objective outcome evaluation: Topics by Science.gov

Sample records for objective outcome evaluation

Evaluating the results of stress urinary incontinence surgery with objective and subjective outcome measures.

PubMed

Diez-Itza, I; Espuña-Pons, M

2014-09-01

To assess the outcomes of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) surgery using objective and subjective measures in women with pure SUI and mixed urinary incontinence (MUI). The degree of correlation between the different outcome measures was also evaluated for both groups. A multicentre prospective cohort study of women who underwent surgery for SUI. A standardized cough stress test was used as the objective outcome measure, and specific items of the Epidemiology of Prolapse and Incontinence Questionnaire were used as the subjective outcome measure. The International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Urinary Incontinence Short Form (ICIQ-UI SF) and the Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I) questionnaires were used for global assessment. Kappa test was used to measure the degree of correlation between the outcome measures. The participants were categorized into two groups before surgery: pure SUI (n=116) and MUI (n=161). Six months after surgery, the cure rate of the SUI component was high in both groups according to the objective and subjective outcome measures. Global assessment showed lower cure rates. The degree of agreement between objective and subjective outcome measures was moderate (kappa 0.541, p<0.001) for women with pure SUI, and fair (kappa 0.377, p<0.001) for women with MUI. Correlation between the change in ICIQ-UI SF score (pre to post surgery) and the degree of satisfaction (PGI-I) was significant (p<0.01) for both the pure SUI group (0.43) and the MUI group (0.48). Both objective and subjective cure rates are high for women with pure SUI and MUI following SUI surgery in Spain. The degree of agreement between different outcome measures varies. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Treatment Outcome of Reconstruction for Isolated Posterior Cruciate Injury: Subjective and Objective Evaluations.

PubMed

Ochiai, Satoshi; Hagino, Tetsuo; Senga, Shinya; Yamashita, Takashi; Haro, Hirotaka

2018-05-23

There is no consensus regarding the treatment method and outcome of posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury. We hypothesized that although the outcome of PCL reconstruction was favorable in terms of knee stability, the outcome was unsatisfactory in terms of patient-based assessments. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the treatment outcomes of knees that underwent reconstruction for PCL injury by subjective and objective assessments, and to analyze the correlation between various assessments. Twenty-three patients who underwent PCL reconstruction were studied. All reconstructions were performed arthroscopically by the single-bundle technique using a hamstring tendon autograft. Patients were evaluated clinically before operation and 24 months after operation using the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) which is a patient-based health assessment survey, Lysholm score, tibial translation ratio, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain, and range of motion (ROM) in the knee. The correlation of these assessment methods was analyzed. For the SF-36 survey, significant improvement was observed after operation in only 3 of 7 subscales compared with before surgery. Furthermore, the scores reached the national standard scores in only 3 subscales. While the Lysholm score and tibial translation ratio were improved significantly, no significant improvement in the VAS pain score was observed. For ROM assessment, approximately 30% of the patients had flexion restriction after operation, and the degree of restriction correlated positively with the VAS score. The present results indicated that although the outcome of PCL reconstruction was favorable in terms of knee stability and motor function, the outcome was unsatisfactory in terms of patient-based assessments. Since pain associated with flexion restriction appears to be a poor prognostic factor and there is a dissociation between subjective and objective assessments, improvement of the surgical method is necessary
Outcome after Hypospadias Repair: Evaluation Using the Hypospadias Objective Penile Evaluation Score.

PubMed

Krull, Sarah; Rissmann, Anke; Krause, Hardy; Mohnike, Klaus; Roehl, Friedrich-Wilhelm; Koehn, Andrea; Hass, Hans-Juergen

2018-06-01

The Hypospadias Objective Penile Evaluation Score (HOPE-Score) is a concise and reproducible way to describe hypospadias severity. We classified boys undergoing primary hypospadias repair to determine the correlation between the HOPE-Score and the severity of hypospadias first and the outcome after surgery second. Patients who underwent primary hypospadias repair from 2005 to 2014 were identified. An independent physician assessed retrospectively the HOPE-Score, using photographies of the patients before, after primary surgery, and after all necessary surgeries. The correlation between the HOPE-Score and the severity of hypospadias, on the one hand, and the outcome after surgery, on the other hand, were analyzed. The HOPE-Score was assessed preoperatively for 79 boys, postoperatively for 66, and after all necessary surgeries for 21 patients. Mean HOPE-Score reached 30.2 ± 5.9 before surgery, 42.2 ± 6.1 after primary surgery, and 43.7 ± 3.4 after all necessary surgeries. A significant correlation between the HOPE-Score and the severity of hypospadias before surgery was observed. The boys with glanular hypospadias scored significantly higher (36.3 ± 5.4) than those with distal (29.6 ± 4.4) and proximal hypospadias (21.1 ± 3.5). Furthermore, a significant correlation between the HOPE-Score and the outcome after hypospadias repair was observed. Patients who needed no reintervention after primary hypospadias repair scored significantly higher postoperatively (45.1 ± 5.4) than those who needed a second (40.8 ± 4.2) or more than two surgeries (36.9 ± 7.4). The HOPE-Score is a good system to assess the severity of hypospadias and the cosmetic outcome after hypospadias repair. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.
Writing objectives and evaluating learning in the affective domain.

PubMed

Maier-Lorentz, M M

1999-01-01

Staff educators recognize the importance of affective competency for effective nursing practice. Inservice programs must include affective learning with objectives stated in measurable terms. Staff educators often express frustration in developing affective objectives and evaluating the learning outcome because attitudes and feelings are usually inferred from observations. This article presents affective learning objectives for a gerontological nursing inservice program and a rating scale that measures attitudes to evaluate the learning outcome.
Evaluating stakeholder participation in water management: intermediary outcomes as potential indicators for future resource management outcomes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carr, Gemma; Bloeschl, Guenter; Loucks, Daniel Pete

2013-04-01

Evaluation of participation programmes, projects and activities is essential to identify whether stakeholder involvement has been successful in achieving its aims. Aims may include an improvement in water resource management such as enhanced ecological functioning, an improvement in human wellbeing and economic conditions, or overcoming a conflict between interest groups. Evaluating against "interest-based" resource management criteria requires that a desirable outcome can be identified, agreed upon and be measured at the time of evaluation. In many water management situations where collaborative approaches are applied, multiple interests and objectives are present, or stakeholders have not yet identified their own positions and priorities. Even if a resource management objective has been identified and strategy agreed upon, resource management changes tend to emerge over longer timescales and evaluation frequently takes place before they can be recognised. Evaluating against resource management criteria may lead evaluators to conclude that a programme has failed because it has not achieved a resource management objective at the time of evaluation. This presents a critical challenge to researchers assessing the effectiveness of stakeholder participation programmes. One strategy to overcome this is to conduct "goal-free" evaluation to identify what the programme is actually achieving. An evaluation framework that includes intermediary outcomes that are both tangible achievements such as innovation, creation of new organisations, and shared information and knowledge, as well as intangible achievements such as trust and network development can be applied to more broadly assess a programme's success. Analysis of case-studies in the published literature for which a resource management outcome has been achieved shows that intermediary outcomes frequently precede resource management outcomes. They seem to emerge over shorter timescales than resource management outcomes
Antimicrobial stewardship: a review of prospective audit and feedback systems and an objective evaluation of outcomes.

PubMed

Chung, Gladys W; Wu, Jia En; Yeo, Chay Leng; Chan, Douglas; Hsu, Li Yang

2013-02-15

Antimicrobial stewardship is an emerging field currently defined by a series of strategies and interventions aimed toward improving appropriate prescription of antibiotics in humans in all healthcare settings. The ultimate goal is the preservation of current and future antibiotics against the threat of antimicrobial resistance, although improving patient safety and reducing healthcare costs are important concurrent aims. Prospective audit and feedback interventions are probably the most widely practiced of all antimicrobial stewardship strategies. Although labor-intensive, they are more easily accepted by physicians compared with formulary restriction and preauthorization strategies and have a higher potential for educational opportunities. Objective evaluation of antimicrobial stewardship is critical for determining the success of such programs. Nonetheless, there is controversy over which outcomes to measure and there is a pressing need for novel study designs that can objectively assess antimicrobial stewardship interventions despite the limitations inherent in the structure of most such programs.
A model for undergraduate physics major outcomes objectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, G. R.; Erwin, T. Dary

1989-06-01

Concern with assessment of student outcomes of undergraduate physics major programs is rapidly rising. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and many other regional and state organizations are requiring explicit outcomes assessment in the accrediting process. The first step in this assessment process for major programs is the establishment of student outcomes objectives. A model and set of physics outcomes (educational) objectives that were developed by the faculty in the Physics Department at James Madison University are presented.
Objective food environments and health outcomes.

PubMed

Minaker, Leia M; Raine, Kim D; Wild, T Cameron; Nykiforuk, Candace I J; Thompson, Mary E; Frank, Lawrence D

2013-09-01

Pathways by which food environments affect residents' diet-related outcomes are still unclear. Understanding pathways may help decision makers identify food environment strategies to promote healthy diets. To examine the hypothesis that residents' perceptions mediate the relationship between objective food environment and residents' diet quality and weight status. In the Waterloo Region, Ontario, objective food environment data were collected from 422 food stores and 912 restaurants using the Nutrition Environment Measure Survey in Stores and Restaurants, a shelf-space measure of fruits and vegetables, and the Retail Food Environment Index. Waterloo Region households (n=2223) completed a subjective food environment perception survey; household members (n=4102) self-reported weight, height, and waist circumference. A subsample (1170 individuals within 690 households) completed diet records. Food environment data were collected in 2010; respondent data were collected from 2009-2010; and data were analyzed in 2012. A series of gender-specific models were conducted to test mediation, adjusting for household income, car ownership, age, and education level. Residents' perceptions did not mediate the relationship between objective measures and diet-related outcomes; instead, results revealed the direct effect of several objectively measured factors of the food environment (notably food access and relative food affordability) on outcomes. Perceptions generally were not associated with diet-related outcomes. These results reveal that in this setting, strategies aimed at improving residents' perceptions may be less effective than those acting directly on food environments to improve food access and relative food affordability. Copyright © 2013 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Patient-reported outcome assessment and objective evaluation of chemotherapy-induced alopecia.

PubMed

Komen, Manon M C; van den Hurk, Corina J G; Nortier, Johan W R; van der Ploeg, T; Smorenburg, Carolien H; van der Hoeven, Jacobus J M

2018-04-01

Alopecia is one of the most distressing side effects of chemotherapy. Evaluating and comparing the efficacy of potential therapies to prevent chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA) has been complicated by the lack of a standardized measurement for hair loss. In this study we investigated the correlation between patient-reported outcome assessments and quantitative measurement with the hair check to assess CIA in clinical practice. Scalp cooling efficacy was evaluated by patients by World Health Organisation (WHO) of CIA, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and wig use. The Hair Check was used to determine the amount of hair (in mm 2 ) per unit of scalp skin area (in cm 2 ) (Hair Mass Index, HMI). CIA was also evaluated by doctors, nurses and hairdressers. Baseline HMI was not predictive for hair loss. HMI declined throughout all chemotherapy cycles, which was not reflected by patient-reported measures. HMI correlated with patient-reported hair quantity before the start of the therapy, but not with WHO and/or VAS during therapy. Patient's opinion correlated moderately with the opinion of doctors and nurses (ρ = 0.50-0.56 respectively), but strongly with hair dressers (ρ = 0.70). The Hair check is suitable to quantify the amount of hair loss and could complement research on refining outcome of scalp cooling, but the patient's opinion should be considered as the best method to assess hair loss in clinical practice. Trialregister.nl NTR number 3082. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Daily affective experiences predict objective sleep outcomes among adolescents.

PubMed

Tavernier, Royette; Choo, Sungsub B; Grant, Kathryn; Adam, Emma K

2016-02-01

Adolescence is a sensitive period for changes in both sleep and affect. Although past research has assessed the association between affect and sleep among adolescents, few studies have examined both trait (typical) and day-to-day changes in affect, and fewer still have specifically examined negative social evaluative emotions (e.g. embarrassment) in relation to sleep. Both between- and within-person variations in daily affect were examined in relation to four objectively-measured sleep outcomes (sleep hours; sleep latency; sleep efficiency; and length of wake bouts) among adolescents. Participants (N = 77 high-school students; 42.9% female; M = 14.37 years) wore an actiwatch and completed daily-diaries for 3 days. The results of hierarchical linear models (controlling for age, gender, race, ethnicity, parental employment status, income, puberty and caffeine) indicated that negative social evaluative emotions and high-arousal affective experiences generally predicted poor sleep outcomes, whereas low-arousal affective experiences were associated with good sleep outcomes. Specifically, at the person level, adolescents reporting higher negative social evaluative emotions had shorter average sleep hours, and those experiencing higher anxiety–nervousness had longer wake bouts. In addition, individuals experiencing more dysphoria (sad, depressed, lonely) had longer average sleep hours and shorter wake bouts, while those experiencing more calmness had shorter sleep latencies. At the within-person level, individuals had longer sleep latencies following days that they had experienced high-arousal positive affect (e.g. excitement), and had longer wake bouts following days they had experienced more negative social evaluative emotions. The results highlight the detrimental effects of negative social evaluative emotions and high-arousal affective states for adolescent sleep. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Sleep Research published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European
A Qualitative Study of US Clinical Ethics Services: Objectives and Outcomes.

PubMed

McClimans, Leah; Pressgrove, Geah; Rhea, James

2016-01-01

The quality of clinical ethics services in health care organizations is increasingly seen as an important aspect of the overall quality of care. But measuring this quality is difficult because there is a lack of clarity and consensus regarding the objectives of clinical ethics and the best outcome domains to measure. The aim of this qualitative study is to explore the views of experts about the objectives and outcomes of clinical ethics services in the US. We interviewed 19 experts in clinical ethics, focusing on the appropriate objectives and outcomes of a clinical ethics service (CES). Participants were selected using a purposive snowball sampling strategy. The development of the interview protocol was informed by the clinical ethics literature as well as by research and theories that inform clinical ethics practice. Interviews were conducted by phone, recorded, and transcribed for individual analysis. Analysis proceeded through the development of a codebook of categories using QDA Miner software. Our experts identified 12 objectives and nine outcomes. Some of these identifications were familiar (e.g., mediation and satisfaction) and some were novel (e.g., be of service and transformation). We found that experts are divided in their emphasis on the kinds of objectives that are most important. In terms of outcomes, our experts were concerned with the appropriateness of different proxy and direct measures. This study provides the perspectives of a select group of experts on the objectives and outcomes appropriate for a CES in the United States. The themes identified will be used in future research to inform a Delphi study to refine and obtain expert consensus.
Pre-Treatment Objective Diagnosis and Post-Treatment Outcome Evaluation in Patients with Vascular Pulsatile Tinnitus Using Transcanal Recording and Spectro-Temporal Analysis

PubMed Central

Choi, Inyong; Koo, Ja-Won; Lee, Kyogu

2016-01-01

Objective Although vascular pulsatile tinnitus (VPT) has been classified as “objective”, VPT is not easily recognizable or documentable in most cases. In response to this, we have developed transcanal sound recording (TSR) and spectro-temporal analysis (STA) for the objective diagnosis of VPT. By refining our initial method, we were able to apply TSR/STA to post-treatment outcome evaluation, as well as pre-treatment objective diagnosis. Methods TSR was performed on seven VPT patients and five normal controls before and after surgical or interventional treatment. VPT was recorded using an inserted microphone with the subjects placed in both upright and supine positions with 1) a neutral head position, 2) head rotated to the tinnitus side, 3) head rotated to the non-tinnitus side, and 4) a neutral position with ipsi-lesional manual cervical compression. The recorded signals were analyzed in both time and time-frequency domains by performing a short-time Fourier transformation. Results The pre-treatment ear canal signals of all VPT patients demonstrated pulse-synchronous periodic structures and acoustic characteristics that were representative of their presumptive vascular pathologies, whereas those the controls exhibited smaller peaks and weak periodicities. Compared with the pre-treatment signals, the post-treatment signals exhibited significantly reduced peak- and root mean square amplitudes upon time domain analysis. Additionally, further sub-band analysis confirmed that the pulse-synchronous signal of all subjects was not identifiable after treatment and, in particular, that the signal decrement was statistically significant at low frequencies. Moreover, the post-treatment signals of the VPT subjects revealed no significant differences when compared to those of the control group. Conclusion We reconfirmed that the TSR/STA method is an effective modality to objectify VPT. In addition, the potential role of the TSR/STA method in the objective evaluation of
Unintended outcomes evaluation approach: A plausible way to evaluate unintended outcomes of social development programmes.

PubMed

Jabeen, Sumera

2018-06-01

Social development programmes are deliberate attempts to bring about change and unintended outcomes can be considered as inherent to any such intervention. There is now a solid consensus among the international evaluation community regarding the need to consider unintended outcomes as a key aspect in any evaluative study. However, this concern often equates to nothing more than false piety. Exiting evaluation theory suffers from overlap of terminology, inadequate categorisation of unintended outcomes and lack of guidance on how to study them. To advance the knowledge of evaluation theory, methods and practice, the author has developed an evaluation approach to study unintended effects using a theory building, testing and refinement process. A comprehensive classification of unintended outcomes on the basis of knowability, value, distribution and temporality helped specify various type of unintended outcomes for programme evaluation. Corresponding to this classification, a three-step evaluation process was proposed including a) outlining programme intentions b) forecasting likely unintended effects c) mapping the anticipated and understanding unanticipated unintended outcomes. This unintended outcomes evaluation approach (UOEA) was then trialled by undertaking a multi-site and multi-method case study of a poverty alleviation programme in Pakistan and refinements were made to the approach.The case study revealed that this programme was producing a number of unintended effects, mostly negative, affecting those already disadvantaged such as the poorest, women and children. The trialling process demonstrated the effectiveness of the UOEA and suggests that this can serve as a useful guide for future evaluation practice. It also provides the discipline of evaluation with an empirically-based reference point for further theoretical developments in the study of unintended outcomes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Objective and subjective treatment evaluation of scars using optical coherence tomography, sonography, photography, and standardised questionnaires.

PubMed

Reinholz, Markus; Schwaiger, Hannah; Poetschke, Julian; Epple, Andreas; Ruzicka, Thomas; Von Braunmühl, Tanja; Gauglitz, Gerd G

2016-12-01

Currently, different types of treatments for pathological scars are available, however, to date, there is no established method of measurement to objectively assess therapeutic outcome. Treatment success is usually evaluated clinically by the physician and patient. Non-invasive imaging techniques, such as HD-OCT (high-definition optical coherence tomography), may represent a valuable diagnostic tool to objectively measure therapeutic outcome. To compare HD-OCT with ultrasound and subjective evaluation tools, such as questionnaires. In total, eight patients with pathological scars were treated in this pilot study with cryotherapy and intralesional steroid injections, and evaluated pre- and post-treatment using clinical examination, photography, sonography, and HD-OCT. The analysis of objective and subjective measuring methods was used to draw direct comparisons. HD-OCT revealed reduced epidermal and dermal thickness of the scar after four treatments with triamcinolone acetonide and cryotherapy. Based on sonography, a total reduction in scar height and reduction in scar depth was demonstrated. Both methods correlated well with the injected amount of triamcinolone acetonide. In addition, a positive correlation between well-established subjective and objective evaluation methods was found. We demonstrate that HD-OCT may be used as an objective diagnostic instrument to evaluate skin thickness under therapy for pathological scars, and serves as a valuable adjunctive device in combination with ultrasound and subjective evaluation tools. This provides additional information for the therapist concerning the quality and success of the applied treatment.
Daily Affective Experiences Predict Objective Sleep Outcomes among Adolescents

PubMed Central

Tavernier, Royette; Choo, Sungsub B; Grant, Kathryn; Adam, Emma K

2015-01-01

Summary Adolescence is a sensitive period for changes in both sleep and affect. Although past research has assessed the association between affect and sleep among adolescents, few studies have examined both trait (typical) and day-to-day changes in affect, and fewer still have specifically examined negative social evaluative emotions (NSEE; e.g., embarrassment) in relation to sleep. We examined both between- and within-person variations in daily affect in relation to four objectively-measured sleep outcomes (sleep hours, sleep latency, sleep efficiency, and length of wake bouts) among adolescents. Participants (N = 77 high school students, 42.9% female; M = 14.37 years) wore an actiwatch and completed daily diaries for 3 days. Results of hierarchical linear models (controlling for age, gender, race, ethnicity, parental employment status, income, puberty, and caffeine) indicated that NSEE and high arousal affective experiences generally predicted poor sleep outcomes, whereas low arousal affective experiences were associated with good sleep outcomes. Specifically, at the person level, adolescents reporting higher NSEE had shorter average sleep hours, and those experiencing higher anxiety-nervousness had longer wake bouts. In addition, individuals experiencing more dysphoria (sad, depressed, lonely) had longer average sleep hours and shorter wake bouts, while those experiencing more calmness had shorter sleep latencies. At the within person level, individuals had longer sleep latencies following days that they had experienced high arousal positive affect (e.g., excitement) and had longer wake bouts following days they had experienced more NSEE. Results highlight the detrimental effects of NSEE and high arousal affective states for adolescent sleep. PMID:26365539
Outcome evaluation of a 3-year senior health and wellness initiative.

PubMed

Kuczmarksi, Marie Fanelli; Cotugna, Nancy

2009-02-01

The Wilmington Senior Center developed a 3-year multidisciplinary health and wellness initiative entitled The Time of Your Life to promote healthy aging for participants attending countywide senior centers. The purpose of this paper is to describe the development and implementation of the evaluation methodology and outcomes of this senior health and wellness project that consisted of 11 programs in total. Long-term programming can present several challenges in both implementation and evaluation, but assessing outcomes is critical to documenting program value and accountability. Participant-completed surveys and post-series focus groups were utilized as the evaluation tools. Our findings indicate that the program's objectives of increasing knowledge and motivating adoption or maintenance of a healthy lifestyle were met to varying degrees, while a third objective of assessing the usefulness of resources to inform health-related decisions was unable to be evaluated due to the cross-sectional nature of the data collection. Post-series focus groups indicated that topics of most interest to seniors were money management, medications and staying mentally and physically fit. The evaluations showed that long-term programming, while challenging, can be a successful and sustainable format for senior health education.
Bimodal Benefits on Objective and Subjective Outcomes for Adult Cochlear Implant Users

PubMed Central

Heo, Ji-Hye; Lee, Won-Sang

2013-01-01

Background and Objectives Given that only a few studies have focused on the bimodal benefits on objective and subjective outcomes and emphasized the importance of individual data, the present study aimed to measure the bimodal benefits on the objective and subjective outcomes for adults with cochlear implant. Subjects and Methods Fourteen listeners with bimodal devices were tested on the localization and recognition abilities using environmental sounds, 1-talker, and 2-talker speech materials. The localization ability was measured through an 8-loudspeaker array. For the recognition measures, listeners were asked to repeat the sentences or say the environmental sounds the listeners heard. As a subjective questionnaire, three domains of Korean-version of Speech, Spatial, Qualities of Hearing scale (K-SSQ) were used to explore any relationships between objective and subjective outcomes. Results Based on the group-mean data, the bimodal hearing enhanced both localization and recognition regardless of test material. However, the inter- and intra-subject variability appeared to be large across test materials for both localization and recognition abilities. Correlation analyses revealed that the relationships were not always consistent between the objective outcomes and the subjective self-reports with bimodal devices. Conclusions Overall, this study supports significant bimodal advantages on localization and recognition measures, yet the large individual variability in bimodal benefits should be considered carefully for the clinical assessment as well as counseling. The discrepant relations between objective and subjective results suggest that the bimodal benefits in traditional localization or recognition measures might not necessarily correspond to the self-reported subjective advantages in everyday listening environments. PMID:24653909
Bimodal benefits on objective and subjective outcomes for adult cochlear implant users.

PubMed

Heo, Ji-Hye; Lee, Jae-Hee; Lee, Won-Sang

2013-09-01

Given that only a few studies have focused on the bimodal benefits on objective and subjective outcomes and emphasized the importance of individual data, the present study aimed to measure the bimodal benefits on the objective and subjective outcomes for adults with cochlear implant. Fourteen listeners with bimodal devices were tested on the localization and recognition abilities using environmental sounds, 1-talker, and 2-talker speech materials. The localization ability was measured through an 8-loudspeaker array. For the recognition measures, listeners were asked to repeat the sentences or say the environmental sounds the listeners heard. As a subjective questionnaire, three domains of Korean-version of Speech, Spatial, Qualities of Hearing scale (K-SSQ) were used to explore any relationships between objective and subjective outcomes. Based on the group-mean data, the bimodal hearing enhanced both localization and recognition regardless of test material. However, the inter- and intra-subject variability appeared to be large across test materials for both localization and recognition abilities. Correlation analyses revealed that the relationships were not always consistent between the objective outcomes and the subjective self-reports with bimodal devices. Overall, this study supports significant bimodal advantages on localization and recognition measures, yet the large individual variability in bimodal benefits should be considered carefully for the clinical assessment as well as counseling. The discrepant relations between objective and subjective results suggest that the bimodal benefits in traditional localization or recognition measures might not necessarily correspond to the self-reported subjective advantages in everyday listening environments.
Assessing Progress toward Accreditation Related Objectives: Evidence regarding the Use of Self-Efficacy as an Outcome in the Advanced Concentration Research Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holden, Gary; Barker, Kathleen; Rosenberg, Gary; Onghena, Patrick

2007-01-01

Objective: Assessing the achievement of social work educational outcomes is a requirement of the Council on Social Work Education's Educational Policy and Standards (EPAS). The Evaluation Self-Efficacy Scale (ESE) was created to assess student progress in advanced concentration courses focused on evaluation and thereby provide data regarding…
Using linked data to evaluate collisions with fixed objects in Pennsylvania : Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System (CODES) linked data demonstration project

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-10-01

This report uses police-reported motor vehicle crash data linked to Emergency Medical Services data and hospital discharge data to evaluate the relative risk of injury posed by specific roadside objects in Pennsylvania. The report focuses primarily o...

Outcomes Assessment of Computer-Assisted Behavioral Objectives for Accounting Graduates.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, John W.; Mitchem, Cheryl E.

1997-01-01

Presents behavioral objectives for accounting students and an outcomes assessment plan with five steps: (1) identification and definition of student competencies; (2) selection of valid instruments; (3) integration of assessment and instruction; (4) determination of levels of assessment; and (5) attribution of improvements to the program. (SK)
Objective Setting Materials. No. 158.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goddu, Roland

Basic concepts of management by objectives are presented for the school principal interested in turning the idea of educational innovation into the fact of educational innovation. The difference between objectives (ideas) and outcomes (events, products, achievements) is discussed, and methods for developing, writing, and evaluating objectives are…
Objective Integrated Assessment of Functional Outcomes in Reduction Mammaplasty

PubMed Central

Passaro, Ilaria; Malovini, Alberto; Faga, Angela; Toffola, Elena Dalla

2013-01-01

Background: The aim of our study was an objective integrated assessment of the functional outcomes of reduction mammaplasty. Methods: The study involved 17 women undergoing reduction mammaplasty from March 2009 to June 2011. Each patient was assessed before surgery and 2 months postoperatively with the original association of 4 subjective and objective assessment methods: a physiatric clinical examination, the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire, the Berg Balance Scale, and a static force platform analysis. Results: All of the tests proved multiple statistically significant associated outcomes demonstrating a significant improvement in the functional status following reduction mammaplasty. Surgical correction of breast hypertrophy could achieve both spinal pain relief and recovery of performance status in everyday life tasks, owing to a muscular postural functional rearrangement with a consistent antigravity muscle activity sparing. Pain reduction in turn could reduce the antalgic stiffness and improved the spinal range of motion. In our sample, the improvement of the spinal range of motion in flexion matched a similar improvement in extension. Recovery of a more favorable postural pattern with reduction of the anterior imbalance was demonstrated by the static force stabilometry. Therefore, postoperatively, all of our patients narrowed the gap between the actual body barycenter and the ideal one. The static force platform assessment also consistently confirmed the effectiveness of an accurate clinical examination of functional impairment from breast hypertrophy. Conclusions: The static force platform assessment might help the clinician to support the diagnosis of functional impairment from a breast hypertrophy with objectively based data. PMID:25289256
Influence of the wording of evaluation items on outcome-based evaluation results for large-group teaching in anatomy, biochemistry and legal medicine.

PubMed

Anders, Sven; Pyka, Katharina; Mueller, Tjark; von Streinbuechel, Nicole; Raupach, Tobias

2016-11-01

Student learning outcome is an important dimension of teaching quality in undergraduate medical education. Measuring an increase in knowledge during teaching requires repetitive objective testing which is usually not feasible. As an alternative, student learning outcome can be calculated from student self-ratings. Comparative self-assessment (CSA) gain reflects the performance difference before and after teaching, adjusted for initial knowledge. It has been shown to be a valid proxy measure of actual learning outcome derived from objective tests. However, student self-ratings are prone to a number of confounding factors. In the context of outcome-based evaluation, the wording of self-rating items is crucial to the validity of evaluation results. This randomized trial assessed whether including qualifiers in these statements impacts on student ratings and CSA gain. First-year medical students self-rated their initial (then-test) and final (post-test) knowledge for lectures in anatomy, biochemistry and legal medicine, respectively, and 659 questionnaires were retrieved. Six-point scales were used for self-ratings with 1 being the most positive option. Qualifier use did not affect then-test ratings but was associated with slightly less favorable post-test ratings. Consecutively, mean CSA gain was smaller for items containing qualifiers than for items lacking qualifiers (50.6±15.0% vs. 56.3±14.6%, p=0.079). The effect was more pronounced (Cohen's d=0.82) for items related to anatomy. In order to increase fairness of outcome-based evaluation and increase the comparability of CSA gain data across subjects, medical educators should agree on a consistent approach (qualifiers for all items or no qualifiers at all) when drafting self-rating statements for outcome-based evaluation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
Rubrics for Evaluating Open Education Resource (OER) Objects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Achieve, Inc., 2011

2011-01-01

The rubrics presented in this report represent an evaluation system for objects found within Open Education Resources. An object could include images, applets, lessons, units, assessments and more. For the purpose of this evaluation, any component that can exist as a stand-alone qualifies as an object. The rubrics in this packet can be applied…
ITEM SELECTION TECHNIQUES AND EVALUATION OF INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

COX, RICHARD C.

THE VALIDITY OF AN EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT TEST DEPENDS UPON THE CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN SPECIFIED EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES AND THE EXTENT TO WHICH THESE OBJECTIVES ARE MEASURED BY THE EVALUATION INSTRUMENT. THIS STUDY IS DESIGNED TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF STATISTICAL ITEM SELECTION ON THE STRUCTURE OF THE FINAL EVALUATION INSTRUMENT AS COMPARED WITH…
Objective and subjective assessment of tracheoesophageal prosthesis voice outcome.

PubMed

D'Alatri, Lucia; Bussu, Francesco; Scarano, Emanuele; Paludetti, Gaetano; Marchese, Maria Raffaella

2012-09-01

To investigate the relationships between objective measures and the results of subjective assessment of voice quality and speech intelligibility in patients submitted to total laryngectomy and tracheoesophageal (TE) puncture. Retrospective. Twenty patients implanted with voice prosthesis were studied. After surgery, the entire sample performed speech rehabilitation. The assessment protocol included maximum phonation time (MPT), number of syllables per deep breath, acoustic analysis of the sustained vowel /a/ and of a bisyllabic word, perceptual evaluation (pleasantness and intelligibility%), and self-assessment. The correlation between pleasantness and intelligibility% was statistically significant. Both the latter were significantly correlated with the acoustic signal type, the number of formant peaks, and the F2-F1 difference. The intelligibility% and number of formant peaks were significantly correlated with the MPT and number of syllables per deep breath. Moreover, significant correlations were found between the number of formant peaks and both intelligibility% and pleasantness. The higher the number of syllables per deep breath and the longer the MPT, significantly higher was the number of formant peaks and the intelligibility%. The study failed to show significant correlation between patient's self-assessment of voice quality and both pleasantness and communication effectiveness. The multidimensional assessment seems to be a reliable tool to evaluate the TE functional outcome. Particularly, the results showed that both pleasantness and intelligibility of TE speech are correlated to the availability of expired air and the function of the vocal tract. Copyright © 2012 The Voice Foundation. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.
Objective functional visual outcomes of cataract surgery in patients with good preoperative visual acuity

PubMed Central

Zhu, X; Ye, H; He, W; Yang, J; Dai, J; Lu, Y

2017-01-01

Purpose To explore the objective functional visual outcomes of cataract surgery in patients with good preoperative visual acuity. Methods We enrolled 130 cataract patients whose best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/40 or better preoperatively. Objective visual functions were evaluated with a KR-1W analyzer before and at 1 month after cataract surgery. Results The nuclear (N), cortical (C), and N+C groups had very high preoperative ocular and internal total high-order aberrations (HOAs), coma, and abnormal spherical aberrations. At 1 month after cataract surgery, in addition to the remarkable increase of both uncorrected visual acuity and BCVA, both ocular and internal HOAs in the three groups decreased significantly after cataract surgery (all P<0.05). Point spread function and modulation transfer functions were also improved significantly in these patients (all P<0.05). Conclusions The objective functional vision of patients with 20/40 or better preoperative BCVA improved significantly after cataract surgery. This finding shows that the arbitrary threshold of BCVA worse than 20/40 in China cannot always be used to determine who will benefit from cataract surgery. PMID:27858933
Using System Dynamics Analysis for Evaluating Neighborhood Economic Outcomes from Transportation and Land Use Decisions

EPA Science Inventory

Proposed Title: Using System Dynamics Analysis for Evaluating Neighborhood Economic Outcomes from Transportation and Land Use Decisions Topic (must choose one item from a drop-down list): Community Indicators Learning Objectives (must list 2): • What are the benefits and l...
A scoping review about conference objectives and evaluative practices: how do we get more out of them?

PubMed

Neves, Justin; Lavis, John N; Ranson, M Kent

2012-08-02

Large multi-day conferences have often been criticized as ineffective ways to improve social outcomes and to influence policy or practice. Unfortunately, many conference evaluations have also been inadequate in determining the impact of a conference on its associated social sector, with little evidence gathered or analyzed to substantiate or refute these criticisms. The aim of this scoping review is to investigate and report stakeholders' objectives for planning or participating in large multi-day conferences and how these objectives are being evaluated. We conducted a scoping review supplemented by a small number of key informant interviews. Eight bibliographic databases were systematically searched to identify papers describing conference objectives and/or evaluations. We developed a conference evaluation framework based on theoretical models and empirical findings, which structured the descriptive synthesis of the data. We identified 3,073 potential papers for review, of which 44 were included in this study. Our evaluation framework connects five key elements in planning a conference and its evaluation (number in brackets refers to number of themes identified): conference objectives (8), purpose of evaluation (7), evaluation methods (5), indicators of success (9) and theories/models (8). Further analysis of indicators of success identified three categories of indicators with differing scopes (i.e. immediate, prospective or follow-up) as well as empirical links between the purpose of evaluations and these indicators. Conference objectives and evaluations were largely correlated with the type of conference (i.e. academic, political/governmental or business) but diverse overall. While much can be done to improve the quality and usefulness of conference evaluations, there are innovative assessments that are currently being utilized by some conferences and warrant further investigation. This review provides conference evaluators and organizers a simple resource to
A scoping review about conference objectives and evaluative practices: how do we get more out of them?

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Large multi-day conferences have often been criticized as ineffective ways to improve social outcomes and to influence policy or practice. Unfortunately, many conference evaluations have also been inadequate in determining the impact of a conference on its associated social sector, with little evidence gathered or analyzed to substantiate or refute these criticisms. The aim of this scoping review is to investigate and report stakeholders’ objectives for planning or participating in large multi-day conferences and how these objectives are being evaluated. We conducted a scoping review supplemented by a small number of key informant interviews. Eight bibliographic databases were systematically searched to identify papers describing conference objectives and/or evaluations. We developed a conference evaluation framework based on theoretical models and empirical findings, which structured the descriptive synthesis of the data. We identified 3,073 potential papers for review, of which 44 were included in this study. Our evaluation framework connects five key elements in planning a conference and its evaluation (number in brackets refers to number of themes identified): conference objectives (8), purpose of evaluation (7), evaluation methods (5), indicators of success (9) and theories/models (8). Further analysis of indicators of success identified three categories of indicators with differing scopes (i.e. immediate, prospective or follow-up) as well as empirical links between the purpose of evaluations and these indicators. Conference objectives and evaluations were largely correlated with the type of conference (i.e. academic, political/governmental or business) but diverse overall. While much can be done to improve the quality and usefulness of conference evaluations, there are innovative assessments that are currently being utilized by some conferences and warrant further investigation. This review provides conference evaluators and organizers a simple resource to
Outcome Evaluation of a Community Center-Based Program for Mothers at High Psychosocial Risk

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodrigo, Maria Jose; Maiquez, Maria Luisa; Correa, Ana Delia; Martin, Juan Carlos; Rodriguez, Guacimara

2006-01-01

Objective: This study reported the outcome evaluation of the "Apoyo Personal y Familiar" (APF) program for poorly-educated mothers from multi-problem families, showing inadequate behavior with their children. APF is a community-based multi-site program delivered through weekly group meetings in municipal resource centers. Method: A total…
Isokinetic Testing in Evaluation Rehabilitation Outcome After ACL Reconstruction

PubMed Central

Cvjetkovic, Dragana Dragicevic; Bijeljac, Sinisa; Palija, Stanislav; Talic, Goran; Radulovic, Tatjana Nozica; Kosanovic, Milkica Glogovac; Manojlovic, Slavko

2015-01-01

Introduction: Numerous rehab protocols have been used in rehabilitation after ACL reconstruction. Isokinetic testing is an objective way to evaluate dynamic stability of the knee joint that estimates the quality of rehabilitation outcome after ACL reconstruction. Our investigation goal was to show importance of isokinetic testing in evaluation thigh muscle strength in patients which underwent ACL reconstruction and rehabilitation protocol. Subjects and methods: In prospective study, we evaluated 40 subjects which were divided into two groups. Experimental group consisted of 20 recreational males which underwent ACL reconstruction with hamstring tendon and rehabilitation protocol 6 months before isokinetic testing. Control group (20 subjects) consisted of healthy recreational males. In all subjects knee muscle testing was performed on a Biodex System 4 Pro isokinetic dynamo-meter et velocities of 60°/s and 180°/s. We followed average peak torque to body weight (PT/BW) and classic H/Q ratio. In statistical analysis Student’s T test was used. Results: There were statistically significant differences between groups in all evaluated parameters except of the mean value of PT/BW of the quadriceps et velocity of 60°/s (p>0.05). Conclusion: Isokinetic testing of dynamic stabilizers of the knee is need in diagnostic and treatment thigh muscle imbalance. We believe that isokinetic testing is an objective parameter for return to sport activities after ACL reconstruction. PMID:25870471
Isokinetic Testing in Evaluation Rehabilitation Outcome After ACL Reconstruction.

PubMed

Cvjetkovic, Dragana Dragicevic; Bijeljac, Sinisa; Palija, Stanislav; Talic, Goran; Radulovic, Tatjana Nozica; Kosanovic, Milkica Glogovac; Manojlovic, Slavko

2015-02-01

Numerous rehab protocols have been used in rehabilitation after ACL reconstruction. Isokinetic testing is an objective way to evaluate dynamic stability of the knee joint that estimates the quality of rehabilitation outcome after ACL reconstruction. Our investigation goal was to show importance of isokinetic testing in evaluation thigh muscle strength in patients which underwent ACL reconstruction and rehabilitation protocol. In prospective study, we evaluated 40 subjects which were divided into two groups. Experimental group consisted of 20 recreational males which underwent ACL reconstruction with hamstring tendon and rehabilitation protocol 6 months before isokinetic testing. Control group (20 subjects) consisted of healthy recreational males. In all subjects knee muscle testing was performed on a Biodex System 4 Pro isokinetic dynamo-meter et velocities of 60°/s and 180°/s. We followed average peak torque to body weight (PT/BW) and classic H/Q ratio. In statistical analysis Student's T test was used. There were statistically significant differences between groups in all evaluated parameters except of the mean value of PT/BW of the quadriceps et velocity of 60°/s (p>0.05). Isokinetic testing of dynamic stabilizers of the knee is need in diagnostic and treatment thigh muscle imbalance. We believe that isokinetic testing is an objective parameter for return to sport activities after ACL reconstruction.
Minnesota's Tech Prep Outcome Evaluation Model.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, James M.; Pucel, David; Twohig, Cathy; Semler, Steve; Kuchinke, K. Peter

1998-01-01

Describes the Minnesota Tech Prep Consortia Evaluation System, which collects outcomes data on enrollment, retention, related job placement, higher education, dropouts, and diplomas/degrees awarded. Explains outcome measures, database development, data collection and analysis methods, and remaining challenges. (SK)
Effects of alternative outcome scenarios and structured outcome evaluation on case-based ethics instruction.

PubMed

Peacock, Juandre; Harkrider, Lauren N; Bagdasarov, Zhanna; Connelly, Shane; Johnson, James F; Thiel, Chase E; Macdougall, Alexandra E; Mumford, Michael D; Devenport, Lynn D

2013-09-01

Case-based instruction has been regarded by many as a viable alternative to traditional lecture-based education and training. However, little is known about how case-based training techniques impact training effectiveness. This study examined the effects of two such techniques: (a) presentation of alternative outcome scenarios to a case, and (b) conducting a structured outcome evaluation. Consistent with the hypotheses, results indicate that presentation of alternative outcome scenarios reduced knowledge acquisition, reduced sensemaking and ethical decision-making strategy use, and reduced decision ethicality. Conducting a structured outcome evaluation had no impact on these outcomes. Results indicate that those who use case-based instruction should take care to use clear, less complex cases with only a singular outcome if they are seeking these types of outcomes.
Outcome Reporting Bias in Government-Sponsored Policy Evaluations: A Qualitative Content Analysis of 13 Studies

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

The reporting of evaluation outcomes can be a point of contention between evaluators and policy-makers when a given reform fails to fulfil its promises. Whereas evaluators are required to report outcomes in full, policy-makers have a vested interest in framing these outcomes in a positive light–especially when they previously expressed a commitment to the reform. The current evidence base is limited to a survey of policy evaluators, a study on reporting bias in education research and several studies investigating the influence of industry sponsorship on the reporting of clinical trials. The objective of this study was twofold. Firstly, it aimed to assess the risk of outcome reporting bias (ORB or ‘spin’) in pilot evaluation reports, using seven indicators developed by clinicians. Secondly, it sought to examine how the government’s commitment to a given reform may affect the level of ORB found in the corresponding evaluation report. To answer these questions, 13 evaluation reports were content-analysed, all of which found a non-significant effect of the intervention on its stated primary outcome. These reports were systematically selected from a dataset of 233 pilot and experimental evaluations spanning three policy areas and 13 years of government-commissioned research in the UK. The results show that the risk of ORB is real. Indeed, all studies reviewed here resorted to at least one of the presentational strategies associated with a risk of spin. This study also found a small, negative association between the seniority of the reform’s champion and the risk of ORB in the evaluation of that reform. The publication of protocols and the use of reporting guidelines are recommended. PMID:27690131
Matrix evaluation of science objectives

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wessen, Randii R.

1994-01-01

The most fundamental objective of all robotic planetary spacecraft is to return science data. To accomplish this, a spacecraft is fabricated and built, software is planned and coded, and a ground system is designed and implemented. However, the quantitative analysis required to determine how the collection of science data drives ground system capabilities has received very little attention. This paper defines a process by which science objectives can be quantitatively evaluated. By applying it to the Cassini Mission to Saturn, this paper further illustrates the power of this technique. The results show which science objectives drive specific ground system capabilities. In addition, this process can assist system engineers and scientists in the selection of the science payload during pre-project mission planning; ground system designers during ground system development and implementation; and operations personnel during mission operations.
Subjective vs objective evaluations of smile esthetics.

PubMed

Schabel, Brian J; Franchi, Lorenzo; Baccetti, Tiziano; McNamara, James A

2009-04-01

The aim of this study was to analyze the relationships between subjective evaluations of posttreatment smiles captured with clinical photography and rated by a panel of orthodontists and parents of orthodontic patients, and objective evaluations of the same smiles from the Smile Mesh program (TDG Computing, Philadelphia, Pa). The clinical photographs of 48 orthodontically treated patients were rated by a panel of 25 experienced orthodontists and 20 parents of patients. Independent samples t tests were used to test whether objective measurements were significantly different between subjects with "attractive" and "unattractive" smiles, and those with the "most attractive" and "least attractive" smiles. Additionally, logistic regression was performed to evaluate whether the measurements could predict whether a smile captured with clinical photography would be attractive or unattractive. The comparison between groups showed no significant differences for any measurement. Subjects with the "most unattractive" smiles had a significantly greater distance between the incisal edge of the maxillary central incisors and the lower lip during smiling, and a significantly smaller smile index than did those with the "most attractive" smiles. As shown by the coefficients of logistic regression, smile attractiveness could not be predicted by any objectively gathered measurement. No objective measure of the smile could predict attractive or unattractive smiles as judged subjectively.
Use of Objective Metrics in Dynamic Facial Reanimation: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Revenaugh, Peter C; Smith, Ryan M; Plitt, Max A; Ishii, Lisa; Boahene, Kofi; Byrne, Patrick J

2018-06-21

Facial nerve deficits cause significant functional and social consequences for those affected. Existing techniques for dynamic restoration of facial nerve function are imperfect and result in a wide variety of outcomes. Currently, there is no standard objective instrument for facial movement as it relates to restorative techniques. To determine what objective instruments of midface movement are used in outcome measurements for patients treated with dynamic methods for facial paralysis. Database searches from January 1970 to June 2017 were performed in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Scopus. Only English-language articles on studies performed in humans were considered. The search terms used were ("Surgical Flaps"[Mesh] OR "Nerve Transfer"[Mesh] OR "nerve graft" OR "nerve grafts") AND (face [mh] OR facial paralysis [mh]) AND (innervation [sh]) OR ("Face"[Mesh] OR facial paralysis [mh]) AND (reanimation [tiab]). Two independent reviewers evaluated the titles and abstracts of all articles and included those that reported objective outcomes of a surgical technique in at least 2 patients. The presence or absence of an objective instrument for evaluating outcomes of midface reanimation. Additional outcome measures were reproducibility of the test, reporting of symmetry, measurement of multiple variables, and test validity. Of 241 articles describing dynamic facial reanimation techniques, 49 (20.3%) reported objective outcome measures for 1898 patients. Of those articles reporting objective measures, there were 29 different instruments, only 3 of which reported all outcome measures. Although instruments are available to objectively measure facial movement after reanimation techniques, most studies do not report objective outcomes. Of objective facial reanimation instruments, few are reproducible and able to measure symmetry and multiple data points. To accurately compare objective outcomes in facial reanimation, a reproducible, objective, and

Elevated Outcome-Anticipation and Outcome-Evaluation ERPs Associated with a Greater Preference for Larger-But-Delayed Rewards

PubMed Central

Pornpattananangkul, Narun; Nadig, Ajay; Heidinger, Storm; Walden, Keegan; Nusslock, Robin

2017-01-01

Although waiting for a reward reduces or discounts its value, some people have a stronger tendency to wait for larger rewards and forgo smaller-but-immediate rewards. This ability to delay gratification is captured by individual differences in so-called inter-temporal choices in which individuals are asked to choose between larger-but-delayed versus smaller-but-immediate rewards. The current study used event-related potentials (ERPs) to examine whether enhancement in two neuro-cognitive processes, outcome-anticipation and outcome-evaluation, modulate individual variability in inter-temporal responses. After completing a behavioral inter-temporal choice task, 34 participants performed an ERP gambling task. From this ERP task, we separately examined individual differences in outcome-anticipation (Stimulus-Preceding Negativity, SPN), early outcome-evaluation (Feedback-Related Negativity; FRN) and late outcome-evaluation (P3). We observed that both elevated outcome-anticipation (SPN) and late outcome-evaluation (P3) neural processes predicted a stronger preference toward larger-but-delayed rewards. No relationship was observed between inter-temporal responses and early outcome-evaluation (FRN), indicating that the relationship between outcome-evaluation and inter-temporal responses was specific to the late outcome-evaluation processing stream. Moreover, multiple regression analyses indicated that the SPN and P3 independently modulate individual differences in inter-temporal responses, suggesting separate mechanisms underlie the relationship between these two neuro-cognitive processes and inter-temporal responses. Accordingly, we identify two potential neural-cognitive modulators of individual variability in inter-temporal responses. We discuss the mechanisms underlying these modulators in terms of anticipation-related processing (SPN) and a saliency-bias toward gain (compared to loss) outcomes (P3). PMID:28224457
An objective long-term evaluation of Integra (a dermal skin substitute) and split thickness skin grafts, in acute burns and reconstructive surgery.

PubMed

Nguyen, Dai Q A; Potokar, Tom S; Price, Patricia

2010-02-01

The field of wound healing and tissue repair has advanced rapidly in the last decade, with this there is an increasing emphasis on the importance of the functional and cosmetic outcomes following injury. Integra artificial skin is the most widely used synthetic skin substitute and is reported to have better outcomes in relation to the appearance and elasticity when compared to split thickness skin grafting (SSG). A review of the literature reveals very few trials that are based on an objective evaluation of Integra treated scars as compared to SSGs. This research aimed to provide objective data on the long-term outcome of Integra. All adult patients from the Welsh Burns Centre who had been successfully treated with Integra+/-SSG were invited to attend a clinic for a follow up provided they had been healed for greater than one year. The hypothesis that Integra scars are more pliable than skin grafts was tested objectively using the Cutometer, a suction device which measures skin elasticity. Of the 13 patients eligible, six were available for assessment. The results of this study suggest that Integra treated sites correlate well with normal skin as measured by the Cutometer. This was statistically significant for the parameters Ur/Ue (elastic function) and Ur/Uf (gross elasticity). On the other hand there was no correlation seen between the patients SSG sites and the patient's normal skin. With advances in medicine we are increasingly able to modulate wound healing and the resultant scars. In order to assess new and often costly treatments the need for objective scar measurement tools have become apparent. Integra has been advocated to improve scarring from injury. However, there have been few studies to evaluate the long-term outcome of Integra as compared to traditional methods such as SSG. In the past scar evaluation has been based on subjective scores by patients and clinicians. Now the mechanical properties of the skin can be evaluated using simple
Elevated outcome-anticipation and outcome-evaluation ERPs associated with a greater preference for larger-but-delayed rewards.

PubMed

Pornpattananangkul, Narun; Nadig, Ajay; Heidinger, Storm; Walden, Keegan; Nusslock, Robin

2017-06-01

Although waiting for a reward reduces or discounts its value, some people have a stronger tendency to wait for larger rewards and forgo smaller-but-immediate rewards. This ability to delay gratification is captured by individual differences in so-called intertemporal choices in which individuals are asked to choose between larger-but-delayed versus smaller-but-immediate rewards. The current study used event-related potentials (ERPs) to examine whether enhancement in two neurocognitive processes, outcome anticipation and outcome evaluation, modulate individual variability in intertemporal responses. After completing a behavioral intertemporal choice task, 34 participants performed an ERP gambling task. From this ERP task, we separately examined individual differences in outcome anticipation (stimulus-preceding negativity; SPN), early outcome valuation (feedback-related negativity; FRN), and late outcome evaluation (P3). We observed that both elevated outcome-anticipation (SPN) and late outcome-evaluation (P3) neural processes predicted a stronger preference toward larger-but-delayed rewards. No relationship was observed between intertemporal responses and early outcome evaluation (FRN), indicating that the relationship between outcome evaluation and intertemporal responses was specific to the late outcome-evaluation processing stream. Moreover, multiple regression analyses indicated that the SPN and P3 independently modulate individual differences in intertemporal responses, suggesting separate mechanisms underlie the relationship between these two neurocognitive processes and intertemporal responses. Accordingly, we identify two potential neurocognitive modulators of individual variability in intertemporal responses. We discuss the mechanisms underlying these modulators in terms of anticipation-related processing (SPN) and a saliency bias toward gain (compared to loss) outcomes (P3).
Subjective and objective outcome after revision arthroscopic stabilization for recurrent anterior instability versus initial shoulder stabilization.

PubMed

Krueger, David; Kraus, Natascha; Pauly, Stephan; Chen, Jianhai; Scheibel, Markus

2011-01-01

The value of arthroscopic revision shoulder stabilization after failed instability repair is still a matter of debate. Arthroscopic revision shoulder stabilization using suture anchors provides equivalent subjective and objective results compared with initial arthroscopic instability repair. Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Twenty consecutive patients who underwent arthroscopic revision shoulder stabilization using suture anchors (group 2) were matched for age, gender, and handedness (dominant or nondominant) with 20 patients who had initial arthroscopic instability repair using the same technique (group 1). At the time of follow-up, a complete physical examination of both shoulders and evaluation with the Rowe score, Walch-Duplay score, Melbourne Instability Shoulder Score, Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index, and the Subjective Shoulder Value were performed. In addition, standard radiographs (true AP and axillary views) were taken to evaluate signs of osteoarthritis. After a minimum follow-up of 24 months, no recurrent dislocations were observed in either group. The apprehension sign was positive in 2 cases of revision surgery (0 vs 2; P > .05). No significant differences in the Rowe score (89 vs 81.8 points) were found between groups 1 and 2 (P > .05). However, group 2 revealed significantly lower scores in the Walch-Duplay score (85.3 vs 75.5 points), Melbourne Instability Shoulder Score (90.2 vs 73.7 points), Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index (89.8% vs 68.9%), and Subjective Shoulder Value (91.8% vs 69.2%) (P < .05). Signs of instability arthropathy were found more often in patients with arthroscopic revision surgery (2 vs 5; P > .05). Arthroscopic revision shoulder stabilization is associated with a lower subjective outcome compared with initial arthroscopic stabilization. The objective results found in this study may overestimate the clinical outcome in this patient population.
An Evaluation of the Effects of Experimenter Control of Objects on Individuals' Engagement in Object Stereotypy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stangeland, Lindsay A.; Smith, Dean P.; Rapp, John T.

2012-01-01

In two experiments, the authors evaluated the extent to which (a) individuals preferred engaging in object stereotypy versus observing an experimenter while the experimenter engaged in object stereotypy and (b) an experimenter's engagement in object stereotypy decreased the participants' engagement in object stereotypy. Results of Experiment 1…
Impact of the Project P.A.T.H.S. in the junior secondary school years: objective outcome evaluation based on eight waves of longitudinal data.

PubMed

Shek, Daniel T L; Ma, Cecilia M S

2012-01-01

To assess the effectiveness of the Tier 1 Program of the Project P.A.T.H.S., a randomized group trial with eight waves of data collected was carried out. At the fifth year of data collection, 19 experimental schools (n = 2, 662 students) and 24 control schools (n = 3, 272 students) participated in the study. Analyses based on individual growth curve modeling showed that participants in the experimental schools displayed better positive youth development than did participants in the control schools in terms of different indicators derived from the Chinese Positive Youth Development Scale, including moral competence and behavioral competence and cognitive behavioral competencies. Significant results were also found when examining the trajectories of psychological development among control and experimental participants who perceived the program to be beneficial. Findings based on longitudinal objective outcome evaluation strongly suggest that the Project P.A.T.H.S. is effective in promoting positive development in Hong Kong secondary school students.
Contributions to Objective Measurement and Evaluation of Trainee Competency.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moonan, William J.

The purpose of this paper is to lay a basis for and discuss the components of a system, called COMET, designed to objectively measure and evaluate the competency of trainees in military training enterprises. COMET is an acronym for "Computerized Objective Measurement and Evaluation of Trainees." These goals will be accomplished by: (a)…
Identifying Anomalous Citations for Objective Evaluation of Scholarly Article Impact.

PubMed

Bai, Xiaomei; Xia, Feng; Lee, Ivan; Zhang, Jun; Ning, Zhaolong

2016-01-01

Evaluating the impact of a scholarly article is of great significance and has attracted great attentions. Although citation-based evaluation approaches have been widely used, these approaches face limitations e.g. in identifying anomalous citations patterns. This negligence would inevitably cause unfairness and inaccuracy to the article impact evaluation. In this study, in order to discover the anomalous citations and ensure the fairness and accuracy of research outcome evaluation, we investigate the citation relationships between articles using the following factors: collaboration times, the time span of collaboration, citing times and the time span of citing to weaken the relationship of Conflict of Interest (COI) in the citation network. Meanwhile, we study a special kind of COI, namely suspected COI relationship. Based on the COI relationship, we further bring forward the COIRank algorithm, an innovative scheme for accurately assessing the impact of an article. Our method distinguishes the citation strength, and utilizes PageRank and HITS algorithms to rank scholarly articles comprehensively. The experiments are conducted on the American Physical Society (APS) dataset. We find that about 80.88% articles contain contributed citations by co-authors in 26,366 articles and 75.55% articles among these articles are cited by the authors belonging to the same affiliation, indicating COI and suspected COI should not be ignored for evaluating impact of scientific papers objectively. Moreover, our experimental results demonstrate COIRank algorithm significantly outperforms the state-of-art solutions. The validity of our approach is verified by using the probability of Recommendation Intensity.
Outcome Evaluation: Student Development Program, Special Studies Division, Cleveland State University.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pasch, Marvin

Techniques and procedures used to evaluate the outcomes of the student development program, and to use the evaluation results, are presented. Specific evaluation questions are posed that address overall outcomes, not individual student outcomes, and quantitative measures are suggested to accompany the questions. The measures include statistical…
Validation of the American Board of Orthodontics Objective Grading System for assessing the treatment outcomes of Chinese patients.

PubMed

Song, Guang-Ying; Baumrind, Sheldon; Zhao, Zhi-He; Ding, Yin; Bai, Yu-Xing; Wang, Lin; He, Hong; Shen, Gang; Li, Wei-Ran; Wu, Wei-Zi; Ren, Chong; Weng, Xuan-Rong; Geng, Zhi; Xu, Tian-Min

2013-09-01

Orthodontics in China has developed rapidly, but there is no standard index of treatment outcomes. We assessed the validity of the American Board of Orthodontics Objective Grading System (ABO-OGS) for the classification of treatment outcomes in Chinese patients. We randomly selected 108 patients who completed treatment between July 2005 and September 2008 in 6 orthodontic treatment centers across China. Sixty-nine experienced Chinese orthodontists made subjective assessments of the end-of-treatment casts for each patient. Three examiners then used the ABO-OGS to measure the casts. Pearson correlation analysis and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis were conducted to evaluate the correspondence between the ABO-OGS cast measurements and the orthodontists' subjective assessments. The average subjective grading scores were highly correlated with the ABO-OGS scores (r = 0.7042). Four of the 7 study cast components of the ABO-OGS score-occlusal relationship, overjet, interproximal contact, and alignment-were statistically significantly correlated with the judges' subjective assessments. Together, these 4 accounted for 58% of the variability in the average subjective grading scores. The ABO-OGS cutoff score for cases that the judges deemed satisfactory was 16 points; the corresponding cutoff score for cases that the judges considered acceptable was 21 points. The ABO-OGS is a valid index for the assessment of treatment outcomes in Chinese patients. By comparing the objective scores on this modification of the ABO-OGS with the mean subjective assessment of a panel of highly qualified Chinese orthodontists, a cutoff point for satisfactory treatment outcome was defined as 16 points or fewer, with scores of 16 to 21 points denoting less than satisfactory but still acceptable treatment. Cases that scored greater than 21 points were considered unacceptable. Copyright © 2013 American Association of Orthodontists. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.
Study to validate the outcome goal, competencies and educational objectives for use in intensive care orientation programs.

PubMed

Boyle, M; Butcher, R; Kenney, C

1998-03-01

Intensive care orientation programs have become an accepted component of intensive care education. To date, however, there have been no Australian-based standards defining the appropriate level of competence to be attained upon completion of orientation. The aim of this study was to validate a set of aims, competencies and educational objectives that could form the basis of intensive care orientation and which would ensure an outcome standard of safe and effective practice. An initial document containing a statement of the desired outcome goal, six competency statements and 182 educational objectives was developed through a review of the orientation programs developed by the investigators. The Delphi technique was used to gain consensus among 13 nurses recognised for their expertise in intensive care education. The expert group rated the acceptability of each of the study items and provided suggestions for objectives to be included. An approval rating of 80 per cent was required to retain each of the study items, with the document refined through three Delphi rounds. The final document contains a validated statement of outcome goal, competencies and educational objectives for intensive care orientation programs.
Learning outcomes evaluation of a simulation-based introductory course to anaesthesia.

PubMed

Rábago, J L; López-Doueil, M; Sancho, R; Hernández-Pinto, P; Neira, N; Capa, E; Larraz, E; Redondo-Figuero, C G; Maestre, J M

2017-10-01

An increased number of errors and reduced patient safety have been reported during the incorporation of residents, as this period involves learning new skills. The objectives were to evaluate the learning outcomes of an immersive simulation boot-camp for incoming residents before starting the clinical rotations. Airway assessment, airway control with direct laryngoscopy, and epidural catheterization competencies were evaluated. Twelve first-year anaesthesiology residents participated. A prospective study to evaluate transfer of endotracheal intubation skills learned at the simulation centre to clinical practice (primary outcome) was conducted. A checklist of 28 skills and behaviours was used to assess the first supervised intubation performed during anaesthesia induction in ASA I/II patients. Secondary outcome was self-efficacy to perform epidural catheterization. A satisfaction survey was also performed. Seventy-five percent of residents completed more than 21 out of 28 skills and behaviours to assess and control the airway during their first intubation in patients. Twelve items were performed by all residents and 5 by half of them. More than 83% of participants reported a high level of self-efficacy in placing an epidural catheter. All participants would recommend the course to their colleagues. A focused intensive simulation-based boot-camp addressing key competencies required to begin anaesthesia residency was well received, and led to transfer of airway management skills learned to clinical settings when performing for first time on patients, and to increased self-reported efficacy in performing epidural catheterization. Copyright © 2017 Sociedad Española de Anestesiología, Reanimación y Terapéutica del Dolor. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.
A Process and Outcomes Evaluation of the International AIDS Conference: Who Attends? Who Benefits Most?

PubMed Central

Lalonde, Bernadette; Wolvaardt, Jacqueline E.; Webb, Elize M; Tournas-Hardt, Amy

2007-01-01

The objective of the study was to conduct a process and outcomes evaluation of the International AIDS Conference (IAC). Reaction evaluation data are presented from a delegate survey distributed at the 2004 IAC held in Thailand. Input and output data from the Thailand IAC are compared to data from previous IACs to ascertain attendance and reaction trends, which delegates benefit most, and host country effects. Outcomes effectiveness data were collected via a survey and intercept interviews. Data suggest that the host country may significantly affect the number and quality of basic science IAC presentations, who attends, and who benefits most. Intended and executed HIV work-related behavior change was assessed under 9 classifications. Delegates who attended 1 previous IAC were more likely to report behavior changes than attendees who attended more than 1 previous IAC. The conference needs to be continually evaluated to elicit the required data to plan effective future IACs. PMID:17435615
Tracking Success: Outputs Versus Outcomes-A Comparison of Accredited and Non-Accredited Public Health Agencies' Community Health Improvement Plan objectives.

PubMed

Perrault, Evan K; Inderstrodt-Stephens, Jill; Hintz, Elizabeth A

2018-06-01

With funding for public health initiatives declining, creating measurable objectives that are focused on tracking and changing population outcomes (i.e., knowledge, attitudes, or behaviors), instead of those that are focused on health agencies' own outputs (e.g., promoting services, developing communication messages) have seen a renewed focus. This study analyzed 4094 objectives from the Community Health Improvement Plans (CHIPs) of 280 local PHAB-accredited and non-accredited public health agencies across the United States. Results revealed that accredited agencies were no more successful at creating outcomes-focused objectives (35% of those coded) compared to non-accredited agencies (33% of those coded; Z = 1.35, p = .18). The majority of objectives were focused on outputs (accredited: 61.2%; non-accredited: 63.3%; Z = 0.72, p = .47). Outcomes-focused objectives primarily sought to change behaviors (accredited: 85.43%; non-accredited: 80.6%), followed by changes in knowledge (accredited: 9.75%; non-accredited: 10.8%) and attitudes (accredited: 1.6%; non-accredited: 5.1%). Non-accredited agencies had more double-barreled objectives (49.9%) compared to accredited agencies (32%; Z = 11.43, p < .001). The authors recommend that accreditation procedures place a renewed focus on ensuring that public health agencies strive to achieve outcomes. It is also advocated that public health agencies work with interdisciplinary teams of Health Communicators who can help them develop procedures to effectively and efficiently measure outcomes of knowledge and attitudes that are influential drivers of behavioral changes.
Subjective and objective outcomes from new BiCROS technology in a veteran sample.

PubMed

Williams, Victoria A; McArdle, Rachel A; Chisolm, Theresa H

2012-01-01

Patients with single-sided deafness (SSD), where one ear has an unaidable hearing loss and the other ear has normal or aidable hearing, often complain of difficulties understanding speech and localizing sound sources, and report a higher self-perceived hearing disability. Patients with SSD may benefit from using contralateral routing of signal (CROS) or bilateral contralateral routing of the signal (BiCROS) amplification. Dissatisfaction of previously available (Bi)CROS devices has been reported, such as, interfering transmissions, low-fidelity sound quality, poor "user-friendly" set-up, and a bulky and cosmetically cumbersome appearance. Recent advances in hearing aid technology have improved (Bi)CROS hearing aids; however, these devices have not been experimentally evaluated. We hypothesized that newer technology with reports of improved digital signal processing, wireless transmission, and physical design would be as good, or better than, our participants' previous-generation BiCROS systems. A within-subjects, pretest-posttest design was executed. Thirty-nine veterans (one female, 38 males; mean age = 74 yr, range = 49-85 yr) from the Audiology Section of the Bay Pines Veterans Affair Healthcare System participated. All participants were previously experienced BiCROS hearing aid users with varying degrees of sensorinerual hearing impairment in their better ear. Participants were provided at least 4 wk of consistent use with the new BiCROS. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSES: Participants completed three research visits. At Visit 1, with their previous BiCROS, and at Visit 3, with their new BiCROS, the following objective and subjective measures were obtained: (1) soundfield speech-in-noise testing using the Words-In-Noise (WIN) test; (2) speech, spatial, and qualities of the hearing scale (SSQ) questionnaire; (3) selected questions from the MarkeTrak questionnaire; and, (4) three open-ended questions. Data were analyzed using parametric and nonparametric statistics
Object-oriented fault tree evaluation program for quantitative analyses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patterson-Hine, F. A.; Koen, B. V.

1988-01-01

Object-oriented programming can be combined with fault free techniques to give a significantly improved environment for evaluating the safety and reliability of large complex systems for space missions. Deep knowledge about system components and interactions, available from reliability studies and other sources, can be described using objects that make up a knowledge base. This knowledge base can be interrogated throughout the design process, during system testing, and during operation, and can be easily modified to reflect design changes in order to maintain a consistent information source. An object-oriented environment for reliability assessment has been developed on a Texas Instrument (TI) Explorer LISP workstation. The program, which directly evaluates system fault trees, utilizes the object-oriented extension to LISP called Flavors that is available on the Explorer. The object representation of a fault tree facilitates the storage and retrieval of information associated with each event in the tree, including tree structural information and intermediate results obtained during the tree reduction process. Reliability data associated with each basic event are stored in the fault tree objects. The object-oriented environment on the Explorer also includes a graphical tree editor which was modified to display and edit the fault trees.
Using Student Learning and Development Outcomes to Evaluate a First-Year Undergraduate Group Video Project

PubMed Central

Jensen, Murray; Mattheis, Allison; Johnson, Brady

2012-01-01

Students in an interdisciplinary undergraduate introductory course were required to complete a group video project focused on nutrition and healthy eating. A mixed-methods approach to data collection involved observing and rating video footage of group work sessions and individual and focus group interviews. These data were analyzed and used to evaluate the effectiveness of the assignment in light of two student learning outcomes and two student development outcomes at the University of Minnesota. Positive results support the continued inclusion of the project within the course, and recommend the assignment to other programs as a viable means of promoting both content learning and affective behavioral objectives. PMID:22383619
Using student learning and development outcomes to evaluate a first-year undergraduate group video project.

PubMed

Jensen, Murray; Mattheis, Allison; Johnson, Brady

2012-01-01

Students in an interdisciplinary undergraduate introductory course were required to complete a group video project focused on nutrition and healthy eating. A mixed-methods approach to data collection involved observing and rating video footage of group work sessions and individual and focus group interviews. These data were analyzed and used to evaluate the effectiveness of the assignment in light of two student learning outcomes and two student development outcomes at the University of Minnesota. Positive results support the continued inclusion of the project within the course, and recommend the assignment to other programs as a viable means of promoting both content learning and affective behavioral objectives.
Examining Readers' Evaluations of Objectivity and Bias in News Discourse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cramer, Peter; Eisenhart, Christopher

2014-01-01

Readers' objectivity and bias evaluations of news texts were investigated in order to better understand the process by which readers make these kinds of judgments and the evidence on which they base them. Readers were primed to evaluate news texts for objectivity and bias, and their selections and metacommentary were analyzed. Readers detected…
From Implementation to Outcomes to Impacts: Designing a Comprehensive Program Evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shebby, S.

2015-12-01

Funders are often interested in learning about the impact of program activities, yet before the impacts are determined, educational evaluations should first examine program implementation and outcomes. Implementation evaluation examines how and the extent to which program activities are delivered as intended, including the extent to which activities reached the targeted participants. Outcome evaluation is comprised of a systematic examination of the effects that a program has on program participants, such as changes in knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, values, and behaviors. In this presentation, presenters will share insights on evaluating the implementation, outcomes, and impacts associated with an online science curriculum for K-2 students. The science curriculum was designed to provide students with access to science concepts and skills in an interactive and innovative environment, and teachers with embedded, aligned, and on-demand professional development. One of the most important—and challenging—steps in this evaluation was to select outcomes that were well-defined, measurable, and aligned to program activities, as well as relevant to program stakeholders. An additional challenge was to measure implementation given limited access to the classroom environment. This presentation will include a discussion of the process evaluators used to select appropriate implementation indicators and outcomes (teacher and student), design an evaluation approach, and craft data collection instruments. Although examples provided are specific to the K-2 science intervention, the best practices discussed are pertinent to all program and event evaluations. Impact evaluation goes beyond implementation and outcome evaluation to inform whether a program is working or not. It requires a comparison group to inform what outcomes would have been in the absence of the intervention. As such, this presentation will also include a discussion of impacts, including how impacts are defined

Piloting an outcome-based programme evaluation tool in undergraduate medical education.

PubMed

Raupach, Tobias; Schiekirka, Sarah; Münscher, Christian; Beißbarth, Tim; Himmel, Wolfgang; Burckhardt, Gerhard; Pukrop, Tobias

2012-01-01

Different approaches to performance-oriented allocation of resources according to teaching quality are currently being discussed within German medical schools. The implementation of these programmes is impeded by a lack of valid criteria to measure teaching quality. An assessment of teaching quality should include structural and procedural aspects but focus on learning outcome itself. The aim of this study was to implement a novel, outcome-based evaluation tool within the clinical phase of a medical curriculum and address differences between the novel tool and traditional evaluation methods. Student self-assessments before and after completion of a teaching module were used to compute performance gains for specific learning objectives. Mean performance gains in each module were compared to student expectations before the module and data derived from a traditional evaluation tool using overall course ratings at the end of the module. A ranking of the 21 modules according to computed performance gains yielded entirely different results than module rankings based on overall course ratings. There was no significant correlation between performance gain and overall ratings. However, the latter were significantly correlated to student expectations before entering the module as well as structural and procedural parameters (Pearson's r 0.7-0.9). Performance gain computed from comparative self-assessments adds an important new dimension to course evaluation in medical education. In contrast to overall course ratings, the novel tool is less heavily confounded by construct-irrelevant factors. Thus, it appears to be more appropriate than overall course ratings in determining teaching quality and developing algorithms to guide performance-oriented resource allocation in medical education.
Residential Greenness and Birth Outcomes: Evaluating the Influence of Spatially Correlated Built-Environment Factors

PubMed Central

Davies, Hugh W.; Frank, Lawrence; Van Loon, Josh; Gehring, Ulrike; Tamburic, Lillian; Brauer, Michael

2014-01-01

Background: Half the world’s population lives in urban areas. It is therefore important to identify characteristics of the built environment that are beneficial to human health. Urban greenness has been associated with improvements in a diverse range of health conditions, including birth outcomes; however, few studies have attempted to distinguish potential effects of greenness from those of other spatially correlated exposures related to the built environment. Objectives: We aimed to investigate associations between residential greenness and birth outcomes and evaluate the influence of spatially correlated built environment factors on these associations. Methods: We examined associations between residential greenness [measured using satellite-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) within 100 m of study participants’ homes] and birth outcomes in a cohort of 64,705 singleton births (from 1999–2002) in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. We also evaluated associations after adjusting for spatially correlated built environmental factors that may influence birth outcomes, including exposure to air pollution and noise, neighborhood walkability, and distance to the nearest park. Results: An interquartile increase in greenness (0.1 in residential NDVI) was associated with higher term birth weight (20.6 g; 95% CI: 16.5, 24.7) and decreases in the likelihood of small for gestational age, very preterm (< 30 weeks), and moderately preterm (30–36 weeks) birth. Associations were robust to adjustment for air pollution and noise exposures, neighborhood walkability, and park proximity. Conclusions: Increased residential greenness was associated with beneficial birth outcomes in this population-based cohort. These associations did not change after adjusting for other spatially correlated built environment factors, suggesting that alternative pathways (e.g., psychosocial and psychological mechanisms) may underlie associations between residential greenness and
[Bio-objects and biological methods of space radiation effects evaluation].

PubMed

Kaminskaia, E V; Nevzgodina, L V; Platova, N G

2009-01-01

The unique conditions of space experiments place austere requirements to bio-objects and biological methods of radiation effects evaluation. The paper discusses suitability of a number of bio-objects varying in stage of evolution and metabolism for space researches aimed to state common patterns of the radiation damage caused by heavy ions (HI), and character of HI-cell interaction. Physical detectors in space experiments of the BIOBLOCK series make it possible to identify bio-objects hit by space HI and to set correlation between HI track topography and biological effect. The paper provides an all-round description of the bio-objects chosen for two BIOBLOCK experiments (population of hydrophyte Wolffia arrhiza (fam. duckweed) and Lactuca sativa seeds) and the method of evaluating effects from single space radiation HI. Direct effects of heavy ions on cells can be determined by the criteria of chromosomal aberrations and delayed morphologic abnormalities. The evaluation results are compared with the data about human blood lymphocytes. Consideration is being given to the procedures of test-objects' treatment and investigation.
Assessing Assessment: Evaluating Outcomes and Reliabilities of Grammar, Math, and Writing Skill Measures in an Introductory Journalism Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farwell, Tricia M.; Alligood, Leon; Fitzgerald, Sharon; Blake, Ken

2016-01-01

This article introduces an objective grammar and math assessment and evaluates the assessment's outcome and reliability when fielded among eighty-one students in media writing courses. In addition, the article proposes a rubric for grading straight news leads and compares the rubric's reliability with the reliability of rating straight news leads…
How effective is drug abuse resistance education? A meta-analysis of Project DARE outcome evaluations.

PubMed Central

Ennett, S T; Tobler, N S; Ringwalt, C L; Flewelling, R L

1994-01-01

OBJECTIVES. Project DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) is the most widely used school-based drug use prevention program in the United States, but the findings of rigorous evaluations of its effectiveness have not been considered collectively. METHODS. We used meta-analytic techniques to review eight methodologically rigorous DARE evaluations. Weighted effect size means for several short-term outcomes also were compared with means reported for other drug use prevention programs. RESULTS. The DARE effect size for drug use behavior ranged from .00 to .11 across the eight studies; the weighted mean for drug use across studies was .06. For all outcomes considered, the DARE effect size means were substantially smaller than those of programs emphasizing social and general competencies and using interactive teaching strategies. CONCLUSIONS. DARE's short-term effectiveness for reducing or preventing drug use behavior is small and is less than for interactive prevention programs. PMID:8092361
Lengthening Temporalis Myoplasty: Objective Outcomes and Site-Specific Quality-of-Life Assessment.

PubMed

Panciera, Davide Thomas; Sampieri, Claudio; Deganello, Alberto; Danesi, Giovanni

2017-12-01

Objective Evaluate outcomes of the lengthening temporalis myoplasty in facial reanimations. Study Design Case series with planned data collection. Setting Ospedali Riuniti, Bergamo, and AOUC Careggi, Florence, Italy. Subjects and Methods From 2011 to 2016, 11 patients underwent lengthening temporalis myoplasty; demographic data were collected for each. Pre- and postoperative photographs and videos were recorded and used to measure the smile angle and the excursion of the oral commissure, according to the SMILE system (Scaled Measurements of Improvement in Lip Excursion). All patients were tested with the Facial Disability Index, and they also completed a questionnaire about the adherence to physiotherapy indications. Results All patients demonstrated a significant improvement in functional parameters and in quality of life. On the reanimated side, the mean z-line and a-value, measured when smiling, significantly improved in all patients: from 22.6 mm (95% CI, 20.23-25.05) before surgery to 30.9 mm (95% CI, 27.82-33.99) after surgery ( P < .001) and from 100.5° (95% CI, 93.96°-107.13°) to 111.6° (95% CI, 105.63°-117.64°; P < .001), respectively. The mean postoperative dynamic gain, passing from rest to a full smile at the reanimated side, was 3.1 mm (95% CI, 1.30-4.88) for the z-line and 3.3° (95% CI, 1.26°-5.29°) for the a-value. The Facial Disability Index score increased from a preoperative mean of 33.4 points (95% CI, 28.25-38.66) to 49.9 points (95% CI, 47.21-52.60) postoperatively ( P < .001). Conclusions The lengthening temporalis myoplasty can be successfully used for smile reanimation, with satisfying functional and quality-of-life outcomes.
Standardization in the Handling and Evaluation of Objective Examinations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sass, M. Burke

1978-01-01

In response to requests for standardization on testing and grading, a pilot program for the administration and evaluation of objective examinations was instituted. Outlined are objectives, initial test item collection, procedural flow for examinations, faculty responsibilities, support staff responsibilities, and project coordinator services. (LBH)
Attitudes as Object-Evaluation Associations of Varying Strength

PubMed Central

Fazio, Russell H.

2009-01-01

Historical developments regarding the attitude concept are reviewed, and set the stage for consideration of a theoretical perspective that views attitude, not as a hypothetical construct, but as evaluative knowledge. A model of attitudes as object-evaluation associations of varying strength is summarized, along with research supporting the model’s contention that at least some attitudes are represented in memory and activated automatically upon the individual’s encountering the attitude object. The implications of the theoretical perspective for a number of recent discussions related to the attitude concept are elaborated. Among these issues are the notion of attitudes as “constructions,” the presumed malleability of automatically-activated attitudes, correspondence between implicit and explicit measures of attitude, and postulated dual or multiple attitudes. PMID:19424447
A systematic review of economic evaluations of CHW interventions aimed at improving child health outcomes.

PubMed

Nkonki, L; Tugendhaft, A; Hofman, K

2017-02-28

Evidence of the cost-effectiveness of community health worker interventions is pertinent for decision-makers and programme planners who are turning to community services in order to strengthen health systems in the context of the momentum generated by strategies to support universal health care, the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goal agenda.We conducted a systematic review of published economic evaluation studies of community health worker interventions aimed at improving child health outcomes. Four public health and economic evaluation databases were searched for studies that met the inclusion criteria: National Health Service Economic Evaluation Database (NHS EED), Cochrane, Paediatric Economic Evaluation Database (PEED), and PubMed. The search strategy was tailored to each database.The 19 studies that met the inclusion criteria were conducted in either high income countries (HIC), low- income countries (LIC) and/or middle-income countries (MIC). The economic evaluations covered a wide range of interventions. Studies were grouped together by intended outcome or objective of each study. The data varied in quality. We found evidence of cost-effectiveness of community health worker (CHW) interventions in reducing malaria and asthma, decreasing mortality of neonates and children, improving maternal health, increasing exclusive breastfeeding and improving malnutrition, and positively impacting physical health and psychomotor development amongst children.Studies measured varied outcomes, due to the heterogeneous nature of studies included; a meta-analysis was not conducted. Outcomes included disease- or condition -specific outcomes, morbidity, mortality, and generic measures (e.g. disability-adjusted life years (DALYs)). Nonetheless, all 19 interventions were found to be either cost-effective or highly cost-effective at a threshold specific to their respective countries.There is a growing body of economic evaluation literature on cost-effectiveness of CHW
Objective Assessment of Vergence after Treatment of Concussion-Related CI: A Pilot Study

PubMed Central

Scheiman, Mitchell; Talasan, Henry; Mitchell, Gladys L; Alvarez, Tara L.

2016-01-01

Purpose To evaluate changes in objective measures of disparity vergence after office-based vision therapy (OBVT) for concussion-related convergence insufficiency (CI), and determine the feasibility of using this objective assessment as an outcome measure in a clinical trial. Methods This was a prospective, observational trial. All participants were treated with weekly OBVT with home reinforcement. Participants included two adolescents and three young adults with concussion-related, symptomatic CI. The primary outcome measure was average peak velocity for 4-degree symmetrical convergence steps. Other objective outcome measures of disparity vergence included time to peak velocity, latency, accuracy, settling time, and main sequence. We also evaluated saccadic eye movements using the same outcome measures. Changes in clinical measures (near point of convergence, positive fusional vergence at near, Convergence Insufficiency Symptom Survey (CISS) score) were evaluated. Results There were statistically significant and clinically meaningful changes in all clinical measures for convergence. Four of the five subjects met clinical success criteria. For the objective measures, we found a statistically significant increase in peak velocity, response accuracy to 4° symmetrical convergence and divergence step stimuli and the main sequence ratio for convergence step stimuli. Objective saccadic eye movements (5° and 10°) appeared normal pre-OBVT, and did not show any significant change after treatment. Conclusions This is the first report of the use of objective measures of disparity vergence as outcome measures for concussion-related convergence insufficiency. These measures provide additional information that is not accessible with clinical tests about underlying physiological mechanisms leading to changes in clinical findings and symptoms. The study results also demonstrate that patients with concussion can tolerate the visual demands (over 200 vergence and versional eye
Objective Assessment of Vergence after Treatment of Concussion-Related CI: A Pilot Study.

PubMed

Scheiman, Mitchell M; Talasan, Henry; Mitchell, G Lynn; Alvarez, Tara L

2017-01-01

To evaluate changes in objective measures of disparity vergence after office-based vision therapy (OBVT) for concussion-related convergence insufficiency (CI) and determine the feasibility of using this objective assessment as an outcome measure in a clinical trial. This was a prospective, observational trial. All participants were treated with weekly OBVT with home reinforcement. Participants included two adolescents and three young adults with concussion-related, symptomatic CI. The primary outcome measure was average peak velocity for 4° symmetrical convergence steps. Other objective outcome measures of disparity vergence included time to peak velocity, latency, accuracy, settling time, and main sequence. We also evaluated saccadic eye movements using the same outcome measures. Changes in clinical measures (near point of convergence, positive fusional vergence at near, Convergence Insufficiency Symptom Survey [CISS] score) were evaluated. There were statistically significant and clinically meaningful changes in all clinical measures for convergence. Four of the five subjects met clinical success criteria. For the objective measures, we found a statistically significant increase in peak velocity, response accuracy to 4° symmetrical convergence and divergence step stimuli, and the main sequence ratio for convergence step stimuli. Objective saccadic eye movements (5 and 10°) appeared normal pre-OBVT and did not show any significant change after treatment. This is the first report of the use of objective measures of disparity vergence as outcome measures for concussion-related convergence insufficiency. These measures provide additional information that is not accessible with clinical tests about underlying physiological mechanisms leading to changes in clinical findings and symptoms. The study results also demonstrate that patients with concussion can tolerate the visual demands (over 200 vergence and versional eye movements) during the 25-minute testing time
Learning Objects and Virtual Learning Environments Technical Evaluation Criteria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurilovas, Eugenijus; Dagiene, Valentina

2009-01-01

The main scientific problems investigated in this article deal with technical evaluation of quality attributes of the main components of e-Learning systems (referred here as DLEs--Digital Libraries of Educational Resources and Services), i.e., Learning Objects (LOs) and Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs). The main research object of the work is…
The Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System (CODES)

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1996-01-01

The CODES Technical Report presents state-specific results from the Crash : Outcome Data Evaluation System project. These results confirm previous NHTSA : studies and show that safety belts and motorcycle helmets are effective in : reducing fatalitie...
Functional outcomes assessment in shoulder surgery

PubMed Central

Wylie, James D; Beckmann, James T; Granger, Erin; Tashjian, Robert Z

2014-01-01

The effective evaluation and management of orthopaedic conditions including shoulder disorders relies upon understanding the level of disability created by the disease process. Validated outcome measures are critical to the evaluation process. Traditionally, outcome measures have been physician derived objective evaluations including range of motion and radiologic evaluations. However, these measures can marginalize a patient’s perception of their disability or outcome. As a result of these limitations, patient self-reported outcomes measures have become popular over the last quarter century and are currently primary tools to evaluate outcomes of treatment. Patient reported outcomes measures can be general health related quality of life measures, health utility measures, region specific health related quality of life measures or condition specific measures. Several patients self-reported outcomes measures have been developed and validated for evaluating patients with shoulder disorders. Computer adaptive testing will likely play an important role in the arsenal of measures used to evaluate shoulder patients in the future. The purpose of this article is to review the general health related quality-of-life measures as well as the joint-specific and condition specific measures utilized in evaluating patients with shoulder conditions. Advances in computer adaptive testing as it relates to assessing dysfunction in shoulder conditions will also be reviewed. PMID:25405091
Objective speech quality evaluation of real-time speech coders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viswanathan, V. R.; Russell, W. H.; Huggins, A. W. F.

1984-02-01

This report describes the work performed in two areas: subjective testing of a real-time 16 kbit/s adaptive predictive coder (APC) and objective speech quality evaluation of real-time coders. The speech intelligibility of the APC coder was tested using the Diagnostic Rhyme Test (DRT), and the speech quality was tested using the Diagnostic Acceptability Measure (DAM) test, under eight operating conditions involving channel error, acoustic background noise, and tandem link with two other coders. The test results showed that the DRT and DAM scores of the APC coder equalled or exceeded the corresponding test scores fo the 32 kbit/s CVSD coder. In the area of objective speech quality evaluation, the report describes the development, testing, and validation of a procedure for automatically computing several objective speech quality measures, given only the tape-recordings of the input speech and the corresponding output speech of a real-time speech coder.
Validity evidence for the Simulated Colonoscopy Objective Performance Evaluation scoring system.

PubMed

Trinca, Kristen D; Cox, Tiffany C; Pearl, Jonathan P; Ritter, E Matthew

2014-02-01

Low-cost, objective systems to assess and train endoscopy skills are needed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of Simulated Colonoscopy Objective Performance Evaluation to assess the skills required to perform endoscopy. Thirty-eight subjects were included in this study, all of whom performed 4 tasks. The scoring system measured performance by calculating precision and efficiency. Data analysis assessed the relationship between colonoscopy experience and performance on each task and the overall score. Endoscopic trainees' Simulated Colonoscopy Objective Performance Evaluation scores correlated significantly with total colonoscopy experience (r = .61, P = .003) and experience in the past 12 months (r = .63, P = .002). Significant differences were seen among practicing endoscopists, nonendoscopic surgeons, and trainees (P < .0001). When the 4 tasks were analyzed, each showed significant correlation with colonoscopy experience (scope manipulation, r = .44, P = .044; tool targeting, r = .45, P = .04; loop management, r = .47, P = .032; mucosal inspection, r = .65, P = .001) and significant differences in performance between the endoscopist groups, except for mucosal inspection (scope manipulation, P < .0001; tool targeting, P = .002; loop management, P = .0008; mucosal inspection, P = .27). Simulated Colonoscopy Objective Performance Evaluation objectively assesses the technical skills required to perform endoscopy and shows promise as a platform for proficiency-based skills training. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Classification of patients based on their evaluation of hospital outcomes: cluster analysis following a national survey in Norway

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background A general trend towards positive patient-reported evaluations of hospitals could be taken as a sign that most patients form a homogeneous, reasonably pleased group, and consequently that there is little need for quality improvement. The objective of this study was to explore this assumption by identifying and statistically validating clusters of patients based on their evaluation of outcomes related to overall satisfaction, malpractice and benefit of treatment. Methods Data were collected using a national patient-experience survey of 61 hospitals in the 4 health regions in Norway during spring 2011. Postal questionnaires were mailed to 23,420 patients after their discharge from hospital. Cluster analysis was performed to identify response clusters of patients, based on their responses to single items about overall patient satisfaction, benefit of treatment and perception of malpractice. Results Cluster analysis identified six response groups, including one cluster with systematically poorer evaluation across outcomes (18.5% of patients) and one small outlier group (5.3%) with very poor scores across all outcomes. One-Way ANOVA with post-hoc tests showed that most differences between the six response groups on the three outcome items were significant. The response groups were significantly associated with nine patient-experience indicators (p < 0.001), and all groups were significantly different from each of the other groups on a majority of the patient-experience indicators. Clusters were significantly associated with age, education, self-perceived health, gender, and the degree to write open comments in the questionnaire. Conclusions The study identified five response clusters with distinct patient-reported outcome scores, in addition to a heterogeneous outlier group with very poor scores across all outcomes. The outlier group and the cluster with systematically poorer evaluation across outcomes comprised almost one-quarter of all patients, clearly
Evaluation of functional outcome of the floating knee injury using multivariate analysis.

PubMed

Yokoyama, Kazuhiko; Tsukamoto, Tatsuro; Aoki, Shinichi; Wakita, Ryuji; Uchino, Masataka; Noumi, Takashi; Fukushima, Nobuaki; Itoman, Moritoshi

2002-11-01

The objective of this study is to evaluate significant contributing factors affecting the functional prognosis of floating knee injuries using multivariate analysis. A total of 68 floating knee injuries (67 patients) were treated at Kitasato University Hospital from 1986 to 1999. Both the femoral fractures and the tibial fractures were managed surgically by various methods. The functional results of these injuries were evaluated using the grading system of Karlström and Olerud. Follow-up periods ranged from 2 to 19 years (mean 50.2 months) after the original injury. We defined satisfactory (S) outcomes as those cases with excellent or good results and unsatisfactory (US) outcomes as those cases with acceptable or poor results. Logistic regression analysis was used as a multivariate analysis, and the dependent variables were defined as a satisfactory outcome or as an unsatisfactory outcome. The explanatory variables were predicting factors influencing the functional outcome such as age at trauma, gender, severity of soft-tissue injury in the femur and the tibia, AO fracture grade in the femur and the tibia, Fraser type (type I or type II), Injury Severity Score (ISS), and fixation time after injury (less than 1 week or more than 1 week) in the femur and the tibia. The final functional results were as follows: 25 cases had excellent results, 15 cases good results, 16 cases acceptable results, and 12 cases poor results. The predictive logistic regression equation was as follows: Log 1-p/p = 3.12-1.52 x Fraser type - 1.65 x severity of soft-tissue injury in the tibia - 1.31 x fixation time after injury in the tibia - 0.821 x AO fracture grade in the tibia + 1.025 x fixation time after injury in the femur - 0.687 x AO fracture grade in the femur ( p=0.01). Among the variables, Fraser type and the severity of soft-tissue injury in the tibia were significantly related to the final result. The multivariate analysis showed that both the involvement of the knee joint and
Student Evaluations, Outcomes, and National Licensure Examinations in Radiology Education: A Narrative Review of the Literature

PubMed Central

Linaker, Kathleen L.

2015-01-01

Objective The purpose of this study was to examine literature on radiological student evaluation and outcome assessments including national board examinations. Methods A review of the literature was performed using relevant key words. Articles were retrieved through December 2012 using PubMed, ScienceDirect, ERIC, Proquest, and ICL databases along with a manual review of references. Results Of the 4716 unique abstracts reviewed by the author, 54 were found to be relevant to the purpose of this study. Student grade point average correlates with board scores in the nursing, chiropractic, and medical professions. Scores on the chiropractic college admission test and undergraduate grade point average correlate with success in professional college. There is a correlation between board scores and college attended. Board preparation programs do not appear to affect board examination scores. Conclusion Although evaluations can be effective teaching tools, they are not used by many radiology programs. Some programs have inadequate evaluations and do not allow students to review their evaluations. There are no definitive links between mastery of radiology and specific evaluations, outcomes, or pre-professional/clinical grades. Studies suggest that board examination scores reflect long-term mastery of knowledge rather than short-term memorization of facts. PMID:26770174
Further Evaluation of the Outcome Questionnaire-45.2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rice, Kenneth G.; Suh, Hanna; Ege, Engin

2014-01-01

Data from clinical and nonclinical samples ("Ns" = 2,096, 618) were used to evaluate and replicate the measurement structure of the Outcome Questionnaire-45.2. Different measurement models and invariance tests were evaluated and the best psychometric support was found for a shortened measure of two factors: overall maladjustment and…

Outcomes and lessons learned from evaluating TRICARE's disease management programs.

PubMed

Dall, Timothy M; Askarinam Wagner, Rachel C; Zhang, Yiduo; Yang, Wenya; Arday, David R; Gantt, Cynthia J

2010-06-01

To share outcomes and lessons learned from an evaluation of disease management (DM) programs for asthma, congestive heart failure (CHF), and diabetes for TRICARE patients. Multiyear evaluation of participants in voluntary, opt-out DM programs. Patient-centered programs, administered by 3 regional contractors, provide phone-based consultations with a care manager, educational materials, and newsletters. The study sample consisted of 23,793 asthma, 4092 CHF, and 29,604 diabetes patients with at least 6 months' tenure in the program. Medical claims were analyzed to quantify program effect on healthcare utilization, medical costs, and clinical outcomes. Multivariate regression analysis with an historical control group was used to predict patient outcomes in the absence of DM. The difference between actual and predicted DM patient outcomes was attributed to the program. A patient survey collected data on program satisfaction and perceived usefulness of program information and services. Modest improvements in patient outcomes included reduced inpatient days and medical costs, and (with few exceptions) increased percentages of patients receiving appropriate medications and tests. Annual per patient reductions in medical costs were $453, $371, and $783 for asthma, CHF, and diabetes program participants, respectively. The estimated return on investment was $1.26 per $1.00 spent on DM services. Findings suggest that the DM programs more than pay for themselves, in addition to improving patient health and quality of life. Lessons learned in program design, implementation, effectiveness, and evaluation may benefit employers contemplating DM, DM providers, and evaluators of DM programs.
Picasso Paintings, Moon Rocks, and Hand-Written Beatles Lyrics: Adults' Evaluations of Authentic Objects.

PubMed

Frazier, Brandy N; Gelman, Susan A; Wilson, Alice; Hood, Bruce

2009-01-01

Authentic objects are those that have an historical link to a person, event, time, or place of some significance (e.g., original Picasso painting; gown worn by Princess Diana; your favorite baby blanket). The current study examines everyday beliefs about authentic objects, with three primary goals: to determine the scope of adults' evaluation of authentic objects, to examine such evaluation in two distinct cultural settings, and to determine whether a person's attachment history (i.e., whether or not they owned an attachment object as a child) predicts evaluation of authentic objects. We found that college students in the U.K. (N = 125) and U.S. (N = 119) consistently evaluate a broad range of authentic items as more valuable than matched control (inauthentic) objects, more desirable to keep, and more desirable to touch, though only non-personal authentic items were judged to be more appropriate for display in a museum. These patterns were remarkably similar across the two cultural contexts. Additionally, those who had an attachment object as a child evaluated objects more favorably, and in particular judged authentic objects to be more valuable. Altogether, these results demonstrate broad endorsement of "positive contagion" among college-educated adults.
Picasso Paintings, Moon Rocks, and Hand-Written Beatles Lyrics: Adults’ Evaluations of Authentic Objects

PubMed Central

Frazier, Brandy N.; Gelman, Susan A.; Wilson, Alice; Hood, Bruce

2010-01-01

Authentic objects are those that have an historical link to a person, event, time, or place of some significance (e.g., original Picasso painting; gown worn by Princess Diana; your favorite baby blanket). The current study examines everyday beliefs about authentic objects, with three primary goals: to determine the scope of adults’ evaluation of authentic objects, to examine such evaluation in two distinct cultural settings, and to determine whether a person’s attachment history (i.e., whether or not they owned an attachment object as a child) predicts evaluation of authentic objects. We found that college students in the U.K. (N = 125) and U.S. (N = 119) consistently evaluate a broad range of authentic items as more valuable than matched control (inauthentic) objects, more desirable to keep, and more desirable to touch, though only non-personal authentic items were judged to be more appropriate for display in a museum. These patterns were remarkably similar across the two cultural contexts. Additionally, those who had an attachment object as a child evaluated objects more favorably, and in particular judged authentic objects to be more valuable. Altogether, these results demonstrate broad endorsement of "positive contagion" among college-educated adults. PMID:20631919
A Participative Approach to Evaluation of Graduates' Professional Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clerici, Renata; Castiglioni, Maria; Grion, Valentina; Zago, Giuseppe; Da Re, Lorenza

2014-01-01

This work discusses the professional outcomes of University of Padova graduates in academic year 2007/08. Its aim was to carry out an overall assessment of higher education professional outcomes, involving all the main actors of the learning process, students, teachers and tutors, in a perspective of participatory evaluation, to improve teaching…
Object-Oriented Algorithm For Evaluation Of Fault Trees

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patterson-Hine, F. A.; Koen, B. V.

1992-01-01

Algorithm for direct evaluation of fault trees incorporates techniques of object-oriented programming. Reduces number of calls needed to solve trees with repeated events. Provides significantly improved software environment for such computations as quantitative analyses of safety and reliability of complicated systems of equipment (e.g., spacecraft or factories).
The effect of adaptive servo ventilation (ASV) on objective and subjective outcomes in Cheyne-Stokes respiration (CSR) with central sleep apnea (CSA) in heart failure (HF): A systematic review.

PubMed

Yang, Hyunju; Sawyer, Amy M

2016-01-01

To summarize the current evidence for adaptive servo ventilation (ASV) in Cheyne-Stokes respiration (CSR) with central sleep apnea (CSA) in heart failure (HF) and advance a research agenda and clinical considerations for ASV-treated CSR-CSA in HF. CSR-CSA in HF is associated with higher overall mortality, worse outcomes and lower quality of life (QOL) than HF without CSR-CSA. Five databases were searched using key words (n = 234). Randomized controlled trials assessed objective sleep quality, cardiac, and self-reported outcomes in adults (≥18 years) with HF (n = 10). ASV has a beneficial effect on the reduction of central sleep apnea in adult patients with CSR-CSA in HF, but it is not be superior to CPAP, bilevel PPV, or supplemental oxygen in terms of sleep quality defined by polysomnography, cardiovascular outcomes, subjective daytime sleepiness, and quality of life. ASV is not recommended for CSR-CSA in HF. It is important to continue to refer HF patients for sleep evaluation to clearly discern OSA from CSR-CSA. Symptom management research, inclusive of objective and subjective outcomes, in CSR-CSA in HF adults is needed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Multiple-objective evaluation of wastewater treatment plant control alternatives.

PubMed

Flores-Alsina, Xavier; Gallego, Alejandro; Feijoo, Gumersindo; Rodriguez-Roda, Ignasi

2010-05-01

Besides the evaluation of the environmental issues, the correct assessment of wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) should take into account several objectives such as: economic e.g. operation costs; technical e.g. risk of suffering microbiology-related TSS separation problems; or legal e.g. accomplishment with the effluent standards in terms of the different pollution loads. For this reason, the main objective of this paper is to show the benefits of complementing the environmental assessment carried out by life cycle assessment with economical, technical and legal criteria. Using a preliminary version of the BSM2 as a case study, different combinations of controllers are implemented, simulated and evaluated. In the following step, the resulting multi-criteria matrix is mined using multivariate statistical techniques. The results showed that the presence of an external carbon source addition, the type of aeration system and the TSS controller are the key elements creating the differences amongst the alternatives. Also, it was possible to characterize the different control strategies according to a set of aggregated criteria. Additionally, the existing synergies amongst different objectives and their consequent trade-offs were identified. Finally, it was discovered that from the initial extensive list of evaluation criteria, only a small set of five are really discriminant, being useful to differentiate within the generated alternatives. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A Checklist-based Intervention to Improve Surgical Outcomes in Michigan: Evaluation of the Keystone Surgery Program

PubMed Central

Reames, Bradley N.; Krell, Robert W.; Campbell, Darrell A.; Dimick, Justin B.

2015-01-01

Importance Previous studies of checklist-based quality improvement interventions have reported mixed results. Objective To evaluate whether implementation of a checklist-based quality improvement intervention, Keystone Surgery, was associated with improved outcomes in patients undergoing general surgery in large statewide population. Design, Setting and Exposure Retrospective longitudinal study examining surgical outcomes in Michigan patients using Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative clinical registry data from the years 2006–2010 (n=64,891 patients in 29 hospitals). Multivariable logistic regression and difference-in-differences analytic approaches were used to evaluate whether Keystone Surgery program implementation was associated with improved surgical outcomes following general surgery procedures, apart from existing temporal trends toward improved outcomes during the study period. Main Outcome Measures Risk-adjusted rates of superficial surgical site infection, wound complications, any complication, and 30-day mortality. Results Implementation of Keystone Surgery in participating centers (n=14 hospitals) was not associated with improvements in surgical outcomes during the study period. Adjusted rates of superficial surgical site infection (3.2 vs. 3.2%, p=0.91), wound complications (5.9 vs. 6.5%, p=0.30), any complication (12.4 vs. 13.2%, p=0.26), and 30-day mortality (2.1 vs. 1.9%, p=0.32) at participating hospitals were similar before and after implementation. Difference-in-differences analysis accounting for trends in non-participating centers (n=15 hospitals), and sensitivity analysis excluding patients receiving surgery in the first 6- or 12-months after program implementation yielded similar results. Conclusions and Relevance Implementation of a checklist-based quality improvement intervention did not impact rates of adverse surgical outcomes among patients undergoing general surgery in participating Michigan hospitals. Additional research is
Service profiling and outcomes benchmarking using the CORE-OM: toward practice-based evidence in the psychological therapies. Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measures.

PubMed

Barkham, M; Margison, F; Leach, C; Lucock, M; Mellor-Clark, J; Evans, C; Benson, L; Connell, J; Audin, K; McGrath, G

2001-04-01

To complement the evidence-based practice paradigm, the authors argued for a core outcome measure to provide practice-based evidence for the psychological therapies. Utility requires instruments that are acceptable scientifically, as well as to service users, and a coordinated implementation of the measure at a national level. The development of the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM) is summarized. Data are presented across 39 secondary-care services (n = 2,710) and within an intensively evaluated single service (n = 1,455). Results suggest that the CORE-OM is a valid and reliable measure for multiple settings and is acceptable to users and clinicians as well as policy makers. Baseline data levels of patient presenting problem severity, including risk, are reported in addition to outcome benchmarks that use the concept of reliable and clinically significant change. Basic quality improvement in outcomes for a single service is considered.
Cartilage Repair Surgery: Outcome Evaluation by Using Noninvasive Cartilage Biomarkers Based on Quantitative MRI Techniques?

PubMed Central

Jungmann, Pia M.; Baum, Thomas; Bauer, Jan S.; Karampinos, Dimitrios C.; Link, Thomas M.; Li, Xiaojuan; Trattnig, Siegfried; Rummeny, Ernst J.; Woertler, Klaus; Welsch, Goetz H.

2014-01-01

Background. New quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques are increasingly applied as outcome measures after cartilage repair. Objective. To review the current literature on the use of quantitative MRI biomarkers for evaluation of cartilage repair at the knee and ankle. Methods. Using PubMed literature research, studies on biochemical, quantitative MR imaging of cartilage repair were identified and reviewed. Results. Quantitative MR biomarkers detect early degeneration of articular cartilage, mainly represented by an increasing water content, collagen disruption, and proteoglycan loss. Recently, feasibility of biochemical MR imaging of cartilage repair tissue and surrounding cartilage was demonstrated. Ultrastructural properties of the tissue after different repair procedures resulted in differences in imaging characteristics. T2 mapping, T1rho mapping, delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC), and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) are applicable on most clinical 1.5 T and 3 T MR scanners. Currently, a standard of reference is difficult to define and knowledge is limited concerning correlation of clinical and MR findings. The lack of histological correlations complicates the identification of the exact tissue composition. Conclusions. A multimodal approach combining several quantitative MRI techniques in addition to morphological and clinical evaluation might be promising. Further investigations are required to demonstrate the potential for outcome evaluation after cartilage repair. PMID:24877139
Exploring outcomes and evaluation in narrative pedagogy: An integrative review.

PubMed

Brady, Destiny R; Asselin, Marilyn E

2016-10-01

To identify narrative pedagogy learning outcomes and evaluation methods used for pre-licensure nursing students. Recommend areas for expanding narrative pedagogy research. An integrative review using a modified version of Cooper's 1998 framework, as described by Whittemore and Knafl (2005). A computer-assisted search of the literature from 1995 to 2015 was performed using the search terms narrative pedagogy and nursing. Databases included the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Academic Search Premier, Educational Resources Information Center, Educational Research Complete, Medline, PsychArticles, PsychINFO, and the Teacher Reference Center. Ancestry searches led to the inclusion of additional articles. Twenty-six texts met the criteria for full review and were evaluated for methodological rigor and relevance to the review aims. Nine articles achieved an acceptable quality score and were used for thematic analysis. Learning outcomes associated with narrative pedagogy were grouped into five themes: thinking, empowerment, interconnectedness, learning as a process of making meaning, and ethical/moral judgment. Multiple methods of evaluation are necessary to evaluate these learning outcomes. Narrative pedagogy may be a beneficial philosophical approach to teaching. However, at this time, there is insufficient evidence to recommend its universal adoption. It is too broad in its approach to reliably measure its effectiveness. Future research should examine the effectiveness of specific teaching strategies to promote desired learning outcomes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The Effect of Instructional Objectives and General Objectives on Student Self-Evaluation of Psychomotor Performance in Power Mechanics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Janeczko, Robert John

The major purpose of this study was to ascertain the relative effects of student exposure to instructional objectives upon student self-evaluation of psychomotor activities in a college-level power mechanics course. A randomized posttest-only control group design was used with two different approaches to the statement of the objectives. Four…
Assessing the public health impact of cannabis legalization in Canada: core outcome indicators towards an 'index' for monitoring and evaluation.

PubMed

Fischer, Benedikt; Russell, Cayley; Rehm, Jürgen; Leece, Pamela

2018-05-30

The legalization of non-medical cannabis use and supply is impending in Canada. This constitutes a major policy change with the declared objective of improving public health outcomes, which requires rigorous monitoring and evaluation. While numerous different aspects associated with legalization will be examined, a focused perspective is required for effective policy evaluation purposes. To these ends, we have identified a set of 10 core indicators associated with cannabis-related risk/harm outcomes-based on current best evidence-that are expected to measure the primary impacts of legalization on public health outcomes. We briefly review these indicators, and their respective data availability in Canada. As ideally an integrated outcome assessment of cannabis legalization's impact on public health will be available, we further propose options to merge the individual indicators into an integrated, weighted 'index', considering their expected relative impact for public health. One possible approach to undertake this is 'multi-criteria decision analysis' as a method to weight the relative indicator impact on public health; alternative approaches are proposed. The integrated 'public health index' for cannabis legalization will allow for scientifically comprehensive, while focused, monitoring and evaluation of the effects of legalization in Canada for the benefits of science and evidence-based policy alike.
Associations Between Pre-Implant Psychosocial Factors and Spinal Cord Stimulation Outcome: Evaluation Using the MMPI-2-RF.

PubMed

Block, Andrew R; Marek, Ryan J; Ben-Porath, Yossef S; Kukal, Deborah

2017-01-01

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has variable effectiveness in controlling chronic pain. Previous research has demonstrated that psychosocial factors are associated with diminished results of SCS. The objective of this investigation is to examine associations between pre-implant psychological functioning as measured by the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) and SCS outcomes. SCS candidates at two sites (total N = 319) completed the MMPI-2-RF and measures of pain, emotional distress, and functional ability as part of a pre-implant psychological evaluation. At an average of 5 months post-implant, patients completed the measures of pain and emotional distress a second time. Poorer SCS outcomes and poorer patient satisfaction were associated with higher pre-implant MMPI-2-RF scores on scales used to assess emotional dysfunction, somatic/cognitive complaints, and interpersonal problems. Ways through which pre-implant psychological evaluations of spinal cord stimulator candidates can be informed by MMPI-2-RF findings are discussed. © The Author(s) 2015.
Developing Objective Criteria for Evaluating Student Athletic Trainers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Treadway, Linda

In devising a form for the evaluation of students preparing to become athletic trainers, it is helpful to have a checklist in which objectives and behavioral responses are organized into categories, such as prevention of injury, first aid, emergency care, treatment, rehabilitation, and taping and wrapping. It is also important to have records and…
Active Transportation to and on Campus is Associated With Objectively Measured Fitness Outcomes Among College Students.

PubMed

Bopp, Melissa; Bopp, Christopher; Schuchert, Megan

2015-03-01

Active transportation (AT) has been associated with positive health outcomes, yet limited research has addressed this with college students, a population at-risk for inactivity. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between AT behavior and objectively measured fitness outcomes. A volunteer, convenience sample (n = 299) of college students from a large northeastern university completed a survey about their AT habits to and on campus and psychosocial constructs related to AT and participated in a laboratory-based fitness assessment (cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, body composition).Off-campus students were dichotomized as nonactive (0-1 AT trips/day) or active travelers (> 1 AT trips/day) to campus; t-tests compared nonactive and active travelers for psychosocial and fitness variables. Students were 56.3% male, 79.2% non-Hispanic White, and primarily living off-campus (87%). Most students (n = 177, 59.2%) reported active travel between classes. Off-campus students were primarily active travelers (76.1%). Active travelers to campus had greater cardiovascular fitness (P = .005), were more flexible (P = .006) and had lower systolic blood pressure (P = .05) compared with nonactive travelers. This study documents a relationship between AT behavior and objectively measured fitness among college students and provides a rationale for targeting this behavior as a method for improving health outcomes.
Development and Psychometric Evaluation of a Questionnaire Based on the Nursing Outcomes Classification to Determine the Knowledge of Parents on Breast-Feeding: Research Protocol.

PubMed

Paloma-Castro, Olga; Romero-Sánchez, José Manuel; Paramio-Cuevas, Juan Carlos; Pastor-Montero, Sonia María; Del Carmen Sánchez-Dalda, María; Rozadillas-Sanmiguel, Elena; Moreno-Corral, Luis Javier

2017-04-01

To develop and psychometrically evaluate a questionnaire based on the outcome "Knowledge: Breast-feeding" of the Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC) to determine the knowledge of parents on breast-feeding. The NOC outcome "Knowledge: Breast-feeding" allows for nurses/midwives to assess the efficacy of interventions aimed to improve the knowledge on breast-feeding in parents thought the clinical interview/observation. However, the use of self-administered questionnaires by patients could facilitate its evaluation. Two-phased study: (1) Development of the questionnaire based on experts' opinions; (2) Methodological design to assess its psychometric properties. The availability of tools that enable the determination of the knowledge of patients would facilitate nurses/midwives to set objectives, individualize interventions, and measure their effectiveness. © 2015 NANDA International, Inc.
Young drivers' responses to anti-speeding advertisements: Comparison of self-report and objective measures of persuasive processing and outcomes.

PubMed

Kaye, Sherrie-Anne; Lewis, Ioni; Algie, Jennifer; White, Melanie J

2016-05-18

Self-report measures are typically used to assess the effectiveness of road safety advertisements. However, psychophysiological measures of persuasive processing (i.e., skin conductance response [SCR]) and objective driving measures of persuasive outcomes (i.e., in-vehicle Global Positioning System [GPS] devices) may provide further insights into the effectiveness of these advertisements. This study aimed to explore the persuasive processing and outcomes of 2 anti-speeding advertisements by incorporating both self-report and objective measures of speeding behavior. In addition, this study aimed to compare the findings derived from these different measurement approaches. Young drivers (N = 20, M age = 21.01 years) viewed either a positive or negative emotion-based anti-speeding television advertisement. While viewing the advertisement, SCR activity was measured to assess ad-evoked arousal responses. The RoadScout GPS device was then installed in participants' vehicles for 1 week to measure on-road speed-related driving behavior. Self-report measures assessed persuasive processing (emotional and arousal responses) and actual driving behavior. There was general correspondence between the self-report measures of arousal and the SCR and between the self-report measure of actual driving behavior and the objective driving data (as assessed via the GPS devices). This study provides insights into how psychophysiological and GPS devices could be used as objective measures in conjunction with self-report measures to further understand the persuasive processes and outcomes of emotion-based anti-speeding advertisements.
Quantile equivalence to evaluate compliance with habitat management objectives

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cade, Brian S.; Johnson, Pamela R.

2011-01-01

Equivalence estimated with linear quantile regression was used to evaluate compliance with habitat management objectives at Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge based on monitoring data collected in upland (5,781 ha; n = 511 transects) and riparian and meadow (2,856 ha, n = 389 transects) habitats from 2005 to 2008. Quantiles were used because the management objectives specified proportions of the habitat area that needed to comply with vegetation criteria. The linear model was used to obtain estimates that were averaged across 4 y. The equivalence testing framework allowed us to interpret confidence intervals for estimated proportions with respect to intervals of vegetative criteria (equivalence regions) in either a liberal, benefit-of-doubt or conservative, fail-safe approach associated with minimizing alternative risks. Simple Boolean conditional arguments were used to combine the quantile equivalence results for individual vegetation components into a joint statement for the multivariable management objectives. For example, management objective 2A required at least 809 ha of upland habitat with a shrub composition ≥0.70 sagebrush (Artemisia spp.), 20–30% canopy cover of sagebrush ≥25 cm in height, ≥20% canopy cover of grasses, and ≥10% canopy cover of forbs on average over 4 y. Shrub composition and canopy cover of grass each were readily met on >3,000 ha under either conservative or liberal interpretations of sampling variability. However, there were only 809–1,214 ha (conservative to liberal) with ≥10% forb canopy cover and 405–1,098 ha with 20–30%canopy cover of sagebrush ≥25 cm in height. Only 91–180 ha of uplands simultaneously met criteria for all four components, primarily because canopy cover of sagebrush and forbs was inversely related when considered at the spatial scale (30 m) of a sample transect. We demonstrate how the quantile equivalence analyses also can help refine the numerical specification of habitat objectives and explore
Development and alignment of undergraduate medical curricula in a web-based, dynamic Learning Opportunities, Objectives and Outcome Platform (LOOOP).

PubMed

Balzer, Felix; Hautz, Wolf E; Spies, Claudia; Bietenbeck, Andreas; Dittmar, Martin; Sugiharto, Firman; Lehmann, Lars; Eisenmann, Dorothea; Bubser, Florian; Stieg, Markus; Hanfler, Sven; Georg, Waltraud; Tekian, Ara; Ahlers, Olaf

2016-01-01

This study presents a web-based method and its interface ensuring alignment of all parts of a curriculum map including competencies, objectives, teaching and assessment methods, workload and patient availability. Needs, acceptance and effectiveness are shown through a nine-year study. After a comprehensive needs assessment, the curriculum map and a web-based interface "Learning Opportunities, Objectives and Outcome Platform" (LOOOP) were developed according to Harden's conceptual framework of 10-steps for curriculum mapping. The outcome was measured by surveys and results of interdisciplinary MCQ-assessments. The usage rates and functionalities were analysed. The implementation of LOOOP was significantly associated with improved perception of the curriculum structure by teachers and students, quality of defined objectives and their alignment with teaching and assessment, usage by students to prepare examinations and their scores in interdisciplinary MCQ-assessment. Additionally, LOOOP improved the curriculum coordination by faculty, and assisted departments for identifying patient availability for clinical training. LOOOP is well accepted among students and teachers, has positive effect on curriculum development, facilitates effective utilisation of educational resources and improves student's outcomes. Currently, LOOOP is used in five undergraduate medical curricula including 85,000 mapped learning opportunities (lectures, seminars), 5000 registered users (students, teachers) and 380,000 yearly page-visits.

Testing thermal comfort of trekking boots: an objective and subjective evaluation.

PubMed

Arezes, P M; Neves, M M; Teixeira, S F; Leão, C P; Cunha, J L

2013-07-01

The study of the thermal comfort of the feet when using a specific type of shoe is of paramount importance, in particular if the main goal of the study is to attend to the needs of users. The main aim of this study was to propose a test battery for thermal comfort analysis and to apply it to the analysis of trekking boots. Methodologically, the project involves both objective and subjective evaluations. An objective evaluation of the thermal properties of the fabrics used in the boots was developed and applied. In addition, the thermal comfort provided when using the boots was also assessed both subjective and objectively. The evaluation of the thermal comfort during use, which was simulated in a laboratory environment, included the measurement of the temperature and moisture of the feet. The subjective assessment was performed using a questionnaire. From the results obtained, it was possible to define an optimal combination of fabrics to apply to trekking boots by considering the provided thermal insulation, air permeability and wicking. The results also revealed that the subjective perception of thermal comfort appears to be more related to the increase in temperature of the feet than to the moisture retention inside the boot. Although the evaluation of knits used in the boots indicated that a particular combination of fibres was optimal for use in the inner layer, the subjective and objective evaluation of thermal comfort revealed that the evaluation provided by users did not necessarily match the technical assessment data. No correlation was observed between the general comfort and specific thermal comfort assessments. Finally, the identification of thermal discomfort by specific foot areas would be useful in the process of designing and developing boots. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.
Evaluating outcomes of palliative photodynamic therapy: instrument development and preliminary results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goodell, Teresa T.; Bargo, Paulo R.; Jacques, Steven L.

2002-06-01

Background: Subjective measures are considered the gold standard in palliative care evaluation, but no studies have evaluated palliative photodynamic therapy (PDT) subjectively. If PDT is to be accepted as a palliative therapy for later-stage obstructing esophageal and lung cancer, evidence of its effectiveness and acceptability to patients must be made known. Study Design/Materials and Methods: This ongoing study's major aim is to evaluate subjective outcomes of PDT in patients with obstructing esophageal and lung cancer. Existing measures of health status, dysphagia and performance status were supplemented with an instrument developed to evaluate PDT symptom relief and side effect burden, the PDT Side Effects Survey (PSES). Results: PDT patients treated with porfimer sodium (Photofrin) and 630-nm light experienced reduced dysphagia grade and stable performance status for at least one month after PDT (N= 10-17), but these effects did not necessarily persist at three months. Fatigue, appetite and quality of life may be the most burdensome issues for these patients. Conclusions: Preliminary data suggest that the PSES is an acceptable and valid tool for measuring subjective outcomes of palliative PDT. This study is the first attempt to systematically evaluate subjective outcomes of palliative PDT. Multi-center outcomes research is needed to draw generalizable conclusions that will establish PDT's effectiveness in actual clinical practice and enhance the wider adoption of PDT as a cancer symptom relief modality.
A framework for outcome-level evaluation of in-service training of health care workers.

PubMed

O'Malley, Gabrielle; Perdue, Thomas; Petracca, Frances

2013-10-01

In-service training is a key strategic approach to addressing the severe shortage of health care workers in many countries. However, there is a lack of evidence linking these health care worker trainings to improved health outcomes. In response, the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief's Human Resources for Health Technical Working Group initiated a project to develop an outcome-focused training evaluation framework. This paper presents the methods and results of that project. A general inductive methodology was used for the conceptualization and development of the framework. Fifteen key informant interviews were conducted to explore contextual factors, perceived needs, barriers and facilitators affecting the evaluation of training outcomes. In addition, a thematic analysis of 70 published articles reporting health care worker training outcomes identified key themes and categories. These were integrated, synthesized and compared to several existing training evaluation models. This formed an overall typology which was used to draft a new framework. Finally, the framework was refined and validated through an iterative process of feedback, pilot testing and revision. The inductive process resulted in identification of themes and categories, as well as relationships among several levels and types of outcomes. The resulting framework includes nine distinct types of outcomes that can be evaluated, which are organized within three nested levels: individual, organizational and health system/population. The outcome types are: (1) individual knowledge, attitudes and skills; (2) individual performance; (3) individual patient health; (4) organizational systems; (5) organizational performance; (6) organizational-level patient health; (7) health systems; (8) population-level performance; and (9) population-level health. The framework also addresses contextual factors which may influence the outcomes of training, as well as the ability of evaluators to
Outcome assessment of lingual and labial appliances compared with cephalometric analysis, peer assessment rating, and objective grading system in Angle Class II extraction cases.

PubMed

Deguchi, Toru; Terao, Fumie; Aonuma, Tomo; Kataoka, Tomoki; Sugawara, Yasuyo; Yamashiro, Takashi; Takano-Yamamoto, Teruko

2015-05-01

To validate our hypothesis that there would be significant differences in treatment outcomes, including cephalometric values, degree of root resorption, occlusal indices, and functional aspect, between cases treated with labial and lingual appliances. Twenty-four consecutively treated Class II cases with extractions and lingual appliance were compared with 25 matched cases treated with extraction and labial appliance. Orthodontic treatment outcomes were evaluated by cephalometric analysis, peer assessment rating, and an objective grading system (OGS). Additionally, functional analysis was also performed in both groups after orthodontic treatment. Statistical comparison was performed using the Wilcoxon signed rank test within the groups, and the Mann-Whitney U-test was used to compare between the labial and lingual groups. The only significant difference between the groups was that the interincisal angle was larger in the lingual group than in the labial group. OGS evaluation showed that control over root angulation was significantly worse in the lingual group than in the labial group. There was no significant difference between groups in the amount of root resorption or in functional evaluation. Generally, lingual appliances offer comparable treatment results to those obtained with labial appliances. However, care should be taken with lingual appliances because they are more prone to produce uprighted incisors and root angulation.
The influence of intention and outcome on evaluations of social interaction.

PubMed

Wu, Xiaoying; Hua, Rui; Yang, Zhangxiang; Yin, Jun

2018-01-01

Reading and making sense of social interactions between individuals is an important part of our daily social lives. Given that actions tend to be interpreted in terms of intent within the observed outcome, we investigated how intent and outcome interactively influence evaluations of social interactions. Through visual animations, intent was operationalized as an agent's (i.e., actor's) act intentionally or unintentionally having an influence on another agent (i.e., affectee). In Experiment 1, the act was helpful and the consequences brought small or great benefits to the affectee. In Experiment 2, the act was harmful and brought small or great losses to the affectee. We found that for both helpful and harmful contexts, social interaction evaluations were influenced by an interaction between the intent and outcome of the act. Specifically, great help/harm (i.e., the great-benefits or great-losses condition) was rated as a stronger social interaction than small help/harm, and the difference was larger in the intentional condition than in the unintentional condition. Furthermore, regardless of the interaction valence, the effect of the intent was larger than the effect of the outcome when evaluating social interaction. This result suggests that observers consider the intent and outcome jointly when evaluating a given social interaction, and the intent has a privileged role in this process. These findings are consistent with the idea that the intent is often deemed to be the cause driving the effect of outcome, and they help us to understand how social interactions are constructed within the action understanding system. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Objective measurements to evaluate glottal space segmentation from laryngeal images.

PubMed

Gutiérrez-Arriola, J M; Osma-Ruiz, V; Sáenz-Lechón, N; Godino-Llorente, J I; Fraile, R; Arias-Londoño, J D

2012-01-01

Objective evaluation of the results of medical image segmentation is a known problem. Applied to the task of automatically detecting the glottal area from laryngeal images, this paper proposes a new objective measurement to evaluate the quality of a segmentation algorithm by comparing with the results given by a human expert. The new figure of merit is called Area Index, and its effectiveness is compared with one of the most used figures of merit found in the literature: the Pratt Index. Results over 110 laryngeal images presented high correlations between both indexes, demonstrating that the proposed measure is comparable to the Pratt Index and it is a good indicator of the segmentation quality.
Exploring Outcomes to Consider in Economic Evaluations of Health Promotion Programs: What Broader Non-Health Outcomes Matter Most?

PubMed

Benning, Tim M; Alayli-Goebbels, Adrienne F G; Aarts, Marie-Jeanne; Stolk, Elly; de Wit, G Ardine; Prenger, Rilana; Braakman-Jansen, Louise M A; Evers, Silvia M A A

2015-07-14

Attention is increasing on the consideration of broader non-health outcomes in economic evaluations. It is unknown which non-health outcomes are valued as most relevant in the context of health promotion. The present study fills this gap by investigating the relative importance of non-health outcomes in a health promotion context. We investigated the relative importance of ten non-health outcomes of health promotion programs not commonly captured in QALYs. Preferences were elicited from a sample of the Dutch general public (N = 549) by means of a ranking task. These preferences were analyzed using Borda scores and rank-ordered logit models. The relative order of preference (from most to least important) was: self-confidence, insights into own (un)healthy behavior, perceived life control, knowledge about a certain health problem, social support, relaxation, better educational achievements, increased labor participation and work productivity, social participation, and a reduction in criminal behavior. The weight given to a particular non-health outcome was affected by the demographic variables age, gender, income, and education. Furthermore, in an open question, respondents mentioned a number of other relevant non-health outcomes, which we classified into outcomes relevant for the individual, the direct social environment, and for society as a whole. The study provides valuable insights in the non-health outcomes that are considered as most important by the Dutch general population. Ideally, researchers should include the most important non-health outcomes in economic evaluations of health promotion.
Value of Value-Added Models Based on Student Outcomes to Evaluate Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berk, Ronald A.

2016-01-01

Recently, student outcomes have bubbled to the top of debates about how to evaluate teaching in community and liberal arts colleges, universities, and professional schools, but even more international attention has been riveted on how outcomes are being used to evaluate teachers and administrators K-12 (Harris, 2012; Rowen & Raudenbush, 2016;…
Subjective and objective voice evaluation in Sjögren's syndrome.

PubMed

Saltürk, Ziya; Özdemir, Erdi; Kumral, Tolgar Lütfi; Karabacakoğlu, Zeynep; Kumral, Esra; Yildiz, Hatice Elvin; Mersinlioğlu, Gökhan; Atar, Yavuz; Berkiten, Güler; Yildirim, Güven; Uyar, Yavuz

2017-04-01

Objective The aim of this study is to assess the subjective and objective aspects of voice in Sjögren's syndrome. Methods The study enrolled 10 women with Sjögren's syndrome and 12 healthy women. Maximum phonation time, fundamental frequency, jitter, shimmer, and noise-to-harmonics ratio were determined during acoustic voice analysis. The Stroboscopy Evaluation Rating Form was used for the laryngostroboscopic evaluation. A subjective evaluation was performed using the Turkish version of Voice Handicap Index-10. Results The mean age of the Sjögren's syndrome and control groups was 46 ± 13.89 and 41.27 ± 6.99 years, respectively, and did not differ (P = 0.131). In the laryngostroboscopic evaluation, the smoothness and straightness of vocal folds, regularity, and glottal closure differed significantly. In the acoustic and aerodynamic analyses, none of the parameters differed statistically, while the Sjögren's syndrome group had significantly higher Voice Handicap Index-10 scores than the controls. Conclusion Sjögren's syndrome affects the voice and voice quality.
Miniature objective lens for array digital pathology: design improvement based on clinical evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCall, Brian; Pierce, Mark; Graviss, Edward A.; Richards-Kortum, Rebecca R.; Tkaczyk, Tomasz S.

2016-03-01

A miniature objective designed for digital detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) was evaluated for diagnostic accuracy. The objective was designed for array microscopy, but fabricated and evaluated at this stage of development as a single objective. The counts and diagnoses of patient samples were directly compared for digital detection and standard microscopy. The results were found to be correlated and highly concordant. The evaluation of this lens by direct comparison to standard fluorescence sputum smear microscopy presented unique challenges and led to some new insights in the role played by the system parameters of the microscope. The design parameters and how they were developed are reviewed in light of these results. New system parameters are proposed with the goal of easing the challenges of evaluating the miniature objective and maintaining the optical performance that produced the agreeable results presented without over-optimizing. A new design is presented that meets and exceeds these criteria.
Method and Application for Dynamic Comprehensive Evaluation with Subjective and Objective Information

PubMed Central

Liu, Dinglin; Zhao, Xianglian

2013-01-01

In an effort to deal with more complicated evaluation situations, scientists have focused their efforts on dynamic comprehensive evaluation research. How to make full use of the subjective and objective information has become one of the noteworthy content. In this paper, a dynamic comprehensive evaluation method with subjective and objective information is proposed. We use the combination weighting method to determine the index weight. Analysis hierarchy process method is applied to dispose the subjective information, and criteria importance through intercriteria correlation method is used to handle the objective information. And for the time weight determination, we consider both time distance and information size to embody the principle of esteeming the present over the past. And then the linear weighted average model is constructed to make the evaluation process more practicable. Finally, an example is presented to illustrate the effectiveness of this method. Overall, the results suggest that the proposed method is reasonable and effective. PMID:24386176
Two years' outcome of thread lifting with absorbable barbed PDO threads: Innovative score for objective and subjective assessment.

PubMed

Ali, Yasser Helmy

2018-02-01

Thread-lifting rejuvenation procedures have evolved again, with the development of absorbable threads. Although they have gained popularity among plastic surgeons and dermatologists, very few articles have been written in literature about absorbable threads. This study aims to evaluate two years' outcome of thread lifting using absorbable barbed threads for facial rejuvenation. Prospective comparative stud both objectively and subjectively and follow-up assessment for 24 months. Thread lifting for face rejuvenation has significant long-lasting effects that include skin lifting from 3-10 mm and high degree of patients' satisfaction with less incidence rate of complications, about 4.8%. Augmented results are obtained when thread lifting is combined with other lifting and rejuvenation modalities. Significant facial rejuvenation is achieved by thread lifting and highly augmented results are observed when they are combined with Botox, fillers, and/or platelet rich plasma (PRP) rejuvenations.
A data set for evaluating the performance of multi-class multi-object video tracking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakraborty, Avishek; Stamatescu, Victor; Wong, Sebastien C.; Wigley, Grant; Kearney, David

2017-05-01

One of the challenges in evaluating multi-object video detection, tracking and classification systems is having publically available data sets with which to compare different systems. However, the measures of performance for tracking and classification are different. Data sets that are suitable for evaluating tracking systems may not be appropriate for classification. Tracking video data sets typically only have ground truth track IDs, while classification video data sets only have ground truth class-label IDs. The former identifies the same object over multiple frames, while the latter identifies the type of object in individual frames. This paper describes an advancement of the ground truth meta-data for the DARPA Neovision2 Tower data set to allow both the evaluation of tracking and classification. The ground truth data sets presented in this paper contain unique object IDs across 5 different classes of object (Car, Bus, Truck, Person, Cyclist) for 24 videos of 871 image frames each. In addition to the object IDs and class labels, the ground truth data also contains the original bounding box coordinates together with new bounding boxes in instances where un-annotated objects were present. The unique IDs are maintained during occlusions between multiple objects or when objects re-enter the field of view. This will provide: a solid foundation for evaluating the performance of multi-object tracking of different types of objects, a straightforward comparison of tracking system performance using the standard Multi Object Tracking (MOT) framework, and classification performance using the Neovision2 metrics. These data have been hosted publically.
How do environmental governance processes shape evaluation of outcomes by stakeholders? A causal pathways approach

PubMed Central

Plummer, Ryan; Dzyundzyak, Angela; Bodin, Örjan; Armitage, Derek; Schultz, Lisen

2017-01-01

Multi-stakeholder environmental management and governance processes are essential to realize social and ecological outcomes. Participation, collaboration, and learning are emphasized in these processes; to gain insights into how they influence stakeholders’ evaluations of outcomes in relation to management and governance interventions we use a path analysis approach to examine their relationships in individuals in four UNESCO Biosphere Reserves. We confirm a model showing that participation in more activities leads to greater ratings of process, and in turn, better evaluations of outcomes. We show the effects of participation in activities on evaluation of outcomes appear to be driven by learning more than collaboration. Original insights are offered as to how the evaluations of outcomes by stakeholders are shaped by their participation in activities and their experiences in management and governance processes. Understanding stakeholder perceptions about the processes in which they are involved and their evaluation of outcomes is imperative, and influences current and future levels of engagement. As such, the evaluation of outcomes themselves are an important tangible product from initiatives. Our research contributes to a future research agenda aimed at better understanding these pathways and their implications for engagement in stewardship and ultimately social and ecological outcomes, and to developing recommendations for practitioners engaged in environmental management and governance. PMID:28945792
An Evaluation of Army Wellness Center Clients' Health-Related Outcomes.

PubMed

Rivera, L Omar; Ford, Jessica Danielle; Hartzell, Meredith Marie; Hoover, Todd Allan

2018-01-01

To examine whether Army community members participating in a best-practice based workplace health promotion program (WHPP) experience goal-moderated improvements in health-related outcomes. Pretest/posttest outcome evaluation examining an autonomously participating client cohort over 1 year. Army Wellness Center facilities on 19 Army installations. Army community members sample (N = 5703), mostly Active Duty Soldiers (64%). Assessment of health risks with feedback, health assessments, health education classes, and health coaching sessions conducted by health educators at a recommended frequency of once a month for 3 to 12 months. Initial and follow-up outcome assessments of body mass index (BMI), body fat, cardiorespiratory fitness, blood pressure, and perceived stress. Mixed model linear regression testing for goal-moderated improvements in outcomes. Clients experienced significant improvements in body fat (-2% change), perceived stress (-6% to -12% change), cardiorespiratory fitness (+6% change), and blood pressure (-1% change) regardless of health-related goal. Only clients with a weight loss goal experienced BMI improvement (-1% change). Follow-up outcome assessment rates ranged from 44% (N = 2509) for BMI to 6% (N = 342) for perceived stress. Army Wellness Center clients with at least 1 follow-up outcome assessment experienced improvements in military readiness correlates and chronic disease risk factors. Evaluation design and follow-up-related limitations notwithstanding results suggest that best practices in WHPPs can effectively serve a globally distributed military force.
National Evaluation of Bologna Implementation in Finland: Procedures and Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahola, Sakari

2012-01-01

Finland has performed, as one of the first Bologna countries, a national evaluation of the outcomes of the implementation of the Bologna process. The evaluation was organized by the Finnish Higher Education Evaluation Council and performed by an independent expert group during 2010. In general, the reform was conceived as a significant development…
Evaluating an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) Adapted for Social Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bogo, Marion; Regehr, Cheryl; Katz, Ellen; Logie, Carmen; Tufford, Lea; Litvack, Andrea

2012-01-01

Objectives: To evaluate an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) adapted for social work in a lab course and examine the degree to which it predicts competence in the practicum. Method: 125 Masters students participated in a one-scenario OSCE and wrote responses to standardized reflection questions. OSCE performance and reflections were…
A framework for outcome-level evaluation of in-service training of health care workers

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background In-service training is a key strategic approach to addressing the severe shortage of health care workers in many countries. However, there is a lack of evidence linking these health care worker trainings to improved health outcomes. In response, the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief’s Human Resources for Health Technical Working Group initiated a project to develop an outcome-focused training evaluation framework. This paper presents the methods and results of that project. Methods A general inductive methodology was used for the conceptualization and development of the framework. Fifteen key informant interviews were conducted to explore contextual factors, perceived needs, barriers and facilitators affecting the evaluation of training outcomes. In addition, a thematic analysis of 70 published articles reporting health care worker training outcomes identified key themes and categories. These were integrated, synthesized and compared to several existing training evaluation models. This formed an overall typology which was used to draft a new framework. Finally, the framework was refined and validated through an iterative process of feedback, pilot testing and revision. Results The inductive process resulted in identification of themes and categories, as well as relationships among several levels and types of outcomes. The resulting framework includes nine distinct types of outcomes that can be evaluated, which are organized within three nested levels: individual, organizational and health system/population. The outcome types are: (1) individual knowledge, attitudes and skills; (2) individual performance; (3) individual patient health; (4) organizational systems; (5) organizational performance; (6) organizational-level patient health; (7) health systems; (8) population-level performance; and (9) population-level health. The framework also addresses contextual factors which may influence the outcomes of training, as well as the
An Evaluation of Database Solutions to Spatial Object Association

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

Kumar, V S; Kurc, T; Saltz, J

2008-06-24

Object association is a common problem encountered in many applications. Spatial object association, also referred to as crossmatch of spatial datasets, is the problem of identifying and comparing objects in two datasets based on their positions in a common spatial coordinate system--one of the datasets may correspond to a catalog of objects observed over time in a multi-dimensional domain; the other dataset may consist of objects observed in a snapshot of the domain at a time point. The use of database management systems to the solve the object association problem provides portability across different platforms and also greater flexibility. Increasingmore » dataset sizes in today's applications, however, have made object association a data/compute-intensive problem that requires targeted optimizations for efficient execution. In this work, we investigate how database-based crossmatch algorithms can be deployed on different database system architectures and evaluate the deployments to understand the impact of architectural choices on crossmatch performance and associated trade-offs. We investigate the execution of two crossmatch algorithms on (1) a parallel database system with active disk style processing capabilities, (2) a high-throughput network database (MySQL Cluster), and (3) shared-nothing databases with replication. We have conducted our study in the context of a large-scale astronomy application with real use-case scenarios.« less
Outcomes of allergy/immunology follow-up after an emergency department evaluation for anaphylaxis.

PubMed

Campbell, Ronna L; Park, Miguel A; Kueber, Michael A; Lee, Sangil; Hagan, John B

2015-01-01

Anaphylaxis guidelines currently recommend referring patients with anaphylaxis seen in the emergency department (ED) to an allergist for follow up. The objective of our study was to evaluate outcomes of allergy/immunology follow-up after an ED visit for anaphylaxis. A retrospective health records review was conducted from April 2008 to August 2012. Charts were reviewed independently by 2 allergists to determine outcomes. Descriptive statistics with corresponding 95% CIs were calculated. Among 573 patients seen in the ED who met anaphylaxis diagnostic criteria, 217 (38%) had a documented allergy/immunology follow-up. After allergy/immunology evaluation, 16 patients (7% [95% CI, 5%-12%]) had anaphylaxis ruled out. Among those with an unknown ED trigger (n = 74), 24 (32% [95% CI, 23%-44%]) had a trigger identified; and, among those who had a specific suspected ED trigger (n = 143), 9 (6% [95% CI, 3%-12%]) had a trigger identified in a category other than the one suspected in the ED, and 28 (20% [95% CI, 14%-27%]) had an unknown trigger. Thus, there were a total of 77 patients (35% [95% CI, 29%-42%]) who had an alteration in the diagnosis of anaphylaxis or trigger after allergy/immunology evaluation. Four patients (2% [95% CI, 0.7%-4.6%]) were diagnosed with a mast cell activation disorder, and 13 patients (6% [95% CI, 4%-10%]) underwent immunotherapy or desensitization. Overall, 35% of the patients with suspected anaphylaxis in the ED had an alteration in the diagnosis or suspected trigger after allergy/immunology evaluation. These results underscore the importance of allergy/immunology follow-up after an ED visit for anaphylaxis. Copyright © 2014 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An Empirical Review of Internet Addiction Outcome Studies in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Chennan; Liao, Minli; Smith, Douglas C.

2012-01-01

Objectives: The authors systematically reviewed the outcomes and methodological quality of 24 Internet addiction (IA) treatment outcome studies in China. Method: The authors used 15 attributes from the quality of evidence scores to evaluate 24 outcome studies. These studies came from both English and Chinese academic databases from 2000 to 2010.…
Evaluating the inverse reasoning account of object discovery.

PubMed

Carroll, Christopher D; Kemp, Charles

2015-06-01

People routinely make inferences about unobserved objects. A hotel guest with welts on his arms, for example, will often worry about bed bugs. The discovery of unobserved objects almost always involves a backward inference from some observed effects (e.g., welts) to unobserved causes (e.g., bed bugs). The inverse reasoning account, which is typically formalized as Bayesian inference, posits that the strength of a backward inference is closely connected to the strength of the corresponding forward inference from the unobserved causes to the observed effects. We evaluated the inverse reasoning account of object discovery in three experiments where participants were asked to discover the unobserved "attractors" and "repellers" that controlled a "particle" moving within an arena. Experiments 1 and 2 showed that participants often failed to provide the best explanations for various particle motions, even when the best explanations were simple and when participants enthusiastically endorsed these explanations when presented with them. This failure demonstrates that object discovery is critically dependent on the processes that support hypothesis generation-processes that the inverse reasoning account does not explain. Experiment 3 demonstrated that people sometimes generate explanations that are invalid even according to their own forward inferences, suggesting that the psychological processes that support forward and backward inference are less intertwined than the inverse reasoning account suggests. The experimental findings support an alternative account of object discovery in which people rely on heuristics to generate possible explanations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Vocational Education Outcomes: An Evaluative Bibliography of Empirical Studies. Bibliography Series No. 49.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bolland, Kathleen A.

As part of a project designed to identify appropriate and feasible methods of evaluating vocational education with respect to its outcomes, this bibliography contains descriptive and evaluative annotations of a selection of empirical studies of vocational education outcomes. Following a technical introduction discussing the methodological issues…
Practical Application of Aspiration as an Outcome Indicator in Extension Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jayaratne, K. S. U.

2010-01-01

Extension educators need simple and accurate evaluation tools for program evaluation. This article explains how to use aspiration as an outcome indicator in Extension evaluation and introduces a practical evaluation tool. Aspiration can be described as the readiness for change. By recording participants' levels of aspiration, we will be able to…
Cauda equina syndrome: evaluation of the clinical outcome.

PubMed

Tamburrelli, F C; Genitiempo, M; Bochicchio, M; Donisi, L; Ratto, C

2014-01-01

Cauda equina syndrome is a rare but highly impairing syndrome involving lower limbs as well as urinary, defecatory and sexual function. In the literature the most investigated sphincter dysfunction is the urinary. Bowel and sexual function are often overlooked since they become more relevant after the acute phase. Eight consecutive male patients affected by cauda equina syndrome with sphincter dysfunction due to herniated disc disease of lumbar spine were treated between 2007 and 2009. Five patients were followed-up for at least two years. Sexual function was evaluated by IIEF-5 questionnaire; bowel function was investigated by means of clinical and instrumental investigation and manometry. Although little clinical improved, patients still complained severe symptoms at first year follow-up while all but one improved significantly in the following year. At two years follow-up only the patient whose cauda equina syndrome was misdiagnosed and surgically treated late respect to the onset of the syndrome, complained a persistent severe sexual and bowel dysfunction. Our results show that a long-term follow-up is mandatory to evaluate the real outcome of surgical managed cauda equine syndrome because short-term evaluation could be misleading about the residual capacity of late neurologic improving. Despite the relatively low number of cases evaluated, our results confirm that early diagnosing and treating the syndrome are relevant for the final outcome.
What counts: outcome assessment after distal radius fractures in aged patients.

PubMed

Goldhahn, Jörg; Angst, Felix; Simmen, Beat R

2008-09-01

Outcome of surgical interventions at the distal radius does not only depend on the type of intervention used, it also depends on the way the outcome is measured. Substantial differences in outcome assessment between different measurement tools and poor correlation among them result in the question about the best instrument for the evaluation of treatment after distal radius fractures. The aim of the review is to discuss pros and cons of the parameters that are available to assess the outcome after distal radius fractures. The review should help to choose the appropriate instruments for a given research question in aged patients with distal radius fractures. Objective and subjective measures were reviewed with respect to their suitability in outcome assessment. Radiological parameters like inclination, palmar slope, and length of the radius are most common and used to determine especially surgical success. Grip strength and range of motion are considered objective and used as study endpoints in many studies. Functional tests like the Jebsen test provide a realistic feedback about disability but require special skills and resources of the testing personnel. Patient self-assessment adds perceived patient benefit. The patient-rated wrist evaluation (PRWE) provides a reliable and valid instrument for subjective outcome assessment. A combination of objective and subjective parameters should be used to assess the outcome of different treatment strategies due to the known discrepancies. Objective parameters like shortening, radial shift, or others should be clearly defined in the study methodology.
Objective evaluation of the visual acuity in human eyes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosales, M. A.; López-Olazagasti, E.; Ramírez-Zavaleta, G.; Varillas, G.; Tepichín, E.

2009-08-01

Traditionally, the quality of the human vision is evaluated by a subjective test in which the examiner asks the patient to read a series of characters of different sizes, located at a certain distance of the patient. Typically, we need to ensure a subtended angle of vision of 5 minutes, which implies an object of 8.8 mm high located at 6 meters (normal or 20/20 visual acuity). These characters constitute what is known as the Snellen chart, universally used to evaluate the spatial resolution of the human eyes. The mentioned process of identification of characters is carried out by means of the eye - brain system, giving an evaluation of the subjective visual performance. In this work we consider the eye as an isolated image-forming system, and show that it is possible to isolate the function of the eye from that of the brain in this process. By knowing the impulse response of the eyeÂ´s system we can obtain, in advance, the image of the Snellen chart simultaneously. From this information, we obtain the objective performance of the eye as the optical system under test. This type of results might help to detect anomalous situations of the human vision, like the so called "cerebral myopia".
Auditory Outcomes with Hearing Rehabilitation in Children with Unilateral Hearing Loss: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Appachi, Swathi; Specht, Jessica L; Raol, Nikhila; Lieu, Judith E C; Cohen, Michael S; Dedhia, Kavita; Anne, Samantha

2017-10-01

Objective Options for management of unilateral hearing loss (UHL) in children include conventional hearing aids, bone-conduction hearing devices, contralateral routing of signal (CROS) aids, and frequency-modulating (FM) systems. The objective of this study was to systematically review the current literature to characterize auditory outcomes of hearing rehabilitation options in UHL. Data Sources PubMed, EMBASE, Medline, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library were searched from inception to January 2016. Manual searches of bibliographies were also performed. Review Methods Studies analyzing auditory outcomes of hearing amplification in children with UHL were included. Outcome measures included functional and objective auditory results. Two independent reviewers evaluated each abstract and article. Results Of the 249 articles identified, 12 met inclusion criteria. Seven articles solely focused on outcomes with bone-conduction hearing devices. Outcomes favored improved pure-tone averages, speech recognition thresholds, and sound localization in implanted patients. Five studies focused on FM systems, conventional hearing aids, or CROS hearing aids. Limited data are available but suggest a trend toward improvement in speech perception with hearing aids. FM systems were shown to have the most benefit for speech recognition in noise. Studies evaluating CROS hearing aids demonstrated variable outcomes. Conclusions Data evaluating functional and objective auditory measures following hearing amplification in children with UHL are limited. Most studies do suggest improvement in speech perception, speech recognition in noise, and sound localization with a hearing rehabilitation device.
Multiple Year Extension Program Outcomes & Impacts through Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hachfeld, Gary A.; Bau, David B.; Holcomb, C. Robert; Craig, J. William

2013-01-01

Dwindling public funding as well as greater competition for grant dollars create a challenge for Extension. For Extension to remain a financially viable organization, educators have to be able to produce substantive, measurable program outcomes and impacts. Evaluative data can inform program development and delivery, and helps administrators…
Literature review of outcome parameters used in studies of Geriatric Fracture Centers.

PubMed

Liem, I S L; Kammerlander, C; Suhm, N; Kates, S L; Blauth, M

2014-02-01

A variety of multidisciplinary treatment models have been described to improve outcome after osteoporotic hip fractures. There is a tendency toward better outcomes after implementation of the most sophisticated model with a shared leadership for orthopedic surgeons and geriatricians; the Geriatric Fracture Center. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the use of outcome parameters in published literature on the Geriatric Fracture Center evaluation studies. A literature search was performed using Medline and the Cochrane Library to identify Geriatric Fracture Center evaluation studies. The outcome parameters used in the included studies were evaluated. A total of 16 outcome parameters were used in 11 studies to evaluate patient outcome in 8 different Geriatric Fracture Centers. Two of these outcome parameters are patient-reported outcome measures and 14 outcome parameters were objective measures. In-hospital mortality, length of stay, time to surgery, place of residence and complication rate are the most frequently used outcome parameters. The patient-reported outcomes included activities of daily living and mobility scores. There is a need for generally agreed upon outcome measures to facilitate comparison of different care models.
Development of a Self-Report Tool to Evaluate Hearing Aid Outcomes among Chinese Speakers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wong, Lena L. N.; Hang, Na

2014-01-01

Purpose: This article reports on the development of a self-report tool--the Chinese Hearing Aid Outcomes Questionnaire (CHAOQ)--to evaluate hearing aid outcomes among Chinese speakers. Method: There were 4 phases to construct the CHAOQ and evaluate its psychometric properties. First, items were selected to evaluate a range of culturally relevant…
Scholar outcomes for dental internship research program in Saudi Arabia: A qualitative evaluation.

PubMed

Bahammam, Laila A; Linjawi, Amal I

2017-04-01

To explore the potential, challenges and needs for internship research activities in achieving scholar outcomes among graduates. A qualitative general needs assessment and evaluation of an internship research program was conducted at King Abdulaziz University, Faculty of Dentistry (KAUFD), KSA, from December 2014 to February 2015 using focus groups and interviews. The participants included: administrates, faculty, and internship students. Data were transcribed and analyzed following the grounded theory. The participants were two administrative personnel, 21 faculty members, and 16 internship students. Results were clustered around five main domains; curriculum design, faculty, students, administrative, and institutional domain. Reported potentials included: a multi-faceted educational intervention approach, and building evidence-based skills and inquiry minds among graduates. Time, load, and incentives were major challenges reported by faculty. Interesting and achievable research topics were major challenges reported by students. Areas that needed development included: equipped research personnel, aligned administrative and institutional support, faculty skills, students' knowledge and skills, aligned curriculum, and clear program goals, objectives, and outcomes. Curriculum design, faculty and students' skills; as well as administrative and institutional support were found to play major roles in the success of the current internship research program at KAUFD.
Methodology for Evaluating Quality and Reusability of Learning Objects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurilovas, Eugenijus; Bireniene, Virginija; Serikoviene, Silvija

2011-01-01

The aim of the paper is to present the scientific model and several methods for the expert evaluation of quality of learning objects (LOs) paying especial attention to LOs reusability level. The activities of eQNet Quality Network for a European Learning Resource Exchange (LRE) aimed to improve reusability of LOs of European Schoolnet's LRE…
Project SEARCH UK - Evaluating Its Employment Outcomes.

PubMed

Kaehne, Axel

2016-11-01

The study reports the findings of an evaluation of Project SEARCH UK. The programme develops internships for young people with intellectual disabilities who are about to leave school or college. The aim of the evaluation was to investigate at what rate Project SEARCH provided employment opportunities to participants. The evaluation obtained data from all sites operational in the UK at the time of evaluation (n = 17) and analysed employment outcomes. Data were available for 315 young people (n = 315) in the programme and pay and other employment related data were available for a subsample. The results of the analysis suggest that Project SEARCH achieves on average employment rates of around 50 per cent. Project SEARCH UK represents a valuable addition to the supported employment provision in the UK. Its unique model should inform discussions around best practice in supported employment. Implications for other supported employment programmes are discussed. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Children's Program Outcome Review Team: 2001 Evaluation Results.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wade, Patricia C.

In its eighth year of evaluating children's services in the state, the Children's Program Outcome Review Team (CPORT), under the direction of the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, continued to collect and analyze data to improve service delivery to children and families involved in state custody. Using the Quality Service Review…
Assessment of two different types of bias affecting the results of outcome-based evaluation in undergraduate medical education.

PubMed

Schiekirka, Sarah; Anders, Sven; Raupach, Tobias

2014-07-21

Estimating learning outcome from comparative student self-ratings is a reliable and valid method to identify specific strengths and shortcomings in undergraduate medical curricula. However, requiring students to complete two evaluation forms (i.e. one before and one after teaching) might adversely affect response rates. Alternatively, students could be asked to rate their initial performance level retrospectively. This approach might threaten the validity of results due to response shift or effort justification bias. Two consecutive cohorts of medical students enrolled in a six-week cardio-respiratory module were enrolled in this study. In both cohorts, performance gain was estimated for 33 specific learning objectives. In the first cohort, outcomes calculated from ratings provided before (pretest) and after (posttest) teaching were compared to outcomes derived from comparative self-ratings collected after teaching only (thentest and posttest). In the second cohort, only thentests and posttests were used to calculate outcomes, but data collection tools differed with regard to item presentation. In one group, thentest and posttest ratings were obtained sequentially on separate forms while in the other, both ratings were obtained simultaneously for each learning objective. Using thentest ratings to calculate performance gain produced slightly higher values than using true pretest ratings. Direct comparison of then- and posttest ratings also yielded slightly higher performance gain than sequential ratings, but this effect was negligibly small. Given the small effect sizes, using thentests appears to be equivalent to using true pretest ratings. Item presentation in the posttest does not significantly impact on results.
Assessment of two different types of bias affecting the results of outcome-based evaluation in undergraduate medical education

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Estimating learning outcome from comparative student self-ratings is a reliable and valid method to identify specific strengths and shortcomings in undergraduate medical curricula. However, requiring students to complete two evaluation forms (i.e. one before and one after teaching) might adversely affect response rates. Alternatively, students could be asked to rate their initial performance level retrospectively. This approach might threaten the validity of results due to response shift or effort justification bias. Methods Two consecutive cohorts of medical students enrolled in a six-week cardio-respiratory module were enrolled in this study. In both cohorts, performance gain was estimated for 33 specific learning objectives. In the first cohort, outcomes calculated from ratings provided before (pretest) and after (posttest) teaching were compared to outcomes derived from comparative self-ratings collected after teaching only (thentest and posttest). In the second cohort, only thentests and posttests were used to calculate outcomes, but data collection tools differed with regard to item presentation. In one group, thentest and posttest ratings were obtained sequentially on separate forms while in the other, both ratings were obtained simultaneously for each learning objective. Results Using thentest ratings to calculate performance gain produced slightly higher values than using true pretest ratings. Direct comparison of then- and posttest ratings also yielded slightly higher performance gain than sequential ratings, but this effect was negligibly small. Conclusions Given the small effect sizes, using thentests appears to be equivalent to using true pretest ratings. Item presentation in the posttest does not significantly impact on results. PMID:25043503
Objective Evaluation of Visual Fatigue Using Binocular Fusion Maintenance.

PubMed

Hirota, Masakazu; Morimoto, Takeshi; Kanda, Hiroyuki; Endo, Takao; Miyoshi, Tomomitsu; Miyagawa, Suguru; Hirohara, Yoko; Yamaguchi, Tatsuo; Saika, Makoto; Fujikado, Takashi

2018-03-01

In this study, we investigated whether an individual's visual fatigue can be evaluated objectively and quantitatively from their ability to maintain binocular fusion. Binocular fusion maintenance (BFM) was measured using a custom-made binocular open-view Shack-Hartmann wavefront aberrometer equipped with liquid crystal shutters, wherein eye movements and wavefront aberrations were measured simultaneously. Transmittance in the liquid crystal shutter in front of the subject's nondominant eye was reduced linearly, and BFM was determined from the transmittance at the point when binocular fusion was broken and vergence eye movement was induced. In total, 40 healthy subjects underwent the BFM test and completed a questionnaire regarding subjective symptoms before and after a visual task lasting 30 minutes. BFM was significantly reduced after the visual task ( P < 0.001) and was negatively correlated with the total subjective eye symptom score (adjusted R 2 = 0.752, P < 0.001). Furthermore, the diagnostic accuracy for visual fatigue was significantly higher in BFM than in the conventional test results (aggregated fusional vergence range, near point of convergence, and the high-frequency component of accommodative microfluctuations; P = 0.007). These results suggest that BFM can be used as an indicator for evaluating visual fatigue. BFM can be used to evaluate the visual fatigue caused by the new visual devices, such as head-mount display, objectively.
Objective Evaluation of Visual Fatigue Using Binocular Fusion Maintenance

PubMed Central

Hirota, Masakazu; Morimoto, Takeshi; Kanda, Hiroyuki; Endo, Takao; Miyoshi, Tomomitsu; Miyagawa, Suguru; Hirohara, Yoko; Yamaguchi, Tatsuo; Saika, Makoto

2018-01-01

Purpose In this study, we investigated whether an individual's visual fatigue can be evaluated objectively and quantitatively from their ability to maintain binocular fusion. Methods Binocular fusion maintenance (BFM) was measured using a custom-made binocular open-view Shack–Hartmann wavefront aberrometer equipped with liquid crystal shutters, wherein eye movements and wavefront aberrations were measured simultaneously. Transmittance in the liquid crystal shutter in front of the subject's nondominant eye was reduced linearly, and BFM was determined from the transmittance at the point when binocular fusion was broken and vergence eye movement was induced. In total, 40 healthy subjects underwent the BFM test and completed a questionnaire regarding subjective symptoms before and after a visual task lasting 30 minutes. Results BFM was significantly reduced after the visual task (P < 0.001) and was negatively correlated with the total subjective eye symptom score (adjusted R2 = 0.752, P < 0.001). Furthermore, the diagnostic accuracy for visual fatigue was significantly higher in BFM than in the conventional test results (aggregated fusional vergence range, near point of convergence, and the high-frequency component of accommodative microfluctuations; P = 0.007). Conclusions These results suggest that BFM can be used as an indicator for evaluating visual fatigue. Translational Relevance BFM can be used to evaluate the visual fatigue caused by the new visual devices, such as head-mount display, objectively. PMID:29600117
Program Fair Evaluation--Summative Appraisal of Instructional Sequences with Dissimilar Objectives.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Popham, W. James

A comparative evaluation involving two instructional programs is given, although the approach can easily serve to compare more than two programs. The steps involved in conducting a program fair evaluation of two instructional programs are: (1) Identify objectives (a) common to both programs, (b) unique to one program, and (c) unique to the other…

Measuring Outcomes in a Community Resilience Program: A New Metric for Evaluating Results at the Household Level

PubMed Central

Eisenman, David P.; Adams, Rachel M.; Rivard, Helene

2016-01-01

Community resilience programs require metrics for evaluation but none exist for measuring outcomes at the household and neighborhood level. Objectives: We develop and describe a new index, the LACCDR index of community resilience, to examine how resilience varied across communities at baseline, prior to implementation of the Los Angeles County Community Disaster Resilience Project (LACCDR). Methods: We surveyed 4700 adult residents in the sixteen LACCDR communities in English, Spanish and Korean. Each of the survey domains were selected a priori as outcome indicators aligned to the theoretical levers of community resilience. Survey questions were drawn and adapted from published studies and national surveys. Results: Factor analysis demonstrated five separate factors composed from 18 items and explaining 46.7% of the variance. The factors were characterized as community engagement, emergency supplies, communication with neighbors, civic engagement, and collective efficacy. Baseline results for the 16 communities are provided. Conclusions: We conclude that the LACCDR community resilience index can be used to measure resilience program outcomes at the neighborhood and household levels. PMID:27807510
The Social Outcomes of Older Adult Learning in Taiwan: Evaluation Framework and Indicators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Li-Hui

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study is to explore the social outcomes of older adult learning in Taiwan. In light of our society's aging population structure, the task of establishing evaluation framework and indicators for the social outcomes of learning (SOL) as applied to older adults is urgent. In order to construct evaluation indicators for older adult…
Framework of behavioral indicators for outcome evaluation of TB health promotion: a Delphi study of TB suspects and Tb patients.

PubMed

Li, Ying; Ehiri, John; Hu, Daiyu; Zhang, Yanqi; Wang, Qingya; Zhang, Shun; Cao, Jia

2014-05-16

Health promotion for prevention and control of Tuberculosis (TB) is implemented worldwide because of its importance, but few reports have evaluated its impact on behavior due to a lack of standard outcome indicators. The objective of this study was to establish a framework of behavioral indicators for outcome evaluation of TB health promotion among TB suspects and patients. A two-round modified Delphi method involving sixteen TB control experts was used to establish a framework of behavioral indicators for outcome evaluation of TB health promotion targeted at TB suspects and patients. Sixteen of seventeen invited experts in TB control (authority score of 0.91 on a 1.0 scale) participated in round 1 survey. All sixteen experts also participated in a second round survey. After two rounds of surveys and several iterations among the experts, there was consensus on a framework of indicators for measuring outcomes of TB health promotion for TB suspects and patients. For TB suspects, the experts reached consensus on 2 domains ("Healthcare seeking behavior" and "Transmission prevention"), 3 subdomains ("Seeking care after onset of TB symptoms", "Pathways of seeking care" and "Interpersonal contact etiquette"), and 8 indicators (including among others, "Length of patient delay"). For TB patients, consensus was reached on 3 domains ("Adherence to treatment", "Healthy lifestyle" and "Transmission prevention"), 8 subdomains (including among others, "Adherence to their medication"), and 14 indicators (including "Percentage of patients who adhered to their medication"). Operational definitions and data sources were provided for each indicator. The findings of this study provide the basis for debate among international experts on a framework for achieving global consensus on outcome indicators for TB health promotion interventions targeted at TB patients and suspects. Such consensus will help to increase effectiveness of TB health promotion, while ensuring international
Updating expected action outcome in the medial frontal cortex involves an evaluation of error type.

PubMed

Maier, Martin E; Steinhauser, Marco

2013-10-02

Forming expectations about the outcome of an action is an important prerequisite for action control and reinforcement learning in the human brain. The medial frontal cortex (MFC) has been shown to play an important role in the representation of outcome expectations, particularly when an update of expected outcome becomes necessary because an error is detected. However, error detection alone is not always sufficient to compute expected outcome because errors can occur in various ways and different types of errors may be associated with different outcomes. In the present study, we therefore investigate whether updating expected outcome in the human MFC is based on an evaluation of error type. Our approach was to consider an electrophysiological correlate of MFC activity on errors, the error-related negativity (Ne/ERN), in a task in which two types of errors could occur. Because the two error types were associated with different amounts of monetary loss, updating expected outcomes on error trials required an evaluation of error type. Our data revealed a pattern of Ne/ERN amplitudes that closely mirrored the amount of monetary loss associated with each error type, suggesting that outcome expectations are updated based on an evaluation of error type. We propose that this is achieved by a proactive evaluation process that anticipates error types by continuously monitoring error sources or by dynamically representing possible response-outcome relations.
Empathy Modulates the Evaluation Processing of Altruistic Outcomes

PubMed Central

Liu, Xin; Hu, Xinmu; Shi, Kan; Mai, Xiaoqin

2018-01-01

Empathy plays a central role in social decisions involving psychological conflict, such as whether to help another person at the cost of one’s own interests. Using the event-related potential (ERP) technique, the current study explored the neural mechanisms underlying the empathic effect on the evaluation processing of outcomes in conflict-of-interest situations, in which the gain of others resulted in the performer’s loss. In the high-empathy condition, the beneficiaries were underprivileged students who were living in distress (stranger in need). In the low-empathy condition, the beneficiaries were general students without miserable information (stranger not in need). ERP results showed that the FRN was more negative-going for self no-gain than self gain, but showed reversed pattern for other’s outcome (i.e., more negative for gain than no-gain) in the low-empathy condition, indicating that participants interpreted the gain of others as the loss of themselves. However, the reversed FRN pattern was not observed in the high-empathy condition, suggesting that the neural responses to one’s own loss are buffered by empathy. In addition, the P3 valence effect was observed only in the self condition, but not in the two stranger conditions, indicating that the P3 is more sensitive to self-relevant information. Moreover, the results of subjective rating showed that more empathic concern and altruistic motivation were elicited in the high-empathy condition than in the low-empathy condition, and these scores had negative linear correlations only with the FRN, but not with the P3. These findings suggest that when outcomes following altruistic decisions involve conflict of interest, the early stage of the processing of outcome evaluation could be modulated by the empathic level. PMID:29670553
Implementation and outcome evaluation of high-fidelity simulation scenarios to integrate cognitive and psychomotor skills for Korean nursing students.

PubMed

Ahn, Heejung; Kim, Hyun-Young

2015-05-01

This study is involved in designing high-fidelity simulations reflecting the Korean nursing education environment. In addition, it evaluated the simulations by nursing students' learning outcomes and perceptions of the simulation design features. A quantitative design was used in two separate phases. For the first phase, five nursing experts participated in verifying the appropriateness of two simulation scenarios that reflected the intended learning objectives. For the second phase, 69 nursing students in the third year of a bachelor's degree at a nursing school participated in evaluating the simulations and were randomized according to their previous course grades. The first phase verified the two simulation scenarios using a questionnaire. The second phase evaluated students' perceptions of the simulation design, self-confidence, and critical thinking skills using a quasi-experimental post-test design. ANCOVA was used to compare the experimental and control groups, and correlation coefficient analysis was used to determine the correlation among them. We created 2 simulation scenarios to integrate cognitive and psychomotor skills according to the learning objectives and clinical environment in Korea. The experimental group had significantly higher scores on self-confidence in the first scenario. The positive correlations between perceptions of the simulation design features, self-confidence, and critical thinking skill scores were statistically significant. Students with a more positive perception of the design features of the simulations had better learning outcomes. Based on this result, simulations need to be designed and implemented with more differentiation in order to be perceived more appropriately by students. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Objective Structured Professional Assessments for Trainee Educational Psychologists: An Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunsmuir, Sandra; Atkinson, Cathy; Lang, Jane; Warhurst, Amy; Wright, Sarah

2017-01-01

Objective Structured Professional Assessments (OSPAs) were developed and evaluated at three universities in the United Kingdom, to supplement supervisor assessments of trainee educational psychologists' placement practice. Participating second year students on three educational psychology doctoral programmes (n = 31) and tutors (n = 12) were…
Using reusable learning objects (RLOs) in wound care education: Undergraduate student nurse's evaluation of their learning gain.

PubMed

Redmond, Catherine; Davies, Carmel; Cornally, Deirdre; Adam, Ewa; Daly, Orla; Fegan, Marianne; O'Toole, Margaret

2018-01-01

Both nationally and internationally concerns have been expressed over the adequacy of preparation of undergraduate nurses for the clinical skill of wound care. This project describes the educational evaluation of a series of Reusable Learning Objects (RLOs) as a blended learning approach to facilitate undergraduate nursing students learning of wound care for competence development. Constructivism Learning Theory and Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning informed the design of the RLOs, promoting active learner approaches. Clinically based case studies and visual data from two large university teaching hospitals provided the authentic learning materials required. Interactive exercises and formative feedback were incorporated into the educational resource. Evaluation of student perceived learning gains in terms of knowledge, ability and attitudes were measured using a quantitative pre and posttest Wound Care Competency Outcomes Questionnaire. The RLO CETL Questionnaire was used to identify perceived learning enablers. Statistical and deductive thematic analyses inform the findings. Students (n=192) reported that their ability to meet the competency outcomes for wound care had increased significantly after engaging with the RLOs. Students rated the RLOs highly across all categories of perceived usefulness, impact, access and integration. These findings provide evidence that the use of RLOs for both knowledge-based and performance-based learning is effective. RLOs when designed using clinically real case scenarios reflect the true complexities of wound care and offer innovative interventions in nursing curricula. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Developing a multi-joint upper limb exoskeleton robot for diagnosis, therapy, and outcome evaluation in neurorehabilitation.

PubMed

Ren, Yupeng; Kang, Sang Hoon; Park, Hyung-Soon; Wu, Yi-Ning; Zhang, Li-Qun

2013-05-01

Arm impairments in patients post stroke involve the shoulder, elbow and wrist simultaneously. It is not very clear how patients develop spasticity and reduced range of motion (ROM) at the multiple joints and the abnormal couplings among the multiple joints and the multiple degrees-of-freedom (DOF) during passive movement. It is also not clear how they lose independent control of individual joints/DOFs and coordination among the joints/DOFs during voluntary movement. An upper limb exoskeleton robot, the IntelliArm, which can control the shoulder, elbow, and wrist, was developed, aiming to support clinicians and patients with the following integrated capabilities: 1) quantitative, objective, and comprehensive multi-joint neuromechanical pre-evaluation capabilities aiding multi-joint/DOF diagnosis for individual patients; 2) strenuous and safe passive stretching of hypertonic/deformed arm for loosening up muscles/joints based on the robot-aided diagnosis; 3) (assistive/resistive) active reaching training after passive stretching for regaining/improving motor control ability; and 4) quantitative, objective, and comprehensive neuromechanical outcome evaluation at the level of individual joints/DOFs, multiple joints, and whole arm. Feasibility of the integrated capabilities was demonstrated through experiments with stroke survivors and healthy subjects.
Direct evaluation of fault trees using object-oriented programming techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patterson-Hine, F. A.; Koen, B. V.

1989-01-01

Object-oriented programming techniques are used in an algorithm for the direct evaluation of fault trees. The algorithm combines a simple bottom-up procedure for trees without repeated events with a top-down recursive procedure for trees with repeated events. The object-oriented approach results in a dynamic modularization of the tree at each step in the reduction process. The algorithm reduces the number of recursive calls required to solve trees with repeated events and calculates intermediate results as well as the solution of the top event. The intermediate results can be reused if part of the tree is modified. An example is presented in which the results of the algorithm implemented with conventional techniques are compared to those of the object-oriented approach.
Reaching everyone: Promoting the inclusion of youth with disabilities in evaluating foster care outcomes

PubMed Central

Blakeslee, Jennifer E.; Quest, A. Del; Powers, Jennifer; Powers, Laurie E.; Geenen, Sarah; Nelson, May; Dalton, Lawrence D.; McHugh, Elizabeth

2013-01-01

Efforts to evaluate foster care outcomes must avoid systematic exclusion of particular groups. Although often unrecognized as such, youth with disabilities are highly overrepresented in the U.S. foster care system, and yet youth with some disabilities, including those with intellectual, serious emotional, and physical impairments may be underrepresented in research and evaluation studies evaluating foster care outcomes. The recruitment and retention of youth with various disabilities in such studies can be impeded by under-identification of disability and relatively high placement and school mobility. Furthermore, youth with various disabilities may experience more disappointing outcomes than foster youth overall, underscoring the importance of including these youth in outcome tracking efforts. This is especially relevant given the recent implementation of the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD), which requires that state child welfare agencies gather baseline information about youth in foster care at age 17, and then survey outcomes at 19 and 21. To promote the full participation of foster youth with disabilities in such outcome evaluation, this paper describes successful strategies for identifying and retaining participants that were used in three separate longitudinal intervention studies. These strategies include the systematic recruitment of foster youth by special education status, and creative use of validated tracking and retention strategies incorporating minor accommodations as needed. PMID:24273364
Pilot study of a novel pain management strategy: evaluating the impact on patient outcomes.

PubMed

Keller, D S; Tahilramani, R N; Flores-Gonzalez, J R; Ibarra, S; Haas, E M

2016-06-01

Our objective was to evaluate the impact of a novel multimodal pain management strategy on intraoperative opioid requirements, postoperative pain, narcotic use, and length of stay. Consecutive patients undergoing elective laparoscopic colorectal resection were managed with an experimental protocol. The protocol uses a post-induction, pre-incision bilateral TAP block and local peritoneal infiltration at port sites with long-acting liposomal bupivacaine (20 mL long-acting liposomal bupivacaine, 30 mL 0.25 % bupivacaine, 30 mL saline). Experimental patients were matched on age, body mass index, gender, comorbidity, diagnosis, and procedure to a control group that received no block or local wound infiltration. Both groups followed a standardized enhanced recovery pathway. Demographics, perioperative, and postoperative outcomes were evaluated. The main outcome measures were intraoperative opioids, postoperative pain, opioid use, and length of stay. Fifty patients were analyzed-25 experimental and 25 controls. Patients were well matched on all demographics. In both cohorts, the main diagnosis was colorectal cancer and primary procedure performed a segmental resection. Operative times were similar (p = 0.41). Experimental patients received significantly less intraoperative fentanyl (mean 158 mcg experimental vs. 299 mcg control; p < 0.01). The experimental group had significantly lower initial (p < 0.01) and final PACU pain scores (p = 0.04) and shorter LOS (3.0 vs. 4.1 days, p = 0.04) compared to controls. Experimental patients trended toward shorter PACU times and lower opioid use and daily pain scores throughout the hospital stay. Postoperative complication and readmission rates were similar across groups. There were no reoperations or mortality. Our multimodal pain management strategy reduced intraoperative opioid administration. Postoperatively, improvements in PACU time, postoperative pain and narcotic use, and lengths of stay were seen in the
Method and Apparatus for Evaluating Multilayer Objects for Imperfections

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heyman, Joseph S. (Inventor); Abedin, Nurul (Inventor); Sun, Kuen J. (Inventor)

1999-01-01

A multilayer object having multiple layers arranged in a stacking direction is evaluated for imperfections such as voids, delaminations and microcracks. First. an acoustic wave is transmitted into the object in the stacking direction via an appropriate transducer/waveguide combination. The wave propagates through the multilayer object and is received by another transducer/waveguide combination preferably located on the same surface as the transmitting combination. The received acoustic wave is correlated with the presence or absence of imperfections by, e.g., generating pulse echo signals indicative of the received acoustic wave. wherein the successive signals form distinct groups over time. The respective peak amplitudes of each group are sampled and curve fit to an exponential curve. wherein a substantial fit of approximately 80-90% indicates an absence of imperfections and a significant deviation indicates the presence of imperfections. Alternatively, the time interval between distinct groups can be measured. wherein equal intervals indicate the absence of imperfections and unequal intervals indicate the presence of imperfections.
Method and apparatus for evaluating multilayer objects for imperfections

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heyman, Joseph S. (Inventor); Abedin, Nurul (Inventor); Sun, Kuen J. (Inventor)

1997-01-01

A multilayer object having multiple layers arranged in a stacking direction is evaluated for imperfections such as voids, delaminations and microcracks. First, an acoustic wave is transmitted into the object in the stacking direction via an appropriate transducer/waveguide combination. The wave propagates through the multilayer object and is received by another transducer/waveguide combination preferably located on the same surface as the transmitting combination. The received acoustic wave is correlated with the presence or absence of imperfections by, e.g., generating pulse echo signals indicative of the received acoustic wave, wherein the successive signals form distinct groups over time. The respective peak amplitudes of each group are sampled and curve fit to an exponential curve, wherein a substantial fit of approximately 80-90% indicates an absence of imperfections and a significant deviation indicates the presence of imperfections. Alternatively, the time interval between distinct groups can be measured, wherein equal intervals indicate the absence of imperfections and unequal intervals indicate the presence of imperfections.
Weight-of-evidence evaluation of an adverse outcome ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Ongoing honey bee colony losses are of significant international concern because of the essential role these insects play in pollinating staple food crops. Chemical and non-chemical stressors both have been implicated as possible contributors to colony failure, however, the potential role of commonly-used neonicotinoid insecticides has emerged as particularly concerning. Neonicotinoids act on the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) to eliminate target pest insects, however, mounting evidence indicates that these chemicals may adversely affect beneficial pollinators, such as the honey bee, via impacts on learning and memory thereby affecting foraging success. However, the mechanisms linking activation of the nAChR to adverse effects on learning and memory are uncertain. Additionally, clear connections between observed impacts on individual bees and colony level effects are lacking. Therefore, the objective of this work was to develop adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) as a means to evaluate the biological plausibility and empirical evidence supporting (or refuting) the linkage between the nAChR and colony level impacts. Development of these AOPs has led to the identification of research gaps which, for example, may be of high priority in understanding how perturbation of pathways involved in neurotransmission can adversely affect honey bee health, causing colony instability and further failure. From this effort, an AOP network also was developed, laying the f
Therapist perception of treatment outcome: Evaluating treatment outcomes among youth with antisocial behavior problems.

PubMed

Crandal, Brent R; Foster, Sharon L; Chapman, Jason E; Cunningham, Phillippe B; Brennan, Patricia A; Whitmore, Elizabeth A

2015-06-01

Effective evaluation of treatment requires the use of measurement tools producing reliable scores that can be used to make valid decisions about the outcomes of interest. Therapist-rated treatment outcome scores that are obtained within the context of empirically supported treatments (ESTs) could provide clinicians and researchers with data that are easily accessible and complimentary to existing instrumentation. We examined the psychometric properties of scores from the Therapist Perception of Treatment Outcome: Youth Antisocial Behavior (TPTO:YAB), an instrument developed to assess therapist judgments of treatment success among families participating in an EST, Multisystemic Therapy (MST), for youth with antisocial behavior problems. Data were drawn from a longitudinal study of MST. The initial 20-item TPTO:YAB was completed by therapists of 111 families at midtreatment and 163 families at treatment termination. Rasch model dimensionality analyses provided evidence for 2 dimensions reflecting youth- and caregiver-related aspects of treatment outcome, although a bifactor analyses suggested that these dimensions reflected a single more general construct. Rasch analyses were also used to assess item and rating scale characteristics and refine the number of items. These analyses suggested items performed similarly across time and that scores reflect treatment outcome in similar ways at mid and posttreatment. Multilevel and zero-order analyses provided evidence for the validity of TPTO:YAB scores. TPTO:YAB scores were moderately correlated with scores of youth and caregiver behaviors targeted in treatment, adding support to its use as a treatment outcome measurement instrument. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).
Quality of life and objective outcome assessment in women with tape division after surgery for stress urinary incontinence

PubMed Central

Ulrich, Daniela; Bjelic-Radisic, Vesna; Höllein, Anna; Tamussino, Karl; Aigmüller, Thomas

2017-01-01

Background Midurethral tapes may cause long-term complications such as voiding dysfunction, groin pain, de novo urgency or mesh erosion, which necessitate a reoperation. There is a paucity of data regarding health related quality of life in patients undergoing tape removal. The aim of the study was to evaluate quality of life (QoL) and objective outcome after midurethral tape division or excision. Methods All patients who underwent a midurethral tape division for voiding difficulties, pain or therapy resistant de novo overactive bladder between 1999 and 2014 were invited for follow-up. A control group with a suburethral tape without division was established in a 1:2 ratio and matched for age, tape used and year of tape insertion. Patients completed the Kings´ Health Questionnaire (KHQ), Incontinence Outcome Questionnaire, Female Sexual Function Index Questionnaire and the Patient Global Impression of Improvement score. Results Tape division or excision was performed in 32 women. Overall, 15 (60%) of 25 women who were alive were available for clinical examination and completed the questionnaires. Tape division was performed for voiding dysfunction (n = 7), overactive bladder (n = 2), mesh extrusion (n = 3) and ongoing pain (n = 3). Median time to tape division/excision was 10 months. Three women in the tape division group had undergone reoperation for stress urinary incontinence (SUI). At a median follow-up of 11 years (IQR 9–13) subjective SUI rate was 53% (8/15 women) in the tape division group and 17% (5/30) in the control group (p = 0.016), with no significant differences in objective SUI rates between groups. With regard to quality of life, the study group had significantly worse scores in the SUI related domains role limitation, physical limitation, severity measures and social limitations (KHQ) compared to the control group. Conclusions Women needing tape division or excision have lower SUI related QoL scores compared to controls mostly because of higher
Clinical, objective, and functional outcomes of manipulation under anesthesia to treat knee stiffness following total knee arthroplasty.

PubMed

Issa, Kimona; Kapadia, Bhaveen H; Kester, Mark; Khanuja, Harpal S; Delanois, Ronald E; Mont, Michael A

2014-03-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical outcomes of manipulation under anesthesia (MUA) in a cohort who had developed knee stiffness following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). One-hundred and forty-five TKAs in 134 patients who had undergone MUA were compared to the remaining 1973 TKAs in 1671 patients who did not develop this condition. At a mean follow-up of 51 months (range, 24 to 85 months), the mean gains in flexion in the MUA cohort were 33° (range, 5° to 65°). The final range-of-motion in the MUA cohort was lower than the comparison cohort (114° versus 125°) however, this would meet the required flexion for activities of daily living. There were no differences in the Knee Society objective and functional scores between the two cohorts. It is encouraging that MUA cohort outcomes were comparable to outcomes of patients who did not develop knee stiffness. © 2014.
Comparison of two melphalan protocols and evaluation of outcome and prognostic factors in multiple myeloma in dogs

PubMed Central

Fernández, Ricardo

2018-01-01

Background Multiple myeloma (MM) in dogs typically is treated with melphalan. A daily melphalan dosing schedule reportedly is well tolerated and associated with favorable outcome. Although anecdotally a pulse dose regimen has resulted in successful responses, little long‐term outcome and safety data is available regarding this dosing regimen for dogs with MM. Hypothesis/objectives (1) To compare outcome and adverse event profiles between pulse dose and daily dose melphalan schedules and (2) to report prognostic factors in dogs with MM treated with melphalan. We hypothesized that both protocols would have similar outcomes and tolerability. Animals Thirty‐eight client‐owned dogs diagnosed with MM receiving pulse dose (n = 17) or daily dose (n = 21) melphalan. Methods Retrospective cohort study assessing outcome and adverse events in dogs receiving either protocol. Risk factors were evaluated for their prognostic relevance. Results Both regimens were well tolerated and similarly effective, with an overall median survival time of 930 days. Renal disease and neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were negative prognostic factors, whereas hypercalcemia and osteolytic lesions were not prognostic factors in this study population. Conclusions and Clinical Importance Positive results support the use of either dosing regimen for the treatment of dogs with MM, and renal disease and NLR were negative prognostic factors. Prospective, controlled, and randomized studies are warranted to confirm these findings. PMID:29566439
An Evaluation of Crisis Hotline Outcomes. Part 1: Nonsuicidal Crisis Callers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kalafat, John; Gould, Madelyn S.; Munfakh, Jimmie Lou Harris; Kleinman, Marjorie

2007-01-01

The effectiveness of telephone crisis services/hotlines, examining proximal outcomes as measured by changes in callers' crisis state from the beginning to the end of their calls to eight centers in the U.S. and intermediate outcomes within 3 weeks of their calls, was evaluated. Between March 2003 and July 2004, 1,617 crisis callers were assessed…

Evaluating Comprehensive State Tobacco Prevention and Control Programs Using an Outcome Indicator Framework.

PubMed

Fulmer, Erika; Rogers, Todd; Glasgow, LaShawn; Brown, Susan; Kuiper, Nicole

2018-03-01

The outcome indicator framework helps tobacco prevention and control programs (TCPs) plan and implement theory-driven evaluations of their efforts to reduce and prevent tobacco use. Tobacco use is the single-most preventable cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. The implementation of public health best practices by comprehensive state TCPs has been shown to prevent the initiation of tobacco use, reduce tobacco use prevalence, and decrease tobacco-related health care expenditures. Achieving and sustaining program goals require TCPs to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of their programs. To guide evaluation efforts by TCPs, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Office on Smoking and Health developed an outcome indicator framework that includes a high-level logic model and evidence-based outcome indicators for each tobacco prevention and control goal area. In this article, we describe how TCPs and other community organizations can use the outcome indicator framework in their evaluation efforts. We also discuss how the framework is used at the national level to unify tobacco prevention and control efforts across varying state contexts, identify promising practices, and expand the public health evidence base.
Evaluation of Relationships Between Reported Resilience and Soldier Outcomes. Report #1: Negative Outcomes (Suicide, Drug Use, & Violent Crimes)

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-02-28

100 -.039 -.100 .024 .616 1 7. Bad Coping -. 048 .057 -.108 .043 .174 .092 1 8 . Catastrophizing -.012 -.095 -.096...PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) TKC Global Solutions LLC, 3201 C St STE 400F, Anchorage, AK 99503-3967 8 . PERFORMING ORGANIZATION... 8 -98) Prescribed by ANSI Std. Z39.18 Evaluation of Relationships Between Reported Resilience and Soldier Outcomes Report #1: Negative Outcomes
Changing Mathematics Teaching Practices and Improving Student Outcomes through Collaborative Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Kelli

2013-01-01

This longitudinal study examines the effects of a collaborative evaluation process on mathematics instruction and student outcomes in an elementary school serving a low-resource community. Thirty-two elementary teachers participated in a 3-year collaborative evaluation professional development process that contributed to improved mathematics…
Incidental emotions influence risk preference and outcome evaluation.

PubMed

Zhao, Ding; Gu, Ruolei; Tang, Ping; Yang, Qiwei; Luo, Yue-Jia

2016-10-01

Incidental emotions, which are irrelevant to the current decision, play a significant role in the decision-making process. In this study, to investigate the influence of incidental emotions on behavioral, psychological, and electrophysiological responses in the process of decision making, participants were required to perform a monetary gambling task. During the selection stage, an emotional picture, which was chosen from the Chinese Affective Picture System and fell into one of three categories: negative, neutral, and positive, was presented between two alternatives (small/large amount of bet). The pictures were provided to induce incidental emotions. ERPs and self-rating emotional experiences to outcome feedback were recorded during the task. Behavioral results showed that positive incidental emotions elicited risk preference, but emotional experiences to outcome feedback were not influenced by incidental emotions. The feedback-related negativity amplitudes were larger in the positive emotion condition than in the negative and neutral emotion conditions for small outcomes (including wins and losses), whereas there was no difference between the three conditions for large outcomes. In addition, the amplitudes of P3 were reduced overall in the negative emotion condition. We suggest that incidental emotions have modulated both the option assessment stage (manifested in behavioral choices) and the outcome evaluation stage (manifested in ERP amplitudes) of decision making unconsciously (indicated by unchanged subjective emotional experiences). The current findings have expanded our understanding of the role of incidental emotion in decision making. © 2016 Society for Psychophysiological Research.
Non-dystrophic myotonia: prospective study of objective and patient reported outcomes.

PubMed

Trivedi, Jaya R; Bundy, Brian; Statland, Jeffrey; Salajegheh, Mohammad; Rayan, Dipa Raja; Venance, Shannon L; Wang, Yunxia; Fialho, Doreen; Matthews, Emma; Cleland, James; Gorham, Nina; Herbelin, Laura; Cannon, Stephen; Amato, Anthony; Griggs, Robert C; Hanna, Michael G; Barohn, Richard J

2013-07-01

Non-dystrophic myotonias are rare diseases caused by mutations in skeletal muscle chloride and sodium ion channels with considerable phenotypic overlap between diseases. Few prospective studies have evaluated the sensitivity of symptoms and signs of myotonia in a large cohort of patients. We performed a prospective observational study of 95 participants with definite or clinically suspected non-dystrophic myotonia recruited from six sites in the USA, UK and Canada between March 2006 and March 2009. We used the common infrastructure and data elements provided by the NIH-funded Rare Disease Clinical Research Network. Outcomes included a standardized symptom interview and physical exam; the Short Form-36 and the Individualized Neuromuscular Quality of Life instruments; electrophysiological short and prolonged exercise tests; manual muscle testing; and a modified get-up-and-go test. Thirty-two participants had chloride channel mutations, 34 had sodium channel mutations, nine had myotonic dystrophy type 2, one had myotonic dystrophy type 1, and 17 had no identified mutation. Phenotype comparisons were restricted to those with sodium channel mutations, chloride channel mutations, and myotonic dystrophy type 2. Muscle stiffness was the most prominent symptom overall, seen in 66.7% to 100% of participants. In comparison with chloride channel mutations, participants with sodium mutations had an earlier age of onset of stiffness (5 years versus 10 years), frequent eye closure myotonia (73.5% versus 25%), more impairment on the Individualized Neuromuscular Quality of Life summary score (20.0 versus 9.44), and paradoxical eye closure myotonia (50% versus 0%). Handgrip myotonia was seen in three-quarters of participants, with warm up of myotonia in 75% chloride channel mutations, but also 35.3% of sodium channel mutations. The short exercise test showed ≥10% decrement in the compound muscle action potential amplitude in 59.3% of chloride channel participants compared with 27
Evaluation in Residential Environmental Education: An Applied Literature Review of Intermediary Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ardoin, Nicole M.; Biedenweg, Kelly; O'Connor, Kathleen

2015-01-01

Residential environmental education aims to enhance proenvironmental attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors, as well as attain outcomes related to personal and interpersonal skills. Although these outcomes may not be evident for months or even years afterward, few program evaluations investigate how the experience and context affect intended outcomes…
Objective Fidelity Evaluation in Multisensory Virtual Environments: Auditory Cue Fidelity in Flight Simulation

PubMed Central

Meyer, Georg F.; Wong, Li Ting; Timson, Emma; Perfect, Philip; White, Mark D.

2012-01-01

We argue that objective fidelity evaluation of virtual environments, such as flight simulation, should be human-performance-centred and task-specific rather than measure the match between simulation and physical reality. We show how principled experimental paradigms and behavioural models to quantify human performance in simulated environments that have emerged from research in multisensory perception provide a framework for the objective evaluation of the contribution of individual cues to human performance measures of fidelity. We present three examples in a flight simulation environment as a case study: Experiment 1: Detection and categorisation of auditory and kinematic motion cues; Experiment 2: Performance evaluation in a target-tracking task; Experiment 3: Transferrable learning of auditory motion cues. We show how the contribution of individual cues to human performance can be robustly evaluated for each task and that the contribution is highly task dependent. The same auditory cues that can be discriminated and are optimally integrated in experiment 1, do not contribute to target-tracking performance in an in-flight refuelling simulation without training, experiment 2. In experiment 3, however, we demonstrate that the auditory cue leads to significant, transferrable, performance improvements with training. We conclude that objective fidelity evaluation requires a task-specific analysis of the contribution of individual cues. PMID:22957068
Training Objectives, Transfer, Validation and Evaluation: A Sri Lankan Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wickramasinghe, Vathsala M.

2006-01-01

Using a stratified random sample, this paper examines the training practices of setting objectives, transfer, validation and evaluation in Sri Lanka. The paper further sets out to compare those practices across local, foreign and joint-venture companies based on the assumption that there may be significant differences across companies of different…
Using Action Verbs as Learning Outcomes: Applying Bloom's Taxonomy in Measuring Instructional Objectives in Introductory Psychology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nevid, Jeffrey S.; McClelland, Nate

2013-01-01

We used a set of action verbs based on Bloom's taxonomy to assess learning outcomes in two college-level introductory psychology courses. The action verbs represented an acronym, IDEA, comprising skills relating to identifying, defining or describing, evaluating or explaining, and applying psychological knowledge. Exam performance demonstrated…
Cooperative context is a determinant of the social influence on outcome evaluation: An electrophysiological study.

PubMed

Kimura, Kenta; Katayama, Jun'ichi

2016-02-01

The present study examined whether or not a cooperative context is a determinant of the social influence on the evaluation of two action outcomes: a monetary outcome and a conflict of opinion with other group members. In the present study, three-person groups were randomly assigned to be either a cooperative or individual group and asked to perform a gambling task. The monetary outcomes in the cooperative group were interrelated among group members, whereas those in the individual group did not influence each other. The present results showed that monetary outcomes elicited feedback-related negativity (FRN) and a conflict of opinion with other group members elicited FRN-like negativity, which reflect an evaluation of the motivational significance of action outcomes. The FRN elicited by monetary outcomes was reduced when participants shared decisions with other group members only in the cooperative group, indicating that the cooperative context reduced the motivational significance of monetary outcomes through the diffusion of responsibility. The FRN-like negativity elicited by a conflict of opinion showed a different pattern between the cooperative and individual groups, indicating that the cooperative context can influence the evaluation of a conflict of opinion, possibly via the modulation of group cohesiveness or conflict processing. The present results suggest that a cooperative context, rather than the social setting, is a determinant of the social influence on outcome evaluation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Understanding the Impact of Organizational Power on Evaluation Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Hanbyul; Cervero, Ronald M.

2007-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine how power relations among stakeholders, especially between the human resource development (HRD) practitioners and others, affect evaluation outcomes. Using a qualitative case study design, a managerial leadership development programme in a Korean company is analysed. This study shows that the HRD…
Counterfactual Evaluation of Outcomes in Social Risk Decision-Making Situations: The Cognitive Developmental Paradox Revisited.

PubMed

Padrón, Iván; Rodrigo, María Jose; de Vega, Manuel

2016-01-01

We report a study that examined the existence of a cognitive developmental paradox in the counterfactual evaluation of decision-making outcomes. According to this paradox adolescents and young adults could be able to apply counterfactual reasoning and, yet, their counterfactual evaluation of outcomes could be biased in a salient socio-emotional context. To this aim, we analyzed the impact of health and social feedback on the counterfactual evaluation of outcomes in a laboratory decision-making task involving short narratives with the presence of peers. Forty risky (e.g., taking or refusing a drug), forty neutral decisions (e.g., eating a hamburger or a hotdog), and emotions felt following positive or negative outcomes were examined in 256 early, mid- and late adolescents, and young adults, evenly distributed. Results showed that emotional ratings to negative outcomes (regret and disappointment) but not to positive outcomes (relief and elation) were attenuated when feedback was provided. Evidence of development of cognitive decision-making capacities did also exist, as the capacity to perform faster emotional ratings and to differentially allocate more resources to the elaboration of emotional ratings when no feedback information was available increased with age. Overall, we interpret these findings as challenging the traditional cognitive developmental assumption that development necessarily proceeds from lesser to greater capacities, reflecting the impact of socio-emotional processes that could bias the counterfactual evaluation of social decision-making outcomes.
Identifying and assessing strategies for evaluating the impact of mobile eye health units on health outcomes.

PubMed

Fu, Shiwan; Turner, Angus; Tan, Irene; Muir, Josephine

2017-12-01

To identify and assess strategies for evaluating the impact of mobile eye health units on health outcomes. Systematic literature review. Worldwide. Peer-reviewed journal articles that included the use of a mobile eye health unit. Journal articles were included if outcome measures reflected an assessment of the impact of a mobile eye health unit on health outcomes. Six studies were identified with mobile services offering diabetic retinopathy screening (three studies), optometric services (two studies) and orthoptic services (one study). This review identified and assessed strategies in existing literature used to evaluate the impact of mobile eye health units on health outcomes. Studies included in this review used patient outcomes (i.e. disease detection, vision impairment, treatment compliance) and/or service delivery outcomes (i.e. cost per attendance, hospital transport use, inappropriate referrals, time from diabetic retinopathy photography to treatment) to evaluate the impact of mobile eye health units. Limitations include difficulty proving causation of specific outcome measures and the overall shortage of impact evaluation studies. Variation in geographical location, service population and nature of eye care providers limits broad application. © 2017 National Rural Health Alliance Inc.
Evaluating the effectiveness of palm oil certification in delivering multiple sustainability objectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morgans, Courtney L.; Meijaard, Erik; Santika, Truly; Law, Elizabeth; Budiharta, Sugeng; Ancrenaz, Marc; Wilson, Kerrie A.

2018-06-01

Industrial oil palm plantations in South East Asia have caused significant biodiversity losses and perverse social outcomes. To address concerns over plantation practices and in an attempt to improve sustainability through market mechanisms, civil society organisations and industry representatives developed the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in 2004. The effectiveness of RSPO in improving the sustainability of the palm oil industry is frequently debated and to date, few quantitative analyses have been undertaken to assess how successful RSPO has been in delivering the social, economic and environmental sustainability outcomes it aims to address. With the palm oil industry continuing to expand in South East Asia and significant estates being planted in Africa and South America, this paper evaluates the effectiveness of RSPO plantations compared to non-certified plantations by assessing the relative performance of several key sustainability metrics compared to business as usual practices. Using Indonesian Borneo (Kalimantan) as a case study, a novel dataset of RSPO concessions was developed and causal analysis methodologies employed to evaluate the environmental, social and economic sustainability of the industry. No significant difference was found between certified and non-certified plantations for any of the sustainability metrics investigated, however positive economic trends including greater fresh fruit bunch yields were revealed. To achieve intended outcomes, RSPO principles and criteria are in need of substantial improvement and rigorous enforcement.
Report on objective ride quality evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wambold, J. C.; Park, W. H.

1974-01-01

The correlation of absorbed power as an objective ride measure to the subjective evaluation for the bus data was investigated. For some individual bus rides the correlations were poor, but when a sufficient number of rides was used to give reasonable sample base, an excellent correlation was obtained. The following logarithmical function was derived: S = 1.7245 1n (39.6849 AP), where S = one subjective rating of the ride; and AP = the absorbed power in watts. A six-degree-of-freedom method developed for aircraft data was completed. Preliminary correlation of absorbed power with ISO standards further enhances the bus ride and absorbed power correlation numbers since the AP's obtained are of the same order of magnitude for both correlations. While it would then appear that one could just use ISO standards, there is no way to add the effect of three degrees of freedom. The absorbed power provides a method of adding the effects due to the three major directions plus the pitch and roll.
Objective evaluation of cutaneous thermal sensivity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vanbeaumont, W.

1972-01-01

The possibility of obtaining reliable and objective quantitative responses was investigated under conditions where only temperature changes in localized cutaneous areas evoked measurable changes in remote sudomotor activity. Both male and female subjects were studied to evaluate sex difference in thermal sensitivity. The results discussed include: sweat rate responses to contralateral cooling, comparison of sweat rate responses between men and women to contralateral cooling, influence of the menstrual cycle on the sweat rate responses to contralateral cooling, comparison of threshold of sweating responses between men and women, and correlation of latency to threshold for whole body sweating. It is concluded that the quantitative aspects of the reflex response is affected by both the density and activation of receptors as well as the rate of heat loss; men responded 8-10% more frequently than women to thermode cooling, the magnitude of responses being greater for men; and women responded 7-9% more frequently to thermode cooling on day 1 of menstruation, as compared to day 15.
The Context, Process, and Outcome Evaluation Model for Organisational Health Interventions.

PubMed

Fridrich, Annemarie; Jenny, Gregor J; Bauer, Georg F

2015-01-01

To facilitate evaluation of complex, organisational health interventions (OHIs), this paper aims at developing a context, process, and outcome (CPO) evaluation model. It builds on previous model developments in the field and advances them by clearly defining and relating generic evaluation categories for OHIs. Context is defined as the underlying frame that influences and is influenced by an OHI. It is further differentiated into the omnibus and discrete contexts. Process is differentiated into the implementation process, as the time-limited enactment of the original intervention plan, and the change process of individual and collective dynamics triggered by the implementation process. These processes lead to proximate, intermediate, and distal outcomes, as all results of the change process that are meaningful for various stakeholders. Research questions that might guide the evaluation of an OHI according to the CPO categories and a list of concrete themes/indicators and methods/sources applied within the evaluation of an OHI project at a hospital in Switzerland illustrate the model's applicability in structuring evaluations of complex OHIs. In conclusion, the model supplies a common language and a shared mental model for improving communication between researchers and company members and will improve the comparability and aggregation of evaluation study results.
The Context, Process, and Outcome Evaluation Model for Organisational Health Interventions

PubMed Central

Fridrich, Annemarie; Jenny, Gregor J.; Bauer, Georg F.

2015-01-01

To facilitate evaluation of complex, organisational health interventions (OHIs), this paper aims at developing a context, process, and outcome (CPO) evaluation model. It builds on previous model developments in the field and advances them by clearly defining and relating generic evaluation categories for OHIs. Context is defined as the underlying frame that influences and is influenced by an OHI. It is further differentiated into the omnibus and discrete contexts. Process is differentiated into the implementation process, as the time-limited enactment of the original intervention plan, and the change process of individual and collective dynamics triggered by the implementation process. These processes lead to proximate, intermediate, and distal outcomes, as all results of the change process that are meaningful for various stakeholders. Research questions that might guide the evaluation of an OHI according to the CPO categories and a list of concrete themes/indicators and methods/sources applied within the evaluation of an OHI project at a hospital in Switzerland illustrate the model's applicability in structuring evaluations of complex OHIs. In conclusion, the model supplies a common language and a shared mental model for improving communication between researchers and company members and will improve the comparability and aggregation of evaluation study results. PMID:26557665
Implementation and evaluation of a pharmacist-led hypertension management service in primary care: outcomes and methodological challenges

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Background: Suboptimal utilisation of pharmacotherapy, non-adherence to prescribed treatment, and a lack of monitoring all contribute to poor blood (BP) pressure control in patients with hypertension. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the implementation of a pharmacist-led hypertension management service in terms of processes, outcomes, and methodological challenges. Method: A prospective, controlled study was undertaken within the Australian primary care setting. Community pharmacists were recruited to one of three study groups: Group A (Control – usual care), Group B (Intervention), or Group C (Short Intervention). Pharmacists in Groups B and C delivered a service comprising screening and monitoring of BP, as well as addressing poor BP control through therapeutic adjustment and adherence strategies. Pharmacists in Group C delivered the shortened version of the service. Results: Significant changes to key outcome measures were observed in Group C: reduction in systolic and diastolic BPs at the 3-month visit (P<0.01 and P<0.01, respectively), improvement in medication adherence scores (P=0.01), and a slight improvement in quality of life (EQ-5D-3L Index) scores (P=0.91). There were no significant changes in Group B (the full intervention), and no differences in comparison to Group A (usual care). Pharmacists fed-back that patient recruitment was a key barrier to service implementation, highlighting the methodological implications of screening. Conclusion: A collaborative, pharmacist-led hypertension management service can help monitor BP, improve medication adherence, and optimise therapy in a step-wise approach. However, blood pressure screening can effect behaviour change in patients, presenting methodological challenges in the evaluation of services in this context. PMID:27382427
Structured review: evaluating the effectiveness of nurse case managers in improving health outcomes in three major chronic diseases.

PubMed

Sutherland, Debbie; Hayter, Mark

2009-11-01

This paper presents the findings of a review and appraisal of the evidence for the effectiveness of nurse case management in improving health outcomes for patients living either with Diabetes, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or Coronary Heart Disease. Long term chronic health conditions provide some of the greatest challenges to western health care systems. In the UK, three of the most significant chronic conditions are Diabetes, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Coronary Heart Disease. Patients with these long term conditions are high users of health services who often receive unplanned, poorly co-ordinated, ad-hoc care in response to an exacerbation or crisis. To counter this, the nurse case manager is identified as a central aspect of improving care for these patients. However, the evidence for the effectiveness of nurse case management in improving health outcomes for the chronically ill is scarce. A structured review of the literature. The review was undertaken focussing on studies that evaluated nurse case management with one or all of the three major long term chronic conditions. A total of 108 papers were initially reviewed and filtered to leave 75 citations that were appraised. About 18 papers were finally included in the review and subject to thematic analysis based on the health outcomes evaluated in the studies. Significantly positive results were reported for nurse case management impact on five health outcomes; 'objective clinical measurements', 'quality of life and functionality', 'patient satisfaction', 'adherence to treatment' and 'self care and service use'. The evidence generated in this review suggests that nurse case managers have the potential to achieve improved health outcomes for patients with long term conditions. Further research is required to support role development and create a more targeted approach to the intervention.

Evaluation of the performance of actions and outcomes in primary health care.

PubMed

Miclos, Paula Vitali; Calvo, Maria Cristina Marino; Colussi, Claudia Flemming

2017-01-01

The objective of this study has been to evaluate the performance of the primary care of Brazilian municipalities in relation to health actions and outcomes. This is an evaluative, cross-sectional research, with a quantitative approach, aimed at the identification of the efficiency frontier of the primary care in health actions and outcomes in Brazilian municipalities. Secondary data have been collected from the Programa Nacional de Melhoria do Acesso e da Qualidade da Atenção Básica (National Program for Improving Access and Quality of Primary Care) and the Department of Informatics of the Brazilian Unified Health System, in 2012. The data envelopment analysis tool has been used for variable returns to scale with product orientation. Municipalities have been analyzed by population size, and small municipalities have presented a high percentage of inefficiency for both models. The analysis of efficiency has indicated the existence of a higher percentage of effective municipalities in the model of health actions than in the model of health outcomes. Avaliar o desempenho da atenção básica dos municípios brasileiros quanto a ações e resultados em saúde. Pesquisa avaliativa, transversal, com abordagem quantitativa, para identificar a fronteira de eficiência da atenção básica em ações e resultados em saúde nos municípios brasileiros. Foi realizada coleta de dados secundários a partir do Programa Nacional de Melhoria do Acesso e da qualidade da Atenção Básica e do Departamento de Informática do Sistema Único de Saúde, no ano de 2012. Utilizou-se a ferramenta análise envoltória de dados para retornos variáveis de escala com orientação para produto. Os municípios foram analisados por porte populacional e verificou-se que para ambos os modelos, os municípios de pequeno porte apresentaram alto percentual de ineficiência. A análise da eficiência indicou a existência de um percentual maior de municípios eficientes no modelo de ações em sa
When do objects become more attractive? The individual and interactive effects of choice and ownership on object evaluation.

PubMed

Huang, Yunhui; Wang, Lei; Shi, Junqi

2009-06-01

Four studies used the Implicit Association Test to explore the individual and interactive influence of perceived ownership and perceived choice on object evaluation. In Study 1, participants implicitly preferred their possessions over others' when all chosen by a third party (i.e., the ownership effect). In Study 2, participants implicitly preferred self-chosen objects over other-chosen objects when all given to the third party (i.e., the choice effect). In Study 3, the ownership effect disappeared when participants compared their self-chosen possessions with others' possessions that were chosen by the participants. In Study 4, the choice effect remained even when participants compared their self-chosen possessions with their possessions that were chosen by others. These results suggest that while the ownership effect could be attenuated by perceived choice, the choice effect is stable even under the influence of perceived ownership.
Prospective Patient-Related Outcome Evaluation of Secondary Cleft Rhinoplasty Using a Validated Questionnaire.

PubMed

Sawyer, Adam R; Robinson, Stephen; Cadier, Michael

2017-07-01

To evaluate patient satisfaction and quality of life following secondary cleft rhinoplasty. Prospective consecutive patient, single unit, single surgeon study. Spires Cleft Centre, Salisbury, Wilshire, United Kingdom, and private practice. 56 (27 secondary cleft rhinoplasty) patients completed evaluation forms preoperatively and 3 to 6 months postoperatively. Subjective assessment was performed using a validated Rhinoplasty Outcomes Evaluation (ROE) questionnaire. This instrument comprises six questions that capture three quality-of-life domains: physical, mental/emotional, and social. Rhinoplasty outcomes evaluation scores were calculated (range = 0 to 100) to indication satisfaction with rhinoplasty outcomes. Average age was 28 years (range = 18 to 59 years). There was a significant subjective improvement in the total ROE evaluation scores from 28 ± 10 to 80 ± 11 (P < .01) in secondary cleft rhinoplasty. Similar results were achieved in noncleft rhinoplasty 34 ± 9 to 84 ± 9 (P < .01). Specific scores for nasal aesthetic appearance improved from 0.3 ± 0.2 to 3.2 ± 0.3 (P < .01) in secondary cleft rhinoplasty. No significant change was seen in breathing capacity in secondary cleft rhinoplasty (from 2.7 ± 0.3 to 3.2 ± 0.2; P = .29). All patients said they would undergo the procedure again. Our results demonstrate high patient satisfaction after cleft rhinoplasty with particular regard to cosmetic appearance. These results are similar to those for noncleft rhinoplasty. We would recommend the use of this simple and quick validated outcome tool with all rhinoplasty patients.
Characterizing Objective Quality of Life and Normative Outcomes in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Exploratory Latent Class Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bishop-Fitzpatrick, Lauren; Hong, Jinkuk; Smith, Leann E.; Makuch, Renee A.; Greenberg, Jan S.; Mailick, Marsha R.

2016-01-01

This study aims to extend the definition of quality of life (QoL) for adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD, n = 180, ages 23-60) by: (1) characterizing the heterogeneity of normative outcomes (employment, independent living, social engagement) and objective QoL (physical health, neighborhood quality, family contact, mental health issues); and…
Framework of behavioral indicators for outcome evaluation of TB health promotion: a Delphi study of TB suspects and Tb patients

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Health promotion for prevention and control of Tuberculosis (TB) is implemented worldwide because of its importance, but few reports have evaluated its impact on behavior due to a lack of standard outcome indicators. The objective of this study was to establish a framework of behavioral indicators for outcome evaluation of TB health promotion among TB suspects and patients. Methods A two-round modified Delphi method involving sixteen TB control experts was used to establish a framework of behavioral indicators for outcome evaluation of TB health promotion targeted at TB suspects and patients. Results Sixteen of seventeen invited experts in TB control (authority score of 0.91 on a 1.0 scale) participated in round 1 survey. All sixteen experts also participated in a second round survey. After two rounds of surveys and several iterations among the experts, there was consensus on a framework of indicators for measuring outcomes of TB health promotion for TB suspects and patients. For TB suspects, the experts reached consensus on 2 domains (“Healthcare seeking behavior” and “Transmission prevention”), 3 subdomains (“Seeking care after onset of TB symptoms”, “Pathways of seeking care” and “Interpersonal contact etiquette”), and 8 indicators (including among others, “Length of patient delay”). For TB patients, consensus was reached on 3 domains (“Adherence to treatment”, “Healthy lifestyle” and “Transmission prevention”), 8 subdomains (including among others, “Adherence to their medication”), and 14 indicators (including “Percentage of patients who adhered to their medication”). Operational definitions and data sources were provided for each indicator. Conclusions The findings of this study provide the basis for debate among international experts on a framework for achieving global consensus on outcome indicators for TB health promotion interventions targeted at TB patients and suspects. Such consensus will help to
An Evaluative Review of Simulated Dynamic Smart 3d Objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romeijn, H.; Sheth, F.; Pettit, C. J.

2012-07-01

Three-dimensional (3D) modelling of plants can be an asset for creating agricultural based visualisation products. The continuum of 3D plants models ranges from static to dynamic objects, also known as smart 3D objects. There is an increasing requirement for smarter simulated 3D objects that are attributed mathematically and/or from biological inputs. A systematic approach to plant simulation offers significant advantages to applications in agricultural research, particularly in simulating plant behaviour and the influences of external environmental factors. This approach of 3D plant object visualisation is primarily evident from the visualisation of plants using photographed billboarded images, to more advanced procedural models that come closer to simulating realistic virtual plants. However, few programs model physical reactions of plants to external factors and even fewer are able to grow plants based on mathematical and/or biological parameters. In this paper, we undertake an evaluation of plant-based object simulation programs currently available, with a focus upon the components and techniques involved in producing these objects. Through an analytical review process we consider the strengths and weaknesses of several program packages, the features and use of these programs and the possible opportunities in deploying these for creating smart 3D plant-based objects to support agricultural research and natural resource management. In creating smart 3D objects the model needs to be informed by both plant physiology and phenology. Expert knowledge will frame the parameters and procedures that will attribute the object and allow the simulation of dynamic virtual plants. Ultimately, biologically smart 3D virtual plants that react to changes within an environment could be an effective medium to visually represent landscapes and communicate land management scenarios and practices to planners and decision-makers.
Using Technology to Improve the Objectivity of Criminal Responsibility Evaluations.

PubMed

Vitacco, Michael J; Gottfried, Emily D; Batastini, Ashley B

2018-03-01

Criminal responsibility (or insanity) evaluations require forensic clinicians to reconstruct a defendant's decision-making abilities, behavioral control, and emotional state at the time of the criminal act. Forensic evaluators are ultimately tasked to evaluate whether an individual had the capacity to understand right from wrong, and in some jurisdictions, determine whether the defendant lacked substantial capacity to conform his behavior to the requirements of the law as a result of a threshold condition (e.g., mental illness). Insanity evaluations are inherently complex, because they require the clinician to determine someone's mental state at some point in the past (weeks, months, or even years). Recent research on insanity evaluations underscores significant problems with the reliability and validity of these evaluations. However, technological advances including social media (e.g., Facebook and Twitter), mandating that law enforcement videotape interrogations, and the use of body and dashboard cameras can aid clinicians in improving the precision and quality of insanity evaluations. This article discusses practical guidelines and ethics-related concerns regarding the use of technology to improve the objectivity of criminal responsibility evaluations. © 2018 American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law.
The Objective and Subjective Evaluation of Multichannel Expansion in Wide Dynamic Range Compression Hearing Instruments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Plyler, Patrick N.; Lowery, Kristy J.; Hamby, Hilary M.; Trine, Timothy D.

2007-01-01

Purpose: The effects of multichannel expansion on the objective and subjective evaluation of 20 listeners fitted binaurally with 4-channel, digital in-the-ear hearing instruments were investigated. Method: Objective evaluations were conducted in quiet using the Connected Speech Test (CST) and in noise using the Hearing in Noise Test (HINT) at 40,…
Priorities for Evaluating Palliative Care Outcomes in Intensive Care Units.

PubMed

Bakitas, Marie; Dionne-Odom, J Nicholas; Kamal, Arif; Maguire, Jennifer M

2015-09-01

Defining the quality of intensive care unit (ICU) care when patients are dying is challenging. Palliative care has been recommended to improve outcomes of dying ICU patients; however, traditional ICU quality indicators do not always align with palliative care. Evidence suggests that some aspects of ICU care improve when palliative care is integrated; however, consensus is lacking concerning the outcomes that should be measured. Overcoming challenges to measuring palliative care will require consensus development and rigorous research on the best way to evaluate ICU palliative care services. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Correlating objective and subjective evaluation of texture appearance with applications to camera phone imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phillips, Jonathan B.; Coppola, Stephen M.; Jin, Elaine W.; Chen, Ying; Clark, James H.; Mauer, Timothy A.

2009-01-01

Texture appearance is an important component of photographic image quality as well as object recognition. Noise cleaning algorithms are used to decrease sensor noise of digital images, but can hinder texture elements in the process. The Camera Phone Image Quality (CPIQ) initiative of the International Imaging Industry Association (I3A) is developing metrics to quantify texture appearance. Objective and subjective experimental results of the texture metric development are presented in this paper. Eight levels of noise cleaning were applied to ten photographic scenes that included texture elements such as faces, landscapes, architecture, and foliage. Four companies (Aptina Imaging, LLC, Hewlett-Packard, Eastman Kodak Company, and Vista Point Technologies) have performed psychophysical evaluations of overall image quality using one of two methods of evaluation. Both methods presented paired comparisons of images on thin film transistor liquid crystal displays (TFT-LCD), but the display pixel pitch and viewing distance differed. CPIQ has also been developing objective texture metrics and targets that were used to analyze the same eight levels of noise cleaning. The correlation of the subjective and objective test results indicates that texture perception can be modeled with an objective metric. The two methods of psychophysical evaluation exhibited high correlation despite the differences in methodology.
Self-concept and quality of object relations as predictors of outcome in short- and long-term psychotherapy.

PubMed

Lindfors, Olavi; Knekt, Paul; Heinonen, Erkki; Virtala, Esa

2014-01-01

Quality of object relations and self-concept reflect clinically relevant aspects of personality functioning, but their prediction as suitability factors for psychotherapies of different lengths has not been compared. This study compared their prediction on psychiatric symptoms and work ability in short- and long-term psychotherapy. Altogether 326 patients, 20-46 years of age, with mood and/or anxiety disorder, were randomized to short-term (solution-focused or short-term psychodynamic) psychotherapy and long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy. The Quality of Object Relations Scale (QORS) and the Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB) self-concept questionnaire were measured at baseline, and their prediction on outcome during the 3-year follow-up was assessed by the Symptom Check List Global Severity Index and the Anxiety Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory and by the Work Ability Index, Social Adjustment Scale work subscale and the Perceived Psychological Functioning scale. Negative self-concept strongly and self-controlling characteristics modestly predicted better 3-year outcomes in long-term therapy, after faster early gains in short-term therapy. Patients with a more positive or self-emancipating self-concept, or more mature object relations, experienced more extensive benefits after long-term psychotherapy. The importance of length vs. long-term therapy technique on the differences found is not known. Patients with mild to moderate personality pathology, indicated by poor self-concept, seem to benefit more from long-term than short-term psychotherapy, in reducing risk of depression. Long-term therapy may also be indicated for patients with relatively good psychological functioning. More research is needed on the relative importance of these characteristics in comparison with other patient-related factors. © 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Evaluation of a miniature microscope objective designed for fluorescence array microscopy detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

PubMed

McCall, Brian; Olsen, Randall J; Nelles, Nicole J; Williams, Dawn L; Jackson, Kevin; Richards-Kortum, Rebecca; Graviss, Edward A; Tkaczyk, Tomasz S

2014-03-01

A prototype miniature objective that was designed for a point-of-care diagnostic array microscope for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and previously fabricated and presented in a proof of concept is evaluated for its effectiveness in detecting acid-fast bacteria. To evaluate the ability of the microscope to resolve submicron features and details in the image of acid-fast microorganisms stained with a fluorescent dye, and to evaluate the accuracy of clinical diagnoses made with digital images acquired with the objective. The lens prescription data for the microscope design are presented. A test platform is built by combining parts of a standard microscope, a prototype objective, and a digital single-lens reflex camera. Counts of acid-fast bacteria made with the prototype objective are compared to counts obtained with a standard microscope over matched fields of view. Two sets of 20 smears, positive and negative, are diagnosed by 2 pathologists as sputum smear positive or sputum smear negative, using both a standard clinical microscope and the prototype objective under evaluation. The results are compared to a reference diagnosis of the same sample. More bacteria are counted in matched fields of view in digital images taken with the prototype objective than with the standard clinical microscope. All diagnostic results are found to be highly concordant. An array microscope built with this miniature lens design will be able to detect M tuberculosis with high sensitivity and specificity.
[Study on objectively evaluating skin aging according to areas of skin texture].

PubMed

Shan, Gaixin; Gan, Ping; He, Ling; Sun, Lu; Li, Qiannan; Jiang, Zheng; He, Xiangqian

2015-02-01

Skin aging principles play important roles in skin disease diagnosis, the evaluation of skin cosmetic effect, forensic identification and age identification in sports competition, etc. This paper proposes a new method to evaluate the skin aging objectively and quantitatively by skin texture area. Firstly, the enlarged skin image was acquired. Then, the skin texture image was segmented by using the iterative threshold method, and the skin ridge image was extracted according to the watershed algorithm. Finally, the skin ridge areas of the skin texture were extracted. The experiment data showed that the average areas of skin ridges, of both men and women, had a good correlation with age (the correlation coefficient r of male was 0.938, and the correlation coefficient r of female was 0.922), and skin texture area and age regression curve showed that the skin texture area increased with age. Therefore, it is effective to evaluate skin aging objectively by the new method presented in this paper.
An objective method for a video quality evaluation in a 3DTV service

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilczewski, Grzegorz

2015-09-01

The following article describes proposed objective method for a 3DTV video quality evaluation, a Compressed Average Image Intensity (CAII) method. Identification of the 3DTV service's content chain nodes enables to design a versatile, objective video quality metric. It is based on an advanced approach to the stereoscopic videostream analysis. Insights towards designed metric mechanisms, as well as the evaluation of performance of the designed video quality metric, in the face of the simulated environmental conditions are herein discussed. As a result, created CAII metric might be effectively used in a variety of service quality assessment applications.
Evaluating use and outcomes of mobility technology: a multiple stakeholder analysis.

PubMed

Hammel, Joy; Southall, Kenneth; Jutai, Jeffrey; Finlayson, Marcia; Kashindi, Gabriel; Fok, Daniel

2013-07-01

This qualitative, multi-site study compared and contrasted the outcomes of mobility technology (MT) and the factors influencing these outcomes from the perspective of MT users, caregivers, and professionals involved in MT service delivery. Qualitative focus groups were held in the USA and Canada with multiple stakeholder groups (consumer: n = 45, caregiver: n = 10, service provider: n = 10). Data were analyzed thematically. MT outcomes were conceptualized by participants as a match between expectations for MT and the actual outcomes experienced. Several factors influenced the match including a) MT features, b) environmental factors (e.g. built/physical environment, societal context of acceptance, MT delivery systems/policies), and c) the ability to self-manage the interaction across person, technology and environment, which involved constant negotiation and strategizing. Stakeholders identified MT outcomes that corresponded to ICF levels including body structure and function, activity, and participation across environments; however, varied on their importance and influence on MT impact. The conceptual fit model and factors related to self-management of MT represent new knowledge and provide a framework for stakeholder-based evaluation of MT outcomes. Implications for MT assessment, service delivery, outcomes research, and interventions are discussed.
Evaluation of safety ratings of roads based on frontal crashes with known crash pulse and injury outcome.

PubMed

Stigson, H

2009-06-01

The objective in this study, using data from crashed cars fitted with on-board crash pulse recorders, was to present differences in average crash severity, distribution of crash severity, and injury outcomes, based on an independent safety rating of roads, also taking road type and speed limit into consideration. Furthermore, the objective was to evaluate differences in injury risk, based on the distribution of crash severity. The investigation included both frontal two-vehicle crashes and single-vehicle crashes with known injury outcome. In total, 209 real-world crashes involving cars fitted with crash pulse recorders were included. For all crashes, average mean acceleration and change of velocity of the vehicle acceleration pulse were measured and calculated. All crash spots were classified according to an independent road safety rating program (European Road Assessment Programme Road Protection Score), where the safety quality of roads is rated in relation to posted speed limits. The crash severity and injury outcome in crashes that occurred on roads with good safety ratings were compared with crashes on roads with poor safety ratings. The data were also divided into subcategories according to posted speed limit and road type, to evaluate whether there was a difference in crash severity and injury outcome within the categories. In total, crash severity was statistically significantly lower in crashes occurring on roads with good safety ratings than in crashes occurring on roads with poor safety ratings. It was found that crash severity and injury risk were lower on roads with good safety ratings with a speed limit of above 90 km/h compared with roads with poor safety ratings, irrespective of speed limit. On the other hand, crash severity was higher on roads with good safety ratings with speed limit of 70 km/h than on roads with poor safety ratings with the same speed limit. Though it was found that a higher speed limit resulted in higher crash severity on roads
Getting to Outcomes: An Evaluation Capacity Building Example of Rationale, Science, and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wandersman, Abraham

2014-01-01

The Labin et al. logic model describes the why, how, what, and potential outcomes of evaluation capacity building (ECB). Getting To Outcomes offers a frame and empirical results for operationalizing the ECB logic model of Labin et al. and for deepening the science and practice of ECB.
Outcome Measures in Spinal Cord Injury

PubMed Central

Alexander, Marcalee S.; Anderson, Kim; Biering-Sorensen, Fin; Blight, Andrew R.; Brannon, Ruth; Bryce, Thomas; Creasey, Graham; Catz, Amiram; Curt, Armin; Donovan, William; Ditunno, John; Ellaway, Peter; Finnerup, Nanna B.; Graves, Daniel E.; Haynes, Beth Ann; Heinemann, Allen W.; Jackson, Amie B.; Johnston, Mark; Kalpakjian, Claire Z.; Kleitman, Naomi; Krassioukov, Andrei; Krogh, Klaus; Lammertse, Daniel; Magasi, Susan; Mulcahey, MJ; Schurch, Brigitte; Sherwood, Arthur; Steeves, John D.; Stiens, Steven; Tulsky, David S.; van Hedel, Hubertus J.A.; Whiteneck, Gale

2009-01-01

Study Design review by the Spinal Cord Outcomes Partnership Endeavor (SCOPE), which is a broad-based international consortium of scientists and clinical researchers representing academic institutions, industry, government agencies, not-for-profit organizations and foundations. Objectives assessment of current and evolving tools for evaluating human spinal cord injury (SCI) outcomes for both clinical diagnosis and clinical research studies. Methods a framework for the appraisal of evidence of metric properties was used to examine outcome tools or tests for accuracy, sensitivity, reliability and validity for human SCI. Results imaging, neurological, functional, autonomic, sexual health, bladder/bowel, pain, and psycho-social tools were evaluated. Several specific tools for human SCI studies have or are being developed to allow the more accurate determination for a clinically meaningful benefit (improvement in functional outcome or quality of life) being achieved as a result of a therapeutic intervention. Conclusion significant progress has been made, but further validation studies are required to identify the most appropriate tools for specific targets in a human SCI study or clinical trial. PMID:19381157
A Core Outcome Set for Evaluation of Interventions to Prevent Preterm Birth.

PubMed

van ʼt Hooft, Janneke; Duffy, James M N; Daly, Mandy; Williamson, Paula R; Meher, Shireen; Thom, Elizabeth; Saade, George R; Alfirevic, Zarko; Mol, Ben Willem J; Khan, Khalid S

2016-01-01

To develop a consensus on a set of key clinical outcomes for the evaluation of preventive interventions for preterm birth in asymptomatic pregnant women. A two-stage web-based Delphi survey and a face-to-face meeting of key stakeholders were used to develop a consensus on a set of critical and important outcomes. We approached five stakeholder groups (parents, midwives, obstetricians, neonatologists, and researchers) from middle- and high-income countries. Outcomes subjected to the Delphi survey were identified by systematic literature review and stakeholder input. Survey participants scored each outcome on a 9-point Likert scale anchored between 1 (limited importance) and 9 (critical importance). They had the opportunity to reflect on total and stakeholder subgroup feedback between survey stages. For consensus, defined a priori, outcomes required at least 70% of participants of each stakeholder group to score them as "critical" and less than 15% as "limited." A total of 228 participants from five stakeholder groups from three lower middle-income countries, seven upper middle-income countries, and 17 high-income countries were asked to score 31 outcomes. Of these participants, 195 completed the first survey and 174 the second. Consensus was reached on 13 core outcomes: four were related to pregnant women: maternal mortality, maternal infection or inflammation, prelabor rupture of membranes, and harm to mother from intervention. Nine were related to offspring: gestational age at birth, offspring mortality, birth weight, early neurodevelopmental morbidity, late neurodevelopmental morbidity, gastrointestinal morbidity, infection, respiratory morbidity, and harm to offspring from intervention. This core outcome set for studies that evaluate prevention of preterm birth developed with an international multidisciplinary perspective will ensure that data from trials that assess prevention of preterm birth can be compared and combined. COMET Initiative, http
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

Evaluating correlates of adolescent physical activity duration towards National Health Objectives: analysis of the Colorado Youth Risk Behavioral Survey, 2005.

PubMed

Nkansah-Amankra, Stephen; Diedhiou, Abdoulaye; Agbanu, Harry L K; Toma-Drane, Mariana; Dhawan, Ashish

2011-06-01

While numerous studies have examined the relationships among correlates of physical activity (PA), less attention has been given to identifying the correlates of low PA duration. The main objective of the current study was to examine correlates of low PA duration, team sports participation and smoking behaviors among adolescents. Data from the 2005 Colorado Youth Behavioral Risk Survey were analyzed using Cox proportional hazard models. We evaluated associations between two measures of low PA duration, assessed as per Healthy People 2010 (HP2010) objectives and 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines (PAG) for Americans, and smoking behaviors, participation in the physical education (PE) and team sports, controlling for age, gender and other behavioral characteristics. Forty percent and 70%, respectively, of adolescents did not meet the 2008 PAG and HP2010 objectives. After adjustment, smoking remained associated with failure to meet the 2008 PAG. However, no significant relationship was found with low PA duration as per the HP2010 objectives. The risk of low PA was higher among girls for both outcome measures. Likewise, adolescents who reported no participation in team sports presented a 7-fold higher risk of low PA as per the 2008 PAG and 51% higher risk of low PA as per the HP2010 objectives compared with the group with team sports participation. Regular participation in school PE and team sports may represent an important avenue for increasing PA duration and reducing smoking behaviors among adolescents.
Evaluation in Geographic Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurfman, Dana G., Ed.

This second yearbook of the National Council for Geographic Education presents recent thinking about the formulation and assessment of the educational outcomes of geography. Dana G. Kurfman overviews "Evaluation Developments Useful in Geographic Education" relating evaluation to decision making, objectives, data gatherings, and data…
Synthetic Graft Augmentation in Vaginal Prolapse Surgery: Long-Term Objective and Subjective Outcomes.

PubMed

Meyer, Isuzu; McGwin, Gerald; Swain, Thomas A; Alvarez, Mitchell D; Ellington, David R; Richter, Holly E

2016-01-01

To report long-term objectives and subjective outcomes in women who underwent prolapse surgery with a synthetic graft augmentation. Retrospective analysis (Canadian Task Force classification II-3). University hospital in the southeastern United States. Women with symptomatic pelvic organ prolapse who underwent transvaginal graft augmentation using the Prolift mesh system between July 2006 and December 2008 for a minimum 5-year follow-up. Subjects completed the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory (PFDI-20), the Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire (PFIQ-7), the Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Function Questionnaire (PISQ), and the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire. Subjects also underwent postoperative physical examination with Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POP-Q) and vaginal pain/stricture assessment. Long-term postoperative findings were compared with preoperative baseline data. Of 208 eligible subjects, 70 completed the questionnaires only, and 48 of these 70 provided both postoperative examination and questionnaire data. The mean duration of follow-up was 7.0 ± 0.7 years (range, 5.8-8.1 years). POP-Q measurements of Ba (point B anterior), Bp (B posterior), C (cervix), GH (genital hiatus), PB (perineal body), and overall pelvic organ prolapse stage were significantly improved (all p < .001 except for PB, p = .006). PFIQ-7 (total, Urinary Impact Questionnaire, and Pelvic Organ Prolapse Impact Questionnaire) and PFDI-20 (total, Urinary Distress Inventory, and Pelvic Organ Prolapse Distress Inventory) scores significantly improved (all p < .001). No differences were noted in the colorectal-anal subscales (Colorectal-Anal Impact Questionnaire and Colorectal-Anal Distress Inventory) and PISQ scores at >5-year follow-up (all p > .05). Satisfaction rates were 15.7% for not at all, 35.7% for somewhat, and 48.6% for completely satisfied. Complications included graft exposure (n = 3; 6%) and dyspareunia (n = 25; 36%). Women undergoing
Veggie Rx: an outcome evaluation of a healthy food incentive programme

PubMed Central

Cavanagh, Michelle; Jurkowski, Janine; Bozlak, Christine; Hastings, Julia; Klein, Amy

2017-01-01

Objective One challenge to healthy nutrition, especially among low-income individuals, is access to and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. To address this problem, Veggie Rx, a healthy food incentive programme, was established within a community clinic to increase access to fresh produce for low-income patients diagnosed with obesity, hypertension and/or type 2 diabetes. The current research aimed to evaluate Veggie Rx programme effectiveness. Design A retrospective pre/post design using medical records and programme data was used to evaluate the programme. The study was approved by the University of Albany Institutional Review Board and the Patient Interest Committee of a community clinic. Setting The study was conducted in a low-income, urban neighbourhood in upstate New York. Subjects Medical record data and Veggie Rx programme data were analysed for fifty-four eligible participants. An equal-sized control group of patients who were not programme participants were matched on age, ethnicity and co-morbidity status. Results: A statistically significant difference in mean BMI change (P = 0.02) between the intervention and the control group was calculated. The intervention group had a mean decrease in BMI of 0.74 kg/m2. Conclusions Greater improvement in BMI was found among Veggie Rx programme participants. This information will guide programme changes and inform the field on the effectiveness of healthy food incentive programmes for improving health outcomes for low-income populations. PMID:27539192
Challenges in evaluating cancer as a clinical outcome in postapproval studies of drug safety

PubMed Central

Pinheiro, Simone P.; Rivera, Donna R.; Graham, David J.; Freedman, Andrew N.; Major, Jacqueline M.; Penberthy, Lynne; Levenson, Mark; Bradley, Marie C.; Wong, Hui-Lee; Ouellet-Hellstrom, Rita

2017-01-01

Pharmaceuticals approved in the United States are largely not known human carcinogens. However, cancer signals associated with pharmaceuticals may be hypothesized or arise after product approval. There are many study designs that can be used to evaluate cancer as an outcome in the postapproval setting. Because prospective systematic collection of cancer outcomes from a large number of individuals may be lengthy, expensive, and challenging, leveraging data from large existing databases are an integral approach. Such studies have the capability to evaluate the clinical experience of a large number of individuals, yet there are unique methodological challenges involved in their use to evaluate cancer outcomes. To discuss methodological challenges and potential solutions, the Food and Drug Administration and the National Cancer Institute convened a two-day public meeting in 2014. This commentary summarizes the most salient issues discussed at the meeting. PMID:27663208
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
Evaluation of Moving Object Detection Based on Various Input Noise Using Fixed Camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiaee, N.; Hashemizadeh, E.; Zarrinpanjeh, N.

2017-09-01

Detecting and tracking objects in video has been as a research area of interest in the field of image processing and computer vision. This paper evaluates the performance of a novel method for object detection algorithm in video sequences. This process helps us to know the advantage of this method which is being used. The proposed framework compares the correct and wrong detection percentage of this algorithm. This method was evaluated with the collected data in the field of urban transport which include car and pedestrian in fixed camera situation. The results show that the accuracy of the algorithm will decreases because of image resolution reduction.
Ablative fractional CO2 laser for burn scar reconstruction: An extensive subjective and objective short-term outcome analysis of a prospective treatment cohort.

PubMed

Issler-Fisher, Andrea C; Fisher, Oliver M; Smialkowski, Ania O; Li, Frank; van Schalkwyk, Constant P; Haertsch, Peter; Maitz, Peter K M

2017-05-01

The introduction of ablative fractional CO 2 lasers (CO 2 -AFL) for burn scar management shows promising results. Whilst recent studies have focused on objective scar outcomes following CO 2 -AFL treatment, to date no data on patient subjective factors such as quality of life are available. A prospective study was initiated to analyze the safety and efficacy of the CO 2 -AFL. Various objective and subjective outcome parameters were prospectively collected from the date of first consultation and follow-up following treatment. Objective factors include the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS), the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS), and ultrasound measurements of the thickness of the scar. Subjective parameters included the assessment of neuropathic pain and pruritus, as well as the evaluation of improvement of quality of life following CO 2 -AFL with the Burns Specific Health Scale (BSHS-B). For treatment effect analysis, patients were stratified according to scar maturation status (> or <2 years after injury). 47 patients with 118 burn scars completed at least one treatment cycle. At a median of 55 days (IQR 32-74) after CO 2 -AFL treatment all analyzed objective parameters decreased significantly: intra-patient normalized scar thickness decreased from a median of 2.4mm to 1.9mm (p<0.001) with a concomitant VSS-drop from a median of 7 to 6 (p<0.001). The overall POSAS patient scale decreased from a median of 9 to 5 (p<0.001) with similar effects documented in POSAS observer scales. Both pain and pruritus showed significant reduction. Quality of life increased significantly by 15 points (median 120 to 135; p<0.001). All of the identified changes following CO 2 -AFL were equally significant irrespective of scar maturation status. Our preliminary results confirm significant improvement in thickness, texture, colour, and symptoms following treatment with CO 2 -AFL. Foremost, quality of life of patients with both immature and mature scars (up to 23 years after
Effect of structured physical activity on respiratory outcomes in sedentary elderly adults with mobility limitations

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of structured physical activity on respiratory outcomes in community dwelling elderly adults with mobility limitations. DESIGN: Multicenter, randomized trial of physical activity vs health education, with respiratory variables prespecified as tertiary outcomes over...
Outcome Measurement in Economic Evaluations of Public Health Interventions: a Role for the Capability Approach?

PubMed Central

Lorgelly, Paula K.; Lawson, Kenny D.; Fenwick, Elisabeth A.L.; Briggs, Andrew H.

2010-01-01

Public health interventions have received increased attention from policy makers, and there has been a corresponding increase in the number of economic evaluations within the domain of public health. However, methods to evaluate public health interventions are less well established than those for medical interventions. Focusing on health as an outcome measure is likely to underestimate the impact of many public health interventions. This paper provides a review of outcome measures in public health; and describes the benefits of using the capability approach as a means to developing an all encompassing outcome measure. PMID:20623024
Impact of a dedicated cancer-associated thrombosis service on clinical outcomes: a mixed-methods evaluation of a clinical improvement exercise

PubMed Central

Noble, Simon; Pease, Nikki; Sui, Jessica; Davies, James; Lewis, Sarah; Malik, Usman; Alikhan, Raza; Prout, Hayley; Nelson, Annmarie

2016-01-01

Objectives Cancer-associated thrombosis (CAT) complex condition, which may present to any healthcare professional and at any point during the cancer journey. As such, patients may be managed by a number of specialties, resulting in inconsistent practice and suboptimal care. We describe the development of a dedicated CAT service and its evaluation. Setting Specialist cancer centre, district general hospital and primary care. Participants Patients with CAT and their referring clinicians. Intervention A cross specialty team developed a dedicated CAT service , including clear referral pathways, consistent access to medicines, patient's information and a specialist clinic. Primary and secondary outcome measures The service was evaluated using a mixed-methods evaluation , including audits of clinical practice, clinical outcomes, staff surveys and qualitative interviewing of patients and healthcare professionals. Results Data from 457 consecutive referrals over an 18-month period were evaluated. The CAT service has led to an 88% increase in safe and consistent community prescribing of low-molecular-weight heparin, with improved access to specialist advice and information. Patients reported improved understanding of their condition, enabling better self-management as well as better access to support and information. Referring clinicians reported better care standards for their patients with improved access to expertise and appropriate management. Conclusions A dedicated CAT service improves overall standards of care and is viewed positively by patients and clinicians alike. Further health economic evaluation would enhance the case for establishing this as the standard model of care. PMID:27895068
Science Communication Through Art: Objectives, Challenges, and Outcomes.

PubMed

Lesen, Amy E; Rogan, Ama; Blum, Michael J

2016-09-01

The arts are becoming a favored medium for conveying science to the public. Tracking trending approaches, such as community-engaged learning, alongside challenges and goals can help establish metrics to achieve more impactful outcomes, and to determine the effectiveness of arts-based science communication for raising awareness or shaping public policy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Evaluating social outcomes of HIV/AIDS interventions: a critical assessment of contemporary indicator frameworks

PubMed Central

Mannell, Jenevieve; Cornish, Flora; Russell, Jill

2014-01-01

Introduction Contemporary HIV-related theory and policy emphasize the importance of addressing the social drivers of HIV risk and vulnerability for a long-term response. Consequently, increasing attention is being given to social and structural interventions, and to social outcomes of HIV interventions. Appropriate indicators for social outcomes are needed in order to institutionalize the commitment to addressing social outcomes. This paper critically assesses the current state of social indicators within international HIV/AIDS monitoring and evaluation frameworks. Methods We analyzed the indicator frameworks of six international organizations involved in efforts to improve and synchronize the monitoring and evaluation of the HIV/AIDS response. Our analysis classifies the 328 unique indicators according to what they measure and assesses the degree to which they offer comprehensive measurement across three dimensions: domains of the social context, levels of change and organizational capacity. Results and discussion The majority of indicators focus on individual-level (clinical and behavioural) interventions and outcomes, neglecting structural interventions, community interventions and social outcomes (e.g. stigma reduction; community capacity building; policy-maker sensitization). The main tool used to address social aspects of HIV/AIDS is the disaggregation of data by social group. This raises three main limitations. Indicator frameworks do not provide comprehensive coverage of the diverse social drivers of the epidemic, particularly neglecting criminalization, stigma, discrimination and gender norms. There is a dearth of indicators for evaluating the social impacts of HIV interventions. Indicators of organizational capacity focus on capacity to effectively deliver and manage clinical services, neglecting capacity to respond appropriately and sustainably to complex social contexts. Conclusions Current indicator frameworks cannot adequately assess the social
Physical therapy in Huntington's disease--toward objective assessments?

PubMed

Bohlen, S; Ekwall, C; Hellström, K; Vesterlin, H; Björnefur, M; Wiklund, L; Reilmann, R

2013-02-01

Physical therapy is recommended for the treatment of Huntington's disease, but reliable studies investigating its efficacy are almost non-existent. This may in part be due to the lack of suitable outcome measures. Therefore, we investigated the applicability of novel quantitative and objective assessments of motor dysfunction in the evaluation of physical therapy interventions aimed at improving gait and posture. Twelve patients with Huntington disease received a predefined twice-weekly intervention focusing on posture and gait over 6 weeks. The GAITRite mat and a force plate were used for objective and quantitative assessments. The Unified Huntingtons Disease Rating Scale Total Motor Score, the timed Up &Go test, and the Berg Balance Scale were used as clinical outcome measures. Significant improvements were seen in GAITRite measures after therapy. Improvements were also seen in the Up & Go test and Berg Balance Scale, whereas force plate measures and Total Motor Scores did not change. The results suggest that physical therapy has a positive effect on gait in Huntington's disease. The study shows that objective and quantitative measures of gait and posture may serve as endpoints in trials assessing the efficacy of physical therapy. They should be explored further in larger trials applying a randomized controlled setting. © 2012 The Author(s) European Journal of Neurology © 2012 EFNS.
Challenges in evaluating cancer as a clinical outcome in postapproval studies of drug safety.

PubMed

Pinheiro, Simone P; Rivera, Donna R; Graham, David J; Freedman, Andrew N; Major, Jacqueline M; Penberthy, Lynne; Levenson, Mark; Bradley, Marie C; Wong, Hui-Lee; Ouellet-Hellstrom, Rita

2016-11-01

Pharmaceuticals approved in the United States are largely not known human carcinogens. However, cancer signals associated with pharmaceuticals may be hypothesized or arise after product approval. There are many study designs that can be used to evaluate cancer as an outcome in the postapproval setting. Because prospective systematic collection of cancer outcomes from a large number of individuals may be lengthy, expensive, and challenging, leveraging data from large existing databases are an integral approach. Such studies have the capability to evaluate the clinical experience of a large number of individuals, yet there are unique methodological challenges involved in their use to evaluate cancer outcomes. To discuss methodological challenges and potential solutions, the Food and Drug Administration and the National Cancer Institute convened a two-day public meeting in 2014. This commentary summarizes the most salient issues discussed at the meeting. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Structured Play and Student Learning in Kindergarten: An Outcome Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodgers, Moira Smith

2012-01-01

This qualitative research study was an outcome evaluation of an alternative kindergarten curriculum to those currently used in most public schools. Tools of the Mind, a Vygotskian, play-based curriculum was implemented during the 2010-2011 school year in four kindergarten classrooms, involving data from approximately 50 students, within a public…
Evaluating the Wider Outcomes of Schools: Complex Systems Modelling for Leadership Decisioning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crick, Ruth Deakin; Barr, Steven; Green, Howard; Pedder, David

2017-01-01

A continuing challenge for the education system is how to evaluate the wider outcomes of schools. Wider measures of success--such as citizenship or lifelong learning--influence each other and emerge over time from complex interactions between students, teachers and leaders, and the wider community. Unless methods are found to evaluate these…
Evaluation of an activity monitor for the objective measurement of free-living physical activity in children with cerebral palsy.

PubMed

Tang, Kit Tzu; Richardson, Alison M; Maxwell, Douglas; Spence, William D; Stansfield, Benedict W

2013-12-01

To explore the use of an activity monitor (AM) to objectively characterize free-living physical activity (F-LPA) in children with mobility impairment resulting from cerebral palsy (CP). First, a validation study compared outcomes from the AM with video evidence. Second, multiday F-LPA was characterized. Relationships between laboratory measures and F-LPA were explored. The evaluation study was conducted in a laboratory environment. F-LPA monitoring was conducted in the participants' free-living environment. Convenience sample of ambulatory children (N=15; 11 boys, 4 girls) aged 5 to 17 years with CP undergoing gait analysis. Not applicable. Accuracy of the AM for sitting/lying time, upright time, stepping time, and strides taken. Daily volumes of F-LPA of children with CP. AM outcomes in comparison with video-based analysis were (mean ± SD) 97.4%±2.7%, 101.1%±1.5%, 99.5%±6.6%, 105.6%±15.8%, and 103.8%±10.1% for sitting/lying time, upright time, standing time, stepping time, and stride count, respectively. Participants' daily F-LPA demonstrated considerable variation: mean standing time ± SD, 2.33±.96h/d; mean stepping time ± SD, 1.68±.86h/d; mean steps per day ± SD, 8477±4528; and mean sit-to-stand transitions per day ± SD, 76±49. Laboratory-measured cadence and mobility level were related to F-LPA, but not directly. The AM demonstrated excellent ability to determine sitting/lying and upright times in children with CP. Stepping time and stride count had lower levels of agreement with video-based analysis but were comparable to findings in previous studies. Crouch gait and toe walking had an adverse effect on outcomes. The F-LPA data provided additional information on children's performance not related to laboratory measures, demonstrating the added value of using this objective measurement technique. Copyright © 2013 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Objective evaluation of reconstruction methods for quantitative SPECT imaging in the absence of ground truth.

PubMed

Jha, Abhinav K; Song, Na; Caffo, Brian; Frey, Eric C

2015-04-13

Quantitative single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging is emerging as an important tool in clinical studies and biomedical research. There is thus a need for optimization and evaluation of systems and algorithms that are being developed for quantitative SPECT imaging. An appropriate objective method to evaluate these systems is by comparing their performance in the end task that is required in quantitative SPECT imaging, such as estimating the mean activity concentration in a volume of interest (VOI) in a patient image. This objective evaluation can be performed if the true value of the estimated parameter is known, i.e. we have a gold standard. However, very rarely is this gold standard known in human studies. Thus, no-gold-standard techniques to optimize and evaluate systems and algorithms in the absence of gold standard are required. In this work, we developed a no-gold-standard technique to objectively evaluate reconstruction methods used in quantitative SPECT when the parameter to be estimated is the mean activity concentration in a VOI. We studied the performance of the technique with realistic simulated image data generated from an object database consisting of five phantom anatomies with all possible combinations of five sets of organ uptakes, where each anatomy consisted of eight different organ VOIs. Results indicate that the method provided accurate ranking of the reconstruction methods. We also demonstrated the application of consistency checks to test the no-gold-standard output.
Head Start Teaching Center: Outcome Evaluation of 3 Years of Participatory Training.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caruso, D. A.; Horm-Wingerd, D. M.; Golas, J. C.

The New England Head Start Teaching Center (NEHSTC) is one of 14 federally funded programs created to test the efficacy of participatory, hands-on training for enhancing Head Start service delivery. An outcome evaluation of the program was conducted after 3 years of operation. The research design of the evaluation was a nonequivalent comparison…

Risk-adjusted models for adverse obstetric outcomes and variation in risk-adjusted outcomes across hospitals.

PubMed

Bailit, Jennifer L; Grobman, William A; Rice, Madeline Murguia; Spong, Catherine Y; Wapner, Ronald J; Varner, Michael W; Thorp, John M; Leveno, Kenneth J; Caritis, Steve N; Shubert, Phillip J; Tita, Alan T; Saade, George; Sorokin, Yoram; Rouse, Dwight J; Blackwell, Sean C; Tolosa, Jorge E; Van Dorsten, J Peter

2013-11-01

Regulatory bodies and insurers evaluate hospital quality using obstetrical outcomes, however meaningful comparisons should take preexisting patient characteristics into account. Furthermore, if risk-adjusted outcomes are consistent within a hospital, fewer measures and resources would be needed to assess obstetrical quality. Our objective was to establish risk-adjusted models for 5 obstetric outcomes and assess hospital performance across these outcomes. We studied a cohort of 115,502 women and their neonates born in 25 hospitals in the United States from March 2008 through February 2011. Hospitals were ranked according to their unadjusted and risk-adjusted frequency of venous thromboembolism, postpartum hemorrhage, peripartum infection, severe perineal laceration, and a composite neonatal adverse outcome. Correlations between hospital risk-adjusted outcome frequencies were assessed. Venous thromboembolism occurred too infrequently (0.03%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.02-0.04%) for meaningful assessment. Other outcomes occurred frequently enough for assessment (postpartum hemorrhage, 2.29%; 95% CI, 2.20-2.38, peripartum infection, 5.06%; 95% CI, 4.93-5.19, severe perineal laceration at spontaneous vaginal delivery, 2.16%; 95% CI, 2.06-2.27, neonatal composite, 2.73%; 95% CI, 2.63-2.84). Although there was high concordance between unadjusted and adjusted hospital rankings, several individual hospitals had an adjusted rank that was substantially different (as much as 12 rank tiers) than their unadjusted rank. None of the correlations between hospital-adjusted outcome frequencies was significant. For example, the hospital with the lowest adjusted frequency of peripartum infection had the highest adjusted frequency of severe perineal laceration. Evaluations based on a single risk-adjusted outcome cannot be generalized to overall hospital obstetric performance. Copyright © 2013 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.
Effectiveness of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy: A Systematic Qualitative Review of Controlled Outcome Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gingerich, Wallace J.; Peterson, Lance T.

2013-01-01

Objective: We review all available controlled outcome studies of solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) to evaluate evidence of its effectiveness. Method: Forty-three studies were located and key data abstracted on problem, setting, SFBT intervention, design characteristics, and outcomes. Results: Thirty-two (74%) of the studies reported…
3 Tesla MRI-negative focal epilepsies: Presurgical evaluation, postoperative outcome and predictive factors.

PubMed

Kogias, Evangelos; Klingler, Jan-Helge; Urbach, Horst; Scheiwe, Christian; Schmeiser, Barbara; Doostkam, Soroush; Zentner, Josef; Altenmüller, Dirk-Matthias

2017-12-01

To investigate presurgical diagnostic modalities, clinical and seizure outcome as well as predictive factors after resective epilepsy surgery in 3 Tesla MRI-negative focal epilepsies. This retrospective study comprises 26 patients (11 males/15 females, mean age 34±12years, range 13-50 years) with 3 Tesla MRI-negative focal epilepsies who underwent resective epilepsy surgery. Non-invasive and invasive presurgical diagnostic modalities, type and localization of resection, clinical and epileptological outcome with a minimum follow-up of 1year (range 1-11 years, mean 2.5±2.3years) after surgery as well as outcome predictors were evaluated. All patients underwent invasive video-EEG monitoring after implantation of intracerebral depth and/or subdural electrodes. Ten patients received temporal and 16 extratemporal or multilobar (n=4) resections. There was no perioperative death or permanent morbidity. Overall, 12 of 26 patients (46%) were completely seizure-free (Engel IA) and 65% had a favorable outcome (Engel I-II). In particular, seizure-free ratio was 40% in the temporal and 50% in the extratemporal group. In the temporal group, long duration of epilepsy correlated with poor seizure outcome, whereas congruent unilateral FDG-PET hypometabolism correlated with a favorable outcome. In almost two thirds of temporal and extratemporal epilepsies defined as "non-lesional" by 3 Tesla MRI criteria, a favorable postoperative seizure outcome (Engel I-II) can be achieved with accurate multimodal presurgical evaluation including intracranial EEG recordings. In the temporal group, most favorable results were obtained when FDG-PET displayed congruent unilateral hypometabolism. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Experience with Malleable Objects Influences Shape-based Object Individuation by Infants

PubMed Central

Woods, Rebecca J.; Schuler, Jena

2014-01-01

Infants’ ability to accurately represent and later recognize previously viewed objects, and conversely, to discriminate novel objects from those previously seen improves remarkably over the first two years of life. During this time, infants acquire extensive experience viewing and manipulating objects and these experiences influence their physical reasoning. Here we posited that infants’ observations of object feature stability (rigid versus malleable) can influence use of those features to individuate two successively viewed objects. We showed 8.5-month-olds a series of objects that could or could not change shape then assessed their use of shape as a basis for object individuation. Infants who explored rigid objects later used shape differences to individuate objects; however, infants who explored malleable objects did not. This outcome suggests that the latter infants did not take into account shape differences during the physical reasoning task and provides further evidence that infants’ attention to object features can be readily modified based on recent experiences. PMID:24561541
High Tech Educators Network Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Shea, Dan

A process evaluation was conducted to assess the High Tech Educators Network's (HTEN's) activities. Four basic components to the evaluation approach were documentation review, program logic model, written survey, and participant interviews. The model mapped the basic goals and objectives, assumptions, activities, outcome expectations, and…
Empirical evaluation of meta-analytic approaches for nutrient and health outcome dose-response data

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The objective of this study is to empirically compare alternative meta-analytic methods for combining dose-response data from epidemiological studies. We identified meta-analyses of epidemiological studies that analyzed the association between a single nutrient and a dichotomous outcome. For each to...
Comparison of university and private-practice orthodontic treatment outcomes with the American Board of Orthodontics objective grading system.

PubMed

Cook, Devon R; Harris, Edward F; Vaden, James L

2005-06-01

Treatment outcomes and duration of treatment for patients treated in university graduate orthodontic programs and private orthodontic practices were assessed and compared with the ABO objective grading system. The treatment records of 139 randomly selected adolescents who had received comprehensive orthodontic treatment were examined. Seventy-seven subjects had been treated in 3 postgraduate orthodontic clinics, and 62 had been treated in 3 private orthodontic practices. Pretreatment, all subjects had Class II Division 1 malocclusions and ANB angles equal to or greater than 4 degrees . All patients were treated with premolar extractions. Posttreatment dental casts were measured and scored with the ABO objective grading system. No significant differences were found between the groups in the alignment, buccolingual inclination, and overjet components. Patients treated in private practice had significantly lower scores for marginal ridge height and occlusal relationship. Patients treated in the university programs had significantly lower scores for occlusal contact and interproximal contact components. There was no significant difference in the overall score, thus no significant difference in the overall quality of orthodontic treatment outcome between patients treated in university programs and private practices. However, the university group had a significantly larger sample variance for the overall score. There was no significant difference in the duration of the treatment between patients treated in a university setting and in a private practice.
Evaluating choices by single neurons in the frontal lobe: outcome value encoded across multiple decision variables

PubMed Central

Kennerley, Steven W.; Wallis, Jonathan D.

2009-01-01

Damage to the frontal lobe can cause severe decision-making impairments. A mechanism that may underlie this is that neurons in the frontal cortex encode many variables that contribute to the valuation of a choice, such as its costs, benefits and probability of success. However, optimal decision-making requires that one considers these variables, not only when faced with the choice, but also when evaluating the outcome of the choice, in order to adapt future behaviour appropriately. To examine the role of the frontal cortex in encoding the value of different choice outcomes, we simultaneously recorded the activity of multiple single neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) while subjects evaluated the outcome of choices involving manipulations of probability, payoff and cost. Frontal neurons encoded many of the parameters that enabled the calculation of the value of these variables, including the onset and offset of reward and the amount of work performed, and often encoded the value of outcomes across multiple decision variables. In addition, many neurons encoded both the predicted outcome during the choice phase of the task as well as the experienced outcome in the outcome phase of the task. These patterns of selectivity were more prevalent in ACC relative to OFC and LPFC. These results support a role for the frontal cortex, principally ACC, in selecting between choice alternatives and evaluating the outcome of that selection thereby ensuring that choices are optimal and adaptive. PMID:19453638
An Evaluation of Crisis Hotline Outcomes. Part 2: Suicidal Callers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gould, Madelyn S.; Kalafat, John; HarrisMunfakh, Jimmie Lou; Kleinman, Marjorie

2007-01-01

In this study we evaluated the effectiveness of telephone crisis services/hotlines, examining proximal outcomes as measured by changes in callers' suicide state from the beginning to the end of their calls to eight centers in the U.S. and again within 3 weeks of their calls. Between March 2003 and July 2004, 1,085 suicide callers were assessed…
University clinic and private practice treatment outcomes in Class I extraction and nonextraction patients: A comparative study with the American Board of Orthodontics Objective Grading System.

PubMed

Mislik, Barbara; Konstantonis, Dimitrios; Katsadouris, Alexios; Eliades, Theodore

2016-02-01

The aim of this study was to compare treatment outcomes in university vs private practice settings with Class I patients using the American Board of Orthodontics Objective Grading System. A parent sample of 580 Class I patients treated with and without extractions of 4 first premolars was subjected to discriminant analysis to identify a borderline spectrum of 66 patients regarding the extraction modality. Of these patients, 34 were treated in private orthodontic practices, and 32 were treated in a university graduate orthodontic clinic. The treatment outcomes were evaluated using the 8 variables of the American Board of Orthodontics Objective Grading System. The total scores ranged from 10 to 47 (mean, 25.44; SD, 9.8) for the university group and from 14 to 45 (mean, 25.94; SD, 7.7) for the private practice group. The university group achieved better scores for the variables of buccolingual inclination (mean difference, 2.28; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59, 3.98; P = 0.01) and marginal ridges (mean difference, 1.32; 95% CI, 0.28, 2.36; P = 0.01), and the private practice group achieved a better score for the variable of root angulation (mean difference, -0.65; 95% CI, -1.26, -0.03; P = 0.04). However, no statistically intergroup differences were found between the total American Board of Orthodontics Objective Grading System scores (mean difference, -0.5; 95% CI, -3.82, 4.82; P = 0.82). Patients can receive similar quality of orthodontic treatment in a private practice and a university clinic. The orthodontists in the private practices were more successful in angulating the roots properly, whereas the orthodontic residents accomplished better torque control of the posterior segments and better marginal ridges. Copyright © 2016 American Association of Orthodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Defining competency-based evaluation objectives in family medicine

PubMed Central

Allen, Tim; Brailovsky, Carlos; Rainsberry, Paul; Lawrence, Katherine; Crichton, Tom; Carpentier, Marie-Pierre; Visser, Shaun

2011-01-01

Abstract Objective To develop a definition of competence in family medicine sufficient to guide a review of Certification examinations by the Board of Examiners of the College of Family Physicians of Canada. Design Delphi analysis of responses to a 4-question postal survey. Setting Canadian family practice. Participants A total of 302 family physicians who have served as examiners for the College of Family Physicians of Canada’s Certification examination. Methods A survey comprising 4 short-answer questions was mailed to the 302 participating family physicians asking them to list elements that define competence in family medicine among newly certified family physicians beginning independent practice. Two expert groups used a modified Delphi consensus process to analyze responses and generate 2 basic components of this definition of competence: first, the problems that a newly practising family physician should be competent to handle; second, the qualities, behaviour, and skills that characterize competence at the start of independent practice. Main findings Response rate was 54%; total number of elements among all responses was 5077, for an average 31 per respondent. Of the elements, 2676 were topics or clinical situations to be dealt with; the other 2401 were skills, behaviour patterns, or qualities, without reference to a specific clinical problem. The expert groups identified 6 essential skills, the phases of the clinical encounter, and 99 priority topics as the descriptors used by the respondents. More than 20% of respondents cited 30 of the topics. Conclusion Family physicians define the domain of competence in family medicine in terms of 6 essential skills, the phases of the clinical encounter, and priority topics. This survey represents the first level of definition of evaluation objectives in family medicine. Definition of the interactions among these elements will permit these objectives to become detailed enough to effectively guide assessment. PMID
Objective evaluation of choroidal melanin contents with polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miura, Masahiro; Makita, Shuichi; Yasuno, Yoshiaki; Ikuno, Yasushi; Uematsu, Sato; Iwasaki, Takuya; Goto, Hiroshi

2018-02-01

We non-invasively evaluated choroidal melanin contents in human eyes with PS-OCT. We calculated the percentage area of low DOPU in the choroidal interstitial stroma for Vogt-Koyanagi- Harada disease with sunset glow fundus, without sunset glow fundus, control group and tessellated fundus with high myopia. The mean percentage area of low DOPU in the sunset group was significantly lower than the other groups. PS-OCT provides an in vivo objective evaluation of choroidal melanin loss in vivo human eyes.
Reading K-3. Instructional Objectives Exchange. A Project of the Center for the Study of Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

California Univ., Los Angeles. Center for the Study of Evaluation.

Three hundred and ninety-seven objectives and related evaluation items for reading in grades kindergarten through three are presented for the teacher and administrator in this collection developed by the Instructional Objectives Exchange (IOX). The objectives are organized into the categories of word recognition, comprehension, and study skills,…
Modulation of the brain activity in outcome evaluation by the presence of an audience: An electrophysiological investigation.

PubMed

Tian, Tengxiang; Feng, Xue; Gu, Ruolei; Broster, Lucas S; Feng, Chunliang; Wang, Lili; Guan, Qing; Luo, Yue-Jia

2015-07-30

The audience effect refers to the phenomenon that one׳s performance on a task is affected by the presence of others. Here we investigated how the audience effect modulates the neurocognitive signatures underlying people׳s evaluation of their own task performance/outcome. Participants in our study played a gambling game in two social contexts: an "audience" condition and an "alone" condition. The presence of others modulated the feedback-related negativity (FRN), which might reflect enhanced motivational significance or increased reward processing when participants were watched compared to when they were alone. We also observed increased P300 responses to outcome feedback in the audience condition, presumably reflecting more elaborative and sustained evaluation of outcomes in the audience than alone context. This audience effect on the evaluative processes complements previous observations on the social nature of outcome evaluation and extends a traditional topic in social psychology to the neuroscientific field. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Social distance influences the outcome evaluation of cooperation and conflict: Evidence from event-related potentials.

PubMed

Chen, Yezi; Lu, Jiamei; Wang, Yiwen; Feng, Zhouqi; Yuan, Bo

2017-04-24

Previous research shows that social distance plays an important role in promoting cooperation and that subtle cues that reduce social distance increase the tendency to cooperate. However, it is unclear how social distance influences our outcome evaluation of cooperative and conflict feedback. The present study investigated the influence of social distance on cooperative and conflict behavior and the evaluation process of the cooperative and conflict outcomes, using the event-related potentials (ERPs) technique. We recorded ERPs from 14 normal adults playing a social game task against a friend and a stranger. The results showed that the FRN (Feedback Related Negativity) and P300 were affected by the opponent's choice to cooperate or aggress; however, only the P300 was affected by social distance. Specifically, when the opponent chose to cooperate, the feedback elicited a smaller FRN and a larger P300 amplitude; and compared with playing against friends, the P300 had a larger amplitude when participants gaming with strangers. Our results indicate that at the early stage of the evaluation of cooperation and conflict outcomes, individuals may initially and quickly encode the valence of outcomes, judging whether an outcome is consistent with their expectations. However, at the late stage, which involves a top-down cognitive appraisal process, some social factors, such as social distance, may moderate processing of attention resource allocation of feedback about outcomes, and of higher-level motivation/affective appraisal. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A Patient-Assessed Morbidity to Evaluate Outcome in Surgically Treated Vestibular Schwannomas.

PubMed

Al-Shudifat, Abdul Rahman; Kahlon, Babar; Höglund, Peter; Lindberg, Sven; Magnusson, Måns; Siesjo, Peter

2016-10-01

Outcome after treatment of vestibular schwannomas can be evaluated by health providers as mortality, recurrence, performance, and morbidity. Because mortality and recurrence are rare events, evaluation has to focus on performance and morbidity. The latter has mostly been reported by health providers. In the present study, we validate 2 new scales for patient-assessed performance and morbidity in comparison with different outcome tools, such as quality of life (QOL) (European Quality of Life-5 dimensions [EQ-5D]), facial nerve score, and work capacity. There were 167 total patients in a retrospective (n = 90) and prospective (n = 50) cohort of surgically treated vestibular schwannomas. A new patient-assessed morbidity score (paMS), a patient-assessed Karnofsky score (paKPS), the patient-assessed QOL (EQ-5D) score, work capacity, and the House-Brackmann facial nerve score were used as outcome measures. Analysis of paMS components and their relation to other outcomes was done as uni- and multivariate analysis. All outcome instruments, except EQ-5D and paKPS, showed a significant decrease postoperatively. Only the facial nerve score (House-Brackmann facial nerve score) differed significantly between the retrospective and prospective cohorts. Out of the 16 components of the paMS, hearing dysfunction, tear dysfunction, balance dysfunction, and eye irritation were most often reported. Both paMS and EQ-5D correlated significantly with work capacity. Standard QOL and performance instruments may not be sufficiently sensitive or specific to measure outcome at the cohort level after surgical treatment of vestibular schwannomas. A morbidity score may yield more detailed information on symptoms that can be relevant for rehabilitation and occupational training after surgery. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Objective evaluation of the knocking sound of a diesel engine considering the temporal and frequency masking effect simultaneously

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yun, Dong-Un; Lee, Sang-Kwon

2017-06-01

In this paper, we present a novel method for an objective evaluation of knocking noise emitted by diesel engines based on the temporal and frequency masking theory. The knocking sound of a diesel engine is a vibro-acoustic sound correlated with the high-frequency resonances of the engine structure and a periodic impulsive sound with amplitude modulation. Its period is related to the engine speed and includes specific frequency bands related to the resonances of the engine structure. A knocking sound with the characteristics of a high-frequency impulsive wave can be masked by low-frequency sounds correlated with the harmonics of the firing frequency and broadband noise. The degree of modulation of the knocking sound signal was used for such objective evaluations in previous studies, without considering the masking effect. However, the frequency masking effect must be considered for the objective evaluation of the knocking sound. In addition to the frequency masking effect, the temporal masking effect occurs because the period of the knocking sound changes according to the engine speed. Therefore, an evaluation method considering the temporal and frequency masking effect is required to analyze the knocking sound objectively. In this study, an objective evaluation method considering the masking effect was developed based on the masking theory of sound and signal processing techniques. The method was applied successfully for the objective evaluation of the knocking sound of a diesel engine.
Ecological Origins of Object Salience: Reward, Uncertainty, Aversiveness, and Novelty

PubMed Central

Ghazizadeh, Ali; Griggs, Whitney; Hikosaka, Okihide

2016-01-01

Among many objects around us, some are more salient than others (i.e., attract our attention automatically). Some objects may be inherently salient (e.g., brighter), while others may become salient by virtue of their ecological relevance through experience. However, the role of ecological experience in automatic attention has not been studied systematically. To address this question, we let subjects (macaque monkeys) view a large number of complex objects (>300), each experienced repeatedly (>5 days) with rewarding, aversive or no outcome association (mere-perceptual exposure). Test of salience was done on separate days using free viewing with no outcome. We found that gaze was biased among the objects from the outset, affecting saccades to objects or fixations within objects. When the outcome was rewarding, gaze preference was stronger (i.e., positive) for objects with larger or equal but uncertain rewards. The effects of aversive outcomes were variable. Gaze preference was positive for some outcome associations (e.g., airpuff), but negative for others (e.g., time-out), possibly due to differences in threat levels. Finally, novel objects attracted gaze, but mere perceptual exposure of objects reduced their salience (learned negative salience). Our results show that, in primates, object salience is strongly influenced by previous ecological experience and is supported by a large memory capacity. Owing to such high capacity for learned salience, the ability to rapidly choose important objects can grow during the entire life to promote biological fitness. PMID:27594825
The role of objective personality inventories in suicide risk assessment: an evaluation and proposal.

PubMed

Johnson, W B; Lall, R; Bongar, B; Nordlund, M D

1999-01-01

Objective personality assessment instruments offer a comparatively underutilized source of clinical data in attempts to evaluate and predict risk for suicide. In contrast to focal suicide risk measures, global personality inventories may be useful in identification of long-standing styles that predispose persons to eventual suicidal behavior. This article reviews the empirical literature regarding the efficacy of established personality inventories in predicting suicidality. The authors offer several recommendations for future research with these measures and conclude that such objective personality instruments offer only marginal utility as sources of clinical information in comprehensive suicide risk evaluations. Personality inventories may offer greatest utility in long-term assessment of suicide risk.
Framework for objective evaluation of privacy filters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korshunov, Pavel; Melle, Andrea; Dugelay, Jean-Luc; Ebrahimi, Touradj

2013-09-01

Extensive adoption of video surveillance, affecting many aspects of our daily lives, alarms the public about the increasing invasion into personal privacy. To address these concerns, many tools have been proposed for protection of personal privacy in image and video. However, little is understood regarding the effectiveness of such tools and especially their impact on the underlying surveillance tasks, leading to a tradeoff between the preservation of privacy offered by these tools and the intelligibility of activities under video surveillance. In this paper, we investigate this privacy-intelligibility tradeoff objectively by proposing an objective framework for evaluation of privacy filters. We apply the proposed framework on a use case where privacy of people is protected by obscuring faces, assuming an automated video surveillance system. We used several popular privacy protection filters, such as blurring, pixelization, and masking and applied them with varying strengths to people's faces from different public datasets of video surveillance footage. Accuracy of face detection algorithm was used as a measure of intelligibility (a face should be detected to perform a surveillance task), and accuracy of face recognition algorithm as a measure of privacy (a specific person should not be identified). Under these conditions, after application of an ideal privacy protection tool, an obfuscated face would be visible as a face but would not be correctly identified by the recognition algorithm. The experiments demonstrate that, in general, an increase in strength of privacy filters under consideration leads to an increase in privacy (i.e., reduction in recognition accuracy) and to a decrease in intelligibility (i.e., reduction in detection accuracy). Masking also shows to be the most favorable filter across all tested datasets.

Trifecta outcomes after robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy.

PubMed

Shikanov, Sergey A; Zorn, Kevin C; Zagaja, Gregory P; Shalhav, Arieh L

2009-09-01

To evaluate the trifecta outcomes following robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) and compare the results applying definitions of continence and potency as reported in the literature vs validated questionnaire. The trifecta rate of achieving continence, potency, and undetectable prostate-specific antigen (PSA) following radical prostatectomy has been estimated to be approximately 60% at 1-2 years in open radical prostatectomy series. The definitions of continence and potency were not standardized, which poses difficulty in comparing published results. A prospective, institutional RALP database was analyzed for preoperatively continent and potent men with >/= 1 year follow-up after bilateral nerve-sparing surgery. Continence and potency were evaluated preoperatively and at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after surgery by surgeon interview (subjective) and using University of California Los-Angeles Prostate Cancer Index self-administered questionnaire (objective). Biochemical recurrence was defined as a detectable (> 0.05 ng/mL), increasing PSA on 2 consecutive tests. Among 1362 consecutive RALPs, 380 patients were preoperatively potent and continent underwent surgery with bilateral nerve-sparing technique and had sufficient follow-up. Trifecta rates applying subjective continence and potency definitions were 34%, 52%, 71%, and 76% at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months, respectively. The corresponding trifecta rates using objective continence and potency definitions stood at 16%, 31%, 44%, and 44%. The difference was statistically significant at each time point (P < .0001). RALP provides trifecta outcome rates comparable to open surgery. The outcome rates vary significantly depending on the tools used for continence and potency evaluation.
Traditional and nontraditional evaluations of student outcomes in a practical final examination of veterinary radiology.

PubMed

Koskinen, Heli I

2010-01-01

The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Helsinki recognized the lack of systems to measure the quality of education. At the department level, this meant lack of systems to measure the quality of students' outcomes. The aim of this article was to compare the quality of outcomes of a final examination in veterinary radiology by calculating the correlations between traditional (quantitative scores traditionally given by veterinary teachers) and nontraditional (qualitative Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome, or SOLO, method) grading results. Evaluation of the quality of the questions is also included. The results indicate that SOLO offers criteria for quality evaluation, especially for questions. A correlation of 0.60 (p<0.01) existed between qualitative and quantitative estimations, and a correlation of 0.79 (p<0.01) existed between evaluators, both using traditional scores. Two suggestions for a better system to evaluate quality in the future: First, development of problem-solving skills during the learning process should also be assessed. Second, both the scoring of factual correctness of answers (knowledge) and the grammatical structure of an answer and the quality of presentation should be included in the quality evaluation process.
QUANTITATIVE EVALUATION OF THE HYPOTHESIS THAT BL LACERTAE OBJECTS ARE QSO REMNANTS

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

Borra, E. F.

2014-11-20

We evaluate with numerical simulations the hypothesis that BL Lacertae objects (BLLs) are the remnants of quasi-stellar objects. This hypothesis is based on their highly peculiar redshift evolution. They have a comoving space density that increases with decreasing redshift, contrary to all other active galactic nuclei. We assume that relativistic jets are below detection in young radio-quiet quasars and increase in strength with cosmic time so that they eventually are detected as BLLs. Our numerical simulations fit very well the observed redshift distributions of BLLs. There are strong indications that only the high-synchrotron-peaked BLLs could be QSO remnants.
Problems, solutions and recommendations for implementing CODES (Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System)

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-02-01

Problems, solutions and recommendations for implementation have been contributed by 16 of the 27 CODES states and organized as appropriate under the administrative, linkage and application requirements for a Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System (CODE...
Why Data Linkage? The Importance of CODES (Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System)

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1996-06-01

This report briefly explains the computerized linked data system, Crash Outcome : Data Evaluation System (CODES) that provides greater depth accident data : analysis. The linking of data helps researchers to understand the nature of : traffic acciden...
Real Progress in Maryland: Student Learning Objectives and Teacher and Principal Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slotnik, William J.; Bugler, Daniel; Liang, Guodong

2014-01-01

The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) is making significant strides in guiding and supporting the implementation of Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) as well as a teacher and principal evaluation (TPE) system statewide. MSDE support focuses on helping districts prepare for full SLO implementation by providing technical assistance with…
Framework of behavioral indicators evaluating TB health promotion outcomes: a modified Delphi study of TB policymakers and health workers.

PubMed

Li, Ying; Ehiri, John; Hu, Daiyu; Oren, Eyal; Cao, Jia

2015-12-15

Although TB health promotion directed at policy makers and healthcare workers (HCWs) is considered important to tuberculosis (TB) control, no indicators currently assess the impact of such promotional activities. This article is the second in a series of papers that seek to establish a framework of behavioral indicators for outcome evaluation of TB health promotion, using the Delphi method. In the first article, we sought to establish a framework of behavioral indicators for outcome evaluation of TB health promotion among TB suspects and patients. The objective of this second article is to present an indicator framework that can be used to assess behavioral outcomes of TB health promotion directed at policy makers and HCWs. A two-round, modified Delphi method was used to establish the indicators. Sixteen experts who were knowledgeable and experienced in the field of TB control were consulted in Delphi surveys. A questionnaire was developed following 4 steps, and involved ranking indicators on a five-point Likert scale. The consensus level was 70 %. Median, mode, and Coefficient of variation (CV) were used to describe expert responses. An authority coefficient (Cr) was used to assess the degree of each expert's authority. Consensus was achieved following the two survey rounds and several iterations among the experts. For TB health-promotion activities directed at policymakers, the experts reached consensus on 2 domains ("Resource inputs" and "Policymaking and monitoring behaviors"), 4 subdomains ("Human resources" among others), and 13 indicators ("Human resources per 100,000 person" among others). For TB health-promotion activities directed at HCWs, the experts reached consensus on 5 domains ("Self-protective behaviors" among others), 6 sub-domains ("Preventing infection" among others), and 15 indicators ("Average hours of daily workplace disinfection by ultraviolet radiation" among others). This study identified a conceptual framework of core behavioral indicators
Evaluation of work zone speed limits : an objective and subjective analysis of work zones in Missouri.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-02-01

This study objectively and subjectively examined speed characteristics and driver compliance with the posted speed limit : in Missouri work zones. The objective evaluation collected vehicle speeds from four work zones with different : configurations ...
Monitoring and evaluation of sport-based HIV/AIDS awareness programmes: Strengthening outcome indicators.

PubMed

Maleka, Elma Nelisiwe

2017-12-01

There are number of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in South Africa that use sport as a tool to respond to Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS), however, little is reported about the outcomes and impact of these programmes. The aim of this study is to contribute to a generic monitoring and evaluation framework by improving the options for the use of outcome indicators of sport-based HIV/AIDS awareness programmes of selected NGOs in South Africa. A qualitative method study was carried out with seven employees of five selected NGOs that integrate sport to deliver HIV/AIDS programmes in South Africa. The study further involved six specialists/experts involved in the field of HIV/AIDS and an official from Sport Recreation South Africa (SRSA). Multiple data collection instruments including desktop review, narrative systematic review, document analysis, one-on-one interviews and focus group interview were used to collect information on outcomes and indicators for sport-based HIV/AIDS awareness programmes. The information was classified according to the determinants of HIV/AIDS. The overall findings revealed that the sport-based HIV/AIDS awareness programmes of five selected NGOs examined in this study focus on similar HIV prevention messages within the key priorities highlighted in the current National Strategic Plan for HIV/AIDS, STIs and TB of South Africa. However, monitoring and evaluating outcomes of sport-based HIV/AIDS programmes of the selected NGOs remains a challenge. A need exists for the improvement of the outcome statements and indicators for their sport-based HIV/AIDS awareness programmes. This study proposed a total of 51 generic outcome indicators focusing on measuring change in the knowledge of HIV/AIDS and change in attitude and intention towards HIV risk behaviours. In addition, this study further proposed a total of eight generic outcome indicators to measure predictors of HIV risk behaviour. The selected
Program Evaluation of Outcomes Based Orthotic and Prosthetic Education

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-12-01

writing of new Biomechanics and Gait curricula and syllabi; implementation of online learning strategies through the use of Blackboard online learning...TERMS Prosthetics, Orthotics, Prosthesis , Orthosis, Amputation, Outcomes Based Evaluation 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF...Appendix III. Appendix IV. Sample Syllabus – Biomechanics …………………………… 24 Appendix V. Sample Final Examination……………………………………. 29
One device, one equation: the simplest way to objectively evaluate psoriasis severity.

PubMed

Choi, Jae Woo; Kim, Bo Ri; Choi, Chong Won; Youn, Sang Woong

2015-02-01

The erythema, scale and thickness of psoriasis lesions could be converted to bioengineering parameters. An objective psoriasis severity assessment is advantageous in terms of accuracy and reproducibility over conventional severity assessment. We aimed to formulate an objective psoriasis severity index with a single bioengineering device that can possibly substitute the conventional subjective Psoriasis Severity Index. A linear regression analysis was performed to derive the formula with the subjective Psoriasis Severity Index as the dependent variable and various bioengineering parameters determined from 157 psoriasis lesions as independent variables. The construct validity of the objective Psoriasis Severity Index was evaluated with an additional 30 psoriasis lesions through a Pearson correlation analysis. The formula is composed of hue and brightness, which are sufficiently obtainable with a Colorimeter alone. A very strong positive correlation was found between the objective and subjective psoriasis severity indexes. The objective Psoriasis Severity Index is a novel, practical and valid assessment method that can substitute the conventional one. Combined with subjective area assessment, it could further replace the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index which is currently most popular. © 2014 Japanese Dermatological Association.
Effectiveness evaluation of objective and subjective weighting methods for aquifer vulnerability assessment in urban context

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahoo, Madhumita; Sahoo, Satiprasad; Dhar, Anirban; Pradhan, Biswajeet

2016-10-01

Groundwater vulnerability assessment has been an accepted practice to identify the zones with relatively increased potential for groundwater contamination. DRASTIC is the most popular secondary information-based vulnerability assessment approach. Original DRASTIC approach considers relative importance of features/sub-features based on subjective weighting/rating values. However variability of features at a smaller scale is not reflected in this subjective vulnerability assessment process. In contrast to the subjective approach, the objective weighting-based methods provide flexibility in weight assignment depending on the variation of the local system. However experts' opinion is not directly considered in the objective weighting-based methods. Thus effectiveness of both subjective and objective weighting-based approaches needs to be evaluated. In the present study, three methods - Entropy information method (E-DRASTIC), Fuzzy pattern recognition method (F-DRASTIC) and Single parameter sensitivity analysis (SA-DRASTIC), were used to modify the weights of the original DRASTIC features to include local variability. Moreover, a grey incidence analysis was used to evaluate the relative performance of subjective (DRASTIC and SA-DRASTIC) and objective (E-DRASTIC and F-DRASTIC) weighting-based methods. The performance of the developed methodology was tested in an urban area of Kanpur City, India. Relative performance of the subjective and objective methods varies with the choice of water quality parameters. This methodology can be applied without/with suitable modification. These evaluations establish the potential applicability of the methodology for general vulnerability assessment in urban context.
Ascertaining educational outcomes after assessment in children with learning disorders.

PubMed

Waber, Deborah P; Boiselle, Ellen C; Girard, Jonathan M; Amaral, Joseph L; Forbes, Peter W

2017-01-01

To survey educational outcomes after an interdisciplinary, neuropsychologically based team assessment for learning disorders. Parents of 137 children who underwent a comprehensive interdisciplinary neuropsychologically based assessment for learning problems completed an online survey one to four years later. Questions pertained broadly to school outcomes: positive or negative school responses, changes in special education services, and parental perceptions about the helpfulness of those services. These outcomes were examined in relation to demographic characteristics and parent satisfaction with the evaluation. We also obtained recent performance on state-based academic testing for descriptive purposes. Parents reported that schools generally responded positively (78%), and 70% reported that their children had access to more or different special education services after the evaluation. Parents nearly uniformly (98%) viewed these services as helpful. Positive changes in education services were related to income (lower income received more services, p < .05) and parent satisfaction with the evaluation (p < .05). The intensity of special education services was strongly related to performance on state-based testing (p < .0001-p < .01). School response is a relatively objective and meaningful metric of educational outcome after neuropsychologically based evaluation for children with learning problems.
Implementation and Evaluation of a Course Concept Based on Reusable Learning Objects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Zele, Els; Vandaele, Pieter; Botteldooren, Dick; Lenaerts, Josephina

2003-01-01

This article describes the implementation and evaluation of a learning objects based computer aided system for an advanced engineering course at Ghent University, Belgium. A new syllabus concept was introduced: students had access to a Web-delivered component and received an identical printed component as two sources of information additional to…
Outcome measures to evaluate new technology for tonsillectomy: preliminary experience with Coblation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shah, Udayan K.; Puchalski, Robert; Briggs, Marianne; Chiavacci, Rosetta; Galinkin, Jeffrey

2001-05-01

Evaluating the benefits of new surgical technologies does not end with the observation of successful instrument-to- tissue interaction. The impact of new technologies in medicine today is also gauged by improvements in patients' daily activities and performance. We present our outcomes assessment tool for judging the value of applying a novel tonsillectomy technique, plasma- mediated ablation using Coblation technology. Plasma- mediated ablation (PMA) achieves soft tissue resection in the oropharynx by energizing protons to break bonds. Less heat is released, allowing for less thermal injury, and possibly less pain, than with tonsillectomy performed using electrocautery alone. Children undergoing tonsillectomy by PMA, were evaluated using our outcomes-based scale, which asked families to report the degree of interruption of normal activities for the patient and their family during the post-tonsillectomy recovery period. A preliminary review of several outcomes assessments exemplify the benefits and limitations of this tool. The tracking of valuable data is weighed against the limitations of a short time course relative to the duration of disability, and a poor response rate. Future work aims to improve this data collection tool to allow application to other new technologies in otolaryngology.
Objective assessment of the aesthetic outcomes of breast cancer treatment: toward automatic localization of fiducial points on digital photographs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Udpa, Nitin; Sampat, Mehul P.; Kim, Min Soon; Reece, Gregory P.; Markey, Mia K.

2007-03-01

The contemporary goals of breast cancer treatment are not limited to cure but include maximizing quality of life. All breast cancer treatment can adversely affect breast appearance. Developing objective, quantifiable methods to assess breast appearance is important to understand the impact of deformity on patient quality of life, guide selection of current treatments, and make rational treatment advances. A few measures of aesthetic properties such as symmetry have been developed. They are computed from the distances between manually identified fiducial points on digital photographs. However, this is time-consuming and subject to intra- and inter-observer variability. The purpose of this study is to investigate methods for automatic localization of fiducial points on anterior-posterior digital photographs taken to document the outcomes of breast reconstruction. Particular emphasis is placed on automatic localization of the nipple complex since the most widely used aesthetic measure, the Breast Retraction Assessment, quantifies the symmetry of nipple locations. The nipple complexes are automatically localized using normalized cross-correlation with a template bank of variants of Gaussian and Laplacian of Gaussian filters. A probability map of likely nipple locations determined from the image database is used to reduce the number of false positive detections from the matched filter operation. The accuracy of the nipple detection was evaluated relative to markings made by three human observers. The impact of using the fiducial point locations as identified by the automatic method, as opposed to the manual method, on the calculation of the Breast Retraction Assessment was also evaluated.
An Object-Based Approach to Evaluation of Climate Variability Projections and Predictions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ammann, C. M.; Brown, B.; Kalb, C. P.; Bullock, R.

2017-12-01

Evaluations of the performance of earth system model predictions and projections are of critical importance to enhance usefulness of these products. Such evaluations need to address specific concerns depending on the system and decisions of interest; hence, evaluation tools must be tailored to inform about specific issues. Traditional approaches that summarize grid-based comparisons of analyses and models, or between current and future climate, often do not reveal important information about the models' performance (e.g., spatial or temporal displacements; the reason behind a poor score) and are unable to accommodate these specific information needs. For example, summary statistics such as the correlation coefficient or the mean-squared error provide minimal information to developers, users, and decision makers regarding what is "right" and "wrong" with a model. New spatial and temporal-spatial object-based tools from the field of weather forecast verification (where comparisons typically focus on much finer temporal and spatial scales) have been adapted to more completely answer some of the important earth system model evaluation questions. In particular, the Method for Object-based Diagnostic Evaluation (MODE) tool and its temporal (three-dimensional) extension (MODE-TD) have been adapted for these evaluations. More specifically, these tools can be used to address spatial and temporal displacements in projections of El Nino-related precipitation and/or temperature anomalies, ITCZ-associated precipitation areas, atmospheric rivers, seasonal sea-ice extent, and other features of interest. Examples of several applications of these tools in a climate context will be presented, using output of the CESM large ensemble. In general, these tools provide diagnostic information about model performance - accounting for spatial, temporal, and intensity differences - that cannot be achieved using traditional (scalar) model comparison approaches. Thus, they can provide more
Systems and technologies for objective evaluation of technical skills in laparoscopic surgery.

PubMed

Sánchez-Margallo, Juan A; Sánchez-Margallo, Francisco M; Oropesa, Ignacio; Gómez, Enrique J

2014-01-01

Minimally invasive surgery is a highly demanding surgical approach regarding technical requirements for the surgeon, who must be trained in order to perform a safe surgical intervention. Traditional surgical education in minimally invasive surgery is commonly based on subjective criteria to quantify and evaluate surgical abilities, which could be potentially unsafe for the patient. Authors, surgeons and associations are increasingly demanding the development of more objective assessment tools that can accredit surgeons as technically competent. This paper describes the state of the art in objective assessment methods of surgical skills. It gives an overview on assessment systems based on structured checklists and rating scales, surgical simulators, and instrument motion analysis. As a future work, an objective and automatic assessment method of surgical skills should be standardized as a means towards proficiency-based curricula for training in laparoscopic surgery and its certification.
Modifying the Sleep Treatment Education Program for Students to include technology use (STEPS-TECH): Intervention effects on objective and subjective sleep outcomes.

PubMed

Barber, Larissa K; Cucalon, Maria S

2017-12-01

University students often have sleep issues that arise from poor sleep hygiene practices and technology use patterns. Yet, technology-related behaviors are often neglected in sleep hygiene education. This study examined whether the Sleep Treatment Education Program for Students-modified to include information regarding managing technology use (STEPS-TECH)-helps improve both subjective and objective sleep outcomes among university students. Results of an experimental study among 78 university students showed improvements in objective indicators of sleep quantity (total sleep time) and sleep quality (less awakenings) during the subsequent week for students in the STEPS-TECH intervention group compared to a control group. Exploratory analyses indicated that effects were driven by improvements in weekend days immediately following the intervention. There were also no intervention effects on subjective sleep quality or quantity outcomes. In terms of self-reported behavioral responses to educational content in the intervention, there were no group differences in sleep hygiene practices or technology use before bedtime. However, the intervention group reported less technology use during sleep periods than the control group. These preliminary findings suggest that STEPS-TECH may be a useful educational tool to help improve objective sleep and reduce technology use during sleep periods among university students. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Development by a Large Integrated Health Care System of an Objective Methodology for Evaluation of Medical Oncology Service Sites.

PubMed

Bjegovich-Weidman, Marija; Kahabka, Jill; Bock, Amy; Frick, Jacob; Kowalski, Helga; Mirro, Joseph

2012-03-01

Aurora Health Care (AHC) is the largest health care system in Wisconsin, with 14 acute care hospitals. In early 2010, a group of 18 medical oncologists became affiliated with AHC. This affiliation added 13 medical oncology infusion clinics to our existing 12 sites. In the era of health care reform and declining reimbursement, we need an objective method and criteria to evaluate our 25 outpatient medical oncology sites. We developed financial, clinical, and strategic tools for the evaluation and management of our cancer subservice lines and outpatient sites. The key to our success has been the direct involvement of stakeholders with a vested interest in the services in the selection of the criteria and evaluation process. We developed our objective metrics for evaluation based on strategic, financial, operational, and patient experience criteria. Strategic criteria included: population trends, full-time equivalent (FTE) medical oncologists/primary care physicians, FTE radiation oncologists, FTE oncologic surgeons, new annual cases of patients with cancer, and market share trends. Financial criteria per site included: physician work relative value units, staff FTE by type, staff salaries, and profit and loss. Operational criteria included: facility by type (clinic v hospital based), hours of operation, and facility detail (eg, No. of chairs, No. of procedure and examination rooms, square footage). Patient experience criteria included: nursing model primary/nurse navigators, multidisciplinary support at site, Press Ganey (South Bend, IN; health care performance improvement company) results, and employee engagement score. The outcome of our data analysis has resulted in the development of recommendations for AHC senior leadership and geographic market leadership to consider the consolidation of four sites (phase one, four sites; phase two, two sites) and priority strategic sites to address capacity issues that limit growth. The recommendations if implemented would

Functional outcomes of conservatively treated clavicle fractures

PubMed Central

Bajuri, Mohd Yazid; Maidin, S; Rauf, A; Baharuddin, M; Harjeet, S

2011-01-01

OBJECTIVE: The main aim of the study was to analyze the outcomes of clavicle fractures in adults treated non-surgically and to evaluate the clinical effects of displacement, fracture patterns, fracture location, fracture comminution, shortening and fracture union on shoulder function. METHODS: Seventy clavicle fractures were non-surgically treated in the Orthopedics Department at the Tuanku Ja'afar General Hospital, a tertiary care hospital in Seremban, Malaysia, an average of six months after injury. The clavicle fractures were treated conservatively with an arm sling and a figure-eight splint for three weeks. No attempt was made to reduce displaced fractures, and the patients were allowed immediate free-shoulder mobilization, as tolerated. They were prospectively evaluated clinically and radiographically. Shoulder function was evaluated using the Constant scoring technique. RESULTS: There were statistically significant functional outcome impairments in non-surgically treated clavicle fractures that correlated with the fracture type (comminution), the fracture displacement (21 mm or more), shortening (15 mm or more) and the fracture union (malunion). CONCLUSION: This article reveals the need for surgical intervention to treat clavicle fractures and improve shoulder functional outcomes. PMID:21655759
Evaluation of aesthetic and functional outcomes in rhinoplasty surgery: a prospective study.

PubMed

Sena Esteves, Sara; Gonçalves Ferreira, Miguel; Carvalho Almeida, João; Abrunhosa, José; Almeida E Sousa, Cecília

Evaluation of surgery outcome measured by patient satisfaction or quality of life is very important, especially in plastic surgery. There is increasing interest in self-reporting outcomes evaluation in plastic surgery. The aim of our study was to determine patient satisfaction in regard to nose appearance and function with the use of a validated questionnaire, before and after rhinoplasty surgery. A prospective study was realized at a tertiary centre. All rhinoplasty surgeries performed in adults between February 2013 and August 2014 were included. Many patients underwent additional nasal surgery such as septoplasty or turbinoplasty. The surgical procedures and patients' characteristics were also recorded. Among 113 patients, 107 completed the questionnaires and the follow-up period. Analysis of pre-operative and post-operative Rhinoplasty Evaluation Outcome showed a significant improvement after 3 and 6 months in functional and aesthetic questions (p<0.01). In the pre-operative, patients anxious and insecure had a worse score (p<0.05). Difference in improvement of scores was not significant when groups were divided on basis of other nasal procedures, primary or revision surgery and open versus closed approach. We found that patients with lower literacy degree were more satisfied with the procedure. Rhinoplasty surgery significantly improved patient quality of life regarding nose function and appearance. Copyright © 2016 Associação Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia Cérvico-Facial. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.
Outcome of temporal lobe epilepsy surgery evaluated with bitemporal intracranial electrode recordings.

PubMed

Massot-Tarrús, Andreu; Steven, David A; McLachlan, Richard S; Mirsattari, Seyed M; Diosy, David; Parrent, Andrew G; Blume, Warren T; Girvin, John P; Burneo, Jorge G

2016-11-01

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) with unclear lateralization may require intracranial implantation of electrodes (IIE). We retrospectively assessed the association between the use of IIE and long-term outcomes in patients undergoing anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL). We retrospectively reviewed the records of 1,032 patients undergoing epilepsy surgery at our center from 1977 to 2006. Patients who underwent ATL were included. Seizure outcome was assessed through final follow-up. Those who underwent scalp and IIE (mostly evaluated with temporal subdural strip electrodes) were compared. From 497 patients who underwent ATL, 139 did so after IIE placement in the temporal lobes. Mean age at surgery was 32.3±12.3years and median duration of follow-up 24 months (range: 6-36). Fifty-three percent of those evaluated with IIE were seizure-free at their last available visit (vs. 68% evaluated with only scalp EEG, p=0.002). Patients with lesional TLE generally had a better outcome (65.5% seizure free) than those without lesions (56.3%, p=0.093), especially for unilateral TLE diagnosed with IIE. In a multivariate Cox regression analyses adjusted for gender, neuropsychological concordance, pathological findings, and post-operative seizures, bilateral TLE predicted seizure recurrence in IIE patients (HR=2.08, 95% CI: 1.08-4.0, p=0.029). More than a half of those who undergo IIE in suspected TLE are seizure free after ATL. IIE allows for the identification of surgical candidates. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
When Outcome Definition Determines the Result in Impact Evaluations: An Illustration Using the Swedish Work-Practice Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Månsson, Jonas; Lundin, Christofer

2017-01-01

In this paper we investigate the effect of difference in outcome definitions on the result of impact evaluations. The Swedish workplace practice programme is evaluated, using matching methods. The key findings are that changing how the outcome is defined has a considerable influence on the results of the impact assessment. From the results of this…
Quantitative Skills as a Graduate Learning Outcome: Exploring Students' Evaluative Expertise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthews, Kelly E.; Adams, Peter; Goos, Merrilyn

2017-01-01

In the biosciences, quantitative skills are an essential graduate learning outcome. Efforts to evidence student attainment at the whole of degree programme level are rare and making sense of such data is complex. We draw on assessment theories from Sadler (evaluative expertise) and Boud (sustainable assessment) to interpret final-year bioscience…
Evaluation of image quality in terahertz pulsed imaging using test objects.

PubMed

Fitzgerald, A J; Berry, E; Miles, R E; Zinovev, N N; Smith, M A; Chamberlain, J M

2002-11-07

As with other imaging modalities, the performance of terahertz (THz) imaging systems is limited by factors of spatial resolution, contrast and noise. The purpose of this paper is to introduce test objects and image analysis methods to evaluate and compare THz image quality in a quantitative and objective way, so that alternative terahertz imaging system configurations and acquisition techniques can be compared, and the range of image parameters can be assessed. Two test objects were designed and manufactured, one to determine the modulation transfer functions (MTF) and the other to derive image signal to noise ratio (SNR) at a range of contrasts. As expected the higher THz frequencies had larger MTFs, and better spatial resolution as determined by the spatial frequency at which the MTF dropped below the 20% threshold. Image SNR was compared for time domain and frequency domain image parameters and time delay based images consistently demonstrated higher SNR than intensity based parameters such as relative transmittance because the latter are more strongly affected by the sources of noise in the THz system such as laser fluctuations and detector shot noise.
Impact of pass/fail grading on medical students' well-being and academic outcomes.

PubMed

Spring, Laura; Robillard, Diana; Gehlbach, Lorrie; Simas, Tiffany A Moore

2011-09-01

Many medical schools are currently undergoing curriculum reform. When considering the means by which students will be evaluated in a revised curriculum, the need to reduce the prevalences of depression and anxiety associated with academic stress must be weighed against the importance of academic outcomes. Pass/fail evaluation, as compared with tiered grading, is commonly presented as a means to adequately assess student performance while minimising stress and anxiety. The purpose of this literature review was to determine the impact of pass/fail grading on medical student well-being and academic outcomes. A systematic search was performed of the available literature published between January 1980 and August 2010, using the PubMed, Ovid Medline, Ovid PsycINFO and ERIC databases. Eligible papers assessed the impact of pass/fail grading on medical student well-being, academic outcomes or both. Academic outcomes included but were not limited to objective measures, such as performance on the US Medical Licensing Examination, and subjective measures, such as student desirability by residency programmes. Reference lists in identified papers were searched and all identified papers were run through a citation index. Four papers met the inclusion criteria for both well-being and academic outcomes. An additional five papers met the inclusion criteria for academic outcomes only. The four papers that focused on well-being reported improvement in specified areas. No significant difference was identified in any of the five papers examining objective academic outcomes or in those papers that examined the quality of residency programmes attained. Results from two studies suggested that some programme directors believe pass/fail grading creates disadvantages for students in attaining a residency, whereas a third study yielded mixed results about its impact on residency attainment. Student well-being is enhanced and objective academic performance is not adversely affected by a pass
Children's feedback preferences in response to an experimentally manipulated peer evaluation outcome: the role of depressive symptoms.

PubMed

Reijntjes, Albert; Dekovic, Maja; Vermande, Marjolijn; Telch, Michael J

2007-06-01

The present study examined the linkage between pre-adolescent children's depressive symptoms and their preferences for receiving positive vs. negative feedback subsequent to being faced with an experimentally manipulated peer evaluation outcome in real time. Participants (n = 142) ages 10 to 13, played a computer contest based on the television show Survivor and were randomized to either a peer rejection (i.e., receiving the lowest total 'likeability' score from a group of peer-judges), a peer success (i.e., receiving the highest score), or a control peer evaluation condition. Children's self-reported feedback preferences were then assessed. Results revealed that participants assigned to the negative evaluation outcome, relative to either the success or the control outcome, showed a significantly higher subsequent preference for negatively tuned feedback. Contrary to previous work and predictions derived from self-verification theory, children higher in depressive symptoms were only more likely to prefer negative feedback in response to the negative peer evaluation outcome. These effects for depression were not accounted for by either state mood at baseline or mood change in response to the feedback manipulation.
How do you deliver a good obstetrician? Outcome-based evaluation of medical education.

PubMed

Asch, David A; Nicholson, Sean; Srinivas, Sindhu K; Herrin, Jeph; Epstein, Andrew J

2014-01-01

The goal of medical education is the production of a workforce capable of improving the health and health care of patients and populations, but it is hard to use a goal that lofty, that broad, and that distant as a standard against which to judge the success of schools or training programs or particular elements within them. For that reason, the evaluation of medical education often focuses on elements of its structure and process, or on the assessment of competencies that could be considered intermediate outcomes. These measures are more practical because they are easier to collect, and they are valuable when they reflect activities in important positions along the pathway to clinical outcomes. But they are all substitutes for measuring whether educational efforts produce doctors who take good care of patients.The authors argue that the evaluation of medical education can become more closely tethered to the clinical outcomes medical education aims to achieve. They focus on a specific clinical outcome-maternal complications of obstetrical delivery-and show how examining various observable elements of physicians' training and experience helps reveal which of those elements lead to better outcomes. Does it matter where obstetricians trained? Does it matter how much experience they have? Does it matter how good they were to start? Each of these questions reflects a component of the production of a good obstetrician and, most important, defines a good obstetrician as one whose patients in the end do well.
Evaluation of normalization of cerebro-placental ratio as a potential predictor for adverse outcome in SGA fetuses.

PubMed

Monteith, Cathy; Flood, Karen; Mullers, Sieglinde; Unterscheider, Julia; Breathnach, Fionnuala; Daly, Sean; Geary, Michael P; Kennelly, Mairead M; McAuliffe, Fionnuala M; O'Donoghue, Keelin; Hunter, Alison; Morrison, John J; Burke, Gerald; Dicker, Patrick; Tully, Elizabeth C; Malone, Fergal D

2017-03-01

Intrauterine growth restriction accounts for a significant proportion of perinatal morbidity and mortality currently encountered in obstetric practice. The primary goal of antenatal care is the early recognition of such conditions to allow treatment and optimization of both maternal and fetal outcomes. Management of pregnancies complicated by intrauterine growth restriction remains one of the greatest challenges in obstetrics. Frequently, however, clinical evidence of underlying uteroplacental dysfunction may only emerge at a late stage in the disease process. With advanced disease the only therapeutic intervention is delivery of the fetus and placenta. The cerebroplacental ratio is gaining much interest as a useful tool in differentiating the at-risk fetus in both intrauterine growth restriction and the appropriate-for-gestational-age setting. The cerebroplacental ratio quantifies the redistribution of the cardiac output resulting in a brain-sparing effect. The Prospective Observational Trial to Optimize Pediatric Health in Intrauterine Growth Restriction group previously demonstrated that the presence of a brain-sparing effect is significantly associated with an adverse perinatal outcome in the intrauterine growth restriction cohort. The aim of the Prospective Observational Trial to Optimize Pediatric Health in Intrauterine Growth Restriction study was to evaluate the optimal management of fetuses with an estimated fetal weight <10th centile. The objective of this secondary analysis was to evaluate if normalizing cerebroplacental ratio predicts adverse perinatal outcome. In all, 1116 consecutive singleton pregnancies with intrauterine growth restriction completed the study protocol over 2 years at 7 centers, undergoing serial sonographic evaluation and multivessel Doppler measurement. Cerebroplacental ratio was calculated using the pulsatility and resistance indices of the middle cerebral and umbilical artery. Abnormal cerebroplacental ratio was defined as <1
Empirical Evaluation of Meta-Analytic Approaches for Nutrient and Health Outcome Dose-Response Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yu, Winifred W.; Schmid, Christopher H.; Lichtenstein, Alice H.; Lau, Joseph; Trikalinos, Thomas A.

2013-01-01

The objective of this study is to empirically compare alternative meta-analytic methods for combining dose-response data from epidemiological studies. We identified meta-analyses of epidemiological studies that analyzed the association between a single nutrient and a dichotomous outcome. For each topic, we performed meta-analyses of odds ratios…
Standards for definitions and use of outcome measures for clinical effectiveness research in perioperative medicine: European Perioperative Clinical Outcome (EPCO) definitions: a statement from the ESA-ESICM joint taskforce on perioperative outcome measures.

PubMed

Jammer, Ib; Wickboldt, Nadine; Sander, Michael; Smith, Andrew; Schultz, Marcus J; Pelosi, Paolo; Leva, Brigitte; Rhodes, Andrew; Hoeft, Andreas; Walder, Bernhard; Chew, Michelle S; Pearse, Rupert M

2015-02-01

There is a need for large trials that test the clinical effectiveness of interventions in the field of perioperative medicine. Clinical outcome measures used in such trials must be robust, clearly defined and patient-relevant. Our objective was to develop standards for the use of clinical outcome measures to strengthen the methodological quality of perioperative medicine research. A literature search was conducted using PubMed and opinion leaders worldwide were invited to nominate papers that they believed the group should consider. The full texts of relevant articles were reviewed by the taskforce members and then discussed to reach a consensus on the required standards. The report was then circulated to opinion leaders for comment and review. This report describes definitions for 22 individual adverse events with a system of severity grading for each. In addition, four composite outcome measures were identified, which were designed to evaluate postoperative outcomes. The group also agreed on standards for four outcome measures for the evaluation of healthcare resource use and quality of life. Guidance for use of these outcome measures is provided, with particular emphasis on appropriate duration of follow-up. This report provides clearly defined and patient-relevant outcome measures for large clinical trials in perioperative medicine. These outcome measures may also be of use in clinical audit. This report is intended to complement and not replace other related work to improve assessment of clinical outcomes following specific surgical procedures.
Objective Evaluation Tool for Texture-Modified Food (OET-TMF): Development of the Tool and Validation.

PubMed

Calleja-Fernández, Alicia; Pintor-de-la-Maza, Begoña; Vidal-Casariego, Alfonso; Cano-Rodríguez, Isidoro; Ballesteros-Pomar, María D

2016-06-01

Texture-modified diets (TMDs) should fulfil nutritional goals, guarantee homogenous texture, and meet food safety regulations. The food industry has created texture-modified food (TMF) that meets the TMD requirements of quality and safety for inpatients. To design and develop a tool that allows the objective selection of foodstuffs for TMDs that ensures nutritional requirements and swallowing safety of inpatients in order to improve their quality of life, especially regarding their food satisfaction. An evaluation tool was designed to objectively determine the adequacy of food included in the TMD menus of a hospital. The "Objective Evaluation Tool for Texture-Modified Food" (OET-TMF) consists of seven items that evaluate the food's nutritional quality (energy and protein input), presence of allergens, texture and viscosity, cooking, storage type, useful life, and patient acceptance. The total score ranged from 0 to 64 and was divided into four categories: high quality, good quality, medium quality, and low quality. Studying four different commercial TMFs contributed to the validation of the tool. All the evaluated products scored between high and good regarding quality. There was a tendency (p = 0.077) towards higher consumption and a higher overall quality of the product obtained with the OET-TMF. The product that scored highest with the tool was the best accepted; the product with the lowest score had the highest rate of refusal. The OET-TMF allows for the objective discrimination of the quality of TMF. In addition, it shows a certain relationship between the observed and assessed quality intake.
Adverse outcome pathway (AOP) development and evaluation ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Adverse Outcome Pathway provides a construct for assembling mechanistic information at different levels of biological organization in a form designed to support regulatory decision making. In particular, it frames the link between molecular and cellular events that can be measured in high throughput toxicity testing and the organism or population-level events that are commonly relevant in defining risk. Recognizing the importance of this emerging framework, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) launched a program to support the development, documentation and consideration of AOPs by the international community in 2012 (http://www.oecd.org/chemicalsafety/testing/adverse-outcome-pathways-molecular-screening-and-toxicogenomics.htm). In 2014, a handbook (https://aopkb.org/common/AOP_Handbook.pdf) was developed to guide users in the documentation and evaluation of AOPs and their entry into an official knowledgebase. The handbook draws on longstanding experience in consideration of mechanistic data (e.g., mode of action analysis) to inform risk assessment. To further assist users, a training program was developed by members of the OECD Extended Advisory Group to teach users the basic principles of AOP development and the best practices as outlined in the OECD AOP handbook. Training sessions began in early 2015, and this course will provide training for interested SOT scientists. Following this course, all participants will be familiar w
Does the Timing of Pre-Operative Medical Evaluation Influence Perioperative Total Hip Arthroplasty Outcomes?

PubMed

Lan, Roy H; Kamath, Atul F

2017-01-01

Medical evaluation pre-operatively is an important component of risk stratification and potential risk optimization. However, the effect of timing prior to surgical intervention is not well-understood. We hypothesized that total hip arthroplasty (THA) patients seen in pre-operative evaluation closer to the date of surgery would experience better perioperative outcomes. We retrospectively reviewed 167 elective THA patients to study the relationship between the number of days between pre-operative evaluation (range, 0-80 days) and surgical intervention. Patients' demographics, length of stay (LOS), ICU admission frequency, and rate of major complications were recorded. When pre-operative evaluation carried out 4 days or less before the procedure date, there was a significant reduction in LOS (3.91 vs. 4.49; p=0.03). When pre-operative evaluation carried out 11 days or less prior to the procedure date, there was a four-fold decrease in rate of intensive care admission (p=0.04). Furthermore, the major complication rate also significantly reduced (p<0.05). However, when pre-operative evaluation took place 30 days or less before the procedure date compared to more than 30 days prior, there were no significant changes in the outcomes. From this study, pre-operative medical evaluation closer to the procedure date was correlated with improved selected peri-operative outcomes. However, further study on larger patient groups must be done to confirm this finding. More study is needed to define the effect on rare events like infection, and to analyze the subsets of THA patients with modifiable risk factors that may be time-dependent and need further time to optimization.
Overview of the JPEG XS objective evaluation procedures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willème, Alexandre; Richter, Thomas; Rosewarne, Chris; Macq, Benoit

2017-09-01

JPEG XS is a standardization activity conducted by the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG), formally known as ISO/IEC SC29 WG1 group that aims at standardizing a low-latency, lightweight and visually lossless video compression scheme. This codec is intended to be used in applications where image sequences would otherwise be transmitted or stored in uncompressed form, such as in live production (through SDI or IP transport), display links, or frame buffers. Support for compression ratios ranging from 2:1 to 6:1 allows significant bandwidth and power reduction for signal propagation. This paper describes the objective quality assessment procedures conducted as part of the JPEG XS standardization activity. Firstly, this paper discusses the objective part of the experiments that led to the technology selection during the 73th WG1 meeting in late 2016. This assessment consists of PSNR measurements after a single and multiple compression decompression cycles at various compression ratios. After this assessment phase, two proposals among the six responses to the CfP were selected and merged to form the first JPEG XS test model (XSM). Later, this paper describes the core experiments (CEs) conducted so far on the XSM. These experiments are intended to evaluate its performance in more challenging scenarios, such as insertion of picture overlays, robustness to frame editing, assess the impact of the different algorithmic choices, and also to measure the XSM performance using the HDR VDP metric.
An Outcome Evaluation of the Success for Kids Program

PubMed Central

Maestas, Nicole; Gaillot, Sarah J.

2012-01-01

Abstract This article presents results from a multisite, quantitative evaluation of the international Success for Kids (SFK) after-school program. The program seeks to build resilience in children by teaching them to access inner resources and build positive connections with others. The SFK program is unlike most after-school programs both in its focus on spiritual development and in its emphasis on outcomes related to resilience rather than academics. The authors found that the program had beneficial effects on adaptive skills, behavioral problems, overexternalization of problems, and school problems, and the effects persisted at 12-week follow-up. Interestingly, the program positively affected school-related outcomes, even though SFK is not an academic intervention. Specifically, it improved reported study skills and reduced reported learning problems and attention problems. Overall, a major strength of the program appears to be its careful attention to uniformity of program delivery—in particular, its standardized curriculum, use of experienced teachers, and formal teacher-training program. PMID:28083226
An Outcome Evaluation of the Success for Kids Program.

PubMed

Maestas, Nicole; Gaillot, Sarah J

2012-01-01

This article presents results from a multisite, quantitative evaluation of the international Success for Kids (SFK) after-school program. The program seeks to build resilience in children by teaching them to access inner resources and build positive connections with others. The SFK program is unlike most after-school programs both in its focus on spiritual development and in its emphasis on outcomes related to resilience rather than academics. The authors found that the program had beneficial effects on adaptive skills, behavioral problems, overexternalization of problems, and school problems, and the effects persisted at 12-week follow-up. Interestingly, the program positively affected school-related outcomes, even though SFK is not an academic intervention. Specifically, it improved reported study skills and reduced reported learning problems and attention problems. Overall, a major strength of the program appears to be its careful attention to uniformity of program delivery-in particular, its standardized curriculum, use of experienced teachers, and formal teacher-training program.
Objective Evaluation of Muscle Strength in Infants with Hypotonia and Muscle Weakness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reus, Linda; van Vlimmeren, Leo A.; Staal, J. Bart; Janssen, Anjo J. W. M.; Otten, Barto J.; Pelzer, Ben J.; Nijhuis-van der Sanden, Maria W. G.

2013-01-01

The clinical evaluation of an infant with motor delay, muscle weakness, and/or hypotonia would improve considerably if muscle strength could be measured objectively and normal reference values were available. The authors developed a method to measure muscle strength in infants and tested 81 typically developing infants, 6-36 months of age, and 17…
Evaluating Students with Disabilities and Their Teachers: Use of Student Learning Objectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joyce, Jeanette; Harrison, Judith R.; Murphy, Danielle

2016-01-01

Over the past decade, there has been a movement toward increased accountability, focusing on teacher performance, in U.S. education. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss student learning objectives (SLOs) as one component of high-stakes teacher evaluation systems, within the context of learners with special needs. We describe SLOs and their…

The Singapore Heart Failure Outcomes and Phenotypes (SHOP) study and Prospective Evaluation of Outcome in Patients with Heart Failure with Preserved Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction (PEOPLE) study: rationale and design.

PubMed

Santhanakrishnan, Rajalakshmi; Ng, Tze P; Cameron, Vicky A; Gamble, Greg D; Ling, Lieng H; Sim, David; Leong, Gerard Kui Toh; Yeo, Poh Shuan Daniel; Ong, Hean Yee; Jaufeerally, Fazlur; Wong, Raymond Ching-Chiew; Chai, Ping; Low, Adrian F; Lund, Mayanna; Devlin, Gerry; Troughton, Richard; Richards, A Mark; Doughty, Robert N; Lam, Carolyn S P

2013-03-01

Heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (EF) accounts for a substantial proportion of cases of HF, and to date no treatments have clearly improved outcome. There are also little data comparing HF cohorts of differing ethnicity within the Asia-Pacific region. The Singapore Heart Failure Outcomes and Phenotypes (SHOP) study and Prospective Evaluation of Outcome in Patients with Heart Failure with Preserved Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction (PEOPLE) study are parallel prospective studies using identical protocols to enroll patients with HF across 6 centers in Singapore and 4 in New Zealand. The objectives are to determine the relative prevalence, characteristics, and outcomes of patients with HF and preserved EF (EF ≥50%) compared with those with HF and reduced EF, and to determine initial data on ethnic differences within and between New Zealand and Singapore. Case subjects (n = 2,500) are patients hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of HF or attending outpatient clinics for management of HF within 6 months of HF decompensation. Control subjects are age- and gender-matched community-based adults without HF from Singapore (n = 1,250) and New Zealand (n = 1,073). All participants undergo detailed clinical assessment, echocardiography, and blood biomarker measurements at baseline, 6 weeks, and 6 months, and are followed over 2 years for death or hospitalization. Substudies include vascular assessment, cardiopulmonary exercise testing, retinal imaging, and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. The SHOP and PEOPLE studies are the first prospective multicenter studies defining the epidemiology and interethnic differences among patients with HF in the Asia-Oceanic region, and will provide unique insights into the pathophysiology and outcomes for these patients. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Research on the Outcomes of Elementary School Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shephard, Roy J.; Trudeau, Francois

2008-01-01

The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of objective assessments of the short- and long-term outcomes of elementary school physical education programs. Evaluations have used a variety of designs, including longitudinal and tracking studies as well as correlational analyses. The short-term effect of physical education on health and…
Design and Implementation of Performance Metrics for Evaluation of Assessments Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahmed, Irfan; Bhatti, Arif

2016-01-01

Evocative evaluation of assessment data is essential to quantify the achievements at course and program levels. The objective of this paper is to design performance metrics and respective formulas to quantitatively evaluate the achievement of set objectives and expected outcomes at the course levels for program accreditation. Even though…
Case Mix Difference Can Affect Evaluation of Outcome of Treatment for Colorectal Cancer.

PubMed

Ljungman, David; Kodeda, Karl; Derwinger, Kristoffer

2015-07-01

To explore the potential effects of patient selection, for example by organization, on survival as outcome parameter in colorectal cancer treatment. The main cohort was identified in a Hospital-based registry and outcome data of all 2,717 patients operated on for colorectal cancer between 2000-2011 were evaluated. A simulation of different center settings was performed using several potential selection criteria, including emergency cases, referral surgery and palliative resection, and used for comparison of outcome data. Overall survival and cancer-specific survival can be significantly affected in both short-term (30-/90-day) mortality and long-term survival by factors of organizational level. Survival data as an outcome parameter can be affected by the composition of the patient cohort and thus reflect possible selection bias for example due to organization, referral patterns and practice customs. This potential bias should be acknowledged when making inter-hospital comparisons of outcome. Copyright© 2015 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.
Framework of outcome measures recommended for use in the evaluation of childhood obesity treatment interventions: the CoOR framework.

PubMed

Bryant, M; Ashton, L; Nixon, J; Jebb, S; Wright, J; Roberts, K; Brown, J

2014-12-01

Consensus is lacking in determining appropriate outcome measures for assessment of childhood obesity treatments. Inconsistency in the use and reporting of such measures impedes comparisons between treatments and limits consideration of effectiveness. This study aimed to produce a framework of recommended outcome measures: the Childhood obesity treatment evaluation Outcomes Review (CoOR) framework. A systematic review including two searches was conducted to identify (1) existing trial outcome measures and (2) manuscripts describing development/evaluation of outcome measures. Outcomes included anthropometry, diet, eating behaviours, physical activity, sedentary time/behaviour, fitness, physiology, environment, psychological well-being and health-related quality of life. Eligible measures were appraised by the internal team using a system developed from international guidelines, followed by appraisal from national external expert collaborators. A total of 25,486 papers were identified through both searches. Eligible search 1 trial papers cited 417 additional papers linked to outcome measures, of which 56 were eligible. A further 297 outcome development/evaluation papers met eligibility criteria from search 2. Combined, these described 191 outcome measures. After internal and external appraisal, 52 measures across 10 outcomes were recommended for inclusion in the CoOR framework. Application of the CoOR framework will ensure greater consistency in choosing robust outcome measures that are appropriate to population characteristics. © 2014 The Authors. Pediatric Obesity © 2014 International Association for the Study of Obesity.
Assessing ADHD symptoms in children and adults: evaluating the role of objective measures.

PubMed

Emser, Theresa S; Johnston, Blair A; Steele, J Douglas; Kooij, Sandra; Thorell, Lisa; Christiansen, Hanna

2018-05-18

Diagnostic guidelines recommend using a variety of methods to assess and diagnose ADHD. Applying subjective measures always incorporates risks such as informant biases or large differences between ratings obtained from diverse sources. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that ratings and tests seem to assess somewhat different constructs. The use of objective measures might thus yield valuable information for diagnosing ADHD. This study aims at evaluating the role of objective measures when trying to distinguish between individuals with ADHD and controls. Our sample consisted of children (n = 60) and adults (n = 76) diagnosed with ADHD and matched controls who completed self- and observer ratings as well as objective tasks. Diagnosis was primarily based on clinical interviews. A popular pattern recognition approach, support vector machines, was used to predict the diagnosis. We observed relatively high accuracy of 79% (adults) and 78% (children) applying solely objective measures. Predicting an ADHD diagnosis using both subjective and objective measures exceeded the accuracy of objective measures for both adults (89.5%) and children (86.7%), with the subjective variables proving to be the most relevant. We argue that objective measures are more robust against rater bias and errors inherent in subjective measures and may be more replicable. Considering the high accuracy of objective measures only, we found in our study, we think that they should be incorporated in diagnostic procedures for assessing ADHD.
Monitoring and evaluation of sport-based HIV/AIDS awareness programmes: Strengthening outcome indicators

PubMed Central

Maleka, Elma Nelisiwe

2017-01-01

Abstract There are number of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in South Africa that use sport as a tool to respond to Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS), however, little is reported about the outcomes and impact of these programmes. The aim of this study is to contribute to a generic monitoring and evaluation framework by improving the options for the use of outcome indicators of sport-based HIV/AIDS awareness programmes of selected NGOs in South Africa. A qualitative method study was carried out with seven employees of five selected NGOs that integrate sport to deliver HIV/AIDS programmes in South Africa. The study further involved six specialists/experts involved in the field of HIV/AIDS and an official from Sport Recreation South Africa (SRSA). Multiple data collection instruments including desktop review, narrative systematic review, document analysis, one-on-one interviews and focus group interview were used to collect information on outcomes and indicators for sport-based HIV/AIDS awareness programmes. The information was classified according to the determinants of HIV/AIDS. The overall findings revealed that the sport-based HIV/AIDS awareness programmes of five selected NGOs examined in this study focus on similar HIV prevention messages within the key priorities highlighted in the current National Strategic Plan for HIV/AIDS, STIs and TB of South Africa. However, monitoring and evaluating outcomes of sport-based HIV/AIDS programmes of the selected NGOs remains a challenge. A need exists for the improvement of the outcome statements and indicators for their sport-based HIV/AIDS awareness programmes. This study proposed a total of 51 generic outcome indicators focusing on measuring change in the knowledge of HIV/AIDS and change in attitude and intention towards HIV risk behaviours. In addition, this study further proposed a total of eight generic outcome indicators to measure predictors of HIV risk behaviour. The
Evaluating the Impact of Action Plans on Trainee Compliance with Learning Objectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aumann, Michael J.

2013-01-01

This mixed methods research study evaluated the use of technology-based action plans as a way to help improve compliance with the learning objectives of an online training event. It explored how the action planning strategy impacted subjects in a treatment group and compared them to subjects in a control group who did not get the action plan. The…
Attitudes and evaluative practices: category vs. item and subjective vs. objective constructions in everyday food assessments.

PubMed

Wiggins, Sally; Potter, Jonathan

2003-12-01

In social psychology, evaluative expressions have traditionally been understood in terms of their relationship to, and as the expression of, underlying 'attitudes'. In contrast, discursive approaches have started to study evaluative expressions as part of varied social practices, considering what such expressions are doing rather than their relationship to attitudinal objects or other putative mental entities. In this study the latter approach will be used to examine the construction of food and drink evaluations in conversation. The data are taken from a corpus of family mealtimes recorded over a period of months. The aim of this study is to highlight two distinctions that are typically obscured in traditional attitude work ('subjective' vs. 'objective' expressions, category vs. item evaluations). A set of extracts is examined to document the presence of these distinctions in talk that evaluates food and the way they are used and rhetorically developed to perform particular activities (accepting/refusing food, complimenting the food provider, persuading someone to eat). The analysis suggests that researchers (a) should be aware of the potential significance of these distinctions; (b) should be cautious when treating evaluative terms as broadly equivalent and (c) should be cautious when blurring categories and instances. This analysis raises the broader question of how far evaluative practices may be specific to particular domains, and what this specificity might consist in. It is concluded that research in this area could benefit from starting to focus on the role of evaluations in practices and charting their association with specific topics and objects.
FE-ANN based modeling of 3D Simple Reinforced Concrete Girders for Objective Structural Health Evaluation : Tech Transfer Summary

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-06-01

The objective of this study was to develop an objective, quantitative method for evaluating damage to bridge girders by using artificial neural networks (ANNs). This evaluation method, which is a supplement to visual inspection, requires only the res...
Development and application of course-embedded assessment system for program outcome evaluation in the Korean nursing education: A pilot study.

PubMed

Park, Jee Won; Seo, Eun Ji; You, Mi-Ae; Song, Ju-Eun

2016-03-01

Program outcome evaluation is important because it is an indicator for good quality of education. Course-embedded assessment is one of the program outcome evaluation methods. However, it is rarely used in Korean nursing education. The study purpose was to develop and apply preliminarily a course-embedded assessment system to evaluate one program outcome and to share our experiences. This was a methodological study to develop and apply the course-embedded assessment system based on the theoretical framework in one nursing program in South Korea. Scores for 77 students generated from the three practicum courses were used. The course-embedded assessment system was developed following the six steps suggested by Han's model as follows. 1) One program outcome in the undergraduate program, "nursing process application ability", was selected and 2) the three clinical practicum courses related to the selected program outcome were identified. 3) Evaluation tools including rubric and items were selected for outcome measurement and 4) performance criterion, the educational goal level for the program, was established. 5) Program outcome was actually evaluated using the rubric and evaluation items in the three practicum courses and 6) the obtained scores were analyzed to identify the achievement rate, which was compared with the performance criterion. Achievement rates for the selected program outcome in adult, maternity, and pediatric nursing practicum were 98.7%, 100%, and 66.2% in the case report and 100% for all three in the clinical practice, and 100%, 100%, and 87% respectively for the conference. These are considered as satisfactory levels when compared with the performance criterion of "at least 60% or more". Course-embedded assessment can be used as an effective and economic method to evaluate the program outcome without running an integrative course additionally. Further studies to develop course-embedded assessment systems for other program outcomes in nursing
Nonspecific abdominal pain in pediatric primary care: evaluation and outcomes.

PubMed

Wallis, Elizabeth M; Fiks, Alexander G

2015-01-01

To describe the characteristics of children with nonspecific abdominal pain (AP) in primary care, their evaluation, and their outcomes. Between 2007 and 2009, a retrospective cohort of children from 5 primary care practices was followed from an index visit with AP until a well-child visit 6 to 24 months later (outcome visit). Using International Classification of Disease, 9th Revision (ICD-9), codes and chart review, we identified afebrile children between 4 and 12 years old with AP. Use of diagnostic testing was assessed. Multivariable logistic regression was used to model the association of index visit clinical and demographic variables with persistent pain at the outcome visit, and receipt of a specific diagnosis. Three hundred seventy-five children presented with AP, representing 1% of the total population of 4- to 12-year-olds during the study period. Eighteen percent of children had persistent pain, and 70% of the study cohort never received a specific diagnosis for their pain. Seventeen percent and 14% of children had laboratory and radiology testing at the index visit, respectively. Only 3% of laboratory evaluations helped to yield a diagnosis. Among variables considered, only preceding pain of more than 7 days at the index visit was associated with persistent pain (odds ratio 2.15, 95% confidence interval 1.19-3.89). None of the variables considered was associated with receiving a specific diagnosis. Most children with AP do not receive a diagnosis, many have persistent pain, and very few receive a functional AP diagnosis. Results support limited use of diagnostic testing and conservative management consistent with national policy statements. Copyright © 2015 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Exploring the Articulation and Evaluation of the Learning Outcomes of Instructor Development: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Macfarlane, Jack P.

2014-01-01

The definition of clear goals is essential to the effectiveness of training intended for the advancement of professional development. Properly articulated instructional goals also facilitate the evaluation of the intended outcomes of the learning event. Although outcomes-based instruction is prevalent in K-12 settings as well as in post-secondary…
Feeding Methods at Discharge Predict Long-term Feeding and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Preterm Infants Referred for Gastrostomy Evaluation

PubMed Central

Jadcherla, Sudarshan; Khot, Tanvi; Moore, Rebecca; Malkar, Manish; Gulati, Ish; Slaughter, Jonathan

2017-01-01

Objective To test the hypothesis that oral (PO) feeding at first neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) discharge is associated with less neurodevelopmental impairment and better feeding milestones, as compared with discharge with a gastrostomy tube (g-tube). Study design We studied outcomes for a retrospective cohort of 194 neonates < 37 weeks gestation referred for evaluation and management of feeding difficulties between July 2006–July 2012. Discharge milestones, length of hospitalization, and Bayley Scales of Infant Development scores at 18–24 months were examined. Chi-Square, Mann-Whitney U, or t-tests and multivariable logistic regression models were used. Results 60% (n=117) of infants were discharged on PO feedings; of these, 96% remained PO-fed at 1-year. The remaining 40% (n=77) were discharged on g-tube feedings; of these, 31 (40%) remained g-tube dependent, 17 (22%) became PO-fed, and 29 (38%) were on PO and g-tube feedings at one year. Infants discharged on a g-tube had lower cognitive (p<0.01), communication (p=0.03), and motor (p<0.01) composite scores. The presence of a g-tube, younger gestation, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, or intraventricular hemorrhage was significantly associated with neurodevelopmental delay. Conclusions For infants referred for feeding concerns, g-tube evaluations and feeding management, the majority did not require a g-tube. Full PO feeding at first NICU discharge was associated with superior feeding milestones and less long-term neurodevelopmental impairment, relative to full or partial g-tube feeding. Evaluation and feeding management before and after g-tube placement may improve long-term feeding and neurodevelopmental outcomes. PMID:27939123
A fuzzy MCDM model with objective and subjective weights for evaluating service quality in hotel industries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zoraghi, Nima; Amiri, Maghsoud; Talebi, Golnaz; Zowghi, Mahdi

2013-12-01

This paper presents a fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making (FMCDM) model by integrating both subjective and objective weights for ranking and evaluating the service quality in hotels. The objective method selects weights of criteria through mathematical calculation, while the subjective method uses judgments of decision makers. In this paper, we use a combination of weights obtained by both approaches in evaluating service quality in hotel industries. A real case study that considered ranking five hotels is illustrated. Examples are shown to indicate capabilities of the proposed method.
An overview of reviews evaluating the effectiveness of financial incentives in changing healthcare professional behaviours and patient outcomes

PubMed Central

Flodgren, Gerd; Eccles, Martin P; Shepperd, Sasha; Scott, Anthony; Parmelli, Elena; Beyer, Fiona R

2014-01-01

Background There is considerable interest in the effectiveness of financial incentives in the delivery of health care. Incentives may be used in an attempt to increase the use of evidence-based treatments among healthcare professionals or to stimulate health professionals to change their clinical behaviour with respect to preventive, diagnostic and treatment decisions, or both. Financial incentives are an extrinsic source of motivation and exist when an individual can expect a monetary transfer which is made conditional on acting in a particular way. Since there are numerous reviews performed within the healthcare area describing the effects of various types of financial incentives, it is important to summarise the effectiveness of these in an overview to discern which are most effective in changing health professionals’ behaviour and patient outcomes. Objectives To conduct an overview of systematic reviews that evaluates the impact of financial incentives on healthcare professional behaviour and patient outcomes. Methods We searched the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR) (The Cochrane Library); Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness (DARE); TRIP; MEDLINE; EMBASE; Science Citation Index; Social Science Citation Index; NHS EED; HEED; EconLit; and Program in Policy Decision-Making (PPd) (from their inception dates up to January 2010). We searched the reference lists of all included reviews and carried out a citation search of those papers which cited studies included in the review. We included both Cochrane and non-Cochrane reviews of randomised controlled trials (RCTs), controlled clinical trials (CCTs), interrupted time series (ITSs) and controlled before and after studies (CBAs) that evaluated the effects of financial incentives on professional practice and patient outcomes, and that reported numerical results of the included individual studies. Two review authors independently extracted data and assessed the methodological quality of each
The Context Matters: Outcome Probability and Expectation Mismatch Modulate the Feedback Negativity When Self-Evaluation of Response Correctness Is Possible

PubMed Central

Leue, Anja; Cano Rodilla, Carmen; Beauducel, André

2015-01-01

Individuals typically evaluate whether their performance and the obtained feedback match. Previous research has shown that feedback negativity (FN) depends on outcome probability and feedback valence. It is, however, less clear to what extent previous effects of outcome probability on FN depend on self-evaluations of response correctness. Therefore, we investigated the effects of outcome probability on FN amplitude in a simple go/no-go task that allowed for the self-evaluation of response correctness. We also investigated effects of performance incompatibility and feedback valence. In a sample of N = 22 participants, outcome probability was manipulated by means of precues, feedback valence by means of monetary feedback, and performance incompatibility by means of feedback that induced a match versus mismatch with individuals' performance. We found that the 100% outcome probability condition induced a more negative FN following no-loss than the 50% outcome probability condition. The FN following loss was more negative in the 50% compared to the 100% outcome probability condition. Performance-incompatible loss resulted in a more negative FN than performance-compatible loss. Our results indicate that the self-evaluation of the correctness of responses should be taken into account when the effects of outcome probability and expectation mismatch on FN are investigated. PMID:26783525
The Context Matters: Outcome Probability and Expectation Mismatch Modulate the Feedback Negativity When Self-Evaluation of Response Correctness Is Possible.

PubMed

Leue, Anja; Cano Rodilla, Carmen; Beauducel, André

2015-01-01

Individuals typically evaluate whether their performance and the obtained feedback match. Previous research has shown that feedback negativity (FN) depends on outcome probability and feedback valence. It is, however, less clear to what extent previous effects of outcome probability on FN depend on self-evaluations of response correctness. Therefore, we investigated the effects of outcome probability on FN amplitude in a simple go/no-go task that allowed for the self-evaluation of response correctness. We also investigated effects of performance incompatibility and feedback valence. In a sample of N = 22 participants, outcome probability was manipulated by means of precues, feedback valence by means of monetary feedback, and performance incompatibility by means of feedback that induced a match versus mismatch with individuals' performance. We found that the 100% outcome probability condition induced a more negative FN following no-loss than the 50% outcome probability condition. The FN following loss was more negative in the 50% compared to the 100% outcome probability condition. Performance-incompatible loss resulted in a more negative FN than performance-compatible loss. Our results indicate that the self-evaluation of the correctness of responses should be taken into account when the effects of outcome probability and expectation mismatch on FN are investigated.
Subjective and objective evaluation of visual fatigue on viewing 3D display continuously

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Danli; Xie, Yaohua; Yang, Xinpan; Lu, Yang; Guo, Anxiang

2015-03-01

In recent years, three-dimensional (3D) displays become more and more popular in many fields. Although they can provide better viewing experience, they cause extra problems, e.g., visual fatigue. Subjective or objective methods are usually used in discrete viewing processes to evaluate visual fatigue. However, little research combines subjective indicators and objective ones in an entirely continuous viewing process. In this paper, we propose a method to evaluate real-time visual fatigue both subjectively and objectively. Subjects watch stereo contents on a polarized 3D display continuously. Visual Reaction Time (VRT), Critical Flicker Frequency (CFF), Punctum Maximum Accommodation (PMA) and subjective scores of visual fatigue are collected before and after viewing. During the viewing process, the subjects rate the visual fatigue whenever it changes, without breaking the viewing process. At the same time, the blink frequency (BF) and percentage of eye closure (PERCLOS) of each subject is recorded for comparison to a previous research. The results show that the subjective visual fatigue and PERCLOS increase with time and they are greater in a continuous process than a discrete one. The BF increased with time during the continuous viewing process. Besides, the visual fatigue also induced significant changes of VRT, CFF and PMA.
An evaluation of service use outcomes in a Recovery College.

PubMed

Bourne, Philippa; Meddings, Sara; Whittington, Adrian

2017-12-23

Recovery Colleges offer educational courses about recovery and mental health which are co-produced by mental health professionals and experts by lived experience. Previous evaluations have found positive effects of Recovery Colleges on a range of outcomes including wellbeing, recovery and quality of life. To evaluate service use outcomes for Sussex Recovery College students who use mental health services. The study used a controlled-before-and-after design. It used archival data to analyse service use before and after participants registered with the Recovery College (n = 463). Participants acted as their own control. Students used mental health services less after attending the Recovery College than before. Students who attended the Recovery College showed significant reductions in occupied hospital bed days, admissions, admissions under section and community contacts in the 18 months post compared with the 18 months before registering. Reductions in service use were greater for those who completed a course than those who registered but did not complete a course. These findings suggest that attending Recovery College courses is associated with reduced service use. The reductions equate to non-cashable cost-savings of £1200 per registered student and £1760 for students who completed a course. Further research is needed to investigate causality.

Unanticipated Learning Outcomes Associated with Commitment to Change in Continuing Medical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dolcourt, Jack L.; Zuckerman, Grace

2003-01-01

Introduction: Educator-derived, predetermined instructional objectives are integral to the traditional instructional model and form the linkage between instructional design and postinstruction evaluation. The traditional model does not consider unanticipated learning outcomes. We explored the contribution of learner-identified desired outcomes…
Objective evaluation of acute adverse events and image quality of gadolinium-based contrast agents (gadobutrol and gadobenate dimeglumine) by blinded evaluation. Pilot study.

PubMed

Semelka, Richard C; Hernandes, Mateus de A; Stallings, Clifton G; Castillo, Mauricio

2013-01-01

The purpose was to objectively evaluate a recently FDA-approved gadolinium-based contrast agent (GBCA) in comparison to our standard GBCA for acute adverse events and image quality by blinded evaluation. Evaluation was made of a recently FDA-approved GBCA, gadobutrol (Gadavist; Bayer), in comparison to our standard GBCA, gadobenate dimeglumine (MultiHance; Bracco), in an IRB- and HIPAA-compliant study. Both the imaging technologist and patient were not aware of the brand of the GBCA used. A total of 59 magnetic resonance studies were evaluated (59 patients, 31 men, 28 women, age range of 5-85 years, mean age of 52 years). Twenty-nine studies were performed with gadobutrol (22 abdominal and 7 brain studies), and 30 studies were performed with gadobenate dimeglumine (22 abdominal and 8 brain studies). Assessment was made of acute adverse events focusing on objective observations of vomiting, hives, and moderate and severe reactions. Adequacy of enhancement was rated as poor, fair and good by one of two experienced radiologists who were blinded to the type of agent evaluated. No patient experienced acute adverse events with either agent. The target minor adverse events of vomiting or hives, and moderate and severe reactions were not observed in any patient. Adequacy of enhancement was rated as good for both agents in all patients. Objective, blinded evaluation is feasible and readily performable for the evaluation of GBCAs. This proof-of-concept study showed that both GBCAs evaluated exhibited consistent good image quality and no noteworthy adverse events. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Brain potentials associated with the outcome processing in framing effects.

PubMed

Ma, Qingguo; Feng, Yandong; Xu, Qing; Bian, Jun; Tang, Huixian

2012-10-24

Framing effect is a cognitive bias referring to the phenomenon that people respond differently to different but objectively equivalent descriptions of the same problem. By measuring event-related potentials, the present study aimed to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying the framing effect, especially how the negative and positive frames influence the outcome processing in our brain. Participants were presented directly with outcomes framed either positively in terms of lives saved or negatively in terms of lives lost in large and small group conditions, and were asked to rate the favorableness of each of them. The behavioral results showed that the framing effect occurred in both group size conditions, with more favorable evaluations associated with positive framing. Compared with outcomes in positive framing condition, a significant feedback-related negativity (FRN) effect was elicited by outcomes in negative framing condition, even though the outcomes in different conditions were objectively equivalent. The results are explained in terms of the associative model of attribute framing effect which states that attribute framing effect occurs as a result of a valence-based associative processing. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Measuring Quality and Outcomes in Sports Medicine.

PubMed

Ruzbarsky, Joseph J; Marom, Niv; Marx, Robert G

2018-07-01

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are objective metrics critical to evaluating outcomes throughout orthopedic surgery. New instruments continue to emerge, increasing the breadth of information required for those intending to use these measures for research or clinical care. Although earlier metrics were developed using the principles of classic test theory, newer instruments constructed using item response theory are amenable to computer-adaptive testing and may change the way these instruments are administered. This article aims to define the psychometric properties that are important to understand when using all PROMs and to review the most widely used instruments in sports medicine. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
How Much Are Harry Potter's Glasses Worth? Children's Monetary Evaluation of Authentic Objects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gelman, Susan A.; Frazier, Brandy N.; Noles, Nicholaus S.; Manczak, Erika M.; Stilwell, Sarah M.

2015-01-01

Adults attach special value to objects that link to notable people or events--authentic objects. We examined children's monetary evaluation of authentic objects, focusing on four kinds: celebrity possessions (e.g., Harry Potter's glasses), original creations (e.g., the very first teddy bear), personal possessions (e.g., your…
A GIS-BASED METHOD FOR MULTI-OBJECTIVE EVALUATION OF PARK VEGETATION. (R824766)

EPA Science Inventory

Abstract
In this paper we describe a method for evaluating the concordance between a set of mapped landscape attributes and a set of quantitatively expressed management priorities. The method has proved to be useful in planning urban green areas, allowing objectively d...
Pilot Program on Common Status Measures Objective-Referenced Tests. Colorado Evaluation Project, Report No. 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colorado State Dept. of Education, Denver.

The purpose of the Colorado Evaluation Project was to field test the Common Status Measures at grades four and eleven in conjunction with a statewide assessment program based on objective-referenced testing instruments developed by the Colorado Department of Education for grades kindergarten, three, six, nine, and twelve. The evaluation was…
Outcome Trajectories in Extremely Preterm Infants

PubMed Central

Carlo, Waldemar A.; Tyson, Jon E.; Langer, John C.; Walsh, Michele C.; Parikh, Nehal A.; Das, Abhik; Van Meurs, Krisa P.; Shankaran, Seetha; Stoll, Barbara J.; Higgins, Rosemary D.

2012-01-01

OBJECTIVE: Methods are required to predict prognosis with changes in clinical course. Death or neurodevelopmental impairment in extremely premature neonates can be predicted at birth/admission to the ICU by considering gender, antenatal steroids, multiple birth, birth weight, and gestational age. Predictions may be improved by using additional information available later during the clinical course. Our objective was to develop serial predictions of outcome by using prognostic factors available over the course of NICU hospitalization. METHODS: Data on infants with birth weight ≤1.0 kg admitted to 18 large academic tertiary NICUs during 1998–2005 were used to develop multivariable regression models following stepwise variable selection. Models were developed by using all survivors at specific times during hospitalization (in delivery room [n = 8713], 7-day [n = 6996], 28-day [n = 6241], and 36-week postmenstrual age [n = 5118]) to predict death or death/neurodevelopmental impairment at 18 to 22 months. RESULTS: Prediction of death or neurodevelopmental impairment in extremely premature infants is improved by using information available later during the clinical course. The importance of birth weight declines, whereas the importance of respiratory illness severity increases with advancing postnatal age. The c-statistic in validation models ranged from 0.74 to 0.80 with misclassification rates ranging from 0.28 to 0.30. CONCLUSIONS: Dynamic models of the changing probability of individual outcome can improve outcome predictions in preterm infants. Various current and future scenarios can be modeled by input of different clinical possibilities to develop individual “outcome trajectories” and evaluate impact of possible morbidities on outcome. PMID:22689874
A Rotatable Quality Control Phantom for Evaluating the Performance of Flat Panel Detectors in Imaging Moving Objects.

PubMed

Haga, Yoshihiro; Chida, Koichi; Inaba, Yohei; Kaga, Yuji; Meguro, Taiichiro; Zuguchi, Masayuki

2016-02-01

As the use of diagnostic X-ray equipment with flat panel detectors (FPDs) has increased, so has the importance of proper management of FPD systems. To ensure quality control (QC) of FPD system, an easy method for evaluating FPD imaging performance for both stationary and moving objects is required. Until now, simple rotatable QC phantoms have not been available for the easy evaluation of the performance (spatial resolution and dynamic range) of FPD in imaging moving objects. We developed a QC phantom for this purpose. It consists of three thicknesses of copper and a rotatable test pattern of piano wires of various diameters. Initial tests confirmed its stable performance. Our moving phantom is very useful for QC of FPD images of moving objects because it enables visual evaluation of image performance (spatial resolution and dynamic range) easily.
Evaluation of child and parent outcomes after a pediatric cardiac camp experience.

PubMed

Bultas, Margaret W; Budhathoki, Chakra; Balakas, Karen

2013-10-01

This study evaluated the effects of a cardiac camp experience on children with heart disease and their parents. A repeated measures design was used with 49 parent-child dyads. Repeated measures evaluated the effects of camp on anxiety, attitude toward illness, and psychosocial functioning of the children. Parental anxiety was also evaluated. Results demonstrated decreases in parent anxiety, decreases in child trait anxiety, and positive psychosocial outcomes in the areas of self-esteem, social, physical, and emotional functioning. Findings can be used to support decisions for those contemplating a camping experience for the child with heart disease. © 2013, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Evaluating participation in water resource management: A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carr, G.; BlöSchl, G.; Loucks, D. P.

2012-11-01

Key documents such as the European Water Framework Directive and the U.S. Clean Water Act state that public and stakeholder participation in water resource management is required. Participation aims to enhance resource management and involve individuals and groups in a democratic way. Evaluation of participatory programs and projects is necessary to assess whether these objectives are being achieved and to identify how participatory programs and projects can be improved. The different methods of evaluation can be classified into three groups: (i) process evaluation assesses the quality of participation process, for example, whether it is legitimate and promotes equal power between participants, (ii) intermediary outcome evaluation assesses the achievement of mainly nontangible outcomes, such as trust and communication, as well as short- to medium-term tangible outcomes, such as agreements and institutional change, and (iii) resource management outcome evaluation assesses the achievement of changes in resource management, such as water quality improvements. Process evaluation forms a major component of the literature but can rarely indicate whether a participation program improves water resource management. Resource management outcome evaluation is challenging because resource changes often emerge beyond the typical period covered by the evaluation and because changes cannot always be clearly related to participation activities. Intermediary outcome evaluation has been given less attention than process evaluation but can identify some real achievements and side benefits that emerge through participation. This review suggests that intermediary outcome evaluation should play a more important role in evaluating participation in water resource management.
Evaluating Robotic Surgical Skills Performance Under Distractive Environment Using Objective and Subjective Measures.

PubMed

Suh, Irene H; LaGrange, Chad A; Oleynikov, Dmitry; Siu, Ka-Chun

2016-02-01

Distractions are recognized as a significant factor affecting performance in safety critical domains. Although operating rooms are generally full of distractions, the effect of distractions on robot-assisted surgical (RAS) performance is unclear. Our aim was to investigate the effect of distractions on RAS performance using both objective and subjective measures. Fifteen participants performed a knot-tying task using the da Vinci Surgical System and were exposed to 3 distractions: (1) passive distraction entailed listening to noise with a constant heart rate, (2) active distraction included listening to noise and acknowledging a change of random heart rate from 60 to 120 bpm, and (3) interactive distraction consisted of answering math questions. The objective kinematics of the surgical instrument tips were used to evaluate performance. Electromyography (EMG) of the forearm and hand muscles of the participants were collected. The median EMG frequency (EMG(fmed)) and the EMG envelope (EMG(env)) were analyzed. NASA Task Load Index and Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery score were used to evaluate the subjective performance. One-way repeated analysis of variance was applied to examine the effects of distraction on skills performance. Spearman's correlations were conducted to compare objective and subjective measures. Significant distraction effect was found for all objective kinematics measures (P < .05). There were significant distraction effects for EMG measures (EMG(env), P < .004; EMG(fmed), P = .031). Significant distraction effects were also found for subjective measurements. Distraction impairs surgical skills performance and increases muscle work. Understanding how the surgeons cope with distractions is important in developing surgical education. © The Author(s) 2015.
A mandala of faculty development: using theory-based evaluation to explore contexts, mechanisms and outcomes.

PubMed

Onyura, Betty; Ng, Stella L; Baker, Lindsay R; Lieff, Susan; Millar, Barbara-Ann; Mori, Brenda

2017-03-01

Demonstrating the impact of faculty development, is an increasingly mandated and ever elusive goal. Questions have been raised about the adequacy of current approaches. Here, we integrate realist and theory-driven evaluation approaches, to evaluate an intensive longitudinal program. Our aim is to elucidate how faculty development can work to support a range of outcomes among individuals and sub-systems in the academic health sciences. We conducted retrospective framework analysis of qualitative focus group data gathered from 79 program participants (5 cohorts) over a 10-year period. Additionally, we conducted follow-up interviews with 15 alumni. We represent the interactive relationships among contexts, mechanisms, and outcomes as a "mandala" of faculty development. The mandala illustrates the relationship between the immediate program context, and the broader institutional context of academic health sciences, and identifies relevant change mechanisms. Four primary mechanisms were collaborative-reflection, self-reflection and self-regulation, relationship building, and pedagogical knowledge acquisition. Individual outcomes, including changed teaching practices, are described. Perhaps most interestingly, secondary mechanisms-psychological and structural empowerment-contributed to institutional outcomes through participants' engagement in change leadership in their local contexts. Our theoretically informed evaluation approach models how faculty development, situated in appropriate institutional contexts, can trigger mechanisms that yield a range of benefits for faculty and their institutions. The adopted methods hold potential as a way to demonstrate the often difficult-to-measure outcomes of educational programs, and allow for critical examination as to how and whether faculty development programs can accomplish their espoused goals.
An evaluation of psychometric properties of caregiver burden outcome measures used in caregivers of children with cerebral palsy: a systematic review protocol.

PubMed

Dambi, Jermaine M; Jelsma, Jennifer; Mlambo, Tecla; Chiwaridzo, Matthew; Dangarembizi-Munambah, Nyaradzai; Corten, Lieselotte

2016-03-09

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common, life-long paediatric disability. Taking care of a child with CP often results in caregiver burden/strain in the long run. As caregivers play an essential role in the rehabilitation of these children, it is therefore important to routinely screen for health outcomes in informal caregivers. Consequently, a plethora of caregiver burden outcome measures have been developed; however, there is a dearth of evidence of the most psychometrically sound tools. Therefore, the broad objective of this systematic review is to evaluate the psychometrical properties and clinical utility of tools used to measure caregiver burden in caregivers of children with CP. This is a systematic review for the evaluation of the psychometric properties of caregiver burden outcome tools. Two independent and blinded reviewers will search articles on PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsychINFO and Africa-Wide Google Scholar. Information will be analysed using predefined criteria. Thereafter, three independent reviewers will then screen the retrieved articles. The methodological quality of studies on the development and validation of the identified tools will be evaluated using the four point COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) checklist. Finally, the psychometric properties of the tools which were developed and validated from methodological sound studies will then be analysed using predefined criteria. The proposed systematic review will give an extensive review of the psychometrical properties of tools used to measure caregiver burden in caregivers of children with CP. We hope to identify tools that can be used to accurately screen for caregiver burden both in clinical setting and for research purposes. PROSPERO CRD42015028026.
Legal Outcomes of Sexually Abused Children Evaluated at the Philippine General Hospital Child Protection Unit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sugue-Castillo, Mariella

2009-01-01

Objectives: To describe the legal outcomes and factors associated with case reaching court and conviction for sexual abuse of children seen at the Philippine General Hospital Child Protection Unit (PGH-CPU) from 1997 to 2000. Methods: Mixed transdisciplinary research design combined longitudinal cohort with qualitative methods. Data were obtained…
A Component Analysis of the Impact of Evaluative and Objective Feedback on Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Douglas A.

2013-01-01

Despite the frequency with which performance feedback interventions are used in organizational behavior management, component analyses of such feedback are rare. It has been suggested that evaluation of performance and objective details about performance are two necessary components for performance feedback. The present study was designed to help…
The use of information and communications technologies in the delivery of interprofessional education: A review of evaluation outcome levels.

PubMed

Curran, Vernon; Reid, Adam; Reis, Pamela; Doucet, Shelley; Price, Sheri; Alcock, Lindsay; Fitzgerald, Shari

2015-01-01

Interprofessional education (IPE) in health and human services educational and clinical settings has proliferated internationally. The use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the facilitation of interprofessional learning is also growing, yet reviews of the effectiveness of ICTs in the delivery of pre- and/or post-licensure IPE have been limited. The current study's purpose was to review the evaluation outcomes of IPE initiatives delivered using ICTs. Relevant electronic databases and journals from 1996 to 2013 were searched. Studies which evaluated the effectiveness of an IPE intervention using ICTs were included and analyzed using the Barr et al. modified Kirkpatrick educational outcomes typology. Fifty-five studies were identified and a majority reported evaluation findings at the level 1 (reaction/satisfaction). Analysis revealed that learners react favorably to the use of ICTs in the delivery of IPE, and ICT-mediated IPE can lead to positive attitudinal and knowledge change. A majority of the studies reported positive evaluation outcomes at the learner satisfaction level, with the use of web-based learning modalities. The limited number of studies at other levels of the outcomes typology and deficiencies in study designs indicate the need for more rigorous evaluation of outcomes in ICT-mediated IPE.
Comprehensive benefit analysis of regional water resources based on multi-objective evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chi, Yixia; Xue, Lianqing; Zhang, Hui

2018-01-01

The purpose of the water resources comprehensive benefits analysis is to maximize the comprehensive benefits on the aspects of social, economic and ecological environment. Aiming at the defects of the traditional analytic hierarchy process in the evaluation of water resources, it proposed a comprehensive benefit evaluation of social, economic and environmental benefits index from the perspective of water resources comprehensive benefit in the social system, economic system and environmental system; determined the index weight by the improved fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP), calculated the relative index of water resources comprehensive benefit and analyzed the comprehensive benefit of water resources in Xiangshui County by the multi-objective evaluation model. Based on the water resources data in Xiangshui County, 20 main comprehensive benefit assessment factors of 5 districts belonged to Xiangshui County were evaluated. The results showed that the comprehensive benefit of Xiangshui County was 0.7317, meanwhile the social economy has a further development space in the current situation of water resources.
Outcome Expectations and Associated Treatment Outcomes in Motivational Enhancement Therapy Delivered in English and Spanish

PubMed Central

Serafini, Kelly; Decker, Suzanne; Kiluk, Brian D.; Añez, Luis; Paris, Manuel; Frankforter, Tami; Carroll, Kathleen M.

2016-01-01

Background and Objectives The relationship between patients’ baseline expectations regarding treatment outcome and actual outcomes has not been widely studied within the field of substance use disorders. We hypothesized that outcome expectations would be unrelated to outcomes in a study investigating Motivational Enhancement Therapy delivered in English (MET-E) consistent with our earlier work, and conducted exploratory analyses in a separate study that investigated the same treatment delivered in Spanish (MET-S). Methods These secondary analyses compared patient outcome expectations and substance use treatment outcomes in two large, multisite randomized controlled clinical trials that evaluated three sessions of MET-E or MET-S. The MET-E sample included 461 participants and the MET-S sample included 405 participants. Outcome expectations were measured by a single item regarding expectations about abstinence prior to initiating treatment. Results Outcome expectations were strongly associated with most substance use outcomes in the MET-S trial (but not in MET-E), even after controlling for severity of substance use at baseline. In MET-S, those who indicated that they were ‘unsure’ that they would achieve abstinence during treatment submitted a greater percentage of drug-positive urine toxicology screens during the treatment period than those who were ‘sure’ they would achieve abstinence (F = 18.83, p <.001). Discussion and Conclusions Patients’ outcome expectations regarding the likelihood of abstinence may be an important predictor of drug use treatment outcomes among Spanish-speakers, but not necessarily for English-speakers. Scientific Significance Individual differences and cultural factors may play a role in the association between outcome expectations and treatment outcomes. PMID:26541501
Clinical evaluation of the Trauma Outcome Profile (TOP) in the longer-term follow-up of polytrauma patients.

PubMed

Attenberger, Corinna; Amsler, Felix; Gross, Thomas

2012-09-01

No sufficiently validated disease-specific instrument is available to assess patient outcome after polytrauma. The aim of this investigation was to test the recently published Trauma Outcome Profile (TOP) in the longer-term outcome of multiply injured patients. Single centre validation study on the TOP in comparison with objective and subjective measures of patient, injury or treatment characteristics and longer-term outcome (e.g. medical outcomes study Short Form-36, SF-36; Nottingham Health Profile, NHP; working capacity), at least 2 years following trauma in 117 survivors of polytrauma (injury severity score, ISS>16), using comparative analysis and correlation testing of prospectively collected data. Patients' mean weighted self-rating with regard to the 10 single TOP dimensions of Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL, 0-100) ranged from lowest values for mental functioning (52.6+33.5) to highest values for daily activities (79.0+27.5). The rate of persons who indicated an abnormal level of function or pain increased significantly from pre-injury status (2% and 5%, resp.) to 46% for both values at longer-term follow-up (p<0.001). Observed associations between single dimensions or TOP component summary scores with the corresponding values from general HRQol instruments, such as the SF-36, resulted in R (Pearson) up to 0.85. Survivors of polytrauma who presented with a reduced working capacity (RWC) at longer-term follow-up in all TOP dimensions included a significantly higher rate of patients conspicuous for a relevantly reduced outcome compared with those with a non reduced working capacity (NRWC) (posttraumatic stress disease, PTSD: p<0.05; all other dimensions: p<0.001). Patients with a RWC were characterised by an almost fivefold probability of reduced outcome with regard to the TOP dimensions 'social interaction' or 'satisfaction' (odds ratio, OR 12.4 (95% CI 5.1-30.1) and 12.5 (4.0-39.0), resp.). This first clinical and methodological evaluation in a well

How much are Harry Potter’s glasses worth? Children’s monetary evaluation of authentic objects

PubMed Central

Gelman, Susan A.; Frazier, Brandy N.; Noles, Nicholaus S.; Manczak, Erika M.; Stilwell, Sarah M.

2014-01-01

Adults attach special value to objects that link to notable people or events – authentic objects. We examined children’s monetary evaluation of authentic objects, focusing on four kinds: celebrity possessions (e.g., Harry Potter’s glasses), original creations (e.g., the very first teddy bear), personal possessions (e.g., your grandfather’s baseball glove), and merely old items (e.g., an old chair). Children ages 4–12 years and adults (N= 151) were asked how much people would pay for authentic and control objects. Young children consistently placed greater monetary value on celebrity possessions than original creations, even when adults judged the two kinds of items to be equivalent. These results suggest that contact with a special individual may be the foundation for the value placed on authentic objects. PMID:25663829
Evaluation of timings and outcomes in category-one caesarean sections: A retrospective cohort study

PubMed Central

Dunn, Clare Newton; Zhang, Qianpian; Sia, Josh Tjunrong; Assam, Pryseley Nkouibert; Tagore, Shephali; Sng, Ban Leong

2016-01-01

Background and Aims: A decision-to-delivery interval (DDI) of 30 min for category-one caesarean section (CS) deliveries is the standard of practice recommended by clinical guidelines. Our institution established a protocol for category-one (‘crash’) CS to expedite deliveries. The aim of this study is to evaluate DDI, factors that affect DDI and the mode of anaesthesia for category-one CS. Methods: This retrospective cohort study evaluated 390 women who underwent category-one CS in a tertiary obstetric centre. We analysed the factors associated with DDI, mode of anaesthesia and perinatal outcomes. Summary statistics were performed for the outcomes. The association factors were considered significant at P < 0.05. Results: The mean (standard deviation) DDI was 9.4 (3.2) min with all deliveries achieved within 30 min. The longest factor in the DDI was time taken to transfer patients. A shorter DDI was not significantly associated with improved perinatal outcomes. The majority (88.9%) of women had general anaesthesia (GA) for category-one CS. Of those who had an epidural catheter already in situ (34.4%), 25.6% had successful epidural extension. GA was associated with shorter DDI, but worse perinatal outcomes than regional anaesthesia (RA). Conclusions: Our ‘crash’ CS protocol achieved 100% of deliveries within 30 min. The majority (88.9%) of the patients had GA for category-one CS. GA was found to be associated with shorter anaesthesia and operation times, but poorer perinatal outcomes compared to RA. PMID:27601736
Cognitive and physical training for the elderly: evaluating outcome efficacy by means of neurophysiological synchronization.

PubMed

Frantzidis, Christos A; Ladas, Aristea-Kiriaki I; Vivas, Ana B; Tsolaki, Magda; Bamidis, Panagiotis D

2014-07-01

Recent neuroscientific research has demonstrated that both healthy and pathological aging induces alterations in the co-operative capacity of neuronal populations in the brain. Both compensatory and neurodegenerative mechanisms contribute to neurophysiological synchronization patterns, which provide a valuable marker for age-related cognitive decline. In this study, we propose that neuroplasticity-based training may facilitate coherent interaction of distant brain regions and consequently enhance cognitive performance in elderly people. If this is true, this would make neurophysiological synchronization a valid outcome measure to assess the efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions to prevent or delay age-related cognitive decline. The present study aims at providing an objective, synchronization-based tool to assess cognitive and/or physical interventions, adopting the notion of Relative Wavelet Entropy. This mathematical model employs a robust and parameter-free synchronization metric. By using data mining techniques, a distance value was computed for all participants so as to quantify the proximity of their individual profile to the mean group synchronization increase. In support of our hypothesis, results showed a significant increase in synchronization, for four electrode pairs, in the intervention group as compared to the active control group. It is concluded that the novel introduction of neurophysiological synchronization features could be used as a valid and reliable outcome measure; while the distance-based analysis could provide a reliable means of evaluating individual benefits. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Evaluation of Clinical Outcomes and Renal Vascular Pathology among Patients with Lupus

PubMed Central

Barber, Claire; Herzenberg, Andrew; Aghdassi, Ellie; Su, Jiandong; Lou, Wendy; Qian, Gan; Yip, Jonathan; Nasr, Samih H.; Thomas, David; Scholey, James W.; Wither, Joan; Urowitz, Murray; Gladman, Dafna; Reich, Heather

2012-01-01

Summary Background and objectives The objective of this study was to determine the clinical significance of renal vascular lesions in lupus nephritis. Design, setting, participants, & measurements Renal vascular lesions defined as thrombotic microangiopathy, lupus vasculopathy, uncomplicated vascular immune deposits, and arterial sclerosis were evaluated in relation to renal and vascular morbidity and overall mortality. Results Biopsies from 161 patients revealed thrombotic microangiopathy (13), lupus vasculopathy (5), and arterial sclerosis (93). No renal vascular lesions were found in 24.8% of patients. At the time of biopsy, arterial sclerosis or lupus vasculopathy patients were older (arterial sclerosis=37.9±13.0 and lupus vasculopathy=44.4±8.9 versus controls=33.1±8.9 years, P<0.05), and the mean arterial pressure was higher in all groups compared with controls. Nephritis subtype, activity indices, and proteinuria were similar between groups, estimated GFR was lower in arterial sclerosis (70.5±33.3 versus 84.5±26.6 ml/min per 1.73 m2, P=0.03), and chronicity index (thrombotic microangiopathy=3.5, lupus vasculopathy=4.5, and arterial sclerosis=2.5) was higher in all renal vascular lesions subgroups versus controls (1.0, P<0.05). In 133 patients with similar follow-up, the association between renal vascular lesions and vascular events was significant (Fisher exact test, P=0.002) and remained so after multivariate analysis (exact conditional scores test, P=0.04), where the difference between arterial sclerosis and uncomplicated vascular immune deposits was most noticeable (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]=8.35[0.98, 83.12], P=0.05). The associations between renal vascular lesions, renal outcomes, and death were not significant, likely because of insufficient power. Conclusions Renal vascular lesions are common in SLE patients with nephritis and may be associated with arterial vascular events. PMID:22442181
Residential greenness and birth outcomes: evaluating the influence of spatially correlated built-environment factors.

PubMed

Hystad, Perry; Davies, Hugh W; Frank, Lawrence; Van Loon, Josh; Gehring, Ulrike; Tamburic, Lillian; Brauer, Michael

2014-10-01

Half the world's population lives in urban areas. It is therefore important to identify characteristics of the built environment that are beneficial to human health. Urban greenness has been associated with improvements in a diverse range of health conditions, including birth outcomes; however, few studies have attempted to distinguish potential effects of greenness from those of other spatially correlated exposures related to the built environment. We aimed to investigate associations between residential greenness and birth outcomes and evaluate the influence of spatially correlated built environment factors on these associations. We examined associations between residential greenness [measured using satellite-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) within 100 m of study participants' homes] and birth outcomes in a cohort of 64,705 singleton births (from 1999-2002) in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. We also evaluated associations after adjusting for spatially correlated built environmental factors that may influence birth outcomes, including exposure to air pollution and noise, neighborhood walkability, and distance to the nearest park. An interquartile increase in greenness (0.1 in residential NDVI) was associated with higher term birth weight (20.6 g; 95% CI: 16.5, 24.7) and decreases in the likelihood of small for gestational age, very preterm (< 30 weeks), and moderately preterm (30-36 weeks) birth. Associations were robust to adjustment for air pollution and noise exposures, neighborhood walkability, and park proximity. Increased residential greenness was associated with beneficial birth outcomes in this population-based cohort. These associations did not change after adjusting for other spatially correlated built environment factors, suggesting that alternative pathways (e.g., psychosocial and psychological mechanisms) may underlie associations between residential greenness and birth outcomes.
Pre-liver transplant psychosocial evaluation predicts post-transplantation outcomes.

PubMed

Benson, Ariel A; Rowe, Mina; Eid, Ahmad; Bluth, Keren; Merhav, Hadar; Khalaileh, Abed; Safadi, Rifaat

2018-08-01

Psychosocial factors greatly impact the course of patients throughout the liver transplantation process. A retrospective chart review was performed of patients who underwent liver transplantation at Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center between 2002 and 2012. A composite psychosocial score was computed based on the patient's pre-transplant evaluation. Patients were divided into two groups based on compliance, support and insight: Optimal psychosocial score and Non-optimal psychosocial score. Post-liver transplantation survival and complication rates were evaluated. Out of 100 patients who underwent liver transplantation at the Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center between 2002 and 2012, 93% had a complete pre-liver transplant psychosocial evaluation in the medical record performed by professional psychologists and social workers. Post-liver transplantation survival was significantly higher in the Optimal group (85%) as compared to the Non-optimal group (56%, p = .002). Post-liver transplantation rate of renal failure was significantly lower in the Optimal group. No significant differences were observed between the groups in other post-transplant complications. A patient's psychosocial status may impact outcomes following transplantation as inferior psychosocial grades were associated with lower overall survival and increased rates of complications. Pre-liver transplant psychosocial evaluations are an important tool to help predict survival following transplantation.
Trajectory Recognition as the Basis for Object Individuation: A Functional Model of Object File Instantiation and Object-Token Encoding

PubMed Central

Fields, Chris

2011-01-01

The perception of persisting visual objects is mediated by transient intermediate representations, object files, that are instantiated in response to some, but not all, visual trajectories. The standard object file concept does not, however, provide a mechanism sufficient to account for all experimental data on visual object persistence, object tracking, and the ability to perceive spatially disconnected stimuli as continuously existing objects. Based on relevant anatomical, functional, and developmental data, a functional model is constructed that bases visual object individuation on the recognition of temporal sequences of apparent center-of-mass positions that are specifically identified as trajectories by dedicated “trajectory recognition networks” downstream of the medial–temporal motion-detection area. This model is shown to account for a wide range of data, and to generate a variety of testable predictions. Individual differences in the recognition, abstraction, and encoding of trajectory information are expected to generate distinct object persistence judgments and object recognition abilities. Dominance of trajectory information over feature information in stored object tokens during early infancy, in particular, is expected to disrupt the ability to re-identify human and other individuals across perceptual episodes, and lead to developmental outcomes with characteristics of autism spectrum disorders. PMID:21716599
Evaluation Report of the Presidential/Secretarial Objective -- School Management Options Available to Indian People. Research and Evaluation Report Series No. 29.08.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Indian Training and Research Center, Tempe, AZ.

Presenting evaluations of the Bureau of Indian Affairs' (BIA) implementation of the School Management Option Project, a project designed to further American Indian control of schools and elevated to the status of Presidential/Secretarial Objective (P/SO) in 1974, this report includes separate evaluations by the National Indian Training and…
An Evaluation of Learning Objects in Singapore Primary Education: A Case Study Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grace, Tay Pei Lyn; Suan, Ng Peck; Wanzhen, Liaw

2008-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the usability and interface design of e-learning portal developed for primary schools in Singapore. Design/methodology/approach: Using Singapore-based learning EDvantage (LEAD) portal as a case study, this paper reviews and analyses the usability and usefulness of embedded learning objects (LOs)…
The Training Evaluation Inventory (TEI)--Evaluation of Training Design and Measurement of Training Outcomes for Predicting Training Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ritzmann, Sandrina; Hagemann, Vera; Kluge, Annette

2014-01-01

Training evaluation in research and organisational contexts is vital to ensure informed decisions regarding the value of training. The present study describes the development of a valid and reliable training evaluation inventory (TEI), as it does not exist so far. The objectives were a) to construct an instrument that is theoretically and…
Evaluating fuzzy operators of an object-based image analysis for detecting landslides and their changes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feizizadeh, Bakhtiar; Blaschke, Thomas; Tiede, Dirk; Moghaddam, Mohammad Hossein Rezaei

2017-09-01

This article presents a method of object-based image analysis (OBIA) for landslide delineation and landslide-related change detection from multi-temporal satellite images. It uses both spatial and spectral information on landslides, through spectral analysis, shape analysis, textural measurements using a gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM), and fuzzy logic membership functionality. Following an initial segmentation step, particular combinations of various information layers were investigated to generate objects. This was achieved by applying multi-resolution segmentation to IRS-1D, SPOT-5, and ALOS satellite imagery in sequential steps of feature selection and object classification, and using slope and flow direction derivatives from a digital elevation model together with topographically-oriented gray level co-occurrence matrices. Fuzzy membership values were calculated for 11 different membership functions using 20 landslide objects from a landslide training data. Six fuzzy operators were used for the final classification and the accuracies of the resulting landslide maps were compared. A Fuzzy Synthetic Evaluation (FSE) approach was adapted for validation of the results and for an accuracy assessment using the landslide inventory database. The FSE approach revealed that the AND operator performed best with an accuracy of 93.87% for 2005 and 94.74% for 2011, closely followed by the MEAN Arithmetic operator, while the OR and AND (*) operators yielded relatively low accuracies. An object-based change detection was then applied to monitor landslide-related changes that occurred in northern Iran between 2005 and 2011. Knowledge rules to detect possible landslide-related changes were developed by evaluating all possible landslide-related objects for both time steps.
A protocol for a pragmatic randomized controlled trial evaluating outcomes of emergency nurse practitioner service.

PubMed

Jennings, Natasha; Gardner, Glenn; O'Reilly, Gerard

2014-09-01

To evaluate emergency nurse practitioner service effectiveness on outcomes related to quality of care and service responsiveness. Increasing service pressures in the emergency setting have resulted in the adoption of service innovation models; the most common and rapidly expanding of these is the emergency nurse practitioner. The delivery of high quality patient care in the emergency department is one of the most important service indicators to be measured in health services today. The rapid uptake of emergency nurse practitioner service in Australia has outpaced the capacity to evaluate this model in outcomes related to safety and quality of patient care. Pragmatic randomized controlled trial at one site with 260 participants. This protocol describes a definitive prospective randomized controlled trial, which will examine the impact of emergency nurse practitioner service on key patient care and service indicators. The study control will be standard emergency department care. The intervention will be emergency nurse practitioner service. The primary outcome measure is pain score reduction and time to analgesia. Secondary outcome measures are waiting time, number of patients who did not wait, length of stay in the emergency department and representations within 48 hours. Scant research enquiry evaluating emergency nurse practitioner service on patient effectiveness and service responsiveness exists currently. This study is a unique trial that will test the effectiveness of the emergency nurse practitioner service on patients who present to the emergency department with pain. The research will provide an opportunity to further evaluate emergency nurse practitioner models of care and build research capacity into the workforce. Trial registration details: Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry dated 18th August 2013, ACTRN12613000933752. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Neural Correlates of Stimulus Response and Stimulus Outcome Shifting in Healthy Participants and MS Patients

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hildebrandt, Helmut; Fink, Frauke; Eling, Paul; Stuke, Heiner; Klein, Jan; Lentschig, Markus; Kastrup, Andreas; Thiel, Christiane; Breckel, Thomas

2013-01-01

Introduction: Adaptation to changing situations can be mediated by two strategies: (1) Evaluation of a "response" and (2) Evaluation of "outcome" values in relation to objects. Previous studies indicate that response shifting is associated with a network comprising the left frontal cortex and parietal cortex connected by the superior longitudinal…
Relationships between objective acoustic indices and acoustic comfort evaluation in nonacoustic spaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Jian

2004-05-01

Much attention has been paid to acoustic spaces such as concert halls and recording studios, whereas research on nonacoustic buildings/spaces has been rather limited, especially from the viewpoint of acoustic comfort. In this research a series of case studies has been carried out on this topic, considering various spaces including shopping mall atrium spaces, library reading rooms, football stadia, swimming spaces, churches, dining spaces, as well as urban open public spaces. The studies focus on the relationships between objective acoustic indices such as sound pressure level and reverberation time and perceptions of acoustic comfort. The results show that the acoustic atmosphere is an important consideration in such spaces and the evaluation of acoustic comfort may vary considerably even if the objective acoustic indices are the same. It is suggested that current guidelines and technical regulations are insufficient in terms of acoustic design of these spaces, and the relationships established from the case studies between objective and subjective aspects would be useful for developing further design guidelines. [Work supported partly by the British Academy.
Evaluation and Characterization of Health Economics and Outcomes Research in SAARC Nations.

PubMed

Mehta, Manthan; Nerurkar, Rajan

2018-05-01

To identify, evaluate, and characterize the variety, quality, and intent of the health economics and outcomes research studies being conducted in SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) nations. Studies published in English language between 1990 and 2015 were retrieved from Medline databases using relevant search strategies. Studies were independently reviewed as per Cochrane methodology and information on the type of research and outcomes were extracted. Quality of reporting was assessed. Of the 2638 studies screened from eight SAARC nations, a total of 179 were included for review (India = 140; Bangladesh = 12; Sri Lanka = 8; Pakistan = 7; Afghanistan = 5; Nepal = 4; Bhutan = 2; Maldives = 1). The broad study categories were cost-effectiveness analyses (CEAs = 76 studies), cost analyses (35 studies), and burden of illness (BOI=26 studies). The outcomes evaluated were direct costs, indirect costs, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). Cost of medicines, consultation and hospital charges, and monitoring costs were assessed as direct medical costs along with non-direct medical costs such as travel and food for patients and caregivers. The components of indirect costs were loss of income of patients and caregivers and loss of productivity. Quality of life (QoL) was assessed in 48 studies. The most commonly used instrument for assessing QoL was the WHO-Quality of Life BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire (76%). The Quality of Health Economic Studies (QHES) score was used for quality assessment of full economic studies (44 studies). The mean QHES score was 43.76. This review identifies various patterns of health economic studies in eight SAARC nations. The quality of economic evaluation studies for health care in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, and Maldives needs improvement. There is a need to generate the capacity of researchers
Automatic smoke evacuation in laparoscopic surgery: a simplified method for objective evaluation.

PubMed

Takahashi, Hidekazu; Yamasaki, Makoto; Hirota, Masashi; Miyazaki, Yasuaki; Moon, Jeong Ho; Souma, Yoshihito; Mori, Masaki; Doki, Yuichiro; Nakajima, Kiyokazu

2013-08-01

Although its theoretical usefulness has been reported, the true value of automatic smoke evacuation system in laparoscopic surgery remains unknown. This is mainly due to the lack of objective evaluation. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of the automatic smoke evacuator in laparoscopic surgery, by real-time objective evaluation system using an industrial smoke-detection device. Six pigs were used in this study. Three surgical ports were placed and electrosurgical smoke was generated in a standard fashion, using either a high-frequency electrosurgical unit (HF-ESU) or laparosonic coagulating shears (LCS). The smoke was evacuated immediately in the evacuation group but not in the control nonevacuation group. The laparoscopic field-of-view was subjectively evaluated by ten independent surgeons. The composition of the surgical smoke was analyzed by mass spectrometry. The residual smoke in the abdominal cavity was aspirated manually into a smoke tester, and stains on a filter paper were image captured, digitized, and semiquantified. Subjective evaluation indicated superior field-of-view in the evacuation group, compared with the control, at 15 s after activation of the HF-ESU (P < 0.05). The smoke comprised various chemical compounds, including known carcinogens. The estimated volume of intra-abdominal residual smoke after activation of HF-ESU was significantly lower in the evacuation group (47.4 ± 16.6) than the control (76.7 ± 2.4, P = 0.0018). Only marginal amount of surgical smoke was detected in both groups after LCS when the tissue pad was free from burnt tissue deposits. However, the amount was significantly lower in the evacuation group (21.3 ± 10.7) than the control (75 ± 39.9, P = 0.044) when the tissue pad contained tissue sludge. Automatic smoke evacuation provides better field-of-view and reduces the risk of exposure to harmful compounds.
Volume and health outcomes: evidence from systematic reviews and from evaluation of Italian hospital data.

PubMed

Amato, Laura; Fusco, Danilo; Acampora, Anna; Bontempi, Katia; Rosa, Alessandro Cesare; Colais, Paola; Cruciani, Fabio; D'Ovidio, Mariangela; Mataloni, Francesca; Minozzi, Silvia; Mitrova, Zuzana; Pinnarelli, Luigi; Saulle, Rosella; Soldati, Salvatore; Sorge, Chiara; Vecchi, Simona; Ventura, Martina; Davoli, Marina

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND Improving quality and effectiveness of healthcare is one of the priorities of health policies. Hospital or physician volume represents a measurable variable with an impact on effectiveness of healthcare. An Italian law calls for the definition of «qualitative, structural, technological, and quantitative standards of hospital care». There is a need for an evaluation of the available scientific evidence in order to identify qualitative, structural, technological, and quantitative standards of hospital care, including the volume of care above or below which the public and private hospitals may be accredited (or not) to provide specific healthcare interventions. OBJECTIVES To identify conditions/interventions for which an association between volume and outcome has been investigated. To identify conditions/interventions for which an association between volume and outcome has been proved. To analyze the distribution of Italian health providers by volume of activity. To measure the association between volume of care and outcomes of the health providers of the Italian National Health Service (NHS). METHODS Systematic review An overview of systematic reviews was performed searching PubMed, EMBASE, and The Cochrane Library up to November 2016. Studies were evaluated by 2 researchers independently; quality assessment was performed using the AMSTAR checklist. For each health condition and outcome, if available, total number of studies, participants, high volume cut-off values, and metanalysis have been reported. According to the considered outcomes, health topics were classified into 3 groups: positive association: a positive association was demonstrated in the majority of studies/participants and/or a pooled measure (metanalysis) with positive results was reported; lack of association: both studies and/or metanalysis showed no association; no sufficient evidence of association: both results of single studies and metanalysis do not allow to draw firm conclusions
Outcomes evaluation following bilateral breast reconstruction using latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flaps.

PubMed

Losken, Albert; Nicholas, Claire S; Pinell, Ximena A; Carlson, Grant W

2010-07-01

The demand for bilateral breast reconstruction has recently increased. Although numerous options exist, the latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap remains a popular technique. The benefits of additional autologous coverage are evident; however, donor site morbidity does exist. The purpose of this report is to evaluate our experience with bilateral latissimus dorsi breast reconstructions, focusing on donor site morbidity and patient satisfaction. All patients who underwent bilateral latissimus dorsi breast reconstruction at Emory University Hospital, were evaluated and included in the series. Data points queried included patient demographics, risk factors, radiation therapy, timing of the procedure (immediate or delayed), type of procedure (latissimus dorsi only, latissimus dorsi with expander, latissimus dorsi with implant), and outcomes. Outcomes included >1 additional operation, any breast and any donor-site complications. A patient satisfaction survey was performed evaluating outcomes such as aesthetic results, general satisfaction, morbidities, and functional assessment. Comparisons were made using radiation therapy, timing of reconstruction, and type of reconstruction as variables. Eighty-three patients underwent bilateral latissimus dorsi breast reconstruction with an average follow-up of 2.3 years. The method of reconstruction included latissimus dorsi with expander (n = 54), latissimus dorsi only (n = 17), and latissimus dorsi with implant (n = 12). Breast complications occurred in 34% of the patients with radiation therapy being a significant risk factor. The average number of secondary operations was 2.3 with the expander group resulting in an increased need for additional procedures. Overall patient satisfaction was 3.93/5, with the average symmetry score being 3.82/5, shape 3.84/5, nipple position 3.92/5, and inframammary fold (IMF) position 4/5. The majority of patients (n = 28/37) reported no pain (0/5) at the time of the survey. Most patients (n = 33
Profiles of neurological outcome prediction among intensivists.

PubMed

Racine, Eric; Dion, Marie-Josée; Wijman, Christine A C; Illes, Judy; Lansberg, Maarten G

2009-12-01

Advances in intensive care medicine have increased survival rates of patients with critical neurological conditions. The focus of prognostication for such patients is therefore shifting from predicting chances of survival to meaningful neurological recovery. This study assessed the variability in long-term outcome predictions among physicians and aimed to identify factors that may account for this variability. Based on a clinical vignette describing a comatose patient suffering from post-anoxic brain injury intensivists were asked in a semi-structured interview about the patient's specific neurological prognosis and about prognostication in general. Qualitative research methods were used to identify areas of variability in prognostication and to classify physicians according to specific prognostication profiles. Quantitative statistics were used to assess for associations between prognostication profiles and physicians' demographic and practice characteristics. Eighteen intensivists participated. Functional outcome predictions varied along an evaluative dimension (fair/good-poor) and a confidence dimension (certain-uncertain). More experienced physicians tended to be more pessimistic about the patient's functional outcome and more certain of their prognosis. Attitudes toward quality of life varied along an evaluative dimension (good-poor) and a "style" dimension (objective-subjective). Older and more experienced physicians were more likely to express objective judgments of quality of life and to predict a worse quality of life for the patient than their younger and less experienced counterparts. Various prognostication profiles exist among intensivists. These may be dictated by factors such as physicians' age and clinical experience. Awareness of these associations may be a first step to more uniform prognostication.
Objective evaluation of situation awareness for dynamic decision makers in teleoperations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Endsley, Mica R.

1991-01-01

Situation awareness, a current mental mode of the environment, is critical to the ability of operators to perform complex and dynamic tasks. This should be particularly true for teleoperators, who are separated from the situation they need to be aware of. The design of the man-machine interface must be guided by the goal of maintaining and enhancing situation awareness. The objective of this work has been to build a foundation upon which research in the area can proceed. A model of dynamic human decision making which is inclusive of situation awareness will be presented, along with a definition of situation awareness. A method for measuring situation awareness will also be presented as a tool for evaluating design concepts. The Situation Awareness Global Assessment Technique (SAGAT) is an objective measure of situation awareness originally developed for the fighter cockpit environment. The results of SAGAT validation efforts will be presented. Implications of this research for teleoperators and other operators of dynamic systems will be discussed.

[Outcome Quality in Medical Rehabilitation: Relationship Between "Patient-Reported Outcomes" (PROs) and Social Security Contributions].

PubMed

Nübling, R; Kaluscha, R; Krischak, G; Kriz, D; Martin, H; Müller, G; Renzland, J; Reuss-Borst, M; Schmidt, J; Kaiser, U; Toepler, E

2017-02-01

Aim of the Study The outcome quality of medical rehabilitation is evaluated often by "Patient Reported Outcomes" (PROs). It is examined to what extent these PROs are corresponding with "hard" or "objective" outcomes such as payments of contributions to social insurance. Methods The "rehabilitation QM outcome study" includes self-reports of patients as well as data from the Rehabilitation Statistics Database (RSD) of the German pension insurance Baden-Wurttemberg. The sample for the question posed includes N=2 947 insured who were treated in 2011 in 21 clinics of the "health quality network" and who were either employed or unemployed at the time of the rehabilitation application (e. g. the workforce or labour force group, response rate: 55%). The sample turned out widely representative for the population of the insured persons. Results PROs and payment of contributions to pension insurance clearly correspond. In the year after the rehabilitation improved vs. not improved rehabilitees differed clearly with regard to their payments of contributions. Conclusions The results support the validity of PROs. For a comprehensive depiction of the outcome quality of rehabilitation PROs and payments of contributions should be considered supplementary. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.
Evaluating the Impact of Dental Care on Housing Intervention Program Outcomes Among Homeless Veterans

PubMed Central

Nunez, Elizabeth; Gibson, Gretchen; Jones, Judith A.; Schinka, John A.

2013-01-01

Objectives. In this retrospective longitudinal cohort study, we examined the impact of dental care on outcomes among homeless veterans discharged from a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) transitional housing intervention program. Methods. Our sample consisted of 9870 veterans who were admitted into a VA homeless intervention program during 2008 and 2009, 4482 of whom received dental care during treatment and 5388 of whom did not. Primary outcomes of interest were program completion, employment or stable financial status on discharge, and transition to permanent housing. We calculated descriptive statistics and compared the 2 study groups with respect to demographic characteristics, medical and psychiatric history (including alcohol and substance use), work and financial support, and treatment outcomes. Results. Veterans who received dental care were 30% more likely than those who did not to complete the program, 14% more likely to be employed or financially stable, and 15% more likely to have obtained residential housing. Conclusions. Provision of dental care has a substantial positive impact on outcomes among homeless veterans participating in housing intervention programs. This suggests that homeless programs need to weigh the benefits and cost of dental care in program planning and implementation. PMID:23678921
Influence of Study Design on Outcomes Following Reflexology Massage: An Integrative and Critical Review of Interventional Studies.

PubMed

McVicar, Andrew; Greenwood, Christina; Ellis, Carol; LeForis, Chantelle

2016-09-01

Interpretation of the efficacy of reflexology is hindered by inconsistent research designs and complicated by professional views that criteria of randomized controlled trials (RCTs)are not ideal to research holistic complementary and alternative medicine practice. The influence of research designs on study outcomes is not known. This integrative review sought to evaluate this possibility. Thirty-seven interventional studies (2000-2014) were identified; they had RCT or non-RCT design and compared reflexology outcomes against a control/comparison group. Viability of integrating RCT and non-RCT studies into a single database was first evaluated by appraisal of 16 reporting fields related to study setting and objectives, sample demographics, methodologic design, and treatment fidelity and assessment against Jadad score quality criteria for RCTs. For appraisal, the database was stratified into RCT/non-RCT or Jadad score of 3 or more or less than 3. Deficits in reporting were identified for blind assignment of participants, dropout/completion rate, and School of Reflexology. For comparison purposes, these fields were excluded from subsequent analysis for evidence of association between design fields and of fields with study outcomes. Thirty-one studies applied psychometric tools and 20 applied biometric tools (14 applied both). A total of 116 measures were used. Type of measure was associated with study objectives (p < 0.001; chi-square), in particular of psychometric measures with a collated "behavioral/cognitive" objective. Significant outcomes were more likely (p < 0.001; chi-square) for psychometric than for biometric measures. Neither type of outcome was associated with choice of RCT or non-RCT method, but psychometric responses were associated (p = 0.007) with a nonmassage control strategy. The review supports psychometric responses to reflexology when study design uses a nonmassage control strategy. Findings suggest that an evaluation of outcomes
An Evaluation of Multiple Single-Case Outcome Indicators Using Convergent Evidence Scaling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGill, Ryan J.; Busse, R. T.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this article is to evaluate the consistency of five single-case outcome indicators, used to assess response-to-intervention data from a pilot Tier 2 reading intervention that was implemented at an elementary school. Using convergent evidence scaling, the indicators were converted onto a common interpretive scale for each case…
Using reusable learning objects (rlos) in injection skills teaching: Evaluations from multiple user types.

PubMed

Williams, Julia; O'Connor, Mórna; Windle, Richard; Wharrad, Heather J

2015-12-01

Clinical skills are a critical component of pre-registration nurse education in the United Kingdom, yet there is widespread concern about the clinical skills displayed by newly-qualified nurses. Novel means of supporting clinical skills education are required to address this. A package of Reusable Learning Objects (RLOs) was developed to supplement pre-registration teaching on the clinical skill of administering injection medication. RLOs are electronic resources addressing a single learning objective whose interactivity facilitates learning. This article evaluates a package of five injection RLOs across three studies: (1) questionnaires administered to pre-registration nursing students at University of Nottingham (UoN) (n=46) evaluating the RLO package as a whole; (2) individual RLOs evaluated in online questionnaires by educators and students from UoN; from other national and international institutions; and healthcare professionals (n=265); (3) qualitative evaluation of the RLO package by UoN injection skills tutors (n=6). Data from all studies were assessed for (1) access to, (2) usefulness, (3) impact and (4) integration of the RLOs. Study one found that pre-registration nursing students rate the RLO package highly across all categories, particularly underscoring the value of their self-test elements. Study two found high ratings in online assessments of individual RLOs by multiple users. The global reach is particularly encouraging here. Tutors reported insufficient levels of student-RLO access, which might be explained by the timing of their student exposure. Tutors integrate RLOs into teaching and agree on their use as teaching supplements, not substitutes for face-to-face education. This evaluation encompasses the first years postpackage release. Encouraging data on evaluative categories in this early review suggest that future evaluations are warranted to track progress as the package is adopted and evaluated more widely. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd
Children’s Feedback Preferences in Response to an Experimentally Manipulated Peer Evaluation Outcome: The Role of Depressive Symptoms

PubMed Central

Dekovic, Maja; Vermande, Marjolijn; Telch, Michael J.

2007-01-01

The present study examined the linkage between pre-adolescent children’s depressive symptoms and their preferences for receiving positive vs. negative feedback subsequent to being faced with an experimentally manipulated peer evaluation outcome in real time. Participants (n = 142) ages 10 to 13, played a computer contest based on the television show Survivor and were randomized to either a peer rejection (i.e., receiving the lowest total ‘likeability’ score from a group of peer-judges), a peer success (i.e., receiving the highest score), or a control peer evaluation condition. Children’s self-reported feedback preferences were then assessed. Results revealed that participants assigned to the negative evaluation outcome, relative to either the success or the control outcome, showed a significantly higher subsequent preference for negatively tuned feedback. Contrary to previous work and predictions derived from self-verification theory, children higher in depressive symptoms were only more likely to prefer negative feedback in response to the negative peer evaluation outcome. These effects for depression were not accounted for by either state mood at baseline or mood change in response to the feedback manipulation. PMID:17279340
Adult Roles & Functions. Objective Based Evaluation System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

West Virginia State Vocational Curriculum Lab., Cedar Lakes.

This book of objective-based test items is designed to be used with the Adult Roles and Functions curriculum for a non-laboratory home economic course for grades eleven and twelve. It contains item banks for each cognitive objective in the curriculum. In addition, there is a form for the table of specifications to be developed for each unit. This…
Performance evaluation method of electric energy data acquire system based on combination of subjective and objective weights

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Chen; Ding, Zhongan; Deng, Bofa; Yan, Shengteng

2017-10-01

According to the characteristics of electric energy data acquire system (EEDAS), considering the availability of each index data and the connection between the index integrity, establishing the performance evaluation index system of electric energy data acquire system from three aspects as master station system, communication channel, terminal equipment. To determine the comprehensive weight of each index based on triangular fuzzy number analytic hierarchy process with entropy weight method, and both subjective preference and objective attribute are taken into consideration, thus realize the performance comprehensive evaluation more reasonable and reliable. Example analysis shows that, by combination with analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and triangle fuzzy numbers (TFN) to establish comprehensive index evaluation system based on entropy method, the evaluation results not only convenient and practical, but also more objective and accurate.
Comparison of treatment outcomes of transnasal vocal fold polypectomy versus microlaryngoscopic surgery.

PubMed

Wang, Chi-Te; Liao, Li-Jen; Huang, Tsung-Wei; Lo, Wu-Chia; Cheng, Po-Wen

2015-05-01

Office-based procedures have been proposed for the treatment of vocal polyps, including indirect laryngoscopic surgery and angiolytic laser photocoagulation. Our previous report documented good treatment outcomes by combining the two aforementioned procedures. This study was intended to further compare the treatment outcomes of office transnasal vocal fold polypectomy (VFP) with those of microlaryngoscopic surgery (MLS). A matched cohort study. This study retrospectively enrolled 50 age-, gender-, and size-matched patients with vocal polyps treated by VFP or MLS at a tertiary teaching hospital from January 2012 to October 2013. Treatment outcomes were evaluated before, 2 weeks, and 6 weeks after the procedures via perceptual rating of voice quality, acoustic measurement of the speech signal, 10-item voice-handicap index, maximal phonation time, subjective rating of voice quality, and videolaryngostroboscopic evaluation. Both VFP and MLS resulted in significant clinical improvements 2 and 6 weeks postoperatively. Study results exhibited similar objective outcomes between VFP and MLS, whereas patients who received VFP reported higher subjective voice quality than those receiving MLS 2 weeks postoperatively. Six weeks after the procedures, the objective and subjective treatment outcomes were not significantly different between the two treatment groups. This study shows that transnasal VFP may be used as an effective alternative treatment for small vocal polyps. Patients who received office VFP experienced rapid symptomatic relief with a higher degree of subjective effectiveness than MLS 2 weeks postoperatively, whereas the overall treatment outcomes showed a comparable level of effectiveness for both modalities. 3B. © 2014 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.
Outcome Evaluation of Family Eats.

PubMed

Cullen, Karen Weber; Thompson, Debbe; Chen, Tzu-An

2017-02-01

This article presents the results of a randomized clinical trial evaluating the eight-session Family Eats web-based intervention promoting healthy home food environments for African American families. African American families ( n = 126) with 8- to 12-year-old children completed online baseline questionnaires and were randomized into intervention or control groups. Data collection occurred at baseline, immediately postintervention (Post 1), and 4 months later (Post 2), for parents and children, separately. There were two group by time intervention effects: Control group parents reported a significantly greater frequency of drinking 100% fruit juice at Post 1 compared with intervention group parents. Parent menu planning skills were significantly higher at Post 2 for the intervention group compared with the control group. Significant positive changes overtime were noted for both groups for home fruit/vegetable availability, food preparation practices, and healthy restaurant selection. Intervention group children reported a significant increase in home juice availability at Post 1 compared with the control group; home fruit availability improved for both groups. There was no difference in log on rates by group: 84% and 86% for those who completed Post 1 and Post 2 measurements, respectively. Sixty-four participants completed the evaluation survey: 17 control (50%) and 47 intervention (51%) participants. All participants reported liking the program components; all but one gave it an A or B grade. An Internet-delivered nutrition intervention for families was successful in achieving change in some mediating variables, with good log on rates. Future research with Family Eats should include larger sample sizes, with longer follow-up and a more objective measure of diet.
Implementation and evaluation of a pharmacist-led hypertension management service in primary care: outcomes and methodological challenges.

PubMed

Bajorek, Beata; Lemay, Kate S; Magin, Parker; Roberts, Christopher; Krass, Ines; Armour, Carol L

2016-01-01

Suboptimal utilisation of pharmacotherapy, non-adherence to prescribed treatment, and a lack of monitoring all contribute to poor blood (BP) pressure control in patients with hypertension. The objective of this study was to evaluate the implementation of a pharmacist-led hypertension management service in terms of processes, outcomes, and methodological challenges. A prospective, controlled study was undertaken within the Australian primary care setting. Community pharmacists were recruited to one of three study groups: Group A (Control - usual care), Group B (Intervention), or Group C (Short Intervention). Pharmacists in Groups B and C delivered a service comprising screening and monitoring of BP, as well as addressing poor BP control through therapeutic adjustment and adherence strategies. Pharmacists in Group C delivered the shortened version of the service. Significant changes to key outcome measures were observed in Group C: reduction in systolic and diastolic BPs at the 3-month visit (P<0.01 and P<0.01, respectively), improvement in medication adherence scores (P=0.01), and a slight improvement in quality of life (EQ-5D-3L Index) scores (P=0.91). There were no significant changes in Group B (the full intervention), and no differences in comparison to Group A (usual care). Pharmacists fed-back that patient recruitment was a key barrier to service implementation, highlighting the methodological implications of screening. A collaborative, pharmacist-led hypertension management service can help monitor BP, improve medication adherence, and optimise therapy in a step-wise approach. However, blood pressure screening can effect behaviour change in patients, presenting methodological challenges in the evaluation of services in this context.
The outcome competency framework for practitioners in infection prevention and control: use of the outcome logic model for evaluation.

PubMed

Burnett, E; Curran, E; Loveday, H P; Kiernan, M A; Tannahill, M

2014-01-01

Healthcare is delivered in a dynamic environment with frequent changes in populations, methods, equipment and settings. Infection prevention and control practitioners (IPCPs) must ensure that they are competent in addressing the challenges they face and are equipped to develop infection prevention and control (IPC) services in line with a changing world of healthcare provision. A multifaceted Framework was developed to assist IPCPs to enhance competence at an individual, team and organisational level to enable quality performance and improved quality of care. However, if these aspirations are to be met, it is vital that competency frameworks are fit for purpose or they risk being ignored. The aim of this unique study was to evaluate short and medium term outcomes as set out in the Outcome Logic Model to assist with the evaluation of the impact and success of the Framework. This study found that while the Framework is being used effectively in some areas, it is not being used as much or in the ways that were anticipated. The findings will enable future work on revision, communication and dissemination, and will provide intelligence to those initiating education and training in the utilisation of the competences.
The outcome competency framework for practitioners in infection prevention and control: use of the outcome logic model for evaluation

PubMed Central

Curran, E; Loveday, HP; Kiernan, MA; Tannahill, M

2013-01-01

Healthcare is delivered in a dynamic environment with frequent changes in populations, methods, equipment and settings. Infection prevention and control practitioners (IPCPs) must ensure that they are competent in addressing the challenges they face and are equipped to develop infection prevention and control (IPC) services in line with a changing world of healthcare provision. A multifaceted Framework was developed to assist IPCPs to enhance competence at an individual, team and organisational level to enable quality performance and improved quality of care. However, if these aspirations are to be met, it is vital that competency frameworks are fit for purpose or they risk being ignored. The aim of this unique study was to evaluate short and medium term outcomes as set out in the Outcome Logic Model to assist with the evaluation of the impact and success of the Framework. This study found that while the Framework is being used effectively in some areas, it is not being used as much or in the ways that were anticipated. The findings will enable future work on revision, communication and dissemination, and will provide intelligence to those initiating education and training in the utilisation of the competences. PMID:28989348
Evaluation of Content-Matched Range Monitoring Queries over Moving Objects in Mobile Computing Environments

PubMed Central

Jung, HaRim; Song, MoonBae; Youn, Hee Yong; Kim, Ung Mo

2015-01-01

A content-matched (CM) range monitoring query over moving objects continually retrieves the moving objects (i) whose non-spatial attribute values are matched to given non-spatial query values; and (ii) that are currently located within a given spatial query range. In this paper, we propose a new query indexing structure, called the group-aware query region tree (GQR-tree) for efficient evaluation of CM range monitoring queries. The primary role of the GQR-tree is to help the server leverage the computational capabilities of moving objects in order to improve the system performance in terms of the wireless communication cost and server workload. Through a series of comprehensive simulations, we verify the superiority of the GQR-tree method over the existing methods. PMID:26393613
Evaluation of Content-Matched Range Monitoring Queries over Moving Objects in Mobile Computing Environments.

PubMed

Jung, HaRim; Song, MoonBae; Youn, Hee Yong; Kim, Ung Mo

2015-09-18

A content-matched (CM) rangemonitoring query overmoving objects continually retrieves the moving objects (i) whose non-spatial attribute values are matched to given non-spatial query values; and (ii) that are currently located within a given spatial query range. In this paper, we propose a new query indexing structure, called the group-aware query region tree (GQR-tree) for efficient evaluation of CMrange monitoring queries. The primary role of the GQR-tree is to help the server leverage the computational capabilities of moving objects in order to improve the system performance in terms of the wireless communication cost and server workload. Through a series of comprehensive simulations, we verify the superiority of the GQR-tree method over the existing methods.
Impact of prenatal evaluation and protocol-based perinatal management on congenital diaphragmatic hernia outcomes.

PubMed

Lazar, David A; Cass, Darrell L; Rodriguez, Manuel A; Hassan, Saif F; Cassady, Christopher I; Johnson, Yvette R; Johnson, Karen E; Johnson, Anthony; Moise, Kenneth J; Belleza-Bascon, Bella; Olutoye, Oluyinka O

2011-05-01

Although intuitive, the benefit of prenatal evaluation and multidisciplinary perinatal management for fetuses with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is unproven. We compared the outcome of prenatally diagnosed patients with CDH whose perinatal management was by a predefined protocol with those who were diagnosed postnatally and managed by the same team. We hypothesized that patients with CDH undergoing prenatal evaluation with perinatal planning would demonstrate improved outcome. Retrospective chart review of all patients with Bochdalek-type CDH at a single institution between 2004 and 2009 was performed. Patients were stratified by history of perinatal management, and data were analyzed by Fisher's Exact test and Student's t test. Of 116 patients, 71 fetuses presented in the prenatal period and delivered at our facility (PRE), whereas 45 infants were either outborn or postnatally diagnosed (POST). There were more high-risk patients in the PRE group compared with the POST group as indicated by higher rates of liver herniation (63% vs 36%, P = .03), need for patch repair (57% vs 27%, P = .004), and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation use (35% vs 18%, P = .05). Despite differences in risk, there was no difference in 6-month survival between groups (73% vs 73%). Patients with CDH diagnosed prenatally are a higher risk group. Prenatal evaluation and multidisciplinary perinatal management allows for improved outcome in these patients. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Psychosocial factors and sleep efficiency: discrepancies between subjective and objective evaluations of sleep.

PubMed

Jackowska, Marta; Dockray, Samantha; Hendrickx, Hilde; Steptoe, Andrew

2011-01-01

Self-reported sleep efficiency may not precisely reflect objective sleep patterns. We assessed whether psychosocial factors and affective responses are associated with discrepancies between subjective reports and objective measures of sleep efficiency. Participants were 199 working women aged 20 to 61 years. Standardized questionnaires were used to assess psychosocial characteristics and affect that included work stress, social support, happiness, and depressive symptoms. Objective measures of sleep were assessed on one week and one leisure night with an Actiheart monitor. Self-reported sleep efficiency was derived from the Jenkins Sleep Problems Scale. Discrepancies between self-reported and objective measures of sleep efficiency were computed by contrasting standardized measures of sleep problems with objectively measured sleep efficiency. Participants varied markedly in the discrepancies between self-reported and objective sleep measures. After adjustment for personal income, age, having children, marital status, body mass index, and negative affect, overcommitment (p = .002), low level of social support (p = .049), and poor self-rated heath (p = .02) were associated with overreporting of sleep difficulties and underestimation of sleep efficiency. Self-reported poor sleep efficiency was more prevalent among those more overcommitted at work (p = .009) and less happy (p = .02), as well as among those with lower level of social support (p = .03) and more depressive symptoms (p = .048), independently of covariates. Objective sleep efficiency was unrelated to psychosocial characteristics or affect. The extent to which self-reported evaluations of sleep efficiency reflect objective experience may be influenced by psychosocial characteristics and affect. Unless potential moderators of self-reported sleep efficiency are taken into account, associations between sleep and psychosocial factors relevant to health may be overestimated.
A comparison of moving object detection methods for real-time moving object detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roshan, Aditya; Zhang, Yun

2014-06-01

Moving object detection has a wide variety of applications from traffic monitoring, site monitoring, automatic theft identification, face detection to military surveillance. Many methods have been developed across the globe for moving object detection, but it is very difficult to find one which can work globally in all situations and with different types of videos. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate existing moving object detection methods which can be implemented in software on a desktop or laptop, for real time object detection. There are several moving object detection methods noted in the literature, but few of them are suitable for real time moving object detection. Most of the methods which provide for real time movement are further limited by the number of objects and the scene complexity. This paper evaluates the four most commonly used moving object detection methods as background subtraction technique, Gaussian mixture model, wavelet based and optical flow based methods. The work is based on evaluation of these four moving object detection methods using two (2) different sets of cameras and two (2) different scenes. The moving object detection methods have been implemented using MatLab and results are compared based on completeness of detected objects, noise, light change sensitivity, processing time etc. After comparison, it is observed that optical flow based method took least processing time and successfully detected boundary of moving objects which also implies that it can be implemented for real-time moving object detection.
Reliability assessment and correlation analysis of evaluating orthodontic treatment outcome in Chinese patients.

PubMed

Song, Guang-Ying; Zhao, Zhi-He; Ding, Yin; Bai, Yu-Xing; Wang, Lin; He, Hong; Shen, Gang; Li, Wei-Ran; Baumrind, Sheldon; Geng, Zhi; Xu, Tian-Min

2014-03-01

This study aimed to assess the reliability of experienced Chinese orthodontists in evaluating treatment outcome and to determine the correlations between three diagnostic information sources. Sixty-nine experienced Chinese orthodontic specialists each evaluated the outcome of orthodontic treatment of 108 Chinese patients. Three different information sources: study casts (SC), lateral cephalometric X-ray images (LX) and facial photographs (PH) were generated at the end of treatment for 108 patients selected randomly from six orthodontic treatment centers throughout China. Six different assessments of treatment outcome were made by each orthodontist using data from the three information sources separately and in combination. Each assessment included both ranking and grading for each patient. The rankings of each of the 69 judges for the 108 patients were correlated with the rankings of each of the other judges yielding 13 873 Spearman rs values, ranging from -0.08 to +0.85. Of these, 90% were greater than 0.4, showing moderate-to-high consistency among the 69 orthodontists. In the combined evaluations, study casts were the most significant predictive component (R(2)=0.86, P<0.000 1), while the inclusion of lateral cephalometric films and facial photographs also contributed to a more comprehensive assessment (R(2)=0.96, P<0.000 1). Grading scores for SC+LX and SC+PH were highly significantly correlated with those for SC+LX+PH (r(SC+LX)vs.(SC+LX+PH)=0.96, r(SC+PH)vs.(SC+LX+PH)=0.97), showing that either SC+LX or SC+PH is an excellent substitute for all three combined assessment.
OBJECTIVE EVALUATION OF HYPERACTIVATED MOTILITY IN RAT SPERMATOZA USING COMPUTER-ASSISTED SPERM ANALYSIS (CASA)

EPA Science Inventory

Objective evaluation of hyperactivated motility in rat spermatozoa using computer-assisted sperm analysis.

Cancel AM, Lobdell D, Mendola P, Perreault SD.

Toxicology Program, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.

The aim of this study was t...

The effect of a geriatric evaluation on treatment decisions and outcome for older cancer patients - A systematic review.

PubMed

Hamaker, Marije E; Te Molder, Marthe; Thielen, Noortje; van Munster, Barbara C; Schiphorst, Anandi H; van Huis, Lieke H

2018-04-06

The aim of this systematic review is to summarise all available data on the effect of a geriatric evaluation on the multidisciplinary treatment of older cancer patients, focussing on oncologic treatment decisions, the implementation of non-oncologic interventions and the impact on treatment outcome. A systematic search in MEDLINE and EMBASE for studies on the effect of a geriatric evaluation on oncologic and non-oncologic treatment decisions and outcome for older cancer patients. 36 publications from 35 studies were included. After a geriatric evaluation, the oncologic treatment plan was altered in a median of 28% of patients (range 8-54%), primarily to a less intensive treatment option. Non-oncologic interventions were recommended in a median of 72% of patients (range 26-100%), most commonly involving social issues (39%), nutritional status (32%) and polypharmacy (31%). Effect on treatment outcome was varying, with a trend towards a positive effect on treatment completion (positive effect in 75% of studies) and treatment-related toxicity/ complications (55% of studies). A geriatric evaluation affects oncologic and non-oncologic treatment and appears to improve treatment tolerance and completion for older cancer patients. Fine-tuning the decision-making process for this growing patient population will require more specific and robust data on the effect of a geriatric evaluation on relevant oncologic and non-oncologic outcomes such as survival and quality of life. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Initial constructs for patient-centered outcome measures to evaluate brain-computer interfaces.

PubMed

Andresen, Elena M; Fried-Oken, Melanie; Peters, Betts; Patrick, Donald L

2016-10-01

The authors describe preliminary work toward the creation of patient-centered outcome (PCO) measures to evaluate brain-computer interface (BCI) as an assistive technology (AT) for individuals with severe speech and physical impairments (SSPI). In Phase 1, 591 items from 15 existing measures were mapped to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). In Phase 2, qualitative interviews were conducted with eight people with SSPI and seven caregivers. Resulting text data were coded in an iterative analysis. Most items (79%) were mapped to the ICF environmental domain; over half (53%) were mapped to more than one domain. The ICF framework was well suited for mapping items related to body functions and structures, but less so for items in other areas, including personal factors. Two constructs emerged from qualitative data: quality of life (QOL) and AT. Component domains and themes were identified for each. Preliminary constructs, domains and themes were generated for future PCO measures relevant to BCI. Existing instruments are sufficient for initial items but do not adequately match the values of people with SSPI and their caregivers. Field methods for interviewing people with SSPI were successful, and support the inclusion of these individuals in PCO research. Implications for Rehabilitation Adapted interview methods allow people with severe speech and physical impairments to participate in patient-centered outcomes research. Patient-centered outcome measures are needed to evaluate the clinical implementation of brain-computer interface as an assistive technology.
Outcomes of Moral Case Deliberation - the development of an evaluation instrument for clinical ethics support (the Euro-MCD)

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Clinical ethics support, in particular Moral Case Deliberation, aims to support health care providers to manage ethically difficult situations. However, there is a lack of evaluation instruments regarding outcomes of clinical ethics support in general and regarding Moral Case Deliberation (MCD) in particular. There also is a lack of clarity and consensuses regarding which MCD outcomes are beneficial. In addition, MCD outcomes might be context-sensitive. Against this background, there is a need for a standardised but flexible outcome evaluation instrument. The aim of this study was to develop a multi-contextual evaluation instrument measuring health care providers’ experiences and perceived importance of outcomes of Moral Case Deliberation. Methods A multi-item instrument for assessing outcomes of Moral Case Deliberation (MCD) was constructed through an iterative process, founded on a literature review and modified through a multistep review by ethicists and health care providers. The instrument measures perceived importance of outcomes before and after MCD, as well as experienced outcomes during MCD and in daily work. A purposeful sample of 86 European participants contributed to a Delphi panel and content validity testing. The Delphi panel (n = 13), consisting of ethicists and ethics researchers, participated in three Delphi-rounds. Health care providers (n = 73) participated in the content validity testing through ‘think-aloud’ interviews and a method using Content Validity Index. Results The development process resulted in the European Moral Case Deliberation Outcomes Instrument (Euro-MCD), which consists of two sections, one to be completed before a participant’s first MCD and the other after completing multiple MCDs. The instrument contains a few open-ended questions and 26 specific items with a corresponding rating/response scale representing various MCD outcomes. The items were categorised into the following six domains: Enhanced
Outcomes of moral case deliberation--the development of an evaluation instrument for clinical ethics support (the Euro-MCD).

PubMed

Svantesson, Mia; Karlsson, Jan; Boitte, Pierre; Schildman, Jan; Dauwerse, Linda; Widdershoven, Guy; Pedersen, Reidar; Huisman, Martijn; Molewijk, Bert

2014-04-08

Clinical ethics support, in particular Moral Case Deliberation, aims to support health care providers to manage ethically difficult situations. However, there is a lack of evaluation instruments regarding outcomes of clinical ethics support in general and regarding Moral Case Deliberation (MCD) in particular. There also is a lack of clarity and consensuses regarding which MCD outcomes are beneficial. In addition, MCD outcomes might be context-sensitive. Against this background, there is a need for a standardised but flexible outcome evaluation instrument. The aim of this study was to develop a multi-contextual evaluation instrument measuring health care providers' experiences and perceived importance of outcomes of Moral Case Deliberation. A multi-item instrument for assessing outcomes of Moral Case Deliberation (MCD) was constructed through an iterative process, founded on a literature review and modified through a multistep review by ethicists and health care providers. The instrument measures perceived importance of outcomes before and after MCD, as well as experienced outcomes during MCD and in daily work. A purposeful sample of 86 European participants contributed to a Delphi panel and content validity testing. The Delphi panel (n = 13), consisting of ethicists and ethics researchers, participated in three Delphi-rounds. Health care providers (n = 73) participated in the content validity testing through 'think-aloud' interviews and a method using Content Validity Index. The development process resulted in the European Moral Case Deliberation Outcomes Instrument (Euro-MCD), which consists of two sections, one to be completed before a participant's first MCD and the other after completing multiple MCDs. The instrument contains a few open-ended questions and 26 specific items with a corresponding rating/response scale representing various MCD outcomes. The items were categorised into the following six domains: Enhanced emotional support, Enhanced
Relative Navigation Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) Sensor Development Test Objective (DTO) Performance Verification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dennehy, Cornelius J.

2013-01-01

The NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) received a request from the NASA Associate Administrator (AA) for Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD), to quantitatively evaluate the individual performance of three light detection and ranging (LIDAR) rendezvous sensors flown as orbiter's development test objective on Space Transportation System (STS)-127, STS-133, STS-134, and STS-135. This document contains the outcome of the NESC assessment.
Promoting ethical and objective practice in the medicolegal arena of disability evaluation.

PubMed

Martelli, M F; Zasler, N D; Johnson-Greene, D

2001-08-01

As providers of medical information and testimony, clinicians have ultimate responsibility for ethical conduct as it relates to this information. The authors offer the following recommendations for enhancing ethical relationships between expert clinicians and the courts. 1. Avoid or resist attorney efforts at enticement into joining the attorney-client team. Such compromises of scientific boundaries and ethical principles exist on a continuum ranging from standard attorney-client advocacy at the beginning of the expert consultation phase (e.g., promotional information at the forefront of retaining an expert, with either provision of selective or incomplete records or less than enthusiastic efforts to produce all records) and extending to completion of evaluation, when requests for changes in reports and documentation might be made. 2. Respect role boundaries and do not mix conflicting roles. Remember that the treating doctor possesses a bond with the patient but does not as a rule obtain complete preinjury and postinjury information in the context of assessing causality and apportionment. In contrast, the expert witness must conduct a thorough and multifaceted case analysis sans the physician-patient relationship in order to facilitate objectivity and allow optimum diagnostic formulations. Finally, the trial consultant's function in this adversarial process is to assist with critically scrutinizing and attacking positions of experts for the opposing side. These roles all represent inherently different interests, and mixing them can only reduce objectivity. 3. Insist on adequate time for thorough record review, evaluation, and report generation. Also insist on sufficient time and preparation for deposition and court appearances. 4. Work at building a reputation for general objectivity, reliance on multiple data sources, reaching opinions only after reviewing complete information from both sides, and completing the evaluation. 5. Spend a good amount of time actually
Methodological and Design Considerations in Evaluating the Impact of Prevention Programs on Violence and Related Health Outcomes.

PubMed

Massetti, Greta M; Simon, Thomas R; Smith, Deborah Gorman

2016-10-01

Drawing on research that has identified specific predictors and trajectories of risk for violence and related negative outcomes, a multitude of small- and large-scale preventive interventions for specific risk behaviors have been developed, implemented, and evaluated. One of the principal challenges of these approaches is that a number of separate problem-specific programs targeting different risk areas have emerged. However, as many negative health behaviors such as substance abuse and violence share a multitude of risk factors, many programs target identical risk factors. There are opportunities to understand whether evidence-based programs can be leveraged for potential effects across a spectrum of outcomes and over time. Some recent work has documented longitudinal effects of evidence-based interventions on generalized outcomes. This work has potential for advancing our understanding of the effectiveness of promising and evidence-based prevention strategies. However, conducting longitudinal follow-up of established interventions presents a number of methodological and design challenges. To answer some of these questions, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention convened a panel of multidisciplinary experts to discuss opportunities to take advantage of evaluations of early prevention programs and evaluating multiple long-term outcomes. This special section of the journal Prevention Science includes a series of papers that begin to address the relevant considerations for conducting longitudinal follow-up evaluation research. This collection of papers is intended to inform our understanding of the challenges and strategies for conducting longitudinal follow-up evaluation research that could be used to drive future research endeavors.
A Preliminary Evaluation of Written Individualized Habilitation Objectives and Their Correspondence with Direct Implementation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DePaepe, Paris; And Others

1994-01-01

The individualized habilitation plans (IHP) for 11 adults with moderate to profound mental retardation living in community group homes were evaluated for correspondences with a subset of implemented objectives. A high degree of correspondence was found for two quality indicators (age appropriateness, functionality) but lower levels of…
Object detection in MOUT: evaluation of a hybrid approach for confirmation and rejection of object detection hypotheses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manger, Daniel; Metzler, Jürgen

2014-03-01

Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) require the capability to perceive and to analyze the situation around a patrol in order to recognize potential threats. A permanent monitoring of the surrounding area is essential in order to appropriately react to the given situation, where one relevant task is the detection of objects that can pose a threat. Especially the robust detection of persons is important, as in MOUT scenarios threats usually arise from persons. This task can be supported by image processing systems. However, depending on the scenario, person detection in MOUT can be challenging, e.g. persons are often occluded in complex outdoor scenes and the person detection also suffers from low image resolution. Furthermore, there are several requirements on person detection systems for MOUT such as the detection of non-moving persons, as they can be a part of an ambush. Existing detectors therefore have to operate on single images with low thresholds for detection in order to not miss any person. This, in turn, leads to a comparatively high number of false positive detections which renders an automatic vision-based threat detection system ineffective. In this paper, a hybrid detection approach is presented. A combination of a discriminative and a generative model is examined. The objective is to increase the accuracy of existing detectors by integrating a separate hypotheses confirmation and rejection step which is built by a discriminative and generative model. This enables the overall detection system to make use of both the discriminative power and the capability to detect partly hidden objects with the models. The approach is evaluated on benchmark data sets generated from real-world image sequences captured during MOUT exercises. The extension shows a significant improvement of the false positive detection rate.
Cost Effectiveness in Evaluation Technical Assistance: Different Aspects of Measuring Cost and Outcomes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Estes, Gary D.

The paper focuses on the Title I Evaluation Technical Assistance Centers to illustrate issues of measuring costs and deciding on outcome criteria before promoting "cost-effective" approaches. Effects are illustrated for varying resource allocations among personnel, travel, materials, and phone costs as a function of emphasizing…
Process and Outcome Evaluation of an Art Therapy Program for People Living with HIV/AIDS

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feldman, Matthew B.; Betts, Donna J.; Blausey, Daniel

2014-01-01

Program evaluation offers an opportunity for improving the implementation and impact of art therapy. This article describes a process and outcomes evaluation of an art therapy program within the mental health services unit of a community-based organization for people living with HIV/AIDS. The aims were to assess utilization patterns and program…
Evaluating digital libraries in the health sector. Part 2: measuring impacts and outcomes.

PubMed

Cullen, Rowena

2004-03-01

This is the second part of a two-part paper which explores methods that can be used to evaluate digital libraries in the health sector. Part 1 focuses on approaches to evaluation that have been proposed for mainstream digital information services. This paper investigates evaluative models developed for some innovative digital library projects, and some major national and international electronic health information projects. The value of ethnographic methods to provide qualitative data to explore outcomes, adding to quantitative approaches based on inputs and outputs is discussed. The paper concludes that new 'post-positivist' models of evaluation are needed to cover all the dimensions of the digital library in the health sector, and some ways of doing this are outlined.
The Getting To Outcomes Demonstration and Evaluation: An Illustration of the Prevention Support System

PubMed Central

Hunter, Sarah B.; Ebener, Patricia; Paddock, Susan M.; Stillman, Lindsey; Imm, Pamela; Wandersman, Abraham

2010-01-01

Communities are increasingly being required by state and federal funders to achieve outcomes and be accountable, yet are often not provided the guidance or the tools needed to successfully meet this challenge. To improve the likelihood of achieving positive outcomes, the Getting To Outcomes (GTO) intervention (manual, training, technical assistance) is designed to provide the necessary guidance and tools, tailored to community needs, in order to build individual capacity and program performance. GTO is an example of a Prevention Support System intervention, which as conceptualized by the Interactive Systems Framework, plays a key role in bridging the gap between prevention science (Prevention Synthesis and Translation System) and prevention practice (Prevention Delivery System). We evaluated the impact of GTO on individual capacity and program performance using survey- and interview-based methods. We tracked the implementation of GTO and gathered user feedback about its utility and acceptability. The evaluation of GTO suggests that it can build individual capacity and program performance and as such demonstrates that the Prevention Support System can successfully fulfill its intended role. Lessons learned from the implementation of GTO relevant to illuminating the framework are discussed. PMID:18278551
The evaluation of three treatments for plantar callus: a three-armed randomised, comparative trial using biophysical outcome measures.

PubMed

Hashmi, Farina; Nester, Christopher J; Wright, Ciaran R F; Lam, Sharon

2016-05-17

Callus is one of the most common foot skin complaints experienced by people of all ages. These painful and unsightly lesions often result in disability. The 'gold standard' of treatment is scalpel debridement by a trained specialist; however, people also seek over-the-counter remedies. There is a lack of clinical evidence for the efficacy of such products, which makes selection by patients and practitioners difficult. This randomised, three-armed, parallel, comparative trial aimed to test the efficacy of two home treatments for plantar callus using novel, objective outcome measures (skin hydration using the capacitance method; elasticity using negative pressure application; and surface texture using imaging). Additional outcome measures were: size of callus, quality of life (Foot Health Status Questionnaire) and self-reported participant satisfaction and compliance. The results were compared to a podiatry treatment. Participants were randomly allocated to one of three groups: potassium hydroxide (KOH, 40 %); trichloroacetic acid (TCA); and podiatry treatment. Participants were followed for 3 weeks after their initial intervention appointment (days 7, 14 and 21). The primary outcomes were the change from baseline in callus hydration, elasticity, texture, and size at each of the three time points. The secondary outcomes where: change in quality of life 21 days after treatment; resolution of calluses via visual inspection; and participant compliance and perception. Forty-six participants (61 ft) with plantar calluses were recruited. The podiatry treatment showed immediate and significant changes in all objective outcomes, associated foot pain and function (p <0.01). Lesser changes in skin quality and perceived pain and functional benefits occurred with TCA and KOH over 21 days. This is the first study where objective outcome measures have been used to measure changes in the nature of skin in response to callus treatments. We found significant differences in
Correlation of Objective Assessment Data With General Surgery Resident In-Training Evaluation Reports and Operative Volumes.

PubMed

Abdelsattar, Jad M; AlJamal, Yazan N; Ruparel, Raaj K; Rowse, Phillip G; Heller, Stephanie F; Farley, David R

2018-05-14

Faculty evaluations, ABSITE scores, and operative case volumes often tell little about true resident performance. We developed an objective structured clinical examination called the Surgical X-Games (5 rooms, 15 minutes each, 12-15 tests total, different for each postgraduate [PGY] level). We hypothesized that performance in X-Games will prove more useful in identifying areas of strength or weakness among general surgery (GS) residents than faculty evaluations, ABSITE scores, or operative cases volumes. PGY 2 to 5 GS residents (n = 35) were tested in a semiannual X-Games assessment using multiple simulation tasks: laparoscopic skills, bowel anastomosis, CT/CXR analysis, chest tube placement, etc. over 1 academic year. Resident scores were compared to their ABSITE, in-training evaluation reports, and operating room case numbers. Academic medical center. PGY-2, 3, 4, and 5 GS residents at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Results varied greatly within each class except for staff evaluations: in-training evaluation reports medians for PGY-2s were 5.3 (range: 5.0-6.0), PGY-3s 5.9 (5.5-6.3), PGY-4s 5.6 (5.0-6.0), and PGY-5s were 6.1 (5.6-6.9). Although ABSITE and operating room case volumes fluctated greatly with each PGY class, only X-Games scores (median: PGY-2 = 82, PGY-3 = 61, PGY-4 = 76, and PGY-5 = 60) correlated positively (p < 0.05) with operative case volume and negatively (p < 0.05) with staff evaluations. X-Games assessment generated wide differentiation of resident performance quickly, inexpensively, and objectively. Although "Minnesota-nice" surgical staff may feel all GS trainees are "above average," objective assessment tells us otherwise. Copyright © 2018 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Objective evaluation of surgical competency for minimally invasive surgery with a collection of simple tests

PubMed Central

Gonzalez-Neira, Eliana Maria; Jimenez-Mendoza, Claudia Patricia; Rugeles-Quintero, Saul

2016-01-01

Objective: This study aims at determining if a collection of 16 motor tests on a physical simulator can objectively discriminate and evaluate practitioners' competency level, i.e. novice, resident, and expert. Methods: An experimental design with three study groups (novice, resident, and expert) was developed to test the evaluation power of each of the 16 simple tests. An ANOVA and a Student Newman-Keuls (SNK) test were used to analyze results of each test to determine which of them can discriminate participants' competency level. Results: Four of the 16 tests used discriminated all of the three competency levels and 15 discriminated at least two of the three groups (α= 0.05). Moreover, other two tests differentiate beginners' level from intermediate, and other seven tests differentiate intermediate level from expert. Conclusion: The competency level of a practitioner of minimally invasive surgery can be evaluated by a specific collection of basic tests in a physical surgical simulator. Reduction of the number of tests needed to discriminate the competency level of surgeons can be the aim of future research. PMID:27226664
Aligning Learning and Talent Development Performance Outcomes with Organizational Objectives: A Proposed Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ware, Iris

2017-01-01

The value proposition for learning and talent development (LTD) is often challenged due to human resources' inability to demonstrate meaningful outcomes in relation to organizational needs and return-on-investment. The primary role of human resources (HR) and the learning and talent development (LTD) function is to produce meaningful outcomes to…
Marketing as a Tool for Maximizing the Utilization of Findings from Outcome Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bond, Susan B.; Waltz, Carolyn F.

Decreased resources, increased accountability demands, and the need for economic survival have made the evaluation of the outcomes of continuing education efforts in nursing a salient need. Economic survival, in particular, is largely dependent upon the skill of the continuing educator in achieving the desirable balance between organizational and…
Modifying the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation Measure for Use with People Who Have a Learning Disability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marshall, Keith; Willoughby-Booth, Simon

2007-01-01

There are few reliable self-report measures suitable for people with a learning disability in reporting psychological distress. This study examines the modification of the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM), exploring its reliability, using two different presentation styles. One style included a sequencing task then…
An Evaluation of Auditory Verbal Therapy Using the Rate of Early Language Development as an Outcome Measure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hogan, Sarah; Stokes, Jacqueline; White, Catherine; Tyszkiewicz, Elizabeth; Woolgar, Alexandra

2008-01-01

Providing unbiased data concerning the outcomes of particular intervention methods is imperative if professionals and parents are to assimilate information which could contribute to an "informed choice". An evaluation of Auditory Verbal Therapy (AVT) was conducted using a formal assessment of spoken language as an outcome measure. Spoken…

Reliability assessment and correlation analysis of evaluating orthodontic treatment outcome in Chinese patients

PubMed Central

Song, Guang-Ying; Zhao, Zhi-He; Ding, Yin; Bai, Yu-Xing; Wang, Lin; He, Hong; Shen, Gang; Li, Wei-Ran; Baumrind, Sheldon; Geng, Zhi; Xu, Tian-Min

2014-01-01

This study aimed to assess the reliability of experienced Chinese orthodontists in evaluating treatment outcome and to determine the correlations between three diagnostic information sources. Sixty-nine experienced Chinese orthodontic specialists each evaluated the outcome of orthodontic treatment of 108 Chinese patients. Three different information sources: study casts (SC), lateral cephalometric X-ray images (LX) and facial photographs (PH) were generated at the end of treatment for 108 patients selected randomly from six orthodontic treatment centers throughout China. Six different assessments of treatment outcome were made by each orthodontist using data from the three information sources separately and in combination. Each assessment included both ranking and grading for each patient. The rankings of each of the 69 judges for the 108 patients were correlated with the rankings of each of the other judges yielding 13 873 Spearman rs values, ranging from –0.08 to +0.85. Of these, 90% were greater than 0.4, showing moderate-to-high consistency among the 69 orthodontists. In the combined evaluations, study casts were the most significant predictive component (R2=0.86, P<0.000 1), while the inclusion of lateral cephalometric films and facial photographs also contributed to a more comprehensive assessment (R2=0.96, P<0.000 1). Grading scores for SC+LX and SC+PH were highly significantly correlated with those for SC+LX+PH (r(SC+LX)vs.(SC+LX+PH)=0.96, r(SC+PH)vs.(SC+LX+PH)=0.97), showing that either SC+LX or SC+PH is an excellent substitute for all three combined assessment. PMID:24136673
Validation of the Italian version of the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation Outcome Measure (CORE-OM).

PubMed

Palmieri, Gaspare; Evans, Chris; Hansen, Vidje; Brancaleoni, Greta; Ferrari, Silvia; Porcelli, Piero; Reitano, Francesco; Rigatelli, Marco

2009-01-01

The Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation--Outcome Measure (CORE-OM) was translated into Italian and tested in non-clinical (n = 263) and clinical (n = 647) samples. The translation showed good acceptability, internal consistency and convergent validity in both samples. There were large and statistically significant differences between clinical and non-clinical datasets on all scores. The reliable change criteria were similar to those for the UK referential data. Some of the clinically significant change criteria, particularly for the men, were moderately different from the UK cutting points. The Italian version of the CORE-OM showed respectable psychometric parameters. However, it seemed plausible that non-clinical and clinical distributions of self-report scores on psychopathology and functioning measures may differ by language and culture. *A good quality Italian translation of the CORE-OM, and hence the GP-CORE, CORE-10 and CORE-5 measures also, is now available for use by practitioners and anyone surveying or exploring general psychological state. The measures can be obtained from CORE-IMS or yourself and practitioners are encouraged to share anonymised data so that good clinical and non-clinical referential databases can be established for Italy.
Physiological and subjective evaluation of a human-robot object hand-over task.

PubMed

Dehais, Frédéric; Sisbot, Emrah Akin; Alami, Rachid; Causse, Mickaël

2011-11-01

In the context of task sharing between a robot companion and its human partners, the notions of safe and compliant hardware are not enough. It is necessary to guarantee ergonomic robot motions. Therefore, we have developed Human Aware Manipulation Planner (Sisbot et al., 2010), a motion planner specifically designed for human-robot object transfer by explicitly taking into account the legibility, the safety and the physical comfort of robot motions. The main objective of this research was to define precise subjective metrics to assess our planner when a human interacts with a robot in an object hand-over task. A second objective was to obtain quantitative data to evaluate the effect of this interaction. Given the short duration, the "relative ease" of the object hand-over task and its qualitative component, classical behavioral measures based on accuracy or reaction time were unsuitable to compare our gestures. In this perspective, we selected three measurements based on the galvanic skin conductance response, the deltoid muscle activity and the ocular activity. To test our assumptions and validate our planner, an experimental set-up involving Jido, a mobile manipulator robot, and a seated human was proposed. For the purpose of the experiment, we have defined three motions that combine different levels of legibility, safety and physical comfort values. After each robot gesture the participants were asked to rate them on a three dimensional subjective scale. It has appeared that the subjective data were in favor of our reference motion. Eventually the three motions elicited different physiological and ocular responses that could be used to partially discriminate them. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd and the Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.
Impact of reduction in working hours for doctors in training on postgraduate medical education and patients' outcomes: systematic review.

PubMed

Moonesinghe, S R; Lowery, J; Shahi, N; Millen, A; Beard, J D

2011-03-22

To determine whether a reduction in working hours of doctors in postgraduate medical training has had an effect on objective measures of medical education and clinical outcome. Systematic review. Medline, Embase, ISI Web of Science, Google Scholar, ERIC, and SIGLE were searched without language restriction for articles published between 1990 and December 2010. Reference lists and citations of selected articles. Studies that assessed the impact of a change in duty hours using any objective measure of outcome related to postgraduate medical training, patient safety, or clinical outcome. Any study design was eligible for inclusion. 72 studies were eligible for inclusion: 38 reporting training outcomes, 31 reporting outcomes in patients, and three reporting both. A reduction in working hours from greater than 80 hours a week (in accordance with US recommendations) does not seem to have adversely affected patient safety and has had limited effect on postgraduate training. Reports on the impact of European legislation limiting working hours to less than 56 or 48 a week are of poor quality and have conflicting results, meaning that firm conclusions cannot be made. Reducing working hours to less than 80 a week has not adversely affected outcomes in patient or postgraduate training in the US. The impact of reducing hours to less than 56 or 48 a week in the UK has not yet been sufficiently evaluated in high quality studies. Further work is required, particularly in the European Union, using large multicentre evaluations of the impact of duty hours' legislation on objective educational and clinical outcomes.
Minimum Objectives: A Measurement System to Provide Evaluation of Special Education in Regular Classrooms.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christie, Lu S.; McKenzie, Hugh S.

Discussed is the use of minimum behavioral objectives to provide evaluation of special education in regular classrooms. Literature which supports the mainstreaming of moderately handicapped children is reviewed briefly. Application of the behavioral model of education on the community level is considered in terms of the basic skills which comprise…
[Outcomes evaluation of the school staff health promotion project].

PubMed

Woynarowska-Sołdan, Magdalena

This article presents selected outcomes of a 3-year project "Health promotion of school staff in health-promoting schools," as well as the achievements and difficulties in its implementation. The research was conducted on 644 teachers and 226 members of non-teaching staff in 21 schools. The method involved opinion poll and authored questionnaires. A 2-part model of outcome evaluation was developed. Most participants appreciated the changes that took place within the 3 years of the project implementation. These included the improved level of their knowledge about health, health-conducive behaviors (62-93%) and the physical and social environment of the school (50-92%). Changes were more frequently acknowledged by teachers. About 80% of the participants had a positive attitude to the project, but only 20% assessed their involvement as considerable. About 90% believed that health promotion activities should be continued. According to the project leaders, insufficient support and financial resources, and difficulties in motivating school employees, particularly the nonteaching staff, to undertake health-promotion activities were the major handicaps in the project implementation. The project outcomes can be assessed as satisfying. They revealed that it is posssible to initiate health promotion among school staff. This can be effective on condition that participants are motivated, actively engaged in the project and supported by the head teacher and the local community. Necessarily, school leaders should be prepared to promote health among adults and to gain support from school policy decision makers, school administration, trade unions and universities involved in teacher training. Med Pr 2016;67(2):187-200. This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.
Gangrenous appendicitis in children: a prospective evaluation of definition, bacteriology, histopathology, and outcomes.

PubMed

Emil, Sherif; Gaied, Fady; Lo, Andrea; Laberge, Jean-Martin; Puligandla, Pramod; Shaw, Kenneth; Baird, Robert; Bernard, Chantal; Blumenkrantz, Miriam; Nguyen, Van-Hung

2012-09-01

The definition and treatment of gangrenous appendicitis are not agreed upon. We performed a prospective study in children to evaluate an objective definition of gangrenous appendicitis, as well as associated bacteriology, histopathology, and outcomes. Five staff pediatric surgeons prospectively enrolled patients in the study at the time of appendectomy if the following five criteria were met: gray or black discoloration of the appendiceal wall; absence of fecalith outside the appendix; absence of visible hole in the appendix; absence of gross purulence or fibrinous exudate remote from the appendix; and absence of intraoperative appendiceal leak. Peritoneal fluid was cultured, and a standard histopathologic review was undertaken. Persistence of fever (>37.5°C) and ileus was documented daily. Patients were continued postoperatively on ampicillin, gentamicin, and metronidazole until they tolerated diet, manifested a 24-h afebrile period, and had a normal leukocyte count. Hospital stay, readmissions, and infectious complications were recorded. The study took place over a 12-mo period. Thirty-eight patients were enrolled, representing 17% of all patients with appendicitis treated during the year. Average age was 10.8 ± 3.5 y. Peritoneal cultures were positive in 53% of cases. Gangrene was documented histologically in 61% of specimens. Hospital stay was 3.2 ± 1.1 d. There were no postoperative infectious complications or readmissions related to the disease. Neither culture results nor histologic gangrene had a statistically significant effect on hospital stay. An objective definition of gangrenous appendicitis is reproducible and has good histopathologic association. Recovery from gangrenous appendicitis is not influenced by culture or pathology results, and postoperative complications are rare. Limiting postoperative antibiotics to 24 h in gangrenous appendicitis may significantly decrease the cost of treatment without increasing morbidity. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier
Planning for people? An evaluation of objectives for managing visitors at wildlife refuges in the United States

Treesearch

Jeffrey J. Brooks; Robert Massengale

2011-01-01

This study evaluates the quality of planning objectives for visitor services as written in Comprehensive Conservation Plans for the National Wildlife Refuge System of the United States. Planners in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are predominantly writing public use objectives that address wildlife recreation and education. Results indicate that planners are writing...
Object Creation and Human Factors Evaluation for Virtual Environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lindsey, Patricia F.

1998-01-01

The main objective of this project is to provide test objects for simulated environments utilized by the recently established Army/NASA Virtual Innovations Lab (ANVIL) at Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Al. The objective of the ANVIL lab is to provide virtual reality (VR) models and environments and to provide visualization and manipulation methods for the purpose of training and testing. Visualization equipment used in the ANVIL lab includes head-mounted and boom-mounted immersive virtual reality display devices. Objects in the environment are manipulated using data glove, hand controller, or mouse. These simulated objects are solid or surfaced three dimensional models. They may be viewed or manipulated from any location within the environment and may be viewed on-screen or via immersive VR. The objects are created using various CAD modeling packages and are converted into the virtual environment using dVise. This enables the object or environment to be viewed from any angle or distance for training or testing purposes.
Choice of Outcome Measure in an Economic Evaluation: A Potential Role for the Capability Approach.

PubMed

Lorgelly, Paula K

2015-08-01

The last decade has seen a renewed interest in Sen's capability approach; health economists have been instrumental in leading much of this work. One particular stream of research is the application of the approach to outcome measurement. To date, there have been a dozen attempts (some combined) to operationalise the approach, and produce an outcome measure that offers a broader evaluative space than health-related quality-of-life measures. Applications have so far been confined to public health, physical, mental health and social care interventions, but the capability approach could be of benefit to evaluations of pharmacotherapies and other technologies. This paper provides an introduction to the capability approach, reviews the measures that are available for use in an economic evaluation, including their current applications, and then concludes with a discussion of a number of issues that require further consideration before the approach is adopted more widely to inform resource allocation decisions.
A Team Approach to Management by Objectives with Special Emphasis on Managerial Self-Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alvir, Howard P.

This kit contains everything needed to explain, criticize and plan, simulate, and evaluate a management by objectives (MBO) program. The kit has been field tested in state agencies, schools, businesses, and volunteer organizations. Rather than present only the strengths of MBO, this program defines MBO, presents its strong points in discussing the…
Evaluation of Telephone Health Coaching of German Health Insurants with Chronic Conditions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Härter, Martin; Dwinger, Sarah; Seebauer, Laura; Simon, Daniela; Herbarth, Lutz; Siegmund-Schultze, Elisabeth; Temmert, Daniel; Bermejo, Isaac; Dirmaier, Jörg

2013-01-01

Objective: This study aimed to investigate how patients with chronic conditions evaluate telephone health coaching provided by their health insurance company. Methods: A retrospective survey was conducted among coaching participants ("n" = 834). Outcomes included the general evaluation of the coaching, the evaluation of process and…
Efficacy and pregnancy outcomes of laparoscopic single sheet mesh sacrohysteropexy.

PubMed

Pandeva, Ivilina; Mistry, Minesh; Fayyad, Abdalla

2017-03-01

To evaluate outcomes following laparoscopic single sheet mesh sacrohysteropexy for the management of uterine prolapse. One hundred and fifty-nine women underwent the procedure between August 2010 and August 2014. One hundred and forty-four patients completed the follow up assessment. At each visit, the prolapse symptoms were assessed using the prolapse quality-of-life (P-QOL) questionnaire and objectively with the use of the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POPQ) score. The subjective outcomes were also evaluated with the use of the Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGII) questionnaires. Perioperative complications and further surgery for prolapse were evaluated. Women who conceived following the procedure were evaluated for pregnancy outcomes and prolapse recurrence. Pre-operatively, 85% (135/159) had uterine prolapse ≥ stage 2. Postoperatively, 95.1% (137/144) of women had anatomical success rate defined as stage 0 uterine descent. Eighty-two percent (118/144) of women reported cure of prolapse symptoms and feeling "much better" or "very much better" on postoperative PGII assessment. Eight women (5%) became pregnant following the laparoscopic sacrohysteropexy- seven had full term pregnancies and one had a miscarriage. Six out of the seven (86%) had stage 0 apical prolapse and PGII of "much better" at 6 months postpartum. One patient had symptomatic prolapse recurrence and underwent perineorrhaphy at 3 years. Laparoscopic single sheet mesh sacrohysteropexy is associated with subjective and objective improvement in prolapse symptoms and QoL that is maintained up to 48 months. Laparoscopic sacrohysteropexy can be offered to women desiring future fertility; however, further research is needed to advise on best surgical approach in women of childbearing age. Neurourol. Urodynam. 36:787-793, 2017. © 2016 The Authors. Neurourology and Urodynamics Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 The Authors. Neurourology and Urodynamics Published by Wiley
Teaching Research and Practice Evaluation Skills to Graduate Social Work Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wong, Stephen E.; Vakharia, Sheila P.

2012-01-01

Objective: The authors examined outcomes of a graduate course on evaluating social work practice that required students to use published research, quantitative measures, and single-system designs in a simulated practice evaluation project. Method: Practice evaluation projects from a typical class were analyzed for the number of research references…
Integrating empowerment evaluation and quality improvement to achieve healthcare improvement outcomes

PubMed Central

Wandersman, Abraham; Alia, Kassandra Ann; Cook, Brittany; Ramaswamy, Rohit

2015-01-01

While the body of evidence-based healthcare interventions grows, the ability of health systems to deliver these interventions effectively and efficiently lags behind. Quality improvement approaches, such as the model for improvement, have demonstrated some success in healthcare but their impact has been lessened by implementation challenges. To help address these challenges, we describe the empowerment evaluation approach that has been developed by programme evaluators and a method for its application (Getting To Outcomes (GTO)). We then describe how GTO can be used to implement healthcare interventions. An illustrative healthcare quality improvement example that compares the model for improvement and the GTO method for reducing hospital admissions through improved diabetes care is described. We conclude with suggestions for integrating GTO and the model for improvement. PMID:26178332
Evaluating employee assistance programs. A review of methods, outcomes, and future directions.

PubMed

Jerrell, J M; Rightmyer, J F

1982-01-01

Renewed interest in assisting troubled employees has led to an upsurge in the development of employee assistance programs, coupled with demands for demonstrable effectiveness. This review examines the nature and scope of these programs, their administrative and methodological context, and the types and outcomes of evaluation studies conducted thus far. Proposals for improving future investigations through a number of different approaches and strategies are then made.
Outcomes associated with community-based research projects in teaching undergraduate public health.

PubMed

Bouhaimed, Manal; Thalib, Lukman; Doi, Suhail A R

2008-01-01

Community based research projects have been widely used in teaching public health in many institutions. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of information on the learning outcomes of such a teaching strategy. We therefore attempted to evaluate our experience with such a project based teaching process. The objective of this study was to evaluate the factors related to quality, impact and relevance of a 6-week student project for teaching public health in the faculty of medicine at Kuwait University. Interactive sessions familiarized students with research methods. Concurrently, they designed and completed a participatory project with a Community Medicine mentor. Questionnaires were used to assess quality, impact and relevance of the project, and these were correlated with multiple demographic, statistical and research design factors. We evaluated a total of 104 projects that were completed during the period of September 2001 to June 2006. Three dimensions of outcome were assessed: quality; impact and relevance. The average (mean + SE; maximum of 5) scores across all projects were 2.6 + 0.05 (range 1.7-3.7) for quality, 2.8 + 0.06 (range 1.7-4.3) for impact and 3.3 + 0.08 (range 1.3-5) for relevance. The analysis of the relationship between various factors and the scores on each dimension of assessment revealed that various factors were associated with improved quality, impact or relevance to public health practice. We conclude that use of more objective measurement instruments with better a priori conceptualization along with appropriate use of statistics and a more developed study design were likely to result in more meaningful research outcomes. We also found that a biostatistics or epidemiology mentor improved the research outcome.
Evaluating Outcomes of High Fidelity Simulation Curriculum in a Community College Nursing Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Denlea, Gregory Richard

2017-01-01

This study took place at a Wake Technical Community College, a multi-campus institution in Raleigh, North Carolina. An evaluation of the return on investment in high fidelity simulation used by an associate degree of nursing program was conducted with valid and reliable instruments. The study demonstrated that comparable student outcomes are…
Evaluation of port-wine stain treatment outcomes using multispectral imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samatham, Ravikant; Choudhury, Niloy; Krol, Alfons L.; Jacques, Steven L.

2012-02-01

Port-wine Stain (PWS) is a vascular malformation characterized by ectasia of superficial dermal capillaries. The flash-lamp pumped pulsed dye laser (PDL) treatment has been the mainstay of PWS for the last decade. Despite the success of the PDL in significantly fading the PWS, the overall cure rate is less than 10%. The precise efficacy of an individual PDL treatment is hard to evaluate and the treatment outcome is measured by visual observation of clinical fading. A hand-held multi-spectral imaging system was developed to image PWS before and after PDL treatment. In an NIH-funded pilot study multi-spectral camera was used to image PWS in children (2- 17 years). Oxygen saturation (S) and blood content (B) of PWS before and after the treatment was determined by analysis of the reflectance spectra. The outcome of the treatment was evaluated during follow up visits of the patients. One of the major causes of failure of laser therapy of port-wine stains (PWS) is reperfusion of the lesion after laser treatment. Oxygen saturation and blood content maps of PWS before and after treatment can predict regions of reperfusion and subsequent failure of the treatment. The ability to measure reperfusion and to predict lesions or areas susceptible to reperfusion, will help in selection of patients/lesions for laser treatment and help to optimize laser dosimetry for maximum effect. The current studies also should provide a basis for monitoring of future alternative therapies or enhancers of laser treatment in resistant cases.
Evaluation of GP appraiser development centres using emotional intelligence: can positive learning outcomes be transferred to practice?

PubMed

Koczwara, Anna; Tavabie, Abdol; Patterson, Fiona

2011-11-01

This paper describes a longitudinal evaluation of six pilot medical appraiser development centres (ADCs) with GPs held between February and September 2009 in the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Deanery. The ADCs were developed using traditional development centre methods and incorporated the concept of emotional intelligence (El). Initial evaluation results have shown positive short-term outcomes relating to appraiser skills and self-confidence as well as transfer of learning. This paper extends this earlier evaluation by looking at appraiser and appraisee feedback approximately one year after the ADCs using a validated framework for training evaluation. We discuss the long-term affective, cognitive and behavioural learning outcomes and the impact participation in the ADCs has on the broader healthcare system, including effects upon patient care and safety. Limitations of the current project and opportunities for future research are discussed.

Nursing students evaluation of problem based learning and the impact of culture on the learning process and outcomes: a pilot project.

PubMed

Al-Kloub, Manal Ibrahim; Salameh, Taghreed Nayel; Froelicher, Erika Sivarajan

2014-03-01

This study evaluates students' learning experiences in a clinical pediatric nursing course adopting Problem Based Learning (PBL) and investigates how students' cultural background impacts on self directed learning. A mixed-methods approach combining quantitative and qualitative methods was utilized to answer the research objectives. An observational technique for the PBL teaching sessions was employed; and 226 third-year students were asked to complete PBL evaluation questionnaire. Fifty seven percent (n = 130) responses to the questionnaire were analyzed. Overall, students considered PBL to be moderately effective in their learning experience, with a mean of 3.64 (S.D = 1.18). Students qualitative responses fell within four thematic categories including: developing cognitive abilities, independent learning, motivation to learn, and group learning. Difficulties encountered by students were: it is time-consuming, it has unclear objectives, it is a stressful process, and it results in an increased workload. A small number of students indicated that PBL tutorials were boring and complained about lack of contribution from instructors and limited recourses. Learning is intertwined with culture; students' previous educational experiences, uncertainty, English language proficiency, computer resources, gender, and achievement were identified as the most important cultural issues that impact the learning process and outcomes. Successful implementation of PBL does not come easily; teachers should be alert to the issues of culture in designing curriculum. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Consumer-based technology for distribution of surgical videos for objective evaluation.

PubMed

Gonzalez, Ray; Martinez, Jose M; Lo Menzo, Emanuele; Iglesias, Alberto R; Ro, Charles Y; Madan, Atul K

2012-08-01

The Global Operative Assessment of Laparoscopic Skill (GOALS) is one validated metric utilized to grade laparoscopic skills and has been utilized to score recorded operative videos. To facilitate easier viewing of these recorded videos, we are developing novel techniques to enable surgeons to view these videos. The objective of this study is to determine the feasibility of utilizing widespread current consumer-based technology to assist in distributing appropriate videos for objective evaluation. Videos from residents were recorded via a direct connection from the camera processor via an S-video output via a cable into a hub to connect to a standard laptop computer via a universal serial bus (USB) port. A standard consumer-based video editing program was utilized to capture the video and record in appropriate format. We utilized mp4 format, and depending on the size of the file, the videos were scaled down (compressed), their format changed (using a standard video editing program), or sliced into multiple videos. Standard available consumer-based programs were utilized to convert the video into a more appropriate format for handheld personal digital assistants. In addition, the videos were uploaded to a social networking website and video sharing websites. Recorded cases of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in a porcine model were utilized. Compression was required for all formats. All formats were accessed from home computers, work computers, and iPhones without difficulty. Qualitative analyses by four surgeons demonstrated appropriate quality to grade for these formats. Our preliminary results show promise that, utilizing consumer-based technology, videos can be easily distributed to surgeons to grade via GOALS via various methods. Easy accessibility may help make evaluation of resident videos less complicated and cumbersome.
Evaluation of complex community-based childhood obesity prevention interventions.

PubMed

Karacabeyli, D; Allender, S; Pinkney, S; Amed, S

2018-05-16

Multi-setting, multi-component community-based interventions have shown promise in preventing childhood obesity; however, evaluation of these complex interventions remains a challenge. The objective of the study is to systematically review published methodological approaches to outcome evaluation for multi-setting community-based childhood obesity prevention interventions and synthesize a set of pragmatic recommendations. MEDLINE, CINAHL and PsycINFO were searched from inception to 6 July 2017. Papers were included if the intervention targeted children ≤18 years, engaged at least two community sectors and described their outcome evaluation methodology. A single reviewer conducted title and abstract scans, full article review and data abstraction. Directed content analysis was performed by three reviewers to identify prevailing themes. Thirty-three studies were included, and of these, 26 employed a quasi-experimental design; the remaining were randomized control trials. Body mass index was the most commonly measured outcome, followed by health behaviour change and psychosocial outcomes. Six themes emerged, highlighting advantages and disadvantages of active vs. passive consent, quasi-experimental vs. randomized control trials, longitudinal vs. repeat cross-sectional designs and the roles of process evaluation and methodological flexibility in evaluating complex interventions. Selection of study designs and outcome measures compatible with community infrastructure, accompanied by process evaluation, may facilitate successful outcome evaluation. © 2018 World Obesity Federation.
Evaluation of nurse staffing levels and outcomes under the government--recommended staffing levels in Korea.

PubMed

Yu, Soyoung; Kim, Tae Gon

2015-05-01

This study aimed to evaluate registered nurse staffing levels and outcomes enforced by the current Korean nursing regulations. Registered nurse staffing levels are closely related to patient and nurse outcomes. Thus, the government's policy regarding nursing staffing has a practical impact, and better policies could lead to more appropriate nurse staffing. The actual evaluation of the government-recommended staffing levels in Korea is paramount for the establishment of a realistic and effective system that promotes quality care and patient safety. The participating hospital operated under the government-recommended staffing levels (Grade 2 of the Graded Fee of Nursing Management Inpatient System). For unit-level evaluations, one surgical unit was chosen and its staffing level was changed by assigning one additional registered nurse for 6 months. Length of hospitalisation, incidents of death, overtime hours and nursing job performance were measured prior to and after the addition of the extra staff. After 6 months, the length of patient hospitalisation and registered nurse overtime hours reduced and nurse job performance scores in the unit analysed improved. The results demonstrated that increasing the number of registered nurses beyond the current government-recommended staffing level improves patient and nurse outcomes. This indicates the importance and value of empirically assessing the need for changes in the recommended nurse staffing levels to develop appropriate, realistic and effective policies. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Advances in Patient-Reported Outcomes: The NIH PROMIS® Measures

PubMed Central

Broderick, Joan E.; DeWitt, Esi Morgan; Rothrock, Nan; Crane, Paul K.; Forrest, Christopher B.

2013-01-01

Patient-reported outcomes (PRO) are questionnaire measures of patients’ symptoms, functioning, and health-related quality of life. They are designed to provide important clinical information that generally cannot be captured with objective medical testing. In 2004, the National Institutes of Health launched a research initiative to improve the clinical research enterprise by developing state-of-the-art PROs. The NIH Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement System (PROMIS) and Assessment Center are the products of that initiative. Adult, pediatric, and parent-proxy item banks have been developed by using contemporary psychometric methods, yielding rapid, accurate measurements. PROMIS currently provides tools for assessing physical, mental, and social health using short-form and computer-adaptive testing methods. The PROMIS tools are being adopted for use in clinical trials and translational research. They are also being introduced in clinical medicine to assess a broad range of disease outcomes. Recent legislative developments in the United States support greater efforts to include patients’ reports of health experience in order to evaluate treatment outcomes, engage in shared decision-making, and prioritize the focus of treatment. PROs have garnered increased attention by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for evaluating drugs and medical devices. Recent calls for comparative effectiveness research favor inclusion of PROs. PROs could also potentially improve quality of care and disease outcomes, provide patient-centered assessment for comparative effectiveness research, and enable a common metric for tracking outcomes across providers and medical systems. PMID:25848562
Effect of laser parameters and mode on pulp surgery outcome

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilder-Smith, Petra B. B.; Arrastia-Jitosho, Anna-Marie A.; Peavy, George M.; Kurosaki, Tom

1997-05-01

The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of localized laser pulp surgery in the canine model. Effects of laser parameters on treatment outcome were also investigated. Pulpal exposure 3 mm in diameter were prepared in healthy teeth and left open to infection from the oral cavity for 72 hours. Pulpal tissue was then removed using high speed handpiece with sterile irrigation, or a CO2 laser. Teeth were monitored clinically, radiographically for 3 months. Results for each criterion were evaluated on a scale of 0-(-2). After sacrifice, histological assessment was made soft and hard tissue response. Results for each category were evaluated on a standard scale of 0-(-2). All evaluations were performed by 1 blinded, pre-standardized clinician. Statistical assessment using the chi-square test and Fisher's Exact Test associated laser treatment with a significantly better clinical, radiographic and histological treatment outcome. NIH RRO1192, seed grant funding form Loma Linda University, the Edna P. Jacobsen Charitable Trust for Animals, Inc.
Evaluation of Genetic Algorithm Concepts using Model Problems. Part 1; Single-Objective Optimization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holst, Terry L.; Pulliam, Thomas H.

2003-01-01

A genetic-algorithm-based optimization approach is described and evaluated using a simple hill-climbing model problem. The model problem utilized herein allows for the broad specification of a large number of search spaces including spaces with an arbitrary number of genes or decision variables and an arbitrary number hills or modes. In the present study, only single objective problems are considered. Results indicate that the genetic algorithm optimization approach is flexible in application and extremely reliable, providing optimal results for all problems attempted. The most difficult problems - those with large hyper-volumes and multi-mode search spaces containing a large number of genes - require a large number of function evaluations for GA convergence, but they always converge.
Design and evaluation of an ultra-slim objective for in-vivo deep optical biopsy

PubMed Central

Landau, Sara M.; Liang, Chen; Kester, Robert T.; Tkaczyk, Tomasz S.; Descour, Michael R.

2010-01-01

An estimated 1.6 million breast biopsies are performed in the US each year. In order to provide real-time, in-vivo imaging with sub-cellular resolution for optical biopsies, we have designed an ultra-slim objective to fit inside the 1-mm-diameter hypodermic needles currently used for breast biopsies to image tissue stained by the fluorescent probe proflavine. To ensure high-quality imaging performance, experimental tests were performed to characterize fiber bundle’s light-coupling efficiency and simulations were performed to evaluate the impact of candidate lens materials’ autofluorescence. A prototype of NA = 0.4, 250-µm field of view, ultra-slim objective optics was built and tested, yielding diffraction-limited performance and estimated resolution of 0.9 µm. When used in conjunction with a commercial coherent fiber bundle to relay the image formed by the objective, the measured resolution was 2.5 µm. PMID:20389489
Radiographic changes of the pelvis in Labrador and Golden Retrievers after juvenile pubic symphysiodesis: objective and subjective evaluation.

PubMed

Boiocchi, S; Vezzoni, L; Vezzoni, A; Bronzo, V; Rossi, F

2013-01-01

The hypothesis of this study was that juvenile pubic symphysiodesis (JPS) results in pelvic changes that can be identified radiographically in adult dogs. The medical records at the Clinica Veterinaria Vezzoni were searched for standard ventro-dorsal views of the pelvis of adult Labrador and Golden Retrievers that had undergone JPS or had not undergone surgery. The objective assessment of radiographs included the analysis of various pelvic measurements. Subjective evaluation of radiographs was undertaken by 18 specialists and 21 general practitioners and was based on five criteria relating to 1) the acetabular fossae, 2) the pubic symphysis, 3) the margin of the cranial pubic area, 4) the pubic rami, and 5) the obturator foramen. The radiographs of 42 Labrador Retrievers and 16 Golden Retrievers were evaluated. The most useful criteria were the radiographic measurement of the shape of the obturator foramen and two different ratios of length to width of the pubic rami; these values were significantly smaller in dogs after JPS. The pelvic canal width was the same in both groups. All objective measurements were repeatable within and between evaluators. The most reliable subjective criterion was number 4, followed by number 5 in Golden Retrievers and by 2 in Labrador Retrievers. Our objective and subjective evaluations were simple and yielded useful and repeatable results. There was no significant difference between general practitioners and specialists with regard to subjective evaluation, which indicates that these evaluation criteria can be used by small animal clinicians after minimal training.
Dynamic Object Representations in Infants with and without Fragile X Syndrome

PubMed Central

Farzin, Faraz; Rivera, Susan M.

2009-01-01

Our visual world is dynamic in nature. The ability to encode, mentally represent, and track an object's identity as it moves across time and space is critical for integrating and maintaining a complete and coherent view of the world. Here we investigated dynamic object processing in typically developing (TD) infants and infants with fragile X syndrome (FXS), a single-gene disorder associated with deficits in dorsal stream functioning. We used the violation of expectation method to assess infants’ visual response to expected versus unexpected outcomes following a brief dynamic (dorsal stream) or static (ventral stream) occlusion event. Consistent with previous reports of deficits in dorsal stream-mediated functioning in individuals with this disorder, these results reveal that, compared to mental age-matched TD infants, infants with FXS could maintain the identity of static, but not dynamic, object information during occlusion. These findings are the first to experimentally evaluate visual object processing skills in infants with FXS, and further support the hypothesis of dorsal stream difficulties in infants with this developmental disorder. PMID:20224809
Evaluating expected outcomes of acid remediation in an intensively mined Appalachian watershed.

PubMed

Watson, Andrew S; Merovich, George T; Petty, J Todd; Gutta, J Brady

2017-07-01

Assessments of watershed-based restoration efforts are rare but are essential for the science of stream restoration to advance. We conducted a watershed scale assessment of Abram Creek before and after implementation of a watershed-based plan designed to maximize ecological recovery from acid mine drainage (AMD) impairment. We surveyed water chemistry, physical habitat, benthic macroinvertebrates, and fish community structure in three stream types: AMD-impacted (14 streams), AMD-treated (13 streams), and unimpaired reference (4 streams). We used in-stream measurements to quantify ecological loss from AMD, the amount of ecological recovery expected through remediation, and the observed degree of post-treatment recovery. Sites impaired by AMD improved in water quality with AMD treatment. Dissolved metals and acidity declined significantly in treated streams, but sulfate and specific conductance did not. Likewise, sites impaired by AMD improved in bio-condition scores with AMD treatment. EPT genera increased significantly but were lower compared to unimpaired streams. We found fish at nine treated sites that had none before treatment. Community-level analyses indicated improved but altered assemblages with AMD treatment. Analysis of pre-treatment conditions indicated that only 30% of the historic fishery remained. Remediation was expected to recover 66% of the historic fishery value, and assessment of post-treatment conditions indicates that 52% of the historic fishery has been recovered after 3 years. Developing expected endpoints for restoration outcomes provides a tool to objectively evaluate successes and can guide adaptive management strategies.
Implementing and Evaluating School-Based Primary Prevention Programs and the Importance of Differential Effects on Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hussey, David L.; Flannery, Daniel J.

2007-01-01

In 2004, Second Step (Committee for Children, 2002), a violence prevention program, was implemented in the Cleveland Heights-University Heights school district for 1,416 K through second grade students. Both process and outcome measures were used to evaluate program impact and examine issues related to the implementation and evaluation of…
Evaluation of School Environmental Programs Regarding the Objectives for the Environmentally Literate Students, of Heraklion, Greece Prefecture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kalathak, Maria

2015-01-01

This evaluation research concerns the aims and objectives for creating the future environmentally literate citizen through the environmental programs (PEEs) of Secondary Education of Heraklion prefecture, Crete, Greece. An evaluation tool applied on the application forms and the final reports of the programs, in order to asses how sustainable they…
Survival, Continence and Potency (SCP) recovery after radical retropubic prostatectomy: a long-term combined evaluation of surgical outcomes.

PubMed

Schiavina, R; Borghesi, M; Dababneh, H; Pultrone, C V; Chessa, F; Concetti, S; Gentile, G; Vagnoni, V; Romagnoli, D; Della Mora, L; Rizzi, S; Martorana, G; Brunocilla, E

2014-12-01

To offer a comprehensive account of surgical outcomes on a defined series of patients treated with radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) for prostate cancer in a single European Center after 5-year minimum follow-up according to the Survival, Continence and Potency (SCP) system. We evaluated our Institutional database of patients who underwent RRP from November 1995 to September 2008. Oncological and functional outcomes were reported according to the recently proposed SCP system. The 5- and 10-year biochemical recurrence-free survival rates were 80.1% and 55.8%, respectively. At the end of follow-up, 611 (78.5%) patients were fully continent (C0), 107 (13.8%) used 1 pad for security (C1) and 60 (7.7%) patients were incontinent (C2). Of the 112 patients who underwent nerve-sparing RRP, 22 (19.6%) were fully potent without aids (P0), 13 (11.6%) were potent with assumption of PDE-5 inhibitors (P1) and 77 (68.8%) experienced erectile dysfunction (P2). The combined SCP outcomes were reported together only in 95 (12.2%) evaluable patients. In patients preoperatively continent and potent, who received a nerve-sparing and did not require adjuvant therapy, oncological and functional success was attained by 29 (30.5%) patients. In the subgroup of 508 patients not evaluable for potency recovery, oncological and continence outcomes were obtained in 357 patients (70.3%). Survival, Continence and Potency (SCP) classification offer a comprehensive report of surgical results, even in those patients who do not represent the best category, thus allowing to provide a much more accurate evaluation of outcomes after RP. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Evaluation of perceived and actual competency in a family medicine objective structured clinical examination

PubMed Central

Graves, Lisa; Lalla, Leonora; Young, Meredith

2017-01-01

Abstract Objective To examine the relationship between objective assessment of performance and self-rated competence immediately before and after participation in a required summative family medicine clerkship objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). Design Learners rated their competence (on a 7-point Likert scale) before and after an OSCE along 3 dimensions: general, specific, and professional competencies relevant to family medicine. Setting McGill University in Montreal, Que. Participants All 168 third-year clinical clerks completing their mandatory family medicine rotation in 2010 to 2011 were invited to participate. Main outcome measures Self-ratings of competence and objective performance scores were compared, and were examined to determine if OSCEs could be a “corrective” tool for self-rating perceived competence (ie, if the experience of undergoing an assessment might assist learners in recalibrating their understanding of their own performance). Results A total of 140 (83%) of the third-year clinical clerks participated. Participating in an OSCE decreased learners’ ratings of perceived competence (pre-OSCE score = 4.9, post-OSCE score = 4.7; F1,3192 = 4.2; P < .05). Learners’ mean self-rated competence for all categories of behaviour (before and after) showed no relationship to OSCE performance (r < 0.12 and P > .08 for all), nor did ratings of station-relevant competence (before and after) (r < 0.19 and P > .09 for all). Ratings of competence before and after the OSCE were correlated for individual students (r > 0.40 and P < .001 for all). Conclusion After the OSCE, students’ self-ratings of perceived competence had decreased, and these ratings had little relationship to actual performance, regardless of the specificity of the rated competency. Discordance between perceived and actual competence is neither novel nor unique to family medicine. However, this discordance is an important consideration for the development of competency
Value Driven Outcomes (VDO): a pragmatic, modular, and extensible software framework for understanding and improving health care costs and outcomes

PubMed Central

Kawamoto, Kensaku; Martin, Cary J; Williams, Kip; Tu, Ming-Chieh; Park, Charlton G; Hunter, Cheri; Staes, Catherine J; Bray, Bruce E; Deshmukh, Vikrant G; Holbrook, Reid A; Morris, Scott J; Fedderson, Matthew B; Sletta, Amy; Turnbull, James; Mulvihill, Sean J; Crabtree, Gordon L; Entwistle, David E; McKenna, Quinn L; Strong, Michael B; Pendleton, Robert C; Lee, Vivian S

2015-01-01

Objective To develop expeditiously a pragmatic, modular, and extensible software framework for understanding and improving healthcare value (costs relative to outcomes). Materials and methods In 2012, a multidisciplinary team was assembled by the leadership of the University of Utah Health Sciences Center and charged with rapidly developing a pragmatic and actionable analytics framework for understanding and enhancing healthcare value. Based on an analysis of relevant prior work, a value analytics framework known as Value Driven Outcomes (VDO) was developed using an agile methodology. Evaluation consisted of measurement against project objectives, including implementation timeliness, system performance, completeness, accuracy, extensibility, adoption, satisfaction, and the ability to support value improvement. Results A modular, extensible framework was developed to allocate clinical care costs to individual patient encounters. For example, labor costs in a hospital unit are allocated to patients based on the hours they spent in the unit; actual medication acquisition costs are allocated to patients based on utilization; and radiology costs are allocated based on the minutes required for study performance. Relevant process and outcome measures are also available. A visualization layer facilitates the identification of value improvement opportunities, such as high-volume, high-cost case types with high variability in costs across providers. Initial implementation was completed within 6 months, and all project objectives were fulfilled. The framework has been improved iteratively and is now a foundational tool for delivering high-value care. Conclusions The framework described can be expeditiously implemented to provide a pragmatic, modular, and extensible approach to understanding and improving healthcare value. PMID:25324556
Linking Governance to Sustainable Management Outcomes: Applying Dynamic Indicator Profiles to River Basin Organization Case Studies around the World.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Y.; Bouckaert, F. W.

2017-12-01

Institutional best practice for integrated river basin management advocates the river basin organisation (RBO) model as pivotal to achieve sustainable management outcomes and stakeholder engagement. The model has been widely practiced in transboundary settings and is increasingly adopted at national scales, though its effectiveness remains poorly studied. A meta-analysis of four river basins has been conducted to assess governance models and linking it to evaluation of biophysical management outcomes. The analysis is based on a Theory of Change framework, and includes functional dynamic governance indicator profiles, coupled to sustainable ecosystem management outcome profiles. The governance and outcome profiles, informed by context specific indicators, demand that targets for setting objectives are required in multiple dimensions, and trajectory outlines are a useful tool to track progress along the journey mapped out by the Theory of Change framework. Priorities, trade-offs and objectives vary in each basin, but the diagnostics tool allows comparison between basins in their capacity to reach targets through successive evaluations. The distance between capacity and target scores determines how program planning should be prioritized and resources allocated for implementation; this is a dynamic process requiring regular evaluations and adaptive management. The findings of this study provide a conceptual framework for combining dimensions of integrated water management principles that bridge tensions between (i) stakeholder engagement and participatory management (bottom-up approach) using localized knowledge and (ii) decision-making, control-and-command, system-scale, accountable and equitable management (top-down approach).The notion of adaptive management is broadened to include whole-of-program learnings, rather than single hypothesis based learning adjustments. This triple loop learning combines exploitative methods refinement with explorative evaluation of
The first 30 months of the MindSpot Clinic: Evaluation of a national e-mental health service against project objectives.

PubMed

Titov, Nickolai; Dear, Blake F; Staples, Lauren G; Bennett-Levy, James; Klein, Britt; Rapee, Ronald M; Andersson, Gerhard; Purtell, Carol; Bezuidenhout, Greg; Nielssen, Olav B

2017-12-01

The MindSpot Clinic provides online mental health services to Australian adults with anxiety and depression. This paper describes users of MindSpot between January 2013 and June 2015. Outcomes are considered against three key objectives: improving access to mental health services, improving public awareness of how to access services and providing evidence-based treatments. Website traffic data were examined to determine patterns of use. Demographic characteristics, past service utilisation and reasons for contacting MindSpot were analysed. Outcomes for patients enrolled in a MindSpot treatment course were also analysed. Primary outcomes were scores on the 9-Item Patient Health Questionnaire, Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7-Item, Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian Version, administered at assessment, post-treatment and 3-month follow-up. The website was visited by almost 500,000 Australians, of which 33,990 adults started assessments, and 25,469 people completed assessment and were eligible for analysis. Mean age was 36.4 years (standard deviation = 13.3 years; range = 18-94 years), and 72% were female. The proportion living in rural or remote regions and who identified as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander closely matched national statistics. The majority (82%) reported that they were not currently in contact with mental health services. Most patients sought an assessment, information about treatment options, or referral to another service, and only 24% of those completing an assessment commenced a MindSpot treatment course. Of these, large clinical effects ( d: 0.7-2.4; average symptom reductions: 25.5% to 61.6%) were found from assessment to follow-up on all outcome measures. Deterioration ranged from 1.0% to 4.3%. Based on the number of website visits, completed assessments and treatment outcomes, MindSpot achieved its three programme objectives. This model of service provision has considerable value as
Validity of patient-reported swallowing and speech outcomes in relation to objectively measured oral function among patients treated for oral or oropharyngeal cancer.

PubMed

Rinkel, R N P M; Verdonck-de Leeuw, I M; de Bree, R; Aaronson, N K; Leemans, C R

2015-04-01

The objective of this study was to test the construct validity of the patient-reported outcomes Swallowing Quality of Life Questionnaire (SWAL-QOL) and Speech Handicap Index (SHI) in relation to objectively measured oral function among patients treated for oral or oropharyngeal cancer. The study sample consisted of patients treated for oral or oropharyngeal cancer. Outcome measures were the SWAL-QOL and the SHI, and the Functional Rehabilitation Outcomes Grade (FROG), a test to measure oral and shoulder function. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to test associations between the SHI and SWAL-QOL scales, and the FROG scales. During a study period of 3 months, 38 patients (21 males, 17 females; mean age 54 years) were included who visited the outpatient clinic for follow-up care 6-155 months after surgical treatment (n = 14) or combined surgery and radiotherapy (n = 24) for oral (n = 21) or oropharyngeal cancer (n = 17). Most SWAL-QOL and SHI scales (except the SWAL-QOL Fatigue scale) correlated significantly with one or more FROG oral function scales. None of the SWAL-QOL and SHI scales correlated significantly with the FROG shoulder function scale. These results support the construct validity of the SWAL-QOL and SHI questionnaires for assessing speech and swallowing problems in daily life that are moderately but significantly related to oral function. A multidimensional assessment protocol is recommended for use in clinical practice and for research purposes for measuring oral function and swallowing- and speech-related problems in daily life among head and neck cancer patients.
Student Evaluations, Outcomes, and National Licensure Examinations in Radiology Education: A Narrative Review of the Literature.

PubMed

Linaker, Kathleen L

2015-12-01

The purpose of this study was to examine literature on radiological student evaluation and outcome assessments including national board examinations. A review of the literature was performed using relevant key words. Articles were retrieved through December 2012 using PubMed, ScienceDirect, ERIC, Proquest, and ICL databases along with a manual review of references. Of the 4716 unique abstracts reviewed by the author, 54 were found to be relevant to the purpose of this study. Student grade point average correlates with board scores in the nursing, chiropractic, and medical professions. Scores on the chiropractic college admission test and undergraduate grade point average correlate with success in professional college. There is a correlation between board scores and college attended. Board preparation programs do not appear to affect board examination scores. Although evaluations can be effective teaching tools, they are not used by many radiology programs. Some programs have inadequate evaluations and do not allow students to review their evaluations. There are no definitive links between mastery of radiology and specific evaluations, outcomes, or pre-professional/clinical grades. Studies suggest that board examination scores reflect long-term mastery of knowledge rather than short-term memorization of facts.

What is healthy food? Objective nutrient profile scores and subjective lay evaluations in comparison.

PubMed

Bucher, T; Müller, B; Siegrist, M

2015-12-01

To date, it is unclear how consumers evaluate the healthiness of individual foods and meals and how consumers' perceptions are related to expert opinions. This knowledge is essential for efficient communication of nutrition information with the goal of promoting healthy eating. This study used the fake food buffet method to investigate health perceptions of selected meals and of 54 individual foods and beverages. Lay consumers' subjective healthiness evaluations of meals and foods were compared to objective nutrient profile scores, which were previously shown to correlate highly with expert opinions. The results show that nutrition profile scores and lay evaluations were highly correlated, which indicates that lay people used similar criteria as experts to evaluate the healthiness of foods. However, lay consumers tended to neglect the amount of saturated fat, protein and sodium for their judgments. Also, it was found that while lay consumers were quite able to evaluate single food products, they had difficulties in evaluating entire meals. Future interventions should focus particularly on educating the consumer about the negative effects of diets high in salt and saturated fat and they should improve the consumer's abilities to evaluate entire meals. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Learned filters for object detection in multi-object visual tracking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stamatescu, Victor; Wong, Sebastien; McDonnell, Mark D.; Kearney, David

2016-05-01

We investigate the application of learned convolutional filters in multi-object visual tracking. The filters were learned in both a supervised and unsupervised manner from image data using artificial neural networks. This work follows recent results in the field of machine learning that demonstrate the use learned filters for enhanced object detection and classification. Here we employ a track-before-detect approach to multi-object tracking, where tracking guides the detection process. The object detection provides a probabilistic input image calculated by selecting from features obtained using banks of generative or discriminative learned filters. We present a systematic evaluation of these convolutional filters using a real-world data set that examines their performance as generic object detectors.
[The objective structured clinical evaluation of teaching in anaesthesiology and resuscitation].

PubMed

Echevarría Moreno, M; Prieto Vera, C; Martín Tellería, A; Neira Reina, F; Martín, J S; Fernández Jurado, M L; Luis Navarro, J C; Ortega Garcia, J L; Alarcón Martínez, L; López-Cuervo Derqui, R

2012-03-01

To find out the acquirement of professional competencies of Anaesthesiology and Resuscitation medical residents at the end of their training period using the Objective Structured Clinical Evaluation (OCSE) tool. Six competency components to evalúate were defined as follows: clinical interview (communication), technical ability and relationship abilities (leadership, decision making, work in a team), diagnostic assessment, therapeutic management, and medical records. Different methodologies were determined depending on the knowledge and skills to evaluate. Twelve clinical cases were developed that were performed in 12 stations. A total of 107 Ítems, specified within the stations, evaluated the competency components. A total of 43 residents were invited to participate in the last 4 months of their training in hospitals in Andalusia and Extremadura. A total of 33 residents participated. The overall mean of the classifications obtained in the 12 stations was 64.2 out of a maximum of 100. The medical residents demonstrated higher competency in obstetrics, paediatric anaesthesia, and that associated with difficult airway. The main competency gaps were detected in the area of one-day surgery, chronic pain, and literature management, in which approximately half passed the test. We believe that training evaluations, such as the OCSE, help in determining the skill levels of the medical resident, making it easier to continually improve the training of the future anaesthesiologist. Copyright © 2011 Sociedad Española de Anestesiología, Reanimación y Terapéutica del Dolor. Published by Elsevier España.. All rights reserved.
Evaluation of the feasibility and performance of early warning scores to identify patients at risk of adverse outcomes in a low-middle income country setting

PubMed Central

Beane, Abi; De Silva, Ambepitiyawaduge Pubudu; De Silva, Nirodha; Sujeewa, Jayasingha A; Rathnayake, R M Dhanapala; Sigera, P Chathurani; Athapattu, Priyantha Lakmini; Mahipala, Palitha G; Rashan, Aasiyah; Munasinghe, Sithum Bandara; Jayasinghe, Kosala Saroj Amarasiri; Dondorp, Arjen M; Haniffa, Rashan

2018-01-01

Objective This study describes the availability of core parameters for Early Warning Scores (EWS), evaluates the ability of selected EWS to identify patients at risk of death or other adverse outcome and describes the burden of triggering that front-line staff would experience if implemented. Design Longitudinal observational cohort study. Setting District General Hospital Monaragala. Participants All adult (age >17 years) admitted patients. Main outcome measures Existing physiological parameters, adverse outcomes and survival status at hospital discharge were extracted daily from existing paper records for all patients over an 8-month period. Statistical analysis Discrimination for selected aggregate weighted track and trigger systems (AWTTS) was assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve. Performance of EWS are further evaluated at time points during admission and across diagnostic groups. The burden of trigger to correctly identify patients who died was evaluated using positive predictive value (PPV). Results Of the 16 386 patients included, 502 (3.06%) had one or more adverse outcomes (cardiac arrests, unplanned intensive care unit admissions and transfers). Availability of physiological parameters on admission ranged from 90.97% (95% CI 90.52% to 91.40%) for heart rate to 23.94% (95% CI 23.29% to 24.60%) for oxygen saturation. Ability to discriminate death on admission was less than 0.81 (AUROC) for all selected EWS. Performance of the best performing of the EWS varied depending on admission diagnosis, and was diminished at 24 hours prior to event. PPV was low (10.44%). Conclusion There is limited observation reporting in this setting. Indiscriminate application of EWS to all patients admitted to wards in this setting may result in an unnecessary burden of monitoring and may detract from clinician care of sicker patients. Physiological parameters in combination with diagnosis may have a place when applied on admission to
[Life quality parameters in prenosologic evaluation of health state in residents of protective measures area near objects of storage and destruction of chemical weapons].

PubMed

Filippov, V L; Nechaeva, E N

2014-01-01

The article presents results of life quality assessment and subjective evaluation data on health state, used for prenosologic evaluation of health state in residents of protective measures area near objects of storage and destruction of chemical weapons. Considering specific features of residence near potentially dangerous objects, the authors conducted qualitative evaluation of satisfaction with various life facets, with taking into account the objects specificity, established correlation between life quality and self-evaluation of health with factors influencing public health state.
Evaluation of the automatic optical authentication technologies for control systems of objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Averkin, Vladimir V.; Volegov, Peter L.; Podgornov, Vladimir A.

2000-03-01

The report considers the evaluation of the automatic optical authentication technologies for the automated integrated system of physical protection, control and accounting of nuclear materials at RFNC-VNIITF, and for providing of the nuclear materials nonproliferation regime. The report presents the nuclear object authentication objectives and strategies, the methodology of the automatic optical authentication and results of the development of pattern recognition techniques carried out under the ISTC project #772 with the purpose of identification of unique features of surface structure of a controlled object and effects of its random treatment. The current decision of following functional control tasks is described in the report: confirmation of the item authenticity (proof of the absence of its substitution by an item of similar shape), control over unforeseen change of item state, control over unauthorized access to the item. The most important distinctive feature of all techniques is not comprehensive description of some properties of controlled item, but unique identification of item using minimum necessary set of parameters, properly comprising identification attribute of the item. The main emphasis in the technical approach is made on the development of rather simple technological methods for the first time intended for use in the systems of physical protection, control and accounting of nuclear materials. The developed authentication devices and system are described.
A Psychometric Evaluation of the Anatomy Learning Experiences Questionnaire and Correlations with Learning Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choi-Lundberg, Derek L.; Williams, Anne-Marie M.; Zimitat, Craig

2017-01-01

The Anatomy Learning Experiences Questionnaire (ALEQ) was designed by Smith and Mathias to explore students' perceptions and experiences of learning anatomy. In this study, the psychometric properties of a slightly altered 34-item ALEQ (ALEQ-34) were evaluated, and correlations with learning outcomes investigated, by surveying first- and…
Interpersonal relationship modulates brain responses to outcome evaluation when gambling for/against others: an electrophysiological analysis.

PubMed

Leng, Yue; Zhou, Xiaolin

2014-10-01

When individuals play a gambling task and their actions have consequences for observers, how are the brain responses of the performers modulated by their interpersonal relationship with the observers? To address this issue, we examined the event-related potentials responses in performers while they played two gambling games: one during which they tried to earn money for the observers instead of themselves (i.e., Experiment 1) and another gambling game during which they attempted to earn money from the observers (i.e., Experiment 2). In Experiment 1, ERP results showed that when gambling for either the friends or the strangers, the feedback-related negativity (FRN) responses were more negative-going to the losses than to the gains. The FRN effect (loss minus gain) was significantly larger when gambling for the friends than for the strangers. The general P300 response was more positive-going when gambling for the friends than for the strangers. These results suggested that gambling for others enables individuals to assess the outcome from the interests of the other people, consequently, the FRN response may be driven by the evaluative process related to interests of the others. Because one׳s own economic interests were not involved, the performers׳ brain responses during both the early, semi-automatic stage (i.e., the FRN) and the later, controlled stage (i.e., the P300) of outcome evaluation were modulated by the interpersonal relationship between the performers and the observers. In Experiment 2, ERP results revealed that when gambling against others, the FRN response was more negative-going to the losses than to the gains, as well. However, neither the FRN effect nor the general FRN response was modulated by interpersonal relationship. The general P300 response was more positive-going when gambling against the stranger than against the friend. These results suggested that when gambling against others, the performers׳ FRN response may be driven by two evaluative
How Patient Cost-Sharing Trends Affect Adherence and Outcomes

PubMed Central

Eaddy, Michael T.; Cook, Christopher L.; O’Day, Ken; Burch, Steven P.; Cantrell, C. Ron

2012-01-01

Objective We sought to assess the relationship between patient cost sharing; medication adherence; and clinical, utilization, and economic outcomes. Methodology: We conducted a literature review of articles and abstracts published from January 1974 to May 2008. Articles were identified using PubMed, Ovid, medline, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases. The following terms were used in the search: adherence, compliance, copay, cost sharing, costs, noncompliance, outcomes, hospitalization, utilization, economics, income, and persistence. Results: We identified and included 160 articles in the review. Although the types of interventions, measures, and populations studied varied widely, we were able to identify relatively clear relationships between cost sharing, adherence, and outcomes. Of the articles that evaluated the relationship between changes in cost sharing and adherence, 85% showed that an increasing patient share of medication costs was significantly associated with a decrease in adherence. For articles that investigated the relationship between adherence and outcomes, the majority noted that increased adherence was associated with a statistically significant improvement in outcomes. Conclusion: Increasing patient cost sharing was associated with declines in medication adherence, which in turn was associated with poorer health outcomes. PMID:22346336
Therapies for Cognitive Deficits Associated With Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review of Objective Outcomes.

PubMed

Morean, Diane F; O'Dwyer, Linda; Cherney, Leora R

2015-10-01

To systematically review evidence of treatments for cognitive impairments experienced by at least 20% of all women who undergo chemotherapy for breast cancer. Searches of 5 databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL, PsycINFO, CINAHL), with no date or language restrictions, identified 1701 unique results. Search terms included breast cancer, chemotherapy, chemobrain, chemofog, and terms on cognition and language deficits. Included only peer-reviewed journal articles that described therapies for cognitive dysfunction in women undergoing (or who had undergone) chemotherapy for breast cancer and provided objective measurements of cognition or language. Data were extracted according to Cochrane recommendations, including characteristics of participants, interventions, outcomes, and studies. Quality assessment of all 12 eligible studies was performed using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale and treatment fidelity criteria. Screening, data extraction, and quality assessment reliability were performed. Six articles described interventions for cognition that took place during cancer treatment; 6, afterward. Five interventions were medical (including a strength-training program), 2 were restorative, and 5 were cognitive. Medicinal treatments were ineffective; restorative and exercise treatments had mixed results; cognitive therapy had success in varying cognitive domains. The domains most tested and most successfully treated were verbal memory, attention, and processing speed. Cognitive therapy protocols delivered after chemotherapy and aimed at improving verbal memory, attention, and processing speed hold the most promise. Future research is needed to clarify whether computerized cognitive training can be effective in treating this population, and to identify objective assessment tools that are sensitive to this disorder. Copyright © 2015 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Evaluating and Improving Automatic Sleep Spindle Detection by Using Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithms

PubMed Central

Liu, Min-Yin; Huang, Adam; Huang, Norden E.

2017-01-01

Sleep spindles are brief bursts of brain activity in the sigma frequency range (11–16 Hz) measured by electroencephalography (EEG) mostly during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) stage 2 sleep. These oscillations are of great biological and clinical interests because they potentially play an important role in identifying and characterizing the processes of various neurological disorders. Conventionally, sleep spindles are identified by expert sleep clinicians via visual inspection of EEG signals. The process is laborious and the results are inconsistent among different experts. To resolve the problem, numerous computerized methods have been developed to automate the process of sleep spindle identification. Still, the performance of these automated sleep spindle detection methods varies inconsistently from study to study. There are two reasons: (1) the lack of common benchmark databases, and (2) the lack of commonly accepted evaluation metrics. In this study, we focus on tackling the second problem by proposing to evaluate the performance of a spindle detector in a multi-objective optimization context and hypothesize that using the resultant Pareto fronts for deriving evaluation metrics will improve automatic sleep spindle detection. We use a popular multi-objective evolutionary algorithm (MOEA), the Strength Pareto Evolutionary Algorithm (SPEA2), to optimize six existing frequency-based sleep spindle detection algorithms. They include three Fourier, one continuous wavelet transform (CWT), and two Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) based algorithms. We also explore three hybrid approaches. Trained and tested on open-access DREAMS and MASS databases, two new hybrid methods of combining Fourier with HHT algorithms show significant performance improvement with F1-scores of 0.726–0.737. PMID:28572762
Goals and Objectives to Optimize the Value of an Acute Pain Service in Perioperative Pain Management.

PubMed

Le-Wendling, Linda; Glick, Wesley; Tighe, Patrick

2017-12-01

As newer pharmacologic and procedural interventions, technology, and data on outcomes in pain management are becoming available, effective acute pain management will require a dedicated Acute Pain Service (APS) to help determine the most optimal pain management plan for the patients. Goals for pain management must take into consideration the side effect profile of drugs and potential complications of procedural interventions. Multiple objective optimization is the combination of multiple different objectives for acute pain management. Simple use of opioids, for example, can reduce all pain to minimal levels, but at what cost to the patient, the medical system, and to public health as a whole? Many models for APS exist based on personnel's skills, knowledge and experience, but effective use of an APS will also require allocation of time, space, financial, and personnel resources with clear objectives and a feedback mechanism to guide changes to acute pain medicine practices to meet the constantly evolving medical field. Physician-based practices have the advantage of developing protocols for the management of low-variability, high-occurrence scenarios in addition to tailoring care to individual patients with high-variability, low-occurrence scenarios. Frequent feedback and data collection/assessment on patient outcomes is essential in evaluating the efficacy of the Acute Pain Service's intervention in improving patient outcomes in the acute and perioperative setting.
Program Evaluation of Outcomes Based Orthotic and Prosthetic Education

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-01

the Student Learning Outcomes Assessment group (SLOAC) at California State University Dominguez Hills. She is an assessment expert and consultant...identified in the program-level outcomes (Essential Elements of Learning Outcomes Assessment, Indicators 4 & 5, University Student Learning Outcomes...A short 70-mile trip is changing the lives of O&P students and impacting future care of returning military service members. By Jennifer Hoydicz
Clinical research in implant dentistry: evaluation of implant-supported restorations, aesthetic and patient-reported outcomes.

PubMed

Lang, Niklaus P; Zitzmann, Nicola U

2012-02-01

The articles discussed in working group 3 dealt with specific aspects of clinical research. In this context, the literature reporting on survival and complication rates of implant-supported or implant-tooth supported restorations in longitudinal studies of at least 5 years were discussed. The second aspect dealt with the evaluation of aesthetic outcomes in clinical studies and the related index systems available. Finally, the third aspect discussed dealt with patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). A detailed appraisal of the available methodology was presented. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.
An evaluation of the effects of intensity and duration on outcomes across treatment domains for children with autism spectrum disorder

PubMed Central

Linstead, E; Dixon, D R; Hong, E; Burns, C O; French, R; Novack, M N; Granpeesheh, D

2017-01-01

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is considered an effective treatment for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and many researchers have further investigated factors associated with treatment outcomes. However, few studies have focused on whether treatment intensity and duration have differential influences on separate skills. The aim of the current study was to investigate how treatment intensity and duration impact learning across different treatment domains, including academic, adaptive, cognitive, executive function, language, motor, play, and social. Separate multiple linear regression analyses were used to evaluate these relationships. Participants included 1468 children with ASD, ages 18 months to 12 years old, M=7.57 years, s.d.=2.37, who were receiving individualized ABA services. The results indicated that treatment intensity and duration were both significant predictors of mastered learning objectives across all eight treatment domains. The academic and language domains showed the strongest response, with effect sizes of 1.68 and 1.85 for treatment intensity and 4.70 and 9.02 for treatment duration, respectively. These findings are consistent with previous research that total dosage of treatment positively influences outcomes. The current study also expands on extant literature by providing a better understanding of the differential impact that these treatment variables have across various treatment domains. PMID:28925999
Impact of Referral Source and Study Applicants’ Preference for Randomly Assigned Service on Research Enrollment, Service Engagement, and Evaluative Outcomes

PubMed Central

Macias, Cathaleene; Barreira, Paul; Hargreaves, William; Bickman, Leonard; Fisher, William; Aronson, Elliot

2009-01-01

Objective The inability to blind research participants to their experimental conditions is the Achilles’ heel of mental health services research. When one experimental condition receives more disappointed participants, or more satisfied participants, research findings can be biased in spite of random assignment. The authors explored the potential for research participants’ preference for one experimental program over another to compromise the generalizability and validity of randomized controlled service evaluations as well as cross-study comparisons. Method Three Cox regression analyses measured the impact of applicants’ service assignment preference on research project enrollment, engagement in assigned services, and a service-related outcome, competitive employment. Results A stated service preference, referral by an agency with a low level of continuity in outpatient care, and willingness to switch from current services were significant positive predictors of research enrollment. Match to service assignment preference was a significant positive predictor of service engagement, and mismatch to assignment preference was a significant negative predictor of both service engagement and employment outcome. Conclusions Referral source type and service assignment preference should be routinely measured and statistically controlled for in all studies of mental health service effectiveness to provide a sound empirical base for evidence-based practice. PMID:15800153
Development of a conceptual model evaluating the humanistic and economic burden of Crohn's disease: implications for patient-reported outcomes measurement and economic evaluation.

PubMed

Gater, Adam; Kitchen, Helen; Heron, Louise; Pollard, Catherine; Håkan-Bloch, Jonas; Højbjerre, Lise; Hansen, Brian Bekker; Strandberg-Larsen, Martin

2015-01-01

The primary objective of this review is to develop a conceptual model for Crohn's disease (CD) outlining the disease burden for patients, healthcare systems and wider society, as reported in the scientific literature. A search was conducted using MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EconLit, Health Economic Evaluation Database and Centre for Reviews and Dissemination databases. Patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures widely used in CD were reviewed according to the US FDA PRO Guidance for Industry. The resulting conceptual model highlights the characterization of CD by gastrointestinal disturbances, extra-intestinal and systemic symptoms. These symptoms impact physical functioning, ability to complete daily activities, emotional wellbeing, social functioning, sexual functioning and ability to work. Gaps in conceptual coverage and evidence of reliability and validity for some PRO measures were noted. Review findings also highlight the substantial direct and indirect costs associated with CD. Evidence from the literature confirms the substantial burden of CD to patients and wider society; however, future research is still needed to further understand burden from the perspective of patients and to accurately understand the economic burden of disease. Challenges with existing PRO measures also suggest the need for future research to refine or develop new measures.
Evaluation of the Effects of Programming Arrangements on Student Learning Outcomes. Research Monograph 94108.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delcourt, Marcia A. B.; And Others

The Learning Outcomes Study, a 2-year investigation, evaluated four popular types of grouping arrangements for gifted students in grades 2 and 3 in 14 collaborative school districts in 10 states. The study compared within-class, pull-out, separate class, and special school instructional arrangements. Study participants (N=1000) included students…
Critical evaluation of international health programs: Reframing global health and evaluation.

PubMed

Chi, Chunhuei; Tuepker, Anaïs; Schoon, Rebecca; Núñez Mondaca, Alicia

2018-04-01

Striking changes in the funding and implementation of international health programs in recent decades have stimulated debate about the role of communities in deciding which health programs to implement. An important yet neglected piece of that discussion is the need to change norms in program evaluation so that analysis of community ownership, beyond various degrees of "participation," is seen as central to strong evaluation practices. This article challenges mainstream evaluation practices and proposes a framework of Critical Evaluation with 3 levels: upstream evaluation assessing the "who" and "how" of programming decisions; midstream evaluation focusing on the "who" and "how" of selecting program objectives; and downstream evaluation, the focus of current mainstream evaluation, which assesses whether the program achieved its stated objectives. A vital tenet of our framework is that a community possesses the right to determine the path of its health development. A prerequisite of success, regardless of technical outcomes, is that programs must address communities' high priority concerns. Current participatory methods still seldom practice community ownership of program selection because they are vulnerable to funding agencies' predetermined priorities. In addition to critiquing evaluation practices and proposing an alternative framework, we acknowledge likely challenges and propose directions for future research. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Biomarker Evaluation Does Not Confirm Efficacy of Computer-Tailored Nutrition Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kroeze, Willemieke; Dagnelie, Pieter C.; Heymans, Martijn W.; Oenema, Anke; Brug, Johannes

2011-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of computer-tailored nutrition education with objective outcome measures. Design: A 3-group randomized, controlled trial with posttests at 1 and 6 months post-intervention. Setting: Worksites and 2 neighborhoods in the urban area of Rotterdam. Participants: A convenience sample of healthy Dutch adults (n = 442).…

Objective evaluation of the latissimus dorsi flap for breast reconstruction using three-dimensional imaging.

PubMed

Henseler, Helga; Smith, Joanna; Bowman, Adrian; Khambay, Balvinder S; Ju, Xiangyang; Ayoub, Ashraf; Ray, Arup K

2012-09-01

The latissimus dorsi muscle flap is a common method for the reconstruction of the breast following mastectomy. The study aimed to assess the quality of this reconstruction using a three-dimensional (3D) imaging method. The null hypothesis was that there was no difference in volume between the reconstructed breast and the opposite side. This study was conducted in forty-four patients who had had immediate unilateral breast reconstruction by latissimus dorsi muscle flap. The breast was captured using the 3D imaging system. Ten landmarks were digitised on the 3D images. The volume of each breast was measured by the application of Breast Analysis Tool software. The symmetry of the breast was measured using Procrustes analysis. The impact of breast position, orientation, size and intrinsic shape on the overall breast asymmetry was investigated. The null hypothesis was rejected. The reconstructed breast showed a significantly smaller volume when compared to the opposite side, p < 0.0001, a mean difference of 176.8 cc and 95% CI (103.5, 250.0). The shape and the position of the reconstructed breast were the main contributing factors to the measured asymmetry score. 3D imaging was efficient in evaluating the outcome of breast surgery. The latissimus dorsi muscle flap on its own for breast reconstruction did not restore the volume and shape of the breast fully lost due to complete mastectomy. The modification of this method and the selection of other or additional surgical techniques for breast reconstruction should be considered. The asymmetry analysis through reflection and Procrustes matching was a useful method for the objective shape analysis of the female breast and presented a new approach for breast shape assessment. The intrinsic breast shape and the positioning of the breast were major components of postoperative breast asymmetry. The reconstructed breast was smaller overall than the un-operated breast at a significant level when assessing the breast volume using
Comparing wavefront-optimized, wavefront-guided and topography-guided laser vision correction: clinical outcomes using an objective decision tree.

PubMed

Stonecipher, Karl; Parrish, Joseph; Stonecipher, Megan

2018-05-18

This review is intended to update and educate the reader on the currently available options for laser vision correction, more specifically, laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK). In addition, some related clinical outcomes data from over 1000 cases performed over a 1-year are presented to highlight some differences between the various treatment profiles currently available including the rapidity of visual recovery. The cases in question were performed on the basis of a decision tree to segregate patients on the basis of anatomical, topographic and aberrometry findings; the decision tree was formulated based on the data available in some of the reviewed articles. Numerous recent studies reported in the literature provide data related to the risks and benefits of LASIK; alternatives to a laser refractive procedure are also discussed. The results from these studies have been used to prepare a decision tree to assist the surgeon in choosing the best option for the patient based on the data from several standard preoperative diagnostic tests. The data presented here should aid surgeons in understanding the effects of currently available LASIK treatment profiles. Surgeons should also be able to appreciate how the findings were used to create a decision tree to help choose the most appropriate treatment profile for patients. Finally, the retrospective evaluation of clinical outcomes based on the decision tree should provide surgeons with a realistic expectation for their own outcomes should they adopt such a decision tree in their own practice.
Medication adherence in randomized controlled trials evaluating cardiovascular or mortality outcomes in dialysis patients: A systematic review.

PubMed

Murali, Karumathil M; Mullan, Judy; Chen, Jenny H C; Roodenrys, Steven; Lonergan, Maureen

2017-01-31

Medication non-adherence is common among renal dialysis patients. High degrees of non-adherence in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) can lead to failure to detect a true treatment effect. Cardio-protective pharmacological interventions have shown no consistent benefit in RCTs involving dialysis patients. Whether non-adherence contributes to this lack of efficacy is unknown. We aimed to investigate how medication adherence and drug discontinuation were assessed, reported and addressed in RCTs, evaluating cardiovascular or mortality outcomes in dialysis patients. Electronic database searches were performed in MEDLINE, EMBASE & Cochrane CENTRAL for RCTs published between 2005-2015, evaluating self-administered medications, in adult dialysis patients, which reported clinical cardiovascular or mortality endpoints, as primary or secondary outcomes. Study characteristics, outcomes, methods of measuring and reporting adherence, and data on study drug discontinuation were analyzed. Of the 642 RCTs in dialysis patients, 22 trials (12 placebo controlled), which included 19,322 patients, were eligible. The trialed pharmacological interventions included anti-hypertensives, phosphate binders, lipid-lowering therapy, cardio-vascular medications, homocysteine lowering therapy, fish oil and calcimimetics. Medication adherence was reported in five trials with a mean of 81% (range: 65-92%) in the intervention arm and 84.5% (range: 82-87%) in the control arm. All the trials that reported adherence yielded negative study outcomes for the intervention. Study-drug discontinuation was reported in 21 trials (mean 33.2%; 95% CI, 22.0 to 44.5, in intervention and 28.8%; 95% CI, 16.8 to 40.8, in control). Trials with more than 20% study drug discontinuation, more often yielded negative study outcomes (p = 0.018). Non-adherence was included as a contributor to drug discontinuation in some studies, but the causes of discontinuation were not reported consistently between studies, and non
The Evaluation of the Opinions of Prospective Teachers about the Objectives of Human Rights Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Özbek, Ramazan

2017-01-01

The aim of this study is to evaluate opinions of prospective teachers attending Social Sciences Teaching Department Primary Education Section on the objectives of Human Rights Education in the scope of Citizenship and Democracy Education Curriculum. This study is vital for learning of democratic life. 25 prospective teachers studying in the 8th…
Subjective and objective evaluation of frontal smile esthetics in patients with facial asymmetry-a comparative cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Singh, H; Maurya, R K; Kapoor, P; Sharma, P; Srivastava, D

2017-02-01

To analyze the relationship between subjective and objective evaluations of pre-treatment posed smiles in patients with facial asymmetry and to assess the influence of dentofacial structures involved in asymmetry on the perception of smile attractiveness. Thirty-five patients (25 males and 10 females) between 18 and 25 years of age with facial asymmetry were selected. Pre-treatment clinical photographs of posed smiles were subjectively evaluated by a panel of 20 orthodontists, 20 oral surgeons, and 20 laypersons. A customized Smile Mesh program was used for objective evaluation of the same smiles. Direct comparison among three smile groups (unattractive, slightly attractive, and attractive) for different Smile Mesh measurements was carried out using two-way anova test. Additionally, linear regression was performed to evaluate whether these measurements could predict the attractiveness of captured smiles. Patients with 'slightly attractive' smiles had a significantly greater distance between the incisal margin of the maxillary central incisor and the lower lip during smiling. The Smile Index was significantly greater in attractive smiles. However, based on the coefficients of linear regression, no objectively gathered measurement could predict smile attractiveness. Attractiveness or unattractiveness of smiles in patients with facial asymmetry could not be predicted by any measurement of Smile Mesh. The presence of facial asymmetry did not significantly influence the perception of smile esthetics. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Objective and quantitative equilibriometric evaluation of individual locomotor behaviour in schizophrenia: Translational and clinical implications.

PubMed

Haralanov, Svetlozar; Haralanova, Evelina; Milushev, Emil; Shkodrova, Diana; Claussen, Claus-Frenz

2018-04-17

Psychiatry is the only medical specialty that lacks clinically applicable biomarkers for objective evaluation of the existing pathology at a single-patient level. On the basis of an original translational equilibriometric method for evaluation of movement patterns, we have introduced in the everyday clinical practice of psychiatry an easy-to-perform computerized objective quantification of the individual locomotor behaviour during execution of the Unterberger stepping test. For the last 20 years, we have gradually collected a large database of more than 1000 schizophrenic patients, their relatives, and matched psychiatric, neurological, and healthy controls via cross-sectional and longitudinal investigations. Comparative analyses revealed transdiagnostic locomotor similarities among schizophrenic patients, high-risk schizotaxic individuals, and neurological patients with multiple sclerosis and cerebellar ataxia, thus suggesting common underlying brain mechanisms. In parallel, intradiagnostic dissimilarities were revealed, which allow to separate out subclinical locomotor subgroups within the diagnostic categories. Prototypical qualitative (dysmetric and ataxic) locomotor abnormalities in schizophrenic patients were differentiated from 2 atypical quantitative ones, manifested as either hypolocomotion or hyperlocomotion. Theoretical analyses suggested that these 3 subtypes of locomotor abnormalities could be conceived as objectively measurable biomarkers of 3 schizophrenic subgroups with dissimilar brain mechanisms, which require different treatment strategies. Analogies with the prominent role of locomotor measures in some well-known animal models of mental disorders advocate for a promising objective translational research in the so far over-subjective field of psychiatry. Distinctions among prototypical, atypical, and diagnostic biomarkers, as well as between neuromotor and psychomotor locomotor abnormalities, are discussed. Conclusions are drawn about the
Open framework for objective evaluation of crater detection algorithms with first test-field subsystem based on MOLA data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salamunićcar, G.; Lončarić, S.

2008-07-01

Crater Detection Algorithms (CDAs) applications range from estimation of lunar/planetary surface age to autonomous landing on planets and asteroids and advanced statistical analyses. A large amount of work on CDAs has already been published. However, problems arise when evaluation results of some new CDA have to be compared with already published evaluation results. The problem is that different authors use different test-fields, different Ground-Truth (GT) catalogues, and even different methodologies for evaluation of their CDAs. Re-implementation of already published CDAs or its evaluation environment is a time-consuming and unpractical solution to this problem. In addition, implementation details are often insufficiently described in publications. As a result, there is a need in research community to develop a framework for objective evaluation of CDAs. A scientific question is how CDAs should be evaluated so that the results are easily and reliably comparable. In attempt to solve this issue we first analyzed previously published work on CDAs. In this paper, we propose a framework for solution of the problem of objective CDA evaluation. The framework includes: (1) a definition of the measure for differences between craters; (2) test-field topography based on the 1/64° MOLA data; (3) the GT catalogue wherein each of 17,582 craters is aligned with MOLA data and confirmed with catalogues by N.G. Barlow et al. and J.F. Rodionova et al.; (4) selection of methodology for training and testing; and (5) a Free-response Receiver Operating Characteristics (F-ROC) curves as a way to measure CDA performance. The handling of possible improvements of the framework in the future is additionally addressed as a part of discussion of results. Possible extensions with additional test-field subsystems based on visual images, data sets for other planets, evaluation methodologies for CDAs developed for different purposes than cataloguing of craters, are proposed as well. The goal of
Objective structured assessment of technical skills evaluation of theoretical compared with hands-on training of shoulder dystocia management: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Buerkle, Bernd; Pueth, Julia; Hefler, Lukas A; Tempfer-Bentz, Eva-Katrin; Tempfer, Clemens B

2012-10-01

To compare the skills of performing a shoulder dystocia management algorithm after hands-on training compared with demonstration. We randomized medical students to a 30-minute hands-on (group 1) and a 30-minute demonstration (group 2) training session teaching a standardized shoulder dystocia management scheme on a pelvic training model. Participants were tested with a 22-item Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills scoring system after training and 72 hours thereafter. Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills scores were the primary outcome. Performance time, self-assessment, confidence, and global rating scale were the secondary outcomes. Statistics were performed using Mann-Whitney U test, χ test, and multiple linear regression analysis. Two hundred three participants were randomized. Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills scores were significantly higher in group 1 (n=103) compared with group 2 (n=100) (17.95±3.14 compared with 15.67±3.18, respectively; P<.001). The secondary outcomes global rating scale (GRS; 10.94±2.71 compared with 8.57±2.61, respectively; P<.001), self-assessment (3.15±0.94 compared with 2.72±1.01; P=.002), and confidence (3.72±0.98 compared with 3.34±0.90, respectively; P=.005), but not performance time (3:19±0:48 minutes compared with 3:31±1:05 minutes; P=.1), were also significantly different, favoring group 1. After 72 hours, Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills scores were still significantly higher in group 1 (n=67) compared with group 2 (n=60) (18.17±2.76 compared with 14.98±3.03, respectively; P<.001) as were GRS (10.80±2.62 compared with 8.15±2.59; P<.001) and self assessment (SA; 3.44±0.87 compared with 2.95±0.94; P=.003). In a multiple linear regression analysis, group assignment (group 1 compared with 2; P<.001) and sex (P=.002) independently influenced Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills scores. Hands-on training helps to achieve a significant
A New Realistic Evaluation Analysis Method: Linked Coding of Context, Mechanism, and Outcome Relationships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, Suzanne F.; Kolla, Gillian

2012-01-01

In attempting to use a realistic evaluation approach to explore the role of Community Parents in early parenting programs in Toronto, a novel technique was developed to analyze the links between contexts (C), mechanisms (M) and outcomes (O) directly from experienced practitioner interviews. Rather than coding the interviews into themes in terms of…
A Tale of Two Community Networks Program Centers: Operationalizing and Assessing CBPR Principles and Evaluating Partnership Outcomes

PubMed Central

Arroyo-Johnson, Cassandra; Allen, Michele L.; Colditz, Graham A.; Hurtado, G. Ali; Davey, Cynthia S.; Sanders Thompson, Vetta L.; Drake, Bettina F.; Svetaz, Maria Veronica; Rosas-Lee, Maira; Goodman, Melody S.

2016-01-01

Background Community Networks Program (CNP) centers are required to use a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach within their specific priority communities. Not all communities are the same and unique contextual factors and collaborators’ priorities shape each CBPR partnership. There are also established CBPR and community engagement (CE) principles shown to lead to quality CBPR in any community. However, operationalizing and assessing CBPR principles and partnership outcomes to understand the conditions and processes in CBPR that lead to achieving program and project level goals is relatively new in the science of CBPR. Objectives We sought to describe the development of surveys on adherence to and implementation of CBPR/CE principles at two CNP centers and examine commonalities and differences in program- versus project-level CBPR evaluation. Methods A case study about the development and application of CBPR/CE principles for the Missouri CNP, Program for the Elimination of Cancer Disparities, and Minnesota CNP, Padres Informados/Jovenes Preparados, surveys was conducted to compare project versus program operationalization of principles. Survey participant demographics were provided by CNP. Specific domains found in CBPR/CE principles were identified and organized under an existing framework to establish a common ground. Operational definitions and the number of survey items were provided for each domain by CNP. Conclusion There are distinct differences in operational definitions of CBPR/CE principles at the program and project levels of evaluation. However, commonalities support further research to develop standards for CBPR evaluation across partnerships and at the program and project levels. PMID:26213405
Evaluation of a digital learning object (DLO) to support the learning process in radiographic dental diagnosis.

PubMed

Busanello, F H; da Silveira, P F; Liedke, G S; Arús, N A; Vizzotto, M B; Silveira, H E D; Silveira, H L D

2015-11-01

Studies have shown that inappropriate therapeutic strategies may be adopted if crown and root changes are misdiagnosed, potentially leading to undesirable consequences. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate a digital learning object, developed to improve skills in diagnosing radiographic dental changes. The object was developed using the Visual Basic Application (VBA) software and evaluated by 62 undergraduate students (male: 24 and female: 38) taking an imaging diagnosis course. Participants were divided in two groups: test group, which used the object and control group, which attended conventional classes. After 3 weeks, students answered a 10-question test and took a practice test to diagnose 20 changes in periapical radiographs. The results show that test group performed better that control group in both tests, with statistically significant difference (P = 0.004 and 0.003, respectively). In overall, female students were better than male students. Specific aspects of object usability were assessed using a structured questionnaire based on the System Usability Scale (SUS), with a score of 90.5 and 81.6 by male and female students, respectively. The results obtained in this study suggest that students who used the DLO performed better than those who used conventional methods. This suggests that the DLO may be a useful teaching tool for dentistry undergraduates, on distance learning courses and as a complementary tool in face-to-face teaching. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Standardized Tests as Outcome Measures for Evaluating Instructional Interventions in Mathematics and Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sussman, Joshua Michael

This three-paper dissertation explores problems with the use of standardized tests as outcome measures for the evaluation of instructional interventions in mathematics and science. Investigators commonly use students' scores on standardized tests to evaluate the impact of instructional programs designed to improve student achievement. However, evidence suggests that the standardized tests may not measure, or may not measure well, the student learning caused by the interventions. This problem is special case of a basic problem in applied measurement related to understanding whether a particular test provides accurate and useful information about the impact of an educational intervention. The three papers explore different aspects of the issue and highlight the potential benefits of (a) using particular research methods and of (b) implementing changes to educational policy that would strengthen efforts to reform instructional intervention in mathematics and science. The first paper investigates measurement problems related to the use of standardized tests in applied educational research. Analysis of the research projects funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Mathematics and Science Education Program permitted me to address three main research questions. One, how often are standardized tests used to evaluate new educational interventions? Two, do the tests appear to measure the same thing that the intervention teaches? Three, do investigators establish validity evidence for the specific uses of the test? The research documents potential problems and actual problems related to the use of standardized tests in leading applied research, and suggests changes to policy that would address measurement issues and improve the rigor of applied educational research. The second paper explores the practical consequences of misalignment between an outcome measure and an educational intervention in the context of summative evaluation. Simulated evaluation data and a
Evaluation of Clinical and Communication Skills of Pharmacy Students and Pharmacists with an Objective Structured Clinical Examination.

PubMed

Urteaga, Elizabeth M; Attridge, Rebecca L; Tovar, John M; Witte, Amy P

2015-10-25

Objective. To evaluate how effectively pharmacy students and practicing pharmacists communicate and apply knowledge to simulations of commonly encountered patient scenarios using an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). Design. Second-, third-, and fourth-year pharmacy students completed an OSCE as part of their required courses in 2012 and 2013. All students in both years completed identical OSCE cases. Licensed pharmacists were recruited to complete the OSCE and serve as controls in 2012. A survey assessed student perception and acceptance of the OSCE as well as student confidence in performance. Assessment. Licensed pharmacists had significantly higher clinical and communication skills scores than did pharmacy students. Student progression in communication and clinical skills improved significantly over time. Survey results indicated that students felt the OSCE was well-structured and assessed clinical skills taught in pharmacy school; 86% of students felt confident they could provide these skills. Conclusion. Objective structured clinical examinations can evaluate clinical competence and communication skills among professional students. Implementation of OSCEs may be an effective tool for assessment of the Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Education domains.
Correlation of Subjective Hospital Compare Metrics With Objective Outcomes of Cranial Neurosurgical Procedures in New York State.

PubMed

Bekelis, Kimon; Missios, Symeon; Coy, Shannon; Rahmani, Redi; MacKenzie, Todd A; Asher, Anthony L

2017-03-01

Public reporting is at the forefront of health care reform. To investigate whether patient satisfaction as expressed in a public reporting platform correlates with objective outcomes for cranial neurosurgery patients. We performed a cohort study involving patients undergoing cranial neurosurgery from 2009 to 2013 who were registered in the Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System database. This cohort was merged with the corresponding data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Hospital Compare website. The association of patient satisfaction metrics with outcomes was examined with the use of a propensity-adjusted regression model. Overall, 19 591 patients underwent cranial neurosurgery during the study. Using a propensity-adjusted multivariable regression analysis, we demonstrated that hospitals with a greater percentage of patient-assigned "high" scores had decreased mortality (OR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.53-0.67), rate of discharge to rehabilitation (OR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.88-0.98), length of stay (adjusted difference, -1.29; 95% CI, -1.46 to -1.13), and hospitalization charges (adjusted difference, -23%; 95% CI, -36% to -9%) after cranial neurosurgery. Similar associations were identified for hospitals with a higher percentage of patients, who would recommend these institutions to others. In a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Hospital Compare-Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System merged dataset, we observed an association of higher performance in patient satisfaction measures with decreased mortality, rate of discharge to rehabilitation, hospitalization charges, and length of stay. Copyright © 2017 by the Congress of Neurological Surgeons
Toward objective image quality metrics: the AIC Eval Program of the JPEG

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richter, Thomas; Larabi, Chaker

2008-08-01

Objective quality assessment of lossy image compression codecs is an important part of the recent call of the JPEG for Advanced Image Coding. The target of the AIC ad-hoc group is twofold: First, to receive state-of-the-art still image codecs and to propose suitable technology for standardization; and second, to study objective image quality metrics to evaluate the performance of such codes. Even tthough the performance of an objective metric is defined by how well it predicts the outcome of a subjective assessment, one can also study the usefulness of a metric in a non-traditional way indirectly, namely by measuring the subjective quality improvement of a codec that has been optimized for a specific objective metric. This approach shall be demonstrated here on the recently proposed HDPhoto format14 introduced by Microsoft and a SSIM-tuned17 version of it by one of the authors. We compare these two implementations with JPEG1 in two variations and a visual and PSNR optimal JPEG200013 implementation. To this end, we use subjective and objective tests based on the multiscale SSIM and a new DCT based metric.
A novel, objective, quantitative method of evaluation of the back pain component using comparative computerized multi-parametric tactile mapping before/after spinal cord stimulation and database analysis: the "Neuro-Pain't" software.

PubMed

Rigoard, P; Nivole, K; Blouin, P; Monlezun, O; Roulaud, M; Lorgeoux, B; Bataille, B; Guetarni, F

2015-03-01

One of the major challenges of neurostimulation is actually to address the back pain component in patients suffering from refractory chronic back and leg pain. Facing a tremendous expansion of neurostimulation techniques and available devices, implanters and patients can still remain confused as they need to select the right tool for the right indication. To be able to evaluate and compare objectively patient outcomes, depending on therapeutical strategies, it appears essential to develop a rational and quantitative approach to pain assessment for those who undergo neurostimulation implantation. We developed a touch screen interface, in Poitiers University Hospital and N(3)Lab, called the "Neuro-Pain'T", to detect, record and quantify the painful area surface and intensity changes in an implanted patient within time. The second aim of this software is to analyse the link between a paraesthesia coverage generated by a type of neurostimulation and a potential analgesic effect, measured by pain surface reduction, pain intensity reduction within the painful surface and local change in pain characteristics distribution. The third aim of Neuro-Pain'T is to correlate these clinical parameters to global patient data and functional outcome analysis, via a network database (Neuro-Database), to be able to provide a concise but objective approach of the neurostimulation efficacy, summarized by an index called "RFG Index". This software has been used in more than 190 patients since 2012, leading us to define three clinical parameters grouped as a clinical component of the RFG Index, which might be helpful to assess neurostimulation efficacy and compare implanted devices. The Neuro-Pain'T is an original software designed to objectively and quantitatively characterize reduction of a painful area in a given individual, in terms of intensity, surface and pain typology, in response to a treatment strategy or implantation of an analgesic device. Because pain is a physical sensation
A sound quality model for objective synthesis evaluation of vehicle interior noise based on artificial neural network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Y. S.; Shen, G. Q.; Xing, Y. F.

2014-03-01

Based on the artificial neural network (ANN) technique, an objective sound quality evaluation (SQE) model for synthesis annoyance of vehicle interior noises is presented in this paper. According to the standard named GB/T18697, firstly, the interior noises under different working conditions of a sample vehicle are measured and saved in a noise database. Some mathematical models for loudness, sharpness and roughness of the measured vehicle noises are established and performed by Matlab programming. Sound qualities of the vehicle interior noises are also estimated by jury tests following the anchored semantic differential (ASD) procedure. Using the objective and subjective evaluation results, furthermore, an ANN-based model for synthetical annoyance evaluation of vehicle noises, so-called ANN-SAE, is developed. Finally, the ANN-SAE model is proved by some verification tests with the leave-one-out algorithm. The results suggest that the proposed ANN-SAE model is accurate and effective and can be directly used to estimate sound quality of the vehicle interior noises, which is very helpful for vehicle acoustical designs and improvements. The ANN-SAE approach may be extended to deal with other sound-related fields for product quality evaluations in SQE engineering.
Operationalization of National Objectives of Ethiopia into Educational Objectives. African Studies in Curriculum Development & Evaluation. No. 60.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adaye, Abebe Alaro

This paper reports on past educational objectives of the old political regime in Ethiopia and new educational objectives of revolutionary Ethiopia. It is reported that these new objectives focus on education for production, scientific research, and socialist consciousness, and that all subjects are based on Marxism-Leninism. Curricular objectives…
Use of the BREAST-Q™ Survey in the Prospective Evaluation of Reduction Mammaplasty Outcomes.

PubMed

Cabral, Isaias Vieira; da Silva Garcia, Edgard; Sobrinho, Rebecca Neponucena; Pinto, Natália Lana Larcher; Juliano, Yara; Veiga-Filho, Joel; Ferreira, Lydia Masako; Veiga, Daniela Francescato

2018-04-01

BREAST-Q™ is a patient-reported outcomes survey instrument with a specific module that evaluates breast reduction surgery. It allows assessment of patient's satisfaction with received treatment and evaluates the impact of surgery on different aspects of the patient's quality of life. This article aims to assess the satisfaction and quality of life of patients who underwent reduction mammaplasty. Women aged between 18 and 60 years, with a body mass index ranging from 19 to 30 kg/m 2 , who were already scheduled for reduction mammaplasty, were included in the study. The Brazilian version of the BREAST-Q™ Reduction/Mastopexy Module (preoperative 1.0 and postoperative 1.0 versions) was self-applied preoperatively and 1 and 6 months after the operation. One hundred and seven patients were included in the study and completed the 6-month follow-up. The median age was 33 years, and the median preoperative body mass index was 25 kg/m 2 . The superomedial pedicle was used in 96.3% of the cases, and the total median weight of the resected breast was 1115 g. There was a significant improvement in the scores of the scales: Psychosocial well-being, Sexual well-being, Physical well-being, and Satisfaction with the breasts compared to the preoperative assessment (p < 0.0001). The scales Satisfaction with the NAC and Satisfaction with the outcome, available only in the postoperative version, demonstrated high satisfaction rates at the two postoperative periods evaluated. Reduction mammaplasty improved the quality of life and provided high levels of patient satisfaction with outcomes 1 and 6 months postoperatively. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .
A systematic review of instruments for measuring outcomes in economic evaluation within aged care.

PubMed

Bulamu, Norma B; Kaambwa, Billingsley; Ratcliffe, Julie

2015-11-09

This paper describes the methods and results of a systematic review to identify instruments used to measure quality of life outcomes in older people. The primary focus of the review was to identify instruments suitable for application with older people within economic evaluations conducted in the aged care sector. Online databases searched were PubMed, Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science, PsycInfo, CINAHL, Embase and Informit. Studies that met the following criteria were included: 1) study population exclusively above 65 years of age 2) measured health status, health related quality of life or quality of life outcomes more broadly through use of an instrument developed for this purpose, 3) used a generic preference based instrument or an older person specific preference based or non-preference based instrument or both, and 4) published in journals in the English language after 2000. The most commonly applied generic preference based instrument in both the community and residential aged care context was the EuroQol - 5 Dimensions (EQ-5D), followed by the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT) and the Health Utilities Index (HUI2/3). The most widely applied older person specific instrument was the ICEpop CAPability measure for Older people (ICECAP-O) in both community and residential aged care. In the absence of an ideal instrument for incorporating into economic evaluations in the aged care sector, this review recommends the use of a generic preference based measure of health related quality of life such as the EQ-5D to obtain quality adjusted life years, in combination with an instrument that has a broader quality of life focus like the ASCOT, which was designed specifically for evaluating interventions in social care or the ICECAP-O, a capability measure for older people.

Twenty-Year Outcome of a Longitudinal Prospective Evaluation of Isolated Endoscopic Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction With Patellar Tendon or Hamstring Autograft.

PubMed

Thompson, Simon Michael; Salmon, Lucy J; Waller, Alison; Linklater, James; Roe, Justin P; Pinczewski, Leo A

2016-12-01

Long-term prospective studies of isolated endoscopic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction are limited and may include confounding factors. This study aimed to compare the outcomes of isolated ACL reconstruction using the patellar tendon (PT) autograft and the hamstring (HT) autograft in 180 patients over 20 years. Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. A total of 180 participants undergoing isolated ACL reconstruction between 1993 and 1994 were prospectively recruited. Evaluation was performed at 1, 2, 5, 7, 10, 15, and 20 years after surgery and included the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) knee ligament evaluation with radiographic evaluation, KT-1000 arthrometer side-to-side difference, and subjective scores. Over 20 years, there were 16 patients (18%) and 9 patients (10%) with an ACL graft rupture in the HT and PT groups, respectively (P = .13). ACL graft rupture was associated with male sex (odds ratio [OR], 3.9; P = .007), nonideal tunnel position (OR, 3.6; P = .019), and age <18 years at the time of surgery (OR, 4.6; P = .003). The odds of a contralateral ACL rupture were increased in patients with the PT graft compared with patients with the HT graft (OR, 2.2; P = .02) and those aged <18 years at the time of surgery (OR, 3.4; P = .001). The mean IKDC scores at 20-year follow-up were 86 and 89 for the PT and HT groups, respectively (P = .18). At 20 years, 53% and 57% of the PT and HT groups participated in strenuous or very strenuous activities (P = .55), kneeling pain was present in 63% and 20% of the PT and HT groups (P = .018), and radiographic osteoarthritic change was found in 61% and 41% of the PT and HT groups (P = .008), respectively. Compared with patients who received the HT graft, patients who received the PT graft had significantly worse outcomes with regard to radiologically detectable osteoarthritis, kneeling pain, and contralateral ACL injury. At 20-year follow-up, both HT and PT autografts continued to provide good
Twice versus thrice weekly ECT in a clinical population: an evaluation of patient outcomes.

PubMed

Siskind, Dan; Charlson, Fiona; Saraf, Sudeep; Scheurer, Roman; Lie, David Charles

2012-10-30

Increasing demand on electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) services led to a recommendation that low risk patients be considered for twice weekly ECT rather than the usual thrice weekly. We evaluated whether practice changed and compared patient clinical outcomes for twice and thrice weekly ECT. Medical records for all patients receiving ECT in the 2-year study period (1/9/08 to 30/8/10) were reviewed to determine ECT protocol, diagnosis, admission duration and readmission rates. During the study period, 119 patients received 150 treatment courses. Patient outcomes were compared for twice weekly ECT and thrice weekly ECT protocols, as well as for 1 year before and after the recommendation (1/9/09). Twice weekly ECT courses increased (8-20) after the recommendation while thrice weekly ECT courses decreased (64-30). The recommendation had no significant effect on patient outcomes. Comparing twice and thrice weekly ECT, patient clinical outcomes were similar between the two groups, though non-affective twice weekly patients waited longer before starting ECT. In the context of resource constraints, psychiatrists can be influenced to examine and change their ECT prescribing practice. This bodes well for the implementation of evidence-based treatment into mental health services. Secondly, for adults, there appear to be no significant differences in clinical outcomes for twice versus thrice weekly ECT. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Interactive multi-objective path planning through a palette-based user interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaikh, Meher T.; Goodrich, Michael A.; Yi, Daqing; Hoehne, Joseph

2016-05-01

n a problem where a human uses supervisory control to manage robot path-planning, there are times when human does the path planning, and if satisfied commits those paths to be executed by the robot, and the robot executes that plan. In planning a path, the robot often uses an optimization algorithm that maximizes or minimizes an objective. When a human is assigned the task of path planning for robot, the human may care about multiple objectives. This work proposes a graphical user interface (GUI) designed for interactive robot path-planning when an operator may prefer one objective over others or care about how multiple objectives are traded off. The GUI represents multiple objectives using the metaphor of an artist's palette. A distinct color is used to represent each objective, and tradeoffs among objectives are balanced in a manner that an artist mixes colors to get the desired shade of color. Thus, human intent is analogous to the artist's shade of color. We call the GUI an "Adverb Palette" where the word "Adverb" represents a specific type of objective for the path, such as the adverbs "quickly" and "safely" in the commands: "travel the path quickly", "make the journey safely". The novel interactive interface provides the user an opportunity to evaluate various alternatives (that tradeoff between different objectives) by allowing her to visualize the instantaneous outcomes that result from her actions on the interface. In addition to assisting analysis of various solutions given by an optimization algorithm, the palette has additional feature of allowing the user to define and visualize her own paths, by means of waypoints (guiding locations) thereby spanning variety for planning. The goal of the Adverb Palette is thus to provide a way for the user and robot to find an acceptable solution even though they use very different representations of the problem. Subjective evaluations suggest that even non-experts in robotics can carry out the planning tasks with a
Retaining clients in an outcome monitoring evaluation study: HIV prevention efforts in community settings.

PubMed

Smith, Bryce D; Kalayil, Elizabeth J; Patel-Larson, Alpa; Chen, Brenda; Vaughan, Marla

2012-02-01

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention (DHAP) conducted outcome monitoring studies on evidence-based interventions (EBIs) provided by CDC-funded community-based organizations (CBOs). Critical to the success of outcome monitoring was the ability of CBOs to recruit and retain clients in evaluation studies. Two EBIs, Video Opportunities for Innovative Condom Education and Safer Sex (VOICES/VOCES) and Healthy Relationships, were evaluated using repeated measure studies, which require robust follow-up retention rates to increase the validity and usefulness of the findings. The retention rates were high for both VOICES/VOCES CBOs (95.8% at 30 days and 91.1% at 120 days), and Healthy Relationships CBOs (89.5% at 90 days and 83.5% at 180 days). This paper presents an overview of the retention of clients, challenges to follow-up, and strategies developed by CBOs to achieve high retention rates. These strategies and rates are discussed within the context of the CBOs' target populations and communities. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Interdisciplinary ICU Cardiac Arrest Debriefing Improves Survival Outcomes

PubMed Central

Wolfe, Heather; Zebuhr, Carleen; Topjian, Alexis A.; Nishisaki, Akira; Niles, Dana E.; Meaney, Peter A.; Boyle, Lori; Giordano, Rita T.; Davis, Daniela; Priestley, Margaret; Apkon, Michael; Berg, Robert A.; Nadkarni, Vinay M.; Sutton, Robert M.

2014-01-01

Objective In-hospital cardiac arrest is an important public health problem. High-quality resuscitation improves survival but is difficult to achieve. Our objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of a novel, interdisciplinary, postevent quantitative debriefing program to improve survival outcomes after in-hospital pediatric chest compression events. Design, Setting, and Patients Single-center prospective interventional study of children who received chest compressions between December 2008 and June 2012 in the ICU. Interventions Structured, quantitative, audiovisual, interdisciplinary debriefing of chest compression events with front-line providers. Measurements and Main Results Primary outcome was survival to hospital discharge. Secondary outcomes included survival of event (return of spontaneous circulation for ≥ 20 min) and favorable neurologic outcome. Primary resuscitation quality outcome was a composite variable, termed “excellent cardiopulmonary resuscitation,” prospectively defined as a chest compression depth ≥ 38 mm, rate ≥ 100/min, ≤ 10% of chest compressions with leaning, and a chest compression fraction > 90% during a given 30-second epoch. Quantitative data were available only for patients who are 8 years old or older. There were 119 chest compression events (60 control and 59 interventional). The intervention was associated with a trend toward improved survival to hospital discharge on both univariate analysis (52% vs 33%, p = 0.054) and after controlling for confounders (adjusted odds ratio, 2.5; 95% CI, 0.91–6.8; p = 0.075), and it significantly increased survival with favorable neurologic outcome on both univariate (50% vs 29%, p = 0.036) and multivariable analyses (adjusted odds ratio, 2.75; 95% CI, 1.01–7.5; p = 0.047). Cardiopulmonary resuscitation epochs for patients who are 8 years old or older during the debriefing period were 5.6 times more likely to meet targets of excellent cardiopulmonary resuscitation (95% CI, 2.9–10
A Systematic Review of Palliative Care Intervention Outcomes and Outcome Measures in Low-Resource Countries.

PubMed

Potts, Maryellen; Cartmell, Kathleen B; Nemeth, Lynne; Bhattacharjee, Gautam; Qanungo, Suparna

2018-05-01

To meet the growing need for palliative care in low-resource countries, palliative care programs should be evidence based and contextually appropriate. This study was conducted to synthesize the current evidence to guide future programmatic and research efforts. This systematic review evaluated palliative care outcome measures, outcomes, and interventions in low-resource countries. After title searches, abstracts and full-text articles were screened for inclusion. Data were extracted to report on intervention models, outcome measures used, and intervention outcomes. Eighteen papers were reviewed, reporting on interventions conducted across nine low-resource countries. These interventions evaluated home-based palliative care models; a community-managed model; palliative care integrated with hospitals, hospices, or HIV clinics; and models focused on patients' self-management. Three studies were randomized controlled trials. Other studies used nonrandomized trials, cohort studies, mixed methods, pre-post test evaluation, cost-accounting evaluation, and cross-sectional surveys. Thirteen studies measured physical outcomes, 10 using multidimensional instruments. Nine studies measured psychological outcomes, eight using multidimensional instruments. Nine studies measured social outcomes, seven using multidimensional instruments. Nine studies measured outcomes across multiple domains. Across outcomes evaluated, results were reported in the direction of benefit associated with palliative care interventions. Many palliative care intervention models exist to serve patients in low-resource countries. Yet, limited high-quality evidence from low-resource countries is available to document intervention outcomes. Rigorous experimental studies and greater measurement of multidimensional aspects of palliative care are needed to advance the science of palliative care in low-resource settings. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier
Toward Objectivity in Faculty Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elmore, H. W.

2008-01-01

The productivity of faculty members often figures prominently in annual evaluations, post-tenure reviews, and decisions about tenure, promotion, merit pay, release time, awards, and other kinds of recognition. Yet the procedures and instruments that institutions use to assess productivity and merit vary, leaving little that unifies the evaluation…
Outcomes in Economic Evaluations of Public Health Interventions in Low‐ and Middle‐Income Countries: Health, Capabilities and Subjective Wellbeing

PubMed Central

Lorgelly, Paula; Yamabhai, Inthira

2016-01-01

Abstract Public health programmes tend to be complex and may combine social strategies with aspects of empowerment, capacity building and knowledge across sectors. The nature of the programmes means that some effects are likely to occur outside the healthcare sector; this breadth impacts on the choice of health and non‐health outcomes to measure and value in an economic evaluation. Employing conventional outcome measures in evaluations of public health has been questioned. There are concerns that such measures are too narrow, overlook important dimensions of programme effect and, thus, lead to such interventions being undervalued. This issue is of particular importance for low‐income and middle‐income countries, which face considerable budget constraints, yet deliver a large proportion of health activities within public health programmes. The need to develop outcome measures, which include broader measures of quality of life, has given impetus to the development of a variety of new, holistic approaches, including Sen's capability framework and measures of subjective wellbeing. Despite their promise, these approaches have not yet been widely applied, perhaps because they present significant methodological challenges. This paper outlines the methodological challenges for the identification and measurement of broader outcomes of public health interventions in economic evaluation in low‐income and middle‐income countries. PMID:26804360
Outcome Results from "Yo Veo": A Visual Intervention for Teachers Working with Immigrant Latino/Latina Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chapman, Mimi V.; Hall, William J.

2016-01-01

Objective: This study reports results from the outcome evaluation of "Yo Veo," a visual intervention with schoolteachers, which structures conversations about challenges that teachers face teaching Latino/Latina immigrant students. Method: The intervention was delivered to teachers at two middle schools in the southeastern United States,…
Impact of cooking and home food preparation interventions among adults: outcomes and implications for future programs

PubMed Central

Reicks, Marla; Trofholz, Amanda C.; Stang, Jamie S; Laska, Melissa N.

2014-01-01

Objective Cooking programs are growing in popularity; however an extensive review has not examined overall impact. Therefore, this study reviewed previous research on cooking/home food preparation interventions and diet and health-related outcomes among adults and identified implications for practice and research. Design Literature review and descriptive summative method. Main outcome measures Dietary intake, knowledge/skills, cooking attitudes and self-efficacy/confidence, health outcomes. Analysis Articles evaluating effectiveness of interventions that included cooking/home food preparation as the primary aim (January 1980 through December 2011) were identified via OVID MEDLINE, Agricola and Web of Science databases. Studies grouped according to design and outcomes were reviewed for validity using an established coding system. Results were summarized for several outcome categories. Results Of 28 studies identified, 12 included a control group with six as non-randomized and six as randomized controlled trials. Evaluation was done post-intervention for five studies, pre- and post-intervention for 23 and beyond post-intervention for 15. Qualitative and quantitative measures suggested a positive influence on main outcomes. However, non-rigorous study designs, varying study populations, and use of non-validated assessment tools limited stronger conclusions. Conclusions and Implications Well-designed studies are needed that rigorously evaluate long-term impact on cooking behavior, dietary intake, obesity and other health outcomes. PMID:24703245
The Case for Evaluating Student Outcomes and Equity Gaps to Improve Pathways and Programs of Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bragg, Debra D.

2017-01-01

When linked to program review and improvement, program evaluation can help practitioners to ensure that career-technical education (CTE) and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs offer equitable access and outcomes for underserved student groups.
A system to evaluate the scientific quality of biological and restoration objectives using National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plans as a case study

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schroeder, R.L.

2006-01-01

It is widely accepted that plans for restoration projects should contain specific, measurable, and science-based objectives to guide restoration efforts. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is in the process of developing Comprehensive Conservation Plans (CCPs) for more than 500 units in the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS). These plans contain objectives for biological and ecosystem restoration efforts on the refuges. Based on USFWS policy, a system was developed to evaluate the scientific quality of such objectives based on three critical factors: (1) Is the objective specific, measurable, achievable, results-oriented, and time-fixed? (2) What is the extent of the rationale that explains the assumptions, logic, and reasoning for the objective? (3) How well was available science used in the development of the objective? The evaluation system scores each factor on a scale of 1 (poor) to 4 (excellent) according to detailed criteria. The biological and restoration objectives from CCPs published as of September 2004 (60 total) were evaluated. The overall average score for all biological and restoration objectives was 1.73. Average scores for each factor were: Factor 1-1.97; Factor 2-1.86; Factor 3-1.38. The overall scores increased from 1997 to 2004. Future restoration efforts may benefit by using this evaluation system during the process of plan development, to ensure that biological and restoration objectives are of the highest scientific quality possible prior to the implementation of restoration plans, and to allow for improved monitoring and adaptive management.
An Outcomes Model to Evaluate Risks and Benefits of Escherichia coli Vaccination in Beef Cattle

PubMed Central

Malladi, Sasidhar

2012-01-01

Abstract We developed a stochastic simulation model to evaluate the impact of Escherichia coli O157:H7 (O157) vaccination on key epidemiological outcomes. The model evaluated a reduction in the O157 prevalence in feedlot cattle as well as concentration in cattle feces due to vaccination. The impact of this reduction on outcomes at slaughter/harvest and consumption was evaluated by simulating the relationships between the O157 prevalence and concentration at various points in the ground beef supply chain. The uncertainty and variability associated with the O157 contamination was explicitly modeled in production, slaughter, and consumption modules. Our results show that vaccination can have a significant benefit with respect to relevant outcomes such as (1) the number of human O157 illnesses due to the consumption of ground beef, (2) the number of production lots with high O157 contamination levels, (3) the likelihood of detection by U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service testing, and (4) the probability of multiple illnesses due to ground beef servings from the same lot. These results show that these outcomes are strongly impacted by preharvest vaccination. For example, if the vaccine is used so as to reduce the prevalence of E. coli shedding cattle by 80% and if all U.S. steers and heifers were vaccinated, the expected number of human illnesses from ground beef-associated O157 would be reduced almost 60%. If the vaccine is 60% or 40% effective, the illness rate would be reduced approximately 45% or 40%, respectively. The number of production lots (10,000-lb lots) with high O157 contamination levels (>1000 servings) would be reduced by 96% if all steers and heifers received an 80% effective vaccine regimen. The analysis shows that resulting reduction in the number of shedding animals and the reduced concentration of E. coli on carcasses can combine to reduce human illnesses and cost to beef packers. PMID:22989170
An outcomes model to evaluate risks and benefits of Escherichia coli vaccination in beef cattle.

PubMed

Hurd, H Scott; Malladi, Sasidhar

2012-10-01

We developed a stochastic simulation model to evaluate the impact of Escherichia coli O157:H7 (O157) vaccination on key epidemiological outcomes. The model evaluated a reduction in the O157 prevalence in feedlot cattle as well as concentration in cattle feces due to vaccination. The impact of this reduction on outcomes at slaughter/harvest and consumption was evaluated by simulating the relationships between the O157 prevalence and concentration at various points in the ground beef supply chain. The uncertainty and variability associated with the O157 contamination was explicitly modeled in production, slaughter, and consumption modules. Our results show that vaccination can have a significant benefit with respect to relevant outcomes such as (1) the number of human O157 illnesses due to the consumption of ground beef, (2) the number of production lots with high O157 contamination levels, (3) the likelihood of detection by U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service testing, and (4) the probability of multiple illnesses due to ground beef servings from the same lot. These results show that these outcomes are strongly impacted by preharvest vaccination. For example, if the vaccine is used so as to reduce the prevalence of E. coli shedding cattle by 80% and if all U.S. steers and heifers were vaccinated, the expected number of human illnesses from ground beef-associated O157 would be reduced almost 60%. If the vaccine is 60% or 40% effective, the illness rate would be reduced approximately 45% or 40%, respectively. The number of production lots (10,000-lb lots) with high O157 contamination levels (> 1000 servings) would be reduced by 96% if all steers and heifers received an 80% effective vaccine regimen. The analysis shows that resulting reduction in the number of shedding animals and the reduced concentration of E. coli on carcasses can combine to reduce human illnesses and cost to beef packers.
Evaluation of functional outcomes of physical rehabilitation and medical complications in spinal cord injury victims of the Sichuan earthquake.

PubMed

Li, Yongqiang; Reinhardt, Jan D; Gosney, James E; Zhang, Xia; Hu, Xiaorong; Chen, Sijing; Ding, Mingpu; Li, Jianan

2012-06-01

To characterize a spinal cord injury (SCI) population from the 2008 Sichuan earthquake in China; to evaluate functional outcomes of physical rehabilitation interventions; to assess potential determinants of rehabilitation effectiveness; and to assess medical complications and management outcomes. A total of 51 earthquake victims with SCI were enrolled and underwent rehabilitation programming. Functional rehabilitation outcomes included ambulation ability, wheelchair mobility and activities of daily living (ADL) assessed with the Modified Barthel Index at the beginning and end of rehabilitation. Effectiveness of rehabilitation and the effect of other predictors were evaluated by mixed effects regression. Outcomes of medical complication management were determined by comparison of the incidence of respective complications at the beginning and end of rehabilitation. Ambulation, wheelchair mobility and ADL were significantly improved with rehabilitation programming. Both earlier rescue and earlier onset of rehabilitation were significant positive predictors of rehabilitation effectiveness, whereas delayed onset of rehabilitation combined with prolonged time to rescue resulted in a lesser positive effect. Medical complications were managed effectively in 63% (pressure ulcers) to 85% (deep vein thrombosis) of patients during rehabilitation. Earthquake victims with SCI may achieve significantly improved functional rehabilitation functional outcomes on a formal, institutional-based physical rehabilitation programme.
The book availability study as an objective measure of performance in a health sciences library.

PubMed Central

Kolner, S J; Welch, E C

1985-01-01

In its search for an objective overall diagnostic evaluation, the University of Illinois Library of the Health Sciences' Program Evaluation Committee selected a book availability measure; it is easy to administer and repeat, results are reproducible, and comparable data exist for other academic and health sciences libraries. The study followed the standard methodology in the literature with minor modifications. Patrons searching for particular books were asked to record item(s) needed and the outcome of the search. Library staff members then determined the reasons for failures in obtaining desired items. The results of the study are five performance scores. The first four represent the percentage probability of a library's operating with ideal effectiveness; the last provides an overall performance score. The scores of the Library of the Health Sciences demonstrated no unusual availability problems. The study was easy to implement and provided meaningful, quantitative, and objective data. PMID:3995202
Reliability of a single objective measure in assessing sleepiness.

PubMed

Sunwoo, Bernie Y; Jackson, Nicholas; Maislin, Greg; Gurubhagavatula, Indira; George, Charles F; Pack, Allan I

2012-01-01

To evaluate reliability of single objective tests in assessing sleepiness. Subjects who completed polysomnography underwent a 4-nap multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) the following day. Prior to each nap opportunity on MSLT, subjects performed the psychomotor vigilance test (PVT) and divided attention driving task (DADT). Results of single versus multiple test administrations were compared using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and adjusted for test administration order effects to explore time of day effects. Measures were explored as continuous and binary (i.e., impaired or not impaired). Community-based sample evaluated at a tertiary, university-based sleep center. 372 adult commercial vehicle operators oversampled for increased obstructive sleep apnea risk. N/A. AS CONTINUOUS MEASURES, ICC WERE AS FOLLOWS: MSLT 0.45, PVT median response time 0.69, PVT number of lapses 0.51, 10-min DADT tracking error 0.87, 20-min DADT tracking error 0.90. Based on binary outcomes, ICC were: MSLT 0.63, PVT number of lapses 0.85, 10-min DADT 0.95, 20-min DADT 0.96. Statistically significant time of day effects were seen in both the MSLT and PVT but not the DADT. Correlation between ESS and different objective tests was strongest for MSLT, range [-0.270 to -0.195] and persisted across all time points. Single DADT and PVT administrations are reliable measures of sleepiness. A single MSLT administration can reasonably discriminate individuals with MSL < 8 minutes. These results support the use of a single administration of some objective tests of sleepiness when performed under controlled conditions in routine clinical care.
Evaluation of Epidemiology and Animal Data for Risk Assessment: Chlorpyrifos Developmental Neurobehavioral Outcomes

PubMed Central

Li, Abby A.; Lowe, Kimberly A.; McIntosh, Laura J.; Mink, Pamela J.

2012-01-01

Developmental neurobehavioral outcomes attributed to exposure to chlorpyrifos (CPF) obtained from epidemiologic and animal studies published before June 2010 were reviewed for risk assessment purposes. For epidemiological studies, this review considered (1) overall strength of study design, (2) specificity of CPF exposure biomarkers, (3) potential for bias, and (4) Hill guidelines for causal inference. In the case of animal studies, this review focused on evaluating the consistency of outcomes for developmental neurobehavioral endpoints from in vivo mammalian studies that exposed dams and/or offspring to CPF prior to weaning. Developmental neuropharmacologic and neuropathologic outcomes were also evaluated. Experimental design and methods were examined as part of the weight of evidence. There was insufficient evidence that human developmental exposures to CPF produce adverse neurobehavioral effects in infants and children across different cohort studies that may be relevant to CPF exposure. In animals, few behavioral parameters were affected following gestational exposures to 1 mg/kg-d but were not consistently reported by different laboratories. For postnatal exposures, behavioral effects found in more than one study at 1 mg/kg-d were decreased errors on a radial arm maze in female rats and increased errors in males dosed subcutaneously from postnatal day (PND) 1 to 4. A similar finding was seen in rats exposed orally from PND 1 to 21 with incremental dose levels of 1, 2, and 4 mg/kg-d, but not in rats dosed with constant dose level of 1 mg/kg-d. Neurodevelopmental behavioral, pharmacological, and morphologic effects occurred at doses that produced significant brain or red blood cell acetylcholinesterase inhibition in dams or offspring. PMID:22401178
Octogenarian and centenarian performance on the Fuld Object Memory Evaluation.

PubMed

Rahman-Filipiak, Annalise; Woodard, John L; Miller, L Stephen; Martin, Peter; Davey, Adam; Poon, Leonard W

2015-01-01

The Fuld Object Memory Evaluation (FOME) has considerable utility for cognitive assessment in older adults, but there are few normative data, particularly for the oldest old. In this study, 80 octogenarians and 244 centenarians from the Georgia Centenarian Study completed the FOME. Total and trial-to-trial performance on the storage, retrieval, repeated retrieval, and ineffective reminder indices were assessed. Additional data stratified by age group, education, and cognitive impairment are provided in the Supplemental data. Octogenarians performed significantly better than centenarians on all FOME measures. Neither age group benefitted from additional learning trials beyond Trial 3 for storage and Trial 2 for retention and retrieval. Ineffective reminders showed no change across learning trials for octogenarians, while centenarians improved only between Trials 1 and 2. This minimal improvement past Trial 2 indicates that older adults might benefit from a truncated version of the test that does not include trials three through five, with the added benefit of reducing testing burden in this population.
Objective evaluation of insert material for diabetic and athletic footwear.

PubMed

Brodsky, J W; Kourosh, S; Stills, M; Mooney, V

1988-12-01

Five of the most commonly used materials for shoe inserts (soft Plastazote, medium Pelite, PPT, Spenco, and Sorbothane) were objectively evaluated in the laboratory to characterize their behavior in the following three specific functions that correspond to clinical use: (1) the effect on the materials of repeated compression. (2) the effect of a combination of repetitive shear and compression. (3) the force-distribution (force-attenuation) properties of these materials, both when new and after repeated compression. The last function represents a model for relief of pressure beneath plantar bony prominences, a topic of special concern for the insensitive foot. All materials were effective in reducing transmitted force over the simulated bony prominence with a rank order of effectiveness. Other factors considered were: amount and rate of permanent deformation offset by considerations of enhanced moldability when comparing the neoprene and urethane materials with the polyethylene foams. The ideal insert represents a combination of material to achieve both durability and moldability.

Multi-objective optimization for evaluation of simulation fidelity for precipitation, cloudiness and insolation in regional climate models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, H.

2016-12-01

Precipitation is one of the most important climate variables that are taken into account in studying regional climate. Nevertheless, how precipitation will respond to a changing climate and even its mean state in the current climate are not well represented in regional climate models (RCMs). Hence, comprehensive and mathematically rigorous methodologies to evaluate precipitation and related variables in multiple RCMs are required. The main objective of the current study is to evaluate the joint variability of climate variables related to model performance in simulating precipitation and condense multiple evaluation metrics into a single summary score. We use multi-objective optimization, a mathematical process that provides a set of optimal tradeoff solutions based on a range of evaluation metrics, to characterize the joint representation of precipitation, cloudiness and insolation in RCMs participating in the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program (NARCCAP) and Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment-North America (CORDEX-NA). We also leverage ground observations, NASA satellite data and the Regional Climate Model Evaluation System (RCMES). Overall, the quantitative comparison of joint probability density functions between the three variables indicates that performance of each model differs markedly between sub-regions and also shows strong seasonal dependence. Because of the large variability across the models, it is important to evaluate models systematically and make future projections using only models showing relatively good performance. Our results indicate that the optimized multi-model ensemble always shows better performance than the arithmetic ensemble mean and may guide reliable future projections.
Moving toward evidence-based federal Healthy Start program evaluations: accounting for bias in birth outcomes studies.

PubMed

Meghea, Cristian I; Raffo, Jennifer E; VanderMeulen, Peggy; Roman, Lee Anne

2014-02-01

We used administrative and screening data from 2009 to 2010 to determine if Healthy Start (HS), an enhanced prenatal services program, is reaching the most vulnerable African American women in Kent County, Michigan. Women in HS are at higher risk of key predictors of birth outcomes compared with other women. To advance toward evidence-based HS program evaluations in the absence of randomized controlled trials, future studies using comparison groups need to appropriately establish baseline equivalence on a variety of risk factors related to birth outcomes.
Objective and Subjective Evaluation of Reflecting and Diffusing Surfaces in Auditoria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cox, Trevor John

Available from UMI in association with The British Library. Requires signed TDF. The performance of reflectors and diffusers used in auditoria have been evaluated both objectively and subjectively. Two accurate systems have been developed to measure the scattering from surfaces via the cross correlation function. These have been used to measure the scattering from plane panels, curved panels and quadratic residue diffusers (QRDs). The scattering measurements have been used to test theoretical prediction methods based on the Helmholtz-Kirchhoff integral equation. Accurate prediction methods were found for all surfaces tested. The limitations of the more approximate methods have been defined. The assumptions behind Schroeder's design of the QRD have been tested and the local reacting admittance assumption found to be valid over a wide frequency range. It was found that the QRD only produces uniform scattering at low frequencies. For an on-axis source the scattering from a curved panel was as good as from a QRD. For an oblique source the QRD produced much more uniform scattering than the curved panel. The subjective measurements evaluated the smallest perceivable change in the early sound field, the part most influenced by reflectors and diffusers. A natural sounding simulation of a concert hall field within an anechoic chamber was used. Standard objective parameters were reasonable values when compared to values found in real halls and subjective preference measurements. A difference limen was measured for early lateral energy fraction (.048 +/-.005); inter aural cross correlation (.075 +/-.008); clarity index (.67 +/-.13 dB); and centre time (8.6 +/- 1.6 ms). It was found that: (i) when changes are made to diffusers and reflectors, changes in spatial impression will usually be larger than those in clarity; and (ii) acousticians can gain most by paying attention to lateral sound in auditoria. It was also found that: (i) diffuse reflections in the early sound field
Evaluation of operative procedures for symptomatic outcome after decompression surgery for Chiari type I malformation.

PubMed

Kalb, Samuel; Perez-Orribo, Luis; Mahan, Mark; Theodore, Nicholas; Nakaji, Peter; Bristol, Ruth E

2012-09-01

The wide spectrum of symptoms and radiographic findings in patients with Chiari I malformation makes the decision to proceed with intervention controversial. We evaluated symptomatic outcomes using diverse surgical techniques in 104 patients who underwent decompression surgery. The symptoms of most patients improved. Patients with syringomyelia showed less symptomatic improvement; however, syringomyelia was not associated with postoperative symptomatic worsening. Durotomy was performed in 97.1% and arachnoid opening was performed in 60.6% with visualization of the fourth ventricle in 51.9% of patients. Neither arachnoid opening nor fourth ventricle visualization was associated with the clinical outcome. Duraplasty was performed in 94.2% of patients. A Chiari plate was used in 13.4% of patients and was associated with favorable outcomes. Use of postoperative steroids or muscle relaxants was not associated with outcome. Syringomyelia showed a 62.5% improvement rate on postoperative MRI. In conclusion, bony decompression and dural opening are important aspects of Chiari I surgery, with symptomatic improvement observed in most patients. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Evaluating Learning Outcomes: In Search of Lost Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Brien, Stephen; Brancaleone, David

2011-01-01

This paper examines the concept, pervasive policy and practice of learning outcomes, as increasingly adopted and officially supported in third-level educational institutions. It begins by outlining the context and development of learning outcomes from European and Irish educational policy perspectives. We go on to explore how learning outcomes…
Male Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence and Implicit Attitudes toward Violence: Associations with Treatment Outcomes

PubMed Central

Eckhardt, Christopher I.; Crane, Cory A.

2014-01-01

The present study examined the associations among implicit attitudes toward factors related to intimate partner violence (IPV) and objective, behavioral outcomes of participants legally mandated to attend partner violence interventions. Twenty-six male offenders, adjudicated within the past month on IPV charges, completed three sets of gender and violence themed implicit associations tests (IATs) to evaluate the relationships between implicit evaluations of women and violence and three key outcome measures assessed six months after enrollment in the study: self-reported prior year IPV perpetration, completion of a court-mandated partner abuse program, and criminal reoffending. IAT results indicated that more rapid associations between violence-related words and positive valences, rather than gender evaluations or associations between gender and violence, were associated with greater IPV perpetration during the year prior to involvement in the study as well as with poorer outcomes (i.e., greater treatment non-compliance and criminal recidivism) at the 6-month follow-up. Among explicit measures, only negative partner violence outcome expectancies were marginally associated with treatment compliance. None of the explicit measures predicted previous violence or recidivism. The findings are discussed in the context of reducing violence through promoting implicit cognitive change. PMID:25598562
Pharmacists' interventions on clinical asthma outcomes: a systematic review.

PubMed

Garcia-Cardenas, Victoria; Armour, Carol; Benrimoj, Shalom I; Martinez-Martinez, Fernando; Rotta, Inajara; Fernandez-Llimos, Fernando

2016-04-01

The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the impact of pharmacists' interventions on clinical asthma outcomes on adult patients and to identify the outcome indicators used.PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Scielo were searched. Studies addressing pharmacists' interventions on adult asthma patients reporting clinical asthma outcomes were incorporated.11 clinical outcomes were identified in 21 studies. 10 studies measured the impact of the intervention on asthma control. Randomised controlled trials (RCT) and non-RCTs found positive results in percentages of controlled patients and Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) scores. Discordant results were found for Asthma Control Test results. Asthma severity was assessed in four studies. One RCT found a significant decrease in the percentage of severe patients; two non-RCTs found significant improvements in severity scores. 11 studies reported pulmonary function indicators, showing inconsistent results. Eight studies measured asthma symptoms; three RCTs and four non-RCTs showed significant improvements.RCTs and non-RCTs generated similar results for most outcomes. Based on the evidence generated by RCTs, pharmacists' have a positive impact on the percentage of controlled patients, ACQ scores, severity and symptoms. Future research should report using the core outcome set of indicators established for asthma (PROSPERO CRD42014007019). Copyright ©ERS 2016.
Fetal omphalocele ratios predict outcomes in prenatally diagnosed omphalocele.

PubMed

Montero, Freddy J; Simpson, Lynn L; Brady, Paula C; Miller, Russell S

2011-09-01

The objective of the study was to evaluate whether ratios considering omphalocele diameter relative to fetal biometric measurements perform better than giant omphalocele designation at predicting inability to achieve neonatal primary surgical closure. Cases of fetal omphalocele that underwent evaluation between May 2003 and July 2010 were identified. Inclusion was restricted to live births with plan for postnatal repair. Omphalocele diameter upon antenatal ultrasound was compared with abdominal circumference, femur length, and head circumference, yielding the respective omphalocele (O)/abdominal circumference (AC), O/femur length (FL), and O/head circumference (HC) ratios. The absolute measurements were used to classify giant lesions. Omphalocele ratios and giant omphalocele designations were evaluated as predictors of inability to achieve primary repair. Among 25 included cases, staged or delayed closure occurred in 52%. With an optimal cutoff of 0.21 or greater, O/HC best predicted the primary outcome (sensitivity, 84.6%; specificity, 58.3%; odds ratio, 7.7). The O/HC of 0.21 or greater outperformed giant designations. The O/HC of 0.21 or greater best predicted staged or delayed omphalocele closure. Giant omphalocele designation, regardless of definition, poorly predicted outcome. Copyright © 2011 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.
Evaluating the Impact of the U.S. National Toxicology Program: A Case Study on Hexavalent Chromium

PubMed Central

Xie, Yun; Holmgren, Stephanie; Andrews, Danica M. K.; Wolfe, Mary S.

2016-01-01

Background: Evaluating the impact of federally funded research with a broad, methodical, and objective approach is important to ensure that public funds advance the mission of federal agencies. Objectives: We aimed to develop a methodical approach that would yield a broad assessment of National Toxicology Program’s (NTP’s) effectiveness across multiple sectors and demonstrate the utility of the approach through a case study. Methods: A conceptual model was developed with defined activities, outputs (products), and outcomes (proximal, intermediate, distal) and applied retrospectively to NTP’s research on hexavalent chromium (CrVI). Proximal outcomes were measured by counting views of and requests for NTP’s products by external stakeholders. Intermediate outcomes were measured by bibliometric analysis. Distal outcomes were assessed through Web and LexisNexis searches for documents related to legislation or regulation changes. Results: The approach identified awareness of NTP’s work on CrVI by external stakeholders (proximal outcome) and citations of NTP’s research in scientific publications, reports, congressional testimonies, and legal and policy documents (intermediate outcome). NTP’s research was key to the nation’s first-ever drinking water standard for CrVI adopted by California in 2014 (distal outcome). By applying this approach to a case study, the utility and limitations of the approach were identified, including challenges to evaluating the outcomes of a research program. Conclusions: This study identified a broad and objective approach for assessing NTP’s effectiveness, including methodological needs for more thorough and efficient impact assessments in the future. Citation: Xie Y, Holmgren S, Andrews DMK, Wolfe MS. 2017. Evaluating the impact of the U.S. National Toxicology Program: a case study on hexavalent chromium. Environ Health Perspect 125:181–188; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/EHP21 PMID:27483499
Laser-induced autofluorescence-based objective evaluation of burn tissue repair in mice.

PubMed

Rathnakar, Bharath; Rao, Bola Sadashiva Satish; Prabhu, Vijendra; Chandra, Subhash; Mahato, Krishna Kishore

2018-05-01

Management of burn injuries are a growing concern, especially in determining the progression of healing. Several techniques are being practiced in clinics and have been considered all-time standard approaches to determine pre- and post-treatment outcomes of a healthy healing. However, these kinds of methods involve repeated biopsies and thereby hindering tissue repair. In view of this, our perspective was to develop a non-invasive tool in an attempt to provide a solution to determine the progression of healing, in vivo. Hence, the present study was designed to investigate the ability of laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) to monitor the variations in collagen intensity at various time points (0, 2, 6, 12, 18, 24, and 30 days) during burn tissue repair in mice, post low-power laser therapy (LPLT). The spectral findings demonstrated a significant change in collagen intensity as observed on day 24 (p < 0.05) and 30 (p < 0.01), when treated with LPLT (830 nm 3 J/cm 2 ) as compared to untreated control. From the observation, it was evident that the LIF could objectively monitor the progression of burn tissue repair in vivo.
Poststroke Shoulder Pain in Turkish Stroke Patients: Relationship with Clinical Factors and Functional Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barlak, Aysegul; Unsal, Sibel; Kaya, Kurtulus; Sahin-Onat, Sule; Ozel, Sumru

2009-01-01

The objective of this study was to assess the possible causes of hemiplegic shoulder pain (HSP) in Turkish patients with stroke, to identify the correlation between HSP and clinical factors, and to review the effects of HSP on functional outcomes. A total of 187 consecutive patients with stroke were evaluated for the presence of HSP and for the…
Assessment of postoperative outcomes of hypospadias repair with validated questionnaires.

PubMed

Liu, Mona M Y; Holland, Andrew J A; Cass, Danny T

2015-12-01

A standardized assessment for the optimal repair of hypospadias remains elusive. This study utilized validated questionnaires to assess the postoperative functional, cosmetic, and psychosocial outcomes of hypospadias repair. 172 patients who underwent hypospadias repair under the care of a single surgeon were identified. 25 agreed for follow-up using the validated questionnaires of Hypospadias Objective Scoring Evaluation (HOSE), Pediatric Penile Perception Scale (PPPS), and Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL™4.0). Mean follow-up was 59months postoperatively (range 7-113months). Techniques used included tubularized incised plate urethroplasty, meatal advancement and glanuloplasty, and a 2-stage repair. 23 of 25 patients achieved a HOSE score of 14 or more (maximum of 16). The PPPS scores correlated with severity of the hypospadias. Those with glanular hypospadias (mean score=10) scored higher than those with coronal (mean score=9) and penile/penoscrotal hypospadias (mean score=7). There was no correlation between PedsQL™4.0 scores and the severity of hypospadias or procedure used. Validated questionnaires revealed generally good functional, cosmetic, and early psychosocial outcomes after hypospadias repair. The use of validated questionnaires in routine follow-up sessions may facilitate objective assessment of both functional outcomes and patient satisfaction. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Process Predictors of the Outcome of Group Drug Counseling

PubMed Central

Crits-Christoph, Paul; Johnson, Jennifer E.; Gibbons, Mary Beth Connolly; Gallop, Robert

2012-01-01

Objective This study examined the relation of process variables to the outcome of group drug counseling, a commonly used community treatment, for cocaine dependence. Method Videotaped group drug counseling sessions from 440 adult patients (23% female, 41% minority) were rated for member alliance, group cohesion, participation, self-disclosure, positive and non-positive feedback and advice, during the 6-month treatment of cocaine dependence. Average, session-level, and slopes of process scores were evaluated. Primary outcomes were monthly cocaine use (days using out of 30), next session cocaine use, and duration of sustained abstinence from cocaine. Secondary outcomes were endorsement of 12-step philosophy and beliefs about substance abuse. Results More positive alliances (with counselor) were associated with reductions in days using cocaine per month and next-session cocaine use, and increases in endorsement of 12-step philosophy. Patient self-disclosure about the past and degree of participation in the group were generally not predictive of group drug counseling outcomes. More advice from counselor and other group members were consistently associated with poorer outcomes in all categories. Individual differences in changes in process variables over time (linear slopes) were generally not predictive of treatment outcomes. Conclusions Some group behaviors widely believed to be associated with outcome, such as self-disclosure and participation, were not generally predictive of outcomes of group drug counseling, but alliance with the group counselor was positively associated, and advice giving negatively associated, with the outcome of treatments for cocaine dependence. PMID:23106760
Treatment of large posttraumatic tibial bone defects using the Ilizarov method: a subjective outcome assessment.

PubMed

Krappinger, Dietmar; Irenberger, Alexander; Zegg, Michael; Huber, Burkhart

2013-06-01

The treatment of large posttraumatic tibial bone defects using the Ilizarov method was shown to be successful in several studies. These studies, however, typically focus on the radiological and functional outcome using objective parameters only. The aim of the present study was therefore to assess the objective and subjective outcome of a consecutive series of patients with large posttraumatic tibial bone defects using the Ilizarov method. Additionally, it was our goal to assess the physical and mental stress for the patients and their relatives during the long treatment period and the general health status at final follow-up. A consecutive series of 15 patients with posttraumatic tibial bone defects of >30 mm after sustaining open tibial fractures and failure of internal fixation was included. The objective outcome was assessed at final follow-up using Paley's criteria. For the assessment of the subjective outcome, all patients were asked to evaluate their satisfaction with the function of the lower leg, the cosmetic appearance and overall outcome as well. The physical and mental stress of the treatment for the patients and the nearest relative of patients were assessed at the time of frame removal using a custom-made questionnaire. The SF-36 was used to evaluate the general health status at final follow-up. Solid bone union with stable soft tissue coverage and eradication of infection was achieved in all patients despite a high complication rate. The functional outcome at final follow-up was excellent or good in all patients. The patients' satisfaction with the overall outcome and the function of the lower extremity was high as well. The fear of amputation and complications was the major subjective burden for both the patients and their relatives. The long external fixation time is another relevant issue. The Ilizarov method is a safe option for the treatment of large posttraumatic tibial bone defects after failure of internal fixation despite the high
Moving Toward Evidence-Based Federal Healthy Start Program Evaluations: Accounting for Bias in Birth Outcomes Studies

PubMed Central

Raffo, Jennifer E.; VanderMeulen, Peggy; Roman, Lee Anne

2014-01-01

We used administrative and screening data from 2009 to 2010 to determine if Healthy Start (HS), an enhanced prenatal services program, is reaching the most vulnerable African American women in Kent County, Michigan. Women in HS are at higher risk of key predictors of birth outcomes compared with other women. To advance toward evidence-based HS program evaluations in the absence of randomized controlled trials, future studies using comparison groups need to appropriately establish baseline equivalence on a variety of risk factors related to birth outcomes. PMID:24354826
Indigenous traditional knowledge and substance abuse treatment outcomes: the problem of efficacy evaluation.

PubMed

Gone, Joseph P

2012-09-01

In the field of substance abuse treatment, American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities have routinely incorporated ceremonial practices as one important component in the promotion of recovery and healing. The beneficial effects of such practices are frequently described as plainly apparent by community-based advocates, providers, and professionals alike. In the present era of evidence-based substance abuse intervention, however, indigenous integration of such practices raises questions pertaining to the systematic evaluation of treatment efficacy. The focus of this article is outcome evaluation. Although intervention outcome researchers recognize the randomized controlled trial as the "gold standard" against which claims of treatment efficacy are measured, AI/AN efficacy assertions grounded in indigenous traditional knowledge (ITK) reflect different concerns that have emerged in non-Western historical contexts. The interface between scientific and indigenous "ways of knowing" is explored here relative to efficacy claims about substance abuse treatment. Distinguishing features of both scientific knowing and ITK are summarized and compared. ITK has been described as personal and experiential, reflecting the primacy of autonomous individual knowing. In contrast, intervention scientists are skeptical of personal inference as a basis for efficacy evaluation. The evident divergence between these epistemic paradigms can result in potentially contradictory claims. Proper appraisal of the status and relevance of ITK for determining treatment efficacy requires further exploration of these marginalized approaches to knowledge. Intervention scientists who work in AI/AN communities should remain open to the legitimacy and role of ITKs in investigations of substance abuse treatment.
Action Research Networks: Role and Purpose in the Evaluation of Research Outcomes and Impacts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zornes, Deborah; Ferkins, Lesley; Piggot-Irvine, Eileen

2016-01-01

The focus of this paper is to share thinking about networks in action research (AR) and to consider their role, purpose, and how networks' outcomes and impacts might be evaluated. Networks are often a by-product of AR projects, yet research focused on the network itself as part of a project is rare. The paper is one of several associated with the…
Integrating empowerment evaluation and quality improvement to achieve healthcare improvement outcomes.

PubMed

Wandersman, Abraham; Alia, Kassandra Ann; Cook, Brittany; Ramaswamy, Rohit

2015-10-01

While the body of evidence-based healthcare interventions grows, the ability of health systems to deliver these interventions effectively and efficiently lags behind. Quality improvement approaches, such as the model for improvement, have demonstrated some success in healthcare but their impact has been lessened by implementation challenges. To help address these challenges, we describe the empowerment evaluation approach that has been developed by programme evaluators and a method for its application (Getting To Outcomes (GTO)). We then describe how GTO can be used to implement healthcare interventions. An illustrative healthcare quality improvement example that compares the model for improvement and the GTO method for reducing hospital admissions through improved diabetes care is described. We conclude with suggestions for integrating GTO and the model for improvement. 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.
The equity dimension in evaluations of the quality and outcomes framework: a systematic review.

PubMed

Boeckxstaens, Pauline; Smedt, Delphine De; Maeseneer, Jan De; Annemans, Lieven; Willems, Sara

2011-08-31

Pay-for-performance systems raise concerns regarding inequity in health care because providers might select patients for whom targets can easily be reached. This paper aims to describe the evolution of pre-existing (in)equity in health care in the period after the introduction of the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) in the UK and to describe (in)equities in exception reporting. In this evaluation, a theory-based framework conceptualising equity in terms of equal access, equal treatment and equal treatment outcomes for people in equal need is used to guide the work. A systematic MEDLINE and Econlit search identified 317 studies. Of these, 290 were excluded because they were not related to the evaluation of QOF, they lacked an equity dimension in the evaluation, their qualitative research focused on experiences or on the nature of the consultation, or unsuitable methodology was used to pronounce upon equity after the introduction of QOF. None of the publications (n = 27) assessed equity in access to health care. Concerning equity in treatment and (intermediate) treatment outcomes, overall quality scores generally improved. For the majority of the observed indicators, all citizens benefit from this improvement, yet the extent to which different patient groups benefit tends to vary and to be highly dependent on the type and complexity of the indicator(s) under study, the observed patient group(s) and the characteristics of the study. In general, the introduction of QOF was favourable for the aged and for males. Total QOF scores did not seem to vary according to ethnicity. For deprivation, small but significant residual differences were observed after the introduction of QOF favouring less deprived groups. These differences are mainly due to differences at the practice level. The variance in exception reporting according to gender and socio-economic position is low. Although QOF seems not to be socially selective at first glance, this does not mean QOF does not
The equity dimension in evaluations of the quality and outcomes framework: A systematic review

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Pay-for-performance systems raise concerns regarding inequity in health care because providers might select patients for whom targets can easily be reached. This paper aims to describe the evolution of pre-existing (in)equity in health care in the period after the introduction of the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) in the UK and to describe (in)equities in exception reporting. In this evaluation, a theory-based framework conceptualising equity in terms of equal access, equal treatment and equal treatment outcomes for people in equal need is used to guide the work. Methods A systematic MEDLINE and Econlit search identified 317 studies. Of these, 290 were excluded because they were not related to the evaluation of QOF, they lacked an equity dimension in the evaluation, their qualitative research focused on experiences or on the nature of the consultation, or unsuitable methodology was used to pronounce upon equity after the introduction of QOF. Results None of the publications (n = 27) assessed equity in access to health care. Concerning equity in treatment and (intermediate) treatment outcomes, overall quality scores generally improved. For the majority of the observed indicators, all citizens benefit from this improvement, yet the extent to which different patient groups benefit tends to vary and to be highly dependent on the type and complexity of the indicator(s) under study, the observed patient group(s) and the characteristics of the study. In general, the introduction of QOF was favourable for the aged and for males. Total QOF scores did not seem to vary according to ethnicity. For deprivation, small but significant residual differences were observed after the introduction of QOF favouring less deprived groups. These differences are mainly due to differences at the practice level. The variance in exception reporting according to gender and socio-economic position is low. Conclusions Although QOF seems not to be socially selective at first

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Sample records for objective outcome evaluation

Abstract