011) method was chosen for this analysis. An in depth literature review identifies uses of the concept and determines the defining attributes of the good death. This paper also illustrates case presentations, antecedents, consequences, empirical referents and implications for clinical practice to clarify the concept of 'good death' in this population. In LTC, death is experienced frequently and is considered the ultimate outcome for most admissions. Much of the existing research on end-of-life care has focused on community dwelling cancer patients whose death trajectory is predictable and who may remain cognitively intact until actively dying. In contrast, the LTC population is older and more likely to suffer from dementia and experience chronic illness for long periods prior to death, and they follow a less predictable death trajectory. In this century, death became the province of older people and the assurance of a good death became the responsibility of those caring for them.

  20. Public Goods and Services.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zicht, Barbara, Ed.; And Others

    1982-01-01

    This document includes an introduction to the role of government in the production of public goods and services and 3 brief teaching units. The introduction describes the nature of a mixed economy and points out why most people identify the production of goods and services with private enterprise rather than government. It develops a rationale for…

  1. Practical method to identify orbital anomaly as spacecraft breakup in the geostationary region

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hanada, Toshiya; Uetsuhara, Masahiko; Nakaniwa, Yoshitaka

    2012-07-01

    Identifying a spacecraft breakup is an essential issue to define the current orbital debris environment. This paper proposes a practical method to identify an orbital anomaly, which appears as a significant discontinuity in the observation data, as a spacecraft breakup. The proposed method is applicable to orbital anomalies in the geostationary region. Long-term orbital evolutions of breakup fragments may conclude that their orbital planes will converge into several corresponding regions in inertial space even if the breakup epoch is not specified. This empirical method combines the aforementioned conclusion with the search strategy developed at Kyushu University, which can identify origins of observed objects as fragments released from a specified spacecraft. This practical method starts with selecting a spacecraft that experienced an orbital anomaly, and formulates a hypothesis to generate fragments from the anomaly. Then, the search strategy is applied to predict the behavior of groups of fragments hypothetically generated. Outcome of this predictive analysis specifies effectively when, where and how we should conduct optical measurements using ground-based telescopes. Objects detected based on the outcome are supposed to be from the anomaly, so that we can confirm the anomaly as a spacecraft breakup to release the detected objects. This paper also demonstrates observation planning for a spacecraft anomaly in the geostationary region.

  2. The Relationship between Students' Perceptions of "Good Practices for Undergraduate Education" and the Paradigmatic Development of Disciplines in Course-Taking Behavior

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kilgo, Cindy A.; Culver, K. C.; Young, Ryan L.; Paulsen, Michael B.

    2017-01-01

    Our study uses data from the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education to interrogate the affinity disciplines hypothesis through students' perceptions of faculty use of six of Chickering and Gamson's ("AAHE Bull" 39(7):3-7, 1987) principles of good practice for undergraduate education. We created a proportional scale based on…

  3. Current good manufacturing practice regulation and investigational new drugs. Direct final rule.

    PubMed

    2006-01-17

    The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is amending its current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) regulations for human drugs, including biological products, to exempt most investigational "Phase 1" drugs from complying with the requirements in FDA's regulations. FDA will instead exercise oversight of production of these drugs under the agency's general statutory CGMP authority and investigational new drug application (IND) authority. In addition, FDA is making available simultaneously with the publication of this direct final rule, a guidance document setting forth recommendations on approaches to CGMP compliance for the exempted Phase 1 drugs. Elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, FDA is publishing a companion proposed rule, under FDA's usual procedure for notice-and-comment rulemaking, to provide a procedural framework to finalize the rule in the event the agency receives any significant adverse comments and withdraws this direct final rule. The companion proposed rule and direct final rule are substantively identical. Elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, FDA is announcing the availability of a draft guidance for industry entitled "INDs--Approaches to Complying With CGMP During Phase 1" to provide further guidance on the subject.

  4. Knowledge of Good Blood Culture Sampling Practice among Healthcare Staffs in An Emergency Department - Are We Getting It Right?

    PubMed

    Chew, K S; Mohd Hashairi, F; Jusoh, A F; Aziz, A A; Nik Hisamuddin, N A R; Siti Asma, H

    2013-08-01

    Although a vital test, blood culture is often plagued with the problem of contamination and false results, especially in a chaotic emergency department setting. The objectives of this pilot study is to find out the level of understanding among healthcare staffs in emergency department, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM) regarding good blood culture sampling practice. All healthcare staffs in emergency department, HUSM who consented to this study were given a set of selfadministered anonymous questionnaire to fill. More than half (53.1%) of the 64 participants are emergency medicine residents. Majority of them (75%) have been working in the emergency medicine, HUSM for more than 2 years. More than half of them were able to answer correctly the amount of blood volume needed for culture in adult and pediatric patients. When asked what are the factors required to improve the true yield as well as to reduce the risk of culture contamination, the four commonest answers given were observing proper aseptic technique during blood sampling, donning sterile glove, proper hand scrubbing as well as ensuring the sterility of the equipments. This study suggests that there is a lack of proper knowledge of good blood culture sampling practice among our healthcare staffs in emergency department.

  5. General business theory applied to the physician's practice.

    PubMed

    Shaw, D V

    2002-01-01

    In the pursuit of clinical excellence in today's competitive medical market place, practice managers--clinical or non-clinical--can loose sight of standard management and business principles that are key to success. Also, at times individuals are hesitant to identify a physician practice as a 'business,' preferring to see it as a social good. Still, it is a business--perhaps dealing with a product that is a social good, but still, a business. And, as such, benefits can be derived from a review of business management theory. This article provides a brief review of such theory and also illustrates how to apply this theory to the physician's practice. Key factors in building a successful business will be discussed and applied to the clinical practice, such as resource maximization, rate of return and product mix synergy. Some tools to assist the reader in analyzing their practice will also be provided, such as the RVU Analysis and the Ratio of Service Analysis.

  6. Practice Paper of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Selecting Nutrient-Dense Foods for Good Health.

    PubMed

    Hingle, Melanie D; Kandiah, Jayanthi; Maggi, Annette

    2016-09-01

    The 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans encourage selection of nutrient-dense foods for health promotion and disease prevention and management. The purpose of this Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics practice paper is to provide an update regarding the science and practice of nutrient-dense food identification and selection. Characterization of tools used to identify nutrient density of foods is provided and recommendations for how registered dietitian nutritionists and nutrition and dietetics technicians, registered, might use available profiling tools to help consumers select nutrient-dense foods is discussed. Copyright © 2016 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. "Everyone just ate good food": 'Good food' in Islamabad, Pakistan.

    PubMed

    Hasnain, Saher

    2018-08-01

    In recent years, consumption of alternatively produced foods has increased in popularity in response to the deleterious effects of rapidly globalising and industrialised food systems. Concerns over food safety in relation to these changes may result from elevated levels of risk and changing perceptions associated with food production practices. This paper explores how the middle class residents of Islamabad, Pakistan, use the concept of 'good food' to reconnect themselves with nature, changing food systems, and traditional values. The paper also demonstrates how these ideas relate to those of organic, local, and traditional food consumption as currently used in more economically developed states in the Global North. Through research based on participant observation and semi-structured interviews, this paper illustrates that besides price and convenience, purity, freshness, association with specific places, and 'Pakistani-ness' were considered as the basis for making decisions about 'good food'. The results show that while individuals are aware of and have some access to imported organic and local food, they prefer using holistic and culturally informed concepts of 'good food' instead that reconnect them with food systems. I argue that through conceptualisations of 'good food', the urban middle class in Islamabad is reducing their disconnection and dis-embeddedness from nature, the food systems, and their social identities. The paper contributes to literature on food anxieties, reconnections in food geography, and 'good food' perceptions, with a focus on Pakistan. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  8. Common meanings of good and bad sleep in a healthy population sample.

    PubMed

    Dickerson, Suzanne S; Klingman, Karen J; Jungquist, Carla R

    2016-09-01

    The study's purpose was to understand the common meanings and shared practices related to good and bad sleep from narratives of a sample of healthy participants. Interpretive phenomenology was the approach to analyze narratives of the participants' everyday experiences with sleep. Participants were interviewed and asked to describe typical good and bad nights' sleep, what contributes to their sleep experience, and the importance of sleep in their lives. Team interpretations of narratives identified common themes by consensus. Medium sized city in New York State (upper west region). A sample of 30 healthy participants were from a parent study (n=300) on testing the sleep questions from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Interpretations of good and bad sleep. Participants described similar experiences of good and bad sleep often directly related to their ability to schedule time to sleep, fall asleep, and maintain sleep. Worrying about life stresses and interruptions prevented participants from falling asleep and staying asleep. Yet, based on current life priorities (socializers, family work focused, and optimum health seekers), they had differing values related to seeking sleep opportunities and strategizing to overcome challenges. The participants' priorities reflected the context of their main concerns and stresses in life that influenced the importance given to promoting sleep opportunities. Public health messages tailored to life priorities could be developed to promote healthy sleep practices. Copyright © 2016 National Sleep Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Conducting a Discrete-Choice Experiment Study Following Recommendations for Good Research Practices: An Application for Eliciting Patient Preferences for Diabetes Treatments.

    PubMed

    Janssen, Ellen M; Hauber, A Brett; Bridges, John F P

    2018-01-01

    To consolidate and illustrate good research practices in health care to the application and reporting of a study measuring patient preferences for type 2 diabetes mellitus medications, given recent methodological advances in stated-preference methods. The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research good research practices and other recommendations were used to conduct a discrete-choice experiment. Members of a US online panel with type 2 diabetes mellitus completed a Web-enabled, self-administered survey that elicited choices between treatment pairs with six attributes at three possible levels each. A D-efficient experimental design blocked 48 choice tasks into three 16-task surveys. Preference estimates were obtained using mixed logit estimation and were used to calculate choice probabilities. A total of 552 participants (51% males) completed the survey. Avoiding 90 minutes of nausea was valued the highest (mean -10.00; 95% confidence interval [CI] -10.53 to -9.47). Participants wanted to avoid low blood glucose during the day and/or night (mean -3.87; 95% CI -4.32 to -3.42) or one pill and one injection per day (mean -7.04; 95% CI -7.63 to -6.45). Participants preferred stable blood glucose 6 d/wk (mean 4.63; 95% CI 4.15 to 5.12) and a 1% decrease in glycated hemoglobin (mean 5.74; 95% CI 5.22 to 6.25). If cost increased by $1, the probability that a treatment profile would be chosen decreased by 1%. These results are consistent with the idea that people have strong preferences for immediate consequences of medication. Despite efforts to produce recommendations, ambiguity surrounding good practices remains and various judgments need to be made when conducting stated-preference studies. To ensure transparency, these judgments should be described and justified. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Good practices and challenges in addressing poliomyelitis and measles in the European Union.

    PubMed

    Kinsman, John; Stöven, Svenja; Elgh, Fredrik; Murillo, Pilar; Sulzner, Michael

    2018-04-06

    All European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) Member States have pledged to ensure political commitment towards sustaining the region's poliomyelitis-free status and eliminating measles. However, there remain significant gaps between policy and practice in many countries. This article reports on an assessment conducted for the European Commission that aimed to support improvements in preparedness and response to poliomyelitis and measles in Europe. A documentary review was complemented by qualitative interviews with professionals working in International and EU agencies, and in at-risk or recently affected EU/EEA Member States (six each for poliomyelitis and measles). Twenty-six interviews were conducted on poliomyelitis and 24 on measles; the data were subjected to thematic analysis. Preliminary findings were then discussed at a Consensus Workshop with 22 of the interviewees and eight other experts. Generic or disease-specific plans exist in the participating countries and cross-border communications during outbreaks were generally reported as satisfactory. However, surveillance systems are of uneven quality, and clinical expertise for the two diseases is limited by a lack of experience. Serious breaches of protocol have recently been reported from companies producing poliomyelitis vaccines, and vaccine coverage rates for both diseases were also sub-optimal. A set of suggested good practices to address these and other challenges is presented. Poliomyelitis and measles should be brought fully onto the policy agendas of all EU/EEA Member States, and adequate resources provided to address them. Each country must abide by the relevant commitments that they have already made.

  11. Preparedness for physiotherapy in private practice: Novices identify key factors in an interpretive description study.

    PubMed

    Atkinson, Robyn; McElroy, Theresa

    2016-04-01

    Physiotherapists in Australia deliver services to a diverse range of clients, across many settings, however little research exists examining graduate preparedness for practice, even in the populous field of private practice. To explore novice physiotherapist perspectives on preparedness for work in private practice. The qualitative approach of interpretive description was used to guide in-depth interviews with 8 novice physiotherapists from 3 universities working in 5 private practices in Melbourne. All interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically. Four main themes influencing graduate preparedness for work in private practice were identified: 1) non-curricular experiences (e.g. sports training) 2) elective curricular: practicum experiences; 3) curricular: attainment of skills specific to private practice; and 4) the private practice setting: supportive colleagues. This combination of non-curricular, curricular, and practice setting factors offered the necessary scaffolding for the graduates to report feeling prepared for work in private practice. Non-curricular activities, radiological instruction, clinical placements, building supportive colleague relations and professional development in private practice are recommended as potential means of building preparedness in novice therapists. Findings have implications for physiotherapy students, educators and private practice clinics looking to recruit new graduates. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Eliciting, Identifying, Interpreting, and Responding to Students' Ideas: Teacher Candidates' Growth in Formative Assessment Practices

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gotwals, Amelia Wenk; Birmingham, Daniel

    2016-06-01

    With the goal of helping teacher candidates become well-started beginners, it is important that methods courses in teacher education programs focus on high-leverage practices. Using responsive teaching practices, specifically eliciting, identifying, interpreting, and responding to students' science ideas (i.e., formative assessment), can be used to support all students in learning science successfully. This study follows seven secondary science teacher candidates in a yearlong practice-based methods course. Course assignments (i.e., plans for and reflections on teaching) as well as teaching videos were analyzed using a recursive qualitative approach. In this paper, we present themes and patterns in teacher candidates' abilities to elicit, identify, interpret, and respond to students' ideas. Specifically, we found that those teacher candidates who grew in the ways in which they elicited students' ideas from fall to spring were also those who were able to adopt a more balanced reflection approach (considering both teacher and student moves). However, we found that even the teacher candidates who grew in these practices did not move toward seeing students' ideas as nuanced; rather, they saw students' ideas in a dichotomous fashion: right or wrong. We discuss implications for teacher preparation, specifically for how to promote productive reflection and tools for better understanding students' ideas.

  13. Ten principles of good interdisciplinary team work

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Interdisciplinary team work is increasingly prevalent, supported by policies and practices that bring care closer to the patient and challenge traditional professional boundaries. To date, there has been a great deal of emphasis on the processes of team work, and in some cases, outcomes. Method This study draws on two sources of knowledge to identify the attributes of a good interdisciplinary team; a published systematic review of the literature on interdisciplinary team work, and the perceptions of over 253 staff from 11 community rehabilitation and intermediate care teams in the UK. These data sources were merged using qualitative content analysis to arrive at a framework that identifies characteristics and proposes ten competencies that support effective interdisciplinary team work. Results Ten characteristics underpinning effective interdisciplinary team work were identified: positive leadership and management attributes; communication strategies and structures; personal rewards, training and development; appropriate resources and procedures; appropriate skill mix; supportive team climate; individual characteristics that support interdisciplinary team work; clarity of vision; quality and outcomes of care; and respecting and understanding roles. Conclusions We propose competency statements that an effective interdisciplinary team functioning at a high level should demonstrate. PMID:23663329

  14. Ten principles of good interdisciplinary team work.

    PubMed

    Nancarrow, Susan A; Booth, Andrew; Ariss, Steven; Smith, Tony; Enderby, Pam; Roots, Alison

    2013-05-10

    Interdisciplinary team work is increasingly prevalent, supported by policies and practices that bring care closer to the patient and challenge traditional professional boundaries. To date, there has been a great deal of emphasis on the processes of team work, and in some cases, outcomes. This study draws on two sources of knowledge to identify the attributes of a good interdisciplinary team; a published systematic review of the literature on interdisciplinary team work, and the perceptions of over 253 staff from 11 community rehabilitation and intermediate care teams in the UK. These data sources were merged using qualitative content analysis to arrive at a framework that identifies characteristics and proposes ten competencies that support effective interdisciplinary team work. Ten characteristics underpinning effective interdisciplinary team work were identified: positive leadership and management attributes; communication strategies and structures; personal rewards, training and development; appropriate resources and procedures; appropriate skill mix; supportive team climate; individual characteristics that support interdisciplinary team work; clarity of vision; quality and outcomes of care; and respecting and understanding roles. We propose competency statements that an effective interdisciplinary team functioning at a high level should demonstrate.

  15. 16 CFR 453.4 - Required purchase of funeral goods or funeral services.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Required purchase of funeral goods or funeral services. 453.4 Section 453.4 Commercial Practices FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION TRADE REGULATION RULES FUNERAL INDUSTRY PRACTICES § 453.4 Required purchase of funeral goods or funeral services. (a) Casket for cremation provisions—(1) Unfair or...

  16. Sensitivity analysis of the STICS-MACRO model to identify cropping practices reducing pesticides losses.

    PubMed

    Lammoglia, Sabine-Karen; Makowski, David; Moeys, Julien; Justes, Eric; Barriuso, Enrique; Mamy, Laure

    2017-02-15

    STICS-MACRO is a process-based model simulating the fate of pesticides in the soil-plant system as a function of agricultural practices and pedoclimatic conditions. The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of crop management practices on water and pesticide flows in contrasted environmental conditions. We used the Morris screening sensitivity analysis method to identify the most influential cropping practices. Crop residues management and tillage practices were shown to have strong effects on water percolation and pesticide leaching. In particular, the amount of organic residues added to soil was found to be the most influential input. The presence of a mulch could increase soil water content so water percolation and pesticide leaching. Conventional tillage was also found to decrease pesticide leaching, compared to no-till, which is consistent with many field observations. The effects of the soil, crop and climate conditions tested in this work were less important than those of cropping practices. STICS-MACRO allows an ex ante evaluation of cropping systems and agricultural practices, and of the related pesticides environmental impacts. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Identifying Best Practices in Pavement Design, Materials, Construction, and Maintenance in Wet-Freeze Climates Similar to Michigan

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2018-02-28

    The intent of this research is to identify best practices for pavements in wet-freeze climates. For the purposes of this report, a best practice is a procedure that has been shown by research or experience to produce improved results and that is esta...

  18. Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS)--explanation and elaboration: a report of the ISPOR Health Economic Evaluation Publication Guidelines Good Reporting Practices Task Force.

    PubMed

    Husereau, Don; Drummond, Michael; Petrou, Stavros; Carswell, Chris; Moher, David; Greenberg, Dan; Augustovski, Federico; Briggs, Andrew H; Mauskopf, Josephine; Loder, Elizabeth

    2013-01-01

    Economic evaluations of health interventions pose a particular challenge for reporting because substantial information must be conveyed to allow scrutiny of study findings. Despite a growth in published reports, existing reporting guidelines are not widely adopted. There is also a need to consolidate and update existing guidelines and promote their use in a user-friendly manner. A checklist is one way to help authors, editors, and peer reviewers use guidelines to improve reporting. The task force's overall goal was to provide recommendations to optimize the reporting of health economic evaluations. The Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) statement is an attempt to consolidate and update previous health economic evaluation guidelines into one current, useful reporting guidance. The CHEERS Elaboration and Explanation Report of the ISPOR Health Economic Evaluation Publication Guidelines Good Reporting Practices Task Force facilitates the use of the CHEERS statement by providing examples and explanations for each recommendation. The primary audiences for the CHEERS statement are researchers reporting economic evaluations and the editors and peer reviewers assessing them for publication. The need for new reporting guidance was identified by a survey of medical editors. Previously published checklists or guidance documents related to reporting economic evaluations were identified from a systematic review and subsequent survey of task force members. A list of possible items from these efforts was created. A two-round, modified Delphi Panel with representatives from academia, clinical practice, industry, and government, as well as the editorial community, was used to identify a minimum set of items important for reporting from the larger list. Out of 44 candidate items, 24 items and accompanying recommendations were developed, with some specific recommendations for single study-based and model-based economic evaluations. The final

  19. Mind the Gap. A systematic review to identify usability and safety challenges and practices during electronic health record implementation.

    PubMed

    Ratwani, Raj; Fairbanks, Terry; Savage, Erica; Adams, Katie; Wittie, Michael; Boone, Edna; Hayden, Andrew; Barnes, Janey; Hettinger, Zach; Gettinger, Andrew

    2016-11-16

    Decisions made during electronic health record (EHR) implementations profoundly affect usability and safety. This study aims to identify gaps between the current literature and key stakeholders' perceptions of usability and safety practices and the challenges encountered during the implementation of EHRs. Two approaches were used: a literature review and interviews with key stakeholders. We performed a systematic review of the literature to identify usability and safety challenges and best practices during implementation. A total of 55 articles were reviewed through searches of PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus. We used a qualitative approach to identify key stakeholders' perceptions; semi-structured interviews were conducted with a diverse set of health IT stakeholders to understand their current practices and challenges related to usability during implementation. We used a grounded theory approach: data were coded, sorted, and emerging themes were identified. Conclusions from both sources of data were compared to identify areas of misalignment. We identified six emerging themes from the literature and stakeholder interviews: cost and resources, risk assessment, governance and consensus building, customization, clinical workflow and usability testing, and training. Across these themes, there were misalignments between the literature and stakeholder perspectives, indicating major gaps. Major gaps identified from each of six emerging themes are discussed as critical areas for future research, opportunities for new stakeholder initiatives, and opportunities to better disseminate resources to improve the implementation of EHRs. Our analysis identified practices and challenges across six different emerging themes, illustrated important gaps, and results suggest critical areas for future research and dissemination to improve EHR implementation.

  20. Defining the role of University of Kentucky HealthCare in its medical market--how strategic planning creates the intersection of good public policy and good business practices.

    PubMed

    Karpf, Michael; Lofgren, Richard; Bricker, Timothy; Claypool, Joseph O; Zembrodt, Jim; Perman, Jay; Higdon, Courtney M

    2009-02-01

    In response both to national pressures to reduce costs and improve health care access and outcomes and to local pressures to become a top-20 public research university, the University of Kentucky moved toward an integrated clinical enterprise, UK HealthCare, to create a common vision, shared goals, and an effective decision-making process. The leadership formed the vision and then embarked on a comprehensive and coordinated planning process that addressed financial, clinical, academic, and operational issues. The authors describe in depth the strategic planning process and specifically the definition of UK HealthCare's role in its medical marketplace. They began a rigorous process to assess and develop goals for the clinical programs and followed the progress of these programs through meetings driven by data and attended by the organization's senior leadership. They describe their approach to working with rural and community hospitals throughout central, eastern, and southern Kentucky to support the health care infrastructure of the state. They review the early successes of their strategic approach and describe the lessons they learned. The clinical successes have led to academic gains. The experience of UK HealthCare suggests that good business practices and good public policy are synergistic.

  1. Japanese consumer preferences for milk certified with the good agricultural practice(GAP) label.

    PubMed

    Aizaki, Hideo; Nanseki, Teruaki; Zhou, Hui

    2013-01-01

    This study examined Japanese consumers' valuation of a good agricultural practice (GAP) label on packaged milk and investigated the effect of detailed GAP information on valuation. A total of 624 Japanese consumers were asked to select their most preferred milk through an online survey. The milk was assumed to have three attributes: the GAP label, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points certification, and price. The results showed that consumers' valuation of GAP was significantly positive. Although providing additional GAP information to a respondent who was aware of GAP and what it means had a positive effect on the consumers' valuation of GAP, provision of this information had no effect if the respondent knew about GAP either moderately or slightly, and had a negative effect if the respondent did not know about GAP at all. To increase broad consumer awareness and valuation of GAP, it is important to provide GAP information according to the requirements of consumers. © 2012 The Authors. Animal Science Journal © 2012 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

  2. Obtaining subjects' consent to publish identifying personal information: current practices and identifying potential issues.

    PubMed

    Yoshida, Akiko; Dowa, Yuri; Murakami, Hiromi; Kosugi, Shinji

    2013-11-25

    In studies publishing identifying personal information, obtaining consent is regarded as necessary, as it is impossible to ensure complete anonymity. However, current journal practices around specific points to consider when obtaining consent, the contents of consent forms and how consent forms are managed have not yet been fully examined. This study was conducted to identify potential issues surrounding consent to publish identifying personal information. Content analysis was carried out on instructions for authors and consent forms developed by academic journals in four fields (as classified by Journal Citation Reports): medicine general and internal, genetics and heredity, pediatrics, and psychiatry. An online questionnaire survey of editors working for journals that require the submission of consent forms was also conducted. Instructions for authors were reviewed for 491 academic journals (132 for medicine general and internal, 147 for genetics and heredity, 100 for pediatrics, and 112 for psychiatry). Approximately 40% (203: 74 for medicine general and internal, 31 for genetics and heredity, 58 for pediatrics, and 40 for psychiatry) stated that subject consent was necessary. The submission of consent forms was required by 30% (154) of the journals studied, and 10% (50) provided their own consent forms for authors to use. Two journals mentioned that the possible effects of publication on subjects should be considered. Many journal consent forms mentioned the difficulties in ensuring complete anonymity of subjects, but few addressed the study objective, the subjects' right to refuse consent and the withdrawal of consent. The main reason for requiring the submission of consent forms was to confirm that consent had been obtained. Approximately 40% of journals required subject consent to be obtained. However, differences were observed depending on the fields. Specific considerations were not always documented. There is a need to address issues around the study

  3. Obtaining subjects’ consent to publish identifying personal information: current practices and identifying potential issues

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background In studies publishing identifying personal information, obtaining consent is regarded as necessary, as it is impossible to ensure complete anonymity. However, current journal practices around specific points to consider when obtaining consent, the contents of consent forms and how consent forms are managed have not yet been fully examined. This study was conducted to identify potential issues surrounding consent to publish identifying personal information. Methods Content analysis was carried out on instructions for authors and consent forms developed by academic journals in four fields (as classified by Journal Citation Reports): medicine general and internal, genetics and heredity, pediatrics, and psychiatry. An online questionnaire survey of editors working for journals that require the submission of consent forms was also conducted. Results Instructions for authors were reviewed for 491 academic journals (132 for medicine general and internal, 147 for genetics and heredity, 100 for pediatrics, and 112 for psychiatry). Approximately 40% (203: 74 for medicine general and internal, 31 for genetics and heredity, 58 for pediatrics, and 40 for psychiatry) stated that subject consent was necessary. The submission of consent forms was required by 30% (154) of the journals studied, and 10% (50) provided their own consent forms for authors to use. Two journals mentioned that the possible effects of publication on subjects should be considered. Many journal consent forms mentioned the difficulties in ensuring complete anonymity of subjects, but few addressed the study objective, the subjects’ right to refuse consent and the withdrawal of consent. The main reason for requiring the submission of consent forms was to confirm that consent had been obtained. Conclusion Approximately 40% of journals required subject consent to be obtained. However, differences were observed depending on the fields. Specific considerations were not always documented. There is a need

  4. Protecting children and families from tobacco and tobacco-related NCDs in the Western Pacific: good practice examples from Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore.

    PubMed

    David, A M; Mercado, S P; Klein, J D; Kaundan, M s/o K; Koong, H N; Garcia, E

    2017-09-01

    Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are generally considered diseases of adulthood, but NCD risk factors like tobacco use often are taken up during childhood and adolescence, and second-hand smoke exposure affects child survival and development. At a regional meeting of the Asia Pacific Child and Family Health Alliance for Tobacco Control, members reviewed existing good practices of child-focused tobacco control approaches using health promotion strategies. These interventions were implemented nationally in Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore. Three good practice national examples were identified that focused on creating supportive tobacco-free environments and upgrading cessation skills among paediatricians. These country examples highlight strategic areas to protect children and families from the harms of tobacco, as part of NCD prevention and control. Training paediatricians in brief cessation advice has enabled them to address tobacco-using parents. Fully enforcing smoke-free public areas has led to an increase in smoke-free homes. The Tobacco Free Generation is a tobacco control 'endgame' strategy that taps into a social movement to deglamorize tobacco use and empower youth born in and after year 2000 to reject tobacco and nicotine addiction. Tobacco control is pivotal in the fight against NCDs; health promotion strategies to protect children and youth from tobacco have a critical role to play in NCD prevention and control. Frontline health workers, including primary care paediatricians, need to step up and actively advocate for full implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, including tobacco tax increases and smoke-free areas, while monitoring patients and their parents for tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure, preventing adolescent smoking uptake, and offering cessation support. A life-course approach incorporating child-focused efforts to prevent initiation of smoking and second-hand smoke exposure with measures promoting

  5. Good practices in collecting umbilical cord and placental blood.

    PubMed

    Lopes, Lauren Auer; Bernardino, Elizabeth; Crozeta, Karla; Guimarães, Paulo Ricardo Bittencourt

    2016-08-18

    to identify the factors related to the quality of umbilical cord and placental blood specimens, and define best practices for their collection in a government bank of umbilical cord and placental blood. this was a descriptive study, quantitative approach, performed at a government umbilical cord and placental blood bank, in two steps: 1) verification of the obstetric, neonatal and operational factors, using a specific tool for gathering data as non-participant observers; 2) definition of best practices by grouping non-conformities observed before, during and after blood collection. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and the following statistical software: Statistica(r) and R(r). while there was a correlation with obstetrical and neonatal factors, there was a larger correlation with operational factors, resulting in the need to adjust the professional practices of the nursing staff and obstetrical team involved in collecting this type of blood. Based on these non-conformities we defined best practices for nurses before, during and after blood collection. the best practices defined in this study are an important management tool for the work of nurses in obtaining blood specimens of high cell quality. identificar fatores relacionados à qualidade das amostras do sangue de cordão umbilical e placentário e definir boas práticas para sua coleta em um banco público de sangue de cordão umbilical e placentário. pesquisa descritiva, abordagem quantitativa, realizada em um banco público de sangue de cordão umbilical e placentário, desenvolvida em duas etapas: 1) verificação dos fatores obstétricos, neonatais e operacionais, obtidos por coleta em instrumento próprio e observação não participante; 2) definição das boas práticas, por meio do agrupamento de não-conformidades observadas antes, durante e após a coleta do sangue. Os dados foram analisados por meio da estatística descritiva, utilizando-se dos softwares Statistica(r) e R(r). houve

  6. Recognising and Validating Outcomes of Non-Accredited Learning: A Practical Approach.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Greenwood, Maggie, Ed.; Hayes, Amanda, Ed.; Turner, Cheryl, Ed.; Vorhaus, John, Ed.

    A group of adult educators in England conducted seven case studies to identify strategies for recognizing adult students' learning progress in nonaccredited programs. The case studies identified the following elements of good practice in the process of recording and validating achievement: (1) initial identification of learning objectives; (2)…

  7. Value of wireless personal digital assistants for practice: perceptions of advanced practice nurses.

    PubMed

    Garrett, Bernard; Klein, Gerri

    2008-08-01

    The aims were to explore advanced practice nurses' perceptions on wireless Personal Digital Assistant technologies, to establish the type and range of tools that would be useful to support their practice and to identify any requirements and limitations that may impact the implementation of wireless Personal Digital Assistants in practice. The wireless Personal Digital Assistant is becoming established as a hand-held computing tool for healthcare professionals. The reflections of advanced practice nurses' about the value of wireless Personal Digital Assistants and its potential to contribute to improved patient care has not been investigated. A qualitative interpretivist design was used to explore advanced practice nurses' perceptions on the value of wireless Personal Digital Assistant technologies to support their practice. The data were collected using survey questionnaires and individual and focus group interviews with nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists and information technology managers based in British Columbia, Canada. An open-coding content analysis was performed using qualitative data analysis software. Wireless Personal Digital Assistant's use supports the principles of pervasivity and is a technology rapidly being adopted by advanced practice nurses. Some nurses indicated a reluctance to integrate wireless Personal Digital Assistant technologies into their practices because of the cost and the short technological life cycle of these devices. Many of the barriers which precluded the use of wireless networks within facilities are being removed. Nurses demonstrated a complex understanding of wireless Personal Digital Assistant technologies and gave good rationales for its integration in their practice. Nurses identified improved client care as the major benefit of this technology in practice and the type and range of tools they identified included clinical reference tools such as drug and diagnostic/laboratory reference applications and wireless

  8. Practice-audit-publish: A practice reflection.

    PubMed

    Ferrari, Robert

    2016-12-01

    Practice audits are useful opportunities to improve practice efficiency and effectiveness, reduce clinical errors, demonstrate quality care to stakeholders, promote high standards of practice, lower the risk of liability, and foster practice change. However, a benefit that is usually overlooked is the possibility of publication of the results of a practice audit. Publication (research) has a number of benefits for the clinician, including skill development as a scholar, communicator, professional, and collaborator. A practice audit is beneficial to an individual physician; furthermore, publication of the audit results could be beneficial for many others such as health care providers, patients, and other stakeholders in a health care system. The problem is that practice audits often begin without a clear plan. The important steps in planning and carrying out a practice audit can be captured by thinking about how a research publication evolves. Thus, a good researcher is a good practice auditor. This paper reviews the author's experience and provides examples and directions of the process of practice-audit-publish.

  9. Practice-audit-publish: A practice reflection

    PubMed Central

    Ferrari, Robert

    2016-01-01

    Practice audits are useful opportunities to improve practice efficiency and effectiveness, reduce clinical errors, demonstrate quality care to stakeholders, promote high standards of practice, lower the risk of liability, and foster practice change. However, a benefit that is usually overlooked is the possibility of publication of the results of a practice audit. Publication (research) has a number of benefits for the clinician, including skill development as a scholar, communicator, professional, and collaborator. A practice audit is beneficial to an individual physician; furthermore, publication of the audit results could be beneficial for many others such as health care providers, patients, and other stakeholders in a health care system. The problem is that practice audits often begin without a clear plan. The important steps in planning and carrying out a practice audit can be captured by thinking about how a research publication evolves. Thus, a good researcher is a good practice auditor. This paper reviews the author’s experience and provides examples and directions of the process of practice-audit-publish. PMID:28149662

  10. Identifying opportunities to advance practice at a large academic medical center using the ASHP Ambulatory Care Self-Assessment Tool.

    PubMed

    Martirosov, Amber Lanae; Michael, Angela; McCarty, Melissa; Bacon, Opal; DiLodovico, John R; Jantz, Arin; Kostoff, Diana; MacDonald, Nancy C; Mikulandric, Nancy; Neme, Klodiana; Sulejmani, Nimisha; Summers, Bryant B

    2018-05-29

    The use of the ASHP Ambulatory Care Self-Assessment Tool to advance pharmacy practice at 8 ambulatory care clinics of a large academic medical center is described. The ASHP Ambulatory Care Self-Assessment Tool was developed to help ambulatory care pharmacists assess how their current practices align with the ASHP Practice Advancement Initiative. The Henry Ford Hospital Ambulatory Care Advisory Group (ACAG) opted to use the "Practitioner Track" sections of the tool to assess pharmacy practices within each of 8 ambulatory care clinics individually. The responses to self-assessment items were then compiled and discussed by ACAG members. The group identified best practices and ways to implement action items to advance ambulatory care practice throughout the institution. Three recommended action items were common to most clinics: (1) identify and evaluate solutions to deliver financially viable services, (2) develop technology to improve patient care, and (3) optimize the role of pharmacy technicians and support personnel. The ACAG leadership met with pharmacy administrators to discuss how action items that were both feasible and deemed likely to have a medium-to-high impact aligned with departmental goals and used this information to develop an ambulatory care strategic plan. This process informed and enabled initiatives to advance ambulatory care pharmacy practice within the system. The ASHP Ambulatory Care Self-Assessment Tool was useful in identifying opportunities for practice advancement in a large academic medical center. Copyright © 2018 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. "Latte rural": the tangible and intangible factors important in the choice of a rural practice by recent GP graduates.

    PubMed

    Laurence, Caroline O; Williamson, Victoria; Sumner, Karen E; Fleming, Jenny

    2010-01-01

    A large of amount of literature exists on the factors that influence the recruitment and retention of rural general practitioners (GPs) in Australia and other countries. The selection of a rural practice location is known to be influenced by professional, personal and family, community and economic factors. Most of this research has been undertaken on the either the baby boomer generation or their predecessors, and this is likely to have influenced the responses gained. Generation X and Y doctors are known to have a different perception regarding workload, lifestyle and the support required to practise. The aim of this study was to explore, from a Generation X perspective, factors deemed important by general practice graduates in selecting a rural practice at completion of their training. The study also aimed to identify the process general practice graduates use to identify a potential rural practice, and when they commence this process. Semi-structured interviews were held with 15 rural pathway general practice registrars in their final year of training with 2 regional training providers in South Australia. The interview topics included source of information on potential practices, their ideal rural practice and community, the process used to select a practice, and when they commenced this process. Phenomenological hermeneutic thematic analysis of interview transcripts was undertaken to identify themes and sub-themes. For an ideal rural practice, registrars wished to work in a practice with a friendly atmosphere, good business structure, support from senior GPs and in close proximity to a hospital. They also wanted reasonable on-call arrangements, the chance to develop further skills (such as anaesthetics or obstetrics) and the freedom to practise according to their interests. They also emphasised the importance of a good team and an ethical practice. In terms of community, registrars wanted a positive living place, access to amenities such as childcare, good

  12. A practical guideline for identifying research intent with projects that collect private, identifiable health information.

    PubMed

    Amdur, Robert J; Speers, Marjorie A

    2003-06-01

    Radiation oncologists frequently engage in activities that involve the collection and analysis of data from medical records. Access to health information is an ethical issue because, if not done according to appropriate guidelines, it constitutes an invasion of privacy or breach in confidentiality. To protect patients for the social harm that may result from medical record review, our society has established laws and regulations that apply to projects that require medical record review. A major branch point in the guidelines for such projects is whether private information will be collected for research or nonresearch purposes. However, a problem with discussing privacy protection in terms of a research versus nonresearch model is that it is difficult to make this distinction for many kinds of projects. The purpose of this paper is to establish a practical guideline that can be used to decide if a project that involves analysis of private, identifiable medical information should be considered research from the regulatory standpoint.

  13. Good research practices for measuring drug costs in cost-effectiveness analyses: a societal perspective: the ISPOR Drug Cost Task Force report--Part II.

    PubMed

    Garrison, Louis P; Mansley, Edward C; Abbott, Thomas A; Bresnahan, Brian W; Hay, Joel W; Smeeding, James

    2010-01-01

    Major guidelines regarding the application of cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) have recommended the common and widespread use of the "societal perspective" for purposes of consistency and comparability. The objective of this Task Force subgroup report (one of six reports from the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research [ISPOR] Task Force on Good Research Practices-Use of Drug Costs for Cost Effectiveness Analysis [Drug Cost Task Force (DCTF)]) was to review the definition of this perspective, assess its specific application in measuring drug costs, identify any limitations in theory or practice, and make recommendations regarding potential improvements. Key articles, books, and reports in the methodological literature were reviewed, summarized, and integrated into a draft review and report. This draft report was posted for review and comment by ISPOR membership. Numerous comments and suggestions were received, and the report was revised in response to them. The societal perspective can be defined by three conditions: 1) the inclusion of time costs, 2) the use of opportunity costs, and 3) the use of community preferences. In practice, very few, if any, published CEAs have met all of these conditions, though many claim to have taken a societal perspective. Branded drug costs have typically used actual acquisition cost rather than the much lower social opportunity costs that would reflect only short-run manufacturing and distribution costs. This practice is understandable, pragmatic, and useful to current decision-makers. Nevertheless, this use of CEA focuses on static rather than dynamic efficacy and overlooks the related incentives for innovation. Our key recommendation is that current CEA practice acknowledge and embrace this limitation by adopting a new standard for the reference case as one of a "limited societal" or "health systems" perspective, using acquisition drug prices while including indirect costs and community preferences. The

  14. Assessment of good manufacturing practice for small scale food industry in Malang region, East Java, Indonesia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Purwantiningrum, I.; Widyhastuty, W.; Christian, J.; Sari, N.

    2018-03-01

    Enhancing food safety in developing countries, such as Indonesia, poses more challenges, especially those of the small- and medium-scale. Various food safety systems are available and readily implemented in the food industry. However, to ensure the effectiveness of such systems, pre-requisite programs should be applied prior to the implementation of food safety system. One of the most acknowledged pre-requisite program is Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). The aim of this study is to assess the GMP compliance of some small-scale food companies in East Java. Three types of traditional food product were selected, include tempe chips, palm sugar, and instant herbal drink. A survey involving three companies for each type of traditional food was conducted. Data was obtained through observation and assessment based on tabulated criteria in GMP criteria. In essential, the result revealed the compliment level of the food companies being surveyed. There was different level of compliment between each type of the food industry, where the palm sugar industry had the lowest level of compliment compared to the other two. This difference is due to the food safety awareness, social and cultural influences, and also knowledge on food safety and hygiene practice.

  15. Specifying content and mechanisms of change in interventions to change professionals' practice: an illustration from the Good Goals study in occupational therapy.

    PubMed

    Kolehmainen, Niina; Francis, Jill J

    2012-10-18

    It is widely agreed that interventions to change professionals' practice need to be clearly specified. This involves (1) selecting and defining the intervention techniques, (2) operationalising the techniques and deciding their delivery, and (3) formulating hypotheses about the mechanisms through which the techniques are thought to result in change. Descriptions of methods to achieve these objectives are limited. This paper reports methods and illustrates outputs from a study to meet these objectives, specifically from the Good Goals study to improve occupational therapists' caseload management practice. (1) Behaviour change techniques were identified and selected from an existing matrix that maps techniques to determinants. An existing coding manual was used to define the techniques. (2) A team of occupational therapists generated context-relevant, acceptable modes of delivery for the techniques; these data were compared and contrasted with previously collected data, literature on caseload management, and the aims of the intervention. (3) Hypotheses about the mechanisms of change were formulated by drawing on the matrix and on theories of behaviour change. (1) Eight behaviour change techniques were selected: goal specified; self-monitoring; contract; graded tasks; increasing skills (problem solving, decision making, goal setting); coping skills; rehearsal of relevant skills; social processes of encouragement, support, and pressure; demonstration by others; and feedback. (2) A range of modes of delivery were generated (e.g., graded tasks' consisting of series of clinical cases and situations that become increasingly difficult). Conditions for acceptable delivery were identified (e.g., 'self-monitoring' was acceptable only if delivered at team level). The modes of delivery were specified as face-to-face training, task sheets, group tasks, DVDs, and team-based weekly meetings. (3) The eight techniques were hypothesized to target caseload management practice through

  16. 'A world of difference': a qualitative study of medical students' views on professionalism and the 'good doctor'.

    PubMed

    Cuesta-Briand, Beatriz; Auret, Kirsten; Johnson, Paula; Playford, Denese

    2014-04-12

    The importance of professional behaviour has been emphasized in medical school curricula. However, the lack of consensus on what constitutes professionalism poses a challenge to medical educators, who often resort to a negative model of assessment based on the identification of unacceptable behaviour. This paper presents results from a study exploring medical students' views on professionalism, and reports on students' constructs of the 'good' and the 'professional' doctor. Data for this qualitative study were collected through focus groups conducted with medical students from one Western Australian university over a period of four years. Students were recruited through unit coordinators and invited to participate in a focus group. De-identified socio-demographic data were obtained through a brief questionnaire. Focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed and subjected to inductive thematic analysis. A total of 49 medical students took part in 13 focus groups. Differences between students' understandings of the 'good' and 'professional' doctor were observed. Being competent, a good communicator and a good teacher were the main characteristics of the 'good' doctor. Professionalism was strongly associated with the adoption of a professional persona; following a code of practice and professional guidelines, and treating others with respect were also associated with the 'professional' doctor. Students felt more connected to the notion of the 'good' doctor, and perceived professionalism as an external and imposed construct. When both constructs were seen as acting in opposition, students tended to forgo professionalism in favour of becoming a 'good' doctor.Results suggest that the teaching of professionalism should incorporate more formal reflection on the complexities of medical practice, allowing students and educators to openly explore and articulate any perceived tensions between what is formally taught and what is being observed in clinical practice.

  17. Good Mathematics Teaching from Mexican High School Students' Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martinez-Sierra, Gustavo

    2014-01-01

    This paper reports a qualitative research that identifies the characteristics of good mathematics teaching from the perspective of Mexican high school students. For this purpose, the social representations of a good mathematics teacher and a good mathematics class were identified in a group of 67 students. In order to obtain information, a…

  18. Identifying unintended consequences of quality indicators: a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Lester, Helen E; Hannon, Kerin L; Campbell, Stephen M

    2011-12-01

    For the first 5 years of the UK primary care pay for performance scheme, the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF), quality indicators were introduced without piloting. However, in 2009, potential new indicators were piloted in a nationally representative sample of practices. This paper describes an in-depth exploration of family physician, nurse and other primary-care practice staff views of the value of piloting with a particular focus on unintended consequences of 13 potential new QOF indicators. Fifty-seven family-practice professionals were interviewed in 24 representative practices across England. Almost all interviewees emphasised the value of piloting in terms of an opportunity to identify unintended consequences of potential QOF indicators in 'real world' settings with staff who deliver day-to-day care to patients. Four particular types of unintended consequences were identified: measure fixation, tunnel vision, misinterpretation and potential gaming. 'Measure fixation,' an inappropriate attention on isolated aspects of care, appeared to be the key unintended consequence. In particular, if the palliative care indicator had been introduced without piloting, this might have incentivised poorer care in a minority of practices with potential harm to vulnerable patients. It is important to identify concerns and experiences about unintended consequences of indicators at an early stage when there is time to remove or adapt problem indicators. Since the UK government currently spends over £1 billion each year on QOF, the £150,000 spent on each piloting cohort (0.0005% of the total QOF budget) appears to be good value for money.

  19. Implementation of Good Clinical Laboratory Practice (GCLP) guidelines within the External Quality Assurance Program Oversight Laboratory (EQAPOL).

    PubMed

    Todd, Christopher A; Sanchez, Ana M; Garcia, Ambrosia; Denny, Thomas N; Sarzotti-Kelsoe, Marcella

    2014-07-01

    The EQAPOL contract was awarded to Duke University to develop and manage global proficiency testing programs for flow cytometry-, ELISpot-, and Luminex bead-based assays (cytokine analytes), as well as create a genetically diverse panel of HIV-1 viral cultures to be made available to National Institutes of Health (NIH) researchers. As a part of this contract, EQAPOL was required to operate under Good Clinical Laboratory Practices (GCLP) that are traditionally used for laboratories conducting endpoint assays for human clinical trials. EQAPOL adapted these guidelines to the management of proficiency testing programs while simultaneously incorporating aspects of ISO/IEC 17043 which are specifically designed for external proficiency management. Over the first two years of the contract, the EQAPOL Oversight Laboratories received training, developed standard operating procedures and quality management practices, implemented strict quality control procedures for equipment, reagents, and documentation, and received audits from the EQAPOL Central Quality Assurance Unit. GCLP programs, such as EQAPOL, strengthen a laboratory's ability to perform critical assays and provide quality assessments of future potential vaccines. © 2013.

  20. Exemplary Practices: Going beyond Appropriate Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sims, Sandra; Lambdin, Dolly; VanVolkinburg, Pat; Santos, B. J.; Graham, George; Gorwitz, Crystal

    2010-01-01

    NASPE recently published the newly revised Appropriate Practices documents (elementary, middle and high school), intending to clearly distinguish between teaching practices that "should" and "should not" occur in physical education classes. Good physical education teachers incorporate appropriate practices into their teaching. However, there are…

  1. 'It's a matter of patient safety': understanding challenges in everyday clinical practice for achieving good care on the surgical ward - a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Jangland, Eva; Nyberg, Berit; Yngman-Uhlin, Pia

    2017-06-01

    Surgical care plays an important role in the acute hospital's delivery of safe, high-quality patient care. Although demands for effectiveness are high in surgical wards quality of care and patient safety must also be secured. It is therefore necessary to identify the challenges and barriers linked to quality of care and patient safety with a focus on this specific setting. To explore situations and processes that support or hinder good safe patient care on the surgical ward. This qualitative study was based on a strategic sample of 10 department and ward leaders in three hospitals and six surgical wards in Sweden. Repeated reflective interviews were analysed using systematic text condensation. Four themes described the leaders' view of a complex healthcare setting that demands effectiveness and efficiency in moving patients quickly through the healthcare system. Quality of care and patient safety were often hampered factors such as a shift of care level, with critically ill patients cared for without reorganisation of nurses' competencies on the surgical ward. There is a gap between what is described in written documents and what is or can be performed in clinical practice to achieve good care and safe care on the surgical ward. A shift in levels of care on the surgical ward without reallocation of the necessary competencies at the patient's bedside show consequences for quality of care and patient safety. This means that surgical wards should consider reviewing their organisation and implementing more advanced nursing roles in direct patient care on all shifts. The ethical issues and the moral stress on nurses who lack the resources and competence to deliver good care according to professional values need to be made more explicit as a part of the patient safety agenda in the surgical ward. © 2016 Nordic College of Caring Science.

  2. A confidence building exercise in data and identifiability: Modeling cancer chemotherapy as a case study.

    PubMed

    Eisenberg, Marisa C; Jain, Harsh V

    2017-10-27

    Mathematical modeling has a long history in the field of cancer therapeutics, and there is increasing recognition that it can help uncover the mechanisms that underlie tumor response to treatment. However, making quantitative predictions with such models often requires parameter estimation from data, raising questions of parameter identifiability and estimability. Even in the case of structural (theoretical) identifiability, imperfect data and the resulting practical unidentifiability of model parameters can make it difficult to infer the desired information, and in some cases, to yield biologically correct inferences and predictions. Here, we examine parameter identifiability and estimability using a case study of two compartmental, ordinary differential equation models of cancer treatment with drugs that are cell cycle-specific (taxol) as well as non-specific (oxaliplatin). We proceed through model building, structural identifiability analysis, parameter estimation, practical identifiability analysis and its biological implications, as well as alternative data collection protocols and experimental designs that render the model identifiable. We use the differential algebra/input-output relationship approach for structural identifiability, and primarily the profile likelihood approach for practical identifiability. Despite the models being structurally identifiable, we show that without consideration of practical identifiability, incorrect cell cycle distributions can be inferred, that would result in suboptimal therapeutic choices. We illustrate the usefulness of estimating practically identifiable combinations (in addition to the more typically considered structurally identifiable combinations) in generating biologically meaningful insights. We also use simulated data to evaluate how the practical identifiability of the model would change under alternative experimental designs. These results highlight the importance of understanding the underlying mechanisms

  3. Utilization of the seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education in general chemistry by community college instructors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Panther Bishoff, Jennifer

    In recent years, higher education has undergone many changes. The advent of assessment, accountability, and a newfound focus on teaching have required faculty to examine how they are teaching. Administrators and faculty are beginning to recognize that learning is not a "one size fits all" enterprise. To this end, Chickering and Gamson developed an inventory that examined faculty utilization of the Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. The seven principles included by the authors included faculty-student interaction, cooperative learning, active learning, giving prompt feedback, emphasizing time on task, communicating high expectations, and respecting diverse talents and ways of learning. It was determined by Chickering and Gamson, as well as many other researchers, that these seven principles were hallmarks of successful undergraduate education. Community colleges are important institutions to study, as many students begin their higher education at two-year colleges. Most students are also required to take one or more science classes for their general education requirements; therefore, many students must take at least one general chemistry course. Both community colleges and chemistry are rarely studied in literature, which makes this study important. Community college general chemistry instructors were surveyed using an online version of Chickering and Gamson's Faculty Inventory for the Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. Responses were analyzed, and it was discovered that not only did instructors utilize the principles to a different extent, but there were also differences between genders as well as between the specific actions related to each principle.

  4. Identifying Reservoirs of Infection: A Conceptual and Practical Challenge

    PubMed Central

    2002-01-01

    Many infectious agents, especially those that cause emerging diseases, infect more than one host species. Managing reservoirs of multihost pathogens often plays a crucial role in effective disease control. However, reservoirs remain variously and loosely defined. We propose that reservoirs can only be understood with reference to defined target populations. Therefore, we define a reservoir as one or more epidemiologically connected populations or environments in which the pathogen can be permanently maintained and from which infection is transmitted to the defined target population. Existence of a reservoir is confirmed when infection within the target population cannot be sustained after all transmission between target and nontarget populations has been eliminated. When disease can be controlled solely by interventions within target populations, little knowledge of potentially complex reservoir infection dynamics is necessary for effective control. We discuss the practical value of different approaches that may be used to identify reservoirs in the field. PMID:12498665

  5. Bovine cysticercosis in slaughtered cattle as an indicator of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and epidemiological risk factors.

    PubMed

    Rossi, Gabriel Augusto Marques; Hoppe, Estevam Guilherme Lux; Mathias, Luis Antonio; Martins, Ana Maria Centola Vidal; Mussi, Leila Aparecida; Prata, Luiz Francisco

    2015-03-01

    This study focused on estimating the economic losses resulting from cysticercosis at beef cattle farms that supply an export slaughterhouse located in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, and to identify the epidemiological risks factors involved in the disease to ascertain if these farms adopt Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). To this, we used data recorded in 2012 by Brazil's Federal Inspection Service (SIF) on the daily occurrence of the disease, according to the farm from which the animals originated. In addition, the associated risk factors were determined based on a case-control study at 48 farms. Cysticercosis was detected in 2.26% (95% CI 2.2-2.33) of the 190,903 bovines supplied by 556 farms in the following four states: 2.92% (95% CI 2.83-3.03) in São Paulo, 1.81% (95% CI 1.71-1.93) in Minas Gerais, 0.71% (95% CI 0.6-0.82) in Goiás and 1.11% (95% CI 0.79-1.57) in Mato Grosso do Sul, with significant differences in the epidemiological indices of these states. Cysticercosis was detected at 58.45% (95% CI 54.36-62.55) of the farms of this study, representing estimated economic losses of US$312,194.52 for the farmers. Lower prevalence of this disease were found at the farms qualified for exports to the European Union, indicating a statistically significant difference from those not qualified to export to Europe. The access of cattle to non-controlled water sources, as well as sport fishing activities near the farms, was identified as risk factors. Cysticercosis causes considerable losses in Brazil's beef supply chain, with lower prevalence appearing only at farms qualified to export to the European Union. As for the access of cattle to non-controlled water sources, this is an indication that GAP are not implemented by some farms, demonstrating the violation of international agreements by the industry and the farms. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Good practices according to WHO's recommendation for normal labor and birth and women's assessment of the care received: the "birth in Brazil" national research study, 2011/2012.

    PubMed

    Baldisserotto, Marcia Leonardi; Theme Filha, Mariza Miranda; da Gama, Silvana Granado Nogueira

    2016-10-17

    The World Health Organization recommends good practices for the conduct of uncomplicated labor and birth, with the aim of improving the quality of and assessment by women of childbirth care. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between adoption of good practices according to WHO's recommendation for normal labor and birth and assessment by women of the care received. Birth in Brazil is a national hospital-based study with countrywide representation consisting of 23,894 mothers and their newborns, conducted between February 2011 and October 2012. The present study analysed a subsample of this national survey. Postpartum women classified as low risk during pregnancy who had experienced either spontaneous or induced labor were included in this study, totalling 4102 mothers. To estimate the association between assessment by women of the childbirth care received (dependent variable) and good practices according to WHO's recommendation during normal labor and birth (independent variables), a multinomial logistic regression analysis was used and crude and adjusted odds ratios calculated with their 95 % confidence intervals. The good practices associated with positive assessment of the care received by women during labor and birth included the partner's presence, privacy in the birthing place, time available to ask questions, clarity of information received, and empathic support from caregivers during labor and birth. Freedom of movement, free nutrition offered, choice of companions, nonpharmacological analgesia, skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding in the childbirth room were not associated with the assessment by women of the care received. Our findings reveal the importance to mothers of their relationship with the team of caregivers during labor and birth. Therefore, caregiver teams must be qualified within a more humanistic vision of childbirth health care.

  7. Standards of Good Practice in the Employment of Part-Time/Adjunct Faculty: A Blueprint for Raising Standards and Ensuring Financial and Professional Equity.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    American Federation of Teachers, Washington, DC.

    This publication asserts an urgent need to professionalize the manner in which part-time/adjunct college faculty are employed, compensated, and treated, both by their employers and their unions, laying out standards of good practice. Section 1, "Curbing the Exploitation of Part-Time/Adjunct Faculty in Employment," presents standards of…

  8. Dietary practices and associated factors during pregnancy in northwestern Ethiopia.

    PubMed

    Nana, Amanuel; Zema, Tona

    2018-05-25

    Pregnancy is the most crucial nutritionally demanding period of every woman's life. The high demand of nutrients to deposit energy in the form of new tissue, growth of existing maternal tissues such as breast and uterus and increased energy requirements for tissue synthesis makes pregnant women more vulnerable to malnutrition. Dietary practice is defined as an observable actions or behavior of dietary habit and can be classified as good dietary practices and poor dietary practices. The incidence of dietary inadequacies as a result of dietary habits and patterns in pregnancy is higher during pregnancy when compared to any other stage of the life cycle. Thus, this study aimed to assess dietary practices and associated factors during pregnancy in Bahir Dar town, Northwest Ethiopia. A community based cross sectional study was conducted from March 1 to April 1, 2016. A total of 616 pregnant women were participated in the study. All eligible pregnant women were identified through house-to-house visit with the help of health extension workers. Cluster sampling was used to select eligible pregnant women. The data were collected using interviewer administered questionnaire prepared in English and translated in to Amharic. Data were analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was employed to identify factors associated with dietary practices. This study has shown that 39.3% of the study participants had good dietary practices and the rest 60.7% of pregnant women reported poor dietary practices. Concerning dietary knowledge, 61.4% of the study participants had good dietary knowledge while 38.6% had poor dietary knowledge. Husband income, ownership of radio, history of disease and dietary knowledge were shown to have significant association (P < 0.05) with dietary practices. Dietary practices of pregnant women in the study area was suboptimal. Husband income, ownership of radio, history of disease

  9. The Good Behavior Game: a best practice candidate as a universal behavioral vaccine.

    PubMed

    Embry, Dennis D

    2002-12-01

    A "behavioral vaccine" provides an inoculation against morbidity or mortality, impacting physical, mental, or behavior disorders. An historical example of a behavioral vaccine is antiseptic hand washing to reduce childbed fever. In current society, issues with high levels of morbidity, such as substance abuse, delinquency, youth violence, and other behavioral disorders (multiproblems), cry out for a low-cost, widespread strategy as simple as antiseptic hand washing. Congruent research findings from longitudinal studies, twin studies, and other investigations suggest that a possibility might exist for a behavioral vaccine for multiproblem behavior. A simple behavioral strategy called the Good Behavior Game (GBG), which reinforces inhibition in a group context of elementary school, has substantial previous research to consider its use as a behavioral vaccine. The GBG is not a curriculum but rather a simple behavioral procedure from applied behavior analysis. Approximately 20 independent replications of the GBG across different grade levels, different types of students, different settings, and some with long-term follow-up show strong, consistent impact on impulsive, disruptive behaviors of children and teens as well as reductions in substance use or serious antisocial behaviors. The GBG, named as a "best practice" for the prevention of substance abuse or violent behavior by a number of federal agencies, is unique because it is the only practice implemented by individual teachers that is documented to have long-term effects. Presently, the GBG is only used in a small number of settings. However, near universal use of the GBG, in major political jurisdictions during the elementary years, could substantially reduce the incidence of substance use, antisocial behavior, and other adverse developmental or social consequences at a very modest cost, with very positive cost-effectiveness ratios.

  10. Barcode ITS2: a useful tool for identifying Trachelospermum jasminoides and a good monitor for medicine market.

    PubMed

    Yu, Ning; Wei, Yu-Long; Zhang, Xin; Zhu, Ning; Wang, Yan-Li; Zhu, Yue; Zhang, Hai-Ping; Li, Fen-Mei; Yang, Lan; Sun, Jia-Qi; Sun, Ai-Dong

    2017-07-11

    Trachelospermum jasminoides is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine. However, the use of the plant's local alternatives is frequent, causing potential clinical problems. The T. jasminoides sold in the medicine market is commonly dried and sliced, making traditional identification methods difficult. In this study, the ITS2 region was evaluated on 127 sequences representing T. jasminoides and its local alternatives according to PCR and sequencing rates, intra- and inter-specific divergences, secondary structure, and discrimination capacity. Results indicated the 100% success rates of PCR and sequencing and the obvious presence of a barcoding gap. Results of BLAST 1, nearest distance and neighbor-joining tree methods showed that barcode ITS2 could successfully identify all the texted samples. The secondary structures of the ITS2 region provided another dimensionality for species identification. Two-dimensional images were obtained for better and easier identification. Previous studies on DNA barcoding concentrated more on the same family, genus, or species. However, an ideal barcode should be variable enough to identify closely related species. Meanwhile, the barcodes should also be conservative in identifying distantly related species. This study highlights the application of barcode ITS2 in solving practical problems in the distantly related local alternatives of medical plants.

  11. Model-Based Policymaking: A Framework to Promote Ethical "Good Practice" in Mathematical Modeling for Public Health Policymaking.

    PubMed

    Boden, Lisa A; McKendrick, Iain J

    2017-01-01

    Mathematical models are increasingly relied upon as decision support tools, which estimate risks and generate recommendations to underpin public health policies. However, there are no formal agreements about what constitutes professional competencies or duties in mathematical modeling for public health. In this article, we propose a framework to evaluate whether mathematical models that assess human and animal disease risks and control strategies meet standards consistent with ethical "good practice" and are thus "fit for purpose" as evidence in support of policy. This framework is derived from principles of biomedical ethics: independence, transparency (autonomy), beneficence/non-maleficence, and justice. We identify ethical risks associated with model development and implementation and consider the extent to which scientists are accountable for the translation and communication of model results to policymakers so that the strengths and weaknesses of the scientific evidence base and any socioeconomic and ethical impacts of biased or uncertain predictions are clearly understood. We propose principles to operationalize a framework for ethically sound model development and risk communication between scientists and policymakers. These include the creation of science-policy partnerships to mutually define policy questions and communicate results; development of harmonized international standards for model development; and data stewardship and improvement of the traceability and transparency of models via a searchable archive of policy-relevant models. Finally, we suggest that bespoke ethical advisory groups, with relevant expertise and access to these resources, would be beneficial as a bridge between science and policy, advising modelers of potential ethical risks and providing overview of the translation of modeling advice into policy.

  12. Student Success: Identifying High-Impact Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Waiwaiole, Evelyn N.; Bohlig, E. Michael; Massey, Kristine J.

    2016-01-01

    This chapter discusses the work of the Center for Community College Student Engagement, highlighting institutes the Center hosts and work that comes from these meetings. Examples of interventions that evolved from the High-Impact Practices Institutes conducted by the Center are provided. The chapter concludes with a discussion about implementation…

  13. Moving Beyond Drinking to Have a Good Time: a Person-Centered Approach to Identifying Reason Typologies in Legal-Aged College Student Drinkers.

    PubMed

    Weybright, Elizabeth H; Cooper, Brittany R; Beckmeyer, Jonathon; Bumpus, Matthew F; Hill, Laura G; Agley, Jon

    2016-08-01

    Alcohol use, reasons for use, and consequences of use continue to be a major concern in college student populations. This is especially true for students of legal drinking age who may experience different reasons for and greater negative consequences of alcohol use than students under 21 years old. Although multiple studies have used person-centered approaches to understand motivations for and ultimately prevent alcohol use, few have identified multiple typologies of reasons for alcohol use. The current study used latent class analysis to identify homogeneous subtypes of reasons for alcohol use and how classification was associated with alcohol-related consequences in college students aged 21 years old and older (N = 2300) from the 2013 Indiana College Substance Use Survey. Four profiles of reasons for alcohol use emerged across males and females: social drinkers, feel good drinkers, relaxed escaping drinkers, and emotion coping drinkers. Although the likelihood of consequences differed across gender, the emotion coping drinkers were more likely to experience all negative consequences, suggesting that it was a high-risk class. In general, this pattern of risk continued with the feel good drinkers and female relaxed escaping drinkers. These results can help optimize college substance use prevention and intervention efforts to (1) identify and understand characteristics of high- and low-risk student drinkers and (2) tailor the content of interventions to those specific profiles resulting in more effective approaches to reducing alcohol use.

  14. Making abortions safe: a matter of good public health policy and practice.

    PubMed Central

    Berer, M.

    2000-01-01

    Globally, abortion mortality accounts for at least 13% of all maternal mortality. Unsafe abortion procedures, untrained abortion providers, restrictive abortion laws and high mortality and morbidity from abortion tend to occur together. Preventing mortality and morbidity from abortion in countries where these remain high is a matter of good public health policy and medical practice, and constitutes an important part of safe motherhood initiatives. This article examines the changes in policy and health service provision required to make abortions safe. It is based on a wide-ranging review of published and unpublished sources. In order to be effective, public health measures must take into account the reasons why women have abortions, the kind of abortion services required and at what stages of pregnancy, the types of abortion service providers needed, and training, cost and counselling issues. The transition from unsafe to safe abortions demands the following: changes at national policy level; abortion training for service providers and the provision of services at the appropriate primary level health service delivery points; and ensuring that women access these services instead of those of untrained providers. Public awareness that abortion services are available is a crucial element of this transition, particularly among adolescent and single women, who tend to have less access to reproductive health services generally. PMID:10859852

  15. 78 FR 64735 - Current Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-10-29

    ...The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing regulations for domestic and foreign facilities that are required to register under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the FD&C Act) to establish requirements for current good manufacturing practice in manufacturing, processing, packing, and holding of animal food. FDA also is proposing regulations to require that certain facilities establish and implement hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls for food for animals. FDA is taking this action to provide greater assurance that animal food is safe and will not cause illness or injury to animals or humans and is intended to build an animal food safety system for the future that makes modern, science and risk-based preventive controls the norm across all sectors of the animal food system.

  16. Inactivated human platelet lysate with psoralen: a new perspective for mesenchymal stromal cell production in Good Manufacturing Practice conditions.

    PubMed

    Castiglia, Sara; Mareschi, Katia; Labanca, Luciana; Lucania, Graziella; Leone, Marco; Sanavio, Fiorella; Castello, Laura; Rustichelli, Deborah; Signorino, Elena; Gunetti, Monica; Bergallo, Massimiliano; Bordiga, Anna Maria; Ferrero, Ivana; Fagioli, Franca

    2014-06-01

    Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) are ideal candidates for regenerative and immunomodulatory therapies. The use of xenogeneic protein-free Good Manufacturing Practice-compliant growth media is a prerequisite for clinical MSC isolation and expansion. Human platelet lysate (HPL) has been efficiently implemented into MSC clinical manufacturing as a substitute for fetal bovine serum (FBS). Because the use of human-derived blood materials alleviates immunologic risks but not the transmission of blood-borne viruses, the aim of our study was to test an even safer alternative than HPL to FBS: HPL subjected to pathogen inactivation by psoralen (iHPL). Bone marrow samples were plated and expanded in α-minimum essential medium with 10% of three culture supplements: HPL, iHPL and FBS, at the same time. MSC morphology, growth and immunophenotype were analyzed at each passage. Karyotype, tumorigenicity and sterility were analyzed at the third passage. Statistical analyses were performed. The MSCs cultivated in the three different culture conditions showed no significant differences in terms of fibroblast colony-forming unit number, immunophenotype or in their multipotent capacity. Conversely, the HPL/iHPL-MSCs were smaller, more numerous, had a higher proliferative potential and showed a higher Oct-3/4 and NANOG protein expression than did FBS-MSCs. Although HPL/iHPL-MSCs exhibit characteristics that may be attributable to a higher primitive stemness than FBS-MSCs, no tumorigenic mutations or karyotype modifications were observed. We demonstrated that iHPL is safer than HPL and represents a good, Good Manufacturing Practice-compliant alternative to FBS for MSC clinical production that is even more advantageous in terms of cellular growth and stemness. Copyright © 2014 International Society for Cellular Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Structural and Practical Identifiability Issues of Immuno-Epidemiological Vector-Host Models with Application to Rift Valley Fever.

    PubMed

    Tuncer, Necibe; Gulbudak, Hayriye; Cannataro, Vincent L; Martcheva, Maia

    2016-09-01

    In this article, we discuss the structural and practical identifiability of a nested immuno-epidemiological model of arbovirus diseases, where host-vector transmission rate, host recovery, and disease-induced death rates are governed by the within-host immune system. We incorporate the newest ideas and the most up-to-date features of numerical methods to fit multi-scale models to multi-scale data. For an immunological model, we use Rift Valley Fever Virus (RVFV) time-series data obtained from livestock under laboratory experiments, and for an epidemiological model we incorporate a human compartment to the nested model and use the number of human RVFV cases reported by the CDC during the 2006-2007 Kenya outbreak. We show that the immunological model is not structurally identifiable for the measurements of time-series viremia concentrations in the host. Thus, we study the non-dimensionalized and scaled versions of the immunological model and prove that both are structurally globally identifiable. After fixing estimated parameter values for the immunological model derived from the scaled model, we develop a numerical method to fit observable RVFV epidemiological data to the nested model for the remaining parameter values of the multi-scale system. For the given (CDC) data set, Monte Carlo simulations indicate that only three parameters of the epidemiological model are practically identifiable when the immune model parameters are fixed. Alternatively, we fit the multi-scale data to the multi-scale model simultaneously. Monte Carlo simulations for the simultaneous fitting suggest that the parameters of the immunological model and the parameters of the immuno-epidemiological model are practically identifiable. We suggest that analytic approaches for studying the structural identifiability of nested models are a necessity, so that identifiable parameter combinations can be derived to reparameterize the nested model to obtain an identifiable one. This is a crucial step in

  18. Identifying and Extinguishing Dysfunctional and Deadly Organizational Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mawhinney, Thomas C.

    2009-01-01

    It is possible to define an organization's culture in terms of its dominant behavioral practices and their molar consequences, from the shop floor to the executive suite (Redmon & Mason, 2001). Dysfunctional and potentially deadly practices (for the organization as a whole) can be "latent." They often go undetected until their…

  19. Practice analysis of chiropractic radiology: identifying items for part I of the clinical competency examination.

    PubMed

    Smith, Sara Dawn; Beran, Tanya N

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to describe the current scope of practice of chiropractic radiologists by identifying frequent tasks conducted as well as those conditions most often seen and those that present the greatest risk of harm to patients. A mixed-methods approach was used. An online survey was conducted with 91 diplomates listed with the American Chiropractic Board of Radiology. Participants rated the frequency of tasks they perform and conditions they see on a 5-point scale from "never" to "daily." They also rated the level of risk each condition presents to patients on a 5-point scale from "no risk" to "severe risk." Frequency and risk ratings were then presented in rank order to 22 subject matter experts at 3 focus groups. The most frequent task reported was writing radiology reports (mean [SD], 4.29 [1.58]). Ratings of the frequency of conditions seen in practice and the risk they present to patients were ranked from the highest to lowest for frequency and risk separately. The most frequent conditions seen were reportedly those with structural or joint derangement; the highest risk conditions seen are those that are systemic. Focus group members recommended that some conditions receive higher rankings and that certain conditions be recategorized for future practice analyses. This study helps to define the current scope of practice of chiropractic radiologists and identify frequent tasks and conditions. These results inform the development of a new test outline for Part I of the chiropractic radiology certification examination to ensure that examinees are tested on the most important conditions chiropractic radiologists see in practice. Copyright © 2012 National University of Health Sciences. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Current good manufacturing practices, quality control procedures, quality factors, notification requirements, and records and reports, for infant formula. Final rule.

    PubMed

    2014-06-10

    The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) is issuing a final rule that adopts, with some modifications, the interim final rule (IFR) entitled "Current Good Manufacturing Practices, Quality Control Procedures, Quality Factors, Notification Requirements, and Records and Reports, for Infant Formula'' (February 10, 2014). This final rule affirms the IFR's changes to FDA's regulations and provides additional modifications and clarifications. The final rule also responds to certain comments submitted in response to the request for comments in the IFR.

  1. 76 FR 718 - General Administrative Regulations; Good-Performance Refunds

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-01-06

    ... demonstrate good farming practices, providing, in effect, a premium discount to individual producers... Refund program will specifically encourage sound management practices as well as encouraging insured... regardless of the size of their farming operation. The amount of work required of the insurance companies...

  2. Identifying best practices for audit committees.

    PubMed

    Burke, J V; Luecke, R W; Meeting, D

    1996-06-01

    Most healthcare organizations have an audit committee of the governing board, or a finance committee, that fulfills the audit oversight function. Financial managers play a key role in shaping the content, agency, and operation of the audit committee. The findings of a recent research study conducted by Arthur Anderson & Co., SC, into the best practices of audit committees have implications for healthcare organizations.

  3. Management of intrathecal baclofen therapy for severe acquired brain injury: consensus and recommendations for good clinical practice.

    PubMed

    De Tanti, Antonio; Scarponi, Federico; Bertoni, Michele; Gasperini, Giulio; Lanzillo, Bernardo; Molteni, Franco; Posteraro, Federico; Vitale, Dino Francesco; Zanpolini, Mauro

    2017-08-01

    Although widespread in the treatment of generalised spasticity due to severe acquired brain injury, clinical use of intrathecal baclofen administered through an implanted catheter is not yet supported by full scientific evidence. The aim of the study is to provide recommendations for good clinical practice regarding intrathecal baclofen therapy. We used a modified RAND Delphi method to develop consensus-based medical guidelines, involving clinicians who use intrathecal baclofen therapy throughout Italy. The clinicians were asked 38 questions grouped in six areas (patient selection, contraindications for implant, tests prior to implant, method of implant and management of therapy, efficacy evaluation and goal setting, and management of complications). To establish consensus, 75% agreement was required in answers to every question. Consensus was reached on the second round of the Delphi process on 27/38 questions (71%), specifically those regarding identification of objectives, efficacy evaluation, and method of implant and management of therapy, whereas management of complications and contraindications for implant remained critical areas. Despite the limits of our method, a set of recommendations was drawn up for clinical practice in this sector. The study also revealed residual critical areas and indicated future lines of research necessary to reach evidence-based consensus.

  4. Clinical audit: shining a light on good practice.

    PubMed

    Grainger, Angela

    2010-07-01

    Healthcare organisations undertake quality assurance to produce safe and effective patient care systems. Statutory quality assurance requirements are met through external reviews, monitoring and inspection processes, and each NHS trust must produce a corporate annual quality account. However, this can result in approaching audits as if they are 'tick-box activities'. This article discusses how organisations can avoid this trap by applying audit results to practice.

  5. Teacher-Board Relations in Connecticut: A Summary of the Law Regarding Scope of Negotiations, Good Faith Bargaining, and Unfair Labor Practices. Preliminary Draft.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zirkel, Perry A.

    This document is a discussion draft intended to lead to the formulation of a set of guidelines by the state board of education concerning three areas of teacher negotiations: scope, good faith bargaining, and prohibited practices. It has been prepared in the form of an organized data base that focuses on summarizing the present state of the law…

  6. Modeling good research practices--overview: a report of the ISPOR-SMDM Modeling Good Research Practices Task Force-1.

    PubMed

    Caro, J Jaime; Briggs, Andrew H; Siebert, Uwe; Kuntz, Karen M

    2012-01-01

    Models-mathematical frameworks that facilitate estimation of the consequences of health care decisions-have become essential tools for health technology assessment. Evolution of the methods since the first ISPOR modeling task force reported in 2003 has led to a new task force, jointly convened with the Society for Medical Decision Making, and this series of seven papers presents the updated recommendations for best practices in conceptualizing models; implementing state-transition approaches, discrete event simulations, or dynamic transmission models; dealing with uncertainty; and validating and reporting models transparently. This overview introduces the work of the task force, provides all the recommendations, and discusses some quandaries that require further elucidation. The audience for these papers includes those who build models, stakeholders who utilize their results, and, indeed, anyone concerned with the use of models to support decision making.

  7. Identifying Student Competencies in Macro Practice: Articulating the Practice Wisdom of Field Instructors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Regehr, Cheryl; Bogo, Marion; Donovan, Kirsten; Lim, April; Anstice, Susan

    2012-01-01

    Although a growing literature examines competencies in clinical practice, competencies of students in macro social work practice have received comparatively little attention. A grounded-theory methodology was used to elicit field instructor views of student competencies in community, organization, and policy contexts. Competencies described by…

  8. Good Effective School Improvement Practices in Spain.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Murillo, F. Javier

    2002-01-01

    Presents case studies of five effective school improvement (ESI) programs developed in Spain. Identified characteristics of the Spanish education system that affect the way ESI programs are carried out and developed descriptions of the five programs and lessons learned from them. (SLD)

  9. 75 FR 80011 - Good Laboratory Practice for Nonclinical Laboratory Studies

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-12-21

    ... for research or marketing permits for products regulated by FDA, including food and color additives, animal food additives, human and animal drugs, medical devices for human use, biological products, and... requested the ability to cite compliance with the applicable good manufacturing requirements (i.e, parts 210...

  10. Data Identifiers and Citations Enable Reproducible Science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tilmes, C.

    2011-12-01

    Modern science often involves data processing with tremendous volumes of data. Keeping track of that data has been a growing challenge for data center. Researchers who access and use that data don't always reference and cite their data sources adequately for consumers of their research to follow their methodology or reproduce their analyses or experiments. Recent research has led to recommendations for good identifiers and citations that can help address this problem. This paper will describe some of the best practices in data identifiers, reference and citation. Using a simplified example scenario based on a long term remote sensing satellite mission, it will explore issues in identifying dynamic data sets and the importance of good data citations for reproducibility. It will describe the difference between granule and collection level identifiers, using UUIDs and DOIs to illustrate some recommendations for developing identifiers and assigning them during data processing. As data processors create data products, the provenance of the input products and precise steps that led to their creation are recorded and published for users of the data to see. As researchers access the data from an archive, they can use the provenance to help understand the genesis of the data, which could have effects on their usage of the data. By citing the data on publishing their research, others can retrieve the precise data used in their research and reproduce the analyses and experiments to confirm the results. Describing the experiment to a sufficient extent to reproduce the research enforces a formal approach that lends credibility to the results, and ultimately, to the policies of decision makers depending on that research.

  11. What makes a face photo a 'good likeness'?

    PubMed

    Ritchie, Kay L; Kramer, Robin S S; Burton, A Mike

    2018-01-01

    Photographs of people are commonly said to be 'good likenesses' or 'poor likenesses', and this is a concept that we readily understand. Despite this, there has been no systematic investigation of what makes an image a good likeness, or of which cognitive processes are involved in making such a judgement. In three experiments, we investigate likeness judgements for different types of images: natural images of film stars (Experiment 1), images of film stars from specific films (Experiment 2), and iconic images and face averages (Experiment 3). In all three experiments, participants rated images for likeness and completed speeded name verification tasks. We consistently show that participants are faster to identify images which they have previously rated asa good likeness compared to a poor likeness. We also consistently show that the more familiar we are with someone, the higher likeness rating we give to all images of them. A key finding is that our perception of likeness is idiosyncratic (Experiments 1 and 2), and can be tied to our specific experience of each individual (Experiment 2). We argue that likeness judgements require a comparison between the stimulus and our own representation of the person, and that this representation differs according to our prior experience with that individual. This has theoretical implications for our understanding of how we represent familiar people, and practical implications for how we go about selecting images for identity purposes such as photo-ID. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Treating reading comprehension deficits in sub-acute brain injury rehabilitation: Identifying clinical practice and management.

    PubMed

    Watter, Kerrin; Copley, Anna; Finch, Emma

    There is limited evidence for cognitive-communication reading comprehension (CCRC) interventions for adults following acquired brain injury (ABI), particularly during sub-acute rehabilitation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical practice of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) with CCRC deficits during sub-acute ABI rehabilitation and compare it to the best available evidence. An electronic survey was used to gather information from clinicians across Australia regarding clinical practice in the areas of assessment, intervention, treatment hierarchies and service delivery; survey questions were developed from an extensive review of the literature and expert clinician opinion. Survey findings were then compared with the literature in the form of a systematic review. Surveyed clinicians provided multiple interventions for CCRC rehabilitation, including impairment based (94.7%), activity based (94.7%) and reading strategy interventions (100.0%). Five strategies were used by >94% of SLPs (highlighting, identifying main points/wh- questioning, re-reading, summarising, reducing visual load). When compared with the literature, strong similarities were found for strategy-based interventions and individual service delivery, with broad similarities for functional and impairment-based interventions, and impairment based treatment hierarchies. Strong differences in assessment were identified. Strategy use reported in clinical practice (100.0% SLPs) was higher than in the literature. Further investigation into the effectiveness of specific reading strategies for people with ABI is warranted. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. An evaluation of the experiences of guide dog owners visiting Scottish veterinary practices.

    PubMed

    Fraser, M; Girling, S J

    2016-09-10

    Guide dogs and their owners will visit a veterinary practice at least twice a year. The aim of this study was to evaluate what guide dog owners thought about these visits, in order to identify areas of good practice which could be incorporated into the undergraduate curriculum. Nine guide dog owners volunteered to take part in the study and were interviewed by the primary researcher. Thematic analysis was carried out and several themes were identified: good experiences were highlighted where staff had an understanding of visual impairment and the work of a guide dog; the importance of good communication skills involving the owner in the consultation; the need for veterinary professionals to understand the bond between an owner and guide dog; how medication and information could be provided in a user-friendly format for someone affected by a visual impairment and concerns about costs and decision making for veterinary treatment. This work highlights the importance for veterinary staff to talk to, empathise with and understand the individual circumstances of their clients and identifies areas that should be included in veterinary education to better prepare students for the workplace. British Veterinary Association.

  14. Asking good clinical research questions and choosing the right study design.

    PubMed

    Bragge, P

    2010-07-01

    Clinicians and researchers seek answers to clinical research questions, primarily by accessing the results of clinical research studies. This paper moves the focus of research enquiry from getting answers to developing good clinical research questions. Using worked examples, the steps involved in refining questions drawn from various sources to create 'answerable' clinical research questions using the 'PICO' principle are described. Issues to consider in prioritising clinical research questions are also identified. Theoretical and practical considerations involved in choosing the right study design for a clinical research question are then discussed using the worked examples. These include: Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Virtue Ethics, Care Ethics, and "The Good Life of Teaching"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Silverman, Marissa

    2012-01-01

    In "The Good Life of Teaching: An Ethics of Professional Practice," Chris Higgins (2011) reminds people that "self-interest and altruism, personal freedom and social roles, and practical wisdom and personhood" have been ancient philosophical topics that remain vitally important in the practice of contemporary teaching and learning. One of the most…

  16. Regulatory affairs and biotechnology in Europe. I. Introduction into good regulatory practice.

    PubMed

    Tryzelaar, B

    1988-01-01

    The high cost and risks associated with the research and development of new drugs demand an alert as well as realistic legislative policy at both national and international levels. Registration of a new drug required before a marketing license is granted, is important for all branches of the pharmaceutical industry but is crucial for success in the innovative biotechnological sector. Innovation as such is no guarantee to be profitable. Increasing government demands have introduced uncertainty on whether new products will secure registration and have led to a disproportionate increase in the economical risks for innovative industry. Preparation and submission of an application for registration should be undertaken seriously and professionally since it has significantly more consequences than simply obtaining a marketing licence. It will influence marketing strategies and results. It is proposed--since dealing with regulatory affairs can be considered as an essential specialism--to apply a Quality Assurance approach. Activities in this context should comply with the same performance standards as developed for GMP, GLP and GCP leading to Good Regulatory Practice (GRP). By acknowledging regulatory affairs as a quality assurance means one can define a set of standard procedures within an organization to ensure that decisions are made on current and future regulations. In such a setup regulatory affairs becomes a marketing tool. This paper illustrates the complex problems found in registration activities. It underlines the necessity of introducing a GRP-approach of performance resulting in substantive evidence of regulatory efficacy.

  17. Access to Gender-Sensitive Higher Education in Eastern and Central Europe: Reflections on the CEPES Project "Good Practice in Promoting Gender Equality in Higher Education"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grunberg, Laura

    2005-01-01

    Summarizing the incomplete results of the United Nations Educational and Scientific Organization (UNESCO) program "Good Practice in Promoting Gender Equality in Higher Education," the author asks that any assessment of the progress made in the area of gender-sensitive education take regional specificities into account. The regional…

  18. Obstructive sleep apnea among commercial motor vehicle drivers: using evidence-based practice to identify risk factors.

    PubMed

    Olszewski, Kimberly; Wolf, Debra

    2013-11-01

    Commercial motor vehicle driving is a hazardous occupation, having the third highest fatality rate among common U.S. jobs. Among the estimated 14 million U.S. commercial motor vehicle drivers, the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea is reported to be 17% to 28%. Despite the identified increased prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea among commercial motor vehicle drivers, federal law does not require that they be screened for obstructive sleep apnea. This article presents an evidence-based practice change project; the authors developed, implemented, and evaluated a screening program to identify commercial motor vehicle drivers' risk for obstructive sleep apnea during commercial driver medical examinations. The results of this practice change indicated screening for obstructive sleep apnea during the commercial driver medical examination led to improved identification of obstructive sleep apnea risk among commercial motor vehicle drivers and should be a clinical standard in occupational health clinics. Copyright 2013, SLACK Incorporated.

  19. Modeling good research practices--overview: a report of the ISPOR-SMDM Modeling Good Research Practices Task Force--1.

    PubMed

    Caro, J Jaime; Briggs, Andrew H; Siebert, Uwe; Kuntz, Karen M

    2012-01-01

    Models--mathematical frameworks that facilitate estimation of the consequences of health care decisions--have become essential tools for health technology assessment. Evolution of the methods since the first ISPOR Modeling Task Force reported in 2003 has led to a new Task Force, jointly convened with the Society for Medical Decision Making, and this series of seven articles presents the updated recommendations for best practices in conceptualizing models; implementing state-transition approaches, discrete event simulations, or dynamic transmission models; and dealing with uncertainty and validating and reporting models transparently. This overview article introduces the work of the Task Force, provides all the recommendations, and discusses some quandaries that require further elucidation. The audience for these articles includes those who build models, stakeholders who utilize their results, and, indeed, anyone concerned with the use of models to support decision making. Copyright © 2012 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Identifying knowledge gaps between practice and research for implementation components of sustainable interventions to improve the working environment - A rapid review.

    PubMed

    Rasmussen, Charlotte Diana Nørregaard; Højberg, Helene; Bengtsen, Elizabeth; Jørgensen, Marie Birk

    2018-02-01

    In a recent study, we involved all relevant stakeholders to identify practice-based implementation components for successful implementation and sustainability in work environment interventions. To understand possible knowledge gaps between evidence and practice, the aim of this paper is to investigate if effectiveness studies of the 11 practice-based implementation components can be identified in existing scientific literature. PubMed/MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Web of Science were searched for relevant studies. After screening, 38 articles met the inclusion criteria. Since some of the studies describe more than one practice-based implementation concept a total of 125 quality criteria assessments were made. The overall result is that 10 of the 11 practice-based implementation components can be found in the scientific literature, but the evaluation of them is poor. From this review it is clear that there are knowledge gaps between evidence and practice with respect to the effectiveness of implementation concepts. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.