Videoconferencing and telementoring about dementia care: evaluation of a pilot model for sharing scarce old age psychiatry resources.

PubMed

Doyle, Colleen; Jackson, David; Loi, Samantha; Malta, Sue; Moore, Kirsten

2016-09-01

While videoconferencing, telementoring, and peer support have been shown to enhance services in some instances, there has been no research investigating the use of these technologies in supporting professionals managing clients with dementia. The objective of this research was to evaluate expansion of an old age psychiatry consultation service and pilot test a model to improve medical supervision and clinical governance for staff within regional and remote areas using remote information technology. The design was a mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative) evaluation using before, mid-point and post-implementation semi-structured interviews and questionnaires to examine orientation, acceptance, and impact underpinned by theoretical approaches to evaluation. Education evaluations used a Likert style response template. Participants were 18 dementia service staff, including staff from linked services and old age psychiatrists. Qualitative interviews addressed the pilot implementation including: expectations, experiences, strategies for improving the pilot, and perceived impact on work practice and professional development opportunities. There was high satisfaction with the program. The case conference process contributed to perceived improved outcomes for clients, family, and staff. Clinicians perceived improvement in family carer and staff carer stress and their confidence in managing clients with behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). Thematic analysis indicated that the pilot enhanced professional development, decreased travel time, and improved team cohesion. Given the increasing aging population in regional, rural, and remote areas, initiatives using videoconferencing and telementoring will help to develop a confident and skilled workforce. This pilot program was found to be acceptable and feasible. Potential benefits for clients and family carers should be examined in future resesarch.

The ESA Space Weather Applications Pilot Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glover, A.; Hilgers, A.; Daly, E.

Following the completion in 2001 of two parallel studies to consider the feasibility of a European Space Weather Programme ESA embarked upon a space weather pilot study with the goal of prototyping European space weather services and assessing the overall market for such within Europe This pilot project centred on a number of targeted service development activities supported by a common infrastructure and making use of only existing space weather assets Each service activity included clear participation from at least one identified service user who was requested to provide initial requirements and regular feedback during the operational phase of the service These service activities are now reaching the end of their 2-year development and testing phase and are now accessible each with an element of the service in the public domain see http www esa-spaceweathet net swenet An additional crucial element of the study was the inclusion of a comprehensive and independent analysis of the benefits both economic and strategic of embarking on a programme which would include the deployment of an infrastructure with space-based elements The results of this study will be reported together with their implication for future coordinated European activities in this field

Airline Transport Pilot, Aircraft Dispatcher, and Flight Navigator Knowledge Test Guide

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1995-01-01

The Flight Standards Service of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has developed this guide to help applicants meet the knowledge requirements for airline transport pilot, aircraft dispatcher, and flight navigator certification. This guide con...

SHINE: Strategic Health Informatics Networks for Europe.

PubMed

Kruit, D; Cooper, P A

1994-10-01

The mission of SHINE is to construct an open systems framework for the development of regional community healthcare telematic services that support and add to the strategic business objectives of European healthcare providers and purchasers. This framework will contain a Methodology, that identifies healthcare business processes and develops a supporting IT strategy, and the Open Health Environment. This consists of an architecture and information standards that are 'open' and will be available to any organisation wishing to construct SHINE conform regional healthcare telematic services. Results are: generic models, e.g., regional healthcare business networks, IT strategies; demonstrable, e.g., pilot demonstrators, application and service prototypes; reports, e.g., SHINE Methodology, pilot specifications & evaluations; proposals, e.g., service/interface specifications, standards conformance.

Developing Emotional Literacy through Individual Dance Movement Therapy: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meekums, Bonnie

2008-01-01

This paper reports a pragmatic mixed methods pilot study of teacher perceptions regarding a school-based Dance Movement therapy (DMT) service for six children aged four to seven in a North of England primary school. No previous studies have systematically evaluated DMT in terms of the development of Emotional Literacy (EL), though theoretical…

Implementation of the Louisiana ADD Law.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pounders, Mickey

Louisiana's state education agency (SEA) was mandated to provide appropriate services for children with attention deficit disorders, by developing statewide training for representatives from public school districts and by selecting and implementing four pilot programs. The SEA implemented the pilot programs, provided an informational training…

Emergency medical service (EMS): A unique flight environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shively, R. Jay

1993-01-01

The EMS flight environment is unique in today's aviation. The pilots must respond quickly to emergency events and often fly to landing zones where they have never been before . The time from initially receiving a call to being airborne can be as little as two to three minutes. Often the EMS pilot is the only aviation professional on site, they have no operations people or other pilots to aid them in making decisons. Further, since they are often flying to accident scenes, not airports, there is often complete weather and condition information. Therefore, the initial decision that the pilot must make, accepting or declining a flight, can become very difficult. The accident rate of EMS helicopters has been relatively high over the past years. NASA-Ames research center has taken several steps in an attempt to aid EMS pilots in their decision making and situational awareness. A preflight risk assessment system (SAFE) was developed to aid pilots in their decision making, and was tested at an EMS service. The resutls of the study were promising and a second version incorporating the lessons learned is under development. A second line of research was the development of a low cost electronic chart display (ECD). This is a digital map display to help pilots maintain geographical orientation. Another thrust was undertaken in conjunction with the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS). This involved publicizing the ASRS to EMS pilots and personnel, and calling each of the reporters back to gather additional information. This paper will discuss these efforts and how they may positively impact the safety of EMS operations.

The Flexible Services Development Project 1991. Interim Status Report = Le programme d'elaboration de services adaptables 1991. Rapport d'activite interimaire.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services, Toronto.

This document reports on 13 pilot projects of the Flexible Services Development Project (FSDP), which was initiated in Ontario, Canada, in 1988 to improve child care services for rural families, families with unusual work schedules, families facing short-term emergencies, and families with children who have short-term illnesses. The data and…

Studies in Ambulatory Care Quality Assessment in the Indian Health Service. Volume III: Comparison of Rural Private Practice, Health Maintenance Organizations, and the Indian Health Service.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nutting, Paul A.; And Others

Utilizing a quality assessment methodology for ambulatory patient care currently under development by the Indian Health Service's (IHS) Office of Research and Development, comparisons were made between results derived from a pilot test in IHS service units, 2 metropolitan Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO), and 3 rural private practices.…

A Pilot Study for Gainful Employment in Home Economics. Final Report. Volume I.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cozine, June; And Others

The major purpose of the study was to develop and test curriculum materials for three entry level gainful employment courses: Child Care Services, Clothing Services, Food Services. A second objective was to formulate recommendations for policies and procedures to follow in initiating and developing gainful employment programs in home economics.…

The Out of Service Guest Pilot Evaluation of the Two-segment Noise Abatement Approach in the Boeing B727-200

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nylen, W. E.

1974-01-01

Guest pilot evaluation results of an approach profile modification for reducing ground level noise under the approach of jet aircraft runways are reported. Evaluation results were used to develop a two segmented landing approach procedure and equipment necessary to obtain pilot, airline, and FAA acceptance of the two segmented flight as a routine way of operating aircraft on approach and landing. Data are given on pilot workload and acceptance of the procedure.

Development and Pilot Testing of a Food Safety Curriculum for Managers and Staff of Residential Childcare Institutions (RCCIs)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pivarnik, Lori F.; Patnoad, Martha S.; Nyachuba, David; McLandsborough, Lynne; Couto, Stephen; Hagan, Elsina E.; Breau, Marti

2013-01-01

Food safety training materials, targeted for residential childcare institution (RCCI) staff of facilities of 20 residents or less, were developed, piloted, and evaluated. The goal was to assist in the implementation of a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP)-based food safety plan as required by Food and Nutrition Service/United States…

An evaluation of an employment pilot to support forensic mental health service users into work and vocational activities.

PubMed

Samele, Chiara; Forrester, Andrew; Bertram, Mark

2018-02-01

Few employment programmes exist to support forensic service users with severe mental health problems and a criminal history. Little is known about how best to achieve this. The Employment and Social Inclusion Project (ESIP) was developed and piloted to support forensic service users into employment and vocational activities. This pilot service evaluation aimed to assess the number of service users who secured employment/vocational activities and explored services users' and staff experiences. Quantitative data were collected to record the characteristics of participating service users and how many secured employment and engaged in vocational activities. Eighteen qualitative interviews were conducted with service users and staff. Fifty-seven service users engaged with the project, most were men (93.0%) and previously employed (82.5%). Four service users (7.0%) secured paid competitive employment. Eight (14.0%) gained other paid employment. Tailored one-to-one support to increase skills and build confidence was an important feature of the project. Creation of a painting and decorating programme offered training and paid/flexible work. This exploratory project achieved some success in assisting forensic service users into paid employment. Further research to identify what works well for this important group will be of great value.

Development and evaluation of a wheelchair service provision training of trainers programme

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Background In many countries, availability of basic training and continued professional development programmes in wheelchair services is limited. Therefore, many health professionals lack access to formal training opportunities and new approaches to improve wheelchair service provision. To address this need, the World Health Organization (WHO) developed the WHO Wheelchair Service Training of Trainers Programme (WSTPt), aiming to increase the number of trainers who are well prepared to deliver the WHO Wheelchair Service Training Packages. Despite these efforts, there was no recognised method to prepare trainers to facilitate these training programmes in a standardised manner. Objectives To understand if the WSTPt is an effective mechanism to train aspiring wheelchair service provision trainers. Method An action research study was conducted using a mixed-methods approach to data collection and analysis to integrate feedback from questionnaires and focus groups from three WHO WSTPt pilots. Results Trainees were satisfied with the WHO WSTPt and the iterative process appears to have helped to improve each subsequent pilot and the final training package. Conclusion The WHO WSTPt is an effective mechanism to train wheelchair service provision trainers. This programme has potential to increase the number of trainees and may increase the number of qualified service providers. PMID:28936423

EarthConnections: Integrating Community Science and Geoscience Education Pathways for More Resilient Communities.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manduca, C. A.

2017-12-01

To develop a diverse geoscience workforce, the EarthConnections collective impact alliance is developing regionally focused, Earth education pathways. These pathways support and guide students from engagement in relevant, Earth-related science at an early age through the many steps and transitions to geoscience-related careers. Rooted in existing regional activities, pathways are developed using a process that engages regional stakeholders and community members with EarthConnections partners. Together they connect, sequence, and create multiple learning opportunities that link geoscience education and community service to address one or more local geoscience issues. Three initial pilots are demonstrating different starting points and strategies for creating pathways that serve community needs while supporting geoscience education. The San Bernardino pilot is leveraging existing academic relationships and programs; the Atlanta pilot is building into existing community activities; and the Oklahoma Tribal Nations pilot is co-constructing a pathway focus and approach. The project is using pathway mapping and a collective impact framework to support and monitor progress. The goal is to develop processes and activities that can help other communities develop similar community-based geoscience pathways. By intertwining Earth education with local community service we aspire to increase the resilience of communities in the face of environmental hazards and limited Earth resources.

Service Matters: Single Service Point as a Collaborative and Professional Learning Initiative for Service Excellence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chauvet, Marianne; Bourbous, Vicki; Liston, Frances

2016-01-01

Changes and innovations in higher education learning and teaching acted as a catalyst for rethinking the way in which service was delivered to library clients at Australian Catholic University. The Single Service Point was piloted at one campus library in 2014 to develop a best practice approach to service delivery. The merging of cultures within…

The development and implementation of a pilot CBT for early psychosis service: achievements and challenges.

PubMed

Perry, Yael; Murrihy, Rachael C; Varlow, Megan; Dedousis-Wallace, Anna; Ellis, Danielle M; Langdon, Robyn; Kidman, Antony D

2015-06-01

Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is a clinically indicated treatment for first-episode psychosis. Despite this, CBT for early psychosis is not routinely available as part of standard mental health services in Australia. The aim of this pilot project was to develop a CBT for early psychosis service to be provided as an adjunct to existing community mental health services. This study examined the feasibility of this service model, delivered in a real-world setting. A secondary aim was to explore the effectiveness of this service, as measured by clinical and functional outcomes. Participants living in northern Sydney, Australia, and who had recently experienced a first episode of psychosis, were offered up to 20 sessions of individual CBT. Service feasibility was measured via attrition rates, therapy attendance and referrer feedback. Measures of psychosis, depression, anxiety and psychosocial functioning, were assessed pretreatment, after six and 12 sessions, and at 3 months post-treatment. Nineteen clients attended treatment to completion. Survey feedback from referrers affirmed the positive impact of the service on clients' recovery. Additionally, clients showed improvements in symptoms of psychosis over the first three time points. Psychosocial functioning also shifted from the moderately to mildly impaired range by the end of treatment. The CBT for early psychosis service has been successfully integrated into the mental health landscape of northern Sydney. Outcomes of this pilot project are discussed with reference to the achievements of the service, as well as the obstacles encountered, and how they were overcome. © 2014 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

76 FR 77716 - Alternate Passenger Rail Service Pilot Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-14

... program that permits a rail carrier or rail carriers that own infrastructure over which Amtrak operates... develops a pilot program that permits a rail carrier or rail carriers that own infrastructure over which... the infrastructure as described in Sec. 269.7 of this final rule. In addition, such information...

A Pilot Study for Gainful Employment in Home Economics. Final Report. Volume IV, A Suggested Curriculum Guide for Preparing Food Service Workers for Entry Level Jobs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cozine, June; And Others

Curriculum guidelines for teacher use in organizing and teaching a course to prepare 11th and 12th grade students for entry level food service occupations were developed as part of a pilot study which is reported in VT 006 870. The 1-year program requires 2 hours daily plus 10 hours per week on-the-job work experience. Content areas are: (1)…

A Pilot Study for Gainful Employment in Home Economics. Final Report. Volume III, A Suggested Curriculum Guide for Preparing Clothing Service Workers for Entry Level Jobs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cozine, June; And Others

Curriculum guidelines for teacher use in organizing and teaching a course to prepare 11th and 12th grade students for entry level clothing service occupations were developed as part of a pilot study which is reported in VT 006 870. The 1-year program requires 2 hours daily; a 1-hour lab experience or on-the-job work experience is suggested for the…

Pilot views of Montgomery County, Texas automated FSS services.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1990-08-01

The Federal Aviation Administration has seldom assessed the satisfaction of pilot "customers," with the services provided by its air traffic facilities. Most available information about pilots' satisfaction with Air Traffic Control (ATC) services is ...

Establishing the value of occupational health nurses' contributions to worker health and safety: a pilot test of a user-friendly estimation tool.

PubMed

Graeve, Catherine; McGovern, Patricia; Nachreiner, Nancy M; Ayers, Lynn

2014-01-01

Occupational health nurses use their knowledge and skills to improve the health and safety of the working population; however, companies increasingly face budget constraints and may eliminate health and safety programs. Occupational health nurses must be prepared to document their services and outcomes, and use quantitative tools to demonstrate their value to employers. The aim of this project was to create and pilot test a quantitative tool for occupational health nurses to track their activities and potential cost savings for on-site occupational health nursing services. Tool developments included a pilot test in which semi-structured interviews with occupational health and safety leaders were conducted to identify currents issues and products used for estimating the value of occupational health nursing services. The outcome was the creation of a tool that estimates the economic value of occupational health nursing services. The feasibility and potential value of this tool is described.

Developing an undue influence screening tool for Adult Protective Services.

PubMed

Quinn, Mary Joy; Nerenberg, Lisa; Navarro, Adria E; Wilber, Kathleen H

2017-03-01

The study purpose was to develop and pilot an undue influence screening tool for California's Adult Protective Services (APS) personnel based on the definition of undue influence enacted into California law January 1, 2014. Methods included four focus groups with APS providers (n = 33), piloting the preliminary tool by APS personnel (n = 15), and interviews with four elder abuse experts and two APS administrators. Social service literature-including existing undue influence models-was reviewed, as were existing screening and assessment tools. Using the information from these various sources, the California Undue Influence Screening Tool (CUIST) was developed. It can be applied to APS cases and potentially adapted for use by other professionals and for use in other states. Implementation of the tool into APS practice, policy, procedures, and training of personnel will depend on the initiative of APS management. Future work will need to address the reliability and validity of CUIST.

Pilot Study to Evaluate Hearing Aid Service Delivery Model and Measure Benefit Using Self-Report Outcome Measures Using Community Hearing Workers in a Developing Country

PubMed Central

Emerson, Lingamdenne Paul; Job, Anand; Abraham, Vinod

2013-01-01

Hearing loss is a major handicap in developing countries with paucity of trained audiologists and limited resources. In this pilot study trained community health workers were used to provide comprehensive hearing aid services in the community. One hundred and eleven patients were fitted with semi-digital hearing aid and were evaluated over a period of six months. They were assessed using self-report outcome measure APHAB. Results show that trained CHWs are effective in detecting disabling hearing loss and in providing HAs. APHAB can identify and pick up significant improvements in communication in daily activities and provides a realistic expectation of the benefits of a hearing aid. The model of using trained CHWs to provide rehabilitative services in audiology along with self-report outcome measures can be replicated in other developing countries. PMID:23724277

Video Relay Service for Signing Deaf - Lessons Learnt from a Pilot Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ponsard, Christophe; Sutera, Joelle; Henin, Michael

The generalization of high speed Internet, efficient compression techniques and low cost hardware have resulted in low cost video communication since the year 2000. For the Deaf community, this enables native communication in sign language and a better communication with hearing people over the phone. This implies that Video Relay Service can take over the old Text Relay Service which is less natural and requires mastering written language. A number of such services have developed throughout the world. The objectives of this paper are to present the experience gained in the Walloon Region of Belgium, to share a number of lessons learnt, and to provide recommendations at the technical, user adoption and political levels. A survey of video relay services around the world is presented together with the feedback from users both before and after using the pilot service.

Service Quality Assessment Scale (SQAS): An Instrument for Evaluating Service Quality of Health-Fitness Clubs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lam, Eddie T. C.; Zhang, James J.; Jensen, Barbara E.

2005-01-01

This study was designed to develop the Service Quality Assessment Scale to evaluate the service quality of health-fitness clubs. Through a review of literature, field observations, interviews, modified application of the Delphi technique, and a pilot study, a preliminary scale with 46 items was formulated. The preliminary scale was administered to…

Durable medical equipment recycling: a pilot program.

PubMed

Wright, Aaron J

2012-01-01

Our unfunded trauma patients often lack the access to adequate health care services and equipment after hospital discharge. We have developed and implemented a pilot program to provide reclaimed durable medical equipment to medically indigent trauma patients. Our program includes the reuse of items such as front-wheeled walkers, bedside commodes, shower chairs, crutches, and canes.

A pilot study to explore the feasibility of using theClinical Care Classification System for developing a reliable costing method for nursing services.

PubMed

Dykes, Patricia C; Wantland, Dean; Whittenburg, Luann; Lipsitz, Stuart; Saba, Virginia K

2013-01-01

While nursing activities represent a significant proportion of inpatient care, there are no reliable methods for determining nursing costs based on the actual services provided by the nursing staff. Capture of data to support accurate measurement and reporting on the cost of nursing services is fundamental to effective resource utilization. Adopting standard terminologies that support tracking both the quality and the cost of care could reduce the data entry burden on direct care providers. This pilot study evaluated the feasibility of using a standardized nursing terminology, the Clinical Care Classification System (CCC), for developing a reliable costing method for nursing services. Two different approaches are explored; the Relative Value Unit RVU and the simple cost-to-time methods. We found that the simple cost-to-time method was more accurate and more transparent in its derivation than the RVU method and may support a more consistent and reliable approach for costing nursing services.

A Telephone Support Program for Adult Day Center Caregivers: Early Indications of Impact

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gendron, Tracey; Pelco, Lynn E.; Pryor, Jennifer; Barsness, Sonya; Seward, Lynne

2013-01-01

The Virginia Commonwealth University/A Grace Place Caregiver Telephone Support Pilot Program was developed as a service-learning experience for graduate students to address the need for family caregiver support services. The Telephone Support Program was developed by the Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Gerontology, in collaboration…

The long term importance of English primary care groups for integration in primary health care and deinstitutionalisation of hospital care.

PubMed

Goodwin, N

2001-01-01

This article reviews the impact of successive experiments in the development of primary care organisations in England and assesses the long-term importance of English primary care groups for the integration of health and community and health and social care and the deinstitutionalisation of hospital care. Governments in a number of Western countries are attempting to improve the efficiency, appropriateness and equity of their health systems. One of the main ways of doing this is to devolve provision and commissioning responsibility from national and regional organisations to more local agencies based in primary care. Such primary care organisations are allocated budgets that span both primary and secondary (hospital) services and also, potentially, social care. This article is based on a systematic review of the literature forthcoming from the UK Government's Department of Health-funded evaluations of successive primary care organisational developments. These include total purchasing pilots, GP commissioning group pilots, personal medical services pilots and primary care groups and trusts. Primary care organisations in England have proved to be a catalyst in facilitating the development of integrated care working between primary and community health services. Conversely, primary care organisations have proved less effective in promoting integration between health and social care agencies where most progress has been made at the strategic commissioning level. The development of primary care trusts in England is heralding an end to traditional community hospitals. The development of primary care groups in England are but an intermediate step of a policy progression towards future primary care-based organisations that will functionally integrate primary and community health services with local authority services under a single management umbrella.

Promoting father involvement in early home visiting services for vulnerable families: Findings from a pilot study of "Dads matter".

PubMed

Guterman, Neil B; Bellamy, Jennifer L; Banman, Aaron

2018-02-01

Despite mounting evidence on the importance of fathers in children's development, evidence-based perinatal home visitation programs have largely overlooked fathers in the design and delivery of services. This paper describes the design, development, and pilot testing of the "Dads Matter" enhancement to standard home visiting services. Dads Matter is a manualized intervention package designed to fully incorporate fathers into perinatal home visiting services. Twenty-four families were enrolled in a pilot study to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary outcomes of the intervention. Using a quasi-experimental time-lagged design, 12 families received standard home visiting services and completed baseline and four-month post-tests. Home visitor staff were then trained and supervised to implement the Dads Matter enhancement in addition to standard services. Twelve additional families were then enrolled and completed baseline and four-month post-tests. Implementation data indicated that Dads Matter was implemented as planned. Cohen's d scores on outcome measures indicate positive trends associated with Dads Matter in the quality of the mother-father relationship, perceived stress reported by both parents, fathers' involvement with the child, maltreatment indicators, and fathers' verbalizations toward the infant. Effect sizes generally ranged from moderate to large in magnitude and were larger than overall effect sizes of home visitation services alone reported in prior meta-analyses. Dads Matter appears to be a feasible, acceptable, and promising approach to improving fathers' engagement in home visiting services and promoting family and child well-being. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

47 CFR 74.785 - Low power TV digital data service pilot project.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Low power TV digital data service pilot project... Power TV, TV Translator, and TV Booster Stations § 74.785 Low power TV digital data service pilot project. Low power TV stations authorized pursuant to the LPTV Digital Data Services Act (Public Law 106...

47 CFR 74.785 - Low power TV digital data service pilot project.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Low power TV digital data service pilot project... Power TV, TV Translator, and TV Booster Stations § 74.785 Low power TV digital data service pilot project. Low power TV stations authorized pursuant to the LPTV Digital Data Services Act (Public Law 106...

Impact of Pharmacists in a Community-Based Home Care Service: A Pilot Program.

PubMed

Walus, Ashley N; Woloschuk, Donna M M

2017-01-01

Historically, pharmacists have not been included on home care teams, despite the fact that home care patients frequently experience medication errors. Literature describing Canadian models of pharmacy practice in home care settings is limited. The optimal service delivery model and distribution of clinical activities for home care pharmacists remain unclear. The primary objective was to describe the impact of a pharmacist based at a community home care office and providing home visits, group education, and telephone consultations. The secondary objective was to determine the utility of acute care clinical pharmacy key performance indicators (cpKPIs) in guiding home care pharmacy services, in the absence of validated cpKPIs for ambulatory care. The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority hired a pharmacist to develop and implement the pilot program from May 2015 to July 2016. A referral form, consisting of consultation criteria used in primary care practices, was developed. The pharmacist also reviewed all patient intakes and all patients waiting in acute care facilities for initiation of home care services, with the goal of addressing issues before admission to the Home Care Program. A password-protected database was built for data collection and analysis, and the data are presented in aggregate. A total of 197 referrals, involving 184 patients, were received during the pilot program; of these, 62 were excluded from analysis. The majority of referrals (95 [70.4%]) were for targeted medication reviews, and 271 drug therapy problems were identified. Acceptance rates for the pharmacist's recommendations were 90.2% (74 of 82 recommendations) among home care staff and 47.0% (55 of 117 recommendations) among prescribers and patients. On average, 1.5 cpKPIs were identified for each referral. The pilot program demonstrated a need for enhanced access to clinical pharmacy services for home care patients, although the best model of service provision remains unclear. More research is warranted to determine the optimal pharmacy service for home care patients and the most appropriate cpKPIs to measure its effects.

Development/Testing of a Monitoring System Assisting MCI Patients: The European Project INLIFE.

PubMed

Kaimakamis, Evangelos; Karavidopoulou, Vaia; Kilintzis, Vassilios; Stefanopoulos, Leandros; Papageorgiou, Valentini

2017-01-01

INLIFE is a project cofounded from the European Union aiming in prolonging independent living of elderly people with cognitive impairment based on open, seamless ICT services supporting communication, daily activities, providing health services and professional care to the elderly. The main innovation stems from ICT solutions offering 19 different services adapted on specific characteristics elderly people with mild cognitive impairment, early and later stages of Dementia, cognitive impairment and co-morbid condition, as well as their formal and informal caregivers. All services have different focus areas and are incorporated into a unified system based on cloud architecture implemented in patients of 6 European countries, including Greece. More than 1200 patients, caregivers and healthcare providers participate in the pilot testing of the project. Primary parameter for assessing the effectiveness of the interventions is their impact on the quality of life of the elderly patients and their caregivers, contributing to prolonging independent living of the affected. A special digital platform has been developed in the Greek pilot site aiming to adapt and monitor all the implemented applications. This includes a medical decision support system that receives biosignals from patients and interaction interfaces in which all participants are involved. Recruitment and patients' participation has already started in the pilot site of Thessaloniki for the services that are to be tested in Greece.

The Road to Tomorrow's Teachers: Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating a State-Based Special Education Workforce Development Initiative. Lessons Learned from the National Pilot Sites Project for Recruitment and Retention. Developing the Special Education Workforce.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Clearinghouse for Professions in Special Education, Arlington, VA.

This document describes the National Pilot Sites Project for Recruitment and Retention, an effort to recruit, prepare, and retain highly qualified diverse educators and related services personnel for children and youth with disabilities by involving multiple stakeholder groups within selected states (Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, New Jersey, Oregon,…

How Prepared Are Our Pre-Service Teachers to Integrate Technology? A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sweeney, Trudy; Drummond, Aaron

2013-01-01

This study examines pre-service teachers' technological, pedagogical and content knowledge and the relationships between the factors influencing the development of this knowledge. It concludes with a discussion about the major implications of these findings for the improvement of pre-service teacher education courses. The participants were…

Social Service Aide Project. Summary Reports and Proposals.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago, IL. Career Options Research and Development (CORD).

The Social Service Aide Project for the training and education of paraprofessionals is a part of the Career Options Research and Development Project of the Young Men's Christian Association of Chicago. These materials include: (1) "A Report of Pilot A Social Service Aide Program: Phase I and II (September 1969-August 1970)," (2)…

Here, There, and Everywhere: Reference at the Point-of-Need.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trump, Judith F.; Tuttle, Ian P.

2001-01-01

Growing numbers of libraries are experimenting with a new form of interactive reference to extend service to their patrons at the point-of-need and time-of-need. Examines digital reference for the altered user culture and point-of-need service products. Describes a pilot project offering chat reference service. Discuses developing service…

Development and pilot evaluation of a clinic-based mHealth app referral service to support adult cancer survivors increase their participation in physical activity using publicly available mobile apps.

PubMed

Short, Camille E; Finlay, Amy; Sanders, Ilea; Maher, Carol

2018-01-16

Participation in regular physical activity holds key benefits for cancer survivors, yet few cancer survivors meet physical activity recommendations. This study aimed to develop and pilot test a mHealth app referral service aimed at assisting cancer survivors to increase their physical activity. In particular, the study sought to examine feasibility and acceptability of the service and determine preliminary efficacy for physical activity behaviour change. A systematic search identified potentially appropriate Apple (iOS) and Android mHealth apps. The apps were audited regarding the type of physical activity encouraged, evidence-based behavioural strategies and other characteristics, to help match apps to users' preferences and characteristics. A structured service was devised to deliver the apps and counselling, comprising two face-to-face appointments with a mid-week phone or email check-up. The mHealth app referral service was piloted using a pre-post design among 12 cancer survivors. Participants' feedback regarding the service's feasibility and acceptability was sought via purpose-designed questionnaire, and analysed using inductive thematic analysis and descriptive statistics. Change in physical activity was assessed using a valid and reliable self-report tool and analysed using paired t-tests. In line with recommendations for pilot studies, confidence intervals and effect sizes were reported to aid interpretation of clinical significance, with an alpha of 0.2 used to denote statistical significance. Of 374 mHealth apps identified during the systematic search, 54 progressed to the audit (iOS = 27, Android = 27). The apps consistently scored well for aesthetics, engagement and functionality, and inconsistently for gamification, social and behaviour change features. Ten participants completed the pilot evaluation and provided positive feedback regarding the service's acceptability and feasibility. On average, participants increased their moderate-vigorous physical activity by 236 min per week (d = 0.73; 95% CI = -49 to 522; p = 0.09). This study offered initial evidence that a mHealth app referral service for cancer survivors is feasible and acceptable and may increase physical activity levels. The large increase in physical activity is promising, but should be interpreted with caution given the small sample size and lack of control group. Further research is warranted on a larger scale to investigate generalisability, long-term compliance and application in clinical settings.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Non-Cognitive Assessment Instrument

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Di Tommaso, Kathrynn

2016-01-01

This paper presents a pilot study aiming to evaluate the effects of a non-cognitive assessment instrument which was developed and tailored for a community college in the New York City area. The instrument was pilot tested on a group of developmental students and asked a series of questions to determine the campus support services that might best…

Affective Education in the Primary Grade Levels: A Pilot Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stilwell, William E.; Barclay, James R.

This report describes a 12-week pilot phase of an affective education program in the Stuttgart School District, Arkansas. Participating in the program were 218 children, grades 2-4, and a team of nineteen teachers who were given 12 weeks of in-service training designed to facilitate their use of the DUSO, Focus on Self-Development Human…

Developing Successful Collaborative Working Practices for Children with Speech and Language Difficulties: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paradice, Ruth; Bailey-Wood, Nicola; Davies, Kate; Solomon, Marion

2007-01-01

The importance of collaborative practice between those who provide services to children with special educational needs is now regarded as essential and is supported strongly by the UK government. However, joint working is often difficult to implement, despite the goodwill of all involved. This paper describes a pilot study aimed at developing…

National Park Service's Alternative Transportation Program : Pilot Data Collection Summary and Future Recommendations.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-03-31

In the summer of 2002 an interagency, multi-disciplinary team was formed to develop a plan for defining and collecting performance data needed for better managing the National Park Services (NPS) Alternative Transportation Program (ATP). Members o...

Feasibility and Preliminary Outcomes From a Pilot Study of an Integrated Health-Mental Health Promotion Program in School Mental Health Services

PubMed Central

George, Melissa W.; Trumpeter, Nevelyn N.; Wilson, Dawn K.; McDaniel, Heather L.; Schiele, Bryn; Prinz, Ron; Weist, Mark D.

2014-01-01

The prevalence of unmet health and mental health needs among youth has spurred the growing consensus to develop strategies that integrate services to promote overall well-being. This pilot study reports on the feasibility and outcomes of a theory-driven, family-focused, integrated health-mental health promotion program for underserved adolescents receiving school mental health services. Parent and adolescent assessments conducted prior to and following the brief, 6-session promotion program showed significant improvements in family support, youth self-efficacy, health behaviors, and mental health outcomes. Clinician reports contributed to a characterization of the feasibility, acceptability, and future recommendations for the integrated program. PMID:24297005

Space Applications in Support of Future Urban Development in Armenia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alhaddad, Bahaaeddin; Reppucci, Antonio; Moreno, Laura

2016-08-01

The fast growing of some cities has produced important changes in the urban sectors not always following sustainability criteria. As results, most urban growth falls outside formal planning controls and many cities suffer poor urban services management, traffic, and congestion, loss of green areas, poor air quality, and noise. The main advantages of satellite-based EO products are to support the decision-making process, and the development and operation of smart services. Satellite-based urban morphology analysis can help to identify the transformation of the urban development and evolution. The pilot presented here is a demonstration in the framework of the collaboration between ESA and ADB, called EOTAP "Earth Observation for a Transforming Asia Pacific". Aim of the pilot is to exploit satellite Earth observation data for sustainable growth and help preparing a series of city development and investment plans.

Debating personal health budgets

PubMed Central

Alakeson, Vidhya; Boardman, Jed; Boland, Billy; Crimlisk, Helen; Harrison, Charlotte; Iliffe, Steve; Khan, Masood; O'Shea, Rory; Patterson, Janet

2016-01-01

Personal health budgets (PHBs) were piloted in the National Health Service (NHS) in England between 2009 and 2012 and were found to have greater positive effects on quality of life and psychological well-being for those with mental health problems than commissioned service, as well as reducing their use of unplanned care. The government intends to extend PHBs in England for long-term conditions, including mental health, from April 2015. Given the importance of engaging clinicians in the next phase of PHB development, we provide an overview of the approach, synthesise the evidence from the national pilot and debate some of the opportunities and challenges. Balancing individual choice and recovery with concerns for risk, equity and the sustainability of existing community services is the central tension underpinning this innovation in mental health service delivery. PMID:26958358

Evaluation of a pilot service to facilitate discharge of patients with stable long-term mental health needs from secondary to primary care: the role of Primary Care Mental Health Specialists.

PubMed

Hamilton-West, Kate; Hotham, Sarah; Yang, Wei; Hedayioglu, Julie; Brigden, Charlotte

2017-07-01

Aim We aimed to evaluate a pilot service to facilitate discharge of patients with stable long-term mental health needs from secondary to primary care. Patients with stable long-term mental health conditions are often not discharged from secondary mental health services when no longer needed due to insufficient systems and processes to enable safe, effective, recovery-focussed treatment and support. The Primary Care Mental Health Specialist (PCMHS) Service was developed to address this gap; new PCMHS posts were introduced to act as a conduit for patients being discharged from secondary care and a single point of referral back into secondary care, should it be required. The two-year pilot, across six Clinical Commissioning Groups in South East England, began in March 2013. Interviews were conducted with all PCMHS employed in the pilot service (n=13) and a sample of service users (n=12). The views of professionals working alongside the service, including GPs, Psychiatrists and Mental Health Nurses, were captured using a brief online questionnaire (n=50). Time and Activity Recording Sheets were used to capture data required for economic analysis. Findings Our findings indicate that the service is working well from the perspective of patients; staff employed within the service and professionals working alongside the service. Patients described the service as a 'safety net' they could fall back on in case of difficulties, whereas staff used the analogy of a 'bridge' to describe the way the service improved communication and collaboration between the various professionals and organisations involved in the patient's care. Improvements in well-being were seen to result from increased support for those transitioning from secondary to primary care, a more pro-active approach to relapse prevention and increased engagement in daily activities. Each PCMHS covered 36 patients in a one-month period, with a unit cost of £73.01 per patient.

Providing Digital Transit Information to Park Visitors: National Park Service GTFS Pilot

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-01-13

This presentation provides an overview of the National Park Service General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) pilot. This presentation introduces GTFS and outlines preliminary insights into the pilot.

Prioritizing health technologies in a Primary Care Trust.

PubMed

Wilson, Edward; Sussex, Jon; Macleod, Christine; Fordham, Richard

2007-04-01

In the English National Health Service (NHS), Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) are responsible for commissioning health-care services on behalf of their populations. As resources are finite, decisions are required as to which services best fulfil population needs. Evidence on effectiveness varies in quality and availability. Nevertheless, decisions still have to be made. We report the development and pilot application of a multi-criteria prioritization mechanism in an English PCT, capable of accommodating a wide variety of evidence to rank six service developments. The mechanism proved valuable in assisting prioritization decisions and feedback was positive. Two community-based interventions were expected to save money in the long term and were ranked at the top of the list. Based on weighted benefit score and cost, two preventive programmes were ranked third and fourth. Finally, two National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)-approved interventions were ranked fifth and sixth. Sensitivity analysis revealed overlap in benefit scores for some of the interventions, representing diversity of opinion among the scoring panel. The method appears to be a practical approach to prioritization for commissioners of health care, but the pilot also revealed interesting divergences in relative priority between nationally mandated service developments and local health-care priorities.

Call Us: Development of a Library Telephone Enquiry Service

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burke, Liz; Beranek, Lea

2006-01-01

The authors detail the trial and piloting of a telephone enquiry service (TES) at the Bundoora Campus Library at La Trobe University in order to attempt to resolve the balance between telephone and face-to-face enquiries at the library service desk. They investigated various options throughout 2001 and 2002 and settled on a centralised service…

Developing a Pilot Program to Embed Service-Learning in the Curriculum of a Christian Liberal Arts College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frawley, Rebecca Glenn

2013-01-01

Since equipping students for service to God and others is either an implicit or explicit element of the mission statement of every Christ-centered college and university, academic officers at such institutions should give serious consideration to making service-learning one of their regular pedagogical strategies. This paper presents the…

Learning to listen: improving students' communication with disabled people.

PubMed

Anderson, Elizabeth Susan; Ford, Jenny; Thorpe, Lucy

2011-01-01

This report outlines the action research used to develop a workshop for interprofessional student groups to enhance listening skills. The project aimed to enable students to reflect interprofessionally on the human factors central to effective communication using the power of storytelling by disabled people and their carers. Qualitative data from students and participating service users were collected using focus groups and one-to-one interviews over three pilot cycles. The results from each pilot informed the cyclical development of the project so that each stage of data collection informed the next stage. During the pilots, 20 interviews with service users were completed and a total of 109 students participated. Transcribed data were analysed using principles from grounded theory. Quantitative scored questions on students' learning were analysed using statistical package for the social sciences. Both students (health and social care) and users benefitted from the education process which delivered highly relevant explicit learning opportunities, with analysis of how to improve communication for safe practice. Students benefitted from meaningful interactions with service users who shared their experiences and gave feedback on students' communication skills. The final workshop design resulted in a learning model which reflects the human side of healthcare delivery.

ASK Talks with William Readdy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

An interview with William Readdy is presented.Rsaddy graduated From the United States Naval Academy in 1974. After eleven years service as a naval aviator and test pilot, he joined NASA in 1986 as a research pilot. His technical assignments to date have included Training and Safety Officer, Orbiter project staff; NASA Director of Operations in Star City, Russia; and Space Shuttle Program Development Manager.

CAPITATION IN HEALTHCARE FINANCING IN GHANA.

PubMed

Aboagye, A Q Q

2013-05-01

To analyse implementation of the pilot study of the per capita system of healthcare financing in Ghana in 2012 for a determination of the likelihood of realising the inherent theoretical benefits when the system is rolled out nationally. First, publicly available information on how the pilot unfolded is presented, followed by the reaction of the health authorities to these developments. We then analysed accrued evidence on costs and developments vis-à-vis the theoretical benefits. It would appear that preparation for the pilot exercise could have been handled better. Concerns include i) the low level of both education and awareness of the capitation system among healthcare subscribers and primary care providers; ii) confusion about service provider to whom subscribers had been assigned for the capitation period; and iii) service providers not understanding differences between capitation financing and financing under the Ghana diagnostic Related Grouping; and iv) some indication of cost savings. Cost savings may be available nationally. This is important because cost containment is the driving force behind the introduction of the capitation system.

The provision of mental health services on Long Island college campuses: a pilot study.

PubMed

Sanders, Lorraine B

2007-01-01

College students, often away from home for the first time, are at risk for mental health disorders that can affect academic performance and quality of life. The purpose of this pilot study was to describe the provision of mental health services to students attending colleges on Long Island, NY and to explore information about the policies developed in regards to disclosing mental health information to a student's family in the event of crisis. A descriptive questionnaire was developed for the purpose of this study. Qualified professionals are providing mental health services to students on Long Island college campuses but few policies exist to enhance communication in the event of crisis. Nurses employed in college health centers can work with students and families towards health-promoting behaviors and to proactively plan for the management of health information in the event of a mental health crisis.

Retention challenge facing Australia's rural community mental health services: Service managers' perspectives.

PubMed

Cosgrave, Catherine; Hussain, Rafat; Maple, Myfanwy

2015-10-01

This paper aims to contribute to the development of a more sustainable Australian rural community mental health workforce by comparing the findings from a literature search investigating impacting factors on retention with the experiences of community mental health service managers running services in rural Australia. Semi-structured interviews. Public health sector, rural New South Wales. Five community mental health managers, running services in rural Australia. Interviews were undertaken as a pilot for a broader qualitative study investigating factors influencing the decision to stay or leave among community mental health professionals working in rural positions. The purpose of undertaking this pilot study was to test for validity and relevance of the retention phenomena and help inform the research design for the main study. Three key retention focussed themes were identified: (i) Staffing is a persistent challenge; (ii) Small remote towns pose the biggest challenge; and (iii) The decision to stay or leave is complex and multifactorial. The findings of this pilot study support previous research and contribute to the understanding of influences on retention among health professionals working in rural community mental health services. Importantly, those who have worked for several years in rural positions hold important information through which to explore factors that impact retention in rural and remote regions. © 2015 National Rural Health Alliance Inc.

Prevocational Services: A Resource for Enhancing a Functional Academic Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Jerry; Thompson, Elizabeth M.

2005-01-01

Developing appropriate prevocational services for students with visual impairments and additional severe disabilities presents a challenge. A recent pilot transition program acknowledged this difficulty by deciding that "the inclusion of students, who require an extraordinary amount of individual attention to learn skills, would detract from…

Going Prime Time with Live Chat Reference.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoag, Tara J.; Cichanowicz, Edana McCaffrey

2001-01-01

Describes the development of the Suffolk Cooperative Library System's live, online chat reference service, a pilot project for public libraries in Suffolk County (New York). Topics include chat software selection; a virtual reference collection; marketing; funding; staffing; evaluation; expanded hours of service; email; and extracting data from…

Grid workflow job execution service 'Pilot'

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shamardin, Lev; Kryukov, Alexander; Demichev, Andrey; Ilyin, Vyacheslav

2011-12-01

'Pilot' is a grid job execution service for workflow jobs. The main goal for the service is to automate computations with multiple stages since they can be expressed as simple workflows. Each job is a directed acyclic graph of tasks and each task is an execution of something on a grid resource (or 'computing element'). Tasks may be submitted to any WS-GRAM (Globus Toolkit 4) service. The target resources for the tasks execution are selected by the Pilot service from the set of available resources which match the specific requirements from the task and/or job definition. Some simple conditional execution logic is also provided. The 'Pilot' service is built on the REST concepts and provides a simple API through authenticated HTTPS. This service is deployed and used in production in a Russian national grid project GridNNN.

Awareness, knowledge, and barriers to low vision services among eye care practitioners.

PubMed

Jose, Judy; Thomas, Jyothi; Bhakat, Premjit; Krithica, S

2016-01-01

Eyesight plays an important role in our day today life. When the vision gets hampered, daily activities of an individual will be affected. The prevalence of visual impairment is increasing across the globe, with more burdens on the developing world. The uptake of low vision services remains to be low in developing countries like India. A newly constructed questionnaire using information from previously conducted telephonic interviews and article search was administered among 50 eye care practitioners from Kerala, India for the pilot study. Modifications were made in the questionnaire, based on the responses obtained from the pilot study. From their responses, awareness, knowledge, and barriers for the low vision services among eye care practitioners were assessed. (1) Pilot study - the Cronbach's alpha values obtained for knowledge, awareness and barrier questions were 0.814, 0.297, and 0.810, respectively, and content validity index was found to be 0.64. (2) Main study - 211 eye care practitioners from 12 states of India took part in the study that accounted for a response rate of 16.7%. The participants included were 95 (45%) men and 116 (55%) women with a mean age of 28.18 ± 7.04 years. The lack of awareness was found to be the major barrier in the provision and uptake of low vision services from the practitioner's perspective. The study results showed that there is a lack of awareness among eye care practitioners about low vision services, which acts as a major barrier in the effective delivery of these services.

Concept of Operations for RCO SPO

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matessa, Michael; Strybel, Thomas; Vu, Kim; Battiste, Vernol; Schnell, Thomas

2017-01-01

Reduced crew operations (RCO) refers to the reduction of crew members flying long-haul or military operations with more than one pilot onboard. Single pilot operations (SPO) refers to flying a commercial transport aircraft with only one pilot on board the aircraft, assisted by advanced onboard automation andor ground operators providing piloting support services. Properly implemented, RCO/SPO could provide operating cost savings while maintaining a level of safety no less than conventional two-pilot commercial operations. A concept of operations (ConOps) for any paradigm describes the characteristics of its various components and their integration in a multi-dimensional design space. This paper presents key options for humanautomation function allocation being considered by NASA in its ongoing development of RCO/SPO ConOps.

Learning together, working together: an evaluation of experiences of a pilot programme for partnership between unions and management in the health service.

PubMed

Young, Pat; Moule, Pam; Evans, David; Simmons, Sue; Crack, Meg; Mayo, Gillian

2012-07-01

This article describes an innovative initiative to support partnership working between trade unions and management in three National Health Service Trusts, by means of shared participation in a series of learning and development days. Although there is existing evidence, within the literature on partnership, of the benefits of partnership working for employees and employers, there is little discussion of processes by which effective partnership is developed. More specifically, there is no current academic literature on the role of education in enabling improved partnership working between trade unions and managers. The findings of the evaluation suggest that the pilot provided a successful learning experience as well as a number of pointers for improving future developments of this nature. The recommendations include embedding of partnership work within existing staff development processes. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Towards Citizen Co-Created Public Service Apps.

PubMed

Emaldi, Mikel; Aguilera, Unai; López-de-Ipiña, Diego; Pérez-Velasco, Jorge

2017-06-02

WeLive project's main objective is about transforming the current e-government approach by providing a new paradigm based on a new open model oriented towards the design, production and deployment of public services and mobile apps based on the collaboration of different stakeholders. These stakeholders form the quadruple helix, i.e., citizens, private companies, research institutes and public administrations. Through the application of open innovation, open data and open services paradigms, the framework developed within the WeLive project enables the co-creation of urban apps. In this paper, we extend the description of the WeLive platform presented at , plus the preliminary results of the first pilot phase. The two-phase evaluation methodology designed and the evaluation results of first pilot sub-phase are also presented.

Tropospheric Airborne Meteorological Data Reporting (TAMDAR) Sensor Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daniels, Taumi S.

2002-01-01

In response to recommendations from the National Aviation Weather Program Council, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is working with industry to develop an electronic pilot reporting capability for small aircraft. This paper describes the Tropospheric Airborne Meteorological Data Reporting (TAMDAR) sensor development effort. NASA is working with industry to develop a sensor capable of measuring temperature, relative humidity, magnetic heading, pressure, icing, and average turbulence energy dissipation. Users of the data include National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) forecast modelers, air traffic controllers, flight service stations, airline operation centers, and pilots. Preliminary results from flight tests are presented.

Developing Substance Use Programming for Person-Oriented Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT): protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Watson, Dennis P; Ray, Bradley; Robison, Lisa; Xu, Huiping; Edwards, Rhiannon; Salyers, Michelle P; Hill, James; Shue, Sarah

2017-01-01

There is a lack of evidence-based substance use disorder treatment and services targeting returning inmates. Substance Use Programming for Person-Oriented Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) is a community-driven, recovery-oriented approach to substance abuse care which has the potential to address this service gap. SUPPORT is modeled after Indiana's Access to Recovery program, which was closed due to lack of federal support despite positive improvements in clients' recovery outcomes. SUPPORT builds on noted limitations of Indiana's Access to Recovery program. The ultimate goal of this project is to establish SUPPORT as an effective and scalable recovery-oriented system of care. A necessary step we must take before launching a large clinical trial is pilot testing the SUPPORT intervention. The pilot will take place at Public Advocates in Community Re-Entry (PACE), nonprofit serving individuals with felony convictions who are located in Marion County, Indiana (Indianapolis). The pilot will follow a basic parallel randomized design to compare clients receiving SUPPORT with clients receiving standard services. A total of 80 clients within 3 months of prison release will be recruited to participate and randomly assigned to one of the two intervention arms. Quantitative measures will be collected at multiple time points to understand SUPPORT's impact on recovery capital and outcomes. We will also collect qualitative data from SUPPORT clients to better understand their program and post-discharge experiences. Successful completion of this pilot will prepare us to conduct a multi-site clinical trial. The ultimate goal of this future work is to develop an evidence-based and scalable approach to treating substance use disorder among persons returning to society after incarceration. ClinicalTrials.gov (Clinical Trials ID: NCT03132753 and Protocol Number: 1511731907). Registered 28 April 2017.

Development and validation of the client engagement and service use scale: A pilot study.

PubMed

Kline, Emily R; DeTore, Nicole R; Keefe, Kristen; Seidman, Larry J; Srihari, Vinod H; Keshavan, Matcheri S; Guyer, Margaret

2018-05-12

Specialized treatment for first episode psychosis offers clients a menu of services coordinated within a specialized treatment team. To enhance the impact of these services, promoting engagement and preventing early treatment drop-out is critical. However, engagement is poorly tracked and typically quantified through proxy variables such as session attendance, medication adherence, or working alliance. The aim of this study is to introduce and pilot a new measure of engagement for first episode psychosis coordinated specialty care, the Client Engagement and Service Use Scale (CENSUS). The CENSUS was evaluated for reliability and validated against the Service Engagement Scale and an appointment count for a small sample (N = 10) of first episode clients. The measure was also evaluated for acceptability by a consumer advocacy group. Clinicians achieved high inter-rater reliability after minimal training. CENSUS items demonstrated medium to large correlations with other measures of engagement. Feedback from the consumer group emphasized that clinicians should ask questions in a way that is nonjudgmental and successfully elicits authentic client feedback about their service preferences. This pilot study yielded preliminary evidence of reliability and validity, suggesting that the CENSUS is a useful and novel tool for tracking and differentiating degrees of client engagement across multiple intervention components and for facilitating structured discussions regarding clients' service utilization and preferences. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Evaluation of the pilot phase of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Male Health Module.

PubMed

Tsey, Komla; Chigeza, Philemon; Holden, Carol A; Bulman, Jack; Gruis, Hilton; Wenitong, Mark

2014-01-01

This article evaluates the pilot phase of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Male Health Module. Although men experience higher levels of illness and die younger than women, educational programs to support health workers utilise a gender-based approach to increase participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males in health care are rare and lack appropriate content. Recognising this gap in service provision, and under the guidance of a Reference Group comprising community leaders in Aboriginal and Torres Strait male health, a comprehensive and culturally appropriate Male Health Module has been developed to enhance the capacity of health workers to improve access to services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males. Methods used were: in-depth interviews with Module developers, pilot workshops for trainers and health workers, questionnaires and focus group discussions with workshop participants, and participant observations. As well as enhancing capacity to facilitate access to health services for men, the Module was deemed relevant because of its potential to promote health worker empowerment and wellbeing. Findings revealed that improving access to services for men required male and female health workers working in partnership. Despite overall enthusiasm for the Module, the findings also revealed deep fear that it would end up 'collecting dust on shelves'. Strategies to improve the Module quality and accessibility are highlighted.

Designing a Consequentially Based Study into the Online Support of Pre-Service Teachers in the UK

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kontopoulou, Konstantina; Fox, Alison

2015-01-01

This paper reports on the design of a pilot doctoral study into the online support of pre-service teachers. It highlights the significance of a consequential, rather than deontological, perspective in guiding the development of a study's design. The study initially aimed to explore pre-service teachers' perceptions and use of social media on their…

A Scotland-wide pilot programme of smoking cessation services for young people: process and outcome evaluation.

PubMed

Gnich, Wendy; Sheehy, Christine; Amos, Amanda; Bitel, Mark; Platt, Stephen

2008-11-01

To conduct an independent, external evaluation of a Scotland-wide youth cessation pilot programme, focusing upon service uptake and effectiveness. National Health Service (NHS) Health Scotland and Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Scotland funded a 3-year (2002-2005) national pilot programme comprising eight projects which aimed to engage with and support young smokers (aged 12-25 years) to quit. Process evaluation was undertaken via detailed case studies comprising qualitative interviews, observation and documentary analysis. Outcomes were assessed by following project participants (n=470 at baseline) at 3 and 12 months and measuring changes in smoking behaviour, including carbon monoxide (CO)-validated quit status. Recruitment proved difficult. Considerable time and effort were needed to attract young smokers. Advertising and recruitment had to be tailored to project settings and educational activities proved essential to raise the profile of smoking as an issue. Thirty-nine participants [8.6%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 5.0-11.2%] were CO-validated quitters at 3 months and 11 of these (2.4%, 95% CI 1.90-3.8%) were also validated quitters at 12 months. Older participants were more likely to be abstinent at 3 months. The overall quit rate was disappointing. As a result of low participant numbers, it was impossible to draw conclusions about the relative effectiveness of different project approaches. These findings give little support to the case for developing dedicated youth cessation services in Scotland. They also highlight the difficulties of undertaking 'real-world' evaluations of pilot youth cessation projects. More action is needed to develop environments which enhance young smokers' motivation to quit and their ability to sustain quit attempts.

Course of Study in Agricultural Occupations (Agricultural-Supply Businesses--Sales and Service) for Reidland High School, Department of Vocational Agriculture.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Binkley, Harold

This high school agricultural occupations teacher's guide was developed as part of a pilot program and tested at Reidland High School. The course objective is to develop skills and understandings needed in agricultural supply sales and service. Units are (1) Opportunities in Agricultural Occupations, (2) Orientation to the Training Program, (3)…

Advanced Concept Modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chaput, Armand; Johns, Zachary; Hodges, Todd; Selfridge, Justin; Bevirt, Joeben; Ahuja, Vivek

2015-01-01

Advanced Concepts Modeling software validation, analysis, and design. This was a National Institute of Aerospace contract with a lot of pieces. Efforts ranged from software development and validation for structures and aerodynamics, through flight control development, and aeropropulsive analysis, to UAV piloting services.

Equipping community pharmacy workers as agents for health behaviour change: developing and testing a theory-based smoking cessation intervention.

PubMed

Steed, Liz; Sohanpal, Ratna; James, Wai-Yee; Rivas, Carol; Jumbe, Sandra; Chater, Angel; Todd, Adam; Edwards, Elizabeth; Macneil, Virginia; Macfarlane, Fraser; Greenhalgh, Trisha; Griffiths, Chris; Eldridge, Sandra; Taylor, Stephanie; Walton, Robert

2017-08-11

To develop a complex intervention for community pharmacy staff to promote uptake of smoking cessation services and to increase quit rates. Following the Medical Research Council framework, we used a mixed-methods approach to develop, pilot and then refine the intervention. Phase I : We used information from qualitative studies in pharmacies, systematic literature reviews and the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation-Behaviour framework to inform design of the initial version of the intervention. Phase II : We then tested the acceptability of this intervention with smoking cessation advisers and assessed fidelity using actors who visited pharmacies posing as smokers, in a pilot study. Phase III : We reviewed the content and associated theory underpinning our intervention, taking account of the results of the earlier studies and a realist analysis of published literature. We then confirmed a logic model describing the intended operation of the intervention and used this model to refine the intervention and associated materials. Eight community pharmacies in three inner east London boroughs. 12 Stop Smoking Advisers. Two, 150 min, skills-based training sessions focused on communication and behaviour change skills with between session practice. The pilot study confirmed acceptability of the intervention and showed preliminary evidence of benefit; however, organisational barriers tended to limit effective operation. The pilot data and realist review pointed to additional use of Diffusion of Innovations Theory to seat the intervention in the wider organisational context. We have developed and refined an intervention to promote smoking cessation services in community pharmacies, which we now plan to evaluate in a randomised controlled trial. UKCRN ID 18446, Pilot. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Impact of Pharmacists in a Community-Based Home Care Service: A Pilot Program

PubMed Central

Walus, Ashley N; Woloschuk, Donna M M

2017-01-01

Background Historically, pharmacists have not been included on home care teams, despite the fact that home care patients frequently experience medication errors. Literature describing Canadian models of pharmacy practice in home care settings is limited. The optimal service delivery model and distribution of clinical activities for home care pharmacists remain unclear. Objectives The primary objective was to describe the impact of a pharmacist based at a community home care office and providing home visits, group education, and telephone consultations. The secondary objective was to determine the utility of acute care clinical pharmacy key performance indicators (cpKPIs) in guiding home care pharmacy services, in the absence of validated cpKPIs for ambulatory care. Methods The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority hired a pharmacist to develop and implement the pilot program from May 2015 to July 2016. A referral form, consisting of consultation criteria used in primary care practices, was developed. The pharmacist also reviewed all patient intakes and all patients waiting in acute care facilities for initiation of home care services, with the goal of addressing issues before admission to the Home Care Program. A password-protected database was built for data collection and analysis, and the data are presented in aggregate. Results A total of 197 referrals, involving 184 patients, were received during the pilot program; of these, 62 were excluded from analysis. The majority of referrals (95 [70.4%]) were for targeted medication reviews, and 271 drug therapy problems were identified. Acceptance rates for the pharmacist’s recommendations were 90.2% (74 of 82 recommendations) among home care staff and 47.0% (55 of 117 recommendations) among prescribers and patients. On average, 1.5 cpKPIs were identified for each referral. Conclusions The pilot program demonstrated a need for enhanced access to clinical pharmacy services for home care patients, although the best model of service provision remains unclear. More research is warranted to determine the optimal pharmacy service for home care patients and the most appropriate cpKPIs to measure its effects. PMID:29299003

National Park Service digital transit data sharing pilot results and discussion

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-04-06

This report describes the National Park Services pilot project to convert select NPS transit schedules to a digital format, known as General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS), in order to share more widely with the public. The GTFS pilot effort be...

PILOT: An intelligent distributed operations support system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rasmussen, Arthur N.

1993-01-01

The Real-Time Data System (RTDS) project is exploring the application of advanced technologies to the real-time flight operations environment of the Mission Control Centers at NASA's Johnson Space Center. The system, based on a network of engineering workstations, provides services such as delivery of real time telemetry data to flight control applications. To automate the operation of this complex distributed environment, a facility called PILOT (Process Integrity Level and Operation Tracker) is being developed. PILOT comprises a set of distributed agents cooperating with a rule-based expert system; together they monitor process operation and data flows throughout the RTDS network. The goal of PILOT is to provide unattended management and automated operation under user control.

The policy work of piloting: Mobilising and managing conflict and ambiguity in the English NHS.

PubMed

Bailey, Simon; Checkland, Kath; Hodgson, Damian; McBride, Anne; Elvey, Rebecca; Parkin, Stephen; Rothwell, Katy; Pierides, Dean

2017-04-01

In spite of their widespread use in policy making in the UK and elsewhere, there is a relatively sparse literature specifically devoted to policy pilots. Recent research on policy piloting has focused on the role of pilots in making policy work in accordance with national agendas. Taking this as a point of departure, the present paper develops the notion of pilots doing policy work. It does this by situating piloting within established theories of policy formulation and implementation, and illustrating using an empirical case. Our case is drawn from a qualitative policy ethnography of a local government pilot programme aiming to extend access to healthcare services. Our case explores the collective entrepreneurship of regional policy makers together with local pilot volunteers. We argue that pilots work to mobilise and manage the ambiguity and conflict associated with particular policy goals, and in their structure and design, shape action towards particular outcomes. We conclude with a discussion of the generative but managed role which piloting affords to local implementers. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

A pilot quality assurance scheme for diabetic retinopathy risk reduction programmes.

PubMed

Garvican, L; Scanlon, P H

2004-10-01

We describe a pilot study of measurement of quality assurance targets for diabetic retinopathy screening and performance comparison between 10 existing services, in preparation for the roll-out of the national programme. In 1999 the UK National Screening Committee approved proposals for a national diabetic retinopathy risk reduction programme, including recommendations for quality assurance, but implementation was held pending publication of the National Service Framework for Diabetes. Existing services requested the authors to perform a pilot study of a QA scheme, indicating willingness to contribute data for comparison. Objectives and quality standards were developed, following consultation with diabetologists, ophthalmologists and retinal screeners. Services submitted 2001/2 performance data, in response to a questionnaire, for anonymization, central analysis and comparison. The 17 quality standards encompass all aspects of the programme from identification of patients to timeliness of treatment. Ten programmes took part, submitting all the data available. All returns were incomplete, but especially so from the optometry-based schemes. Eight or more services demonstrated they could reach the minimum level in only five of the 17 standards. Thirty per cent could not provide coverage data. All were running behind. Reasons for difficulties in obtaining data and/or failing to achieve standards included severe under-funding and little previous experience of QA. Information systems were limited and incompatible between diabetes and eye units, and there was a lack of co-ordinated management of the whole programme. Quality assurance is time-consuming, expensive and inadequately resourced. The pilot study identified priorities for local action. National programme implementation must involve integral quality assurance mechanisms from the outset.

Manned Systems Utilization Analysis. Study 2.1: Space Servicing Pilot Program Study. [for automated payloads

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolfe, R. R.

1975-01-01

Space servicing automated payloads was studied for potential cost benefits for future payload operations. Background information is provided on space servicing in general, and on a pilot flight test program in particular. An fight test is recommended to demonstrate space servicing. An overall program plan is provided which builds upon the pilot program through an interim servicing capability. A multipayload servicing concept for the time when the full capability tug becomes operational is presented. The space test program is specifically designed to provide low-cost booster vehicles and a flight test platform for several experiments on a single flight.

Animated Agents Teaching Helping Skills in an Online Environment: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duggan, Molly H.; Adcock, Amy B.

2007-01-01

Human service educators constantly struggle with how to best teach students the communication skills required of entry-level human service professionals. While teaching such skills is easier in a traditional face-to-face environment, teaching communication skills via distance learning presents its own challenges. Developing interactive web-based…

Co-Teaching Math Content and Math Pedagogy for Elementary Pre-Service Teachers: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ford, Pari; Strawhecker, Jane

2011-01-01

With a national need to improve Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education (STEM), elementary pre-service teachers must be provided with ample opportunities to increase their own knowledge and confidence in STEM disciplines. This article describes a Math Block experience developed for a special population of non-traditional…

Towards Citizen Co-Created Public Service Apps †

PubMed Central

Emaldi, Mikel; Aguilera, Unai; López-de-Ipiña, Diego; Pérez-Velasco, Jorge

2017-01-01

WeLive project’s main objective is about transforming the current e-government approach by providing a new paradigm based on a new open model oriented towards the design, production and deployment of public services and mobile apps based on the collaboration of different stakeholders. These stakeholders form the quadruple helix, i.e., citizens, private companies, research institutes and public administrations. Through the application of open innovation, open data and open services paradigms, the framework developed within the WeLive project enables the co-creation of urban apps. In this paper, we extend the description of the WeLive platform presented at , plus the preliminary results of the first pilot phase. The two-phase evaluation methodology designed and the evaluation results of first pilot sub-phase are also presented. PMID:28574460

Development of a peer-supported, self-management intervention for people following mental health crisis.

PubMed

Milton, Alyssa; Lloyd-Evans, Brynmor; Fullarton, Kate; Morant, Nicola; Paterson, Bethan; Hindle, David; Kelly, Kathleen; Mason, Oliver; Lambert, Marissa; Johnson, Sonia

2017-11-09

A documented gap in support exists for service users following discharge from acute mental health services, and structured interventions to reduce relapse are rarely provided. Peer-facilitated self-management interventions have potential to meet this need, but evidence for their effectiveness is limited. This paper describes the development of a peer-provided self-management intervention for mental health service users following discharge from crisis resolution teams (CRTs). A five-stage iterative mixed-methods approach of sequential data collection and intervention development was adopted, following the development and piloting stages of the MRC framework for developing and evaluating complex interventions. Evidence review (stage 1) included systematic reviews of both peer support and self-management literature. Interviews with CRT service users (n = 41) regarding needs and priorities for support following CRT discharge were conducted (stage 2). Focus group consultations (n = 12) were held with CRT service-users, staff and carers to assess the acceptability and feasibility of a proposed intervention, and to refine intervention organisation and content (stage 3). Qualitative evaluation of a refined, peer-provided, self-management intervention involved qualitative interviews with CRT service user participants (n = 9; n = 18) in feasibility testing (stage 4) and a pilot trial (stage 5), and a focus group at each stage with the peer worker providers (n = 4). Existing evidence suggests self-management interventions can reduce relapse and improve recovery. Initial interviews and focus groups indicated support for the overall purpose and planned content of a recovery-focused self-management intervention for people leaving CRT care adapted from an existing resource: The personal recovery plan (developed by Repper and Perkins), and for peer support workers (PSWs) as providers. Participant feedback after feasibility testing was positive regarding facilitation of the intervention by PSWs; however, the structured self-management booklet was underutilised. Modifications to the self-management intervention manual and PSWs' training were made before piloting, which confirmed the acceptability and feasibility of the intervention for testing in a future, definitive trial. A manualised intervention and operating procedures, focusing on the needs and priorities of the target client group, have been developed through iterative stages of intervention development and feedback for testing in a trial context. Trial Registration ISRCTN01027104 date of registration: 11/10/2012.

Co-production as an approach to developing stakeholder partnerships to reduce mental health inequalities: an evaluation of a pilot service.

PubMed

Lwembe, Saumu; Green, Stuart A; Chigwende, Jennifer; Ojwang, Tom; Dennis, Ruth

2017-01-01

Aim This study aimed to evaluate a pilot cross-sector initiative - bringing together public health, a community group, primary mental health teams and patients - in using co-production approaches to deliver a mental health service to meet the needs of the black and minority ethnic communities. Black and minority ethnic communities continue to face inequalities in mental health service access and provision. They are under-represented in low-level interventions as they are less likely to be referred, and more likely to disengage from mainstream mental health services. Effective models that lead to improved access and better outcomes are yet to be established. It has long been recognised that to be effective, services need to be more culturally competent, which may be achieved through a co-production approach. This study aimed to evaluate the role of co-production in the development of a novel community mental health service for black and minority ethnic service users. Qualitative research methods, including semi-structured interviews and focus groups, were used to collect data to examine the use of co-production methods in designing and delivering an improved mental health service. Findings Twenty-five patients enrolled into the study; of these, 10 were signposted for more intensive psychological support. A 75% retention rate was recorded (higher than is generally the case for black and minority ethnic service users). Early indications are that the project has helped overcome barriers to accessing mental health services. Although small scale, this study highlights an alternative model that, if explored and developed further, could lead to delivery of patient-centred services to improve access and patient experience within mental health services, particularly for black and minority ethnic communities.

A study of role expansion: a new GP role in cardiology care

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The National Health Service is reconfiguring health care services in order to meet the increasing challenge of providing care for people with long-term conditions and to reduce the demand on specialised outpatient hospital services by enhancing primary care. A review of cardiology referrals to specialised care and the literature on referral management inspired the development of a new GP role in Cardiology. This new extended role was developed to enable GPs to diagnose and manage patients with mild to moderate heart failure or atrial fibrillation and to use a range of diagnostics effectively in primary care. This entailed GPs participating in a four-session short course with on-going clinical supervision. The new role was piloted in a small number of GP practices in one county in England for four months. This study explores the impact of piloting the Extended Cardiology role on the GP’s role, patients’ experience, service delivery and quality. Methods A mixed methods approach was employed including semi-structured interviews with GPs, a patient experience survey, a quality review of case notes, and analysis on activity and referral data. Results The participating GPs perceived the extended GP role as a professional development opportunity that had the potential to reduce healthcare utilisation and costs, through a reduction in referrals, whilst meeting the patient’s wishes for the provision of care closer to home. Patient experience of the new GP service was positive. The standard of clinical practice was judged acceptable. There was a fall in referrals during the study period. Conclusion This new role in cardiology was broadly welcomed as a model of care by the participating GPs and by patients, because of the potential to improve the quality of care for patients in primary care and reduce costs. As this was a pilot study further development and continuing evaluation of the model is recommended. PMID:24885826

China launched a pilot project to improve its rare disease healthcare levels.

PubMed

Cui, Yazhou; Zhou, Xiaoyan; Han, Jinxiang

2014-01-27

China is facing the great challenge of serving the world's largest rare disease population. It is necessary to develop a specific medical plan to increase the levels of optimal prevention, diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases under the existing clinical service structures in China. In 2013, China launched its first pilot project focused on 20 representative rare diseases. A national network including approximately 100 provincial or municipal medical centers has been established to enable collaboration on rare diseases across China. The main objectives for this project are to develop and apply medical guidelines and clinical pathways for rare diseases, to establish a rare disease patient registry and data repository system, and to promote molecular testing for rare genetic disorders. This project also emphasizes building close links among the collaborative network, clinicians on the frontlines in basic medical services institutions and rare disease patient organizations. Primarily, this project expects to develop an actionable medical services plan to increase the delivery of quality healthcare for individuals and families living with rare diseases in China within five years.

Assessing research activity and capacity of community-based organizations: development and pilot testing of an instrument.

PubMed

Humphries, Debbie L; Carroll-Scott, Amy; Mitchell, Leif; Tian, Terry; Choudhury, Shonali; Fiellin, David A

2014-01-01

Although awareness of the importance of the research capacity of community-based organizations (CBOs) is growing, a uniform framework of the research capacity domains within CBOs has not yet been developed. To develop a framework and instrument (the Community REsearch Activity assessment Tool [CREAT]) for assessing the research activity and capacity of CBOs that incorporates awareness of the different data collection and analysis priorities of CBOs. We conducted a review of existing tools for assessing research capacity to identify key capacity domains. Instrument items were developed through an iterative process with CBO representatives and community researchers. The CREAT was then pilot tested with 30 CBOs. The four primary domains of the CREAT framework include 1) organizational support for research, 2) generalizable experiences, 3) research specific experiences, and 4) funding. Organizations reported a high prevalence of activities in the research-specific experiences domain, including conducting literature reviews (70%), use of research terminology (83%), and primary data collection (100%). Respondents see research findings as important to improve program and service delivery, and to seek funds for new programs and services. Funders, board members, and policymakers are the most important dissemination audiences. The work reported herein advances the field of CBO research capacity by developing a systematic framework for assessing research activity and capacity relevant to the work of CBOs, and by developing and piloting an instrument to assess activity in these domains.

Who contracts for primary care?

PubMed

Lewis, R; Gillam, S; Gosden, T; Sheaff, R

1999-12-01

The implications of the 1997 NHS (Primary Care) Act have been largely overlooked in the rush to establish Primary Care Groups. Allowing health authorities to develop local contracts for primary care has far-reaching implications and is an important departure from the national system of negotiation that has characterized general practice to date. This paper describes a content analysis of a sample of Personal Medical Services (PMS) pilot contracts. In the first year little attention has been given to achieving cost savings or greater efficiency and few contracts promote clinical guidelines. The difficulties of specifying services sensitive to local health needs are highlighted and the national Statement of Fees and Allowances (the 'Red Book') may not be swiftly supplanted. However, the pilots have introduced innovations such as salaried general practitioners, nurse-led services and NHS trust-managed care. The development of local contracts provides a valuable learning experience for general practitioners and health authorities in advance of the establishment of Primary Care Trusts.

From generic pathways to ICT-supported horizontally integrated care: the SmartCare approach and convergence with future Internet assembly.

PubMed

Urošević, Vladimir; Mitić, Marko

2014-01-01

Successful service integration in policy and practice requires both technology innovation and service process innovation being pursued and implemented at the same time. The SmartCare project (partially EC-funded under CIP ICT PSP Program) aims to achieve this through development, piloting and evaluation of ICT-based services, horizontally integrating health and social care in ten pilot regions, including Kraljevo region in Serbia. The project has identified and adopted two generic highest-level common thematic pathways in joint consolidation phase - integrated support for long-term care and integrated support after hospital discharge. A common set of standard functional specifications for an open ICT platform enabling the delivery of integrated care is being defined, around the challenges of data sharing, coordination and communication in these two formalized pathways. Implementation and system integration on technology and architecture level are to be based on open standards, multivendor interoperability, and leveraging on the current evolving open specification technology foundations developed in relevant projects across the European Research Area.

Pre-flight risk assessment in Emergency Medical Service (EMS) helicopters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shively, R. J.

1992-01-01

The Emergency Medical Service (EMS) industry has been the subject of several television and newspaper articles (Harvey and Jensen, 1987) which emphasized the negative aspects, (e.g., fatalities and high accident rates), rather than the life saving services performed. Until recently, the accident rate of the EMS industry has been five times as high as that of other civil helicopters. This high accident rate has been coupled with the dramatic rise in the number of programs. The industry has built from a single service at its inception in 1972, to over 180 in 1987 (Spray, 1987), to the point that 93 percent of the contiguous U.S. is now covered by some type of EMS service. These factors prompted the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to study the accidents that occurred between May 11, 1978 and December 3, 1986 (NTSB, 1988). The NTSB report concluded that 'Sound pilot judgment is central to safe flight operations.' They further stated that '... factors unique to EMS helicopter operations--such as the influence of the mission itself, program competition, and EMS program management perspectives--can drastically influence pilot judgment during the EMS mission.' One of the most difficult decisions that a pilot must make is whether to accept or decline a mission. A pre-flight risk assessment system (SAFE) was developed at NASA-Ames Research Center for civil EMS operations to aid pilots in making this decision objectively. The ability of the SAFE system to predict mission risk profiles was tested at an EMS facility. The results of this field study demonstrated that the usefulness of SAFE was highly dependent on the type of mission flown. SAFE is now being modified so that it can 'learn' with each mission flown. For example, after flying a mission to a particular site, an EMS pilot would input information about this mission into the system, such as new buildings, wires, or approach procedures. Then, the next time a pilot flew a similar mission or one to the same area, this additional information would be taken into account in computing a risk assessment.

Travel Virginia

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-01-01

Prepared ca. 2000. This report summarizes the results of a fifteen-month study to assess the feasibility of expanding Travel Shenandoah, a pilot rural ATIS service developed for Virginia's Northern Shenandoah Valley, into a comprehensive, statewide s...

The Building Bridges project: Linking disconnected service networks in acquired brain injury and criminal justice.

PubMed

Kelly, Glenn; Brown, Suzanne; Simpson, Grahame K

2018-06-08

People with acquired brain injury (ABI) are overrepresented in prison populations across many countries. An effective service response to reduce this trend requires collaboration between the ABI and criminal justice (CJ) sectors. The Building Bridges project piloted a novel professional development model designed to increase cross-sectoral knowledge and collaboration between the ABI and CJ sectors. A total of 178 service providers from Victoria, Australia, participated in six professional development forums that included content about ABI, policing, disability and legal supports, and correctional/post-release services. Participants came from the disability, criminal justice, and health and community service sectors. Using a pre-test-post-test design with 6-month follow-up, data were obtained via a project-specific questionnaire evaluating knowledge and behaviour change among participants. Statistically significant gains in knowledge were shown at post-test and maintained at follow-up. Work-related behaviours addressing ABI/CJ issues had increased significantly within both sectors at follow-up compared to the 6 months prior to the forum. Carefully constructed professional forums improved cross-silo collaboration in the ABI/CJ sectors. This pilot project illustrates effective use of existing service resources, and highlights training as an important part of a raft of initiatives needed to address the overrepresentation of people with ABI in the CJ system.

Development of a Community-Based Palliative Care Model for Advance Cancer Patients in Public Health Centers in Busan, Korea.

PubMed

Kim, Sook-Nam; Choi, Soon-Ock; Shin, Seong Hoon; Ryu, Ji-Sun; Baik, Jeong-Won

2017-07-01

A feasible palliative care model for advance cancer patients is needed in Korea with its rapidly aging population and corresponding increase in cancer prevalence. This study describes the process involved in the development of a community-based palliative care (CBPC) model implemented originally in a Busan pilot project. The model development included steps I and II of the pilot project, identification of the service types, a survey exploring the community demand for palliative care, construction of an operational infrastructure, and the establishment of a service delivery system. Public health centers (including Busan regional cancer centers, palliative care centers, and social welfare centers) served as the regional hubs in the development of a palliative care model. The palliative care project included the provision of palliative care, establishment of a support system for the operations, improvement of personnel capacity, development of an educational and promotional program, and the establishment of an assessment system to improve quality. The operational infrastructure included a service management team, provision teams, and a support team. The Busan Metropolitan City CBPC model was based on the principles of palliative care as well as the characteristics of public health centers that implemented the community health projects. The potential use of the Busan CBPC model in Korea should be explored further through service evaluations.

76 FR 19267 - Pilot, Flight Instructor, and Pilot School Certification; Technical Amendment

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-07

.... No. 61-127] RIN 2120-AI86 Pilot, Flight Instructor, and Pilot School Certification; Technical... for pilots, flight instructors, ground instructors, and pilot schools. This document reinstates two... Aviation and Commercial Division, Flight Standards Service, Federal Aviation Administration, 800...

Completing the cycle: The use of audit to develop a mental health service in times of austerity.

PubMed

Shah, Nisha; Donaldson, Lucinda; Giridhar, Ramya

2013-12-01

A published audit demonstrated that a pilot psychiatric clinic failed to capture predicted numbers of women with severe and enduring mental illness. On the basis of recommendations from this audit, along with those from the Royal College of Psychiatrists and NICE guidelines, a more comprehensive psychiatric service was developed to meet this demand and therefore manage risk more effectively. Over the course of a year, the new service attracted a higher rate of referrals of pregnant women with severe and enduring mental illness. The majority referral source continued to be midwifery-led. Audit is a useful tool for evaluating and informing service development and helped us identify further improvements needed to deliver an effective mental health service.

Development of the private practice management standards for psychology.

PubMed

Mathews, Rebecca; Stokes, David; Littlefield, Lyn; Collins, Leah

2011-01-01

This paper describes the process of developing a set of private practice management standards to support Australian psychologists and promote high quality services to the public. A review of the literature was conducted to identify management standards relevant to psychology, which were further developed in consultation with a panel of experts in psychology or in the development of standards. Forty-three psychologists in independent private practice took part in either a survey (n=22) to provide feedback on the relevance of, and their compliance with, the identified standards, or a 6-month pilot study (n=21) in which a web-based self-assessment instrument evaluating the final set of standards and performance indicators was implemented in their practice to investigate self-reported change in management procedures. The pilot study demonstrated good outcomes for practitioners when evaluation of compliance to the standards was operationalized in a self-assessment format. Study results are based on a small sample size. Nevertheless, relevance and utility of the standards was found providing an initial version of management standards that have relevance to the practice of psychology in Australia, along with a system for evaluating psychological service provision to ensure best practice in service delivery. © 2010 National Association for Healthcare Quality.

Document Delivery from Full-Text Online Files: A Pilot Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gillikin, David P.

1990-01-01

Describes the Electronic Journal Retrieval Project (EJRP) developed at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Libraries, to provide full-text journal articles from online systems. Highlights include costs of various search strategies; implications for library services; collection development and interlibrary loan considerations; and suggestions…

Development and pilot trial of a web-based job placement information network.

PubMed

Chan, Eliza W C; Tam, S F

2005-01-01

The purpose of this project was to develop and pilot a web-based job placement information network aiming at enhancing the work trial and job placement opportunities of people with disabilities (PWD). Efficient uses of information technology in vocational rehabilitation were suggested to help improve PWD employment opportunities and thus enable them to contribute as responsible citizens to the society. In this preliminary study, a web-based employer network was so developed to explore Hong Kong employers' needs and intentions in employing PWD. The results indicated that Hong Kong employers generally agreed to arrange work trials for PWD whose work abilities match job requirements. They also expressed that they would offer permanent job placements to those PWD who showed satisfactory performance in work trials. The present study evidenced that using an information network could expedite communications between employers and job placement services, and thus job placement service outcomes. It is hoped that a job placement databank could thus be developed through accumulating responses from potential employers.

Including customers in health service design.

PubMed

Perrott, Bruce E

2013-01-01

This article will explore the concept and meaning of codesign as it applies to the delivery of health services. The results of a pilot study in health codesign will be used as a research based case discussion, thus providing a platform to suggest future research that could lead to building more robust knowledge of how the consumers of health services may be more effectively involved in the process of developing and delivering the type of services that are in line with expectations of the various stakeholder groups.

A field evaluation of data link flight information services for general aviation pilots

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-02-01

This report documents a field study of Data Link Flight Information Services : (FIS) designed for use by general aviation (GA) pilots. The Data Link FIS : package that was evaluated in this study included the Traffic Information : Service (TIS), Text...

Mississippi Choctaw Parent Child Development Program: Impact Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crawford, Reva

The Mississippi Choctaw Parent Child Development Program (PCDP), initially funded by the BIA in 1973 as a pilot project, has had a reservation-wide impact in each of its four main areas of focus: health and nutrition; education; social services; and staff and parent development. There has been a measurable decrease in early childhood infectious…

An Intervention to Increase Early Childhood Staff Capacity for Promoting Children's Social-Emotional Development in Preschool Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Green, Beth L.; Malsch, Anna M.; Kothari, Brianne Hood; Busse, Jessica; Brennan, Eileen

2012-01-01

This article describes the development, implementation, and outcomes of a pilot intervention designed to enhance preschool programs' ability to support children's social-emotional development. Working with two Head Start programs, the intervention included (1) restructuring existing early childhood mental health consultation services; (2) engaging…

A novel test method to determine the filter material service life of decentralized systems treating runoff from traffic areas.

PubMed

Huber, Maximilian; Welker, Antje; Dierschke, Martina; Drewes, Jörg E; Helmreich, Brigitte

2016-09-01

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the development and application of technical decentralized filter systems for the treatment of runoff from traffic areas. However, there are still many uncertainties regarding the service life and the performance of filter materials that are employed in decentralized treatment systems. These filter media are designed to prevent the transport of pollutants into the environment. A novel pilot-scale test method was developed to determine - within a few days - the service lives and long-term removal efficiencies for dissolved heavy metals in stormwater treatment systems. The proposed method consists of several steps including preloading the filter media in a pilot-scale model with copper and zinc by a load of n-1 years of the estimated service life (n). Subsequently, three representative rain events are simulated to evaluate the long-term performance by dissolved copper and zinc during the last year of application. The presented results, which verified the applicability of this method, were obtained for three filter channel systems and six filter shaft systems. The performance of the evaluated systems varied largely for both tested heavy metals and during all three simulated rain events. A validation of the pilot-scale assessment method with field measurements was also performed for two systems. Findings of this study suggest that this novel method does provide a standardized and accurate estimation of service intervals of decentralized treatment systems employing various filter materials. The method also provides regulatory authorities, designers, and operators with an objective basis for performance assessment and supports stormwater managers to make decisions for the installation of such decentralized treatment systems. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Developing performance measures for alcohol and other drug services in managed care plans. Washington Circle Group.

PubMed

McCorry, F; Garnick, D W; Bartlett, J; Cotter, F; Chalk, M

2000-11-01

Monitoring the quality and availability of alcohol and other drug (AOD) services must be a central tenet of any health-related performance measurement system. The Washington Circle Group (WCG), which was convened by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment Office of Managed Care in March 1998, has developed a core set of performance measures for AOD services for public- and private-sector health plans. It is also collaborating with a broad range of stakeholders to ensure widespread adoption of these performance measures by health plans, private employers, public payers, and accrediting organizations. Four domains were identified, with specific measures developed for each domain: (1) prevention/education, (2) recognition, (3) treatment (including initiation of alcohol and other plan services, linkage of detoxification and AOD plan services, treatment engagement, and interventions for family members/significant others), and (4) maintenance of treatment effects. Four measures that are based on administrative information from health plans and two measures that require a consumer survey of behavioral health care are undergoing extensive pilot testing. The WCG has reached out to a broad range of stakeholders in performance measurement and managed care to acquaint them with the measures and to promote their investigation and adoption. As results of pilot testing become available, these outreach efforts will continue. Performance measures for AOD services need to become an integral part of a comprehensive set of behavioral and physical health performance measures for managed care plans.

Partnership working between the Fire Service and NHS: delivering a cost-saving service to improve the safety of high-risk people.

PubMed

Craig, Joyce A; Creegan, Shelagh; Tait, Martin; Dolan, Donna

2015-04-14

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and NHS Tayside piloted partnership working. A Community Fire Safety Link Worker provided Risk Assessments to adults, identified by community health teams, at high risk of fires, with the aim of reducing fires. An existing evaluation shows the Service developed a culture of 'high trust' between partners and had high client satisfaction. This paper reports on an economic evaluation of the costs and benefits of the Link Worker role. An economic evaluation of the costs and benefits of the Link Worker role was undertaken. Changes in the Risk Assessment score following delivery of the Service were used to estimate the potential fires avoided. These were valued using a national cost of a fire. The estimated cost of delivering the Service was deducted from these savings. The pilot was estimated to save 4.4 fires, equivalent to £286 per client. The estimated cost of delivering the Service was £55 per client, giving net savings of £231 per client. The pilot was cost-saving under all scenarios, with results sensitive to the probability of a fire. We believe this is the first evaluation of Fire Safety Risk Assessments. Partnership working, delivering joint Risk Assessments in the homes of people at high risk of fire, is modelled to be cost saving. Uncertainties in data and small sample are key limitations. Further research is required into the ex ante risk of fire by risk category. Despite these limitations, potential savings identified in this study supports greater adoption of this partnership initiative.

An Investigation of the Impact of an Intervention to Reduce Academic Procrastination Using Short Message Service (SMS) Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Darrel R.; Abbitt, Jason T.

2013-01-01

This mixed-method pilot study investigated the impact of a custom Short Message Service (SMS) reminder system developed to help students reduce procrastination and increase performance on weekly content-related quizzes in a high-enrollment hybrid online course. Text message reminders were sent to three students with high procrastination and low…

Summary of findings from the PIREP-based analyses conducted during the 1988 to 1990 evaluations of TDWR-based and TDWR/LLWAS-based alert services provided to landing/departing pilots

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1992-07-01

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is developing the Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR). Starting in 1985, the TDWR Program conducted a series of evaluations of a TDWR-based alert service to provide wind shear and microburst alerts to landi...

How Do Teachers Become Knowledgeable and Confident in Classroom Management? Insights from a Pilot Study. Teaching in Focus, No. 19

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

OECD Publishing, 2017

2017-01-01

The Innovative Teaching for Effective Learning (ITEL) Teacher Knowledge Survey is the first international study to explore the nature, function and development of teachers' pedagogical knowledge, i.e. what teachers know about teaching and learning. In-service and pre-service teachers exhibited higher knowledge on the classroom management portion…

Promoting Service User Inclusion in Risk Assessment and Management: A Pilot Project Developing a Human Rights-Based Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenhill, Beth; Whitehead, Richard

2011-01-01

Recent reports highlight the extent to which many people with learning disabilities are not afforded access to their basic human rights. In addition, traditional approaches to risk management often focus on professional assessments of risks and challenging behaviour and exclude service user perspectives. In this paper, we outline what we believe…

Tropospheric Airborne Meteorological Data Reporting (TAMDAR) Sensor Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daniels, Taumi S.; Tsoucalas, George; Anderson, Mark; Mulally, Daniel; Moninger, William; Mamrosh, Richard

2004-01-01

One of the recommendations of the National Aviation Weather Program Council was to expand and institutionalize the generation, dissemination, and use of automated pilot reports (PIREPS) to the full spectrum of the aviation community, including general aviation. In response to this and other similar recommendations, NASA initiated cooperative research into the development of an electronic pilot reporting capability (Daniels 2002). The ultimate goal is to develop a small low-cost sensor, collect useful meteorological observations below 25,000 ft., downlink the data in near real time, and use the data to improve weather forecasts. Primary users of the data include pilots, who are one targeted audience for the improved weather information that will result from the TAMDAR data. The weather data will be disseminated and used to improve aviation safety by providing pilots with enhanced weather situational awareness. In addition, the data will be used to improve the accuracy and timeliness of weather forecasts. Other users include air traffic controllers, flight service stations, and airline weather centers. Additionally, the meteorological data collected by TAMDAR is expected to have a significant positive impact on forecast accuracy for ground based applications.

Implementing Climate Services in Peru: CLIMANDES Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lavado-Casimiro, Waldo; Mauchle, Fabian; Diaz, Amelia; Seiz, Gabriela; Rubli, Alex; Rossa, Andrea; Rosas, Gabriela; Ita, Niceforo; Calle, Victoria; Villegas, Esequiel; Ambrosetti, Paolo; Brönnimann, Stefan; Hunziker, Stefan; Jacques, Martin; Croci-Maspoli, Mischa; Konzelmann, Thomas; Gubler, Stefanie; Rohrer, Mario

2014-05-01

The climate variability and change will have increasing influence on the economic and social development of all countries and regions, such as the Andes in Latin America. The CLIMANDES project (Climate services to support decision-making in the Andean Region) will address these issues in Peru. CLIMANDES supports the WMO Regional Training Centre (RTC) in Lima, which is responsible for the training of specialized human resources in meteorology and climatology in the South American Andes (Module 1). Furthermore, CLIMANDES will provide high-quality climate services to inform policy makers in the Andean region (Module 2). It is coordinated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and constitutes a pilot project under the umbrella of the WMO-led Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS). The project is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and runs from August 2012 - July 2015. Module 1 focuses on restructuring the curricula of Meteorology at the La Molina Agraria University (UNALM) and applied training of meteorologists of the Peruvian National Service of Meteorology and Hydrology (SENAMHI). In Module 2, the skills will be shared and developed in the production and delivery of high-quality climate products and services tailored to the needs of the decision makers in the pilot regions Cusco and Junín. Such services will benefit numerous sectors including agriculture, education, health, tourism, energy, transport and others. The goals of the modules 1 and 2 will be achieved through the collaboration of the UNALM, SENAMHI and the Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology MeteoSwiss, with the support of the University of Bern (UNIBE), Meteodat and WMO.

Pharmacist-managed inpatient discharge medication reconciliation: a combined onsite and telepharmacy model.

PubMed

Keeys, Christopher; Kalejaiye, Bamidele; Skinner, Michelle; Eimen, Mandana; Neufer, Joann; Sidbury, Gisele; Buster, Norman; Vincent, Joan

2014-12-15

The development, implementation, and pilot testing of a discharge medication reconciliation service managed by pharmacists with offsite telepharmacy support are described. Hospitals' efforts to prepare legible, complete, and accurate medication lists to patients prior to discharge continue to be complicated by staffing and time constraints and suboptimal information technology. To address these challenges, the pharmacy department at a 324-bed community hospital initiated a quality-improvement project to optimize patients' discharge medication lists while addressing problems that often resulted in confusing, incomplete, or inaccurate lists. A subcommittee of the hospital's pharmacy and therapeutics committee led the development of a revised medication reconciliation process designed to streamline and improve the accuracy and utility of discharge medication documents, with subsequent implementation of a new service model encompassing both onsite and remote pharmacists. The new process and service were evaluated on selected patient care units in a 19-month pilot project requiring collaboration by physicians, nurses, case managers, pharmacists, and an outpatient prescription drug database vendor. During the pilot testing period, 6402 comprehensive reconciled discharge medication lists were prepared; 634 documented discrepancies or medication errors were detected. The majority of identified problems were in three categories: unreconciled medication orders (31%), order clarification (25%), and duplicate orders (12%). The most problematic medications were the opioids, cardiovascular agents, and anticoagulants. A pharmacist-managed medication reconciliation service including onsite pharmacists and telepharmacy support was successful in improving the final discharge lists and documentation received by patients. Copyright © 2014 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.

78 FR 44931 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-25

... services. The tasks of developing new questions and improving upon existing complaint questions along with... of the generic clearance process. This generic clearance will allow the Bureau to test and pilot new...

Development and pilot testing of a mental healthcare plan in Nepal

PubMed Central

Jordans, M. J. D.; Luitel, N. P.; Pokhrel, P.; Patel, V.

2016-01-01

Background Mental health service delivery models that are grounded in the local context are needed to address the substantial treatment gap in low- and middle-income countries. Aims To present the development, and content, of a mental healthcare plan (MHCP) in Nepal and assess initial feasibility. Method A mixed methods formative study was conducted. Routine monitoring and evaluation data, including client flow and reports of satisfaction, were obtained from patients (n = 135) during the pilot-testing phase in two health facilities. Results The resulting MHCP consists of 12 packages, divided over community, health facility and organisation platforms. Service implementation data support the real-life applicability of the MHCP, with reasonable treatment uptake. Key barriers were identified and addressed, namely dissatisfaction with privacy, perceived burden among health workers and high drop-out rates. Conclusions The MHCP follows a collaborative care model encompassing community and primary healthcare interventions. PMID:26447173

Ukrainian-Speaking Migrants’ Concerning the Use of Interpreters in Healthcare Service: A Pilot Study

PubMed Central

Hadziabdic, Emina

2016-01-01

The aim of this pilot study was to investigate Ukrainian-speaking migrants’ attitudes to the use of interpreters in healthcare service in order to test a developed questionnaire and recruitment strategy. A descriptive survey using a 51-item structured self-administered questionnaire of 12 Ukrainian-speaking migrants’ and analyzed by the descriptive statistics. The findings were to have an interpreter as an objective communication and practical aid with personal qualities such as a good knowledge of languages and translation ability. In contrast, the clothes worn by the interpreter and the interpreter’s religion were not viewed as important aspects. The findings support the method of a developed questionnaire and recruitment strategy, which in turn can be used in a larger planned investigation of the same topic in order to arrange a good interpretation situation in accordance with persons’ desire irrespective of countries’ different rules in healthcare policies regarding interpretation. PMID:27014391

Development and pilot testing of a mental healthcare plan in Nepal.

PubMed

Jordans, M J D; Luitel, N P; Pokhrel, P; Patel, V

2016-01-01

Mental health service delivery models that are grounded in the local context are needed to address the substantial treatment gap in low- and middle-income countries. To present the development, and content, of a mental healthcare plan (MHCP) in Nepal and assess initial feasibility. A mixed methods formative study was conducted. Routine monitoring and evaluation data, including client flow and reports of satisfaction, were obtained from patients (n = 135) during the pilot-testing phase in two health facilities. The resulting MHCP consists of 12 packages, divided over community, health facility and organisation platforms. Service implementation data support the real-life applicability of the MHCP, with reasonable treatment uptake. Key barriers were identified and addressed, namely dissatisfaction with privacy, perceived burden among health workers and high drop-out rates. The MHCP follows a collaborative care model encompassing community and primary healthcare interventions. © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2016.

Pilot testing and protocol development of giant applesnail suppression at Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana—July–October 2017

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carter, Jacoby; Merino, Sergio

2018-03-19

This report provides an overview of the pilot study and description of the techniques developed for a future mitigation study of Pomacea maculata (giant applesnail) at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana (MNWR). Egg mass suppression is a potential strategy for the mitigation of the invasive giant applesnail. In previous studies at Langan Municipal Park in Mobile, Alabama (LMP), and National Park Service Jean Lafitte National Park-Barataria Unit, Louisiana (JLNP), we determined that spraying food-grade oil (coconut oil or Pam™ spray) on egg masses significantly reduced egg hatching. At JLNP we also developed methods to estimate snail population size. The purpose of this pilot study was to adapt techniques developed for previous studies to the circumstances of MNWR in preparation for a larger experiment whereby we will test the effectiveness of egg mass suppression as an applesnail mitigation tool. We selected four canals that will be used as treatment and control sites for the experiment (two each). We established that an efficient way to destroy egg masses is to knock them down with a high-velocity stream of water pumped directly from the canal. The traps used at JLNP had to be modified to accommodate the greater range of water-level fluctuation at MNWR. One of the three marking methods used at JLNP was selected for use at MNWR.

Informing efficient randomised controlled trials: exploration of challenges in developing progression criteria for internal pilot studies.

PubMed

Avery, Kerry N L; Williamson, Paula R; Gamble, Carrol; O'Connell Francischetto, Elaine; Metcalfe, Chris; Davidson, Peter; Williams, Hywel; Blazeby, Jane M

2017-02-17

Designing studies with an internal pilot phase may optimise the use of pilot work to inform more efficient randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Careful selection of preagreed decision or 'progression' criteria at the juncture between the internal pilot and main trial phases provides a valuable opportunity to evaluate the likely success of the main trial and optimise its design or, if necessary, to make the decision not to proceed with the main trial. Guidance on the appropriate selection and application of progression criteria is, however, lacking. This paper outlines the key issues to consider in the optimal development and review of operational progression criteria for RCTs with an internal pilot phase. A structured literature review and exploration of stakeholders' opinions at a Medical Research Council (MRC) Hubs for Trials Methodology Research workshop. Key stakeholders included triallists, methodologists, statisticians and funders. There is considerable variation in the use of progression criteria for RCTs with an internal pilot phase, although 3 common issues predominate: trial recruitment, protocol adherence and outcome data. Detailed and systematic reporting around the decision-making process for stopping, amending or proceeding to a main trial is uncommon, which may hamper understanding in the research community about the appropriate and optimal use of RCTs with an internal pilot phase. 10 top tips for the development, use and reporting of progression criteria for internal pilot studies are presented. Systematic and transparent reporting of the design, results and evaluation of internal pilot trials in the literature should be encouraged in order to facilitate understanding in the research community and to inform future trials. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Ten Steps to Establishing an e-Consultation Service to Improve Access to Specialist Care

PubMed Central

Maranger, Julie; Afkham, Amir; Keely, Erin

2013-01-01

Abstract There is dissatisfaction among primary care physicians, specialists, and patients with respect to the consultation process. Excessive wait times for receiving specialist services and inefficient communication between practitioners result in decreased access to care and jeopardize patient safety. We created and implemented an electronic consultation (e-consultation) system in Eastern Ontario to address these problems and improve the consultation process. The e-consultation system has passed through the proof-of-concept and pilot study stages and has effectively reduced unnecessary referrals while receiving resoundingly positive feedback from physician-users. Using our experience, we have outlined the 10 steps to developing an e-consultation service. We detail the technical, administrative, and strategic considerations with respect to (1) identifying your partners, (2) choosing your platform, (3) starting as a pilot project, (4) designing your product, (5) ensuring patient privacy, (6) thinking through the process, (7) fostering relationships with your participants, (8) being prepared to provide physician payment, (9) providing feedback, and (10) planning the transition from pilot to permanency. In following these 10 steps, we believe that the e-consultation system and its associated improvements on the consultation process can be effectively implemented in other healthcare settings. PMID:24073898

The New Hampshire retail competition pilot program and the role of green marketing

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

Holt, E.A.; Fang, J.M.

1997-11-01

Most states in the US are involved in electric industry restructuring, from considering the pros and cons in regulatory dockets to implementing legislative mandates for full restructuring and retail access for all consumers. Several states and utilities have initiated pilot programs in which multiple suppliers or service providers may compete for business and some utility customers can choose among competing suppliers. The State of New Hampshire has been experimenting with a pilot program, mandated by the State Legislature in 1995 and implemented by the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission (NHPUC), before it implements full retail access. Green marketing, an attemptmore » to characterize the supplier or service provider as environmentally friendly without referring to the energy resource used to generate electricity, was used by several suppliers or service providers to attract customers. This appeal to environmental consumerism was moderately successful, but it raised a number of consumer protection and public policy issues. This issue brief examines the marketing methods used in New Hampshire and explores what green marketing might mean for the development of renewable energy generation. It also addresses the issues raised and their implications.« less

A descriptive evaluation of the Seattle Police Department's crisis response team officer/mental health professional partnership pilot program.

PubMed

Helfgott, Jacqueline B; Hickman, Matthew J; Labossiere, Andre P

2016-01-01

The Seattle Police Department (SPD) recently enhanced their response to individuals in behavioral crisis through a pilot Crisis Response Team (CRT) consisting of dedicated Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) officers (OFC) paired with a Mental Health Professional (MHP). This study presents results of an incident-based descriptive evaluation of the SPD's CRT pilot program, implemented from 2010 to 2012. The purpose of the evaluation was to determine the value-added by the MHP in cases involving individuals in behavioral crisis as well as the effectiveness of the CRT program with regard to resolution time, repeat contacts, and referral to services. Data were collected from SPD general offense and supplemental reports for a 12-month segment of the program. Key variables included incident location, case clearance, repeat contacts, linkages to services, and case disposition. Results of analyses of general offense and supplemental reports are presented and implications for future development of the OFC/MHP partnership are discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of a Health Literacy Assessment for Young Adult College Students: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harper, Raquel

2014-01-01

Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop a comprehensive health literacy assessment tool for young adult college students. Participants: Participants were 144 undergraduate students. Methods: Two hundred and twenty-nine questions were developed, which were based on concepts identified by the US Department of Health and Human Services,…

Flight evaluation of two-segment approaches using area navigation guidance equipment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schwind, G. K.; Morrison, J. A.; Nylen, W. E.; Anderson, E. B.

1976-01-01

A two-segment noise abatement approach procedure for use on DC-8-61 aircraft in air carrier service was developed and evaluated. The approach profile and procedures were developed in a flight simulator. Full guidance is provided throughout the approach by a Collins Radio Company three-dimensional area navigation (RNAV) system which was modified to provide the two-segment approach capabilities. Modifications to the basic RNAV software included safety protection logic considered necessary for an operationally acceptable two-segment system. With an aircraft out of revenue service, the system was refined and extensively flight tested, and the profile and procedures were evaluated by representatives of the airlines, airframe manufacturers, the Air Line Pilots Association, and the Federal Aviation Adminstration. The system was determined to be safe and operationally acceptable. It was then placed into scheduled airline service for an evaluation during which 180 approaches were flown by 48 airline pilots. The approach was determined to be compatible with the airline operational environment, although operation of the RNAV system in the existing terminal area air traffic control environment was difficult.

[Certification of an ambulatory gastroenterologic service fulfilling ISO Law 9001--criteria and national guidelines of the Gastroenterologic Association].

PubMed

Birkner, B

2000-09-01

The objectives of certification and accreditation are the deployment and examination of quality improvement measures in health care services. The quality management system of the ISO 9001 is created to install measures and tools leading to assured and improved quality in health care. Only some experiences with certification fulfilling ISO 9001 criteria exist in the German health care system. Evidence-based clinical guidelines can serve as references for the development of standards in quality measurement. Only little data exists on the implementation strategy of guidelines and evaluation, respectively. A pilot quality management system in consistence with ISO 9001 criteria was developed for ambulatory, gastroenterological services. National guidelines of the German Society of Gastroenterology and Metabolism and the recommendations of the German Association of Physicians for quality assurance of gastrointestinal endoscopy were included in the documentation and internal auditing. This pilot quality management system is suitable for the first steps in the introduction of quality management in ambulatory health care. This system shows validity for accreditation and certification of gastrointestinal health care units as well.

Transformation of safety culture on the San Antonio service unit of Union Pacific Railroad

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-10-31

The Federal Railroad Administration conducted a pilot demonstration of Clear Signal for Action (CSA), a risk reduction process : that combines peer-to-peer feedback, continuous improvement, and safety leadership development. An independent formative ...

Better and more efficient care through ICT-enabled integration of social care and healthcare services: experiences from two European projects

PubMed Central

Müller, Sonja; Meyer, Ingo; Kubitschke, Lutz; Delaney, Sarah

2012-01-01

Unsynchronised social and health care service delivery leads to inefficiencies, duplication of resources and reduced levels of quality of care. Older people are particularly affected by this situation. They often need both types of services, such as support with daily living activities and chronic disease management. ICT has the potential to support integrated service delivery to achieve high quality independent living and wellbeing for older people across Europe and elsewhere. Against this background, the presentation will demonstrate experiences and results derived from the development and piloting of ICT-supported integrated care services in eight sites across Europe, namely Dublin, Hull, Milton Keynes, Malaga, Veldhoven, Geldrop, Eindhoven and Bielefeld. Through innovative usage of ICT, current ‘silos’ in service delivery are broken up to allow for cooperation across relevant care sectors and participation of family members. The integrated services are to support the effective management of chronic diseases, and to address issues which affect independence, such as reduced agility, vision or hearing, in order to significantly improve the quality of life for older people and their carers. A dedicated programme of service process innovation complemented by adaptation of technology is being pursued in order to develop an integrated digital support infrastructure and related services: using appropriate existing technology to provide as many older people as possible with digital access to support services they needaugmenting and opening sectoral care platforms to enable coordinated cross-sector support deliveryadopting a clearly demand-driven inclusive approach and avoiding a technology ‘push’. Wider deployment of the services is supported by a dedicated programme of socio-economic service evaluation. The evaluation framework utilises a multi-method and multi-perspective approach, involving end users, family carers, service provider staff and key informants at corporate level. Triangulation is used to cross-reference data from different sources in order to maximize the reliability and robustness of conclusions drawn from the evaluation. Based on an overall framework taking into account themes such as integration, user outcomes, staff impact, organisational impact, technology, implementation and overall satisfaction, the specifics of each site are taken into account in operationally applying the overall framework in each case. The designs to be employed at each site have been developed to be as robust as possible, taking into account the constraints of the realities of the interventions. The evaluation is accompanied by a business case modelling approach that builds largely on a cost-benefit analysis covering the service development and implementation activities as well as the pilots and modelling the further deployment of services in each of the pilot sites. The presentation builds upon experiences gained within the framework of two European projects, CommonWell and INDEPENDENT. They are both co-funded under the EU’s Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) focus on better joining-up of formal social/healthcare services and strengthening participation of the so-called ‘third sector’.

Female Health Workers at the Doorstep: A Pilot of Community-Based Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Service Delivery in Northern Nigeria

PubMed Central

Uzondu, Charles A; Doctor, Henry V; Findley, Sally E; Afenyadu, Godwin Y; Ager, Alastair

2015-01-01

ABSTRACT Introduction: Nigeria has one of the highest maternal mortality ratios in the world. Poor health outcomes are linked to weak health infrastructure, barriers to service access, and consequent low rates of service utilization. In the northern state of Jigawa, a pilot study was conducted to explore the feasibility of deploying resident female Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs) to rural areas to provide essential maternal, newborn, and child health services. Methods: Between February and August 2011, a quasi-experimental design compared service utilization in the pilot community of Kadawawa, which deployed female resident CHEWs to provide health post services, 24/7 emergency access, and home visits, with the control community of Kafin Baka. In addition, we analyzed data from the preceding year in Kadawawa, and also compared service utilization data in Kadawawa from 2008–2010 (before introduction of the pilot) with data from 2011–2013 (during and after the pilot) to gauge sustainability of the model. Results: Following deployment of female CHEWs to Kadawawa in 2011, there was more than a 500% increase in rates of health post visits compared with 2010, from about 1.5 monthly visits per 100 population to about 8 monthly visits per 100. Health post visit rates were between 1.4 and 5.5 times higher in the intervention community than in the control community. Monthly antenatal care coverage in Kadawawa during the pilot period ranged from 11.9% to 21.3%, up from 0.9% to 5.8% in the preceding year. Coverage in Kafin Baka ranged from 0% to 3%. Facility-based deliveries by a skilled birth attendant more than doubled in Kadawawa compared with the preceding year (105 vs. 43 deliveries total, respectively). There was evidence of sustainability of these changes over the 2 subsequent years. Conclusion: Community-based service delivery through a resident female community health worker can increase health service utilization in rural, hard-to-reach areas. PMID:25745123

GED Candidates and Their Postsecondary Educational Outcomes: A Pilot Study. GED Testing Service[R] Research Studies, 2009-5. Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patterson, Margaret Becker; Song, Wei; Zhang, Jizhi

2009-01-01

For most high school non-completers, the GED[R] (General Educational Development) credential is the bridge to postsecondary education, but little is known about how successfully they could make that transition and whether their participation shifts across time. The American Council on Education (ACE) has begun a three-year longitudinal study to…

Successful Proof of Concept of Family Planning and Immunization Integration in Liberia

PubMed Central

Cooper, Chelsea M; Fields, Rebecca; Mazzeo, Corinne I; Taylor, Nyapu; Pfitzer, Anne; Momolu, Mary; Jabbeh-Howe, Cuallau

2015-01-01

ABSTRACT Globally, unmet need for postpartum family planning remains high, while immunization services are among the most wide-reaching and equitable interventions. Given overlapping time frames, integrating these services provides an opportunity to leverage existing health visits to offer women more comprehensive services. From March through November 2012, Liberia's government, with support from the Maternal and Child Health Integrated Program (MCHIP), piloted an integrated family planning and immunization model at 10 health facilities in Bong and Lofa counties. Vaccinators provided mothers bringing infants for routine immunization with targeted family planning and immunization messages and same-day referrals to co-located family planning services. In February 2013, we compared service statistics for family planning and immunization during the pilot against the previous year's statistics. We also conducted in-depth interviews with service providers and other personnel and focus group discussions with clients. Results showed that referral acceptance across the facilities varied from 10% to 45% per month, on average. Over 80% of referral acceptors completed the family planning visit that day, of whom over 90% accepted a contraceptive method that day. The total number of new contraceptive users at participating facilities increased by 73% in Bong and by 90% in Lofa. Women referred from immunization who accepted family planning that day accounted for 44% and 34% of total new contraceptive users in Bong and Lofa, respectively. In Lofa, pilot sites administered 35% more Penta 1 and 21% more Penta 3 doses during the pilot period compared with the same period of the previous year, while Penta 1 and Penta 3 administration decreased in non-pilot facilities. In Bong, there was little difference in the number of Penta 1 and Penta 3 doses administered between pilot and non-pilot facilities. In both counties, Penta 1 to Penta 3 dropout rates increased at pilot sites but not in non-pilot facilities, possibly due to higher than average background dropout rates at pilot sites prior to the intervention in Lofa and the disproportionate effect of data from 1 large facility in Bong. The project provided considerable basic support to assess this proof of concept. However, results suggest that introducing a simple model that is minimally disruptive to existing immunization service delivery can facilitate integration. The model is currently being scaled-up to other counties in Liberia, which could potentially contribute to increased postpartum contraceptive uptake, leading to longer birth intervals and improved health outcomes for children and mothers. PMID:25745121

Development of a measure of model fidelity for mental health Crisis Resolution Teams.

PubMed

Lloyd-Evans, Brynmor; Bond, Gary R; Ruud, Torleif; Ivanecka, Ada; Gray, Richard; Osborn, David; Nolan, Fiona; Henderson, Claire; Mason, Oliver; Goater, Nicky; Kelly, Kathleen; Ambler, Gareth; Morant, Nicola; Onyett, Steve; Lamb, Danielle; Fahmy, Sarah; Brown, Ellie; Paterson, Beth; Sweeney, Angela; Hindle, David; Fullarton, Kate; Frerichs, Johanna; Johnson, Sonia

2016-12-01

Crisis Resolution Teams (CRTs) provide short-term intensive home treatment to people experiencing mental health crisis. Trial evidence suggests CRTs can be effective at reducing hospital admissions and increasing satisfaction with acute care. When scaled up to national level however, CRT implementation and outcomes have been variable. We aimed to develop and test a fidelity scale to assess adherence to a model of best practice for CRTs, based on best available evidence. A concept mapping process was used to develop a CRT fidelity scale. Participants (n = 68) from a range of stakeholder groups prioritised and grouped statements (n = 72) about important components of the CRT model, generated from a literature review, national survey and qualitative interviews. These data were analysed using Ariadne software and the resultant cluster solution informed item selection for a CRT fidelity scale. Operational criteria and scoring anchor points were developed for each item. The CORE CRT fidelity scale was then piloted in 75 CRTs in the UK to assess the range of scores achieved and feasibility for use in a 1-day fidelity review process. Trained reviewers (n = 16) rated CRT service fidelity in a vignette exercise to test the scale's inter-rater reliability. There were high levels of agreement within and between stakeholder groups regarding the most important components of the CRT model. A 39-item measure of CRT model fidelity was developed. Piloting indicated that the scale was feasible for use to assess CRT model fidelity and had good face validity. The wide range of item scores and total scores across CRT services in the pilot demonstrate the measure can distinguish lower and higher fidelity services. Moderately good inter-rater reliability was found, with an estimated correlation between individual ratings of 0.65 (95% CI: 0.54 to 0.76). The CORE CRT Fidelity Scale has been developed through a rigorous and systematic process. Promising initial testing indicates its value in assessing adherence to a model of CRT best practice and to support service improvement monitoring and planning. Further research is required to establish its psychometric properties and international applicability.

[Correction of the functional state of deck aviation pilots by the course of inhalation of therapeutic doses of xenon during long march].

PubMed

Bubeev, Iu A; Kal'manov, A S; Kotrovskaia, T I

2011-01-01

The article deals with efficiency of the course of O2-Xe inhalation for correction of the functional state of deck aviation pilots in a long march. The course was shown to stabilize vagosympathetic balance in organism, to compensate functioning and to retain reserve of the cardiovascular system that resulted in significant psychoemotional animation attested by self-appreciation, amelioration and cheerfulness, and weakening of reactive anxiety. These observations point to applicability of xenon-based gas mixtures to correction of the pilot's functional state in the most intensive periods of service. Guidelines for broad adoption of the method by military medicine have been developed.

Understanding Latino Parents' Child Mental Health Literacy: Todos a bordo/All Aboard

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Umpierre, Mari; Meyers, Laura V.; Ortiz, Aida; Paulino, Angela; Rodriguez, Anita Rivera; Miranda, Ana; Rodriguez, Raquel; Kranes, Stephanie; McKay, Mary M.

2015-01-01

Objective: This article describes Phase 1 of a pilot that aims to develop, implement, and test an intervention to educate and simultaneously engage highly stressed Latino parents in child mental health services. A team of Spanish-speaking academic and community co-investigators developed the intervention using a community-based participatory…

Audiometric profile of civilian pilots according to noise exposure

PubMed Central

Falcão, Taiana Pacheco; Luiz, Ronir Raggio; Schütz, Gabriel Eduardo; Mello, Márcia Gomide da Silva; Câmara, Volney de Magalhães

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the audiometric profile of civilian pilots according to the noise exposure level. METHODS This observational cross-sectional study evaluated 3,130 male civilian pilots aged between 17 and 59 years. These pilots were subjected to audiometric examinations for obtaining or revalidating the functional capacity certificate in 2011. The degree of hearing loss was classified as normal, suspected noise-induced hearing loss, and no suspected hearing loss with other associated complications. Pure-tone air-conduction audiometry was performed using supra-aural headphones and acoustic stimulus of the pure-tone type, containing tone thresholds of frequencies between 250 Hz and 6,000 Hz. The independent variables were professional categories, length of service, hours of flight, and right or left ear. The dependent variable was pilots with suspected noise-induced hearing loss. The noise exposure level was considered low/medium or high, and the latter involved periods > 5,000 flight hours and > 10 years of flight service. RESULTS A total of 29.3% pilots had suspected noise-induced hearing loss, which was bilateral in 12.8% and predominant in the left ear (23.7%). The number of pilots with suspected hearing loss increased as the noise exposure level increased. CONCLUSIONS Hearing loss in civilian pilots may be associated with noise exposure during the period of service and hours of flight. PMID:25372170

Implementation of information and communication technologies for health in Bangladesh

PubMed Central

Tabassum, Reshman

2015-01-01

Abstract Problem Bangladesh has yet to develop a fully integrated health information system infrastructure that is critical to guiding policy development and planning. Approach Initial pilot telemedicine and eHealth programmes were not coordinated at national level. However, in 2011, a national eHealth policy was implemented. Local setting Bangladesh has made substantial improvements to its health system. However, the country still faces public health challenges with limited and inequitable access to health services and lack of adequate resources to meet the demands of the population. Relevant changes In 2008, eHealth services were introduced, including computerization of health facilities at sub-district levels, internet connections, internet servers and an mHealth service for communicating with health-care providers. Health facilities at sub-district levels were provided with internet connections and servers. In 482 upazila health complexes and district hospitals, an mHealth service was set-up where an on-duty doctor is available for patients at all hours to provide consultations by mobile phone. A government operated telemedicine service was initiated and by 2014, 43 fully equipped centres were in service. These centres provide medical consultations by qualified physicians to patients visiting rural and remote community clinics and union health centres. Lessons learnt Despite early pilot interventions and successful implementation, progress in adopting eHealth strategies in Bangladesh has been slow. There is a lack of common standards on information technology for health, which causes difficulties in data management and sharing among different databases. Limited internet bandwidth and the high cost of infrastructure and software development are barriers to adoption of these technologies. PMID:26549909

Implementation of information and communication technologies for health in Bangladesh.

PubMed

Islam, Sheik Mohammed Shariful; Tabassum, Reshman

2015-11-01

Bangladesh has yet to develop a fully integrated health information system infrastructure that is critical to guiding policy development and planning. Initial pilot telemedicine and eHealth programmes were not coordinated at national level. However, in 2011, a national eHealth policy was implemented. Bangladesh has made substantial improvements to its health system. However, the country still faces public health challenges with limited and inequitable access to health services and lack of adequate resources to meet the demands of the population. In 2008, eHealth services were introduced, including computerization of health facilities at sub-district levels, internet connections, internet servers and an mHealth service for communicating with health-care providers. Health facilities at sub-district levels were provided with internet connections and servers. In 482 upazila health complexes and district hospitals, an mHealth service was set-up where an on-duty doctor is available for patients at all hours to provide consultations by mobile phone. A government operated telemedicine service was initiated and by 2014, 43 fully equipped centres were in service. These centres provide medical consultations by qualified physicians to patients visiting rural and remote community clinics and union health centres. Despite early pilot interventions and successful implementation, progress in adopting eHealth strategies in Bangladesh has been slow. There is a lack of common standards on information technology for health, which causes difficulties in data management and sharing among different databases. Limited internet bandwidth and the high cost of infrastructure and software development are barriers to adoption of these technologies.

Pilot Evaluation of a Web-Based Intervention Targeting Sexual Health Service Access

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, K. E.; Newby, K.; Caley, M.; Danahay, A.; Kehal, I.

2016-01-01

Sexual health service access is fundamental to good sexual health, yet interventions designed to address this have rarely been implemented or evaluated. In this article, pilot evaluation findings for a targeted public health behavior change intervention, delivered via a website and web-app, aiming to increase uptake of sexual health services among…

Brief Report: Pilot Investigation of Service Receipt by Young Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLennan, John D.; Huculak, Susan; Sheehan, Debbie

2008-01-01

Whether children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) and their families are receiving recommended assessments and services is poorly known. This pilot study examined service receipt as reported by parents of young children with ASD (n = 64) from four specialty centers in Canada. While almost all children had a speech and language assessment…

Providing Postsecondary Transition Services to Youth with Disabilities: Results of a Pilot Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnard-Brak, Lucy; Schmidt, Marcelo; Wei, Tianlan; Hodges, Tamara; Robinson, Eric L.

2013-01-01

The results of a pilot program to provide transition services for high school seniors with disabilities via one-on-one mentoring services over the course of an academic year were examined. Results indicate significantly improved attitudes toward requesting accommodations over the course of the nine month program. These results suggest positive…

Bullying Experiences of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service-Users: A Pilot Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dyer, Kevin; Teggart, Tom

2007-01-01

Victims and perpetrators of bullying experience a variety of psychological problems. The aim of the current pilot study was to explore the bullying experiences of Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS) service-users. The investigation was conducted as a cross-sectional survey at a community-based specialist CAMH service. A modified version of…

The Future of Online Services to Faculty: A Pilot Project with CAS Online.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Culotta, Wendy A.

Lottery money in California, part of which is required by law to be distributed to educational institutions, provides avenues for innovative services. A pilot program was supported by the administration of California State University, Long Beach, to provide faculty access to CAS (Chemical Abstracts Service) ONLINE (a remote database), which could…

8 CFR 286.8 - Establishment of pilot programs for the charging of a land border fee for inspection services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY IMMIGRATION REGULATIONS IMMIGRATION USER FEE § 286.8 Establishment of pilot... charge fees for immigration inspection services to be collected by the Commissioner. Individual ports-of... inspection services and to recover the cost of: (a) Hiring additional immigration inspectors, including all...

Advertising sexual health services that provide sexually transmissible infection screening for rural young people - what works and what doesn't.

PubMed

Gamage, Deepa G; Fuller, Candice A; Cummings, Rosey; Tomnay, Jane E; Chung, Mark; Chen, Marcus; Garrett, Cameryn C; Hocking, Jane S; Bradshaw, Catriona S; Fairley, Christopher K

2011-09-01

'TESTme' is a sexually transmissible infection (STI) screening service for Victorian young people living in rural areas. We evaluated the effectiveness of advertising for this service over an 11-month pilot period. The advertising that was used included websites, a Facebook page, posters, flyers, business cards, wrist bands and professional development sessions for health nurses that occurred throughout the pilot period. We also used once-off methods including advertisements in newspapers, student diaries and short messages to mobile phones. Twenty-eight clients had a consultation through TESTme. Twenty found the service through health professionals, six through the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre (MSHC) web page, one through the Facebook page and one through the student diary. The total direct costs incurred by the centre for advertising were $20850. The advertising cost per client reached for each advertising method was $26 for health professionals, $80 for the MSHC web advertisement, $1408 for Facebook and $790 for the student diary. Other advertising methods cost $12248 and did not attract any clients. Advertising STI health services for rural young people would be best to focus on referrals from other health services or health care websites.

The Overseas Service Veteran At Home Pilot: How Choice of Care May Affect Use of Nursing Home Beds and Waiting Lists. Brief Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pedlar, David; Walker, John

2004-01-01

In 1999 Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) implemented the Overseas Service Veterans (OSV) At Home Pilot Project in response to the problem that a growing number of clients were on waiting lists for beds in long-term care facilities. The At Home pilot offered certain clients on waiting lists, who met nursing-level care and military-service…

Developing Quality Indicators for Family Support Services in Community Team-Based Mental Health Care

PubMed Central

Olin, S. Serene; Kutash, Krista; Pollock, Michele; Burns, Barbara J.; Kuppinger, Anne; Craig, Nancy; Purdy, Frances; Armusewicz, Kelsey; Wisdom, Jennifer; Hoagwood, Kimberly E.

2013-01-01

Quality indicators for programs integrating parent-delivered family support services for children’s mental health have not been systematically developed. Increasing emphasis on accountability under the Affordable Care Act highlights the importance of quality-benchmarking efforts. Using a modified Delphi approach, quality indicators were developed for both program level and family support specialist level practices. These indicators were pilot tested with 21 community-based mental health programs. Psychometric properties of these indicators are reported; variations in program and family support specialist performance suggest the utility of these indicators as tools to guide policies and practices in organizations that integrate parent-delivered family support service components. PMID:23709287

The training for health equity network evaluation framework: a pilot study at five health professional schools.

PubMed

Ross, Simone J; Preston, Robyn; Lindemann, Iris C; Matte, Marie C; Samson, Rex; Tandinco, Filedito D; Larkins, Sarah L; Palsdottir, Bjorg; Neusy, Andre-Jacques

2014-01-01

The Training for Health Equity Network (THEnet), a group of diverse health professional schools aspiring toward social accountability, developed and pilot tested a comprehensive evaluation framework to assess progress toward socially accountable health professions education. The evaluation framework provides criteria for schools to assess their level of social accountability within their organization and planning; education, research and service delivery; and the direct and indirect impacts of the school and its graduates, on the community and health system. This paper describes the pilot implementation of testing the evaluation framework across five THEnet schools, and examines whether the evaluation framework was practical and feasible across contexts for the purposes of critical reflection and continuous improvement in terms of progress towards social accountability. In this pilot study, schools utilized the evaluation framework using a mixed method approach of data collection comprising of workshops, qualitative interviews and focus group discussions, document review and collation and analysis of existing quantitative data. The evaluation framework allowed each school to contextually gather evidence on how it was meeting the aspirational goals of social accountability across a range of school activities, and to identify strengths and areas for improvement and development. The evaluation framework pilot study demonstrated how social accountability can be assessed through a critically reflective and comprehensive process. As social accountability focuses on the relationship between health professions schools and health system and health population outcomes, each school was able to demonstrate to students, health professionals, governments, accrediting bodies, communities and other stakeholders how current and future health care needs of populations are addressed in terms of education, research, and service learning.

Pilots 2.0: DIRAC pilots for all the skies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stagni, F.; Tsaregorodtsev, A.; McNab, A.; Luzzi, C.

2015-12-01

In the last few years, new types of computing infrastructures, such as IAAS (Infrastructure as a Service) and IAAC (Infrastructure as a Client), gained popularity. New resources may come as part of pledged resources, while others are opportunistic. Most of these new infrastructures are based on virtualization techniques. Meanwhile, some concepts, such as distributed queues, lost appeal, while still supporting a vast amount of resources. Virtual Organizations are therefore facing heterogeneity of the available resources and the use of an Interware software like DIRAC to hide the diversity of underlying resources has become essential. The DIRAC WMS is based on the concept of pilot jobs that was introduced back in 2004. A pilot is what creates the possibility to run jobs on a worker node. Within DIRAC, we developed a new generation of pilot jobs, that we dubbed Pilots 2.0. Pilots 2.0 are not tied to a specific infrastructure; rather they are generic, fully configurable and extendible pilots. A Pilot 2.0 can be sent, as a script to be run, or it can be fetched from a remote location. A pilot 2.0 can run on every computing resource, e.g.: on CREAM Computing elements, on DIRAC Computing elements, on Virtual Machines as part of the contextualization script, or IAAC resources, provided that these machines are properly configured, hiding all the details of the Worker Nodes (WNs) infrastructure. Pilots 2.0 can be generated server and client side. Pilots 2.0 are the “pilots to fly in all the skies”, aiming at easy use of computing power, in whatever form it is presented. Another aim is the unification and simplification of the monitoring infrastructure for all kinds of computing resources, by using pilots as a network of distributed sensors coordinated by a central resource monitoring system. Pilots 2.0 have been developed using the command pattern. VOs using DIRAC can tune pilots 2.0 as they need, and extend or replace each and every pilot command in an easy way. In this paper we describe how Pilots 2.0 work with distributed and heterogeneous resources providing the necessary abstraction to deal with different kind of computing resources.

Real World Data and Service Integration: Demonstrations and Lessons Learnt from the GEOSS Architecture Implementation Pilot Phase Four

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simonis, I.; Alameh, N.; Percivall, G.

2012-04-01

The GEOSS Architecture Implementation Pilots (AIP) develop and pilot new process and infrastructure components for the GEOSS Common Infrastructure (GCI) and the broader GEOSS architecture through an evolutionary development process consisting of a set of phases. Each phase addresses a set of Societal Benefit Areas (SBA) and geoinformatic topics. The first three phases consisted of architecture refinements based on interactions with users; component interoperability testing; and SBA-driven demonstrations. The fourth phase (AIP-4) documented here focused on fostering interoperability arrangements and common practices for GEOSS by facilitating access to priority earth observation data sources and by developing and testing specific clients and mediation components to enable such access. Additionally, AIP-4 supported the development of a thesaurus for earth observation parameters and tutorials to guide data providers to make their data available through GEOSS. The results of AIP-4 are documented in two engineering reports and captured in a series of videos posted online. Led by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), AIP-4 built on contributions from over 60 organizations. This wide portfolio helped testing interoperability arrangements in a highly heterogeneous environment. AIP-4 participants cooperated closely to test available data sets, access services, and client applications in multiple workflows and set ups. Eventually, AIP-4 improved the accessibility of GEOSS datasets identified as supporting Critical Earth Observation Priorities by the GEO User Interface Committee (UIC), and increased the use of the data through promoting availability of new data services, clients, and applications. During AIP-4, A number of key earth observation data sources have been made available online at standard service interfaces, discovered using brokered search approaches, and processed and visualized in generalized client applications. AIP-4 demonstrated the level of interoperability that can be achieved using currently available standards and corresponding products and implementations. The AIP-4 integration testing process proved that the integration of heterogeneous data resources available via interoperability arrangements such as WMS, WFS, WCS and WPS indeed works. However, the integration often required various levels of customizations on the client side to accommodate for variations in the service implementations. Those variations seem to be based on both malfunctioning service implementations as well as varying interpretations of or inconsistencies in existing standards. Other interoperability issues identified revolve around missing metadata or using unrecognized identifiers in the description of GEOSS resources. Once such issues are resolved, continuous compliance testing is necessary to ensure minimizing variability of implementations. Once data providers can choose from a set of enhanced implementations for offering their data using consistent interoperability arrangements, the barrier to client and decision support implementation developers will be lowered, leading to true leveraging of earth observation data through GEOSS. AIP-4 results, lessons learnt from previous AIPs 1-3 and close coordination with the Infrastructure Implementation Board (IIB), the successor of the Architecture and Data Committee (ADC), form the basis in the current preparation phase for the next Architecture Implementation Pilot, AIP-5. The Call For Participation will be launched in February and the pilot will be conducted from May to November 2012. The current planning foresees a scenario- oriented approach, with possible scenarios coming from the domains of disaster management, health (including air quality and waterborne diseases), water resource observations, energy, biodiversity and climate change, and agriculture.

75 FR 57275 - Information Collection; Supplier Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Pilot

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-20

...] Information Collection; Supplier Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Pilot AGENCY: Federal Acquisition Service... Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Inventory pilot. Public comments are particularly invited on: Whether this... 3090- 00XX; Supplier Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Pilot, by any of the following methods...

Developing a Strategic Plan for Transitioning to Healthcare Knowledge Services Centers (HKSCs)

PubMed Central

Goldstein, H. Mark; Coletti, Margaret H.

2012-01-01

Facing a negative trend in the form of downsizing, layoffs, and closures, a small committee of hospital librarians in New England was formed in 2004 to provide library advocacy. Between 2008 and 2010, 23 hospital libraries closed in New England. In 2010, the committee shifted its focus from advocacy to a platform for change. This resulted in the creation of the Healthcare Knowledge Services Center (HKSC) Template. The Template is the basis for a 3-phased, 5-year strategic plan to establish several regional pilots, transitioning traditional hospital libraries to healthcare knowledge services centers. This article focuses on Phase One of the strategic plan, Development. PMID:23125551

Integrated urban water planning: big picture planning is good for the wallet and the environment.

PubMed

Anderson, J; Iyaduri, R

2003-01-01

The demands on governments and local authorities are changing in response to community expectations for environmentally sustainable outcomes. To reverse declining water quality in rivers and ensure sustainable use in the 21st century, the State Government in New South Wales has introduced a package of Water Reforms. The introduction of integrated water, sewerage and drainage planning is one of the Water Reform initiatives. Traditionally, government and local authorities have managed their water supply, sewerage and stormwater drainage systems as separate entities. Integrated urban water planning is a structured planning process to evaluate concurrently the opportunities to improve the management of water, sewerage and drainage services within an urban area in ways which are consistent with broader catchment and river management objectives. The New South Wales Department of Land & Water Conservation (DLWC) has developed an integrated urban water planning process through a number of recent pilot studies. The process links urban water management objectives to overall catchment and river management objectives. DLWC is currently developing a set of guidelines for integrated urban water plans. DLWC has developed the Integrated Urban Water Planning methodology through three pilot studies in the New South Wales towns of Finley, Goulburn and Bombala. The pilot studies have shown that an integrated approach to water, sewerage and stormwater planning can identify opportunities that are not apparent when separate strategies are developed for each service. The result is better-integrated, more sustainable solutions, and substantial cost savings for local communities.

NASA Desert RATS 2011 Education Pilot Project and Classroom Activities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gruener, J. E.; McGlone, M.; Allen, J.; Tobola, K.; Graff, P.

2012-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Desert Research and Technology Studies (Desert RATS) is a multi-year series of tests of hardware and operations carried out annually in the high desert of Arizona, as an analog to future exploration activities beyond low Earth orbit [1]. For the past several years, these tests have occurred in the San Francisco Volcanic Field, north of Flagstaff. For the 2011 Desert RATS season, the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) at NASA headquarters provided support to develop an education pilot project that would include student activities to parallel the Desert RATS mission planning and exploration activities in the classroom, and educator training sessions. The development of the pilot project was a joint effort between the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) Directorate and the Aerospace Education Services Project (AESP), managed at Penn State University.

A COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT MODEL FOR THE EXPANSION OF REFLECTIVE PRACTICE AND SUPERVISION: EVALUATION OF A PILOT TRAINING SERIES FOR INFANT MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS.

PubMed

Shea, Sarah E; Goldberg, Sheryl; Weatherston, Deborah J

2016-11-01

The Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health identified a need for reflective supervision training for infant mental health (IMH) specialists providing home-based services to highly vulnerable infants and their families. Findings indicate that this pilot of an IMH community mental health professional development model was successful, as measured by the participants' increased capacity to apply reflective practice and supervisory knowledge and skills. Furthermore, IMH clinicians demonstrated an increase in the frequency of their use of reflective practice skills, and their supervisors demonstrated an increase in their sense of self-efficacy regarding reflective supervisory tasks. Finally, the evaluation included a successful pilot of new measures designed to measure reflective practice, contributing to the growing body of research in the area of reflective supervision. © 2016 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health.

Piloting a manualised weight management programme (Shape Up-LD) for overweight and obese persons with mild-moderate learning disabilities: study protocol for a pilot randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Beeken, Rebecca J; Spanos, Dimitrios; Fovargue, Sally; Hunter, Rachael; Omar, Rumana; Hassiotis, Angela; King, Michael; Wardle, Jane; Croker, Helen

2013-03-12

National obesity rates have dramatically risen over the last decade. Being obese significantly reduces life expectancy, increases the risk of a range of diseases, and compromises quality of life. Costs to both the National Health Service and society are high. An increased prevalence of obesity in people with learning disabilities has been demonstrated. The consequences of obesity are particularly relevant to people with learning disabilities who are already confronted by health and social inequalities. In order to provide healthcare for all, and ensure equality of treatment for people with learning disabilities, services must be developed specifically with this population in mind. The aim of this project is to pilot the evaluation of a manualised weight management programme for overweight and obese persons with mild-moderate learning disabilities (Shape Up-LD). An individually randomised, controlled pilot trial in 60 overweight and obese (body mass index ≥ 25) adults (age ≥ 18) with mild-moderate learning disabilities and their carers will be carried out, comparing "Shape Up-LD" with usual care. The manualised Shape Up-LD intervention will involve 12 weekly sessions, which include healthy eating messages, advice on physical activity and use of behaviour change techniques to help people manage their weight. Assessments of participants will be conducted at baseline, 12 weeks and 6 months. Service users and their carers and service providers will also give their perspectives on the experience of Shape Up-LD in qualitative interviews at 12 weeks. Feasibility outcomes will include recruitment rates, loss to follow-up, compliance rates, completion rates, collection of information for a cost-effectiveness analysis and an estimation of the treatment effect on weight. The findings from this study will inform our preparation for a definitive randomised controlled trial to test the efficacy of the programme with respect to weight loss and maintenance in this population. Weight loss through Shape Up-LD could lead to improvements in health and quality of life. Costs to the National Health Service might be reduced through decreased overall service use because of improved health. The programme would also ensure a more equitable service for overweight service users with learning disabilities and fill the current gap in weight management services for this population. International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial No ISRCTN39605930.

Engineering flight and guest pilot evaluation report, phase 2. [DC 8 aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morrison, J. A.; Anderson, E. B.; Brown, G. W.; Schwind, G. K.

1974-01-01

Prior to the flight evaluation, the two-segment profile capabilities of the DC-8-61 were evaluated and flight procedures were developed in a flight simulator at the UA Flight Training Center in Denver, Colorado. The flight evaluation reported was conducted to determine the validity of the simulation results, further develop the procedures and use of the area navigation system in the terminal area, certify the system for line operation, and obtain evaluations of the system and procedures by a number of pilots from the industry. The full area navigation capabilities of the special equipment installed were developed to provide terminal area guidance for two-segment approaches. The objectives of this evaluation were: (1) perform an engineering flight evaluation sufficient to certify the two-segment system for the six-month in-service evaluation; (2) evaluate the suitability of a modified RNAV system for flying two-segment approaches; and (3) provide evaluation of the two-segment approach by management and line pilots.

36 CFR 223.275 - Establishment of a pilot program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Establishment of a pilot... Establishment of a pilot program. This subpart governs the Forest Service's pilot program for the disposal of... of Title III of H.R. 3423)), as amended in 2004 by Section 335 of Public Law 108-108. The pilot...

Evaluation of total purchasing pilots in England and Scotland and implications for primary care groups in England: personal interviews and analysis of routine data

PubMed Central

Goodwin, Nicholas; Mays, Nicholas; McLeod, Hugh; Malbon, Gill; Raftery, James

1998-01-01

Objectives: To evaluate the reported achievements of the 52 first wave total purchasing pilot schemes in 1996-7 and the factors associated with these; and to consider the implications of these findings for the development of the proposed primary care groups. Design: Face to face interviews with lead general practitioners, project managers, and health authority representatives responsible for each pilot; and analysis of hospital episode statistics. Setting: England and Scotland for evaluation of pilots; England only for consideration of implications for primary care groups. Main outcome measures: The ability of total purchasers to achieve their own objectives and their ability specifically to achieve objectives in the service areas beyond fundholding included in total purchasing. Results: The level of achievement between pilots varied widely. Achievement was more likely to be reported in primary than in secondary care. Reported achievements in reducing length of stay and emergency admissions were corroborated by analysis of hospital episode statistics. Single practice and small multipractice pilots were more likely than large multipractice projects to report achieving their objectives. Achievements were also associated with higher direct management costs per head and the ability to undertake independent contracting. Large multipractice pilots required considerable organisational development before progress could be made. Conclusion: The ability to create effective commissioning organisations the size of the proposed primary care groups should not be underestimated. To be effective commissioners, these care groups will need to invest heavily in their organisational development and in the short term are likely to need an additional development budget rather than the reduction in spending on NHS management that is planned by the government. Key messages The level of reported achievement between the total purchasing pilots in 1996-7 varied widely; achievement was more likely to occur in primary than in secondary care Single practice and small multipractice pilots were more likely than large multipractice pilots to report achieving their objectives in 1996/97; achievements were also associated with higher direct management costs per head Large multipractice pilots needed more time for organisational development before progress could be made Difficulties in creating effective commissioning organisations the size of the proposed primary care groups should not be underestimated Primary care groups will need to invest heavily in organisational development and are likely to need an additional development budget in the short term PMID:9677217

Developing a Family-Based HIV Prevention Intervention in Rural Kenya: Challenges in Conducting Community-Based Participatory Research

PubMed Central

Puffer, Eve S.; Pian, Jessica; Sikkema, Kathleen J.; Ogwang-Odhiambo, Rose A.; Broverman, Sherryl A.

2013-01-01

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) introduces new ethical challenges for HIV prevention studies in low-resource international settings. We describe a CBPR study in rural Kenya to develop and pilot a family-based HIV prevention and mental health promotion intervention. Academic partners (APs) worked with a community advisory committee (CAC) during formative research, intervention development, and a pilot trial. Ethical challenges emerged related to: negotiating power imbalances between APs and the CAC; CAC members’ shifting roles as part of the CAC and wider community; and anticipated challenges in decision making about sustainability. Factors contributing to ethical dilemmas included low access to education, scarcity of financial resources, and the shortage of HIV-related services despite high prevalence. PMID:23651936

46 CFR 401.450 - Pilot change points.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 8 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Pilot change points. 401.450 Section 401.450 Shipping COAST GUARD (GREAT LAKES PILOTAGE), DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY GREAT LAKES PILOTAGE REGULATIONS Rates, Charges, and Conditions for Pilotage Services § 401.450 Pilot change points. A Registered Pilot's...

46 CFR 401.450 - Pilot change points.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 8 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Pilot change points. 401.450 Section 401.450 Shipping COAST GUARD (GREAT LAKES PILOTAGE), DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY GREAT LAKES PILOTAGE REGULATIONS Rates, Charges, and Conditions for Pilotage Services § 401.450 Pilot change points. A Registered Pilot's...

Staff views of an opportunistic chlamydia testing pilot in a primary health organisation.

PubMed

McKernon, Stephen; Azariah, Sunita

2013-12-01

The Auckland chlamydia pilot was one of three pilots funded by the Ministry of Health to trial implementation of the 2008 Chlamydia Management Guidelines prior to national roll-out. To assess what elements in the testing programme pilot worked best for staff and to determine how an opportunistic testing programme could be better configured to meet staff needs and preferences. A staff survey listed key chlamydia testing tasks in chronological order, and service interventions supporting these tasks. Staff were asked to rate each task on its difficulty prior to the pilot, and then on the difference the pilot had made to each task. They were also asked to rate service interventions on their usefulness during the pilot implementation. The survey had a response rate of 94%. The testing tasks posing the greatest difficulties to staff were those involving patient interactions (41%) and management of follow-up (52%). About 70% of staff felt tasks were improved by the pilot. Staff considered the three most useful service interventions to be a chlamydia-specific template created for the practice management system, provision of printed patient resources, and regular team discussions with other staff. A significant proportion of staff reported difficulties with routine tasks required for opportunistic testing for chlamydia, highlighting the need to involve staff during programme design. Practice nurse-led approaches to future opportunistic testing programmes should be considered as nurses had a more positive response to the pilot and nurse-led approaches have been shown to be successful overseas.

Validation of laboratory-scale recycling test method of paper PSA label products

Treesearch

Carl Houtman; Karen Scallon; Richard Oldack

2008-01-01

Starting with test methods and a specification developed by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Environmentally Benign Pressure Sensitive Adhesive Postage Stamp Program, a laboratory-scale test method and a specification were developed and validated for pressure-sensitive adhesive labels, By comparing results from this new test method and pilot-scale tests, which have been...

A CIS (Clinical Information System) Quality Evaluation Tool for Nursing Care Services

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Seon Ah

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a tool to evaluate the quality of a clinical information system (CIS) conceived by nurses and conduct a pilot test with the developed tool as an initial assessment. CIS quality is required for successful implementation in information technology (IT) environments. The study started with the realization that…

Development of USPS Laboratory and pilot-scale testing protocols

Treesearch

Carl Houtman; Nancy Ross Sutherland; David Bormett; Donald Donermeyer

2000-01-01

The ultimate goal of the US Postal Service (USPS) Environmentally Benign Stamp Program is to develop stamp adhesives that can be removed by unit operations found in recycling mills. The maintenance of final product quality specifications for a recycling mill while loading the feedstock with a significant quantity of adhesive is the criterion for success of this program...

Preparation for Social Service Leadership: Field Work and Virtual Organizations that Promote Critical Thinking in Administration Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams-Gray, Brenda

2014-01-01

This article examines how to prepare professional social workers for real-world nonprofit leadership roles. A pilot course assignment that incorporates a quasi-organization fieldwork simulation developed by the author is described. Development and application of critical thinking skills are reviewed, the course objective is explained, and methods…

A roadmap for improving healthcare service quality.

PubMed

Kennedy, Denise M; Caselli, Richard J; Berry, Leonard L

2011-01-01

A data-driven, comprehensive model for improving service and creating long-term value was developed and implemented at Mayo Clinic Arizona (MCA). Healthcare organizations can use this model to prepare for value-based purchasing, a payment system in which quality and patient experience measures will influence reimbursement. Surviving and thriving in such a system will require a comprehensive approach to sustaining excellent service performance from physicians and allied health staff (e.g., nurses, technicians, nonclinical staff). The seven prongs in MCA's service quality improvement model are (1) multiple data sources to drive improvement, (2) accountability for service quality, (3) service consultation and improvement tools, (4) service values and behaviors, (5) education and training, (6) ongoing monitoring and control, and (7) recognition and reward. The model was fully implemented and tested in five departments in which patient perception of provider-specific service attributes and/or overall quality of care were below the 90th percentile for patient satisfaction in the vendor's database. Extent of the implementation was at the discretion of department leadership. Perception data rating various service attributes were collected from randomly selected patients and monitored over a 24-month period. The largest increases in patient perception of excellence over the pilot period were realized when all seven prongs of the model were implemented as a comprehensive improvement approach. The results of this pilot may help other healthcare organizations prepare for value-based purchasing.

Tai Chi: moving for better balance -- development of a community-based falls prevention program.

PubMed

Li, Fuzhong; Harmer, Peter; Mack, Karin A; Sleet, David; Fisher, K John; Kohn, Melvin A; Millet, Lisa M; Xu, Junheng; Yang, Tingzhong; Sutton, Beth; Tompkins, Yvaughn

2008-05-01

This study was designed to develop an evidence- and community based falls prevention program -- Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance. A mixed qualitative and quantitative approach was used to develop a package of materials for program implementation and evaluation. The developmental work was conducted in 2 communities in the Pacific Northwest. Participants included a panel of experts, senior service program managers or activity coordinators, and older adults. Outcome measures involved program feasibility and satisfaction. Through an iterative process, a program package was developed. The package contained an implementation plan and class training materials (ie, instructor's manual, videotape, and user's guidebook). Pilot testing of program materials showed that the content was appropriate for the targeted users (community-living older adults) and providers (local senior service organizations). A feasibility survey indicated interest and support from users and providers for program implementation. A 2-week pilot evaluation showed that the program implementation was feasible and evidenced good class attendance, high participant satisfaction, and interest in continuing Tai Chi. The package of materials developed in this study provides a solid foundation for larger scale implementation and evaluation of the program in community settings.

The GP Patient Survey for use in primary care in the National Health Service in the UK--development and psychometric characteristics.

PubMed

Campbell, John; Smith, Patten; Nissen, Sonja; Bower, Peter; Elliott, Marc; Roland, Martin

2009-08-22

The UK National GP Patient Survey is one of the largest ever survey programmes of patients registered to receive primary health care, inviting five million respondents to report their experience of NHS primary healthcare. The third such annual survey (2008/9) involved the development of a new survey instrument. We describe the process of that development, and the findings of an extensive pilot survey in UK primary healthcare. The survey was developed following recognised guidelines and involved expert and stakeholder advice, cognitive testing of early versions of the survey instrument, and piloting of the questionnaire in a cross sectional pilot survey of 1,500 randomly selected individuals from the UK electoral register with two reminders to non-respondents. The questionnaire comprises 66 items addressing a range of aspects of UK primary healthcare. A response rate of 590/1500 (39.3%) was obtained. Non response to individual items ranged from 0.8% to 15.3% (median 5.2%). Participants did not always follow internal branching instructions in the questionnaire although electronic controls allow for correction of this problem in analysis. There was marked skew in the distribution of responses to a number of items indicating an overall favourable impression of care. Principal components analysis of 23 items offering evaluation of various aspects of primary care identified three components (relating to doctor or nurse care, or addressing access to care) accounting for 68.3% of the variance in the sample. The GP Patient Survey has been carefully developed and pilot-tested. Survey findings, aggregated at practice level, will be used to inform the distribution of pound sterling 65 million ($107 million) of UK NHS resource in 2008/9 and this offers the opportunity for NHS service planners and providers to take account of users' experiences of health care in planning and delivering primary healthcare in the UK.

Barriers encountered using skill-mix to deliver caries prevention in dental practices.

PubMed

Hatim, Eman; Kendall, Nick

2012-04-01

This opinion paper provides an analysis of the barriers and successes experienced when developing and implementing a pilot scheme to deliver caries prevention using skill-mix in the National Health Service (NHS) General Dental Services. A training programme was initiated to develop the skills of extended duties dental nurses to deliver fluoride varnish to patients in selected dental practices in Croydon, London, UK. In the light of the evaluation of this programme, a recommendation is made that similar preventive schemes should be delivered in the future within the NHS dental contract.

Conceptual design of a lunar oxygen pilot plant Lunar Base Systems Study (LBSS) task 4.2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1988-01-01

The primary objective was to develop conceptual designs of two pilot plants to produce oxygen from lunar materials. A lunar pilot plant will be used to generate engineering data necessary to support an optimum design of a larger scale production plant. Lunar oxygen would be of primary value as spacecraft propellant oxidizer. In addition, lunar oxygen would be useful for servicing nonregenerative fuel cell power systems, providing requirements for life support, and to make up oxygen losses from leakage and airlock cycling. Thirteen different lunar oxygen production methods are described. Hydrogen reduction of ilmenite and extraction of solar-wind hydrogen from bulk lunar soil were selected for conceptual design studies. Trades and sensitivity analyses were performed with these models.

Suggestions for Job and Curriculum Ladders in Health Center Ambulatory Care: A Pilot Test of the Health Services Mobility Study Methodology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gilpatrick, Eleanor

This report contains the results of a pilot test which represents the first complete field test of methodological work begun in October 1967 under a Federal grant for the purpose of job analysis in the health services. This 4-year Health Services Mobility Study permitted basic research, field testing, practical application, and policy involvement…

A Pilot Initiative to Deliver Community-based Psychiatric Services in Rural Haiti After the 2010 Earthquake.

PubMed

Grelotti, David J; Lee, Amy C; Fils-Aimé, Joseph Reginald; Jean, Jacques Solon; Therosmé, Tatiana; Petit-Homme, Handy; Oswald, Catherine M; Raviola, Giuseppe; Eustache, Eddy

2015-01-01

Worldwide, there is a gap between the burden of mental distress and disorder and access to mental health care. This gap is particularly large in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the international health care organizations Partners in Health and Zanmi Lasante worked to expand local mental health services in rural Haiti. The aims of this study are to describe clinical characteristics of the patients served during a pilot project to deliver community-based psychiatric services in rural Haiti and to show how this experience complements the Mental Health Gap Action Programme ("mhGAP"), a tool developed by the World Health Organization to support mental health care delivery by nonspecialists in LMICs. The pilot was conducted in March 2011. A visiting psychiatrist traveled to rural Haiti and paired with local clinicians to evaluate patients and to support quality improvement practices in psychiatric care. Patients received a standard neuropsychiatric evaluation. mhGAP was an important clinical reference. To assess the experience, we conducted a retrospective chart review of outpatient encounters. Sixty-five patients presented with a wide range of common psychiatric, neurologic, and general medical conditions. Forty-nine of these patients (75%) reported primary problems subsumed by an mhGAP module. Fifteen patients (23%) reported headache as their chief complain, a condition that is not currently covered by mhGAP. Surprisingly, only 3 patients (5%), reported earthquake-related distress. Our clinical data reinforce the need for provision of standard psychiatric and neurologic services in LMICs. Such services ought to accompany interventions targeted specifically at disaster-related problems. Clinical situations falling outside existing mhGAP modules inspired the development of supplemental treatment protocols. These observations informed coordinated efforts at Zanmi Lasante to build a sustainable, integrated mental health system in Haiti that may be relevant to other resource-limited settings. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

36 CFR 223.275 - Establishment of a pilot program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Establishment of a pilot... PRODUCTS Forest Botanical Products § 223.275 Establishment of a pilot program. This subpart governs the Forest Service's pilot program for the disposal of forest botanical products, as authorized by the...

14 CFR 91.1051 - Pilot safety background check.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Pilot safety background check. 91.1051... Operations Program Management § 91.1051 Pilot safety background check. Within 90 days of an individual beginning service as a pilot, the program manager must request the following information: (a) FAA records...

46 CFR 401.451 - Pilot rest periods.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 8 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Pilot rest periods. 401.451 Section 401.451 Shipping... Rates, Charges, and Conditions for Pilotage Services § 401.451 Pilot rest periods. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section: (1) Each Registered Pilot upon completing an assignment at a...

46 CFR 401.451 - Pilot rest periods.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 8 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Pilot rest periods. 401.451 Section 401.451 Shipping... Rates, Charges, and Conditions for Pilotage Services § 401.451 Pilot rest periods. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section: (1) Each Registered Pilot upon completing an assignment at a...

The CHOICE pilot project: Challenges of implementing a combined peer work and shared decision-making programme in an early intervention service.

PubMed

Simmons, Magenta B; Coates, Dominiek; Batchelor, Samantha; Dimopoulos-Bick, Tara; Howe, Deborah

2017-12-12

Youth participation is central to early intervention policy and quality frameworks. There is good evidence for peer support (individuals with lived experience helping other consumers) and shared decision making (involving consumers in making decisions about their own care) in adult settings. However, youth programs are rarely tested or described in detail. This report aims to fill this gap by describing a consumer focused intervention in an early intervention service. This paper describes the development process, intervention content and implementation challenges of the Choices about Healthcare Options Informed by Client Experiences and Expectations (CHOICE) Pilot Project. This highly novel and innovative project combined both youth peer work and youth shared decision making. Eight peer workers were employed to deliver an online shared decision-making tool at a youth mental health service in New South Wales, Australia. The intervention development involved best practice principles, including international standards and elements of co-design. The implementation of the peer workforce in the service involved a number of targeted strategies designed to support this new service model. However, several implementation challenges were experienced which resulted in critical learning about how best to deliver these types of interventions. Delivering peer work and shared decision making within an early intervention service is feasible, but not without challenges. Providing adequate detail about interventions and implementation strategies fills a critical gap in the literature. Understanding optimal youth involvement strategies assists others to deliver acceptable and effective services to young people who experience mental ill health. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Evaluating Reactions to Community Bridge Initiative Pilot Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koldewyn, Julie; Brain, Roslynn; Stephens, Kate

2017-01-01

Does participating in an integrated service-learning project aimed at improving local sustainability issues result in significant professional real-world application for students? This study aimed to answer that question by evaluating student reactions to pilot classes featuring a sustainability-based service-learning program, Community Bridge…

Study design to develop and pilot-test a web intervention for partners of military service members with alcohol misuse.

PubMed

Osilla, Karen Chan; Pedersen, Eric R; Gore, Kristie; Trail, Thomas; Howard, Stefanie Stern

2014-09-02

Alcohol misuse among military service members from the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan is over two times higher compared to misuse in the civilian population. Unfortunately, in addition to experiencing personal consequences from alcohol misuse, partners and family members of alcohol-misusing service members also suffer in negative ways from their loved one's drinking. These family members represent important catalysts for helping their loved ones identify problem drinking and overcoming the barriers to seeking care. This paper describes the protocol to a pilot study evaluating a 4-session, web-based intervention (WBI) for concerned partners (CPs) of service members with alcohol misuse. The WBI will be adapted from the Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) intervention. In the first phase, we will develop and beta-test the WBI with 15-20 CPs. In the second phase, we will randomize CPs to WBI (n = 50) or to delayed-WBI (n = 50) and evaluate the impact of the WBI on CPs' perceptions of service member help-seeking and drinking, as well as the CP's well-being and relationship satisfaction 3 months after the intervention. In the third phase, we will recruit 15-20 service members whose partners have completed the study. We will interview the service members to learn how the CP-focused WBI affected them and to assess whether they would be receptive to a follow-on WBI module to help them. This project has the potential to benefit a large population of military service members who may be disproportionately affected by recent conflicts and whose drinking misuse would otherwise go undetected and untreated. It also develops a new prevention model that does not rely on service members or partners attending a hospital or clinical facility to access care. NCT02073825.

National pilot audit of intermediate care.

PubMed

Hutchinson, Tom; Young, John; Forsyth, Duncan

2011-04-01

The National Service Framework for Older People resulted in the widespread introduction of intermediate care (IC) services. However, although these services have shared common aims, there has been considerable diversity in their staffing, organisation and delivery. Concerns have been raised regarding the clinical governance of IC with a paucity of data to evaluate the effectiveness, quality and safety of these services. This paper presents the results of a national pilot audit of IC services focusing particularly on clinical governance issues. The results confirm these concerns and provide support for a larger scale national audit of IC services to monitor and improve care quality.

KSC-2014-2804

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-05-01

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Bill Martin, a URS Federal Technical Services helicopter pilot in the agency's Aircraft Operations, is interviewed near the Shuttle Landing Facility. He discussed working with spaceport Fire Rescue personnel to develop procedures for using agency helicopters to transport injured patients to a local hospital. The training activity took place in Kennedy's Launch Complex 39 turn-basin parking lot. It was part of a new training program developed by Kennedy's Fire Rescue department along with NASA Aircraft Operations to sharpen the skills needed to help rescue personnel learn how to collaborate with helicopter pilots in taking injured patients to hospitals as quickly as possible. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2014-2802

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-05-01

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Bill Martin, a URS Federal Technical Services helicopter pilot in the agency's Aircraft Operations, is interviewed near the Shuttle Landing Facility. He discussed working with spaceport Fire Rescue personnel to develop procedures for using agency helicopters to transport injured patients to a local hospital. The training activity took place in Kennedy's Launch Complex 39 turn-basin parking lot. It was part of a new training program developed by Kennedy's Fire Rescue department along with NASA Aircraft Operations to sharpen the skills needed to help rescue personnel learn how to collaborate with helicopter pilots in taking injured patients to hospitals as quickly as possible. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2014-2803

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-05-01

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Bill Martin, a URS Federal Technical Services helicopter pilot in the agency's Aircraft Operations, is interviewed near the Shuttle Landing Facility. He discussed working with spaceport Fire Rescue personnel to develop procedures for using agency helicopters to transport injured patients to a local hospital. The training activity took place in Kennedy's Launch Complex 39 turn-basin parking lot. It was part of a new training program developed by Kennedy's Fire Rescue department along with NASA Aircraft Operations to sharpen the skills needed to help rescue personnel learn how to collaborate with helicopter pilots in taking injured patients to hospitals as quickly as possible. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

75 FR 30908 - Notice of Funds Availability for FY 2010

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-02

... for the FY 2010 funding round of the Financial Education and Counseling (FEC) Pilot Program... Counseling Services to Prospective Homebuyers. The goals of grants that are awarded through the FEC Pilot Program are to identify successful methods of Financial Education and Counseling Services that result in...

Job Rotation at Cardiff University Library Service: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Earney, Sally; Martins, Ana

2009-01-01

This paper presents case study research of a job rotation pilot involving six library assistants in Cardiff University Library Service (ULS). Firstly, it investigates whether job rotation improves motivation and secondly, whether there is an improvement in skills, both technical and "soft". Following a review of the literature,…

Virtual Service, Real Data: Results of a Pilot Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kibbee, Jo; Ward, David; Ma, Wei

2002-01-01

Describes a pilot project at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign reference and undergraduate libraries to test the feasibility of offering real-time online reference service via their Web site. Discusses software selection, policies and procedures, promotion and marketing, user interface, training and staffing, data collection, and…

CDC Kerala 1: Organization of clinical child development services (1987-2013).

PubMed

Nair, M K C; George, Babu; Nair, G S Harikumaran; Bhaskaran, Deepa; Leena, M L; Russell, Paul Swamidhas Sudhakar

2014-12-01

The main objective of establishing the Child Development Centre (CDC), Kerala for piloting comprehensive child adolescent development program in India, has been to understand the conceptualization, design and scaling up of a pro-active positive child development initiative, easily replicable all over India. The process of establishing the Child Development Centre (CDC) Kerala for research, clinical services, training and community extension services over the last 25 y, has been as follows; Step 1: Conceptualization--The life cycle approach to child development; Step 2: Research basis--CDC model early stimulation is effective; Step 3: Development and validation of seven simple developmental screening tools; Step 4: CDC Diagnostic services--Ultrasonology and genetic, and metabolic laboratory; Step 5: Developing seven intervention packages; Step 6: Training--Post graduate diploma in clinical child development; Step 7: CDC Clinic Services--seven major ones; Step 8: CDC Community Services--Child development referral units; Step 9: Community service delivery models--Childhood disability and for adolescent care counselling projects; Step 10: National capacity building--Four child development related courses. CDC Kerala follow-up and clinic services are offered till 18 y of age and premarital counselling till 24 y of age as shown in "CDC Kerala Clinic Services Flow Chart" and 74,291 children have availed CDC clinic services in the last 10 y. CDC Kerala is the first model for comprehensive child adolescent development services using a lifecycle approach in the Government sector and hence declared as the collaborative centre for Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), in Kerala.

A pilot training program for people in recovery of mental illness as vocational peer support workers in Hong Kong - Job Buddies Training Program (JBTP): A preliminary finding.

PubMed

Yam, Kevin Kei Nang; Lo, William Tak Lam; Chiu, Rose Lai Ping; Lau, Bien Shuk Yin; Lau, Charles Ka Shing; Wu, Jen Kei Yu; Wan, Siu Man

2018-06-01

The present study reviews the delivery of a pilot curriculum-mentorship-based peer vocational support workers training in a Hong Kong public psychiatric hospital. The present paper reports (1) on the development of a peer vocational support workers training - Job Buddies Training Program (JBTP) in Hong Kong; and (2) preliminary findings from both quantitative and qualitative perspectives. The curriculum consists of 15-session coursework, 8-session storytelling workshop and 50-hour practicum to provide Supported Employment Peer Service (SEPS) under the mentorship of occupational therapists. Six trainees were assessed using three psychosocial assessments and qualitative methods. Compared to the baseline, the Job Buddies (JB) trainees showed an increase in awareness of their own recovery progress, occupational competence and problem-solving skills at the end of the training. Their perceived level of self-stigma was also lessened. In post-training evaluation, all Job Buddies trainees said they perceived positive personal growth and discovered their own strengths. They also appreciated the help from their mentors and gained mutual support from other trainees and from exposure with various mini-projects in the training. This pilot study provides an example of incorporating peer support and manualized training into existing work rehabilitation service for our JB trainees. Further studies on the effectiveness of service provided by peer support workers and for development on the potential use of peer support workers in other clinical and rehabilitation settings with larger subjects will be fruitful. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Undergraduate nursing students' perceptions of service-learning through a school-based community project.

PubMed

Bassi, Sherry

2011-01-01

Service-learning (SL) is an experiential teaching method that combines instruction with community service, with the aim of enriching students' academic learning, interpersonal skills and sense of responsibility while making meaningful contributions to the community. However, measuring outcomes of service-learning projects is difficult. This article reports on the perceptions of 18 third-year undergraduate nursing students who took part in a pilot service-learning project targeting tobacco use in a local elementary school. Faculty members evaluated the program's outcomes by engaging students in structured reflection on the program about its relevance to their future careers as practicing professionals, especially in community-based settings. The students' perceptions were elicited through three sets of reflective assignments following the project. Findings from the reflective assignments suggest that the pilot program was successful in enhancing the students' academic, social, and personal development while building a partnership between the school of nursing and key players in the community, including school-based nurses, teachers, administrators, families, and community leaders. The author suggests that service-learning projects can help nursing students accomplish key developmental tasks of the college years (such as building their competence, autonomy, and integrity), while helping impart the skills and values they will need as they graduate and seek professional nursing roles.

Project Paiute

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dearmin, Evalyn Titus

1977-01-01

Working with the Humboldt County School District, the Fort McDermitt Indian Education Committee, and four Paiute Teacher aides, the University of Nevada developed a three-component project: a bilingual/bicultural reading text for K-4 Paiutes; an in-service training program in Native American education; and a pilot bilingual curriculum. (JC)

PHASE I PILOT AIR CONVEYANCE SYSTEM DESIGN, CLEANING, AND CHARACTERIZATION

EPA Science Inventory

The report gives results of a project to develop and refine surface and airborne contamination
measurement techniques that can be used to evaluate air conveyance system (ACS) cleaning.
(NOTE: ACS cleaning is advertized to homeowners as a service having a number of benefits...

78 FR 66261 - Certified Flight Instructor Flight Reviews; Recent Pilot in Command Experience; Airmen Online...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-05

... Command Experience; Airmen Online Services; Confirmation of Effective Date AGENCY: Federal Aviation... flight experience requirements do not apply to a pilot in command who is employed by a commuter or on-demand operator if the pilot in command is in compliance with the specific pilot in command...

46 CFR 401.425 - Provision for additional pilot.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 8 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Provision for additional pilot. 401.425 Section 401.425... REGULATIONS Rates, Charges, and Conditions for Pilotage Services § 401.425 Provision for additional pilot. The... Authority, Ltd., Canada, may require the assignment of two pilots to a ship upon request of the ship or when...

46 CFR 401.425 - Provision for additional pilot.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 8 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Provision for additional pilot. 401.425 Section 401.425... REGULATIONS Rates, Charges, and Conditions for Pilotage Services § 401.425 Provision for additional pilot. The... Authority, Ltd., Canada, may require the assignment of two pilots to a ship upon request of the ship or when...

Comparison of the hospice systems in the United States, Japan and taiwan.

PubMed

Lee, Chung Yul; Komatsu, Hiroko; Zhang, Weihua; Chao, Yann-Fen; Kim, Ki Kyong; Kim, Gwang Suk; Cho, Yoon Hee; Ko, Ji Sook

2010-12-01

The aim of hospice care is to provide the best possible quality of life both for people approaching the end of life and for their families and carers. The Korean government has been implementing a pilot project for hospital hospice services and trying to develop the national hospice system. To assist in the development of the Korean hospice system, the Korean government supported the present study comparing the hospice systems of three countries, United States, Japan, and Taiwan, which currently have a developed hospice system. Data from three countries were collected in the following ways: reviewing hospice related literature, searching government documents on the Internet, collecting government hospice data, surveying six hospice institutions in each country, and conducting an international workshop. The hospice system was evaluated by comparing hospice management systems and hospice cost systems. The comparison of the hospice management system included five items of hospice infra structures and four items of hospice services. The hospice cost system included four items: funding source, hospital hospice cost, day care hospice cost, and home hospice cost. Based on the comparison of three countries, the most interesting thing was that home hospice care accounted for more than 90% of all hospice services in the United States and Taiwan. The results of this study will aid the countries that are in the process of developing a hospice system including Korea, which has been implementing a pilot project only for hospital hospice services. Copyright © 2010 Korean Society of Nursing Science. Published by . All rights reserved.

Assessing alternative measures of tree canopy cover: Photo-interpreted NAIP and ground-based estimates

Treesearch

Chris Toney; Greg Liknes; Andy Lister; Dacia Meneguzzo

2012-01-01

In preparation for the development of the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2011 tree canopy cover layer, a pilot project for research and method development was completed in 2010 by the USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program and Remote Sensing Applications Center (RSAC).This paper explores one of several topics investigated during the NLCD...

Defining Mathematics Competency in the Service of Cognitively Based Assessment for Grades 6 through 8. Research Report. ETS RR-09-42

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graf, Edith Aurora

2009-01-01

This report makes recommendations for the development of middle-school assessment in mathematics, based on a synthesis of scientific findings in cognitive psychology and mathematics education. The focus is on background research, rather than test specifications or example tasks. Readers interested in early development and pilot efforts associated…

Teachers' Professional Development through University-School Partnerships: Theoretical Standpoints and Evidence from Two Pilot Studies in Chile

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grau, Valeska; Calcagni, Elisa; Preiss, David D.; Ortiz, Dominga

2017-01-01

This paper presents a teacher professional development programme, based on a university-schools partnership and a collective reflection model, addressing the needs of in-service teacher education in Chile. First, the main challenges faced by both teachers and teacher education in Chile are summarised. Then, the foundations of this model are…

Coordinated Collection Development via CD-ROM. A Pilot Project Granted by LSCA Title III Funds to Crosby Library, Gonzaga University. Final Narrative Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peterson, Elaine; Carr, Mary M.

Three colleges in the state of Washington--Gonzaga College (Crosby Library), Whitworth College, and Eastern Washington University--received grants from the Fred Meyer Charitable Trust and the Library Services and Construction Act to facilitate coordinated collection development in the areas of education and business/economics, so that their…

New Roads for Patron-Driven E-Books: Collection Development and Technical Services Implications of a Patron-Driven Acquisitions Pilot at Rutgers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Fino, Melissa; Lo, Mei Ling

2011-01-01

Collection development librarians have long struggled to meet user demands for new titles. Too often, required resources are not purchased, whereas some purchased resources do not circulate. E-books selected through patron-driven plans are a solution but present new challenges for both selectors and catalogers. Radical changes to traditional…

A web application to support telemedicine services in Brazil.

PubMed

Barbosa, Ana Karina P; de A Novaes, Magdala; de Vasconcelos, Alexandre M L

2003-01-01

This paper describes a system that has been developed to support Telemedicine activities in Brazil, a country that has serious problems in the delivery of health services. The system is a part of the broader Tele-health Project that has been developed to make health services more accessible to the low-income population in the northeast region. The HealthNet system is based upon a pilot area that uses fetal and pediatric cardiology. This article describes both the system's conceptual model, including the tele-diagnosis and second medical opinion services, as well as its architecture and development stages. The system model describes both collaborating tools used asynchronously, such as discussion forums, and synchronous tools, such as videoconference services. Web and free-of-charge tools are utilized for implementation, such as Java and MySQL database. Furthermore, an interface with Electronic Patient Record (EPR) systems using Extended Markup Language (XML) technology is also proposed. Finally, considerations concerning the development and implementation process are presented.

Competences, education and support for new roles in cancer genetics services: outcomes from the cancer genetics pilot projects.

PubMed

Bennett, Catherine; Burton, Hilary; Farndon, Peter

2007-01-01

In 2004 the Department of Health in collaboration with Macmillan Cancer Support set up service development projects to pilot the integration of genetics in mainstream medicine in the area of cancer genetics.In developing these services, new roles and responsibilities were devised that required supporting programmes of education and training. The NHS National Genetics Education and Development Centre has worked with the projects to draw together their experience in these aspects. New roles include the Cancer Family Nurse Specialist, in which a nurse working in a cancer setting was trained to identify and manage genetic or family history concerns, and the Genetic Risk Assessment Practitioner--a small team of practitioners working within a secondary care setting to deliver a standardised risk assessment pathway. Existing roles were also adapted for a different setting, in particular the use of genetic counsellors working in a community ethnic minority setting. These practitioners undertook a range of clinical activities that can be mapped directly to the 'UK National Workforce Competences for Genetics in Clinical Practice for Non-genetics Healthcare Staff' framework developed by Skills for Health and the NHS National Genetics Education and Development Centre (2007; draft competence framework). The main differences between the various roles were in the ordering of genetic tests and the provision of advice on invasive preventive options such as mastectomy. Those involved in service development also needed to develop competences in project management, business skills, audit and evaluation, working with users, general management (personnel, multi-agency work and marketing), educational supervision, IT, public and professional outreach, and research. Important resources to support the development of new roles and competences included pathways and guidelines, a formal statement of competences, a recognised syllabus, appropriate and timely courses, the availability of a mentor, supervision and opportunities to discuss cases, a formal assessment of learning and continuing support from specialist genetics services. This represents a current resource gap that will be of concern to cancer networks and a challenge to providers of educational resources and regional genetics services.

Development and Pilot Testing of 24/7 In-Ambulance Telemedicine for Acute Stroke: Prehospital Stroke Study at the Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel-Project.

PubMed

Valenzuela Espinoza, Alexis; Van Hooff, Robbert-Jan; De Smedt, Ann; Moens, Maarten; Yperzeele, Laetitia; Nieboer, Koenraad; Hubloue, Ives; de Keyser, Jacques; Convents, Andre; Fernandez Tellez, Helio; Dupont, Alain; Putman, Koen; Brouns, Raf

2016-01-01

In-ambulance telemedicine is a recently developed and a promising approach to improve emergency care. We implemented the first ever 24/7 in-ambulance telemedicine service for acute stroke. We report on our experiences with the development and pilot testing of the Prehospital Stroke Study at the Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel (PreSSUB) to facilitate a wider spread of the knowledge regarding this technique. Successful execution of the project involved the development and validation of a novel stroke scale, design and creation of specific hardware and software solutions, execution of field tests for mobile internet connectivity, design of new care processes and information flows, recurrent training of all professional caregivers involved in acute stroke management, extensive testing on healthy volunteers, organisation of a 24/7 teleconsultation service by trained stroke experts and 24/7 technical support, and resolution of several legal issues. In all, it took 41 months of research and development to confirm the safety, technical feasibility, reliability, and user acceptance of the PreSSUB approach. Stroke-specific key information can be collected safely and reliably before and during ambulance transportation and can adequately be communicated with the inhospital team awaiting the patient. This paper portrays the key steps required and the lessons learned for successful implementation of a 24/7 expert telemedicine service supporting patients with acute stroke during ambulance transportation to the hospital. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Renewable energy-based electricity for rural social and economic development in Ghana

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

Weingart, J.

1997-12-01

This paper describes a project whose goals include the establishment of a pilot renewable energy-based rural energy services enterprise to serve communities in the Mamprusi East District, focused on: economically productive activities; community services; household non-thermal energy. The program also seeks to establish the technical, economic, financial, institutional, and socio-cultural requirements for sustainability, to demonstrate bankability and financial sustainability, as a pre-investment prelude to commercial growth of such projects, and to establish technical, financial, and service performance standards for private sector rural energy service companies. This project is being implemented now because the government is undergoing structural reform, including privatizationmore » of the power sector, there is active foreign capital available for international development, and the government and people are committed to and able to pay for renewable energy services.« less

F-18 chase craft with NASA test pilots Schneider and Fulton

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

Ed Schneider, (left), is the project pilot for the F-18 High Angle of Attack program at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. He has been a NASA research pilot at Dryden since 1983. In addition to his assignment with the F-18 High Angle of Attack program, Schneider is a project pilot for the F-15B aeronautical research aircraft, the NASA NB-52B launch aircraft, and the SR-71 'Blackbird' aircraft. He is a Fellow and was the 1994 President of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. In 1996 he was awarded the NASA Exceptional Service Medal. Schneider is seen here with Fitzhugh L. Fulton Jr., (right), who was a civilian research pilot at Dryden. from August 1, 1966, until July 3, 1986, following 23 years of service as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force. Fulton was the project pilot on all early tests of the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) used to air launch the Space Shuttle prototype Enterprise in the Approach and Landing Tests (ALT) at Dryden in l977. For his work in the ALT program, Fulton received NASA's Exceptional Service Medal. He also received the Exceptional Service Medal again in 1983 for flying the 747 SCA during the European tour of the Space Shuttle Enterprise. During his career at Dryden, Fulton was project pilot on NASA's NB-52B launch aircraft used to air launch a variety of piloted and unpiloted research aircraft, including the X-15s and lifting bodies. He flew the XB-70 prototype supersonic bomber on both NASA-USAF tests and NASA research flights during the late 1960s, attaining speeds exceeding Mach 3. He was also a project pilot on the YF-12A and YF-12C research program from April 14, 1969, until September 25, 1978. The F/A-18 Hornet seen behind them is used primarily as a safety chase and support aircraft at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. As support aircraft, the F-18's are used for safety chase, pilot proficiency and aerial photography. As a safety chase aircraft, F-18's, flown by research pilots, accompany research missions as another 'set of eyes' to visually observe the research event, experiment or test to help make sure the flights are carried out safely. The 'chase' pilots are in constant communication with the research pilots and mission control to report abnormalities that may be seen from the support aircraft. Pilots must also stay proficient by flying a certain number of missions per month. F-18's are used for this. A two-seat support aircraft is also used when research missions require an engineer or photographer on the flights.

14 CFR 91.1069 - Flight crew: Instrument proficiency check requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... aircraft under IFR unless, since the beginning of the 6th month before that service, that pilot has passed... command pilot of an aircraft under IFR unless, since the beginning of the 12th month before that service... engine-out speed, propeller and supercharger operations, and hydraulic, mechanical, and electrical...

14 CFR 91.1069 - Flight crew: Instrument proficiency check requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... aircraft under IFR unless, since the beginning of the 6th month before that service, that pilot has passed... command pilot of an aircraft under IFR unless, since the beginning of the 12th month before that service... engine-out speed, propeller and supercharger operations, and hydraulic, mechanical, and electrical...

14 CFR 91.1069 - Flight crew: Instrument proficiency check requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... aircraft under IFR unless, since the beginning of the 6th month before that service, that pilot has passed... command pilot of an aircraft under IFR unless, since the beginning of the 12th month before that service... engine-out speed, propeller and supercharger operations, and hydraulic, mechanical, and electrical...

In-Service Training Argumentation Application for Elementary School Teachers: Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alkis-Küçükaydin, Mensure; Uluçinar Sagir, Safak; Kösterelioglu, Ilker

2016-01-01

Science Course Curriculum was revised in Turkey in 2013 and some methods and strategies were suggested to be included such as argumentation. This study includes the evaluation of in-service training applied as pilot study for introducing argumentation to elementary school teachers. The study consists of applying needs analysis, preparing and…

The Feasibility of Virtual Home Visits to Provide Early Intervention: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelso, Ginger L.; Fiechtl, Barbara J.; Olsen, Susan T.; Rule, Sarah

2009-01-01

Although videoconferencing has been used to deliver distance education, tutoring for children, and telemedicine observations, there is limited information on the efficacy of its use in delivering part C early intervention services. Four families receiving early intervention services in a rural program participated in a pilot study to test the…

Children's Views Matter Too! A Pilot Project Assessing Children's and Adolescents' Experiences of Clinical Psychology Services

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gordon, Michael; Russo, Kate

2009-01-01

This pilot study explored the experiences and understanding of clinical psychology practices and services of children and adolescents attending clinical psychology outpatient appointments. Fifteen young participants took part in the study. A content analysis indicated that young children and adolescents have an appropriate understanding of the…

76 FR 66309 - Pilot Program for Parallel Review of Medical Products; Correction

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-26

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services [CMS-3180-N2] Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA-2010-N-0308] Pilot Program for Parallel Review of Medical... technologies to participate in a program of parallel FDA-CMS review. The document was published with an...

49 CFR 231.15 - Steam locomotives used in road service.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... in road service. (a) Tender till-steps—(1) Number. Four on tender. (2) Dimensions. (i) Bottom tread... rivets. (b) Pilot sill-steps—(1) Number. Two. (2) Dimensions. Tread not less than 8 inches in width by 10... be securely fastened with bolts or rivets. (c) Pilot-beam handholds—(1) Number. Two. (2) Dimensions...

49 CFR 231.15 - Steam locomotives used in road service.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... in road service. (a) Tender till-steps—(1) Number. Four on tender. (2) Dimensions. (i) Bottom tread... rivets. (b) Pilot sill-steps—(1) Number. Two. (2) Dimensions. Tread not less than 8 inches in width by 10... be securely fastened with bolts or rivets. (c) Pilot-beam handholds—(1) Number. Two. (2) Dimensions...

49 CFR 231.15 - Steam locomotives used in road service.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... in road service. (a) Tender till-steps—(1) Number. Four on tender. (2) Dimensions. (i) Bottom tread... rivets. (b) Pilot sill-steps—(1) Number. Two. (2) Dimensions. Tread not less than 8 inches in width by 10... be securely fastened with bolts or rivets. (c) Pilot-beam handholds—(1) Number. Two. (2) Dimensions...

49 CFR 231.15 - Steam locomotives used in road service.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... in road service. (a) Tender till-steps—(1) Number. Four on tender. (2) Dimensions. (i) Bottom tread... rivets. (b) Pilot sill-steps—(1) Number. Two. (2) Dimensions. Tread not less than 8 inches in width by 10... be securely fastened with bolts or rivets. (c) Pilot-beam handholds—(1) Number. Two. (2) Dimensions...

What Curriculum for the 21st Century?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New Things Considered, 1990

1990-01-01

"New Things Considered" reports on emerging trends and issues in education to policymakers and participants in SEDL-SCAN, an emerging issues tracking system being pilot tested by the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory's Policy Information Service and the State of New Mexico. This issue presents brief summaries of the thinking of…

Putting It All Together in Suffolk County

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, B. Kimball

1976-01-01

The Suffolk County Coordinated Manpower Program in New York is a pilot project whose purpose is to eliminate duplication in employer contacts and services delivered. Agencies at the Federal, State, and local levels work together for a common goal. Definitive results await data analysis, but developments are encouraging. (Author/AJ)

The Psychopathology in Autism Checklist (PAC): A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Helverschou, Sissel Berge; Bakken, Trine Lise; Martinsen, Harald

2009-01-01

Adults with autism and intellectual disability (ID) are assumed to have high vulnerability for developing psychiatric disorders, but instruments or criteria for identifying those who may be in need of psychiatric services have been lacking. This study presents a new carer-completed screening checklist designed for this purpose. Differentiation…

First NASA Aviation Safety Program Weather Accident Prevention Project Annual Review

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Colantonio, Ron

2000-01-01

The goal of this Annual Review was to present NASA plans and accomplishments that will impact the national aviation safety goal. NASA's WxAP Project focuses on developing the following products: (1) Aviation Weather Information (AWIN) technologies (displays, sensors, pilot decision tools, communication links, etc.); (2) Electronic Pilot Reporting (E-PIREPS) technologies; (3) Enhanced weather products with associated hazard metrics; (4) Forward looking turbulence sensor technologies (radar, lidar, etc.); (5) Turbulence mitigation control system designs; Attendees included personnel from various NASA Centers, FAA, National Weather Service, DoD, airlines, aircraft and pilot associations, industry, aircraft manufacturers and academia. Attendees participated in discussion sessions aimed at collecting aviation user community feedback on NASA plans and R&D activities. This CD is a compilation of most of the presentations presented at this Review.

Acceptability of NHS 111 the telephone service for urgent health care: cross sectional postal survey of users’ views

PubMed Central

O’Cathain, Alicia

2014-01-01

Background. In 2010, a new telephone service, NHS 111, was piloted to improve access to urgent care in England. A unique feature is the use of non-clinical call takers who triage calls with computerized decision support and have access to clinical advisors when necessary. Aim. To explore users’ acceptability of NHS 111. Design. Cross-sectional postal survey. Setting. Four pilot sites in England. Method. A postal survey of recent users of NHS 111. Results. The response rate was 41% (1769/4265), with 49% offering written comments (872/1769). Sixty-five percent indicated the advice given had been very helpful and 28% quite helpful. The majority of respondents (86%) indicated that they fully complied with advice. Seventy-three percent was very satisfied and 19% quite satisfied with the service overall. Users were less satisfied with the relevance of questions asked, and the accuracy and appropriateness of advice given, than with other aspects of the service. Users who were autorouted to NHS 111 from services such as GP out-of-hours services were less satisfied than direct callers. Conclusion. In pilot services in the first year of operation, NHS 111 appeared to be acceptable to the majority of users. Acceptability could be improved by reassessing the necessity of triage questions used and auditing the accuracy and appropriateness of advice given. User acceptability should be viewed in the context of findings from the wider evaluation, which identified that the NHS 111 pilot services did not improve access to urgent care and indeed increased the use of emergency ambulance services. PMID:24334420

Integration of Cloud Technologies for Data Stewardship at the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Casey, K. S.; Hausman, S. A.

2016-02-01

In the last year, the NOAA National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) and its siblings, the National Climatic Data Center and National Geophysical Data Center, were merged into one organization, the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). Combining its expertise under one management has helped NCEI accelerate its efforts to embrace and integrate private, public, and hybrid cloud environments into its range of data stewardship services. These services span a range of tiers, from basic, long-term preservation and access, through enhanced access and scientific quality control, to authoritative product development and international-level services. Throughout these tiers of stewardship, partnerships and pilot projects have been launched to identify technological and policy-oriented challenges, to establish solutions to these problems, and to highlight success stories for emulation during operational integration of the cloud into NCEI's data stewardship activities. Some of these pilot activities including data storage, access, and reprocessing in Amazon Web Services, the OneStop data discovery and access framework project, and a set of Cooperative Research and Development Agreements under the Big Data Project with Amazon, Google, IBM, Microsoft, and the Open Cloud Consortium. Progress in these efforts will be highlighted along with a future vision of how NCEI could leverage hybrid cloud deployments and federated systems across NOAA to enable effective data stewardship for its oceanographic, atmospheric, climatic, and geophysical Big Data.

California four cities program, 1971 - 1973. [aerospace-to-urban technology application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Macomber, H. L.; Wilson, J. H.

1974-01-01

A pilot project in aerospace-to-urban technology application is reported. Companies assigned senior engineering professionals to serve as Science and Technology Advisors to participating city governments. Technical support was provided by the companies and JPL. The cities, Anaheim, Fresno, Pasadena, and San Hose, California, provided the working environment and general service support. Each city/company team developed and carried out one or more technical or management pilot projects together with a number of less formalized technology efforts and studies. An account and evaluation is provided of the initial two-year phase of the program.

The REFINEMENT Glossary of Terms: An International Terminology for Mental Health Systems Assessment.

PubMed

Montagni, Ilaria; Salvador-Carulla, Luis; Mcdaid, David; Straßmayr, Christa; Endel, Florian; Näätänen, Petri; Kalseth, Jorid; Kalseth, Birgitte; Matosevic, Tihana; Donisi, Valeria; Chevreul, Karine; Prigent, Amélie; Sfectu, Raluca; Pauna, Carmen; Gutiérrez-Colosia, Mencia R; Amaddeo, Francesco; Katschnig, Heinz

2018-03-01

Comparing mental health systems across countries is difficult because of the lack of an agreed upon terminology covering services and related financing issues. Within the European Union project REFINEMENT, international mental health care experts applied an innovative mixed "top-down" and "bottom-up" approach following a multistep design thinking strategy to compile a glossary on mental health systems, using local services as pilots. The final REFINEMENT glossary consisted of 432 terms related to service provision, service utilisation, quality of care and financing. The aim of this study was to describe the iterative process and methodology of developing this glossary.

A pilot study of distributed knowledge management and clinical decision support in the cloud.

PubMed

Dixon, Brian E; Simonaitis, Linas; Goldberg, Howard S; Paterno, Marilyn D; Schaeffer, Molly; Hongsermeier, Tonya; Wright, Adam; Middleton, Blackford

2013-09-01

Implement and perform pilot testing of web-based clinical decision support services using a novel framework for creating and managing clinical knowledge in a distributed fashion using the cloud. The pilot sought to (1) develop and test connectivity to an external clinical decision support (CDS) service, (2) assess the exchange of data to and knowledge from the external CDS service, and (3) capture lessons to guide expansion to more practice sites and users. The Clinical Decision Support Consortium created a repository of shared CDS knowledge for managing hypertension, diabetes, and coronary artery disease in a community cloud hosted by Partners HealthCare. A limited data set for primary care patients at a separate health system was securely transmitted to a CDS rules engine hosted in the cloud. Preventive care reminders triggered by the limited data set were returned for display to clinician end users for review and display. During a pilot study, we (1) monitored connectivity and system performance, (2) studied the exchange of data and decision support reminders between the two health systems, and (3) captured lessons. During the six month pilot study, there were 1339 patient encounters in which information was successfully exchanged. Preventive care reminders were displayed during 57% of patient visits, most often reminding physicians to monitor blood pressure for hypertensive patients (29%) and order eye exams for patients with diabetes (28%). Lessons learned were grouped into five themes: performance, governance, semantic interoperability, ongoing adjustments, and usability. Remote, asynchronous cloud-based decision support performed reasonably well, although issues concerning governance, semantic interoperability, and usability remain key challenges for successful adoption and use of cloud-based CDS that will require collaboration between biomedical informatics and computer science disciplines. Decision support in the cloud is feasible and may be a reasonable path toward achieving better support of clinical decision-making across the widest range of health care providers. Published by Elsevier B.V.

78 FR 67799 - Qualification, Service, and Use of Crewmembers and Aircraft Dispatchers

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-12

...This final rule revises the training requirements for pilots in air carrier operations. The regulations enhance air carrier pilot training programs by emphasizing the development of pilots' manual handling skills and adding safety-critical tasks such as recovery from stall and upset. The final rule also requires enhanced runway safety training and pilot monitoring training to be incorporated into existing requirements for scenario-based flight training and requires air carriers to implement remedial training programs for pilots. The FAA expects these changes to contribute to a reduction in aviation accidents. Additionally, the final rule revises recordkeeping requirements for communications between the flightcrew and dispatch; ensures that personnel identified as flight attendants have completed flight attendant training and qualification requirements; provides civil enforcement authority for making fraudulent statements; and, provides a number of conforming and technical changes to existing air carrier crewmember training and qualification requirements. The final rule also includes provisions that provide opportunities for air carriers to modify training program requirements for flightcrew members when the air carrier operates multiple aircraft types with similar design and flight handling characteristics.

The Introduction of New Cockpit Technology: A Human Factors Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Curry, R. E.

1985-01-01

A joint Airline/NASA field study of B-767 training and operations was conducted during the period this aircraft was being introduced into line service. The objectives of the study were: (1) to identify any adverse reactions to the new technology; (2) to provide a clearing house of information for the airlines and pilots during the introductory period; (3) to provide feedback on airline training programs for the new aircraft; and (4) to provide field data to NASA and other researchers to help them develop principles of human interaction with automated systems. It is concluded that: (1) a large majority of pilots enjoy flying the B-767 more than the older aircraft; (2) pilots accept new cockpit technology and find it useful; (3) pilots are aware of the potential loss of flying skills because of automation, and take steps to prevent this from happening; (4) autopilot/autothrottle interactions and FMS operations were sometimes confusing or surprising to pilots, and they desired more training in this area; and (5) highly automated cockpits can result in a loss of effective monitoring performance.

75 FR 8190 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-23

... soliciting comments concerning the Financial Education and Counseling (FEC) Pilot Program Application. DATES... Education and Counseling Pilot Program Application. OMB Number: 1559-0034. Abstract: The purpose of the FEC... financial education and counseling services to prospective homebuyers. The FEC Pilot Program was authorized...

New applications for the EUTELTRACS service

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Colcy, Jean-Noel; Vanderbrouck, Laurent

1995-01-01

The EUTELTRACS two-way Mobile Satellite Messaging and Automatic Satellite Position Reporting (ASPR) service is Europe's first commercially operated Mobile Satellite Service. It was introduced by the European Telecommunications Satellite Organization (EUTELSAT) for commercial service in 1991. The system is based on a centralized network architecture organized around a single hub station operated by EUTELSAT. Initially the system was designed with a close user group architecture enabling a mobile user to communicate exclusively with its own headquarters. This paper describes the new applications (design and tests prior to their introduction into service) especially developed for the European market and particularly the Double Hop Services opening the system to authorized external entities. In addition, the European Commission (EC) pilot demonstrations in which the EUTELTRACS system is involved are described.

A Pilot Study Using Mixed GPS/Narrative Interview Methods to Understand Geospatial Behavior in Homeless Populations.

PubMed

North, Carol S; Wohlford, Sarah E; Dean, Denis J; Black, Melissa; Balfour, Margaret E; Petrovich, James C; Downs, Dana L; Pollio, David E

2017-08-01

Tracking the movements of homeless populations presents methodological difficulties, but understanding their movements in space and time is needed to inform optimal placement of services. This pilot study developed, tested, and refined methods to apply global positioning systems (GPS) technology paired with individual narratives to chronicle the movements of homeless populations. Detail of methods development and difficulties encountered and addressed, and geospatial findings are provided. A pilot sample of 29 adults was recruited from a low-demand homeless shelter in the downtown area of Fort Worth, Texas. Pre- and post-deployment interviews provided participant characteristics and planned and retrospectively-reported travels. Only one of the first eight deployments returned with sufficient usable data. Ultimately 19 participants returned the GPS device with >20 h of usable data. Protocol adjustments addressing methodological difficulties achieved 81 % of subsequent participants returning with sufficient usable data. This study established methods and demonstrated feasibility for tracking homeless population travels.

Lessons from interprofessional e-learning: piloting a care of the elderly module.

PubMed

Juntunen, Anitta; Heikkinen, Eija

2004-08-01

Educating health care professionals is a key issue in the provision of quality healthcare services. Interprofessional education has been suggested as a means of meeting this challenge. Four Finnish polytechnics providing education for nurses, social workers and physiotherapists wished to develop the content and methods of teaching the care of the elderly by collaboratively creating and implementing an interprofessional module of 15 European Credit Transfer units, using e-learning. This paper examines the planning and assessment of the impact of the pilot module. The web-based environment eminently suited teaching interprofessional care of the elderly. It supported content and methodological development and renewal of the module. It enabled discussion and collaboration between nursing, social work and rehabilitation teachers and students from the Polytechnics which are located in different parts of Finland. However, it became evident during the pilot that the most crucial challenges of the web-based pedagogy were in the ability of the teacher to supervise, support and motivate students and the organisation of interprofessional learning offered by collaborating institutions.

The psychological contracts of National Health Service nurses.

PubMed

Purvis, Lynne J; Cropley, Mark

2003-03-01

Following the psychological contract model of the employee-employer exchange relationship is offered as a means of understanding the expectations of a UK sample of 223 National Health Service (NHS) nurses in association with their leaving intentions. A pilot study involving 21 NHS nurses, using the repertory grid technique was conducted to elicit contract expectations. Twenty-nine categories of expectation were identified through content analysis. The study proper, employed a survey developed on the basis of results from the pilot study to identify contract profiles among 223 nurses from three London/South-east NHS hospitals, using the Q-sort method. Type of contract held (relational/transactional), satisfaction (job and organization), and leaving intentions were also examined. Q-analysis yielded four contract profiles among the nurses sampled: 'self-development and achievement'; 'belonging and development'; 'competence and collegiality' and 'autonomy and development'. Correlation analysis demonstrated that leaving intentions were associated with a need for personal autonomy and development, and the violation of expectations for being appreciated, valued, recognized and rewarded for effort, loyalty, hard-work and achievement, negative endorsement of a relational contract, positive endorsement of a transactional contract, and job and organizational dissatisfaction. Findings illustrate the diagnostic utility of the term psychological contract for understanding the expectations of NHS nurses. The potential significance of these findings for managing nurse retention is highlighted.

A Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) practice development model to support integration of the CNL role into microsystem care delivery.

PubMed

Kaack, Lorraine; Bender, Miriam; Finch, Michael; Borns, Linda; Grasham, Katherine; Avolio, Alice; Clausen, Shawna; Terese, Nadine A; Johnstone, Diane; Williams, Marjory

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Office of Nursing Services (ONS) was an early adopter of Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) practice, generating some of the earliest pilot data of CNL practice effectiveness. In 2011 the VHA ONS CNL Implementation & Evaluation Service (CNL I&E) piloted a curriculum to facilitate CNL transition to effective practice at local VHA settings. In 2015, the CNL I&E and local VHA setting stakeholders collaborated to refine the program, based on lessons learned at the national and local level. The workgroup reviewed the literature to identify theoretical frameworks for CNL practice and practice development. The workgroup selected Benner et al.'s Novice-to-Expert model as the defining framework for CNL practice development, and Bender et al.'s CNL Practice Model as the defining framework for CNL practice integration. The selected frameworks were cross-walked against existing curriculum elements to identify and clarify additional practice development needs. The work generated key insights into: core stages of transition to effective practice; CNL progress and expectations for each stage; and organizational support structures necessary for CNL success at each stage. The refined CNL development model is a robust tool that can be applied to support consistent and effective integration of CNL practice into care delivery. Published by Elsevier Inc.

The Satellites, Weather and Climate (SWAC) Teacher Professional Development Program: Making the Case for Climate and Geospatial Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dupigny-Giroux, Lesley-Ann; Toolin, Regina; Hogan, Stephen; Fortney, Michael D.

2012-01-01

In July 2008, a new professional development program called Satellites, Weather and Climate (SWAC) began at the University of Vermont. Its goal was to enhance the competency of in-service K-12 science and mathematics Vermont teachers in the atmospheric, climate, and geospatial sciences. The pilot program ran until 2010, during which time 14…

Forecast Demand for Pilots by the Airline Industry

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-04-01

trace the exact number of pilots hired under this policy. Future Aviation Professionals of America ( FAPA ), an independent employment service for pilots...15:-). FAPA feels that while some pilots may bypass their recall once or twice, as allowed for in their contracts, very few would decline their final...Pilot Employment Guide, Decatur, GA. 1984. 5. Future Aviation Professionals of America. The FAPA Update, Decatur, GA. Jan 6, 1984. 6. "NIH Backs Age

Pilot Subjective Assessments During an Investigation of Separation Function Allocation Using a Human-In-The-Loop Simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burke, Kelly A.; Wing, David J.; Lewis, Timothy

2013-01-01

Two human-in-the-loop simulation experiments were conducted to investigate allocation of separation assurance functions between ground and air and between humans and automation. The experiments modeled a mixed-operations concept in which aircraft receiving ground-based separation services shared the airspace with aircraft providing their own separation service (i.e., self-separation). The two experiments, one pilot-focused and the other controller-focused, addressed selected key issues of mixed operations and modeling an emergence of NextGen technologies and procedures. This paper focuses on the results of the subjective assessments of pilots collected during the pilot-focused human-in-the-loop simulation, specifically workload and situation awareness. Generally the results revealed that across all conditions, pilots' perceived workload was low to medium, with the highest reported levels of workload occurring when the pilots experienced a loss of separation during the scenario. Furthermore, the results from the workload data and situation awareness data were complimentary such that when pilots reported lower levels of workload they also experienced higher levels of situation awareness.

Potential barriers to the application of multi-factor portfolio analysis in public hospitals: evidence from a pilot study in the Netherlands.

PubMed

Pavlova, Milena; Tsiachristas, Apostolos; Vermaeten, Gerhard; Groot, Wim

2009-01-01

Portfolio analysis is a business management tool that can assist health care managers to develop new organizational strategies. The application of portfolio analysis to US hospital settings has been frequently reported. In Europe however, the application of this technique has received little attention, especially concerning public hospitals. Therefore, this paper examines the peculiarities of portfolio analysis and its applicability to the strategic management of European public hospitals. The analysis is based on a pilot application of a multi-factor portfolio analysis in a Dutch university hospital. The nature of portfolio analysis and the steps in a multi-factor portfolio analysis are reviewed along with the characteristics of the research setting. Based on these data, a multi-factor portfolio model is developed and operationalized. The portfolio model is applied in a pilot investigation to analyze the market attractiveness and hospital strengths with regard to the provision of three orthopedic services: knee surgery, hip surgery, and arthroscopy. The pilot portfolio analysis is discussed to draw conclusions about potential barriers to the overall adoption of portfolio analysis in the management of a public hospital. Copyright (c) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Development and utilization of the Medicines Use Review patient satisfaction questionnaire

PubMed Central

Hindi, Ali; Parkhurst, Caroline; Rashidi, Yasamin; Ho, Shun Yan; Patel, Nilesh; Donyai, Parastou

2017-01-01

The Medicines Use Review is a community pharmacy service funded in the United Kingdom to improve patients’ adherence to medication and reduce medicines waste. The objective was to develop, pilot, and utilize a new Medicines Use Review patient satisfaction questionnaire. A questionnaire for patient self-completion was developed using a published framework of patient satisfaction with the Medicines Use Review service. The questions were validated using the content validity index and the questionnaire piloted through three pharmacies (February–April 2016). The revised questionnaire contained 12 questions with responses on a 5-point Likert scale, and a comments box. The questionnaire was distributed to patients following a Medicines Use Review consultation via community pharmacies (June–October 2016). Exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach’s α were performed to investigate the relationships between the items and to examine structural validity. The survey results were examined for patients’ reported satisfaction with Medicines Use Reviews, while the handwritten comments were thematically analyzed and mapped against the questionnaire items. An estimated 2,151 questionnaires were handed out, and a total of 505 responses were received indicating a 24% response rate. Exploratory factor analysis revealed two factors with a cumulative variance of 68.8%, and Cronbach’s α showed high internal consistency for each factor (α=0.90 and α=0.89, respectively). The survey results demonstrated that patients could show a high degree of overall satisfaction with the service, even if initially reluctant to take part in a Medicines Use Review. The results support the Medicines Use Review patient satisfaction questionnaire as a suitable tool for measuring patient satisfaction with the Medicines Use Review service. A wider study is needed to confirm the findings about this community pharmacy-based adherence service. PMID:29118573

What Educational Opportunities Should Professionals in Aging Provide?: A Pilot Community Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Dussen, Daniel J.; Leson, Suzanne M.

2010-01-01

With the aging workforce and the increase of older adults, educational needs of the workforce in aging services are broadening. The pilot study used a survey to examine the types of educational opportunities and needs of professionals providing services to older adults in eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. Respondents (25.9%) reported learning…

A Study of Public School Medical Assistance Pilot Program: Article 82.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smokoski, Fred; And Others

This paper reports on a project which analyzed the possibility of using Medicaid funding to provide reimbursement for some services needed by students with disabilities who are being served by public schools in Colorado. Six school districts or boards of cooperative services were selected to participate in a pilot program as recipients of Medicaid…

Connecting Students to Mental Health Care: Pilot Findings from an Engagement Program for School Nurses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Rachel E.; Becker, Kimberly D.; Stephan, Sharon H.; Hakimian, Serop; Apocada, Dee; Escudero, Pia V.; Chorpita, Bruce F.

2015-01-01

Schools function as the major provider of mental health services (MHS) for youth, but can struggle with engaging them in services. School nurses are well-positioned to facilitate referrals for MHS. This pilot study examined the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of an engagement protocol (EP) designed to enhance school nurses'…

Defense.gov - Congressional Gold Medal Presentation: Women Airforce Service

Science.gov Websites

, received the Congressional Gold Medal at a ceremony in the Capitol. Story Female World War II Pilots World War II Women Airforce Service Pilot corps remembered their sisters-in-arms during a wreath-laying homage to the achievements of the first women to fly military aircraft during World War II. Story Women

A pilot evaluation of text display formats for weather information in the cockpit

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1995-10-01

This study focuses on the weather (WX) services portion of Data Link. A : two-phase evaluation was conducted with 16 air transport (ATP) and general : aviation (GA) pilots. The pilots evaluated four data formatting options and : four data entry metho...

76 FR 45225 - Information Collection; Airplane Pilot Qualifications and Approval Record, Helicopter Pilot...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-28

... conducted under extremely adverse conditions of weather, terrain, turbulence, smoke reduced visibility... and aircraft receives an approval card. The Forest Service personnel verify possession of properly approved cards before using contracted pilots and aircraft. Information collected on these forms includes...

The development and evaluation of a five-language multi-perspective standardised measure: clinical decision-making involvement and satisfaction (CDIS)

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a brief quantitative five-language measure of involvement and satisfaction in clinical decision-making (CDIS) – with versions for patients (CDIS-P) and staff (CDIS-S) – for use in mental health services. Methods An English CDIS was developed by reviewing existing measures, focus groups, semistructured interviews and piloting. Translations into Danish, German, Hungarian and Italian followed the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) Task Force principles of good practice for translation and cultural adaptation. Psychometricevaluation involved testing the measure in secondary mental health services in Aalborg, Debrecen, London, Naples, Ulm and Zurich. Results After appraising 14 measures, the Control Preference Scale and Satisfaction With Decision-making English-language scales were modified and evaluated in interviews (n = 9), focus groups (n = 22) and piloting (n = 16). Translations were validated through focus groups (n = 38) and piloting (n = 61). A total of 443 service users and 403 paired staff completed CDIS. The Satisfaction sub-scale had internal consistency of 0.89 (0.86-0.89 after item-level deletion) for staff and 0.90 (0.87-0.90) for service users, both continuous and categorical (utility) versions were associated with symptomatology and both staff-rated and service userrated therapeutic alliance (showing convergent validity), and not with social disability (showing divergent validity), and satisfaction predicted staff-rated (OR 2.43, 95%CI 1.54- 3.83 continuous, OR 5.77, 95%CI 1.90-17.53 utility) and service user-rated (OR 2.21, 95%CI 1.51-3.23 continuous, OR 3.13, 95%CI 1.10-8.94 utility) decision implementation two months later. The Involvement sub-scale had appropriate distribution and no floor or ceiling effects, was associated with stage of recovery, functioning and quality of life (staff only) (showing convergent validity), and not with symptomatology or social disability (showing divergent validity), and staff-rated passive involvement by the service user predicted implementation (OR 3.55, 95%CI 1.53-8.24). Relationships remained after adjusting for clustering by staff. Conclusions CDIS demonstrates adequate internal consistency, no evidence of item redundancy, appropriate distribution, and face, content, convergent, divergent and predictive validity. It can be recommended for research and clinical use. CDIS-P and CDIS-S in all 3 five languages can be downloaded at http://www.cedar-net.eu/instruments. Trial registration ISRCTN75841675. PMID:25066212

Does "Enhanced Support" for Offenders Effectively Reduce Custodial Violence and Disruption? An Evaluation of the Enhanced Support Service Pilot.

PubMed

Camp, Jake; Joy, Kerry; Freestone, Mark

2018-01-01

This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of The Enhanced Support Service (ESS) pilot in reducing custodial violence and disruption, and the associated costs, by observing the behavioural change of the 35 service users who participated in ESS intervention within its first 22 months of operation. Frequencies of recorded incidents of aggressive behaviours, self-harming behaviours, noncompliance, and positive behaviours were counted from routine administrative systems using a coding structure developed in previous studies. The count data were analysed using nonparametric tests and Poisson regression models to derive an Incident Rate Ratio (IRR). Findings suggest the ESS is associated with a reduction in aggressive behaviours and noncompliance, with medium to large effect sizes ( r = .31-.53); however, it was not associated with a reduction in deliberate self-harm or increased positive behaviours. The Poisson models revealed that levels of pre-intervention behaviour, intervention length, intervention completion, and service location had varying effects on postintervention behaviour, with those who completed intervention demonstrating more favourable outcomes. The ESS service model was associated with a reduction in behaviour that challenges, which has implications for the reduction in associated social, economic, and political costs-as well as the commissioning of interventions and future research in this area.

Targeting smoking cessation to high prevalence communities: outcomes from a pilot intervention for gay men.

PubMed

Harding, Richard; Bensley, James; Corrigan, Nick

2004-09-30

Cigarette smoking prevalence among gay men is twice that of population levels. A pilot community-level intervention was developed and evaluated aiming to meet UK Government cessation and cancer prevention targets. Four 7-week withdrawal-oriented treatment groups combined nicotine replacement therapy with peer support. Self-report and carbon monoxide register data were collected at baseline and 7 weeks. N = 98 gay men were recruited through community newspapers and organisations in London UK. At 7 weeks, n = 44 (76%) were confirmed as quit using standard UK Government National Health Service monitoring forms. In multivariate analysis the single significant baseline variable associated with cessation was previous number of attempts at quitting (OR 1.48, p = 0.04). This tailored community-level intervention successfully recruited a high-prevalence group, and the outcome data compares very favourably to national monitoring data (which reports an average of 53% success). Implications for national targeted services are considered.

Auroras Now! - Auroral nowcasting service for Hotels in Finnish Lapland and its performance during winter 2003-2004

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kauristie, K.; Mälkki, A.; Pulkkinen, A.; Nevanlinna, H.; Ketola, A.; Tulkki, V.; Raita, T.; Blanco, A.

2004-12-01

European Space Agency is currently supporting 17 Service Development Activities (SDA) within its Space Weather Pilot Project. Auroras Now!, one of the SDAs, has been operated during November 2003 - March 2004 as its pilot season. The service includes a public part freely accessible in Internet (http://aurora.fmi.fi) and a private part visible only to the customers of two hotels in the Finnish Lapland through the hotels' internal TV-systems. The nowcasting system is based on the magnetic recordings of two geophysical observatories, Sodankylä (SOD, MLAT ~64 N) and Nurmijärvi (NUR, MLAT ~57 N). The probability of auroral occurrence is continuously characterised with an empirically determined three-level scale. The index is updated once per hour and based on the magnetic field variations recorded at the observatories. During dark hours the near-real time auroral images acquired at SOD are displayed. The hotel service also includes cloudiness predictions for the coming night. During the pilot season the reliability of the three-level magnetic alarm system was weekly evaluated by comparing its prediction with auroral observations by the nearby all-sky camera. Successful hits and failures were scored according to predetermined rules. The highest credit points when it managed to spot auroras in a timely manner and predict their brightness correctly. Maximum penalty points were given when the alarm missed clear bright auroras lasting for more than one hour. In this presentation we analyse the results of the evaluation, present some ideas to further sharpen the procedure, and discuss more generally the correlation between local auroral and magnetic activity.

A Pilot Study Evaluating the Feasibility of Psychological First Aid for Nursing Home Residents.

PubMed

Brown, Lisa M; Bruce, Martha L; Hyer, Kathryn; Mills, Whitney L; Vongxaiburana, Elizabeth; Polivka-West, Lumarie

2009-07-01

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the pilot study were to modify existing psychological first aid (PFA) materials so they would be appropriate for use with institutionalized elders, evaluate the feasibility of using nursing home staff to deliver the intervention to residents, and solicit feedback from residents about the intervention. The STORM Study, an acronym for "services for treating older residents' mental health", is the first step in the development of an evidence-based disaster mental health intervention for this vulnerable and underserved population. METHOD: Demographic characteristics were collected on participating residents and staff. Program evaluation forms were completed by staff participants during the pilot test and nurse training session. Staff and resident discussion groups were conducted during the pilot test to collect qualitative data on the use of PFA in nursing homes. RESULTS: Results demonstrate the feasibility of the PFA program to train staff to provide residents with PFA during disasters. CONCLUSIONS: Future research should focus on whether PFA improves coping and reduces stress in disaster exposed nursing home residents.

Physicians' accounts of frontline tensions when implementing pilot projects to improve primary care.

PubMed

Mansfield, Elizabeth; Bhattacharyya, Onil; Christian, Jennifer; Naglie, Gary; Steriopoulos, Vicky; Webster, Fiona

2018-03-19

Purpose Canada's primary care system has been described as "a culture of pilot projects" with little evidence of converting successful initiatives into funded, permanent programs or sharing project outcomes and insights across jurisdictions. Health services pilot projects are advocated as an effective strategy for identifying promising models of care and building integrated care partnerships in local settings. In the qualitative study reported here, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the strengths and challenges of this approach. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 34 primary care physicians who discussed their experiences as pilot project leads. Following thematic analysis methods, broad system issues were captured as well as individual project information. Findings While participants often portrayed themselves as advocates for vulnerable patients, mobilizing healthcare organizations and providers to support new models of care was discussed as challenging. Competition between local healthcare providers and initiatives could impact pilot project success. Participants also reported tensions between their clinical, project management and research roles with additional time demands and skill requirements interfering with the work of implementing and evaluating service innovations. Originality/value Study findings highlight the complexity of pilot project implementation, which encompasses physician commitment to addressing care for vulnerable populations through to the need for additional skill set requirements and the impact of local project environments. The current pilot project approach could be strengthened by including more multidisciplinary collaboration and providing infrastructure supports to enhance the design, implementation and evaluation of health services improvement initiatives.

Can mobile phone technology support a rapid sharing of information on novel psychoactive substances among health and other professionals internationally?

PubMed

Simonato, Pierluigi; Bersani, Francesco S; Santacroce, Rita; Cinosi, Eduardo; Schifano, Fabrizio; Bersani, Giuseppe; Martinotti, Giovanni; Corazza, Ornella

2017-05-01

The diffusion of novel psychoactive substances (NPSs), combined with the ability of the Internet to act as an online marketplace, has led to unprecedented challenges for governments, health agencies, and substance misuse services. Despite increasing research, there is a paucity of reliable information available to professionals working in the field. The paper will present the pilot results of the first mobile application (SMAIL) for rapid information sharing on NPSs among health professionals. The development of SMAIL was divided into 2 parts: (a) the creation of the application for registered users, enabling them to send an SMS or email with the name or "street name" of an NPS and receive within seconds emails or SMS with the information, when available and (b) the development of a database to support the incoming requests. One hundred twenty-two professionals based in 22 countries used the service over the pilot period of 16 months (from May 2012 to September 2013). Five hundred fifty-seven enquires were made. Users received rapid information on NPSs, and 61% of them rated the service as excellent. This is the right time to use mobile phone technologies for rapid information sharing and prevention activities on NPSs. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Group Treatment for Women Gamblers Using Web, Teleconference and Workbook: Effectiveness Pilot.

PubMed

Boughton, Roberta R; Jindani, Farah; Turner, Nigel E

2016-01-01

While the past decades have seen a dramatic increase in the number of women who gamble and develop consequent problems, treatment services are being underutilized in Ontario. This pilot study explores the feasibility of using web- and phone-based group interventions to expand services available for women who might not otherwise seek or be able to access treatment. Distinct treatment considerations for working with women, such as the value of a women's group, advantages of phone counselling, and the implementation of modern web-based services, were reviewed. The study involved a clinician-facilitated group that used teleconferencing and webinar technology (Adobe Connect) for support and discussion, and a Tutorial Workbook (TW) developed specifically to address the issues and treatment needs of women who gamble at a problematic level. A mixed method analysis used to evaluate the results suggested that the group-based teleconference/webinar approach provided a much-needed means of treatment support for women. Participants reported that the program helped them to understand their gambling triggers, to improve their awareness, to feel better about themselves, to modify their mood and anxiety levels, to feel less isolated, to address their relationships, and to feel more hopeful for the future. The Tutorial Workbook, which was used to supplement the educational component of the group interaction, was highly rated.

[Development of a nurse-led family counseling program for families of the elderly: the first cycle of a Community-Based Action Research Project (CBPR)].

PubMed

Mahrer-Imhof, Romy; Hediger, Hannele; Naef, Rahel; Bruylands, Michelle

2014-08-01

With the support of family members many elderly people can live an independent life at home. Accepting support respectively providing support might be a challenge for both elder and family member. Families often have little professional support to manage those challenges. Therefore, a nurse-led counseling program for families of the elders has been established. The counseling program was developed with community-based participatory research (CBPR) methodology using individual and focus group interviews, as well as a written survey and tested in a pilot study. Managing disease in everyday life, helpful means of support at home, changes in family relations, information about services as well as information how to navigate the healthcare system have been themes to discuss in the counseling sessions. Participants in the pilot study showed a statistically not significant increase in well-being, and preparedness for care and were highly satisfied with the counseling program. Families of the elderly could actively participate in developing and researching a nurse-led family counseling program. Several family members still engage as co-researcher in the program and participate to improve the new service.

36 CFR 223.275 - Establishment of a pilot program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... AGRICULTURE SALE AND DISPOSAL OF NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM TIMBER, SPECIAL FOREST PRODUCTS, AND FOREST BOTANICAL PRODUCTS Forest Botanical Products § 223.275 Establishment of a pilot program. This subpart governs the Forest Service's pilot program for the disposal of forest botanical products, as authorized by the...

36 CFR 223.275 - Establishment of a pilot program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... AGRICULTURE SALE AND DISPOSAL OF NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM TIMBER, SPECIAL FOREST PRODUCTS, AND FOREST BOTANICAL PRODUCTS Forest Botanical Products § 223.275 Establishment of a pilot program. This subpart governs the Forest Service's pilot program for the disposal of forest botanical products, as authorized by the...

36 CFR 223.275 - Establishment of a pilot program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... AGRICULTURE SALE AND DISPOSAL OF NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM TIMBER, SPECIAL FOREST PRODUCTS, AND FOREST BOTANICAL PRODUCTS Forest Botanical Products § 223.275 Establishment of a pilot program. This subpart governs the Forest Service's pilot program for the disposal of forest botanical products, as authorized by the...

Amigas Latinas Motivando el ALMA (ALMA): Development and Pilot Implementation of a Stress Reduction Promotora Intervention

PubMed Central

Green, Melissa A.; Perez, Georgina; Ornelas, India J.; Tran, Anh N.; Blumenthal, Connie; Lyn, Michelle; Corbie-Smith, Giselle

2014-01-01

Use of mental health care services for psychological distress is limited among Latino immigrants. In geographic areas where migration has been rapid, mental health systems possess limited capacity to provide bilingual and bicultural assistance. The development of a bilingual and bicultural workforce is a necessary yet long-term solution. More immediate strategies, however, are needed to meet the needs of immigrant Latinos. This paper describes the development of a stress-reduction focused, lay health advisor training that targets individual behavior change among Latina immigrants. The theoretical foundation, curriculum components, and pilot implementation of the training are discussed. As natural leaders, Latina promotoras disseminated learned strategies and resources within their communities. The lay health advisor model is a salient method for disseminating information regarding mental health and stress reduction among Latinas. PMID:25364312

ESA's Food Security Thematic Exploitation Platform "Supporting Sustainable Food Production from Space"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilliams, S. J.

2017-12-01

In line with the paradigm shift in Earth Observation of "Bringing the users to the data", ESA provides collaborative, virtual work environments giving access to EO data and tools, processors, and ICT resources through coherent interfaces. These coherent interfaces are categorized thematically, tailored to the related user communities and named Thematic Exploitation Platforms (TEP). The Food Security Thematic Exploitation Platform (FS-TEP) is the youngest out of seven TEPs and is developed in an agile mode in close coordination with its users. It will provide a "one stop platform" for the extraction of information from EO data for services in the food security sector mainly in Europe & Africa, allowing both access to EO data and processing of these data sets. Thereby it will foster smart, data-intensive agricultural and aquacultural applications in the scientific, private and public domain. The FS-TEP builds on a large and heterogeneous user community, spanning from application developers in agriculture to aquaculture, from small-scale farmers to agricultural industry, from public science to the finance and insurance sectors, from local and national administration to international agencies. To meet the requirements of these groups, the FS-TEP will provide different frontend interfaces. Service pilots will demonstrate the platform's ability to support agriculture and aquaculture with tailored EO based information services.The project team developing the FS-TEP and implementing pilot services during a 30 months period (started in April 2017) is led by Vista GmbH, Germany, supported by CGI Italy, VITO, Belgium, and Hatfield Consultants, Canada. It is funded by ESA under contract number 4000120074/17/I-EF.

Transcribe Your Class: Using Speech Recognition to Improve Access for At-Risk Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bain, Keith; Lund-Lucas, Eunice; Stevens, Janice

2012-01-01

Through a project supported by Canada's Social Development Partnerships Program, a team of leading National Disability Organizations, universities, and industry partners are piloting a prototype Hosted Transcription Service that uses speech recognition to automatically create multimedia transcripts that can be used by students for study purposes.…

Grandparent Headed Families and Head Start: Developing Effective Services.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dannison, Linda L.; Smith, Andrea B.

Numerous challenges face the growing number of grandparent-headed households, including isolation from friends and social supports, and difficulties in caring for grandchildren exhibiting multiple needs. This paper describes a pilot program in which a university and a large county-wide Head Start program formed a partnership to focus on serving…

9 Colleges Get Grants to Start Courses Relating to Philanthropy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chronicle of Higher Education, 1986

1986-01-01

The Association of American Colleges has made grants totaling $135,000 for the development of pilot courses relating to philanthropy and its role in shaping the history and character of American society, preparing students for civic responsibility and public service and helping to insure the future leadership of philanthropy. (MSE)

In Designing a Preschool Program, We Went Straight to the Source: Parents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zorn, Robert L.

1988-01-01

In response to overwhelming demand, Poland (Ohio) Schools proposed a pilot program to demonstrate that people wanted preschool and day care services that could pay for themselves. The program integrated early childhood programs with the regular school curriculum to stimulate children's interest in art, music, health, and sciences and develop motor…

Podcast Pilots for Distance Planning, Programming, and Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cordes, Sean

2005-01-01

This paper examines podcasting as a library support for distance learning and information systems and services. The manuscript provides perspective on the knowledge base in the growing area of podcasting in libraries and academia. A walkthrough of the podcast creation and distribution process using basic computing skills and open source tools is…

Refocusing the Lens: Enhancing Elementary Special Education Reading Instruction through Video Self-Reflection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osipova, Anna; Prichard, Brooke; Boardman, Alison Gould; Kiely, Mary Theresa; Carroll, Patricia E.

2011-01-01

This article presents the findings from a pilot study exploring the use of video as a self-reflection tool combined with high-quality, collaborative professional development (PD). Participants were in-service, upper-elementary, special education instructors teaching word study and fluency to students with learning disabilities. Participants…

'That would have been beneficial': LGBTQ education for home-care service providers.

PubMed

Daley, Andrea; MacDonnell, Judith A

2015-05-01

This paper reports qualitative findings from a pilot study that explored the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) education needs of home-care service providers working in one large, urban Canadian city. The pilot study builds upon research that has documented barriers to health services for diversely situated LGBTQ people, which function to limit access to good-quality healthcare. LGBTQ activists, organisations and allies have underscored the need for health provider education related to the unique health and service experiences of sexual and gender minority communities. However, the home-care sector is generally overlooked in this important body of research literature. We used purposeful convenience sampling to conduct four focus groups and two individual interviews with a total of 15 professionally diverse home-care service providers. Data collection was carried out from January 2011 to July 2012 and data were analysed using grounded theory methods towards the identification of the overarching theme, 'provider education' and it had two sub-themes: (i) experiences of LGBTQ education; and (ii) recommendations for LGBTQ education. The study findings raise important questions about limited and uneven access to adequate LGBTQ education for home-care service providers, suggest important policy implications for the education and health sectors, and point to the need for anti-oppression principles in the development of education initiatives. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Breadth of Scientific Activities and Network Station Specifications in the IGS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, A. W.; Springer, T. A.; Reigber, Ch.

1999-01-01

This presentation provides a brief overview of the scientific activities of the International GPS Service (IGS). This was an approved activity of the International Association of Geodesy (IAG) with official start of service on 1 Jan 1994. The mission of the IGS is "To provide a service to support geodetic and geophysical research activities, through GPS data and data products." The presentation explains the concept of the IGS working group, and pilot projects, and reviews the current working groups and pilot projects.

Assessment of Pilot Needs for Shipboard Data and Informational Documents

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-03-01

may differ from that shown on the poster due to environmental , hull and loading conditions. 3.3 Manoeuvring booklet (appendix 3) The manoeuvring...familiarize a broad cross-section of pilots with International Maritime Organization (IMO) proposals for pilot cards and wheelhouse posters and the...through the National Technical Informa- wheelhouse poster tion Service, Springfield, VA 22161 ship pilots. 19. Security Clasaif. (of this report) 20

In Madagascar, Use Of Health Care Services Increased When Fees Were Removed: Lessons For Universal Health Coverage.

PubMed

Garchitorena, Andres; Miller, Ann C; Cordier, Laura F; Ramananjato, Ranto; Rabeza, Victor R; Murray, Megan; Cripps, Amber; Hall, Laura; Farmer, Paul; Rich, Michael; Orlan, Arthur Velo; Rabemampionona, Alexandre; Rakotozafy, Germain; Randriantsimaniry, Damoela; Gikic, Djordje; Bonds, Matthew H

2017-08-01

Despite overwhelming burdens of disease, health care access in most developing countries is extremely low. As governments work toward achieving universal health coverage, evidence on appropriate interventions to expand access in rural populations is critical for informing policies. Using a combination of population and health system data, we evaluated the impact of two pilot fee exemption interventions in a rural area of Madagascar. We found that fewer than one-third of people in need of health care accessed treatment when point-of-service fees were in place. However, when fee exemptions were introduced for targeted medicines and services, the use of health care increased by 65 percent for all patients, 52 percent for children under age five, and over 25 percent for maternity consultations. These effects were sustained at an average direct cost of US$0.60 per patient. The pilot interventions can become a key element of universal health care in Madagascar with the support of external donors. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

KSC-2014-2775

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-04-29

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, agency helicopter pilots ensure all is clear before taking off during a training exercise. Helicopter pilot Bill Martin, a URS Federal Technical Services in the agency's Aircraft Operations, is seen in the front seat. Behind Martin on the left, is Mark Huetter, of Chenega Security & Support Solutions. Martin serves as assistant chief of Training for the center's Fire Rescue Department. The activity taking place in Kennedy's Launch Complex 39 turn-basin parking lot was only one of several drills. It was part of a new training program that was developed by Kennedy's Fire Rescue department along with NASA Aircraft Operations to sharpen the skills needed to help rescue personnel learn how to collaborate with helicopter pilots in taking injured patients to hospitals as quickly as possible. Photo credit: NASA/Dan Casper

A Pilot Study of Service-Learning in a Spanish Heritage Speaker Course: Community Engagement, Identity, and Language in the Chicago Area

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petrov, Lisa Amor

2013-01-01

This article presents research findings from a pilot study of the use of service-learning in an intermediate-high class ("Spanish Language and Culture for Heritage Speakers") in the fall semesters of 2010 and 2011. Students reported gains in the areas of communication skills, dispositional learning, language, identity formation, and…

14 CFR 61.77 - Special purpose pilot authorization: Operation of a civil aircraft of the United States and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... airplanes for the public transport of passengers, mail, or cargo, in which the service passes through the... transport of passengers, mail, or cargo, in which service passes through the air space over the territory of... this section. (e) Age limitation. No person who holds a special purpose pilot authorization issued...

Sibanye Methods for Prevention Packages Program Project Protocol: Pilot Study of HIV Prevention Interventions for Men Who Have Sex With Men in South Africa.

PubMed

McNaghten, Ad; Kearns, Rachel; Siegler, Aaron J; Phaswana-Mafuya, Nancy; Bekker, Linda-Gail; Stephenson, Rob; Baral, Stefan D; Brookmeyer, Ron; Yah, Clarence S; Lambert, Andrew J; Brown, Benjamin; Rosenberg, Eli; Blalock Tharp, Mondie; de Voux, Alex; Beyrer, Chris; Sullivan, Patrick S

2014-10-16

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention intervention programs and related research for men who have sex with men (MSM) in the southern African region remain limited, despite the emergence of a severe epidemic among this group. With a lack of understanding of their social and sexual lives and HIV risks, and with MSM being a hidden and stigmatized group in the region, optimized HIV prevention packages for southern African MSM are an urgent public health and research priority. The objective of the Sibanye Health Project is to develop and evaluate a combination package of biomedical, behavioral, and community-level HIV prevention interventions and services for MSM in South Africa. The project consists of three phases: (1) a comprehensive literature review and summary of current HIV prevention interventions (Phase I), (2) agent-based mathematical modeling of HIV transmission in southern African MSM (Phase II), and (3) formative and stigma-related qualitative research, community engagement, training on providing health care to MSM, and the pilot study (Phase III). The pilot study is a prospective one-year study of 200 men in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The study will assess a package of HIV prevention services, including condom and condom-compatible lubricant choices, risk-reduction counseling, couples HIV testing and counseling, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for eligible men, and non-occupational post-exposure prophylaxis for men with a high risk exposure. The pilot study will begin in October 2014. Preliminary results from all components but the pilot study are available. We developed a literature review database with meta-data extracted from 3800 documents from 67 countries. Modeling results indicate that regular HIV testing and promotion of condom use can significantly impact new HIV infections among South African MSM, even in the context of high coverage of early treatment of HIV-positive men and high coverage of PrEP for at-risk HIV-negative men. Formative qualitative research consisted of 79 in-depth interviews, and six focus group discussions in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. Analysis of these data has informed pilot study protocol development and has been documented in peer-reviewed manuscripts. Qualitative work regarding stigma faced by South African MSM resulted in finalized scales for use in the pilot study questionnaire. A total of 37 health care providers completed training designed to facilitate clinically and culturally competent care for MSM in the Eastern Cape. The design of a future, larger study of the HIV prevention package will be conducted at the end of the pilot study, powered to detect efficacy of the prevention package. Data from the updated mathematical model, results of the pilot study, acceptability data, and advancements in HIV prevention sciences will be considered in developing the final proposed package and study design. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02043015; http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT02043015 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6THvp7rAj).

76 FR 12367 - Proposed Information Collection; Visibility Valuation Survey Pilot Study

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-07

... Survey Pilot Study AGENCY: National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. ACTION: Notice... Code of Federal Regulations). Updated estimates of visibility benefits are required because the studies... a pilot study to test the survey instrument and implementation procedures prior to the full survey...

78 FR 66252 - Airworthiness Directives; Bell Helicopter Textron Canada Limited (Bell) Helicopters

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-05

... actions are intended to alert pilots to avoid certain engine speeds during steady- state operations...%. The proposed requirements were intended to alert pilots to avoid certain engine speeds during steady... the RFMs, advising pilots of the change, and installing a decal as described in Bell Alert Service...

77 FR 16232 - Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Emphasis Panel (SEP): A Pilot...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-20

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Emphasis Panel (SEP): A Pilot Surveillance for High... in response to ``A Pilot Surveillance for High Impact/Low Prevalence Congenital and Inherited...

Removing guns from batterers: findings from a pilot survey of domestic violence restraining order recipients in California.

PubMed

Vittes, Katherine A; Webster, Daniel W; Frattaroli, Shannon; Claire, Barbara E; Wintemute, Garen J

2013-05-01

Persons under certain domestic violence restraining orders in California are required to surrender any firearms in their possession within 24 hours of service. The California Department of Justice funded a pilot program in which Sheriff's Offices in two counties developed a system for better enforcing the firearm surrender requirement. As part of a larger process evaluation, 17 restraining order recipients were interviewed about their experiences with and feelings about the removal of firearms from their abusers. Most women surveyed wanted firearms removed and felt safer as a result of their removal. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Forest bird monitoring protocol for strategic habitat conservation and endangered species management on O'ahu Forest National Wildlife Refuge, Island of O'ahu, Hawai'i

USGS Publications Warehouse

Camp, Richard J.; Gorresen, P. Marcos; Banko, Paul C.

2011-01-01

This report describes the results of a pilot forest bird survey and a consequent forest bird monitoring protocol that was developed for the O'ahu Forest National Wildlife Refuge, O'ahu Island, Hawai'i. The pilot survey was conducted to inform aspects of the monitoring protocol and to provide a baseline with which to compare future surveys on the Refuge. The protocol was developed in an adaptive management framework to track bird distribution and abundance and to meet the strategic habitat conservation requirements of the Refuge. Funding for this research was provided through a Science Support Partnership grant sponsored jointly by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).

Mobile information and communication in the hospital outpatient service.

PubMed

Jen, Wen-Yuan; Chao, Chia-Chen; Hung, Ming-Chien; Li, Yu-Chuan; Chi, Y P

2007-08-01

Most healthcare providers provide mobile service for their medical staff; however, few healthcare providers provide mobile service as part of their outpatient service. The mobile outpatient service system (MOSS) focuses on illness treatment, illness prevention and patient relation management for outpatient service users. Initiated in a local hospital in Taiwan, the MOSS pilot project was developed to improve outpatient service quality and pursue higher patient safety. This study focuses on the development of the MOSS. The workflow, architecture and target users of the MOSS are delineated. In addition, there were two surveys conducted as part of this study. After a focus group of medical staff identified areas in which outpatient services might be improved by the MOSS, the first survey was administered to outpatients to confirm the focus group's intuitions. The second administration of the survey explored outpatient satisfaction after they used the MOSS service. With regard to outpatient attitudes, about 93% of participants agreed that the mobile outpatient service improved outpatient service quality. In the area of outpatient satisfaction, about 89% of participants indicated they were satisfied with the mobile outpatient service. Supported by our study finding, we propose that more diverse mobile outpatient services can be provided in the future.

Team Development Measure in Interprofessional Graduate Education: A Pilot Study.

PubMed

Beebe, Lora Humphrey; Roman, Marian; Skolits, Gary; Raynor, Hollie; Thompson, Dixie; Franks, Andrea

2018-04-01

A faculty team developed the 4-week Recovery-Based Interprofessional Distance Education (RIDE) rotation for graduate students in their disciplines. The evaluation team identified the Team Development Measure (TDM) as a potential alternative to reflect team development during the RIDE rotation. The TDM, completed anonymously online, was piloted on the second student cohort (N = 18) to complete the RIDE rotation. The overall pretest mean was 60.73 points (SD = 11.85) of a possible 100 points, indicating that students anticipated their RIDE team would function at a moderately high level during the 4-week rotation. The overall posttest mean, indicating student perceptions of actual team functioning, was 72.71 points (SD = 23.31), an average increase of 11.98 points. Although not statistically significant, Cohen's effect size (d = 0.43) indicates an observed difference of large magnitude. No other published work has used the TDM as a pre-/posttest measure of team development. The authors believe the TDM has several advantages as a measure of student response to interprofessional education offerings, particularly in graduate students with prior experience on health care teams. Further work is needed to validate and extend the findings of this pilot study. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 56(4), 18-22.]. Copyright 2018, SLACK Incorporated.

Dimensions of the transition service coordinator role.

PubMed

Betz, Cecily L; Redcay, Gay

2005-01-01

This article describes the development and implementation of an innovative advanced practice role, as a transition service coordinator for nurses who work with adolescents with special healthcare needs. Transition services for adolescents with special healthcare needs is an area of growing clinical need requiring that all healthcare professionals, including advanced practice nurses develop new clinical knowledge and skills to practice effectively. This emerging specialty area will require advanced practice nurses to provide direct services blending both pediatric and adult healthcare needs and to function in advanced practice roles such as case managers who can ensure the coordination of services between these two very different systems of care while promoting the youth's acquisition of goals for adulthood. This nursing role was first created to provide and coordinate transition services to youth seen in a piloted clinic titled Creating Healthy Futures. This article describes the various components of this nursing role that incorporated the advanced practice dimensions of clinical expert, consultant, change agent, leader, researcher, and educator that can be replicated in other clinical settings.

Implementation of a mental health medication management intervention in Australian community pharmacies: Facilitators and challenges.

PubMed

Hattingh, H Laetitia; Kelly, Fiona; Fowler, Jane; Wheeler, Amanda J

Community pharmacists are in an ideal position to promote and provide mental health medication management services. However, formalised or structured pharmacy services to support consumers with mental health conditions are scarce. Australian mental health consumers indicated a need for targeted community pharmacy mental health services which presented an opportunity to develop an intervention that were integrated with remunerated professional services. The study aimed to pilot a mental health medication management intervention in Australian community pharmacies. Pharmacists worked in partnership with consumers, carers and mental health workers over three to six months to set and support achievement of individual goals related to medicines use, physical health and mental wellbeing. This paper provides a comparison of community pharmacies that successfully delivered the intervention with those that did not and identifies facilitators and challenges to service implementation. One hundred pharmacies opted to pilot the delivery of the intervention in three Australian states (Queensland, Western Australia and northern New South Wales). Of those, 55 successfully delivered the intervention (completers) whilst 45 were unsuccessful (non-completers). A mixed methods approach, including quantitative pharmacy surveys and qualitative semi-structured interviews, was used to gather data from participating pharmacies. Following intervention development, 142 pharmacists and 21 pharmacy support staff attended training workshops, received resource kits and ongoing support from consumer and pharmacist mentors throughout intervention implementation. Baseline quantitative data was collected from each pharmacy on staff profile, volume of medicines dispensed, the range of professional services delivered and relationships with health professionals. At the completion of the study participants were invited to complete an online exit survey and take part in a semi-structured interview that explored their experiences of intervention implementation and delivery. Twenty-nine staff members from completer pharmacies returned exit surveys and interviews were conducted with 30 staff from completer and non-completer pharmacies. Descriptive analyses of quantitative data and thematic analyses of qualitative data were used to compare completers and non-completers. Baseline similarities included numbers of general and mental health prescriptions dispensed and established professional services. However, there was greater prevalence of diabetes management, opioid substitution services, and relationships with mental health services in completer pharmacies. Key facilitators for completers included pharmacy owner/manager support, staff buy-in and involvement, intervention flexibility, recruitment immediately following training, integration of intervention with existing services, changes to workflow, and regular consumer contact. Key barriers for both groups included lack of pharmacy owner/manager support or staff buy-in, time constraints, privacy limitations and pilot project associated paperwork. Insights into factors that underpinned successful intervention implementation and delivery should inform effective strategies for similar future studies and allocation of pharmacy mental health service delivery resources. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Female health workers at the doorstep: a pilot of community-based maternal, newborn, and child health service delivery in northern Nigeria.

PubMed

Uzondu, Charles A; Doctor, Henry V; Findley, Sally E; Afenyadu, Godwin Y; Ager, Alastair

2015-03-01

Nigeria has one of the highest maternal mortality ratios in the world. Poor health outcomes are linked to weak health infrastructure, barriers to service access, and consequent low rates of service utilization. In the northern state of Jigawa, a pilot study was conducted to explore the feasibility of deploying resident female Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs) to rural areas to provide essential maternal, newborn, and child health services. Between February and August 2011, a quasi-experimental design compared service utilization in the pilot community of Kadawawa, which deployed female resident CHEWs to provide health post services, 24/7 emergency access, and home visits, with the control community of Kafin Baka. In addition, we analyzed data from the preceding year in Kadawawa, and also compared service utilization data in Kadawawa from 2008-2010 (before introduction of the pilot) with data from 2011-2013 (during and after the pilot) to gauge sustainability of the model. Following deployment of female CHEWs to Kadawawa in 2011, there was more than a 500% increase in rates of health post visits compared with 2010, from about 1.5 monthly visits per 100 population to about 8 monthly visits per 100. Health post visit rates were between 1.4 and 5.5 times higher in the intervention community than in the control community. Monthly antenatal care coverage in Kadawawa during the pilot period ranged from 11.9% to 21.3%, up from 0.9% to 5.8% in the preceding year. Coverage in Kafin Baka ranged from 0% to 3%. Facility-based deliveries by a skilled birth attendant more than doubled in Kadawawa compared with the preceding year (105 vs. 43 deliveries total, respectively). There was evidence of sustainability of these changes over the 2 subsequent years. Community-based service delivery through a resident female community health worker can increase health service utilization in rural, hard-to-reach areas. © Uzondu et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are properly cited. To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/. When linking to this article, please use the following permanent link: http://dx.doi.org/10.9745/GHSP-D-14-00117.

Correspondence Concerning Women and the Army Air Forces in World War II. Teaching with Documents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schamel, Wynell B.; Blondo, Richard A.

1994-01-01

Contends that, although the role of women in the U.S. military and on the homefront during World War II has received increased attention, the service of the civilian women pilots has not been adequately recognized. Presents a classroom lesson on the origins and work of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP's) during World War II. (CFR)

The development and piloting of a leadership questionnaire for general dental practitioners: preliminary results from the North West of England and Tokyo.

PubMed

Brocklehurst, P; O'Malley, L; Hill, H; Ozaki, T; Nomura, M; Matsuda, R

2014-11-01

Key reforms in England and Japan have called for greater clinical leadership from general dental practitioners to deliver improvements in the quality of care for patients. In England, the reorganisation of the National Health Service has led to the development of Local Professional Networks to ensure services are clinically led, patient and outcome focused. In Japan, the rapidly changing demographics have led to calls for general dental practitioners to become more active in meeting the emerging population health challenges. Both require engagement at a strategic and a local level. However, little is known about what is meant by clinical leadership in dentistry or what training needs exist. The aim of this study was to develop and pilot a questionnaire to understand what general dental practitioners feel is important about clinical leadership and how they rate themselves. A 61-item questionnaire was developed from the literature, an earlier qualitative study and refined through cognitive interviews. Questionnaires were distributed to general dental practitioners across the North West of England and Tokyo, using random sequence generation. For each item, the participant had to record whether they thought the statement was an important component of clinical leadership and how they rated themselves. Both were rated using a seven-point Likert scale. Data reduction was undertaken using principal component analysis to examine for factor loadings within the questionnaire. Differences in mean scores were also used to highlight substantive differences in how general dental practitioners rated the different components of leadership and how they rated themselves. The response rate for the pilot was low (22.9% and 7.5% for North West and Tokyo respectively). The items that were considered to be important in leadership reduced to two components in the North West (accounting for 62.1% of the total variance): 'How to lead' and 'How not to lead'. In Tokyo, 56.4% of the total variance was explained by three components: 'Demonstrating personal qualities', 'Working with others' and 'How not to lead'. When the self-rated items were reduced, three factors were found to be important in the North West: 'Working with others', 'Setting direction' and 'Managing services' (55.1% of the variance). 'Working with others', 'Demonstrating personal qualities', 'Pragmatism', 'Setting direction' and 'Improving services' were found to be important in Tokyo (52.8% of the variance). The questionnaire items relating to integrity, team-working and having a positive attitude during difficult times were rated highly by both groups. Items relating to providing vision for team, being assertive and having a positive attitude had the greatest mean difference, suggesting possible areas of training need. The nature of the pilot study and the poor response rate makes any conclusion difficult to infer. Among those that participated, leadership was understood to be more important at a practice level rather than at a strategic level. The questionnaire should be refined further based on the results of the pilot and the data reduction.

Does training on performance based financing make a difference in performance and quality of health care delivery? Health care provider's perspective in Rungwe Tanzania.

PubMed

Manongi, Rachel; Mushi, Declare; Kessy, Joachim; Salome, Saria; Njau, Bernard

2014-04-04

In recent years, Performance Based Financing (PBF); a form of result based financing, has attracted a global attention in health systems in developing countries. PBF promotes autonomous health facilities, motivates and introduces financial incentives to motivate health facilities and health workers to attain pre-determined targets. To achieve this, the Tanzanian government through the Christian Social Services Commission initiated a PBF pilot project in Rungwe district, Mbeya region. Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center was given the role of training health workers on PBF principles in Rungwe. The aim of this study was to explore health care providers' perception on a three years training on PBF principles in a PBF pilot project at Rungwe District in Mbeya, Tanzania. This was an explorative qualitative study, which took place at Rungwe PBF pilot area in October 2012. Twenty six (26) participants were purposively selected. Six took part in- depth interviews (IDIs) and twenty (20) in the group discussions. Both the IDIs and the GDs explored the perceived benefit and challenges of implementing PBF in their workplace. Data were manually analyzed using content analysis approach. Overall informants had positive perspectives on PBF training. Most of the health facilities were able to implement some of the PBF concepts in their work places after the training, such as developing job descriptions for their staff, creating quarterly business plans for their facilities, costing for their services and entering service agreement with the government, improved record keeping, customer care and involving community as partners in running their facilities. The most common principle of paying individual performance bonuses was mentioned as a major challenge due to inadequate funding and poor design of Rungwe PBF pilot project. Despite poor design and inadequate funding, our findings have shown some promising results after PBF training in the study area. The findings have highlighted the potential of PBF to act as leverage for initiating innovative and proactive actions, which may motivate health personnel performance and quality of care in the study setting with minimal support. However, key policy issues at the national level should be addressed in order to exploit this opportunity.

75 FR 75725 - Financial Management Service; Proposed Collection of Information: Tax Time Card Account Pilot...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-06

... Information: Tax Time Card Account Pilot, Screening, Focus Groups, and Study AGENCY: Financial Management... general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on a continuing information... Account Pilot Screening, Focus Groups, and Study.'' DATES: Written comments should be received on or...

75 FR 39923 - Office of Postsecondary Education; Overview Information; Pilot Program for Course Material Rental...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-13

... DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Postsecondary Education; Overview Information; Pilot Program for... education (IHEs) for pilot programs that expand the services of bookstores to provide the option for... CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv), this priority is from section 803 of the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA...

78 FR 65202 - Airworthiness Directives; Bell Helicopter Textron Canada Limited (Bell) Helicopters

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-31

... engine speeds during steady-state operations. These actions are intended to alert pilots to avoid certain... operation between speeds of 71% and 92%. The proposed requirements were intended to alert pilots to avoid... amending the RFM, advising pilots of the change, and installing a decal as described in Bell Alert Service...

Pilot Domain Task Experience in Night Fatal Helicopter Emergency Medical Service Accidents.

PubMed

Aherne, Bryan B; Zhang, Chrystal; Newman, David G

2016-06-01

In the United States, accident and fatality rates in helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) operations increase significantly under nighttime environmentally hazardous operational conditions. Other studies have found pilots' total flight hours unrelated to HEMS accident outcomes. Many factors affect pilots' decision making, including their experience. This study seeks to investigate whether pilot domain task experience (DTE) in HEMS plays a role against likelihood of accidents at night when hazardous operational conditions are entered. There were 32 flights with single pilot nighttime fatal HEMS accidents between 1995 and 2013 with findings of controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) and loss of control (LCTRL) due to spatial disorientation (SD) identified. The HEMS DTE of the pilots were compared with industry survey data. Of the pilots, 56% had ≤2 yr of HEMS experience and 9% had >10 yr of HEMS experience. There were 21 (66%) accidents that occurred in non-visual flight rules (VFR) conditions despite all flights being required to be conducted under VFR. There was a statistically significant increase in accident rates in pilots with <2 and <4 yr HEMS DTE and a statistically significant decrease in accident rates in pilots with >10 yr HEMS DTE. HEMS DTE plays a preventive role against the likelihood of a night operational accident. Pilots with limited HEMS DTE are more likely to make a poor assessment of hazardous conditions at night, and this will place HEMS flight crew at high risk in the VFR night domain.

[Primary care and mental health care collaboration in patients with depression: Evaluation of a pilot experience].

PubMed

Calderón, Carlos; Balagué, Laura; Iruin, Álvaro; Retolaza, Ander; Belaunzaran, Jon; Basterrechea, Javier; Mosquera, Isabel

2016-01-01

To implement and assess a collaborative experience between Primary Care (PC) and Mental Health (MH) in order to improve the care of patients with depression. Pilot collaborative project from a participatory action research approach during 2013. Basque Country. Osakidetza (Basque Health Service). Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa. The study included 207 professionals from general practice, nursing, psychiatry, psychiatric nursing, psychology and social work of 9 health centres and 6 mental health centres of Osakidetza. Shared design and development of four axes of intervention: 1) Communication and knowledge between PC and MH professionals, 2) Improvement of diagnostic coding and referral of patients, 3) Training programmes with meetings and common Clinical Practice Guidelines, and 4) Evaluation. Intervention and control questionnaires to professionals of the centres on the knowledge and satisfaction in the PC-MH relationship, joint training activities, and assessment of the experience. Osakidetza registers of prevalences, referrals and treatments. Follow-up meetings. Improvement in the 4 axes of intervention in the participant centres compared with the controls. Identification of factors to be considered in the development and sustainability of PC-MH collaborative care. The pilot experience confirms that collaborative projects promoted by PC and MH can improve depression care and the satisfaction of professionals. They are complex projects that need simultaneous interventions adjusted to the particularities of the health services. Multidisciplinary and continuous participation and management and information system support are necessary for their implementation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Urban forest health monitoring: large-scale assessments in the United States

Treesearch

Anne Buckelew Cumming; Daniel B. Twardus; David J. Nowak

2008-01-01

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (USFS), together with state partners, developed methods to monitor urban forest structure, function, and health at a large statewide scale. Pilot studies have been established in five states using protocols based on USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis and Forest Health Monitoring program data collection standards....

Develop and pilot test smart phone/tablet app for paratransit demand-response passenger pick-up alerts to assist passengers with disabilities and reduce no-shows and dwell times.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-12-01

This research produced an arrival notification system for paratransit passengers with disabilities. Almost all existing curb-to-curb paratransit services have significantly large pick-up time window ranging from 20 to 40 minutes from the scheduled ti...

Dare To Be You Program. Leaders' Manual. 2nd Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller-Heyl, Janet Lynne; Shores, Wanda, Ed.

This manual contains a complete set of program formats, activities, and references covered by the Dare to be You Training Program. The program, piloted in a rural Colorado County, is designed for use by parents, youth, teachers, church, and service organizations to help them deal with adolescents' problems and to assist youth in developing skills…

PROJECT MANPOWER--THE MACOMB COUNTY FARM LABOR PROJECT. SPECIAL PAPER NO. 3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

CAIN, JOHN N.

THE END OF THE IMPORTATION OF FOREIGN LABOR IN 1964 AND SEVERAL UNSUCCESSFUL EFFORTS TO DEVELOP A DOMESTIC LABOR SUPPLY IN MICHIGAN PROMPTED A PILOT PROJECT IN 1966, SPONSORED BY THE RURAL MANPOWER CENTER, THE COUNTY COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE, AND THE COUNTY LABOR COUNCIL, IN WHICH SUBURBAN YOUTH WERE RECRUITED FOR SEASONAL FARM LABOR. SCHOOLS…

Understanding and Practice of Argumentation: A Pilot Study with Mainland Chinese Pre-Service Teachers in Secondary Science Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xie, Qun; So, Winnie Wing Mui

2012-01-01

Argumentation is recognized as a significant aspect of science education for the development of students' scientific literacy, and the science teacher is the key factor in organizing argumentative discourse in the science classroom. Composing argumentation in the classroom requires teachers to not only acquire the basic understandings and skills…

Development of Helicopter Capabilities in the U.S. Army During the Korean and Vietnam Wars

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-10

capacity, cost, vulnerability and complexity of design comparing to fixed- wind capability. However, helicopters had their unbeatable advantage... wires , rescuing of downed pilots and casualty 23 Horn, 66. 24 Ibid., 75. 23 evacuation...missions: air transportation, medical evacuation, wire laying, reconnaissance, artillery spotting, messenger service and many others. In case of both

Viral Oncolytic Therapeutics for Neoplastic Meningitis

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-01

our animal vendor, Charles River Laboratories (CRL), to adopt their intrathecal catheterization service for this purpose. Cannulated animals from CRL...pilot “idea” study. Thus, both experimental approaches, catheterization did not allow us to obtain statistically significant therapeutic efficacy...fluid, which will help developing new approaches for delivery of therapies, in particular biopharmaceuticals, to the central nervous system and

Project MAINSTREAM'S First Fellowship Cohort: Pilot Test of a National Dissemination Model to Enhance Substance Abuse Curriculum at Health Professions Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Browna, Richard L.; Marcus, Marianne T.; Lal, S.; Straussner, A.; Graham, Antonette V.; Madden, Theresa; Schoener, Eugene; Henry, Rebecca

2006-01-01

Objective: Generalist health professional training on substance abuse prevention is patchy. This study assessed the effects of Project MAINSTREAM, a national interdisciplinary faculty development fellowship program, whose principal objective was to enhance curriculum on basic substance abuse services at health professions training institutions.…

The Development of a Transportable Leadership and Management Program in Higher Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shapiro, Joan P.; And Others

The impact of an evaluation design on the effective implementation of a training program for women in higher education leadership and management was assessed. The program was designed by the University of Pennsylvania's Higher Education Resource Services. The training program, entitled "The Next Move," was introduced at three pilot sites: a large,…

[Status of traditional Chinese medicine materials seed and seedling breeding bases].

PubMed

Li, Ying; Huang, Lu-Qi; Zhang, Xiao-Bo; Wang, Hui; Cheng, Meng; Zhang, Tian; Yang, Guang

2017-11-01

Seeds and seedlings are the material basis of traditional Chinese medicine materials production, and the construction of traditional Chinese medicine materials seed and seedling breeding bases is beneficial to the production of high-quality traditional Chinese medicine materials. The construction of traditional Chinese medicine materials seed and seedling breeding bases is one of the major topics of Chinese medica resources census pilot. Targets, tasks of traditional Chinese medicine materials seed and seedling breeding bases based on Chinese medica resources census pilot were expounded.Construction progress including hardware construction, germplasm conservation and breeding, procedures and standardsestablishment, social servicesare presented. Development counter measures were proposed for the next step: perfect the standard and system, maintain and strengthen the breeding function, strengthen the cultivation of multi-level talents, explore market development model, joint efforts to deepen services and development. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Scaling Down to Scale Up: A Health Economic Analysis of Integrating Point-of-Care Syphilis Testing into Antenatal Care in Zambia during Pilot and National Rollout Implementation

PubMed Central

Ncube, Alexander Tshaka; Sweeney, Sedona; Fleischer, Colette; Mumba, Grace Tembo; Gill, Michelle M.; Strasser, Susan; Peeling, Rosanna W.; Terris-Prestholt, Fern

2015-01-01

Maternal syphilis results in an estimated 500,000 stillbirths and neonatal deaths annually in Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the existence of national guidelines for antenatal syphilis screening, syphilis testing is often limited by inadequate laboratory and staff services. Recent availability of inexpensive rapid point-of-care syphilis tests (RST) can improve access to antenatal syphilis screening. A 2010 pilot in Zambia explored the feasibility of integrating RST within prevention of mother-to-child-transmission of HIV services. Following successful demonstration, the Zambian Ministry of Health adopted RSTs into national policy in 2011. Cost data from the pilot and 2012 preliminary national rollout were extracted from project records, antenatal registers, clinic staff interviews, and facility observations, with the aim of assessing the cost and quality implications of scaling up a successful pilot into a national rollout. Start-up, capital, and recurrent cost inputs were collected, including costs of extensive supervision and quality monitoring during the pilot. Costs were analysed from a provider’s perspective, incremental to existing antenatal services. Total and unit costs were calculated and a multivariate sensitivity analysis was performed. Our accompanying qualitative study by Ansbro et al. (2015) elucidated quality assurance and supervisory system challenges experienced during rollout, which helped explain key cost drivers. The average unit cost per woman screened during rollout ($11.16) was more than triple the pilot unit cost ($3.19). While quality assurance costs were much lower during rollout, the increased unit costs can be attributed to several factors, including higher RST prices and lower RST coverage during rollout, which reduced economies of scale. Pilot and rollout cost drivers differed due to implementation decisions related to training, supervision, and quality assurance. This study explored the cost of integrating RST into antenatal care in pilot and national rollout settings, and highlighted important differences in costs that may be observed when moving from pilot to scale-up. PMID:25970443

Scaling Down to Scale Up: A Health Economic Analysis of Integrating Point-of-Care Syphilis Testing into Antenatal Care in Zambia during Pilot and National Rollout Implementation.

PubMed

Shelley, Katharine D; Ansbro, Éimhín M; Ncube, Alexander Tshaka; Sweeney, Sedona; Fleischer, Colette; Tembo Mumba, Grace; Gill, Michelle M; Strasser, Susan; Peeling, Rosanna W; Terris-Prestholt, Fern

2015-01-01

Maternal syphilis results in an estimated 500,000 stillbirths and neonatal deaths annually in Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the existence of national guidelines for antenatal syphilis screening, syphilis testing is often limited by inadequate laboratory and staff services. Recent availability of inexpensive rapid point-of-care syphilis tests (RST) can improve access to antenatal syphilis screening. A 2010 pilot in Zambia explored the feasibility of integrating RST within prevention of mother-to-child-transmission of HIV services. Following successful demonstration, the Zambian Ministry of Health adopted RSTs into national policy in 2011. Cost data from the pilot and 2012 preliminary national rollout were extracted from project records, antenatal registers, clinic staff interviews, and facility observations, with the aim of assessing the cost and quality implications of scaling up a successful pilot into a national rollout. Start-up, capital, and recurrent cost inputs were collected, including costs of extensive supervision and quality monitoring during the pilot. Costs were analysed from a provider's perspective, incremental to existing antenatal services. Total and unit costs were calculated and a multivariate sensitivity analysis was performed. Our accompanying qualitative study by Ansbro et al. (2015) elucidated quality assurance and supervisory system challenges experienced during rollout, which helped explain key cost drivers. The average unit cost per woman screened during rollout ($11.16) was more than triple the pilot unit cost ($3.19). While quality assurance costs were much lower during rollout, the increased unit costs can be attributed to several factors, including higher RST prices and lower RST coverage during rollout, which reduced economies of scale. Pilot and rollout cost drivers differed due to implementation decisions related to training, supervision, and quality assurance. This study explored the cost of integrating RST into antenatal care in pilot and national rollout settings, and highlighted important differences in costs that may be observed when moving from pilot to scale-up.

Development of a Mobile App for Family Planning Providers.

PubMed

Halsall, Viannella; Rogers, Jennifer; Witt, Jacki; Song, Sejun; Nguyen, Hoang Duc Huy; Kelly, Patricia

To provide an overview of lessons learned during the development process of an app for iOS and Android based on national recommendations for providing quality family planning services. After a review of existing apps was conducted to determine whether an app of clinical recommendations for family planning existed, a team of clinicians, training specialists, and app developers created a resource app by first drafting a comprehensive content map. A prototype of the app was then pilot tested using smart tablets by a volunteer convenience sample of women's healthcare professionals. Outcomes measured included usability, acceptability, download analytics, and satisfaction by clinicians as reported through an investigator-developed tool. Sixty-nine professionals tested a prototype of the app, and completed a user satisfaction tool. Overall, user feedback was positive, and a zoom function was added to the final version as a result of the pilot test. Within 3 months of being publicly available, the app was downloaded 677 times, with 97% of downloads occurring on smart phones, 76% downloads occurring on iOS devices, and 24% on Android devices. This trend persisted throughout the following 3 months. Clinicians with an interest in developing an app should consider a team approach to development, pilot test the app prior to wider distribution, and develop a web-based version of the app to be used by clinicians who are unable to access smart devices in their practice setting.

The Career Cost: Does It Pay for a Military Pilot to Leave the Service for the Airlines?

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-01

significant decreases in retention can be attributed to perceived pay disparity between the airlines and military. The promise of high paying jobs ...experiencing a pilot retention problem that is getting worse. The government spends millions of dollars training pilots in the most advanced aircraft in...PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK v ABSTRACT The military is experiencing a pilot retention problem that is getting worse. The government spends

Spiritual Development for Strategic Leadership in the Air Force

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-03-01

millionaire civilian pilot who had grown close to senior Air Force officials and the Thunderbirds.”8 The Thunderbirds are the Air Force’s high...integrated with the other well- known streams of development: cognitive, social , emotional, and moral. The name commonly given is spiritual...and socialize the Air Force core values of “Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do,” adopted in 1997. This document states

Trialling an electronic decision aid for policy developers to support ageing well.

PubMed

Cummings, Elizabeth; Ellis, Leonie; Tin, Eh Eh; Boyer, Kim; Orpin, Peter

2015-01-01

The complex process of developing policies and planning services requires the compilation and collation of evidence from multiple sources. With the increasing numbers of people living longer there will be a high demand for a wide range of aged care services to support people in ageing well. The premise of ageing well is based on providing an ageing population with quality care and resources that support their ongoing needs. These include affordable healthcare, end of life care improvement, mental health services improvement, care and support improvement for people with dementia, and support for healthy ageing. The National Health and Medical Research Council funded a research project to develop a policy tool to provide a framework to assist policy makers and service planners in the area of ageing well in rural and regional Australia. It was identified that development of an electronic version of the policy tool could be useful resulting in a small pilot development being undertaken and tested with policy makers and service planners. This paper describes the development and trialling of a tablet based application used to assess the acceptability of computerised forms for participants actively involved in policy development. It reports on the policy developer's experience of the electronic tool to support ageing well policy making based on evidence.

Analysis of Fractured Teeth Utilizing Digital Microscopy: A Pilot Study

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-01

ANALYSIS OF FRACTURED TEETH UTILIZING DIGITAL MICROSCOPY: A PILOT STUDY by Thomas Gene Cooper, D.M.D., M.P.H. Lieutenant Commander, Dental Corps...United States Navy A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Endodontic Graduate Program Naval Postgraduate Dental School Uniformed Services...Postgraduate Dental School Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Bethesda, Maryland CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL MASTER’S THESIS This is to

Integrating primary care with occupational health services: a success story.

PubMed

Griffith, Karen; Strasser, Patricia B

2010-12-01

This article describes the process used by a large U.S. manufacturing company to successfully integrate full-service primary care centers at two locations. The company believed that by providing employees with health promotion and disease prevention services, including screening, early diagnosis, and uncomplicated illness treatment, its health care costs could be significantly reduced while saving employees money. To accurately demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of adding primary care to existing occupational health services, a thorough financial analysis projected the return on investment (ROI) of the program. Decisions were made about center size, the scope of services, and staffing. A critical part of the ROI analysis involved evaluating employee health claim data to identify the actual cost of health care services for each center and the projected costs if the services were provided on-site. The pilot initiative included constructing two on-site health center facilities staffed with primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, physical therapists, and other health care professionals. Key outcome metrics from the pilot clinics exceeded goals in three of four categories. In addition, clinic use after 12 months far exceeded benchmarks for similar clinics. Most importantly, the pilot clinics were operating with a positive cash flow within the first year and demonstrated an increasingly positive ROI. Copyright 2010, SLACK Incorporated.

Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats.

PubMed

2002-12-01

Meeting fellow older people enthusiasts is always a pleasure and this month's encounters particularly so. The annual conference of the two RCN older people forums offered its usual blend of innovative ideas, stimulating debate, esoteric humour and a camaraderie shared with strangers as well as friends. Working with multidisciplinary colleagues on the West Midlands pilot development programme for leaders of older people services was equally inspiring. Despite the ongoing challenges of competing priorities, inadequate resources and ageist attitudes, committed teams around the UK are striving to offer high quality services to older people.

Do we have the right models for scaling up health services to achieve the Millennium Development Goals?

PubMed

Subramanian, Savitha; Naimoli, Joseph; Matsubayashi, Toru; Peters, David H

2011-12-14

There is widespread agreement on the need for scaling up in the health sector to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). But many countries are not on track to reach the MDG targets. The dominant approach used by global health initiatives promotes uniform interventions and targets, assuming that specific technical interventions tested in one country can be replicated across countries to rapidly expand coverage. Yet countries scale up health services and progress against the MDGs at very different rates. Global health initiatives need to take advantage of what has been learned about scaling up. A systematic literature review was conducted to identify conceptual models for scaling up health in developing countries, with the articles assessed according to the practical concerns of how to scale up, including the planning, monitoring and implementation approaches. We identified six conceptual models for scaling up in health based on experience with expanding pilot projects and diffusion of innovations. They place importance on paying attention to enhancing organizational, functional, and political capabilities through experimentation and adaptation of strategies in addition to increasing the coverage and range of health services. These scaling up approaches focus on fostering sustainable institutions and the constructive engagement between end users and the provider and financing organizations. The current approaches to scaling up health services to reach the MDGs are overly simplistic and not working adequately. Rather than relying on blueprint planning and raising funds, an approach characteristic of current global health efforts, experience with alternative models suggests that more promising pathways involve "learning by doing" in ways that engage key stakeholders, uses data to address constraints, and incorporates results from pilot projects. Such approaches should be applied to current strategies to achieve the MDGs.

First evaluation of the NHS direct online clinical enquiry service: a nurse-led web chat triage service for the public.

PubMed

Eminovic, Nina; Wyatt, Jeremy C; Tarpey, Aideen M; Murray, Gerard; Ingrams, Grant J

2004-06-02

NHS Direct is a telephone triage service used by the UK public to contact a nurse for any kind of health problem. NHS Direct Online (NHSDO) extends NHS Direct, allowing the telephone to be replaced by the Internet, and introducing new opportunities for informing patients about their health. One NHSDO service under development is the Clinical Enquiry Service (CES), which uses Web chat as the communication medium. To identify the opportunities and possible risks of such a service by exploring its safety, feasibility, and patient perceptions about using Web chat to contact a nurse. During a six-day pilot performed in an inner-city general practice in Coventry, non-urgent patients attending their GP were asked to test the service. After filling out three Web forms, patients used a simple Web chat application to communicate with trained NHS Direct triage nurses, who responded with appropriate triage advice. All patients were seen by their GP immediately after using the Web chat service. Safety was explored by comparing the nurse triage end point with the GP's recommended end point. In order to check the feasibility of the service, we measured the duration of the chat session. Patient perceptions were measured before and after using the service through a modified Telemedicine Perception Questionnaire (TMPQ) instrument. All patients were observed by a researcher who captured any comments and, if necessary, to assisted with the process. A total of 25 patients (mean age 48 years; 57% female) agreed to participate in the study. An exact match between the nurse and the GP end point was found in 45% (10/22) of cases. In two cases, the CES nurse proposed a less urgent end point than the GP. The median duration of Web chat sessions was 30 minutes, twice the median for NHS Direct telephone calls for 360 patients with similar presenting problems. There was a significant improvement in patients' perception of CES after using the service (mean pre-test TMPQ score 44/60, post-test 49/60; p=0.008 (2-tailed)). Patients volunteered several potential advantages of CES, such as the ability to re-read the answers from the nurse. Patients consider CES a useful addition to regular care, but not a replacement for it. Based on this pilot, we can conclude that CES was sufficiently safe to continue piloting, but in order to make further judgments about safety, more tests with urgent cases should be performed. The Web chat sessions as conducted were too long and therefore too expensive to be sustainable in the NHS. However, the positive reaction from patients and the potential of CES for specific patient groups (the deaf, shy, or socially isolated) encourage us to continue with piloting such innovative communication methods with the public.

U.S. Army Primary Helicopter School Training Program Performance Norms.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnes, John A.; Statham, Flavous D.

The Helicopter Pilot Training Program of the Army differs from those of the other services in concept. It takes nonpilot servicemen and trains them to fly helicopters. The study provides normative performance data for a pilot trainee in an army light-observation helicopter as a first step toward establishing normative data for pilot performance in…

78 FR 48715 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request: NPS Study of Value of Natural Sounds: A Pilot...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-09

....NS0000] Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request: NPS Study of Value of Natural Sounds: A Pilot Study AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice; request for comments. SUMMARY: We.... This is a new collection. Title: NPS Study of Value of Natural Sounds: A Pilot Study. Type of Request...

Pedagogy of Science Teaching Tests: Formative assessments of science teaching orientations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cobern, William W.; Schuster, David; Adams, Betty; Skjold, Brandy Ann; Zeynep Muğaloğlu, Ebru; Bentz, Amy; Sparks, Kelly

2014-09-01

A critical aspect of teacher education is gaining pedagogical content knowledge of how to teach science for conceptual understanding. Given the time limitations of college methods courses, it is difficult to touch on more than a fraction of the science topics potentially taught across grades K-8, particularly in the context of relevant pedagogies. This research and development work centers on constructing a formative assessment resource to help expose pre-service teachers to a greater number of science topics within teaching episodes using various modes of instruction. To this end, 100 problem-based, science pedagogy assessment items were developed via expert group discussions and pilot testing. Each item contains a classroom vignette followed by response choices carefully crafted to include four basic pedagogies (didactic direct, active direct, guided inquiry, and open inquiry). The brief but numerous items allow a substantial increase in the number of science topics that pre-service students may consider. The intention is that students and teachers will be able to share and discuss particular responses to individual items, or else record their responses to collections of items and thereby create a snapshot profile of their teaching orientations. Subsets of items were piloted with students in pre-service science methods courses, and the quantitative results of student responses were spread sufficiently to suggest that the items can be effective for their intended purpose.

Developing a pediatric palliative care service in a large urban hospital: challenges, lessons, and successes.

PubMed

Edlynn, Emily S; Derrington, Sabrina; Morgan, Helene; Murray, Jennifer; Ornelas, Beatriz; Cucchiaro, Giovanni

2013-04-01

We report the process of creating a new palliative care service at a large, urban children's hospital. Our aim was to provide a detailed guide to developing an inpatient consultation service, along with reporting on the challenges, lessons, and evaluation. We examined the hiring process of personnel and marketing strategies, a clinical database facilitated ongoing quality review and identified trends, and a survey project assessed provider satisfaction and how referring physicians used the palliative care service. The pilot phase of service delivery laid the groundwork for a more effective service by creating documentation templates and identifying relevant data to track growth and outcomes. It also allowed time to establish a clear delineation of team members and distinction of roles. The survey of referring physicians proved a useful evaluation starting point, but conclusions could not be generalized because of the low response rate. It may be necessary to reconsider the survey technique and to expand the sample to include patients and families. Future research is needed to measure the financial benefits of a well-staffed inpatient pediatric palliative care service.

Forging a novel provider and payer partnership in Wisconsin to compensate pharmacists for quality-driven pharmacy and medication therapy management services.

PubMed

Trapskin, Kari; Johnson, Curtis; Cory, Patrick; Sorum, Sarah; Decker, Chris

2009-01-01

To describe the Wisconsin Pharmacy Quality Collaborative (WPQC), a quality-based network of pharmacies and payers with the common goals of improving medication use and safety, reducing health care costs for payers and patients, and increasing professional recognition and compensation for pharmacist-provided services. Wisconsin between 2006 and 2009. Community (independent, chain, and health-system) pharmacies and private and public health care payers/purchasers with support from the McKesson Corporation. This initiative aligns incentives for pharmacies and payers through implementation of 12 quality-based pharmacy requirements as conditions of pharmacy participation in a practice-advancement pilot. Payers compensate network pharmacies that meet the quality-based requirements for two levels of pharmacy professional services (level 1, intervention-based services; level 2, comprehensive medication review and assessment services). The pilot project is designed to measure the following outcomes: medication-use quality improvements, frequency and types of services provided, drug therapy problems, patient safety, cost savings, identification of factors that facilitate pharmacist participation, and patient satisfaction. The Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin created the WPQC network, which consists of 53 pharmacies, 106 trained pharmacists, 45 student pharmacists, 6 pharmacy technicians, and 2 initial payers. A quality assurance process is followed approximately quarterly to audit the 12 network quality requirements. An evaluation of this collaboration is being conducted. This program demonstrates that collaboration among payers and pharmacists is possible and can result in the development of an incentive-aligned program that stresses quality patient care, standardized services, and professional service compensation for pharmacists. This combination of a quality-based credentialing process with a professional services reimbursement schedule is unique and has the promise to enhance the ambulatory pharmacy practice model.

Engineman stress and fatigue : pilot tests

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1992-06-01

In this pilot study, the effects of fatigue on the train handling performance and vigilance of four certified train service locomotive engineers was assessed while they operated the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Research and Locomotive Evalu...

Rural families caring for a relative with dementia: barriers to use of formal services.

PubMed

Morgan, Debra G; Semchuk, Karen M; Stewart, Norma J; D'Arcy, Carl

2002-10-01

Planning for the care of increasing numbers of elderly persons with dementia has become an urgent health services concern in Canada and elsewhere, yet little is known about the challenges of providing appropriate dementia care in rural areas. A community-based approach was used to obtain input from decision-makers and others to develop the objectives and design for a study of rural dementia care in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. The resulting study design, which used both qualitative and quantitative methods, was then pilot tested in one rural health district (16,000 km2, population 20,000). This paper describes the study development process and reports selected findings from focus groups conducted with home care staff and family members, focussing on the theme of low use of formal supportive services such as home care and support groups by family caregivers. Participants identified eight barriers to the use of formal services, described consequences of low service use, and suggested strategies for addressing this concern.

Rapid assessment of infrastructure of primary health care facilities - a relevant instrument for health care systems management.

PubMed

Scholz, Stefan; Ngoli, Baltazar; Flessa, Steffen

2015-05-01

Health care infrastructure constitutes a major component of the structural quality of a health system. Infrastructural deficiencies of health services are reported in literature and research. A number of instruments exist for the assessment of infrastructure. However, no easy-to-use instruments to assess health facility infrastructure in developing countries are available. Present tools are not applicable for a rapid assessment by health facility staff. Therefore, health information systems lack data on facility infrastructure. A rapid assessment tool for the infrastructure of primary health care facilities was developed by the authors and pilot-tested in Tanzania. The tool measures the quality of all infrastructural components comprehensively and with high standardization. Ratings use a 2-1-0 scheme which is frequently used in Tanzanian health care services. Infrastructural indicators and indices are obtained from the assessment and serve for reporting and tracing of interventions. The tool was pilot-tested in Tanga Region (Tanzania). The pilot test covered seven primary care facilities in the range between dispensary and district hospital. The assessment encompassed the facilities as entities as well as 42 facility buildings and 80 pieces of technical medical equipment. A full assessment of facility infrastructure was undertaken by health care professionals while the rapid assessment was performed by facility staff. Serious infrastructural deficiencies were revealed. The rapid assessment tool proved a reliable instrument of routine data collection by health facility staff. The authors recommend integrating the rapid assessment tool in the health information systems of developing countries. Health authorities in a decentralized health system are thus enabled to detect infrastructural deficiencies and trace the effects of interventions. The tool can lay the data foundation for district facility infrastructure management.

IsoWAN: A NASA Science and Engineering Information and Services Framework

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Korsmeyer, David J.; Chow, Edward T.; Conroy, Michael P.; Swanson, Keith (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

We believe that the next evolutionary step in supporting wide-area application and services delivery to customers is a network framework that provides for collocation of applications and services at distinct sites in the network, an interconnection between these sites that is performance optimized for these applications, and value-added services for applications. We use the term IsoWAN to describe an advanced, isolated network interconnect services framework that will enable applications to be more secure, and able to access and be in use in both local and remote environments. The main functions of an IsoWAN are virtual localization of application services, an application service interface, coordinated delivery of applications and associated data to the customer, and supporting collaborative application development for customers. An initial pilot network between three NASA Centers: Ames Research Center, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Marshall Space Flight Center, has been built and its properties will be discussed.

A profile of PMS salaried GP contracts and their impact on recruitment.

PubMed

Williams, J; Petchey, R; Gosden, T; Leese, B; Sibbald, B

2001-06-01

Personal medical services (PMS) pilot sites aim to use salaried GP schemes to improve GP recruitment and retention and enhance the quality of service provision, particularly in underserved areas. Our objectives were to (i) compare the work incentives of salaried compared with standard GP contracts; (ii) assess recruitment success to salaried posts; and (iii) describe the types of GPs attracted to these new posts. All first wave PMS pilot sites with salaried GP posts known to be 'live' in October 1998 were included in the analysis of employment contracts and job descriptions. Information on recruitment was obtained by a questionnaire survey of PMS sites that were intending to recruit a salaried GP. The mean full-time equivalent salary was 43,674 pounds sterling with additional benefits in terms of sick leave, maternity leave and paid expenses. Eighty-nine percent of posts were eligible for the NHS pension scheme. Posts were mainly full time (40.8 hours per week). GPs were responsible for providing services equivalent in scope to general medical services. One-fifth of contracts freed GPs from out-of-hours responsibility and most freed them from practice management. Forty-three of the pilot sites actively recruited to fill 63 salaried posts, which involved a total of 51 recruitment 'rounds', with some pilots advertising more than once. There were 291 applications. The median number of applicants per post was three and the median time to recruitment was 6 weeks. Eighty-five percent of sites were satisfied with the quality of their applicants and 64% with the quantity. Eighty-five percent of applicants previously had been working in general practice, most in locum or salaried posts. Applicants tended to be young and male. Sixty posts were filled. Salaried contracts offer positive incentives to recruitment in terms of reduced hours of work and freedom from administrative responsibility. Recruitment success was similar to that achieved by inner city practices generally. This modest achievement might be enhanced by the addition of professional development schemes and increased flexible/part-time working.

KSC-2014-2794

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-04-30

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Following a training exercise at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, helicopter pilot Bill Martin, a URS Federal Technical Services in the agency's Aircraft Operations, left, confers with Mark Huetter of Chenega Security & Support Solutions. Martin serves as assistant chief of Training for the center's Fire Rescue Department. The activity taking place in Kennedy's Launch Complex 39 turn-basin parking lot was only one of several drills. It was part of a new training program that was developed by Kennedy's Fire Rescue department along with NASA Aircraft Operations to sharpen the skills needed to help rescue personnel learn how to collaborate with helicopter pilots in taking injured patients to hospitals as quickly as possible. Photo credit: NASA/Dan Casper

Product Related Advantages of a Structured PACS Architecture

PubMed Central

Greinacher, C.F.C.; Fuchs, D.; Perry, J.

1986-01-01

Most of the previously described PACS solutions are either developed and evaluated by the users themselves or they are pilot projects evaluated in close cooperation between a user and one or several manufacturers. Many of the prerequisites that will have to be met by future PACS are of minor interest in these pilot projects; e.g. minimization of costs, compatibility between different manufacturers' equipment, feasibility of systems engineering and customizing of a standard product, serviceability of different manufacturers' subsystems, stepwise introduction of the system into the daily routine and failsafety of the system. The paper shows a structured PACS architecture as a prerequisite to make PACS a high quality system from the user's point of view.

Apollo Command/Service Modules photographed against black sky

NASA Image and Video Library

1971-02-04

AS14-66-9344 (February 1971) --- The Apollo Command and Service Modules (CSM) are photographed against a black sky background from the Lunar Module (LM) above the moon. While astronauts Alan B. Shepard Jr., commander, and Edgar D. Mitchell, lunar module pilot, descended in the LM "Antares" to explore the Fra Mauro region of the moon, astronaut Stuart A. Roosa , command module pilot, remained with the CSM "Kitty Hawk" in lunar orbit.

Experiential In-Service Teachers' Training for the Pilot of the New Geography Curriculum in Greece: A Different Experience with Tangible Results

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klonari, Aikaterini; Mandrikas, Achilleas

2014-01-01

?he aim of this paper is to present the design and the results of the In-service Elementary Teacher (IET) training seminars, in Geography for primary education, during the pilot of the New Geography Curriculum (NGC) in Greek schools, the school year 2011-2012. The design of this training was based on the documented needs of teachers for training…

Office of Space Terrestrial Applications (OSTA)/Applications Data Service (ADS) data systems standards

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walton, B. A. (Editor)

1981-01-01

Standards needed to interconnect applications data service pilots for data sharing were identified. Current pilot methodologies are assessed. Recommendations for future work are made. A preliminary set of requirements for guidelines and standards for catalogues, directories, and dictionaries was identified. The user was considered to be a scientist at a terminal. Existing and emerging national and international telecommunication standards were adopted where possible in view of new and unproven standards.

Connecting Students to Mental Health Care: Pilot Findings from an Engagement Program for School Nurses

PubMed Central

Kim, Rachel E.; Becker, Kimberly D.; Stephan, Sharon H.; Hakimian, Serop; Apocada, Dee; Escudero, Pia V.; Chorpita, Bruce F.

2015-01-01

Schools function as the major provider of mental health services (MHS) for youth, but can struggle with engaging them in services. School nurses are well-positioned to facilitate referrals for MHS. This pilot study examined the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of an engagement protocol (EP) designed to enhance school nurses’ utilization of evidence-based engagement practices when referring youth to MHS. Participants were six school nurses and twenty-five adolescents in a large, urban school district. School nurses reported positive attitudes towards the EP, suggesting that they found it feasible and acceptable. Though there were small increases in school nurses’ use of engagement practices and in adolescents’ readiness for services following training, due to limited sample size, differences were not statistically significant. Still, pilot results suggest preliminary efficacy of training school nurses to strategically implement evidence-based engagement practices to increase adolescents’ engagement in MHS. PMID:26251671

Pilot Study in the Development of an Interactive Multimedia Learning Environment for Sexual Health Interventions: A Focus Group Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goold, P. C.; Bustard, S.; Ferguson, E.; Carlin, E. M.; Neal, K.; Bowman, C. A.

2006-01-01

In the UK there are high rates of sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies amongst young people. There is limited and contradictory evidence that current sexual health education interventions are effective or that they improve access to appropriate sexual health services. This paper describes the outcome of focus group work with…

The Acquisition of Professional Knowledge through the Development of Critical Reflection: A Pilot Study in a Teacher Training Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liaw, En-Chong

2009-01-01

This study integrates the purposes of communication, i.e. in-class and on-line discussions, with problem solving skills in the process of learning professional knowledge of pre-service teachers. It attempts to foster both comprehension of professional knowledge and the attitude of contextualizing knowledge with situational factors. More…

Social science informing forest management — bringing new knowledge to fuels managers

Treesearch

Pamela Jakes

2007-01-01

To improve access, interpretability, and use of the full body of research, a pilot project was initiated by the USDA Forest Service to synthesize relevant scientific information and develop publications and decision support tools that managers can use to inform fuels treatment plans. This article provides an overview of the work of the Social Science Core Team. Team...

Reclaiming Joy: Pilot Evaluation of a Mental Health Peer Support Program for Older Adults Who Receive Medicaid

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chapin, Rosemary K.; Sergeant, Julie F.; Landry, Sarah; Leedahl, Skye N.; Rachlin, Roxanne; Koenig, Terry; Graham, Annette

2013-01-01

Purpose: Stigma and lack of access to providers create barriers to mental health treatment for older adults living in the community. In order to address these barriers, we developed and evaluated a peer support intervention for older adults receiving Medicaid services. Design and Methods: Reclaiming Joy is a mental health intervention that pairs…

Officer Career Development: Modeling Married Aviator Retention

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-06-01

of turnover. That is, one in which individual, organizational, and environmental factors together determine career intent and turnover. The study...modifications were needed. The path analysis was consistent with a perspective of turnover in which individual, organizational, and environmental factors...has been confronted with dlecreasing percentages of pilots who remnain in the Navy more than 2 years beyond their Minimum Service Requiremient. The

Compendium of Quality Rating Systems and Evaluations: The Child Care Quality Rating System (QRS) Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tout, Kathryn; Starr, Rebecca; Soli, Margaret; Moodie, Shannon; Kirby, Gretchen; Boller, Kimberly

2010-01-01

Quality Rating Systems (QRS) are currently operating, under development, or being piloted in over 25 states or local areas. As the QRS model becomes integrated into the landscape of child care and education service delivery, policy, and the decisions parents make about child care across the United States, there is an increasing need for…

Developing Proactive Methods for General Aviation Data Collection

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-11-01

standard weather package that all pilots would review before flying. 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement General Aviation...completed page authorized iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We are indebted to the many Flight Standards District Office employees that provided assistance beyond...Directive / Level of Effort Agree- ment between the Human Factors Research and Engineering Group (AJP-61), Flight Standards Service – General Aviation

The Making of a Self-Neglect Severity Scale

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Scott M.; Dyer, C. B.; Pavlik, V. N.; Kelly, P. A.; Lee, J.; Doody, R. S.; Regev, C.; Pickens, C.; Burnett, J.

2006-01-01

Research in elder self-neglect has lagged behind that of other forms of mistreatment, despite the fact that self-neglect is the most common allegation reported to Adult Protective Service agencies throughout the US. The lack of a gold-standard to measure self-neglect has hampered efforts to study this phenomenon. Researchers designed the Self-neglect Severity Scale (SSS) based on interviews with Adult Protective Service workers and a national expert panel. The SSS is based on observation and interview and is administered in the home to include an environmental assessment. It was piloted, extensively field tested and then revised. The CREST SSS was developed using survey data and consultation with experts in the field. This instrument utilizes observer ratings, interview responses, and assesses subjects physical and environmental domains. It also assesses functional status as it relates to health and safety issues. After field and pilot testing the SSS was finalized and is currently undergoing reliability and validity testing. The CREST SSS was developed as a state scale to provide a common language for describing cases of self-neglect. It is the first self-neglect severity scale available to researchers. If found to be both reliable and valid it can be used in future intervention studies.

The making of a self-neglect severity scale.

PubMed

Dyer, Carmel Bitondo; Kelly, P Adam; Pavlik, Valory N; Lee, Jessica; Doody, Rachelle S; Regev, Tziona; Pickens, Sabrina; Burnett, Jason; Smith, Scott M

2006-01-01

Research in elder self-neglect has lagged behind that of other forms of mistreatment, despite the fact that self-neglect is the most common allegation reported to Adult Protective Service agencies throughout the US. The lack of a gold standard to measure self-neglect has hampered efforts to study this phenomenon. Researchers designed the Self-Neglect Severity Scale (SSS) based on interviews with Adult Protective Service workers and a national expert panel. The SSS is based on observation and interview and is administered in the home to include an environmental assessment. It was piloted, extensively field tested and then revised. The CREST SSS was developed using survey data and consultation with experts in the field. This instrument utilizes observer ratings, interview responses, and assesses subjects' physical and environmental domains. It also assesses functional status as it relates to health and safety issues. After field and pilot testing, the SSS was finalized and is currently undergoing reliability and validity testing. The CREST SSS was developed as a state scale to provide a common language for describing cases of self-neglect. It is the first self-neglect severity scale available to researchers. If found to be both reliable and valid, it may be used in future intervention studies.

REFERQUAL: a pilot study of a new service quality assessment instrument in the GP exercise referral scheme setting

PubMed Central

Cock, Don; Adams, Iain C; Ibbetson, Adrian B; Baugh, Phil

2006-01-01

Background The development of an instrument accurately assessing service quality in the GP Exercise Referral Scheme (ERS) industry could potentially inform scheme organisers of the factors that affect adherence rates leading to the implementation of strategic interventions aimed at reducing client drop-out. Methods A modified version of the SERVQUAL instrument was designed for use in the ERS setting and subsequently piloted amongst 27 ERS clients. Results Test re-test correlations were calculated via Pearson's 'r' or Spearman's 'rho', depending on whether the variables were Normally Distributed, to show a significant (mean r = 0.957, SD = 0.02, p < 0.05; mean rho = 0.934, SD = 0.03, p < 0.05) relationship between all items within the questionnaire. In addition, satisfactory internal consistency was demonstrated via Cronbach's 'α'. Furthermore, clients responded favourably towards the usability, wording and applicability of the instrument's items. Conclusion REFERQUAL is considered to represent promise as a suitable tool for future evaluation of service quality within the ERS community. Future research should further assess the validity and reliability of this instrument through the use of a confirmatory factor analysis to scrutinise the proposed dimensional structure. PMID:16725021

Harmonisation of geological data to support geohazard mapping: the case of eENVplus project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cipolloni, Carlo; Krivic, Matija; Novak, Matevž; Pantaloni, Marco; Šinigoj, Jasna

2014-05-01

In the eENVplus project, which aims is to unlock huge amounts of environmental datamanaged by the national and regional environmental agencies and other public and private organisations, we have developed a cross-border pilot on the geological data harmonisation through the integration and harmonisation of existing services. The pilot analyses the methodology and results of the OneGeology-Europe project, elaborated at the scale of 1:1M, to point out difficulties and unsolved problems highlighted during the project. This preliminary analysis is followed by a comparison of two geological maps provided by the neighbouring countries with the objective to compare and define the geometric and semantic anomalous contacts between geological polygons and lines in the maps. This phase will be followed by a detailed scale geological map analysis aimed to solve the anomalies identified in the previous phase. The two Geological Surveys involved into the pilot will discuss the problems highlighted during this phase. Subsequently the semantic description will be redefined and the geometry of the polygons in geological maps will be redrawn or adjusted according to a lithostratigraphic approach that takes in account the homogeneity of age, lithology, depositional environment and consolidation degree of geological units. The two Geological Surveys have decided to apply the harmonisation process on two different dataset: the first is represented by the Geological Map at the scale of 1:1,000,000, partially harmonised within the OneGeology-Europe project that will be re-aligned with GE INSPIRE data model to produce data and services compliant with INSPIRE target schema. The main target of Geological Surveys is to produce data and web services compliant with the wider international schema, where there are more options to provide data, with specific attributes that are important to obtain the geohazard map as in the case of this pilot project; therefore we have decided to apply GeoSciML 3.2 schema to the dataset that represents Geological Map at the scale of 1:100,000. Within the pilot will be realised two main geohazard examples with a semi-automatized procedure based on a specific tool component integrated in the client: a landslide susceptibility map and a potential flooding map. In this work we want to present the first results obtained with use case geo-processing procedure in the first test phase, where we have developed a dataset compliant with GE INSPIRE to perform the landslide and flooding susceptibility maps.

Impact on Seniors of the Patient-Centered Medical Home: Evidence from a Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fishman, Paul A.; Johnson, Eric A.; Coleman, Kathryn; Larson, Eric B.; Hsu, Clarissa; Ross, Tyler R.; Liss, David; Tufano, James; Reid, Robert J.

2012-01-01

Purpose: To assess the impact on health care cost and quality among seniors of a patient-centered medical home (PCMH) pilot at Group Health Cooperative, an integrated health care system in Washington State. Design and Methods: A prospective before-and-after evaluation of the experience of seniors receiving primary care services at 1 pilot clinic…

2012 Preschool Pilot Study of PBS KIDS Transmedia Mathematics Content: A Report to the CPB-PBS "Ready to Learn Initiative"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pasnik, Shelley; Llorente, Carlin

2012-01-01

The 2012 Preschool Pilot Study of PBS KIDS Transmedia Mathematics Content (Preschool Pilot) is an important part of the authors' multiyear "Ready To Learn" (RTL) summative evaluation initiative. Through this initiative funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), it was the responsibility…

Development of an outcome measurement system for service planning for children and youth with special needs

PubMed Central

Kertoy, M K; Russell, D J; Rosenbaum, P; Jaffer, S; Law, M; McCauley, D; Gorter, J W

2013-01-01

Aim This study described the process used in developing an outcome measurement framework for system planning to improve services for children and youth with special needs and their families in a Canadian province. The study reports the results of several parent-completed measures, which would be useful in service planning as well as the acceptability and utility of these measures for use by families and service centres. Methods/results Development of a theoretical framework, consultation with key stakeholders, testing the utility of selected outcome measures and initial dissemination of results were critical elements in the successful development of an outcome system. Consultation with stakeholders confirmed use of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health and the child-within-family-within community model as theoretical frameworks while building valuable partnerships and identifying potential barriers to implementation. Pilot testing showed three outcome measures were feasible for families to complete and the measures provided information about services for children that was valuable to families as well as service providers. Gaps in service delivery were identified and the need for better communication between service providers and communities to facilitate integrated services was highlighted. Conclusion The findings from this study can be used to implement an outcome measurement system for children with special needs and may serve as a resource for international researchers who are working to develop valid tools as well as outcome systems that are useful for system planning. PMID:22845889

Developing quality indicators for community services: the case of district nursing.

PubMed

Davies, Philippa; Wye, Lesley; Horrocks, Sue; Salisbury, Chris; Sharp, Debbie

2011-01-01

Quality indicators exist for the acute and primary care sectors in the National Health Service (NHS), but until recently little attention has been given to measuring the quality of community services. The innovative project described in this paper attempted to address that gap. To produce a framework for developing quality indicators for Bristol Community Health services. To develop a set of initial indicators for Bristol Community Health services using the proposed framework. After familiarising ourselves with community services and NHS policy, gathering the views of stakeholders and consulting the literature on quality indicators, we designed a framework for indicator development, using the 'test' case of the district nursing service. The long list of possible indicators came from best practice guidelines for wound, diabetes and end of life care, the three conditions most commonly treated by district nurses. To narrow down this list we surveyed and held workshops with district nurses, interviewed service users by telephone and met with commissioners and senior community health managers. The final set of quality indicators for district nurses included 23 organisational and clinical process and outcome indicators and eight patient experience indicators. These indicators are now being piloted, together with two potential tools identified to capture patient reported outcomes. Developing quality indicators for community services is time consuming and resource intensive. A range of skills are needed including clinical expertise, project management and skills in evidence-based medicine. The commitment and involvement of front-line professionals is crucial.

General Aviation Pilots' Perceived Usage and Valuation of Aviation Weather Information Sources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Latorella, Kara; Lane, Suzanne; Garland, Daniel

2002-01-01

Aviation suffers many accidents due to the lack of good weather information in flight. Existing aviation weather information is difficult to obtain when it is most needed and is not well formatted for in-flight use. Because it is generally presented aurally, aviation weather information is difficult to integrate with spatial flight information and retain for reference. Efforts, by NASA's Aviation Weather Information (AWIN) team and others, to improve weather information accessibility, usability and decision aiding will enhance General Aviation (GA) pilots' weather situation awareness and decision-making and therefore should improve the safety of GA flight. Consideration of pilots' economic concerns will ensure that in-flight weather information systems are financially accessible to GA pilots as well. The purpose of this survey was to describe how aviation operator communities gather and use weather information as well as how weather related decisions are made between flight crews and supporting personnel. Pilots of small GA aircraft experience the most weather-related accidents as well as the most fatal weather related accident. For this reason, the survey design and advertisement focused on encouraging participation from GA pilots. Perhaps as a result of this emphasis, most responses, 97 responses or 85% of the entire response set, were from GA pilots, This paper presents only analysis of these GA pilots' responses. The insights provided by this survey regarding GA pilots' perceived value and usage of current aviation weather information. services, and products provide a basis for technological approaches to improve GA safety. Results of this survey are discussed in the context of survey limitations and prior work, and serve as the foundation for a model of weather information value, guidance for the design of in-flight weather information systems, and definition of further research toward their development.

ELIXIR pilot action: Marine metagenomics - towards a domain specific set of sustainable services.

PubMed

Robertsen, Espen Mikal; Denise, Hubert; Mitchell, Alex; Finn, Robert D; Bongo, Lars Ailo; Willassen, Nils Peder

2017-01-01

Metagenomics, the study of genetic material recovered directly from environmental samples, has the potential to provide insight into the structure and function of heterogeneous microbial communities.  There has been an increased use of metagenomics to discover and understand the diverse biosynthetic capacities of marine microbes, thereby allowing them to be exploited for industrial, food, and health care products. This ELIXIR pilot action was motivated by the need to establish dedicated data resources and harmonized metagenomics pipelines for the marine domain, in order to enhance the exploration and exploitation of marine genetic resources. In this paper, we summarize some of the results from the ELIXIR pilot action "Marine metagenomics - towards user centric services".

[Acceptance and feasibility of medical telemonitoring plus individual teleconsultation -A two years research and development project at the University Hospital Zurich].

PubMed

Schmidt-Weitmann, Sabine; Buser, Jacqueline; Baumann, Doris; Schmidt, Christian; Brettenhofer, Marlene; Tarnutzer, Silvan; Meienberger, Beda; Otto, Ulrich; Brockes, Christiane

2015-09-01

The research and development project "Long Independent Living Assistant (LILA)'; which is financially supported by the Commission for Technology and lnnoyation (KTI}, is based on the results and experiences of many years of the Medical Online Consultation Service at the University Hospital Zurich.The focus is on development and provision of a comprehensive, telemedicine service. Citizens and patients should be provided more safety at home and the family doctor should be supported by the service. Core elements of the project include the telemonitoring of vital signs combined with an individual teleconsultation via telephone, email and video. Technically, the. service is supported by a web-based documentation and communication platform with an integrated patient record. In a one-year planning phase, individual interviews and group discussions were conducted with the participants of the study. The results are continuously incorporated into the concept. The subsequent pilot phase analyzed the developed tetemedical approach and leads to further improvements. The aim of the study is the evaluation of the needs, feasibility and acceptance of telemedicine services from the perspective of the user, taking into account their social environment~

Free-standing health care facilities: financial arrangements, quality assurance and a pilot study

PubMed Central

Lavis, J N; Lomas, J; Anderson, G M; Donner, A; Iscoe, N A; Gold, G; Craighead, J

1998-01-01

Free-standing health care facilities now deliver many diagnostic and therapeutic services formerly provided only in hospitals. The financial arrangements available to these facilities differ according to whether the services are uninsured or insured. For an uninsured service, such as cosmetic surgery, the patient pays a fee directly to the service provider. For an insured service, such as cataract surgery, the provincial government uses tax revenues to fund the facility by paying it a facility fee and remunerates the physician who provided the service with a professional fee. No comprehensive, proactive quality assurance efforts have been implemented for either these facilities or the clinical practice provided within them. A pilot study involving therapeutic facilities in Ontario has suggested that a large-scale quality improvement effort could be undertaken in these facilities and rigorously evaluated. PMID:9484263

Free-standing health care facilities: financial arrangements, quality assurance and a pilot study.

PubMed

Lavis, J N; Lomas, J; Anderson, G M; Donner, A; Iscoe, N A; Gold, G; Craighead, J

1998-02-10

Free-standing health care facilities now deliver many diagnostic and therapeutic services formerly provided only in hospitals. The financial arrangements available to these facilities differ according to whether the services are uninsured or insured. For an uninsured service, such as cosmetic surgery, the patient pays a fee directly to the service provider. For an insured service, such as cataract surgery, the provincial government uses tax revenues to fund the facility by paying it a facility fee and remunerates the physician who provided the service with a professional fee. No comprehensive, proactive quality assurance efforts have been implemented for either these facilities or the clinical practice provided within them. A pilot study involving therapeutic facilities in Ontario has suggested that a large-scale quality improvement effort could be undertaken in these facilities and rigorously evaluated.

Pilot statewide study of pediatric emergency department alignment with national guidelines.

PubMed

Costich, Julia F; Fallat, Mary E; Scaggs, C Morgan; Bartlett, Richard

2013-07-01

The American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Emergency Physicians, and Emergency Nursing Association have developed consensus guidelines for pediatric emergency department policies, procedures, supplies, and equipment. Kentucky received funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration through the Emergency Medical Services for Children program to pilot test the guidelines with the state's hospitals. In addition to providing baseline data regarding institutional alignment with the guidelines, the survey supported development of grant funding to procure missing items. Survey administration was undertaken by staff and members of the Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services Emergency Medical Services for Children work group and faculty and staff of the University of Kentucky College of Public Health and the University of Louisville School of Medicine. Responses were solicited primarily online with repeated reminders and offers of assistance. Seventy respondents completed the survey section on supplies and equipment either online or by fax. Results identified items unavailable at 20% or more of responding facilities, primarily the smallest sizes of equipment. The survey section addressing policy and procedure received only 16 responses. Kentucky facilities were reasonably well equipped by national standards, but rural facilities and small hospitals did not stock the smallest equipment sizes because of low reported volume of pediatric emergency department cases. Thus, a centralized procurement process that gives them access to an adequate range of pediatric supplies and equipment would support capacity building for the care of children across the entire state. Grant proposals were received from 28 facilities in the first 3 months of funding availability.

Visual cues to geographical orientation during low-level flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Battiste, Vernol; Delzell, Suzanne

1991-01-01

A field study of an operational Emergency Medical Service (EMS) unit was conducted to investigate the relationships among geographical orientation, pilot decision making, and workload in EMS flights. The map data collected during this study were compared to protocols gathered in the laboratory, where pilots viewed a simulated flight over different types of unfamiliar terrain and verbally identified the features utilized to maintain geographical orientation. The EMS pilot's questionnaire data were compared with data from non-EMS helicopter pilots with comparable flight experience.

Developing and testing accelerated partner therapy for partner notification for people with genital Chlamydia trachomatis diagnosed in primary care: a pilot randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Estcourt, Claudia S; Sutcliffe, Lorna J; Copas, Andrew; Mercer, Catherine H; Roberts, Tracy E; Jackson, Louise J; Symonds, Merle; Tickle, Laura; Muniina, Pamela; Rait, Greta; Johnson, Anne M; Aderogba, Kazeem; Creighton, Sarah; Cassell, Jackie A

2015-12-01

Accelerated partner therapy (APT) is a promising partner notification (PN) intervention in specialist sexual health clinic attenders. To address its applicability in primary care, we undertook a pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT) of two APT models in community settings. Three-arm pilot RCT of two adjunct APT interventions: APTHotline (telephone assessment of partner(s) plus standard PN) and APTPharmacy (community pharmacist assessment of partner(s) plus routine PN), versus standard PN alone (patient referral). Index patients were women diagnosed with genital chlamydia in 12 general practices and three community contraception and sexual health (CASH) services in London and south coast of England, randomised between 1 September 2011 and 31 July 2013. 199 women described 339 male partners, of whom 313 were reported by the index as contactable. The proportions of contactable partners considered treated within 6 weeks of index diagnosis were APTHotline 39/111 (35%), APTPharmacy 46/100 (46%), standard patient referral 46/102 (45%). Among treated partners, 8/39 (21%) in APTHotline arm were treated via hotline and 14/46 (30%) in APTPharmacy arm were treated via pharmacy. The two novel primary care APT models were acceptable, feasible, compliant with regulations and capable of achieving acceptable outcomes within a pilot RCT but intervention uptake was low. Although addition of these interventions to standard PN did not result in a difference between arms, overall PN uptake was higher than previously reported in similar settings, probably as a result of introducing a formal evaluation. Recruitment to an individually randomised trial proved challenging and full evaluation will likely require service-level randomisation. Registered UK Clinical Research Network Study Portfolio id number 10123. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Developing and marketing a community pharmacy-based asthma management program.

PubMed

Rupp, M T; McCallian, D J; Sheth, K K

1997-01-01

To develop a community pharmacy-based asthma management program and successfully market the program to a managed care organization. Community-based ambulatory care. Independent community pharmacy. Development of a structured, stepwise approach to creating, testing, delivering, and marketing a community pharmacy-based disease management program. Peak expiratory flow rates, quality of life, use of health care services, HMO contract renewal. A pharmacy-based asthma management program was developed, pilot tested, and successfully marketed to a local HMO. During the first full year of the program, HMO patients experienced significant improvements in quality of life and decreases in use of health care services, including a 77% decrease in hospitalization, a 78% decrease in emergency room visits, and a 25% decrease in urgent care visits. A contract that pays the pharmacy a flat fee for each patient admitted to the program has recently been renewed for a third year. The program has proved to be an effective, practical, and profitable addition to the portfolio of services offered by the pharmacy.

Using intervention mapping to promote the receipt of clinical preventive services among women with physical disabilities.

PubMed

Suzuki, Rie; Peterson, Jana J; Weatherby, Amanda V; Buckley, David I; Walsh, Emily S; Kailes, June Isaacson; Krahn, Gloria L

2012-01-01

This article describes the development of Promoting Access to Health Services (PATHS), an intervention to promote regular use of clinical preventive services by women with physical disabilities. The intervention was developed using intervention mapping (IM), a theory-based logical process that incorporates the six steps of assessment of need, preparation of matrices, selection of theoretical methods and strategies, program design, program implementation, and evaluation. The development process used methods and strategies aligned with the social cognitive theory and the health belief model. PATHS was adapted from the workbook Making Preventive Health Care Work for You, developed by a disability advocate, and was informed by participant input at five points: at inception through consultation by the workbook author, in conceptualization through a town hall meeting, in pilot testing with feedback, in revision of the curriculum through an advisory group, and in implementation by trainers with disabilities. The resulting PATHS program is a 90-min participatory small-group workshop, followed by structured telephone support for 6 months.

The GIIDA (Management of the CNR Environmental Data for Interoperability) project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nativi, S.

2009-04-01

This work presents the GIIDA (Gestione Integrata e Interoperativa dei Dati Ambientali del CNR) inter-departimental project of the Italian National Research Council (CNR). The project is an initiative of the Earth and Environment Department (Dipartimento Terra e Ambiente) of the CNR. GIIDA mission is "To implement the Spatial Information Infrastructure (SII) of CNR for Environmental and Earth Observation data". The project aims to design and develop a multidisciplinary cyber-infrastructure for the management, processing and evaluation of Earth and environmental data. This infrastructure will contribute to the Italian presence in international projects and initiatives, such as: INSPIRE, GMES, GEOSS and SEIS. The main GIIDA goals are: • Networking: To create a network of CNR Institutes for implementing a common information space and sharing spatial resources. • Observation: Re-engineering the environmental observation system of CNR • Modeling: Re-engineering the environmental modeling system del CNR • Processing: Re-engineering the environmental processing system del CNR • Mediation: To define mediation methods and instruments for implementing the international interoperability standards. The project started in July 2008 releasing a specification document of the GIIDA architecture for interoperability and security. Based on these documents, a Call for Proposals was issued in September 2008. GIIDA received 23 proposed pilots from 16 different Institutes belonging to five CNR Departments and from 15 non-CNR Institutions (e.g. three Italian regional administrations, three national research centers, four universities, some SMEs). These pilot were divided into thematic areas. In fact, GIIDA considers seven main thematic areas/domains: • Biodiversity; • Climate Changes; • Air Quality; • Soil and Water Quality; • Risks; • Infrastructures for Research and Public Administrations; • Sea and Marine resources Each of these thematic areas is covered by a Working Group which coordinates the activities and the achievements of the respective pilots. Working Groups are called to develop for each area: 1) a specific Web Portal; 2) a thematic catalog service; 3) a thematic thesaurus service; 4) a thematic Wiki; 5) standard access and view services for thematic resources -such as: datasets, models, and processing services; 6) a couple of significant use scenarios to be demonstrated.

User perceptions of and willingness to pay for household container-based sanitation services: experience from Cap Haitien, Haiti

PubMed Central

Russel, Kory; Tilmans, Sebastien; Kramer, Sasha; Sklar, Rachel; Tillias, Daniel; Davis, Jennifer

2015-01-01

Household-level container-based sanitation (CBS) services may help address the persistent challenge of providing effective, affordable sanitation services for which low-income urban households are willing to pay. Little is known, however, about user perceptions of and demand for household CBS services. This study presents the results of a pilot CBS service programme in Cap Haitien, Haiti. One hundred and eighteen households were randomly selected to receive toilets and a twice-weekly collection service. After three months, changes in these households’ satisfaction with their sanitation situation, along with feelings of pride, modernity and personal safety, were compared to 248 households in two comparison cohorts. Following the service pilot, 71 per cent of participating households opted to continue with the container-based sanitation service as paying subscribers. The results from this study suggest that, in the context of urban Haiti, household CBS systems have the potential to satisfy many residents’ desire for safe, convenient and modern sanitation services. PMID:26640322

HIV testing in community pharmacies and retail clinics: a model to expand access to screening for HIV infection.

PubMed

Weidle, Paul J; Lecher, Shirley; Botts, Linda W; Jones, LaDawna; Spach, David H; Alvarez, Jorge; Jones, Rhondette; Thomas, Vasavi

2014-01-01

To test the feasibility of offering rapid point-of-care human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing at community pharmacies and retail clinics. Pilot program to determine how to implement confidential HIV testing services in community pharmacies and retail clinics. 21 community pharmacies and retail clinics serving urban and rural patients in the United States, from August 2011 to July 2013. 106 community pharmacy and retail clinic staff members. A model was developed to implement confidential HIV counseling and testing services using community pharmacy and retail clinic staff as certified testing providers, or through collaborations with organizations that provide HIV testing. Training materials were developed and sites selected that serve patients from urban and rural areas to pilot test the model. Each site established a relationship with its local health department for HIV testing policies, developed referral lists for confirmatory HIV testing/care, secured a CLIA Certificate of Waiver, and advertised the service. Staff were trained to perform a rapid point-of-care HIV test on oral fluid, and provide patients with confidential test results and information on HIV. Patients with a preliminary positive result were referred to a physician or health department for confirmatory testing and, if needed, HIV clinical care. Number of HIV tests completed and amount of time required to conduct testing. The 21 participating sites administered 1,540 HIV tests, with 1,087 conducted onsite by staff during regular working hours and 453 conducted at 37 different HIV testing events (e.g., local health fairs). The median amount of time required for pretest counseling/consent, waiting for test results, and posttest counseling was 4, 23, and 3 minutes, respectively. A majority of the sites (17) said they planned to continue HIV testing after the project period ended and would seek assistance or support from the local health department, a community-based organization, or an AIDS service organization. This pilot project established HIV testing in several community pharmacies and retail clinics to be a feasible model for offering rapid, point-of-care HIV testing. It also demonstrated the willingness and ability of staff at community pharmacies and retail clinics to provide confidential HIV testing to patients. Expanding this model to additional sites and evaluating its feasibility and effectiveness may serve unmet needs in urban and rural settings.

Artist's concept of Apollo 14 Command/Service Modules circling Moon

NASA Image and Video Library

1971-01-11

S71-16574 (11 Jan. 1971) --- An artist's concept depicting the Apollo 14 Command and Service Modules (CSM) circling the moon as the Lunar Module (LM) heads toward a lunar landing. While astronaut Stuart A. Roosa, command module pilot, remains with the CSM in lunar orbit, astronauts Alan B. Shepard Jr., commander; and Edgar D. Mitchell, lunar module pilot, will descend in the LM to explore an area in the rugged Fra Mauro highlands.

Service temperature study for asphaltic concrete.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1964-10-01

The Service Temperature Study was undertaken to supplement a pilot study started in 1959 which indicated that service temperatures obtained on Louisiana highways are slightly higher than those used for testing purposes. : Temperature recorders were i...

14 CFR 91.1001 - Applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... management services or program management services mean administrative and aviation support services... implementation of program safety guidelines; (ii) Employment, furnishing, or contracting of pilots and other... Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED) AIR TRAFFIC...

New jobs old roles - working for prevention in a whole-system model of health and social care for older people.

PubMed

Smith, Naomi; Barnes, Marian

2013-01-01

The Partnerships for Older People Projects programme provided government funding for local and health authorities to pilot prevention and intervention services in partnership with the voluntary sector and older people between 2006 and 2009. This local evaluation of a pilot in southern England undertaken between 2007 and 2009 used a Theory of Change approach to gathering and reflecting on data with different groups involved in the delivery of this whole-system based model of prevention. The model was delivered in the same way in seven social services locality areas within a large county authority. The method of data gathering enabled structured reflection on the implementation, development and projected outcomes of the model and a consideration of the key learning of working in a whole-system way with partners and stakeholders. The whole-system model, although complex and challenging to implement, was considered overall to have been a success and provided significant learning for partners and stakeholders on the challenges and benefits of working across professional and sectoral boundaries. New posts were created as part of the model. Two of these, recruited to and managed by voluntary sector partners, were identified as 'new jobs', but echoed 'old roles' within community and voluntary sector based health and social care. The authors reflect on the parallels of these roles with previously existing roles and ways of working and reflect on how the whole-system approach of this particular pilot enabled these new jobs to develop in particularly appropriate and successful ways. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

[Management systems of the quality of health care in Quebec hospitals].

PubMed

François, P

2001-03-31

The aim of this study was to take stock of the development of quality management systems in the Quebec health care services. The study relied on semi-guided interviews and on a documentary analysis. It concerned the structure and the activity of quality management in 4 Montreal university hospitals as well as on outside organizations dealing with quality of care. Quality management of the health care services is dealt with by council on health care accreditation and regional health and social services agencies. In hospitals, the quality of services is managed by structures created by the administration council and the top management: the piloting committee, the head of quality assurance, the executive committees and the multidisciplinary team or self-evaluation of the hospital, and development of plans for improvement. Other activities are management of complaints, users satisfaction evaluation and follow-up of indicators. This system of quality management of services is currently expanding. This change of paradigm leads to accepting the view of services users and to change quality management methods. Those methods have evolved from normative approach to a continuous quality improvement approach.

Sanitation practices and perceptions in Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya: Comparing the status quo with a novel service-based approach

PubMed Central

Nyoka, Raymond; Foote, Andrew D.; Woods, Emily; Lokey, Hana; O’Reilly, Ciara E.; Magumba, Fred; Okello, Patrick; Mintz, Eric D.; Marano, Nina

2017-01-01

Globally, an estimated 2.5 billion people lack access to improved sanitation. Unimproved sanitation increases the risk of morbidity and mortality, especially in protracted refugee situations where sanitation is based on pit latrine use. Once the pit is full, waste remains in the pit, necessitating the construction of a new latrine, straining available land and funding resources. A viable, sustainable solution is needed. This study used qualitative and quantitative methods to design, implement, and pilot a novel sanitation system in Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya. An initial round of 12 pre-implementation focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with Dinka and Somali residents to understand sanitation practices, perceptions, and needs. FGDs and a supplementary pre-implementation survey informed the development of an innovative sanitation management system that incorporated the provision of urine and liquid-diverting toilets, which separate urine and fecal waste, and a service-based sanitation system that included weekly waste collection. The new system was implemented on a pilot scale for 6 weeks. During the implementation, bi-weekly surveys were administered in each study household to monitor user perceptions and challenges. At the end of the pilot, the sanitation system was assessed using a second round of four post-implementation FGDs. Those who piloted the new sanitation system reported high levels of user satisfaction. Reported benefits included odor reduction, insect/pest reduction, the sitting design, the appropriateness for special populations, and waste collection. However, urine and liquid diversion presented a challenge for users who perform anal washing and for women who had experienced female genital mutilation. Refugee populations are often culturally and ethnically diverse. Using residents’ input to inform the development of sanitation solutions can increase user acceptability and provide opportunities to improve sanitation system designs based on specific needs. PMID:28704504

BelleII@home: Integrate volunteer computing resources into DIRAC in a secure way

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Wenjing; Hara, Takanori; Miyake, Hideki; Ueda, Ikuo; Kan, Wenxiao; Urquijo, Phillip

2017-10-01

The exploitation of volunteer computing resources has become a popular practice in the HEP computing community as the huge amount of potential computing power it provides. In the recent HEP experiments, the grid middleware has been used to organize the services and the resources, however it relies heavily on the X.509 authentication, which is contradictory to the untrusted feature of volunteer computing resources, therefore one big challenge to utilize the volunteer computing resources is how to integrate them into the grid middleware in a secure way. The DIRAC interware which is commonly used as the major component of the grid computing infrastructure for several HEP experiments proposes an even bigger challenge to this paradox as its pilot is more closely coupled with operations requiring the X.509 authentication compared to the implementations of pilot in its peer grid interware. The Belle II experiment is a B-factory experiment at KEK, and it uses DIRAC for its distributed computing. In the project of BelleII@home, in order to integrate the volunteer computing resources into the Belle II distributed computing platform in a secure way, we adopted a new approach which detaches the payload running from the Belle II DIRAC pilot which is a customized pilot pulling and processing jobs from the Belle II distributed computing platform, so that the payload can run on volunteer computers without requiring any X.509 authentication. In this approach we developed a gateway service running on a trusted server which handles all the operations requiring the X.509 authentication. So far, we have developed and deployed the prototype of BelleII@home, and tested its full workflow which proves the feasibility of this approach. This approach can also be applied on HPC systems whose work nodes do not have outbound connectivity to interact with the DIRAC system in general.

Evaluation of the midwifery pilot projects in Quebec: an overview. L'Equipe d'Evaluation des Projets-Pilotes Sages-Femmes.

PubMed

Blais, R; Joubert, P

2000-01-01

In 1990, the province of Quebec adopted a law authorizing the evaluation of the practice of midwifery through eight pilot projects. The projects, which took the form of birth centres outside hospitals, started operating in 1994. The objectives of the evaluation were 1) to compare midwives' services to current physician services with regard to maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity, the use of obstetrical intervention, individualization and continuity of care as perceived by clients, and cost; and 2) to identify the professional and organizational factors associated with the integration of midwives into the health care system. A mixed evaluative design was used: a multiple case study with each pilot project representing a case and a cohort study where 1,000 women followed by midwives in the birth centres were matched with 1,000 women followed by physicians in the usual hospital-based services. Various quantitative and qualitative data collection instruments were used. Overall, many results were favourable to midwifery practice, while some were favourable to medical care. Following the evaluation, the Government of Quebec decided to legalize the practice of midwifery.

Evaluation of headache service quality indicators: pilot implementation in two specialist-care centres.

PubMed

Katsarava, Zaza; Gouveia, Raquel Gil; Jensen, Rigmor; Gaul, Charly; Schramm, Sara; Schoppe, Anja; Steiner, Timothy J

2015-01-01

Evaluating quality of health care is increasingly recognized as an important contributor to the advancement of health-care delivery. We recently developed a set of quality indicators for headache care, intended to be applicable across countries, cultures and settings so that deficiencies in headache care worldwide might be recognized and rectified. These indicators themselves require evaluation and proof of fitness for purpose. This pilot study begins this process. We tested the quality indicators in the tertiary headache centres of the University of Duisburg-Essen in Essen, Germany, and the Hospital da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal. Using seven previously-developed enquiry instruments, we interrogated health-care providers (HCPs), including doctors, nurses, psychologists and physiotherapists, as well as consecutive patients and their medical records. The questionnaires were easily understood by both HCPs and patients and were not unduly time-consuming. The results from the two headache centres were comparable despite their differences in structure, staffing and language. These findings met the purpose of the study. Diagnoses were made according to ICHD criteria and critically evaluated during follow-up. However, diagnostic diaries and instruments assessing burden and response to treatment were not always in place or routinely utilised. Triage systems adjusted waiting times to urgency of need. Treatment plans included pathways to other specialities. Patients felt welcomed, reassured and educated, and were mostly satisfied. Discussion points arose over inclusion of psychological therapies in treatment plans; over recording of outcomes; over indicators of efficiency and equitability (protocols to limit wastage of resources, systems to measure input costs and means of ensuring equal access to the services); and over protocols for reporting serious adverse events. This pilot study to assess feasibility of the methods and acceptability of the instruments of headache service quality evaluation was successful. The project is ready to be taken into its next stages.

Primary Care Research Team Assessment (PCRTA): development and evaluation.

PubMed

Carter, Yvonne H; Shaw, Sara; Macfarlane, Fraser

2002-02-01

Since the early 1990s the United Kingdom (UK) Department of Health has explicitly promoted a research and development (R&D) strategy for the National Health Service (NHS). General practitioners (GPs) and other members of the primary care team are in a unique position to undertake research activity that will complement and inform the research undertaken by basic scientists and hospital-based colleagues and lead directly to a better evidence base for decision making by primary care professionals. Opportunities to engage in R&D in primary care are growing and the scope for those wishing to become involved is finally widening. Infrastructure funding for research-active practices and the establishment of a range of support networks have helped to improve the research capacity and blur some of the boundaries between academic departments and clinical practice. This is leading to a supportive environment for primary care research. There is thus a need to develop and validate nationally accepted quality standards and accreditation of performance to ensure that funders, collaborators and primary care professionals can deliver high quality primary care research. Several strategies have been described in national policy documents in order to achieve an improvement in teaching and clinical care, as well as enhancing research capacity in primary care. The development of both research practices and primary care research networks has been recognised as having an important contribution to make in enabling health professionals to devote more protected time to undertake research methods training and to undertake research in a service setting. The recognition and development of primary care research has also brought with it an emphasis on quality and standards, including an approach to the new research governance framework. In 1998, the NHS Executive South and West, and later the London Research and Development Directorate, provided funding for a pilot project based at the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) to develop a scheme to accredit UK general practices undertaking primary care R&D. The pilot began with initial consultation on the development of the process, as well as the standards and criteria for assessment. The resulting assessment schedule allowed for assessment at one of two levels: Collaborative Research Practice (Level I), with little direct experience of gaining project or infrastructure funding Established Research Practice (Level II), with more experience of research funding and activity and a sound infrastructure to allow for growth in capacity. The process for assessment of practices involved the assessment of written documentation, followed by a half-day assessment visit by a multidisciplinary team of three assessors. IMPLEMENTATION--THE PILOT PROJECT: Pilot practices were sampled in two regions. Firstly, in the NHS Executive South West Region, where over 150 practices expressed an interest in participating. From these a purposive sample of 21 practices was selected, providing a range of research and service activity. A further seven practices were identified and included within the project through the East London and Essex Network of Researchers (ELENoR). Many in this latter group received funding and administrative support and advice from ELENoR in order to prepare written submissions for assessment. Some sample loss was encountered within the pilot project, which was attributable largely to conflicting demands on participants' time. Indeed, the preparation of written submissions within the South West coincided with the introduction of primary care groups (PCGs) in April 1999, which several practices cited as having a major impact on their participation in the pilot project. A final sample of 15 practices (nine in the South West and six through ELENoR) underwent assessment through the pilot project. A formal evaluation of the Primary Care Research Team Assessment (PCRTA) pilot was undertaken by an independent researcher (FM). This was supplemented with feedback from the assessment team members. The qualitative aspect of the evaluation, which included face-to-face and telephone interviews with assessors, lead researchers and other practice staff within the pilot research practices, as well as members of the project management group, demonstrated a positive view of the pilot scheme. Several key areas were identified in relation to particular strengths of research practices and areas for development including: Strengths Level II practices were found to have a strong primary care team ethos in research. Level II practices tended to have a greater degree of strategic thinking in relation to research. Development areas Level I practices were found to lack a clear and explicit research strategy. Practices at both levels had scope to develop their communication processes for dissemination of research and also for patient involvement. Practices at both levels needed mechanisms for supporting professional development in research methodology. The evaluation demonstrated that practices felt that they had gained from their participation and assessors felt that the scheme had worked well. Some specific issues were raised by different respondents within the qualitative evaluation relating to consistency of interpretation of standards and also the possible overlap of the assessment scheme with other RCGP quality initiatives. The pilot project has been very successful and recommendations have been made to progress to a UK scheme. Management and review of the scheme will remain largely the same, with a few changes focusing on the assessment process and support for practices entering the scheme. Specific changes include: development of the support and mentoring role of the primary care research networks increased peer and external support and mentoring for research practices undergoing assessment development of assessor training in line with other schemes within the RCGP Assessment Network work to ensure consistency across RCGP accreditation schemes in relation to key criteria, thereby facilitating comparable assessment processes refinement of the definition of the two groups, with Level I practices referred to as Collaborators and Level II practices as Investigator-Led. The project has continued to generate much enthusiasm and support and continues to reflect current policy. Indeed, recent developments include the proposed new funding arrangements for primary care R&D, which refer to the RCGP assessment scheme and recognise it as a key component in the future R&D agenda. The assessment scheme will help primary care trusts (PCTs) and individual practices to prepare and demonstrate their approach to research governance in a systematic way. It will also provide a more explicit avenue for primary care trusts to explore local service and development priorities identified within health improvement programmes and the research priorities set nationally for the NHS.

Report of the President’s Task Force on Aircraft Crew Complement

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-07-02

ALPA - Air Line Pilots Association APA - Allied Pilots Association ASRS Aviation Safety Reporting System ATARS Automatic Traffic Advisory and...capability significantly. The complementary Automatic Traffic Advisory and Resolution Service ( ATARS ) will provide collision avoidance advisories and...resolution. The main purpose of DABS/ ATARS is to detect traffic and to provide aircraft escape- maneuver advisories in adjoining ATC sectors. G/A pilots

Design and development of a mobile exercise application for home care aides and older adult medicaid home and community-based clients.

PubMed

Danilovich, Margaret K; Diaz, Laura; Saberbein, Gustavo; Healey, William E; Huber, Gail; Corcos, Daniel M

2017-01-01

We describe a community-engaged approach with Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS), home care aide (HCA), client, and physical therapist stakeholders to develop a mobile application (app) exercise intervention through focus groups and interviews. Participants desired a short exercise program with modification capabilities, goal setting, and mechanisms to track progress. Concerns regarding participation were training needs and feasibility within usual care services. Technological preferences were for simple, easy-to-use, and engaging content. The app was piloted with HCA-client dyads (n = 5) to refine the intervention and evaluate content. Engaging stakeholders in intervention development provides valuable user-feedback on both desired exercise program contents and mobile technology preferences for HCBS recipients.

Towards integrated practices in early detection of and intervention for deaf and hard of hearing children.

PubMed

Storbeck, Claudine; Calvert-Evers, Jennifer

2008-01-01

It is well documented that undetected hearing loss can have a profound effect on a child's holistic development, including communicative, language and cognitive development. It is crucial therefore that deaf and hard of hearing infants are detected as early as possible so that appropriate intervention services and support can be initiated. To assist parents in enabling their child's optimal growth and development, HI HOPES-the first South African home-based early intervention project-was launched in August 2006, offering families weekly home-based support that is both child-centred and family-directed. A critical overview of the pilot implementation of HI HOPES is presented, from inception to implementation, focusing on its innovative services and practices, and issues that influence the intervention process including a reflection on the challenges and areas for development.

Rooftop farming on urban wastes: a first assessment of ecosystem services provided by constructed technosols

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grard, Baptiste; Chenu, Claire; Frascaria-Lacoste, Nathalie; Aubry, Christine

2017-04-01

Urban farming, especially on rooftops, is a popular and a growing topic in media as well as in the scientific literature. It is a great opportunity to meet some of the challenges linked to urban areas development worldwide. However, little attention has been paid so far to the growing media of green roofs, i.e. technosols. A better understanding of the influence of technosol choice and component links with ecosystem services is required in order to maximize environmental benefits from rooftop urban farming. Between March 2013 and 2015, a pilot project called T4P (Parisian Productive rooftoP, Pilot Experiment) took place on the rooftop of the technical University AgroParisTech. Two different units based on the use of two contrasted urban organic wastes were compared to a commercial potting soil through yield measurements, substrates characterization and leaching quantification. We performed a first assessment of several ecosystem services expected from these technosols, i.e. provisioning of food (food production), regulation of water runoff (quantity and quality of runoff), recycling of organic wastes. We identified indicators of the ecosystem services (e.g. yield, annual mass loss of mineral nitrogen) and compared their measured values to reference situations (asphalt roof, green roof or cropland). Our analysis shows the multifunctional character of technosols made from organic wastes located on urban rooftops and the ecosystem services approach appears as a fertile one to evaluate and devise constructed technosols as a component of green infrastructures.

Removing user fees for basic health services: a pilot study and national roll-out in Afghanistan

PubMed Central

Steinhardt, Laura C; Aman, Iqbal; Pakzad, Iqbalshah; Kumar, Binay; Singh, Lakhwinder P; Peters, David H

2011-01-01

Background User fees for primary care tend to suppress utilization, and many countries are experimenting with fee removal. Studies show that additional inputs are needed after removing fees, although well-documented experiences are lacking. This study presents data on the effects of fee removal on facility quality and utilization in Afghanistan, based on a pilot experiment and subsequent nationwide ban on fees. Methods Data on utilization and observed structural and perceived overall quality of health care were compared from before-and-after facility assessments, patient exit interviews and catchment area household surveys from eight facilities where fees were removed and 14 facilities where fee levels remained constant, as part of a larger health financing pilot study from 2005 to 2007. After a national user fee ban was instituted in 2008, health facility administrative data were analysed to assess subsequent changes in utilization and quality. Results The pilot study analysis indicated that observed and perceived quality increased across facilities but did not differ by fee removal status. Difference-in-difference analysis showed that utilization at facilities previously charging both service and drug fees increased by 400% more after fee removal, prompting additional inputs from service providers, compared with facilities that previously only charged service fees or had no change in fees (P = 0.001). Following the national fee ban, visits for curative care increased significantly (P < 0.001), but institutional deliveries did not. Services typically free before the ban—immunization and antenatal care—had immediate increases in utilization but these were not sustained. Conclusion Both pilot and nationwide data indicated that curative care utilization increased following fee removal, without differential changes in quality. Concerns raised by non-governmental organizations, health workers and community leaders over the effects of lost revenue and increased utilization require continued effort to raise revenues, monitor health worker and patient perceptions, and carefully manage health facility performance. PMID:22027924

Promoting early presentation of breast cancer in older women: sustained effect of an intervention to promote breast cancer awareness in routine clinical practice.

PubMed

Dodd, Rachael H; Forster, Alice S; Sellars, Sarah; Patnick, Julietta; Ramirez, Amanda J; Forbes, Lindsay J L

2017-06-05

Older women have poorer survival from breast cancer, which may be at least partly due to poor breast cancer awareness leading to delayed presentation and more advanced stage at diagnosis. In a randomised trial, an intervention to promote early presentation of breast cancer in older women increased breast cancer awareness at 1 year compared with usual care (24 versus 4%). We examined its effectiveness in routine clinical practice. We piloted the intervention delivered by practising health professionals to women aged about 70 in four breast screening services. We measured the effect on breast cancer awareness at 1 year compared with comparison services, where women did not receive the intervention. At 1 year, 25% of women in pilot services were breast cancer aware compared with 4% in comparison services (p = 0.001). The components of breast cancer awareness were knowledge of breast cancer non-lump symptoms (pilot: 63% vs comparison: 82% at 1 year; OR = 2.56, 95% CI 1.92-3.42), knowledge of age related risk (pilot: 8% vs comparison: 36% at 1 year; OR = 5.56, 95% CI 4.0-7.74) and reported breast checking (pilot: 70% vs comparison: 78% at 1 year; OR = 1.49, 95% CI 1.13-1.96). The intervention may be as effective in routine clinical practice as in a randomised controlled trial. This intervention has the potential to reduce patient delay in the diagnosis of breast cancer in older women. The PEP trial was registered with the International Standard Registered Clinical/soCial sTudy Number (ISRCTN) as a clinical trial ( ISRCTN31994827 ) on 3rd October 2007.

Goal Attainment Scaling Manual, RUL #5. Materials Development Center Reprint 18.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Buffy; And Others

This manual consists of three parts: (1) an introduction to Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) as an evaluation tool in rehabilitation, (2) a workbook, and (3) a report of a pilot study of GAS. Chapter 1 discusses GAS as an evaluation procedure and defines it as a way of arranging and expressing time-based treatment cr service goals so that results can…

Program Incubation and Commercialization Best Practices Report

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

Richardson, Shannon

As a reminder, the primary task of the 4C Program is to increase the commercialization rate of cleantech companies in California. Commercialization, broadly defined, is the innovation continuum of developing and introducing a new product or service into the market. For measurability, the 4C Program defines commercialization as encompassing a startup’s: (a) preparation, (b) incubation, (c) commercial-scale pilot / demonstration, and (d) first customer.

Brief Report: The Self Harm Questionnaire--A New Tool Designed to Improve Identification of Self Harm in Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ougrin, Dennis; Boege, Isabel

2013-01-01

The Self Harm Questionnaire (SHQ) aiming at identification of self-harm in adolescents has been developed and piloted in a sample of 12-17 year olds (n = 100). The adolescents were recruited from both in- and outpatient psychiatric services. Concurrent validity of the SHQ was evaluated by comparing the SHQ results with recorded self harm in the…

The Value of eJournals to Support ePortfolio Development for Assessment in Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crichton, Susan; Kopp, Gail

2008-01-01

This paper presents findings from a two-­year pilot project into the use of ePortfolios as a tool for assessment in a two year, field-­oriented, inquiry-­based teacher preparation program. Participants consisted of five cohorts of pre­service student teachers and five instructors; interviews, focus groups, artifacts, and project meetings provided…

Pilot Testing a Professional Development Model for Preservice Teachers in the Area of Health and Weight: Feasibility, Utility, and Efficacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Russell-Mayhew, Shelly; Nutter, Sarah; Ireland, Alana; Gabriele, Tina; Bardick, Angela; Crooks, Jackie; Peat, Gavin

2015-01-01

Studies indicate that both preservice and in-service teachers find it difficult to connect to their role as health promoters within a school context. There is also evidence that those teachers most often responsible for delivering health education (i.e., physical education teachers) are at an increased risk for body dissatisfaction, dieting, and…

Using Introductory Videos to Enhance ePortfolios and to Make Them Useful in the Hiring Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hartwick, James M. M.; Mason, Richard W.

2014-01-01

This article explores whether or not there is a more effective way to develop and present portfolios to make them more meaningful and usable in the hiring process. An example of a pilot ePortfolio, with an accompanying three to four-minute introductory reflective video highlighting the pre-service teachers' beliefs about education, was shown to 15…

Cost-effectiveness of midwifery services vs. medical services in Quebec. LEquipe dEvaluation des Projets-Pilotes Sages-Femmes.

PubMed

Reinharz, D; Blais, R; Fraser, W D; Contandriopoulos, A P

2000-01-01

This study compared the cost-effectiveness of midwife services provided in birth centres operating as pilot projects with current hospital-based medical services in the province of Quebec. One thousand midwives' clients were matched with 1,000 physicians' clients on the basis of socio-demographic characteristics and obstetrical risk. Direct costs for the prenatal, intrapartum and postpartum periods were estimated. Effectiveness was assessed on the basis of three clinical indicators and four indices related to the individualization of care as assessed by women. Results show that the costs of midwife services were barely lower than or equal to those of physician services, but cost-effectiveness ratios were to the advantage of the midwife group, except for one clinical indicator (neonatal ventilation). Overall, this study provides rational support for the process of legalizing midwifery in the province.

Aerial Video Imaging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

When Michael Henry wanted to start an aerial video service, he turned to Johnson Space Center for assistance. Two NASA engineers - one had designed and developed TV systems in Apollo, Skylab, Apollo- Soyuz and Space Shuttle programs - designed a wing-mounted fiberglass camera pod. Camera head and angles are adjustable, and the pod is shaped to reduce vibration. The controls are located so a solo pilot can operate the system. A microprocessor displays latitude, longitude, and bearing, and a GPS receiver provides position data for possible legal references. The service has been successfully utilized by railroads, oil companies, real estate companies, etc.

Psychometric properties of the Transitions from Foster Care Key Leader Survey.

PubMed

Salazar, Amy M; Brown, Eric C; Monahan, Kathryn C; Catalano, Richard F

2016-04-01

This study summarizes the development and piloting of the Transitions from Foster Care Key Leader Survey (TFC-KLS), an instrument designed to measure change in systems serving young people transitioning from foster care to adulthood. The Jim Casey Youth Opportunity Initiative's logic model was used as a basis for instrument development. The instrument was piloted with 119 key leaders in six communities. Seven of eight latent scales performed well in psychometric testing. The relationships among the 24 measures of system change were explored. A CFA testing overall model fit was satisfactory following slight modifications. Finally, a test of inter-rater reliability between two raters did not find reliable reporting of service availability in a supplemental portion of the survey. The findings were generally positive and supported the validity and utility of the instrument for measuring system change, following some adaptations. Implications for the field are discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Postpartum depression: a chronicle of health policy development.

PubMed

Glasser, Saralee

2010-01-01

The current report presents an example of the path taken from identification of a public health problem at the primary health service level, to conducting research documenting the scope of the problem and nature of the risk factors, disseminating the findings, and fostering development and application of relevant policy. The example presented is the case of postpartum depression, an issue with bio-psycho-social implications. Public health nurses identified the problem, prompting epidemiological research. The findings encouraged the Ministry of Health (MOH) to conduct a pilot program for screening and early intervention among pregnant and postpartum women reporting depressive symptoms. Based on the results of the pilot program, the MOH is expanding the program to all Mother-Child Health (MCH) clinics. Israel?s largest Health Maintenance Organization has followed suit and is including this program in its own clinics. This Israeli experience may serve as an instructive example of a locally identified problem evolving into a national policy.

Working conditions and health among employees at information technology--enabled services: a review of current evidence.

PubMed

Kesavachandran, C; Rastogi, S K; Das, Mohan; Khan, Asif M

2006-07-01

Workers in information technology (IT)-enabled services like business process outsourcing and call centers working with visual display units are reported to have various health and psycho-social disorders. Evidence from previously published studies in peer- reviewed journals and internet sources were examined to explore health disorders and psycho-social problems among personnel employed in IT-based services, for a systematic review on the topic. In addition, authors executed a questionnaire- based pilot study. The available literature and the pilot study, both suggest health disorders and psychosocial problems among workers of business process outsourcing. The details are discussed in the review.

A pilot service-evaluation examining change in HbA1c related to the prescription of internet-based education films for type 2 diabetes.

PubMed

Rice, S; Cranch, H; Littlemore, K; Mortimer, J; Platts, J; Stephens, J W

2017-06-01

We undertook a pilot service-evaluation of prescribed internet-based patient education films for patients with type 2 diabetes. The uptake was 28% and film watching was associated with a relative mean difference in HbA1c of -9.0mmol/mol in the film watchers compared to non-watchers over a three-month period (P=0.0008). Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exploring the role of ethnic media and the community readiness to combat stigma attached to mental illness among Vietnamese immigrants: the pilot project Tam An (Inner Peace in Vietnamese).

PubMed

Han, Meekyung; Cao, Lien; Anton, Karen

2015-01-01

Vietnamese Americans are at high risk for developing mental health disorders due to multiple risk factors such as trauma and acculturative stress. However, the utilization of mental health services has been low. The pilot project Tam An was implemented to raise mental health awareness by engaging community resources in the Vietnamese population. Informed by the Community Readiness Model and through local ethnic media sources, messages to destigmatize mental health and promote the willingness to initiate mental health treatment were presented. Using an exploratory perspective, findings from focus group data suggest that the project improved the community's stage of readiness.

Social, moral, and temporal qualities: Pre-service teachers' considerations of evolution and creation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hahn, Deirdre

The introduction of the theories of evolution into public education has created a history of misinterpretation and uncertainty about its application to understanding deep time and human origins. Conceptions about negative social and moral outcomes of evolution itself along with cognitive temporal constraints may be difficult for many individuals to uncouple from the scientific theory, serving to provoke the ongoing debate about the treatment of evolution in science education. This debate about teaching evolution is strongly influenced by groups who strive to add creationism to the science curriculum for a balanced treatment of human origins and to mediate implied negative social and moral outcomes of evolution. Individual conceptualization of evolution and creation may influence the choice of college students to teach science. This study is designed to examine if pre-service teachers' conceptualize an evolutionary and creationist process of human development using certain social, moral or temporal patterns; and if the patterns follow a negative conceptual theme. The pilot study explored 21 pre-service teachers' conceptual representation of an evolutionary process through personal narratives. Participants tended to link evolutionary changes with negative social and moral consequences and seemed to have difficulty envisioning change over time. The pilot study was expanded to include a quantitative examination of attribute patterns of an evolutionary and creationist developmental process. Seventy-three pre-service teachers participated in the second experiment and tended to fall evenly along a continuum of creationist and evolutionist beliefs about life. Using a chi-square and principle components analysis, participants were found to map concepts of evolution and creation onto each other using troubling attributes of development to distinguish negative change over time. A strong negative social and moral pattern of human development was found in the creation condition, though only a vague negative human developmental process was found for the evolution condition. Based on these results, pre-service teachers may not use evolution as a viable explanation of human origins, which may serve to contribute to evolution theory debates and discourage pre-service teachers' choice of being science instructors.

Police Mental Health Partnership project: Police Ambulance Crisis Emergency Response (PACER) model development.

PubMed

Huppert, David; Griffiths, Matthew

2015-10-01

To review internationally recognized models of police interactions with people experiencing mental health crises that are sometimes complex and associated with adverse experience for the person in crisis, their family and emergency service personnel. To develop, implement and review a partnership model trial between mental health and emergency services that offers alternative response pathways with improved outcomes in care. Three unique models of police and mental health partnership in the USA were reviewed and used to develop the PACER (Police Ambulance Crisis Emergency Response) model. A three month trial of the model was implemented and evaluated. Significant improvements in response times, the interactions with and the outcomes for people in crisis were some of the benefits shown when compared with usual services. The pilot showed that a partnership involving mental health and police services in Melbourne, Australia could be replicated based on international models. Initial data supported improvements compared with usual care. Further data collection regarding usual care and this new model is required to confirm observed benefits. © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2015.

Development of Veteran-Centric Competency Domains for Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Residents.

PubMed

York, Janet; Sternke, Lisa Marie; Myrick, Donald Hugh; Lauerer, Joy; Hair, Carole

2016-11-01

The mental health needs of military service members, Veterans, and their families are a designated national priority; however, there has been little emphasis on the inclusion of Veteran-centric domains in competency-based nursing education for psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNPs). The current article describes the identification and application of Veteran-centric domains in an innovative pilot residency program for PMHNPs, funded by the Veterans Health Administration Office of Academic Affiliations. Fourteen Veteran-centric competency domains were developed from literature review, including knowledge, attitudes, and skill behaviors. Adoption and application of these domains in curricular components included the resident competency evaluation, baseline assessment of military experience, and evidence-based practice seminars and training. Methods of competency domain evaluation are presented, along with gaps related to the evaluation of competency skills. The delivery of mental health services reflecting these domains is consistent with the VA core values and goal of developing a positive service culture. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 54(11), 31-36.]. Copyright 2016, SLACK Incorporated.

Developing 21st century accreditation standards for teaching hospitals: the Taiwan experience.

PubMed

Huang, Chung-I; Wung, Cathy; Yang, Che-Ming

2009-12-15

The purpose of this study is to establish teaching hospital accreditation standards anew with the hope that Taiwan's teaching hospitals can live up to the expectations of our society and ensure quality teaching. The development process lasted two years, 2005-2006, and was separated into three stages. The first stage centered on leadership meetings and consensus building, the second on drafting the new standards with expert focus groups, and the third on a pilot study and subsequent revision. Our new teaching hospital accreditation standards have six categories and 95 standards as follows: educational resources (20 items), teaching and training plans and outcomes (42 items), research and results (9 items), development of clinical faculty and continuing education (8 items), academic exchanges and community education (8 items), and administration (8 items). The new standards have proven feasible and posed reasonable challenges in the pilot study. We hope the new standards will strengthen teaching and research, and improve the quality of hospital services at the same time.

ISAIA: Interoperable Systems for Archival Information Access

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hanisch, Robert J.

2002-01-01

The ISAIA project was originally proposed in 1999 as a successor to the informal AstroBrowse project. AstroBrowse, which provided a data location service for astronomical archives and catalogs, was a first step toward data system integration and interoperability. The goals of ISAIA were ambitious: '...To develop an interdisciplinary data location and integration service for space science. Building upon existing data services and communications protocols, this service will allow users to transparently query hundreds or thousands of WWW-based resources (catalogs, data, computational resources, bibliographic references, etc.) from a single interface. The service will collect responses from various resources and integrate them in a seamless fashion for display and manipulation by the user.' Funding was approved only for a one-year pilot study, a decision that in retrospect was wise given the rapid changes in information technology in the past few years and the emergence of the Virtual Observatory initiatives in the US and worldwide. Indeed, the ISAIA pilot study was influential in shaping the science goals, system design, metadata standards, and technology choices for the virtual observatory. The ISAIA pilot project also helped to cement working relationships among the NASA data centers, US ground-based observatories, and international data centers. The ISAIA project was formed as a collaborative effort between thirteen institutions that provided data to astronomers, space physicists, and planetary scientists. Among the fruits we ultimately hoped would come from this project would be a central site on the Web that any space scientist could use to efficiently locate existing data relevant to a particular scientific question. Furthermore, we hoped that the needed technology would be general enough to allow smaller, more-focused community within space science could use the same technologies and standards to provide more specialized services. A major challenge to searching for data across a broad community is that information that describe some data products are either not relevant to other data or not applicable in the same way. Some previous metadata standard development efforts (e.g., in the earth science and library communities) have produced standards that are very large and difficult to support. To address this problem, we studied how a standard may be divided into separable pieces. Data providers that wish to participate in interoperable searches can support only those parts of the standard that are relevant to them. We prototyped a top-level metadata standard that was small and applicable to all space science data.

Kaleri works with the Pilot experiment during Expedition 8

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-10-31

ISS008-E-05179 (31 October 2003) --- Cosmonaut Alexander Y. Kaleri, Expedition 8 flight engineer, works with the Russian biomedical “Pilot” experiment (MBI-15) in the Zvezda Service Module on the International Space Station (ISS). The experiment, which looks at psychological and physiological changes in crew performance during long-duration spaceflight, requires a worktable, ankle restraint system and two control handles for testing piloting skill. Kaleri represents Rosaviakosmos.

Unmanned Aerial Systems: Further Actions Needed to Fully Address Air Force and Army Pilot Workforce Challenges

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-16

UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS Further Actions Needed to Fully Address Air Force and Army Pilot Workforce Challenges...Armed Services, U.S. Senate March 16, 2016 UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS Further Actions Needed to Fully Address Air Force and Army Pilot Workforce ...High-performing organizations use complete and current data to inform their strategic human capital planning and remain open to reevaluating workforce

Pilot Scott Horowitz fashions cord loop fasteners for a contingency spacewalk

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-02-16

S82-E-5597 (17 Feb. 1997) --- Astronaut Scott J. Horowitz at pilot's station works with a hand-fashioned loop fastener device to be used in support of the additional STS-82 Extravehicular Activity (EVA) to service Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Note sketches overhead which were sent by ground controllers to guide the pilot's engineering of the task. This view was taken with an Electronic Still Camera (ESC).

The evolution of Wisconsin's urban FIA program—yesterday today and tomorrow

Treesearch

Andrew M. Stoltman; Richard B. Rideout

2015-01-01

In 2002, Wisconsin was part of two pilot projects in cooperation with the US Forest Service. The first was a street tree assessment, and the second was an urban FIA project. The data generated by these pilots changed the way that Wisconsin DNRs’ Urban Forestry Program conducts its business. Although there have been several urban FIA pilot projects throughout the U.S.,...

Reducing Air Force Fighter Pilot Shortages

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-31

that active-component fighter pilot requirements (particularly nonflying staff requirements) exceed its capacity to train and provide initial...pilots in the reserve components. This research was sponsored by four elements of the U.S. Air Force: the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations (AF/A3...the Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower, Personnel and Services (AF/A1); the Commander, Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC/CC); and the Director, Air

LAFLA public transportation public participation pilot program : final technical report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-12-01

This report documents and presents the results of a pilot project conducted by the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA). LAFLA identified that there is a perception among those living in and providing services to low-income communities that tr...

How to measure the QoS of a web-based EHRs system: development of an instrument.

PubMed

de la Torre-Díez, Isabel; López-Coronado, Miguel; Rodrigues, Joel J P C

2012-12-01

The quality of service (QoS) can be treated as a set of concepts whose satisfaction/dissatisfaction generates a global positive/negative vision about the service provided by any application. The different nature of the services and its features require an analysis of the factors that have the greatest influence on the users' opinion and, therefore, measuring the quality of service in each application requires a specific instrument. This paper will introduce an instrument to measure the QoS offered to users by a general Web application for Electronic Health Records (EHRs). The collection of opinions from a pilot sample and the performance of an explanatory factor analysis will bring together the factors that best sum up the quality of an EHRs application. Subsequently, a confirmatory factor analysis will be performed to make the study reliable and, as its name suggests, to confirm that indeed the structure of the instrument developed measures the QoS in accordance with the requirements of the users.

A Practitioner's Instrument for Measuring Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Beliefs Surrounding Learner-Centered Classroom Practice.

PubMed

Lischka, Alyson E; Garner, Mary

In this paper we present the development and validation of a Mathematics Teaching Pedagogical and Discourse Beliefs Instrument (MTPDBI), a 20 item partial-credit survey designed and analyzed using Rasch measurement theory. Items on the MTPDBI address beliefs about the nature of mathematics, teaching and learning mathematics, and classroom discourse practices. A Rasch partial credit model (Masters, 1982) was estimated from the pilot study data. Results show that item separation reliability is .96 and person separation reliability is .71. Other analyses indicate the instrument is a viable measure of secondary teachers' beliefs about reform-oriented mathematics teaching and learning. This instrument is proposed as a useful measure of teacher beliefs for those working with pre-service and in-service teacher development.

A piloted simulation study of data link ATC message exchange

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Waller, Marvin C.; Lohr, Gary W.

1989-01-01

Data link Air Traffic Control (ATC) and Air Traffic Service (ATS) message and data exchange offers the potential benefits of increased flight safety and efficiency by reducing communication errors and allowing more information to be transferred between aircraft and ground facilities. Digital communication also presents an opportunity to relieve the overloading of ATC radio frequencies which hampers message exchange during peak traffic hours in many busy terminal areas. A piloted simulation study to develop pilot factor guidelines and assess potential flight crew benefits and liabilities from using data link ATC message exchange was completed. The data link ATC message exchange concept, implemented on an existing navigation computer Control Display Unit (CDU) required maintaining a voice radio telephone link with an appropriate ATC facility. Flight crew comments, scanning behavior, and measurements of time spent in ATC communication activities for data link ATC message exchange were compared to similar measures for simulated conventional voice radio operations. The results show crew preference for the quieter flight deck environment and a perception of lower communication workload.

Creating a successful relationship with customers.

PubMed

Cotton, L; Sparrow, E

1998-01-01

In 1997, several employers commissioned an inpatient survey for a group of businesses that included hospitals in southeast Michigan. Its results indicated that the University of Michigan Health System (UMHS) needed to become more customer-focused. To meet this challenge, UMHS mandated that customer service to its patients and their families should be its first priority. A pilot project in the radiology department's pediatric division was established to recognize and reward employees for outstanding service to customers. The program is now used to reward employees throughout the radiology department, on the assumption that when employees feel special, so will their customers. Management's focus is on employees--they are the health system. The department also invested in employee development, a continuous training program that centers on customer service and teaches tools and skills for better communication. The goal of the development program at UMHS is to exceed the needs of its customers.

Evaluation and mechanism for outcomes exploration of providing public health care in contract service in rural China: a multiple-case study with complex adaptive systems design.

PubMed

Zhou, Huixuan; Zhang, Shengfa; Zhang, Weijun; Wang, Fugang; Zhong, You; Gu, Linni; Qu, Zhiyong; Tian, Donghua

2015-02-27

The Chinese government has increased the funding for public health in 2009 and experimentally applied a contract service policy (could be seen as a counterpart to family medicine) in 15 counties to promote public health services in the rural areas in 2013. The contract service aimed to convert village doctors, who had privately practiced for decades, into general practitioners under the government management, and better control the rampant chronic diseases. This study made a rare attempt to assess the effectiveness of public health services delivered under the contract service policy, explore the influencing mechanism and draw the implications for the policy extension in the future. Three pilot counties and a non-pilot one with heterogeneity in economic and health development from east to west of China were selected by a purposive sampling method. The case study methods by document collection, non-participant observation and interviews (including key informant interview and focus group interview) with 84 health providers and 20 demanders in multiple level were applied in this study. A thematic approach was used to compare diverse outcomes and analyze mechanism in the complex adaptive systems framework. Without sufficient incentives, the public health services were not conducted effectively, regardless of the implementation of the contract policy. To appropriately increase the funding for public health by local finance and properly allocate subsidy to village doctors was one of the most effective approaches to stimulate health providers and demanders' positivity and promote the policy implementation. County health bureaus acted as the most crucial agents among the complex public health systems. Their mental models influenced by the compound and various environments around them led to the diverse outcomes. If they could provide extra incentives and make the contexts of the systems ripe enough for change, the health providers and demanders would be receptive to the transition of the policy. The innovative fund raising measures could be taken by relatively developed counties of China to conduct public health services. Policymakers could take systems thinking as a useful tool to design plans and predict the unintended outcomes during the process of public health reforms.

Primary Medical Care Provider Accreditation (PMCPA): pilot evaluation

PubMed Central

Campbell, Stephen M; Chauhan, Umesh; Lester, Helen

2010-01-01

Background While practice-level or team accreditation is not new to primary care in the UK and there are organisational indicators in the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) organisational domain, there is no universal system of accreditation of the quality of organisational aspects of care in the UK. Aim To describe the development, content and piloting of version 1 of the Primary Medical Care Provider Accreditation (PMCPA) scheme, which includes 112 separate criteria across six domains: health inequalities and health promotion; provider management; premises, records, equipment, and medicines management; provider teams; learning organisation; and patient experience/involvement, and to present the results from the pilot service evaluation focusing on the achievement of the 30 core criteria and feedback from practice staff. Design of study Observational service evaluation using evidence uploaded onto an extranet system in support of 30 core summative pilot PMCPA accreditation criteria. Setting Thirty-six nationally representative practices across England, between June and December 2008. Method Study population: interviews with GPs, practice managers, nurses and other relevant staff from the participating practices were conducted, audiotaped, transcribed, and analysed using a thematic approach. For each practice, the number of core criteria that had received either a‘good’or‘satisfactory’rating from a RCGP-trained assessment team, was counted and expressed as a percentage. Results Thirty-two practices completed the scheme, with nine practices passing 100% of core criteria (range: 27–100%). There were no statistical differences in achievement between practices of different sizes and in different localities. Practice feedback highlighted seven key issues: (1) overall view of PMCPA; (2) the role of accreditation; (3) different motivations for taking part; (4) practice managers dominated the workload associated with implementing the scheme; (5) facilitators for implementation; (6) patient benefit — relevance of PMCPA to quality improvement; (7) recommendations for improving the scheme. Conclusion Version 1 of PMCPA has been piloted as a primary care accreditation scheme and shown to be relevant to different types of practice. The scheme is undergoing revision in accordance with the findings from the pilot and ongoing consultation.

Exploratory Factor Analyses of the CAHPS® Hospital Pilot Survey Responses across and within Medical, Surgical, and Obstetric Services

PubMed Central

O'Malley, A James; Zaslavsky, Alan M; Hays, Ron D; Hepner, Kimberly A; Keller, San; Cleary, Paul D

2005-01-01

Objectives To estimate the associations among hospital-level scores from the Consumer Assessments of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®) Hospital pilot survey within and across different services (surgery, obstetrics, medical), and to evaluate differences between hospital- and patient-level analyses. Data Source CAHPS Hospital pilot survey data provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Study Design Responses to 33 questionnaire items were analyzed using patient- and hospital-level exploratory factor analytic (EFA) methods to identify both a patient-level and hospital-level composite structures for the CAHPS Hospital survey. The latter EFA was corrected for patient-level sampling variability using a hierarchical model. We compared results of these analyses with each other and to separate EFAs conducted at the service level. To quantify the similarity of assessments across services, we compared correlations of different composites within the same service with those of the same composite across different services. Data Collection Cross-sectional data were collected during the summer of 2003 via mail and telephone from 19,720 patients discharged from November 2002 through January 2003 from 132 hospitals in three states. Principal Findings Six factors provided the best description of inter-item covariation at the patient level. Analyses that assessed variability across both services and hospitals suggested that three dimensions provide a parsimonious summary of inter-item covariation at the hospital level. Hospital-level factor structures also differed across services; as much variation in quality reports was explained by service as by composite. Conclusions Variability of CAHPS scores across hospitals can be reported parsimoniously using a limited number of composites. There is at least as much distinct information in composite scores from different services as in different composite scores within each service. Because items cluster slightly differently in the different services, service-specific composites may be more informative when comparing patients in a given service across hospitals. When studying individual-level variability, a more differentiated structure is probably more appropriate. PMID:16316439

Maternal morbidity measurement tool pilot: study protocol.

PubMed

Say, Lale; Barreix, Maria; Chou, Doris; Tunçalp, Özge; Cottler, Sara; McCaw-Binns, Affette; Gichuhi, Gathari Ndirangu; Taulo, Frank; Hindin, Michelle

2016-06-09

While it is estimated that for every maternal death, 20-30 women suffer morbidity, these estimates are not based on standardized methods and measures. Lack of an agreed-upon definition, identification criteria, standardized assessment tools, and indicators has limited valid, routine, and comparable measurements of maternal morbidity. The World Health Organization (WHO) convened the Maternal Morbidity Working Group (MMWG) to develop standardized methods to improve estimates of maternal morbidity. To date, the MMWG has developed a definition and provided input into the development of a set of measurement tools. This protocol outlines the pilot test for measuring maternal morbidity in antenatal and postnatal clinical populations using these new tools. In each setting, the tools will be piloted on approximately 250 women receiving antenatal care (ANC) (at least 28 weeks pregnant) and 250 women receiving postpartum care (PPC) (at least 6 weeks postpartum). The tools will be administered by trained health care workers. Each tool has three modules as follows: 1. personal history - socio-economic information, and risk-factors (such as violence and substance abuse) 2. patient symptoms - WHO Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS) 12-item, and mental health questionnaires, General Anxiety Disorder, 7-item (GAD-7) and Personal Health Questionnaire, 9-item (PHQ-9) 3. physical examination - signs, laboratory tests and results. This pilot (planned for Jamaica, Kenya and Malawi) will allow for comparing the types of morbidities women experience between and across settings, and determine the feasibility, acceptability and utility of using a modified, streamlined tool for routine measurement and summary estimates of morbidity to inform resource allocation and service provision. As part of the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) estimating and measuring maternal morbidity will be essential to ensure appropriate resources are allocated to address its impact and improve well-being.

The development and piloting of the REnal specific Advanced Communication Training (REACT) programme to improve Advance Care Planning for renal patients.

PubMed

Bristowe, Katherine; Shepherd, Kate; Bryan, Liz; Brown, Heather; Carey, Irene; Matthews, Beverley; O'Donoghue, Donal; Vinen, Katie; Murtagh, Fliss E M

2014-04-01

In recent years, the End-Stage Kidney Disease population has increased and is ever more frail, elderly and co-morbid. A care-focused approach needs to be incorporated alongside the disease focus, to identify those who are deteriorating and improve communication about preferences and future care. Yet many renal professionals feel unprepared for such discussions. To develop and pilot a REnal specific Advanced Communication Training (REACT) programme to address the needs of End-Stage Kidney Disease patients and renal professionals. Two-part study: (1) development of the REnal specific Advanced Communication Training programme informed by multi-professional focus group and patient survey and (2) piloting of the programme. The REnal specific Advanced Communication Training programme was piloted with 16 participants (9 renal nurses/health-care assistants and 7 renal consultants) in two UK teaching hospitals. The focus group identified the need for better information about end-of-life phase, improved awareness of patient perspectives, skills to manage challenging discussions, 'hands on' practice in a safe environment and follow-up to discuss experiences. The patient survey demonstrated a need to improve communication about concerns, treatment plans and decisions. The developed REnal specific Advanced Communication Training programme was acceptable and feasible and was associated with a non-significant increase in confidence in communicating about end-of-life issues (pre-training: 6.6/10, 95% confidence interval: 5.7-7.4; post-training: 6.9/10, 95% confidence interval: 6.1-7.7, unpaired t-test - p = 0.56), maintained at 3 months. There is a need to improve end-of-life care for End-Stage Kidney Disease patients, to enable them to make informed decisions about future care. Challenges include prioritising communication training among service providers.

Factors associated with pilot fatalities in work-related aircraft crashes--Alaska, 1990-1999.

PubMed

2002-04-26

Despite its large geographic area, Alaska has only 12,200 miles of public roads, and 90% of the state's communities are not connected to a highway system. Commuter and air-taxi flights are essential for transportation of passengers and delivery of goods, services, and mail to outlying communities (Figure 1). Because of the substantial progress in decreasing fatalities in the fishing and logging industries, aviation crashes are the leading cause of occupational death in Alaska. During 1990-1999, aircraft crashes in Alaska caused 107 deaths among workers classified as civilian pilots. This is equivalent to 410 fatalities per 100,000 pilots each year, approximately five times the death rate for all U.S. pilots and approximately 100 times the death rate for all U.S. workers. As part of a collaborative aviation safety initiative that CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is implementing with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and the National Weather Service, CDC analyzed data from NTSB crash reports to determine factors associated with pilot fatalities in work-related aviation crashes in Alaska. This report summarizes the result of this analysis, which found that the following factors were associated with pilot fatalities: crashes involving a post-crash fire, flights in darkness or weather conditions requiring instrument use, crashes occurring away from an airport, and crashes in which the pilot was not using a shoulder restraint. Additional pilot training, improved fuel systems that are less likely to ignite in crashes, and company policies that discourage flying in poor weather conditions might help decrease pilot fatalities. More detailed analyses of crash data, collaborations with aircraft operators to improve safety, and evaluation of new technologies are needed.

The Flight Service Station Training Program : 1981-1985.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1986-06-01

This report describes the performance of the ATC classes in the Flight Service Station Training Program 1981 to 1985 on the skills tests and laboratory exercises in Preflight (pilot briefing), Inflight, and Emergency Services. Over 80% of the final g...

Evaluation of a pilot police-led suicide early alert surveillance strategy in the UK.

PubMed

McGeechan, Grant James; Richardson, Catherine; Weir, Kevin; Wilson, Lynn; O'Neill, Gillian; Newbury-Birch, Dorothy

2017-07-19

Those bereaved by suicide are at increased risk of psychological harm, which can be reduced with the provision of timely support. This paper outlines an evaluation of a pilot police-led suicide strategy, in comparison to a coroner-led suicide strategy looking at the number, and length of time it takes for deaths to be recorded for each strategy. Additionally, the police-led strategy offers timely contact from support services for bereaved individuals. We examined what impact this offer of support had on the capacity of support services. A mixed methods evaluation compared how long it took for suspected suicides to be recorded using both strategies. The number of referrals received by support services during the pilot strategy were compared with those from previous years. A feedback focus group, and interviews, were held with key stakeholders. The coroner strategy was more consistent at identifying suspected suicides; however, reports were filed quicker by the police. Bereaved individuals were willing to share contact details with police officers and consent for referral to support services which lead to increased referrals. The focus group and interviews revealed that the pilot police strategy needs better integration into routine police practice. This strategy has the potential to deliver a real benefit to those bereaved by suicide; however, there are still aspects which could be improved. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Evaluation of the Facilitated Communication Pilot

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooper-Martin, Elizabeth

2014-01-01

The Office of Special Education and Student Services asked the Office of Shared Accountability to evaluate the "Facilitated Communication Pilot." In facilitated communication (FC), people with communication impairments express themselves by typing with the aid of a communication partner, called a facilitator, who provides physical (and…

76 FR 31571 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-01

..., filing of petitions and applications and agency #0;statements of organization and functions are examples... Title: Healthy Incentives Pilot Evaluation. OMB Control Number: 0584-NEW. Summary of Collection: The... legislative authority, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) designed the Healthy Incentives Pilot (HIP) and...

Integrated telemedicine applications and services for oncological positron emission tomography.

PubMed

Kontaxakis, George; Visvikis, Dimitris; Ohl, Roland; Sachpazidis, Ilias; Suarez, Juan Pablo; Selby, Peter; Cheze-Le Rest, Catherine; Santos, Andres; Ortega, Fernando; Diaz, Javier; Pan, Leyun; Strauss, Ludwig; Dimitrakopoulou-Strauss, Antonia; Sakas, Georgios; Pozo, Miguel Angel

2006-01-01

TENPET (Trans European Network for Positron Emission Tomography) aims to evaluate the provision of integrated teleconsultation and intelligent computer supported cooperative work services for clinical positron emission tomography (PET) in Europe at its current stage, as it is a multi-centre project financially supported by the European Commission (Information Society, eTEN Program). It addresses technological challenges by linking PET centres and developing supporting services that permit remote consultation between professionals in the field. The technological platform (CE-marked) runs on Win2000/NT/XP systems and incorporates advanced techniques for image visualization, analysis and fusion, as well as for interactive communication and message handling for off-line communications. Four PET Centres from Spain, France and Germany participate to the pilot system trials. The performance evaluation of the system is carried out via log files and user-filled questionnaires on the frequency of the teleconsultations, their duration and efficacy, quality of the images received, user satisfaction, as well as on privacy, ethical and security issues. TENPET promotes the co-operation and improved communication between PET practitioners that are miles away from their peers or on mobile units, offering options for second opinion and training and permitting physicians to remotely consult patient data if they are away from their centre. It is expected that TENPET will have a significant impact in the development of new skills by PET professionals and will support the establishment of peripheral PET units. To our knowledge, TENPET is the first telemedicine service specifically designed for oncological PET. This report presents the technical innovations incorporated in the TENPET platform and the initial pilot studies at real and diverse clinical environments in the field of oncology.

The experience of dentists who gained enhanced skills in endodontics within a novel pilot training programme.

PubMed

Eliyas, S; Briggs, P; Gallagher, J E

2017-02-24

Objective To explore the experiences of primary care dentists following training to enhance endodontic skills and their views on the implications for the NHS.Design Qualitative study using anonymised free text questionnaires.Setting Primary care general dental services within the National Health Service (NHS) in London, United Kingdom.Subjects and methods Eight primary care dentists who completed this training were asked about factors affecting participant experience of the course, perceived impact on themselves, their organisation, their patients and barriers/facilitators to providing endodontic treatment in NHS primary care. Data were transferred verbatim to a spreadsheet and thematically analysed.Intervention 24-month part-time educational and service initiative to provide endodontics within the NHS, using a combination of training in simulation lab and treatment of patients in primary care.Results Positive impacts were identified at individual (gains in knowledge, skills, confidence, personal development), patient (more teeth saved, quality of care improved) and system levels (access, value for money). Suggested developments for future courses included more case discussions, teaching of practical skills earlier in the course and refinement of the triaging processes. Barriers to using the acquired skills in providing endodontic treatment in primary care within the NHS were perceived to be resources (remuneration, time, skills) and accountability. Facilitators included appropriately remunerated contracts, necessary equipment and time.Conclusion This novel pilot training programme in endodontics combining general practice experience with education/training, hands-on experience and a portfolio was perceived by participants as beneficial for extending skills and service innovation in primary dental care. The findings provide insight into primary dental care practitioners' experience with education/training and have implications for future educational initiatives in support of systems innovation within the NHS.

Recovery and well-being among Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) pilots.

PubMed

Radstaak, Mirjam; Geurts, Sabine A E; Beckers, Debby G J; Brosschot, Jos F; Kompier, Michiel A J

2014-07-01

This study investigated the effects of a compressed working week with high cognitive and emotional work demands within the population of Dutch Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) pilots. Work stressors were measured and levels of well-being were examined before, during and after a series of day and night shifts. Results revealed that (i) the start of a series of day shifts was more taxing for well-being than the start of a series of night shifts, (ii) there were no differences in the decrease in well-being during day and night shifts, (iii) distress during shifts was more strongly related to a decrease in well-being during night than during day shifts and (iv) it took HEMS pilots more time to recover from a series of night shifts than from a series of day shifts. It is concluded that HEMS pilots should not start earlier during day shifts, nor have longer series of night shifts. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Causes and Mitigation of Fuel Pilot Operated Valve Pilot Seal Extrusion in Space Shuttle Orbiter Primary RCS Thrusters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Waller, Jess M.; Roth, Tim E.; Saulsberry, Regor L.; Haney, William A.; Kelly, Terence S; Forsyth, Bradley S.

2004-01-01

Extrusion of a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) pilot seal located in the Space Shuttle Orbiter Primary Reaction Control Subsystem (PRCS) thruster fuel valve has been implicated in 68 ground and on-orbit fuel valve failures. A rash of six extrusion-related in-flight anomalies over a six-mission span from December 2001 to October 2002 led to heightened activity at various NASA centers, and the formation of a multidisciplinary team to solve the problem. Empirical and theoretical approaches were used. For example, thermomechanical analysis (TMA) and exposure tests showed that some extrusion is produced by thermal cycling; however, a review of thruster service histories did not reveal a strong link between thermal cycling and extrusion. Calculations showed that the amount of observed extrusion often exceeded the amount allowed by thermally-induced stress relief. Failure analysis of failed hardware also revealed the presence of fuel-oxidizer reaction product (FORP) inside the fuel valve pilot seal cavity, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed that the FORP was intimately associated with the pilot seal material. Component-level exposure tests showed that FORP of similar composition could be produced by adjacent oxidizer valve leakage in the absence of thruster firing. Specific gravity data showed that extruded fuel valve pilot seals were less dense than new pilot seals or oxidizer valve pilot seals, indicating permanent modification of the PTFE occurred during service. It is concluded that some thermally-induced extrusion is unavoidable; however, oxidizer leakage-induced extrusion is mostly avoidable and can be mitigated. Several engineering level mitigation strategies are discussed.

[Evaluating the activity of the Italian Mental Health Services inpatient and residential facilities: the PRISM (Process Indicator System for Mental health) indicators].

PubMed

Picardi, Angelo; Tarolla, Emanuele; de Girolamo, Giovanni; Gigantesco, Antonella; Neri, Giovanni; Rossi, Elisabetta; Biondi, Massimo

2014-01-01

This article describes the activities of a project aimed at developing a system of process and process/outcome indicators suitable to monitor over time the quality of psychiatric care of Italian inpatient and residential psychiatric facilities. This system, named PRISM (Process Indicator System for Mental health), was developed by means of a standardized evaluation made by a panel of experts and a consecutive pilot study in 17 inpatient and 13 residential psychiatric facilities. A total of 28 indicators were selected from a set of 251 candidate indicators developed by the most relevant and qualified Italian and international authorities. These indicators are derived by data from medical records and information about characteristics of facilities, and they cover processes of care, operational equipment of facilities, staff training and working, relationships with external agencies, and sentinel events. The procedure followed for the development of the indicator system was reliable and innovative. The data collected from the pilot study suggested a favourable benefit-cost ratio between the workload associated with regular use of the indicators into the context of daily clinical activities and the advantages related to the information gathered through regular use of the indicators. CONCLUSIONS.:The PRISM system provides additional information about the healthcare processes with respect to the information gathered via routine information systems, and it might prove useful for both continuous quality improvement programs and health services research.

Data Mining as a Service (DMaaS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tejedor, E.; Piparo, D.; Mascetti, L.; Moscicki, J.; Lamanna, M.; Mato, P.

2016-10-01

Data Mining as a Service (DMaaS) is a software and computing infrastructure that allows interactive mining of scientific data in the cloud. It allows users to run advanced data analyses by leveraging the widely adopted Jupyter notebook interface. Furthermore, the system makes it easier to share results and scientific code, access scientific software, produce tutorials and demonstrations as well as preserve the analyses of scientists. This paper describes how a first pilot of the DMaaS service is being deployed at CERN, starting from the notebook interface that has been fully integrated with the ROOT analysis framework, in order to provide all the tools for scientists to run their analyses. Additionally, we characterise the service backend, which combines a set of IT services such as user authentication, virtual computing infrastructure, mass storage, file synchronisation, development portals or batch systems. The added value acquired by the combination of the aforementioned categories of services is discussed, focusing on the opportunities offered by the CERNBox synchronisation service and its massive storage backend, EOS.

Qualitative evaluation of the Safety and Improvement in Primary Care (SIPC) pilot collaborative in Scotland: perceptions and experiences of participating care teams.

PubMed

Bowie, Paul; Halley, Lyn; Blamey, Avril; Gillies, Jill; Houston, Neil

2016-01-29

To explore general practitioner (GP) team perceptions and experiences of participating in a large-scale safety and improvement pilot programme to develop and test a range of interventions that were largely new to this setting. Qualitative study using semistructured interviews. Data were analysed thematically. Purposive sample of multiprofessional study participants from 11 GP teams based in 3 Scottish National Health Service (NHS) Boards. 27 participants were interviewed. 3 themes were generated: (1) programme experiences and benefits, for example, a majority of participants referred to gaining new theoretical and experiential safety knowledge (such as how unreliable evidence-based care can be) and skills (such as how to search electronic records for undetected risks) related to the programme interventions; (2) improvements to patient care systems, for example, improvements in care systems reliability using care bundles were reported by many, but this was an evolving process strongly dependent on closer working arrangements between clinical and administrative staff; (3) the utility of the programme improvement interventions, for example, mixed views and experiences of participating in the safety climate survey and meeting to reflect on the feedback report provided were apparent. Initial theories on the utilisation and potential impact of some interventions were refined based on evidence. The pilot was positively received with many practices reporting improvements in safety systems, team working and communications with colleagues and patients. Barriers and facilitators were identified related to how interventions were used as the programme evolved, while other challenges around spreading implementation beyond this pilot were highlighted. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Developing and testing accelerated partner therapy for partner notification for people with genital Chlamydia trachomatis diagnosed in primary care: a pilot randomised controlled trial

PubMed Central

Estcourt, Claudia S; Sutcliffe, Lorna J; Copas, Andrew; Mercer, Catherine H; Roberts, Tracy E; Jackson, Louise J; Symonds, Merle; Tickle, Laura; Muniina, Pamela; Rait, Greta; Johnson, Anne M; Aderogba, Kazeem; Creighton, Sarah; Cassell, Jackie A

2015-01-01

Background Accelerated partner therapy (APT) is a promising partner notification (PN) intervention in specialist sexual health clinic attenders. To address its applicability in primary care, we undertook a pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT) of two APT models in community settings. Methods Three-arm pilot RCT of two adjunct APT interventions: APTHotline (telephone assessment of partner(s) plus standard PN) and APTPharmacy (community pharmacist assessment of partner(s) plus routine PN), versus standard PN alone (patient referral). Index patients were women diagnosed with genital chlamydia in 12 general practices and three community contraception and sexual health (CASH) services in London and south coast of England, randomised between 1 September 2011 and 31 July 2013. Results 199 women described 339 male partners, of whom 313 were reported by the index as contactable. The proportions of contactable partners considered treated within 6 weeks of index diagnosis were APTHotline 39/111 (35%), APTPharmacy 46/100 (46%), standard patient referral 46/102 (45%). Among treated partners, 8/39 (21%) in APTHotline arm were treated via hotline and 14/46 (30%) in APTPharmacy arm were treated via pharmacy. Conclusions The two novel primary care APT models were acceptable, feasible, compliant with regulations and capable of achieving acceptable outcomes within a pilot RCT but intervention uptake was low. Although addition of these interventions to standard PN did not result in a difference between arms, overall PN uptake was higher than previously reported in similar settings, probably as a result of introducing a formal evaluation. Recruitment to an individually randomised trial proved challenging and full evaluation will likely require service-level randomisation. Trial registration number Registered UK Clinical Research Network Study Portfolio id number 10123. PMID:26019232

Provision of contraception after emergency contraception from the pharmacy: evaluating the acceptability of pharmacy for providing sexual and reproductive health services.

PubMed

Michie, L; Cameron, S T; Glasier, A; Chen, Z E; Milne, D; Wilson, S

2016-06-01

Community pharmacies in the United Kingdom (UK) provide sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services such as emergency contraception (EC), although there is scope for provision of additional services. We conducted a pilot study of pharmacy based interventions for initiating effective contraception after EC. By determining the views of participating women and pharmacists we aimed to identify barriers and facilitators to providing interventions from pharmacies routinely. In the pilot study, women presenting for levonorgestrel EC to community pharmacies, were provided with either standard care or one of two interventions: one packet of progestogen-only pills (POPs); or an invitation to present the empty EC packet to a local family planning clinic for contraception. A sample of women participating were asked to undergo a further interview. Operational difficulties with research in the community pharmacy were also documented by the research team. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 women, four from each arm of the pilot study, using a standardised topic guide. Pre- and post-study interviews were conducted with the pharmacists involved. All women welcomed the interventions indicating the benefit of having different options available. They also identified possible advantages and disadvantages of each intervention. All pharmacists were positive about their involvement in the study. Methodological problems included difficulty in retention of participating pharmacists, slow recruitment and failure to accurately complete study paperwork. Women welcomed the interventions offered. Pharmacists viewed their participation in the study positively. The problems encountered provide valuable feedback to inform the development larger scale studies of such interventions. Copyright © 2015 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Capacity assessment of selected health care facilities for the pilot implementation of Package for Essential Non-communicable Diseases (PEN) intervention in Ghana.

PubMed

Nyarko, Kofi Mensah; Ameme, Donne Kofi; Ocansey, Dennis; Commeh, Efua; Markwei, Mehitabel Tori; Ohene, Sally-Ann

2016-01-01

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) continue to pose threats to human health and development worldwide. Though preventable, NCDs kill more people annually than all other diseases combined. The four major NCDs namely cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes and cancers share common modifiable risk factors. In order to prevent and control NCDs, Ghana has adopted the World Health Organisation Package for Essential NCD (WHO-PEN) intervention, to be piloted in selected districts before a nationwide scale-up. We assessed the capacity of these facilities for the implementation of the WHO-PEN pilot. We conducted a cross-sectional health facility-based survey using a multistage sampling technique. We collected data on human resource, equipment, service utilization, medicines availability and health financing through interviews and observation. Descriptive data analysis was performed and expressed in frequencies and relative frequencies. In all, 23 health facilities comprising two regional hospitals, three district hospitals, nine health centres and nine Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds from three regions were surveyed. All the hospitals had medical officers whilst 4 (44.4%) of the health centres had physician assistants. Health financing is mainly by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). None of the health facilities had spacers and only one health centre had oxygen cylinder, glucometer and nebulizer. Gaps exist in the human resource capacity and service delivery at the primary care levels, the focus of WHO-PEN intervention. Adequately equipping the primary health care level with trained health workers, basic equipment, medications and diagnostics will optimize the performance of WHO-PEN intervention when implemented.

Capacity assessment of selected health care facilities for the pilot implementation of Package for Essential Non-communicable Diseases (PEN) intervention in Ghana

PubMed Central

Nyarko, Kofi Mensah; Ameme, Donne Kofi; Ocansey, Dennis; Commeh, Efua; Markwei, Mehitabel Tori; Ohene, Sally-Ann

2016-01-01

Introduction Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) continue to pose threats to human health and development worldwide. Though preventable, NCDs kill more people annually than all other diseases combined. The four major NCDs namely cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes and cancers share common modifiable risk factors. In order to prevent and control NCDs, Ghana has adopted the World Health Organisation Package for Essential NCD (WHO-PEN) intervention, to be piloted in selected districts before a nationwide scale-up. We assessed the capacity of these facilities for the implementation of the WHO-PEN pilot. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional health facility-based survey using a multistage sampling technique. We collected data on human resource, equipment, service utilization, medicines availability and health financing through interviews and observation. Descriptive data analysis was performed and expressed in frequencies and relative frequencies. Results In all, 23 health facilities comprising two regional hospitals, three district hospitals, nine health centres and nine Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds from three regions were surveyed. All the hospitals had medical officers whilst 4 (44.4%) of the health centres had physician assistants. Health financing is mainly by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). None of the health facilities had spacers and only one health centre had oxygen cylinder, glucometer and nebulizer. Conclusion Gaps exist in the human resource capacity and service delivery at the primary care levels, the focus of WHO-PEN intervention. Adequately equipping the primary health care level with trained health workers, basic equipment, medications and diagnostics will optimize the performance of WHO-PEN intervention when implemented. PMID:28149441

The Holistic Development of Teachers: A Conceptual Model of Integrative Education and Pilot Program for Pre-Service Teachers Based on Mindfulness and Social Emotional Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMullin, Laura

2014-01-01

This dissertation explores the role that teacher education can play in preparing new teachers to meet the challenges of the profession by offering a more holistic approach to preservice education. Upon entering the classroom, new teachers are oftentimes overwhelmed with the realities of teaching and feel unprepared to handle the challenges they…

Can laboratory and pilot recycling trials predict adhesive removal in commercial recycling systems? : results from the USPS environmentally benign stamp project

Treesearch

Carl Houtman; Daniel Seiter; Nancy Ross Sutherland; Donald Donermeyer

2002-01-01

The ultimate goal of the US Postal Service (USPS) Environmentally Benign Stamp Program is to develop stamp laminates, i.e., face paper, adhesive and siliconized liner, that do not cause difficulties in recycling mills. The criterion for success, and the USPS definition of benignity, is the avoidance of process and product quality hardships when such PSA laminates are...

Pre-flight risk assessment in emergency medical service (EMS) helicopters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shively, Robert J.

1990-01-01

A preflight risk assessment system (SAFE) was developed at NASA-Ames Research Center for civil EMS operations to assist pilots in making a decision objectively to accept or decline a mission. The ability of the SAFE system to predict risk profiles was examined at an EMS operator. Results of this field study showed that the usefulness of SAFE was largely dependent on the type of mission flown.

NASA aviation safety reporting system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

A decline in reports concerning small aircraft was noted; more reports involved transport aircraft, professional pilots, instrument meteorological conditions, and weather problems. A study of 136 reports of operational problems in terminal radar service areas was made. Pilot, controller, and system factors were found to be associated with these occurrences. Information transfer difficulties were prominent. Misunderstandings by pilots, and in some cases by controllers, of the policies and limitations of terminal radar programs were observed.

Foale works with the Pilot experiment during Expedition 8

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-10-31

ISS008-E-05181 (31 October 2003) --- Astronaut C. Michael Foale, Expedition 8 mission commander and NASA ISS science officer, works with the Russian biomedical “Pilot” experiment (MBI-15) in the Zvezda Service Module on the International Space Station (ISS). The experiment, which looks at psychological and physiological changes in crew performance during long-duration spaceflight, requires a worktable, ankle restraint system and two control handles for testing piloting skill.

Service Quality, User Satisfaction and Net-Benefits' Effect on e-School Success: The Case of NEPAD's e-School Pilot in Kenya

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nyagowa, Hesbon O.; Ocholla, Dennis N.; Mutula, Stephen M.

2013-01-01

This study was conducted to determine the effect of a set of dimensions on e-School success in a cross-sectional study of NEPAD's e-School pilot in Kenya. All of the six e-Schools participating in the NEPAD's e-School pilot in Kenya were selected. The study used survey methodology. Students and teachers in those schools formed the study…

A pilot-study of a worksite based participatory intervention program: Its acceptability and short-term effects on work climate and attitudes in human service employees.

PubMed

Nylén, Eva Charlotta; Lindfors, Petra; Ishäll, Lars; Göransson, Sara; Aronsson, Gunnar; Kylin, Camilla; Sverke, Magnus

2017-01-01

Psychosocial factors, including job demands and poor resources, have been linked to stress, health problems, and negative job attitudes. However, worksite based interventions and programs targeting psychosocial factors may change employees' perceptions of their work climate and work attitudes. This pilot study describes a newly developed worksite based participatory organizational intervention program that was tested in the social service sector. It is evaluated using participants' perceptions of the intervention to investigate its acceptability as a feature of feasibility and its short-term effects on work climate factors (job demands and resources) and work-related attitudes. Forty employees of a Swedish social service unit provided self-reports before, during, and after the intervention. As for effects, quantitative role overload and social support decreased while turnover intention increased. Responses to an open-ended question showed that participants considered the intervention program valuable for addressing issues relating to the psychosocial work climate. Although the findings are preliminary, it was possible to carry out this worksite based participatory organizational program in this particular setting. Also, the preliminary findings underscore the challenges associated with designing and implementing this type of intervention program, thus adding to the methodological discussion on implementation and evaluation.

Carer Appraisal Scale: A Pilot Study of a Novel Carer-Based Assessment of Patient Functioning.

PubMed

Jeyasingam, Neil

2018-03-01

Measurement of patient outcomes is an integral part of mental health service evaluation, as well as guiding clinical practice to ensure best outcomes for patients. Moreover, carers have long held a need for a voice in care outcomes. Despite there existing numerous tools for quantifying patient functioning based on clinician assessments or self-reports, there is a serious paucity of tools available for the carers of patients to appraise their functioning. This tool, developed for use in a community aged care psychiatric service, involves 4 sections-a global impression of patient progress, a scorable checklist of patient functioning in multiple domains, a qualitative section for identifying the most pressing concerns from the carer's perspective, and an open-ended feedback on treatment to date. In this pilot study, the Carer Appraisal Scale was found to have a fair correlation with the Health of Nation Outcomes Scale for over 65. This tool has potential for use in community aged care psychiatric services, as it provides a framework for communication of concerns, assists in prioritizing care, and adds value to clinician treatment plans, as well as providing another dimension to assessment of the patient while empowering carers in care participation. Practical implications of its use, limitations, and potential for modifications are also discussed.

Social franchising primary healthcare clinics--a model for South African National Health Insurance?

PubMed

Robinson, Andrew Ken Lacey

2015-09-21

This article describes the first government social franchise initiative in the world to deliver a 'brand' of quality primary healthcare (PHC) clinic services. Quality and standards of care are not uniformly and reliably delivered across government PHC clinics in North West Province, South Africa, despite government support, numerous policies, guidelines and in-service training sessions provided to staff. Currently the strongest predictor of good-quality service is the skill and dedication of the facility manager. A project utilising the social franchising business model, harvesting best practices, has been implemented with the aim of developing a system to ensure reliably excellent healthcare service provision in every facility in North West. The services of social franchising consultants have been procured to develop the business model to drive this initiative. Best practices have been benchmarked, and policies, guidelines and clinic support systems have been reviewed, evaluated and assessed, and incorporated into the business plan. A pilot clinic has been selected to refine and develop a working social franchise model. This will then be replicated in one clinic to confirm proof of concept before further scale-up. The social franchise business model can provide solutions to a reliable and recognisable 'brand' of quality universal coverage of healthcare services.

Implementing Service Learning into a Graduate Social Work Course: A Step-by-Step Guide

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Evelyn Marie

2012-01-01

Service learning is a powerful pedagogical tool linking community service to academic learning. Several steps are necessary to implement service learning effectively into the curriculum. This study uses a case example as an exploratory study to pilot-test data on how service learning impacts student outcomes. The paper will (1) provide an overview…

PILOTS NEEDED NCOS WELCOME: HOW ENLISTED RPA PILOTS CAN ENSURE AIR SUPERIORITY IN THE 21ST CENTURY

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-01

Satisfaction ………………………………………………………………………12 Recruiting and Retention………………...…………...………………………………14 Enlisted Pilot... satisfaction ” of the RPA pilots in the Army.31 The Army has kept the drone 8 operator connected to other normal Army operations, which could...explain the higher level of job satisfaction .32 Army and Marine RPA pilots are enlisted service members. This approach could be used as an example for

PROTECT: A Pilot Program to Integrate Mental Health Treatment Into Elder Abuse Services for Older Women.

PubMed

Sirey, Jo Anne; Halkett, Ashley; Chambers, Stephanie; Salamone, Aurora; Bruce, Martha L; Raue, Patrick J; Berman, Jacquelin

2015-01-01

The goal of this pilot program was to test the usefulness of adapted Problem-Solving Therapy (PST) and anxiety management, called PROTECT, integrated into elder abuse services to reduce depression and improve self-efficacy. Depressed women victims were randomized to receive elder abuse resolution services combined with either PROTECT or a mental health referral. At follow-up, the PROTECT group showed greater reduction in depressive symptoms and endorsed greater improved self-efficacy in problem-solving when compared to those in the Referral condition. These preliminary findings support the potential usefulness of PROTECT to alleviate depressive symptoms and enhance personal resources among abused older women.

An Analysis of Oregon State University's Total Quality Management Pilot Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coate, L. Edwin

1993-01-01

Adaptation of the Total Quality Management approach to organizational improvement at Oregon State University involved creation of 10 pilot finance and administration teams and implementation of a 10-step problem-solving process. The approach has improved staff morale as well as client services. (MSE)

Development of a pharmacy resident rotation to expand decentralized clinical pharmacy services.

PubMed

Hill, John D; Williams, Jonathan P; Barnes, Julie F; Greenlee, Katie M; Cardiology, Bcps-Aq; Leonard, Mandy C

2017-07-15

The development of a pharmacy resident rotation to expand decentralized clinical pharmacy services is described. In an effort to align with the initiatives proposed within the ASHP Practice Advancement Initiative, the department of pharmacy at Cleveland Clinic, a 1,400-bed academic, tertiary acute care medical center in Cleveland, Ohio, established a goal to provide decentralized clinical pharmacy services for 100% of patient care units within the hospital. Patient care units that previously had no decentralized pharmacy services were evaluated to identify opportunities for expansion. Metrics analyzed included number of medication orders verified per hour, number of pharmacy dosing consultations, and number of patient discharge counseling sessions. A pilot study was conducted to assess the feasibility of this service and potential resident learning opportunities. A learning experience description was drafted, and feedback was solicited regarding the development of educational components utilized throughout the rotation. Pharmacists who were providing services to similar patient populations were identified to serve as preceptors. Staff pharmacists were deployed to previously uncovered patient care units, with pharmacy residents providing decentralized services on previously covered areas. A rotating preceptor schedule was developed based on geographic proximity and clinical expertise. An initial postimplementation assessment of this resident-driven service revealed that pharmacy residents provided a comparable level of pharmacy services to that of staff pharmacists. Feedback collected from nurses, physicians, and pharmacy staff also supported residents' ability to operate sufficiently in this role to optimize patient care. A learning experience developed for pharmacy residents in a large medical center enabled the expansion of decentralized clinical services without requiring additional pharmacist full-time equivalents. Copyright © 2017 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.

Personalised Hip Therapy: development of a non-operative protocol to treat femoroacetabular impingement syndrome in the FASHIoN randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Wall, Peter Dh; Dickenson, Edward J; Robinson, David; Hughes, Ivor; Realpe, Alba; Hobson, Rachel; Griffin, Damian R; Foster, Nadine E

2016-10-01

Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) syndrome is increasingly recognised as a cause of hip pain. As part of the design of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) of arthroscopic surgery for FAI syndrome, we developed a protocol for non-operative care and evaluated its feasibility. In phase one, we developed a protocol for non-operative care for FAI in the UK National Health Service (NHS), through a process of systematic review and consensus gathering. In phase two, the protocol was tested in an internal pilot RCT for protocol adherence and adverse events. The final protocol, called Personalised Hip Therapy (PHT), consists of four core components led by physiotherapists: detailed patient assessment, education and advice, help with pain relief and an exercise-based programme that is individualised, supervised and progressed over time. PHT is delivered over 12-26 weeks in 6-10 physiotherapist-patient contacts, supplemented by a home exercise programme. In the pilot RCT, 42 patients were recruited and 21 randomised to PHT. Review of treatment case report forms, completed by physiotherapists, showed that 13 patients (62%) received treatment that had closely followed the PHT protocol. 13 patients reported some muscle soreness at 6 weeks, but there were no serious adverse events. PHT provides a structure for the non-operative care of FAI and offers guidance to clinicians and researchers in an evolving area with limited evidence. PHT was deliverable within the National Health Service, is safe, and now forms the comparator to arthroscopic surgery in the UK FASHIoN trial (ISRCTN64081839). ISRCTN 09754699. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Applying a Total Market Lens: Increased IUD Service Delivery Through Complementary Public- and Private-Sector Interventions in 4 Countries

PubMed Central

White, Julia N; Corker, Jamaica

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Increasing access to the intrauterine device (IUD), as part of a comprehensive method mix, is a key strategy for reducing unintended pregnancy and maternal mortality in low-income countries. To expand access to IUDs within the framework of informed choice, Population Services International (PSI) has historically supported increased IUD service delivery through private providers. In applying a total market lens to better understand the family planning market and address major market gaps, PSI identified a lack of high-quality public provision of IUDs. In 2013, PSI started a pilot in 4 countries (Guatemala, Laos, Mali, and Uganda) to grow public-provider IUD service delivery through increased public-sector engagement while maintaining its ongoing focus on private providers. In collaboration with country governments, PSI affiliates carried out family planning market analyses in the 4 pilot countries to identify gaps in IUD service delivery and create sustainable strategies for scaling up IUD services in the public sector. Country-specific interventions to increase service delivery were implemented across all levels of the public health system, including targeted advocacy at the national level to promote government ownership and program sustainability. Mechanisms to ensure government ownership were built into the program design, including a proof-of-concept approach to convince governments of the feasibility and value of taking over and scaling up interventions. In the first 2 years of the pilot (2013–2014), 102,055 IUD services were provided to women at 417 targeted public-sector facilities. These preliminary results suggest that there is untapped demand for IUD service delivery in the public sector that can be met in part through greater participation of the public sector in family planning and IUD provision. PMID:27540122

Applying a Total Market Lens: Increased IUD Service Delivery Through Complementary Public- and Private-Sector Interventions in 4 Countries.

PubMed

White, Julia N; Corker, Jamaica

2016-08-11

Increasing access to the intrauterine device (IUD), as part of a comprehensive method mix, is a key strategy for reducing unintended pregnancy and maternal mortality in low-income countries. To expand access to IUDs within the framework of informed choice, Population Services International (PSI) has historically supported increased IUD service delivery through private providers. In applying a total market lens to better understand the family planning market and address major market gaps, PSI identified a lack of high-quality public provision of IUDs. In 2013, PSI started a pilot in 4 countries (Guatemala, Laos, Mali, and Uganda) to grow public-provider IUD service delivery through increased public-sector engagement while maintaining its ongoing focus on private providers. In collaboration with country governments, PSI affiliates carried out family planning market analyses in the 4 pilot countries to identify gaps in IUD service delivery and create sustainable strategies for scaling up IUD services in the public sector. Country-specific interventions to increase service delivery were implemented across all levels of the public health system, including targeted advocacy at the national level to promote government ownership and program sustainability. Mechanisms to ensure government ownership were built into the program design, including a proof-of-concept approach to convince governments of the feasibility and value of taking over and scaling up interventions. In the first 2 years of the pilot (2013-2014), 102,055 IUD services were provided to women at 417 targeted public-sector facilities. These preliminary results suggest that there is untapped demand for IUD service delivery in the public sector that can be met in part through greater participation of the public sector in family planning and IUD provision. © White et al.

Development and formative evaluation of an innovative mHealth intervention for improving coverage of community-based maternal, newborn and child health services in rural areas of India

PubMed Central

Modi, Dhiren; Gopalan, Ravi; Shah, Shobha; Venkatraman, Sethuraman; Desai, Gayatri; Desai, Shrey; Shah, Pankaj

2015-01-01

Background A new cadre of village-based frontline health workers, called Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs), was created in India. However, coverage of selected community-based maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) services remains low. Objective This article describes the process of development and formative evaluation of a complex mHealth intervention (ImTeCHO) to increase the coverage of proven MNCH services in rural India by improving the performance of ASHAs. Design The Medical Research Council (MRC) framework for developing complex interventions was used. Gaps were identified in the usual care provided by ASHAs, based on a literature search, and SEWA Rural's1 three decades of grassroots experience. The components of the intervention (mHealth strategies) were designed to overcome the gaps in care. The intervention, in the form of the ImTeCHO mobile phone and web application, along with the delivery model, was developed to incorporate these mHealth strategies. The intervention was piloted through 45 ASHAs among 45 villages in Gujarat (population: 45,000) over 7 months in 2013 to assess the acceptability, feasibility, and usefulness of the intervention and to identify barriers to its delivery. Results Inadequate supervision and support to ASHAs were noted as a gap in usual care, resulting in low coverage of selected MNCH services and care received by complicated cases. Therefore, the ImTeCHO application was developed to integrate mHealth strategies in the form of job aid to ASHAs to assist with scheduling, behavior change communication, diagnosis, and patient management, along with supervision and support of ASHAs. During the pilot, the intervention and its delivery were found to be largely acceptable, feasible, and useful. A few changes were made to the intervention and its delivery, including 1) a new helpline for ASHAs, 2) further simplification of processes within the ImTeCHO incentive management system and 3) additional web-based features for enhancing value and supervision of Primary Health Center (PHC) staff. Conclusions The effectiveness of the improved ImTeCHO intervention will be now tested through a cluster randomized trial. PMID:25697233

Improving the healthcare response to domestic violence and abuse in sexual health clinics: feasibility study of a training, support and referral intervention

PubMed Central

Sohal, Alex Hardip; Pathak, Neha; Blake, Sarah; Apea, Vanessa; Berry, Judith; Bailey, Jayne; Griffiths, Chris; Feder, Gene

2018-01-01

Objectives Sexual health and gynaecological problems are the most consistent and largest physical health differences between abused and non-abused female populations. Sexual health services are well placed to identify and support patients experiencing domestic violence and abuse (DVA). Most sexual health professionals have had minimal DVA training despite English National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommendations. We sought to determine the feasibility of an evidence-based complex DVA training intervention in female sexual health walk-in services (IRIS ADViSE: Identification and Referral to Improve Safety whilst Assessing Domestic Violence in Sexual Health Environments). Methods An adaptive mixed method pilot study in the female walk-in service of two sexual health clinics. Following implementation and evaluation at site 1, the intervention was refined before implementation at site 2. The intervention comprised electronic prompts, multidisciplinary training sessions, clinic materials and simple referral pathways to IRIS ADViSE advocate-educators (AEs). The pilot lasted 7 weeks at site 1 and 12 weeks at site 2. Feasibility outcomes were to assign a supportive DVA clinical lead, an IRIS ADViSE AE employed by a local DVA service provider, adapt electronic records, develop local referral pathways, assess whether enquiry, identification and referral rates were measurable. Results Both sites achieved all feasibility outcomes: appointing a supportive DVA clinical lead and IRIS ADViSE AE, establishing links with a local DVA provider, adapting electronic records, developing local referral pathways and rates of enquiry, identification and referral were found to be measurable. Site 1: 10% enquiry rate (n=267), 4% identification rate (n=16) and eight AE referrals. Site 2: 61% enquiry rate (n=1090), a 7% identification rate (n=79) and eight AE referrals. Conclusions IRIS ADViSE can be successfully developed and implemented in sexual health clinics. It fulfils the unmet need for DVA training. Longer-term evaluation is recommended. PMID:28724743

A Pilot Study of a Criminal Justice Service-Learning Course: The Value of a Multicultural Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hirschinger-Blank, Nancy; Simons, Lori; Finley, Laura; Clearly, Joseph; Thoerig, Michael

2013-01-01

This article provides a description and evaluation of a service-learning juvenile justice course designed to broaden university students' attitudes toward diversity issues. Diversity service learning integrates academic learning with community service by providing students with opportunities to learn about social disparities associated with…

[Implementation and evaluation of case management in Catalonia: the ISP-SMD program].

PubMed

Balsera Gómez, J; Rodríguez Medina, C; Caba Calvet, R; Vega Prada, R; Ruiz Ureña, H; Berruezo Ortiz, L; Clusa Gironella, D; Rodríguez Montes, M J; Haro Abad, J M

2002-01-01

The pilot study of the Individualized Service Program for people with Severe Mental Disorders (ISP-SMD) consists of the implementation of case management services in Catalonia. The ISP-SMD has been implemented in two health care sectors and will be expanded to the rest of Catalonia in the next years. The program serves people with persistent mental disorders who have serious social or family problems and/or who have inadequate mental health service use (high use of inpatient services, no use of community services). The ISP-SMD is a community intervention program that focuses its activities on direct care and coordination between services. Thirty patients have been included in the evaluation. The results of the pilot study have shown that, compared to the year before entering the program, the patients show better clinical status, they decrease their unmet need level, they have more appropriate use of health services and have lower treatment costs. Satisfaction of the patients, family members and professionals with the program is very high. It is possible to adapt and implement case management services in Catalonia. When implemented, they improve patient quality of life.

Comparing hospital staff and patient perceptions of customer service: a pilot study utilizing survey and focus group data.

PubMed

Fottler, Myron D; Dickson, Duncan; Ford, Robert C; Bradley, Kenneth; Johnson, Lee

2006-02-01

The measurement of patient satisfaction is crucial to enhancing customer service and competitive advantage in the health-care industry. While there are numerous approaches to such measurement, this paper provides a case study which compares and contrasts patient and staff perceptions of customer service using both survey and focus group data. Results indicate that there is a high degree of correlation between staff and patient perceptions of customer service based on both survey and focus group data. However, the staff and patient subgroups also provided complementary information regarding patient perceptions of their service experience. Staff members tended to have more negative perceptions of service attributes than did the patients themselves. The focus group results provide complementary information to survey results in terms of greater detail and more managerially relevant information. While these results are derived from a pilot study, they suggest that diversification of data sources beyond patient surveys may enhance the utility of customer service information. If further research can affirm these findings, they create exciting possibilities for gathering valid, reliable and cost-effective customer service information.

Implementation of Telemedicine Consultation to Assess Unplanned Transfers in Rural Long-Term Care Facilities, 2012-2015: A Pilot Study.

PubMed

Hofmeyer, Joshua; Leider, Jonathon P; Satorius, Jennifer; Tanenbaum, Erin; Basel, David; Knudson, Alana

2016-11-01

Public and private entities in the United States spend billions of dollars each year on potentially avoidable hospitalizations. This is a common occurrence in long-term care (LTC) facilities, especially in rural jurisdictions. This article details the creation of a telemedicine approach to assess residents from rural LTC facilities for potential transfer to hospitals. An electronic LTC (eLTC) pilot was conducted in 20 pilot LTC facilities from 2012-2015. Each site underwent technologic assessment and upgrading to ensure that 2-way video communication was possible. A new central "hub" was staffed with advanced practice providers and registered nurses. Long-term care pilot sites were trained and rolled out over 3 years. This article reports development and implementation of the pilot, as well as descriptive statistics associated with provider assessments and averted transfers. Over 3 years, 736 eLTC consultations occurred in pilot sites. One-quarter of consultations occurred between 10 pm and 9 am. Overall, approximately 31% of cases were transferred. This decreased from 54% of cases in 2013 to 17% in 2015. Rural pilot facilities had an average of 23 eLTC consults per site per year. Averted transfers represent a dramatic benefit to the residents, as potentially avoidable hospitalizations cause undue stress and allow for nosocomial infections, among other risks. In addition, averting these unnecessary transfers likely saved the taxpayers of the United States over $5 million in admission-related charges to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (511 avoided transfers × $11,000 per average hospitalization from a LTC facility). Overall, the eLTC pilot showed promise as a proof-of-concept. The pilot's implementation resulted in increasing utilization and promising reductions in unnecessary transfers to emergency departments and hospitalizations. Copyright © 2016 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. All rights reserved.

Musculoskeletal impairment survey in Rwanda: Design of survey tool, survey methodology, and results of the pilot study (a cross sectional survey)

PubMed Central

Atijosan, Oluwarantimi; Kuper, Hannah; Rischewski, Dorothea; Simms, Victoria; Lavy, Christopher

2007-01-01

Background Musculoskeletal impairment (MSI) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, especially in developing countries. Prevalence studies for MSI in the developing world have used varying methodologies and are seldom directly comparable. This study aimed to develop a new tool to screen for and diagnose MSI and to pilot test the methodology for a national survey in Rwanda. Methods A 7 question screening tool to identify cases of MSI was developed through literature review and discussions with healthcare professionals. To validate the tool, trained rehabilitation technicians screened 93 previously identified gold standard 'cases' and 86 'non cases'. Sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value were calculated. A standardised examination protocol was developed to determine the aetiology and diagnosis of MSI for those who fail the screening test. For the national survey in Rwanda, multistage cluster random sampling, with probability proportional to size procedures will be used for selection of a cross-sectional, nationally representative sample of the population. Households to be surveyed will be chosen through compact segment sampling and all individuals within chosen households will be screened. A pilot survey of 680 individuals was conducted using the protocol. Results: The screening tool demonstrated 99% sensitivity and 97% specificity for MSI, and a positive predictive value of 98%. During the pilot study 468 out of 680 eligible subjects (69%) were screened. 45 diagnoses were identified in 38 persons who were cases of MSI. The subjects were grouped into categories based on diagnostic subgroups of congenital (1), traumatic (17), infective (2) neurological (6) and other acquired(19). They were also separated into mild (42.1%), moderate (42.1%) and severe (15.8%) cases, using an operational definition derived from the World Health Organisation's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. Conclusion: The screening tool had good sensitivity and specificity and was appropriate for use in a national survey. The pilot study showed that the survey protocol was appropriate for measuring the prevalence of MSI in Rwanda. This survey is an important step to building a sound epidemiological understanding of MSI, to enable appropriate health service planning. PMID:17391509

Rationale, design and pilot feasibility results of a smartphone-assisted, mindfulness-based intervention for smokers with mood disorders: Project mSMART MIND.

PubMed

Minami, Haruka; Brinkman, Hannah R; Nahvi, Shadi; Arnsten, Julia H; Rivera-Mindt, Monica; Wetter, David W; Bloom, Erika Litvin; Price, Lawrence H; Vieira, Carlos; Donnelly, Remington; McClain, Lauren M; Kennedy, Katherine A; D'Aquila, Erica; Fine, Micki; McCarthy, Danielle E; Graham Thomas, J; Hecht, Jacki; Brown, Richard A

2018-03-01

Although individuals with psychiatric disorders are disproportionately affected by cigarette smoking, few outpatient mental health treatment facilities offer smoking cessation services. In this paper, we describe the development of a smartphone-assisted mindfulness smoking cessation intervention with contingency management (SMI-CM), as well as the design and methods of an ongoing pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) targeting smokers receiving outpatient psychiatric treatment. We also report the results of an open-label pilot feasibility study. In phase 1, we developed and pilot-tested SMI-CM, which includes a smartphone intervention app that prompts participants to practice mindfulness, complete ecological momentary assessment (EMA) reports 5 times per day, and submit carbon monoxide (CO) videos twice per day. Participants earned incentives if submitted videos showed CO≤6ppm. In phase 2, smokers receiving outpatient treatment for mood disorders are randomized to receive SMI-CM or enhanced standard treatment plus non-contingent CM (EST). The results from the pilot feasibility study (N=8) showed that participants practiced mindfulness an average of 3.4times/day (≥3min), completed 72.3% of prompted EMA reports, and submitted 68.0% of requested CO videos. Participants reported that the program was helpful overall (M=4.85/5) and that daily mindfulness practice was helpful for both managing mood and quitting smoking (Ms=4.50/5). The results from the feasibility study indicated high levels of acceptability and satisfaction with SMI-CM. The ongoing RCT will allow evaluation of the efficacy and mechanisms of action underlying SMI-CM for improving cessation rates among smokers with mood disorders. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Seaside, Oregon, Tsunami Vulnerability Assessment Pilot Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dunbar, P. K.; Dominey-Howes, D.; Varner, J.

2006-12-01

The results of a pilot study to assess the risk from tsunamis for the Seaside-Gearhart, Oregon region will be presented. To determine the risk from tsunamis, it is first necessary to establish the hazard or probability that a tsunami of a particular magnitude will occur within a certain period of time. Tsunami inundation maps that provide 100-year and 500-year probabilistic tsunami wave height contours for the Seaside-Gearhart, Oregon, region were developed as part of an interagency Tsunami Pilot Study(1). These maps provided the probability of the tsunami hazard. The next step in determining risk is to determine the vulnerability or degree of loss resulting from the occurrence of tsunamis due to exposure and fragility. The tsunami vulnerability assessment methodology used in this study was developed by M. Papathoma and others(2). This model incorporates multiple factors (e.g. parameters related to the natural and built environments and socio-demographics) that contribute to tsunami vulnerability. Data provided with FEMA's HAZUS loss estimation software and Clatsop County, Oregon, tax assessment data were used as input to the model. The results, presented within a geographic information system, reveal the percentage of buildings in need of reinforcement and the population density in different inundation depth zones. These results can be used for tsunami mitigation, local planning, and for determining post-tsunami disaster response by emergency services. (1)Tsunami Pilot Study Working Group, Seaside, Oregon Tsunami Pilot Study--Modernization of FEMA Flood Hazard Maps, Joint NOAA/USGS/FEMA Special Report, U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2006, Final Draft. (2)Papathoma, M., D. Dominey-Howes, D.,Y. Zong, D. Smith, Assessing Tsunami Vulnerability, an example from Herakleio, Crete, Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, Vol. 3, 2003, p. 377-389.

Measuring Primary Teachers' Attitudes Toward Teaching Science: Development of the Dimensions of Attitude Toward Science (DAS) Instrument

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Aalderen-Smeets, Sandra; Walma van der Molen, Juliette

2013-03-01

In this article, we present a valid and reliable instrument which measures the attitude of in-service and pre-service primary teachers toward teaching science, called the Dimensions of Attitude Toward Science (DAS) Instrument. Attention to the attitudes of primary teachers toward teaching science is of fundamental importance to the professionalization of these teachers in the field of primary science education. With the development of this instrument, we sought to fulfill the need for a statistically and theoretically valid and reliable instrument to measure pre-service and in-service teachers' attitudes. The DAS Instrument is based on a comprehensive theoretical framework for attitude toward (teaching) science. After pilot testing, the DAS was revised and subsequently validated using a large group of respondents (pre-service and in-service primary teachers) (N = 556). The theoretical underpinning of the DAS combined with the statistical data indicate that the DAS possesses good construct validity and that it proves to be a promising instrument that can be utilized for research purposes, and also as a teacher training and coaching tool. This instrument can therefore make a valuable contribution to progress within the field of science education.

46 CFR 272.23 - Examples of ineligible expenses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... loading of stores, the landing and sorting of laundry, pilot service, tug charges, removing surplus... or otherwise equip a vessel for its intended subsidized service which MARAD determines should have been performed before the initial entry of the vessel into subsidized service; (b) Convenience items...

Transportation infrastructure and quality of life for disadvantage populations: a pilot study of El Cenizo Colonia in Texas.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-09-01

This research is a pilot study aimed to identify environmental characteristics in colonias that are : related to infrastructure and safety, access to goods and services, and quality of life. A secondary objective : consisted of evaluating a variety o...

Achieving Competence: Army-VOTEC School Partnership Pilot Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stout, Mary W.

To reduce Army training costs, the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) investigated use of training at civilian secondary and postsecondary vocational-technical (VOTEC) institutions as an alternative to initial job training in Army service schools. Three models were used in the pilot study: the preservice training model in which…

38 CFR 64.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... THE RURAL VETERANS COORDINATION PILOT (RVCP) § 64.2 Definitions. For the purpose of this part and any... health care means residing in an area identified by the Health Resources and Services Administration of... area classified as “rural” by the U.S. Census Bureau. Rural Veterans Coordination Pilot (RVCP) refers...

38 CFR 64.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... THE RURAL VETERANS COORDINATION PILOT (RVCP) § 64.2 Definitions. For the purpose of this part and any... health care means residing in an area identified by the Health Resources and Services Administration of... area classified as “rural” by the U.S. Census Bureau. Rural Veterans Coordination Pilot (RVCP) refers...

Evaluation of the Attendant Care Pilot Project. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Anne; Faragher, Jean

An Attendant Care Pilot Project, administered by the Home Care Service of New South Wales, Australia, and providing attendant care for 24 permanently severely physically disabled adults for 2 years, was evaluated. The patients were medically stable and intellectually capable of managing their own affairs; all had impairments which required…

View of Eratosthenes and Copernicus craters

NASA Image and Video Library

1972-12-13

AS17-145-22285 (7-19 Dec. 1972) --- This is a view of the Eratosthenes Crater, taken looking southward from the Command and Service Module (CSM), being piloted by astronaut Ronald E. Evans. Copernicus is on the horizon. The other astronauts are Eugene A. Cernan, commander; and Harrison H. Schmitt, lunar module pilot.

76 FR 13414 - Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Emphasis Panel (SEP): Pilot...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-11

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Emphasis Panel (SEP): Pilot Longitudinal Data Collection To Inform Public Health--Fragile X Syndrome, DD11-007, Initial Review Notice of Cancellation: This...

Port Needs Study (Vessel Traffic Services Benefits). Volume 2: Appendices. Part 2

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-08-01

their pilots near Execution Rocks. Pilots for Long Island Sound are available from the Constitution State Pilots Association (Hartford, CT) , Northeast...conditions of weather and for dangerous cargoes, and may become a mandatory system in the near future. Recreational craft are asked to monitor VHF-FM...cameras have been installed atop the tower at Yerba Buena Island ( near VTC). One of the cameras is a Low Light Level (LLTV) type. These cameras

Improving service user self-management: development and implementation of a strategy for the Richmond Response and Rehabilitation Team.

PubMed

Sanders, Julie; Fitzpatrick, Joanne M

2017-01-01

Community rapid response and rehabilitation teams are used to prevent avoidable hospital admissions for adults living with multiple long-term conditions and to support early hospital discharge by providing short-term intensive multidisciplinary support. Supporting self-management is an important service intervention if desired outcomes are to be achieved. A Care Quality Commission inspection of the Richmond Response and Rehabilitation Team in 2014 identified that self-management plans were not routinely developed with service users and reported this as requiring improvement. This quality improvement project aimed to develop and implement a self-management strategy for service users and for 90% of service users to have a personalised self-management plan within 3 months. The quality improvement intervention used the Plan-Do-Study-Act model comprising: (1) the development of a self-management plan, (2) staff education to support service users to self-manage using motivational interviewing techniques, (3) piloting the self-management plan with service users, (4) implementation of the self-management plan and (5) monthly audit and feedback. Evaluation involved an audit of the number and quality of self-management plans developed with service users and a survey of staff knowledge and confidence to support service users to self-manage. Following implementation of the intervention, the number of self-management plans developed in collaboration with service users increased from 0 to 187 over a 4-week period. Monthly audit data confirmed that this improvement has been sustained. Results indicated that staff knowledge and confidence improved after an education intervention. Quality improvement methods facilitated development and operationalisation of a self-management strategy by a community rapid response and rehabilitation team. The next phase of the project is to evaluate the impact of the self-management strategy on key service outcomes including self-efficacy, unplanned and emergency hospital admissions and early discharges.

Assessing the elimination of user fees for delivery services in Laos.

PubMed

Boudreaux, Chantelle; Chanthala, Phetdara; Lindelow, Magnus

2014-01-01

A pilot eliminating user fees associated with delivery at the point of services was introduced in two districts of Laos in March 2009. Following two years of implementation, an evaluation was conducted to assess the pilot impact, as well as to document the pilot design and implementation challenges. Study results show that, even in the presence of the substantial access and cultural barriers, user fees associated with delivery at health facilities act as a serious deterrent to care seeking behavior. We find a tripling of facility-based delivery rates in the intervention areas, compared to a 40% increase in the control areas. While findings from the control region suggest that facility-based delivery rates may be on the rise across the country, the substantially higher increase in the pilot areas highlight the impact of financial burden associated with facility-based delivery fees. These fees can play an important role in rapidly increasing the uptake of facility delivery to reach the national targets and, ultimately, to improve maternal and child health outcomes. The pilot achieved important gains while relying heavily on capacity and systems already in place. However, the high cost associated with monitoring and evaluation suggest broad-scale expansion of the pilot activities is likely to necessitate targeted capacity building initiatives, especially in areas with limited district level capacity to manage funds and deliver detailed and timely reports.

PREFER: a European service providing forest fire management support products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eftychidis, George; Laneve, Giovanni; Ferrucci, Fabrizio; Sebastian Lopez, Ana; Lourenco, Louciano; Clandillon, Stephen; Tampellini, Lucia; Hirn, Barbara; Diagourtas, Dimitris; Leventakis, George

2015-06-01

PREFER is a Copernicus project of the EC-FP7 program which aims developing spatial information products that may support fire prevention and burned areas restoration decisions and establish a relevant web-based regional service for making these products available to fire management stakeholders. The service focuses to the Mediterranean region, where fire risk is high and damages from wildfires are quite important, and develop its products for pilot areas located in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France and Greece. PREFER aims to allow fire managers to have access to online resources, which shall facilitate fire prevention measures, fire hazard and risk assessment, estimation of fire impact and damages caused by wildfire as well as support monitoring of post-fire regeneration and vegetation recovery. It makes use of a variety of products delivered by space borne sensors and develop seasonal and daily products using multi-payload, multi-scale and multi-temporal analysis of EO data. The PREFER Service portfolio consists of two main suite of products. The first refers to mapping products for supporting decisions concerning the Preparedness/Prevention Phase (ISP Service). The service delivers Fuel, Hazard and Fire risk maps for this purpose. Furthermore the PREFER portfolio includes Post-fire vegetation recovery, burn scar maps, damage severity and 3D fire damage assessment products in order to support relative assessments required in context of the Recovery/Reconstruction Phase (ISR Service) of fire management.

Implementation of the Enhanced Moderated Online Social Therapy (MOST+) Model Within a National Youth E-Mental Health Service (eheadspace): Protocol for a Single Group Pilot Study for Help-Seeking Young People

PubMed Central

Gleeson, John; Leicester, Steven; Bendall, Sarah; D'Alfonso, Simon; Gilbertson, Tamsyn; Killackey, Eoin; Parker, Alexandra; Lederman, Reeva; Wadley, Greg; Santesteban-Echarri, Olga; Pryor, Ingrid; Mawren, Daveena; Ratheesh, Aswin; Alvarez-Jimenez, Mario

2018-01-01

Background There is a substantial need for youth electronic mental health (e-mental health) services. In addressing this need, our team has developed a novel moderated online social therapy intervention called enhanced moderated online social therapy (MOST+). MOST+ integrates real-time, clinician-delivered Web chat counseling, interactive user-directed online therapy, expert and peer moderation, and private and secure peer-to-peer social networking. MOST+ has been designed to give young people immediate, 24-hour access to anonymous, evidence-based, and short-term mental health care. Objective The primary aims of this pilot study were to determine the feasibility, acceptability, and safety of the intervention. Secondary aims were to assess prepost changes in key psychosocial outcomes and collect qualitative data for future intervention refinement. Methods MOST+ will be embedded within eheadspace, an Australian youth e-mental health service, and will be evaluated via an uncontrolled single-group study. Approximately 250 help-seeking young people (16-25 years) will be progressively recruited to the intervention from the eheadspace home page over the first 4 weeks of an 8-week intervention period. All participants will have access to evidence-based therapeutic content and integrated Web chat counseling. Additional access to moderated peer-to-peer social networking will be granted to individuals for whom it is deemed safe and appropriate, through a three-tiered screening process. Participants will be enrolled in the MOST+ intervention for 1 week, with the option to renew their enrollment across the duration of the pilot. Participants will complete a survey at enrollment to assess psychological well-being and other mental health outcomes. Additional assessment will occur following account deactivation (ie, after participant has opted not to renew their enrollment, or at trial conclusion) and will include an online survey and telephone interview assessing psychological well-being and experience of using MOST+. Results Recruitment for the study commenced in October 2017. We expect to have initial results in March 2018, with more detailed qualitative and quantitative analyses to follow. Conclusions This is the first Australia-wide research trial to pilot an online social media platform merging real-time clinical support, expert and peer moderation, interactive online therapy, and peer-to-peer social networking. The importance of the project stems from the need to develop innovative new models for the efficient delivery of responsive evidence-based online support to help-seeking young people. If successful, this research stands to complement and enhance e-mental health services in Australia. PMID:29472177

Rendezvous and Proximity Operations of the Space Shuttle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goodman, John L.

2005-01-01

Space Shuttle rendezous missions presented unique challenges that were not fully recognized when the Shuttle was designed. Rendezvous targets could be passive (i.e., no lights or transponders), and not designed to facilitate Shuttle rendezvous, proximity operations and retrieval. Shuttle reaction control system jet plume impingement on target spacecraft presented induced dynamics, structural loading and contamination concerns. These issues, along with limited forward reaction control system propellant, drove a change from the Gemimi/Apollo coelliptic profile heritage to a stable orbit profile, and the development of new proximity operations techniques. Multiple scientific and on-orbit servicing missions and crew exchange, assembly and replinishment flights to Mir and to the International Space Station drove further profile and piloting technique changes, including new relative navigation sensors and new computer generated piloting cues.

The psychologist and the bombardier: the Army Air Forces' aircrew classification program in WWII.

PubMed

Holmes, Marcia E

2014-03-01

During World War II, psychologists in the Army Air Forces were given an unprecedented opportunity to showcase their discipline by developing examinations to test the aptitude of aviation cadets as pilots, navigators, or bombardiers. These psychologists enjoyed success in classifying pilots and navigators, but became quickly frustrated by their results for bombardiers. The trouble lay not in their choice of tests but in their performance measures for bombardiering, a difficulty that came to be known as 'the problem of the criterion.' This episode in the history of military mental testing exemplifies the challenges faced by psychologists at the moment they were poised to gain the support of the armed services, and highlights how these new hazards shaped postwar military psychology. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Web-based health services and clinical decision support.

PubMed

Jegelevicius, Darius; Marozas, Vaidotas; Lukosevicius, Arunas; Patasius, Martynas

2004-01-01

The purpose of this study was the development of a Web-based e-health service for comprehensive assistance and clinical decision support. The service structure consists of a Web server, a PHP-based Web interface linked to a clinical SQL database, Java applets for interactive manipulation and visualization of signals and a Matlab server linked with signal and data processing algorithms implemented by Matlab programs. The service ensures diagnostic signal- and image analysis-sbased clinical decision support. By using the discussed methodology, a pilot service for pathology specialists for automatic calculation of the proliferation index has been developed. Physicians use a simple Web interface for uploading the pictures under investigation to the server; subsequently a Java applet interface is used for outlining the region of interest and, after processing on the server, the requested proliferation index value is calculated. There is also an "expert corner", where experts can submit their index estimates and comments on particular images, which is especially important for system developers. These expert evaluations are used for optimization and verification of automatic analysis algorithms. Decision support trials have been conducted for ECG and ophthalmology ultrasonic investigations of intraocular tumor differentiation. Data mining algorithms have been applied and decision support trees constructed. These services are under implementation by a Web-based system too. The study has shown that the Web-based structure ensures more effective, flexible and accessible services compared with standalone programs and is very convenient for biomedical engineers and physicians, especially in the development phase.

An academic-health service partnership in nursing: lessons from the field.

PubMed

Granger, Bradi B; Prvu-Bettger, Janet; Aucoin, Julia; Fuchs, Mary Ann; Mitchell, Pamela H; Holditch-Davis, Diane; Roth, Deborah; Califf, Robert M; Gilliss, Catherine L

2012-03-01

To describe the development of an academic-health services partnership undertaken to improve use of evidence in clinical practice. Academic health science schools and health service settings share common elements of their missions: to educate, participate in research, and excel in healthcare delivery, but differences in the business models, incentives, and approaches to problem solving can lead to differences in priorities. Thus, academic and health service settings do not naturally align their leadership structures or work processes. We established a common commitment to accelerate the appropriate use of evidence in clinical practice and created an organizational structure to optimize opportunities for partnering that would leverage shared resources to achieve our goal. A jointly governed and funded institute integrated existing activities from the academic and service sectors. Additional resources included clinical staff and student training and mentoring, a pilot research grant-funding program, and support to access existing data. Emergent developments include an appreciation for a wider range of investigative methodologies and cross-disciplinary teams with skills to integrate research in daily practice and improve patient outcomes. By developing an integrated leadership structure and commitment to shared goals, we developed a framework for integrating academic and health service resources, leveraging additional resources, and forming a mutually beneficial partnership to improve clinical outcomes for patients. Structurally integrated academic-health service partnerships result in improved evidence-based patient care delivery and in a stronger foundation for generating new clinical knowledge, thus improving patient outcomes. © 2012 Sigma Theta Tau International.

Promoting contraceptive use among unmarried female migrants in one factory in Shanghai: a pilot workplace intervention.

PubMed

Qian, Xu; Smith, Helen; Huang, Wenyuan; Zhang, Jie; Huang, Ying; Garner, Paul

2007-05-31

In urban China, more single women are becoming pregnant and resorting to induced abortion, despite the wide availability of temporary methods of contraception. We developed and piloted a workplace-based intervention to promote contraceptive use in unmarried female migrants working in privately owned factories. Quasi-experimental design. In consultation with clients, we developed a workplace based intervention to promote contraception use in unmarried female migrants in a privately owned factory. We then implemented this in one factory, using a controlled before-and-after design. The intervention included lectures, bespoke information leaflets, and support to the factory doctors in providing a contraceptive service. 598 women participated: most were under 25, migrants to the city, with high school education. Twenty percent were lost when staff were made redundant, and implementation was logistically complicated. All women attended the initial lecture, and just over half the second lecture. Most reported reading the educational material provided (73%), but very few women reported using the free family planning services offered at the factory clinic (5%) or the Family Planning Institute (3%). At baseline, 90% (N = 539) stated that contraceptives were required if having sex before marriage; of those reporting sex in the last three months, the majority reporting using contraceptives (78%, 62/79) but condom use was low (44%, 35/79). Qualitative data showed that the reading material seemed to be popular and young women expressed a need for more specific reproductive health information, particularly on HIV/AIDS. Women wanted services with some privacy and anonymity, and views on the factory service were mixed. Implementing a complex intervention with a hard to reach population through a factory in China, using a quasi-experimental design, is not easy. Further research should focus on the specific needs and service preferences of this population and these should be considered in any policy reform so that contraceptive use may be encouraged among young urban migrant workers.

England's Healthy Living Pharmacy (HLP) initiative: Facilitating the engagement of pharmacy support staff in public health.

PubMed

Donovan, G R; Paudyal, V

2016-01-01

The concept of the Healthy Living Pharmacy (HLP) in England was first piloted in Portsmouth in 2010. HLPs proactively promote health and wellbeing, offering brief advice, services or signposting on a range of health issues such as smoking, physical activity, sexual health, healthy eating and alcohol consumption. To explore the views and attitudes of pharmacy support staff on the Healthy Living Pharmacy (HLP) initiative. Qualitative semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted with pharmacy support staff recruited from community pharmacies involved in the HLP initiative in the Northumberland region of England. A topic guide was developed which underwent face validity testing and piloting with one participant. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using framework technique. A total of 21 pharmacy support staff from 12 HLPs participated in the study. Results suggest that involving pharmacy support staff at very early stages of the HLP planning process drives their motivation for service delivery. Level of engagement with HLP services was often related to support staff roles within pharmacy. Integration of public health roles with routine pharmacy activities was perceived to be more suited to pharmacy counter based roles than dispensing roles. Further training needs were identified around how to proactively deliver public health advice, mainly in service areas perceived 'difficult' by the participants, such as weight management. A total of 19 facilitators/barriers were identified from the data including training, access to information, client feedback, availability of space and facilities within pharmacies, time and competing priorities. Pharmacy support staff engagement with the HLP initiative can be promoted by involving them from the outset of the service introduction process. Support staff might benefit from targeted training around certain public health areas within the HLP initiative. Facilitators/barriers identified in this study will inform development and further roll out of HLP initiative in wider areas. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Heard and valued: the development of a model to meaningfully engage marginalized populations in health services planning.

PubMed

Snow, M Elizabeth; Tweedie, Katherine; Pederson, Ann

2018-03-15

Recently, patient engagement has been identified as a promising strategy for supporting healthcare planning. However, the context and structure of universalistic, "one-size-fits-all" approaches often used for patient engagement may not enable diverse patients to participate in decision-making about programs intended to meet their needs. Specifically, standard patient engagement approaches are gender-blind and might not facilitate the engagement of those marginalized by, for example, substance use, low income, experiences of violence, homelessness, and/or mental health challenges-highly gendered health and social experiences. The project's purpose was to develop a heuristic model to assist planners to engage patients who are not traditionally included in healthcare planning. Using a qualitative research approach, we reviewed literature and conducted interviews with patients and healthcare planners regarding engaging marginalized populations in health services planning. From these inputs, we created a model and planning manual to assist healthcare planners to engage marginalized patients in health services planning, which we piloted in two clinical programs undergoing health services design. The findings from the pilots were used to refine the model. The analysis of the interviews and literature identified power and gender as barriers to participation, and generated suggestions to support diverse populations both to attend patient engagement events and to participate meaningfully. Engaging marginalized populations cannot be reduced to a single defined process, but instead needs to be understood as an iterative process of fitting engagement methods to a particular situation. Underlying this process are principles for meaningfully engaging marginalized people in healthcare planning. A one-size-fits-all approach to patient engagement is not appropriate given patients' diverse barriers to meaningful participation in healthcare planning. Instead, planners need a repertoire of skills and strategies to align the purpose of engagement with the capacities and needs of patient participants. Just as services need to meet diverse patients' needs, so too must patient engagement experiences.

The quest for an accurate accounting of public health expenditures.

PubMed

Atchison, C; Barry, M A; Kanarek, N; Gebbie, K

2000-09-01

This article describes one effort to develop management tools that will help public health administrators and policy makers implement comprehensive public health strategies. It recounts the ongoing development of a methodology through which the Essential Public Health Services can be related to public health budgets, appropriations, and expenditures. Through three pilot projects involving: (1) nine state health agencies, (2) three local health agencies, and (3) all local jurisdictions and the state health agency in one state, a workable methodology for identifying public expenditures for comprehensive public health programming has been identified.

76 FR 59657 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-27

... Restoration Ecosystem Service Valuation Pilot. OMB Control Number: None. Form Number(s): NA. Type of Request... Restoration Ecosystem Service Valuation Survey. The planned removal of two hydroelectric dams on the Elwha...

Opening the door to coordination of care through teachable moments.

PubMed

Berg, Gregory D; Korn, Allan M; Thomas, Eileen; Klemka-Walden, Linda; Bigony, Marysanta D; Newman, John F

2007-10-01

The challenge for care coordination is to identify members at a moment in time when they are receptive to intervention and provide the appropriate care management services. This manuscript describes a pilot program using inbound nurse advice calls from members to engage them in a care management program including disease management (DM). Annual medical claims diagnoses were used to identify members and their associated disease conditions. For each condition group for each year, nurse advice call data were used to calculate inbound nurse advice service call rates for each group. A pilot program was set up to engage inbound nurse advice callers in a broader discussion of their health concerns and refer them to a care management program. Among the program results, both the call rate by condition group and the correlation between average costs and call rates show that higher cost groups of members call the nurse advice service disproportionately more than lower cost members. Members who entered the DM programs through the nurse advice service were more likely to stay in the program than those who participated in the standard opt-in program. The results of this pilot program suggest that members who voluntarily call in to the nurse advice service for triage are at a "teachable moment" and highly motivated to participate in appropriate care management programs. The implication is that the nurse advice service may well be an innovative and effective way to enhance participation in a variety of care management programs including DM.

Models of Preconception Care Implementation in Selected Countries

PubMed Central

Lo, Sue Seen-Tsing; Zhuo, Jiatong; Han, Jung-Yeol; Delvoye, Pierre; Zhu, Li

2006-01-01

Globally, maternal and child health faces diverse challenges depending on the status of the development of the country. Some countries have introduced or explored preconception care for various reasons. Falling birth rates and increasing knowledge about risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes led to the introduction of preconception care in Hong Kong in 1998, and South Korea in 2004. In Hong Kong, comprehensive preconception care including laboratory tests are provided to over 4000 women each year at a cost of $75 per person. In Korea, about 60% of the women served have known medical risk history, and the challenge is to expand the program capacity to all women who plan pregnancy, and conducting social marketing. Belgium has established an ad hoc-committee to develop a comprehensive social marketing and professional training strategy for pilot testing preconception care models in the French speaking part of Belgium, an area that represents 5 million people and 50,000 births per year using prenatal care and pediatric clinics, gynecological departments, and the genetic centers. In China, Guangxi province piloted preconceptional HIV testing and counseling among couples who sought the then mandatory premarital medical examination as a component of the three-pronged approach to reduce mother to child transmission of HIV. HIV testing rates among couples increased from 38% to 62% over one year period. In October 2003, China changed the legal requirement of premarital medical examination from mandatory to “voluntary.” This change was interpreted by most women that the premarital health examination was “unnecessary” and overall premarital health examination rates dropped. Social marketing efforts piloted in 2004 indicated that 95% of women were willing to pay up to RMB 100 (US$12) for preconception health care services. These case studies illustrate programmatic feasibility of preconception care services to address maternal and child health and other public health challenges in developed and emerging economies. PMID:16763771

The Use of Ecological Indicators as a Basis for Operationalizing a PES Scheme on Forest Conservation in Northern Argentina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gobbi, José; Deguillon, Marie

2017-04-01

Payments for ecosystem services (PES) aim to improve the supply of ecosystem services (ES) by making payments to service providers, which are conditional on the provision of those services. Payments cannot be conditional unless the service can be effectively monitored. Direct monitoring of ES to assess conditionality could be methodologically complex and operatively expensive. To overcome such constraints, the pilot "GEF-PES Project" of Northern Argentina has developed a set of five indicators on forest conservation status (CS) as a basis for estimating the amount of ES provided -considering a positive correlation between the CS of a forest and its level of provision of ecosystem services -and for operationalizing the PES. Field data indicate that selected indicators: (i) exhibit strong correlation with the amount of carbon and biodiversity provided by forests according to their CS, ii) are cost-effective to monitor ES conditionality and (iii) allow easy application of payment levels.

The management of dental caries in primary teeth - involving service providers and users in the design of a trial.

PubMed

Marshman, Zoe; Innes, Nicola; Deery, Chris; Hall, Melanie; Speed, Chris; Douglas, Gail; Clarkson, Jan; Rodd, Helen

2012-08-22

There is a lack of evidence for the effective management of dental caries in children's primary teeth. The trial entitled 'Filling Children's Teeth: Indicated Or Not?' (FiCTION) was designed to examine the clinical and cost effectiveness, in primary dental care, of three different approaches to the management of caries in primary teeth. However, before the FiCTION main trial commenced, a pilot trial was designed. Service provider (dentists and other members of the team including dental nurses and practice managers) and participant (child participants and their parents) involvement was incorporated into the pilot trial. The aim of this study is to describe service providers' and users' perspectives on the pilot trial to identify improvements to the conduct and design of the FiCTION main trial. Qualitative interviews (individual and group) were held with dentists, dental team members, children and parents involved in the FiCTION pilot trial. Individual interviews were held with four dentists and a group interview was held with 17 dental team members. Face-to-face interviews were held with four parents and children (four- to eight-years old) representing the three arms of the trial and five telephone interviews were conducted with parents. All interviews were transcribed verbatim. Framework analysis was used. Overall, service providers, children and parents found the pilot trial to be well conducted and an interesting experience. Service providers highlighted the challenges of adhering to research protocols, especially managing the documentation and undertaking new clinical techniques. They indicated that the time and financial commitments were greater than they had anticipated. Particular difficulties were found recruiting suitable patients within the timeframe. For parents recruitment was apparently more related to trusting their dentist than the content of information packs. While some of the older children understood what a study was, others did not understand or were not aware they were enrolled. The findings provided valuable recommendations to improve the method of recruitment of dental practices and patients, the timing and content of the training, the type of support dentists would value and ways to further engage children and parents in the FiCTION main trial. ISRCTN77044005.

Building foundations for the future: the NHS Scotland advanced practice succession planning development pathway.

PubMed

Currie, Kay; Grundy, Maggie

2011-10-01

To highlight implications for managers from the implementation of a national advanced practice succession planning development pathway within Scotland. Internationally, advanced practice posts have often developed in an ad-hoc manner, with little organizational attention to succession planning. Evaluation of a pilot national succession planning development pathway identified mechanisms which facilitate or hamper effective planning for advanced practice roles. A responsive evaluation design incorporating semi-structured questionnaires to pathway participants (n = 15) and semi-structured telephone interviews with case-site pathway participants (n = 7) and their line managers. Managers believed the development pathway was worthwhile; however, there was limited strategic planning to match individuals' development to service need. Practitioners generally perceived managers as interested in their development, although levels of practical support varied. There is concern from both managers and practitioners regarding ongoing funding for advanced practice development. The present evaluation study reiterates the need for organizational commitment to succession planning including robust service needs analysis mechanisms and adequate funding for development processes. Nurse managers are viewed as the 'gatekeepers' to opportunities for developing advanced nurse practitioners; scare resources must be targeted effectively to support succession planning through the development of selected individuals for future advanced practice posts, justified by service need. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

The internal audit of clinical areas: a pilot of the internal audit methodology in a health service emergency department.

PubMed

Brown, Alison; Santilli, Mario; Scott, Belinda

2015-12-01

Governing bodies of health services need assurance that major risks to achieving the health service objectives are being controlled. Currently, the main assurance mechanisms generated within the organization are through the review of implementation of policies and procedures and review of clinical audits and quality data. The governing bodies of health services need more robust, objective data to inform their understanding of the control of clinical risks. Internal audit provides a methodological framework that provides independent and objective assurance to the governing body on the control of significant risks. The article describes the pilot of the internal audit methodology in an emergency unit in a health service. An internal auditor was partnered with a clinical expert to assess the application of clinical criteria based on best practice guidelines. The pilot of the internal audit of a clinical area was successful in identifying significant clinical risks that required further management. The application of an internal audit methodology to a clinical area is a promising mechanism to gain robust assurance at the governance level regarding the management of significant clinical risks. This approach needs further exploration and trial in a range of health care settings. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the International Society for Quality in Health Care; all rights reserved.

Proceedings: Annual Workshop on Meteorological and Environmental Inputs to Aviation Systems (5th) Held on 31 March-2 April 1981.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-12-01

STUDIES PROJECT MODIFICATION JFK JOHN F. KENNEDY AIRPORT PATWAS PILOT AUTOMATIC TELEPHONE WEATHER ANSWERING SERVICE JPL JET PROPULSION LABORATORY PDP...wing aircraft, helicopters, and cruise sorship directed at Atmospheric Electricity missiles. The AEHP concepts developed will apply Hazards Protection...atmospheric electricity simulators. 90 THE JOINT AIRPORT WEATHER STUDIES PROJECT John McCarthy National Center for Atmospheric Research Several people raised

Developing and testing evidence-based weight management in Australian pharmacies: A Healthier Life Program.

PubMed

Um, Irene S; Krass, Ines; Armour, Carol; Gill, Timothy; Chaar, Betty B

2015-10-01

Pharmacies represent a valuable opportunity to deliver weight management services, rather than just the routine supply of weight-loss products. In order to provide optimal services and translation of evidence-based weight management in community pharmacy, a best practice model program was designed and pilot tested to facilitate implementation of such services in pharmacies in Australia. To develop and pilot a pharmacist-delivered, evidence-based, non-product-centred weight management service for community pharmacy in Australia. Setting Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. A pharmacy-based weight management service called the A Healthier Life Program (AHLP), for overweight and obese individuals, was developed based on current Australian weight management guidelines and recommendations made by key stakeholders. The pharmacist undertook training to acquire specific competencies to deliver the program. The AHLP involved six individual face-to-face sessions with the pharmacist over 3 months. The intervention targeted three areas: diet, physical activity and behavioural change. Weight, BMI, waist circumference, blood pressure, dietary intake, and physical activity levels at 3 months were compared with values at baseline. Qualitative feedback on participants' satisfaction and willingness to pay were also analysed. Eight pharmacies provided the AHLP between February and December 2013. Thirty-four participants were enrolled in the AHLP; mean age 50.7 years (SD 15.7) and mean BMI 34.3 kg/m(2) (SD 5.3). Of the 22 (65%) participants who completed the program, six had achieved the target weight loss of ≥5%. The mean change in weight was -3.5 kg (95% CI -4.8, -2.2) and waist circumference -2.0 cm (95% CI -2.8, -1.3) for program completers at 3 months. Furthermore, participants reported overall positive experiences of the program, and identified accessibility of the pharmacy and high comfort level with the pharmacist, as the major advantages. The AHLP was well received and participants achieved targeted weight loss. This study demonstrated that an evidence-based patient-centred weight management program can be implemented in Australian pharmacies.

MindSurf: a pilot study to assess the usability and acceptability of a smartphone app designed to promote contentment, wellbeing, and goal achievement.

PubMed

Carey, Timothy A; Haviland, Jennifer; Tai, Sara J; Vanags, Thea; Mansell, Warren

2016-12-12

The Method of Levels (MOL) is a transdiagnostic cognitive therapy that promotes contentment, wellbeing, and goal achievement through the resolution of internal conflicts underlying psychological distress. MOL, based on Perceptual Control Theory (PCT), was developed in routine clinical practice and has been used effectively across different health services by different practitioners. Access to MOL-style questions through a smartphone app could, potentially, help both the general public maintain robust mental health, and also be a useful adjunct to therapy for clinical populations. The app is called MindSurf because of its focus on helping people explore their thinking. Prior to developing the app and using it with different populations it was necessary to determine whether such an idea would be usable for and acceptable to potential app users. Therefore, a pilot study was conducted with a non-clinical sample to assess the usability and acceptability of the app including monitoring whether the questions delivered in this way were associated with any adverse events. A pilot study using quantitative as well as qualitative methods and incorporating a repeated measures, A-B design was conducted. The 23 participants were healthy adult volunteers who were all either undergraduate students, postgraduate students, or staff of the University of Manchester. They received MOL-style questions on their mobile phones over a 1-week period. Qualitative results were encouraging and indicated that the format and style of questioning were acceptable to participants and did not lead to increased worry or concern. A one-way, repeated measures ANOVA indicated that there was a nonsignificant decrease in scores on the 21-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS21) over a 2 week period. The results of the pilot study justified development of MindSurf and further testing once it is available for use. A power analysis indicated that the pilot study was underpowered to detect significant effects but provided important information regarding the appropriate sample size for future research. The pilot study also indicated that future research should investigate the effects of receiving more than three questions per day. Results of the pilot study indicate that MindSurf will be a usable and acceptable app. Its benefits should be further explored through longer studies with larger sample of both the general population as well as clinical populations.

PVD thermal barrier coating applications and process development for aircraft engines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rigney, D. V.; Viguie, R.; Wortman, D. J.; Skelly, D. W.

1997-06-01

Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) have been developed for application to aircraft engine components to improve service life in an increasingly hostile thermal environment. The choice of TBC type is related to the component, intended use, and economics. Selection of electron beam physical vapor deposition proc-essing for turbine blade is due in part to part size, surface finish requirements, thickness control needs, and hole closure issues. Process development of PVD TBCs has been carried out at several different sites, including GE Aircraft Engines (GEAE). The influence of processing variables on microstructure is dis-cussed, along with the GEAE development coater and initial experiences of pilot line operation.

Pilot utilization plan for satellite data-based service for agriculture in Poland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gatkowska, Martyna; Paradowski, Karol; Wróbel, Karolina

2017-10-01

The paper aims at demonstrating the assumptions and achievements of the Pilot Utilization Plan Activities performed within the Project ASAP "Advanced Sustainable Agricultural Production", co-financed by European Space Agency under the ARTES IAP Programme. Within the course of the project, the Pilot Utilization Plan (PilUP) activities are performed in order to develop the remote sensing based models, and further calibrate and validate them in order to achieve the accuracy, which meets the requirements of paying customers. The completion of the first PilUP resulted in development of the following models based of Landsat 8 and Sentinel 2 satellite data: model of homogenous polygons demarcation on the basis of comparison of electromagnetic scanning results and bare soil spectral reflectance, model of problematic areas indication and model for yield potential, delivered on the basis of NDVI map developed 1 month before harvest and the map of yield/collected yield derived from Users participating in PilUP. The second edition of the PilUP is being conducted between March 2017 until the end of 2017. This edition includes farmers and insurance companies. The following activities are planned: development of model for delimitation of loses due to unfavorable wintering of winter crops and validation of the model with in-situ data collected by the insurance companies in-field investigators, further enhancement of the model for homogenous polygons delimitation and primary indication of soil productivity and testing of the applicability and viability of map of problematic areas with the farmers.

Patient and family psychoeducation: Service development and implementation in a center in Iran.

PubMed

Mirsepassi, Zahra; Tabatabaee, Maryam; Sharifi, Vandad; Mottaghipour, Yasaman

2018-02-01

Family and patient psychoeducation have demonstrated significant improvement in clinical and social outcomes for patients suffering from severe mental disorders and their families. However, these evidence-based practices are not widely implemented at service delivery level and into routine clinical practice, especially in less developed countries. The aim of this article is to report the processes of development and implementation of a psychoeducational service for patients with severe mental illnesses and their families in Iran. The program was developed at Roozbeh Hospital in Tehran, Iran. A group of clinicians worked on the development phase of the program and drafting the manuals. Then, a series of workshops and supervision sessions were held to train group leaders for implementation of the group psychoeducation for patients and families. In the pilot phase, the services were delivered to two groups of patients and families, and then the manual was revised based on the feedback from group leaders and participants. The program consisted of eight 90-minute weekly patient group sessions and 6 weekly multiple family group sessions. Two manuals for patient education (schizophrenia and bipolar disorder) were developed. Several information sheets were developed and distributed during different sessions of family and patient psychoeducation related to the content of each session. Despite providing the hospital clinicians with the information regarding these new services, less than 10% of the admitted patients were referred by their clinicians. Feasibility and sustainability of the program are affected by a number of factors. Low referral rate of clinicians, limited resources of the hospital, issues related to stigma and logistic issues are barriers in implementation of these services. Administrators' and clinicians' understanding of the importance of patient and family psychoeducation seems to be crucial in sustainability of such programs in routine service delivery.