Communication skills in the training of psychiatrists: A systematic review of current approaches.

PubMed

Ditton-Phare, Philippa; Loughland, Carmel; Duvivier, Robbert; Kelly, Brian

2017-07-01

A range of communication skills training programmes have been developed targeting trainees in various medical specialties, predominantly in oncology but to a lesser extent in psychiatry. Effective communication is fundamental to the assessment and treatment of psychiatric conditions, but there has been less attention to this in clinical practice for psychiatrists in training. This review examines the outcomes of communication skills training interventions in psychiatric specialty training. The published English-language literature was examined using multiple online databases, grey literature and hand searches. The review was conducted and reported using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines. Studies examining the efficacy of communication skills training were included. Randomised controlled trials, pseudo-randomised studies and quasi-experimental studies, as well as observational analytical studies and qualitative studies that met criteria, were selected and critically appraised. No limits were applied for date of publication up until 16 July 2016. Total search results yielded 2574 records. Of these, 12 studies were identified and reviewed. Two were randomised controlled trials and the remaining 10 were one-group pretest/posttest designs or posttest-only designs, including self-report evaluations of communication skills training and objective evaluations of trainee skills. There were no studies with outcomes related to behaviour change or patient outcomes. Two randomised controlled trials reported an improvement in clinician empathy and psychotherapeutic interviewing skills due to specific training protocols focused on those areas. Non-randomised studies showed varying levels of skills gains and self-reported trainee satisfaction ratings with programmes, with the intervention being some form of communication skills training. The heterogeneity of communication skills training is a barrier to evaluating the efficacy of different communication skills training programmes. Further validation studies examining specific models and frameworks would support a stronger evidence base for communication skills training in psychiatry. It remains a challenge to develop research to investigate behaviour change over time in clinical practice or to measure patient outcomes due to the effects of communication skills training.

A measurable impact of a self-practice/self-reflection programme on the therapeutic skills of experienced cognitive-behavioural therapists.

PubMed

Davis, Melanie L; Thwaites, Richard; Freeston, Mark H; Bennett-Levy, James

2015-01-01

The need for effective training methods for enhancing cognitive-behavioural therapist competency is not only relevant to new therapists but also to experienced therapists looking to retain and further enhance their skills. Self-practice/self-reflection (SP/SR) is a self-experiential cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) training programme, which combines the experience of practicing CBT methods on oneself with structured reflection on the implications of the experience for clinical practice. In order to build on previous qualitative studies of SP/SR, which have mainly focused on trainee CBT therapists, the aim of the current study was to quantify the impact of SP/SR on the therapeutic skills of an experienced cohort of CBT therapists. Fourteen CBT therapists were recruited to participate in an SP/SR programme specifically adapted for experienced therapists. In the context of a quasi-experimental design including multiple baselines within a single-case methodology, therapists provided self-ratings of technical cognitive therapy skill and interpersonal empathic skill at four critical time points: baseline, pre-SP/SR and post-SP/SR and follow-up. Analysis of programme completers (n = 7) indicated that SP/SR enhances both technical skill and interpersonal therapeutic skill. Further intention-to-treat group (n = 14) analyses including both those who left the programme early (n = 3) and those who partially completed the programme (n = 4) added to the robustness of findings with respect to technical cognitive therapy skills but not interpersonal empathic skills. It was concluded that SP/SR, as a training and development programme, could offer an avenue to further therapeutic skill enhancement in already experienced CBT therapists. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Life Skills in Educational Contexts: Testing the Effects of an Intervention Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gomes, A. Rui; Marques, Brazelina

2013-01-01

This study examined the effects of a training programme on students' acquisition of life skills, life satisfaction, life orientation and expectations about academic achievement. Participants were allocated to either an intervention group ("n"?=?41) that took part in a life skills programme, or a control group ("n"?=?43).…

Parents' Training: Effects of the Self-Help Skills Programme with Down's Syndrome Babies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sanz, Maria Teresa; Menendez, Javier

2010-01-01

This article reviews studies evaluating the effectiveness of two types of early intervention programmes for babies with Down's syndrome (DS). Evaluation of self-help early intervention programmes was done with two types of training with the parents: in the first the parents learned the training programme from observing the clinician, and in the…

The Problem with Numbers: An Examination of the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnership Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hodgkins, Andrew P.

2015-01-01

This article examines a federally funded pre-apprenticeship training programme designed to transition aboriginal northerners living in the Canadian Arctic into trades-related employment. Drawing from interviews involving programme partners and stakeholders, the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnership programme that operated in the Beaufort…

Development and implementation of centralized simulation training: evaluation of feasibility, acceptability and construct validity.

PubMed

Shamim Khan, Mohammad; Ahmed, Kamran; Gavazzi, Andrea; Gohil, Rishma; Thomas, Libby; Poulsen, Johan; Ahmed, Munir; Jaye, Peter; Dasgupta, Prokar

2013-03-01

WHAT'S KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT? AND WHAT DOES THE STUDY ADD?: A competent urologist should not only have effective technical skills, but also other attributes that would make him/her a complete surgeon. These include team-working, communication and decision-making skills. Although evidence for effectiveness of simulation exists for individual simulators, there is a paucity of evidence for utility and effectiveness of these simulators in training programmes that aims to combine technical and non-technical skills training. This article explains the process of development and validation of a centrally coordinated simulation program (Participants - South-East Region Specialist Registrars) under the umbrella of the British Association for Urological Surgeons (BAUS) and the London Deanery. This program incorporated training of both technical (synthetic, animal and virtual reality models) and non-technical skills (simulated operating theatres). To establish the feasibility and acceptability of a centralized, simulation-based training-programme. Simulation is increasingly establishing its role in urological training, with two areas that are relevant to urologists: (i) technical skills and (ii) non-technical skills. For this London Deanery supported pilot Simulation and Technology enhanced Learning Initiative (STeLI) project, we developed a structured multimodal simulation training programme. The programme incorporated: (i) technical skills training using virtual-reality simulators (Uro-mentor and Perc-mentor [Symbionix, Cleveland, OH, USA], Procedicus MIST-Nephrectomy [Mentice, Gothenburg, Sweden] and SEP Robotic simulator [Sim Surgery, Oslo, Norway]); bench-top models (synthetic models for cystocopy, transurethral resection of the prostate, transurethral resection of bladder tumour, ureteroscopy); and a European (Aalborg, Denmark) wet-lab training facility; as well as (ii) non-technical skills/crisis resource management (CRM), using SimMan (Laerdal Medical Ltd, Orpington, UK) to teach team-working, decision-making and communication skills. The feasibility, acceptability and construct validity of these training modules were assessed using validated questionnaires, as well as global and procedure/task-specific rating scales. In total 33, three specialist registrars of different grades and five urological nurses participated in the present study. Construct-validity between junior and senior trainees was significant. Of the participants, 90% rated the training models as being realistic and easy to use. In total 95% of the participants recommended the use of simulation during surgical training, 95% approved the format of the teaching by the faculty and 90% rated the sessions as well organized. A significant number of trainees (60%) would like to have easy access to a simulation facility to allow more practice and enhancement of their skills. A centralized simulation programme that provides training in both technical and non-technical skills is feasible. It is expected to improve the performance of future surgeons in a simulated environment and thus improve patient safety. © 2012 BJU International.

Overcoming Barriers to Using Precision Teaching with a Web-Based Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayes, Ben; Heather, Andrew; Jones, Daniel; Clarke, Christopher

2018-01-01

Precision Teaching (PT) is an evidence-based intervention, which research indicates is frequently not implemented following training, with few teachers using it in schools after training events. The web-based programme in this research focuses on word-level reading skills and targets blending and segmenting skills rather than whole word reading.…

Report on the Present Trainer Training Course of the Pestalozzi Programme (Council of Europe) "Evaluation of Transversal Attitudes, Skills and Knowledge" (Module A)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gebauer, Bernt

2016-01-01

In July 2015, the Pestalozzi Programme of the Council of Europe launched a 15-month trainer training course on the "Evaluation of transversal attitudes, skills and knowledge." The tradition of offering trainer training courses that relate to the Council of Europe's core values of human rights, democracy and rule of law has been well…

They just don't get enough! Variable intern experience in bedside procedural skills.

PubMed

Boots, R J; Egerton, W; McKeering, H; Winter, H

2009-04-01

Medical school and resident training programmes offer different learning opportunities and outcomes. The aim of the study was to assess medical student and intern experience in common clinical procedures. Interns employed in a metropolitan teaching hospital from 2000 to 2004 completed a survey of experience and confidence in clinical procedures at the beginning and end of their intern year. Attendance at and the contribution to procedural confidence of a voluntary procedural skill-training programme were examined. For the 314 interns, clinical experience before and during internship varied for each procedure and between year cohorts as did training programme attendance (44-84%). Student procedural confidence was predicted by pre-intern experience either on patients or by simulation (beta = 0.17, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.02-0.21, P = 0.03) and age >30 years on commencing internship (beta = 8.44, 95%CI 3.03-14.06, P = 0.003. Adjusted R(2) = 0.08, P = 0.002). Intern procedural confidence by year's end was predicted by attendance at the training programme (beta = 0.48, 95%CI 0.34-0.62, P < 0.001), intern experience with patient procedures (beta = 0.34, 95%CI 0.21-0.47, P < 0.001) and a clear decision to enter a postgraduate training programme (beta = 0.13, 95%CI 0.04-0.22, P = 0.007, Adjusted R(2) = 0.50, P < 0.001). Interns and students receive variable experience to carry out procedural skills on patients. This makes designing training programmes difficult as training needs vary each year. Both mandatory supervision of key skills and opportunities to supplement limited experience are needed during the intern year to ensure a uniform experience.

Teaching basic life support to school children using medical students and teachers in a 'peer-training' model--results of the 'ABC for life' programme.

PubMed

Toner, P; Connolly, M; Laverty, L; McGrath, P; Connolly, D; McCluskey, D R

2007-10-01

The 'ABC for life' programme was designed to facilitate the wider dissemination of basic life support (BLS) skills and knowledge in the population. A previous study demonstrated that using this programme 10-12-year olds are capable of performing and retaining these vital skills when taught by medical students. There are approximately 25,000 year 7 school children in 900 primary schools in Northern Ireland. By using a pyramidal teaching approach involving medical students and teachers, there is the potential to train BLS to all of these children each year. To assess the effectiveness of a programme of CPR instruction using a three-tier training model in which medical students instruct primary school teachers who then teach school children. School children and teachers in the Western Education and Library Board in Northern Ireland. A course of instruction in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)--the 'ABC for life' programme--specifically designed to teach 10-12-year-old children basic life support skills. Medical students taught teachers from the Western Education and Library Board area of Northern Ireland how to teach basic life support skills to year 7 pupils in their schools. Pupils were given a 22-point questionnaire to assess knowledge of basic life support immediately before and after a teacher led training session. Children instructed in cardiopulmonary resuscitation using this three-tier training had a significantly improved score following training (57.2% and 77.7%, respectively, p<0.001). This study demonstrates that primary school teachers, previously trained by medical students, can teach BLS effectively to 10-12-year-old children using the 'ABC for life' programme.

A Programme-Wide Training Framework to Facilitate Scientific Communication Skills Development amongst Biological Sciences Masters Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Divan, Aysha; Mason, Sam

2016-01-01

In this article we describe the effectiveness of a programme-wide communication skills training framework incorporated within a one-year biological sciences taught Masters course designed to enhance the competency of students in communicating scientific research principally to a scientific audience. In one class we analysed the numerical marks…

Entrepreneurship Training Programme in Universities and Graduates' Productivity in South-South Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oleforo, Ngozika A.; Oko, Dominic Edema; Akpan, Eno G.

2013-01-01

Entrepreneurial training programme has to do with acquiring relevant skills in which an individual has to be sensitized, motivated and guided to achieve self-reliance and self employment. The paper examined the relevance of entrepreneurial training programme in the universities to graduates' productivity. Three null hypotheses were formulated. A…

[The IPT integrative program of psychological therapy for schizophrenia patients: new perspectives].

PubMed

Pomini, Valentino

2004-04-01

The integrated psychological treatment for schizophrenic patients IPT is composed by six modules that can be implemented either separately or in an articulated way. In that case, the treatment begins with a cognitive remediation phase which is followed by a social skills training phase. In the first phase, exercises specifically focalize on selective attention, memory, logical reasoning, perception and communication skills. The second phase of the program offers three other modules that train other skills: 1) social skills, 2) emotional management, 3) interpersonal problem solving. The IPT program belong to the so called second generation of social skills training programmes. It has been validated by numerous controlled studies, either in its complete form or in partial forms containing only one ore more of its sub-programmes. The results of these studies are globally positive. They show that IPT is an interesting therapeutic contribution for the rehabilitation practice with schizophrenic patients. A third generation of social skills training has been elaborated on the basis of the current IPT program. These new adjunctions to the IPT tend to favour the utilization in the real life of the competencies trained in the sessions, either by adding specific homeworks, in-vivo or booster sessions, or by designating new programmes directed to specific rehabilitation objectives, such as the integration in a apartment, the management of leisure times or the return to a workplace. These new programmes have been studied. They are promising and seem to be a useful complement to the original IPT.

The importance of material resources and qualified trainers in adult non-formal education and training centres in South Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayombe, Celestin; Lombard, Antoinette

2016-04-01

Non-formal education and training (NFET) programmes in public and private centres in South Africa aim to meet the training needs of adults who have been deprived of formal education which would have fostered skills acquisition and access to employment earlier in their lives. The concern which informs this paper is that adults who face long-term unemployment due to a lack of marketable skills often remain unemployed after completing NFET programmes. The paper assesses the extent to which material and human resources have affected skills acquisition and graduate employment in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The results show that material and human resource challenges in most public and some private centres have led to gaps in skills training. Programmes focus too strongly on academic credits and certificates and not enough on employment as an end goal. The authors argue that the existence of suitable training materials and qualified trainers with practical experience and specific technical skills constitutes favourable conditions ("enabling environments") for graduate employment. Without improvement in material and human resources, adult trainees will continue to experience difficulties integrating into the labour market, and the cycle of poverty and social exclusion will remain unbroken.

Life skills programmes for chronic mental illnesses

PubMed Central

Tungpunkom, Patraporn; Maayan, Nicola; Soares-Weiser, Karla

2014-01-01

Background Most people with schizophrenia have a cyclical pattern of illness characterised by remission and relapses. The illness can reduce the ability of self-care and functioning and can lead to the illness becoming disabling. Life skills programmes, emphasising the needs associated with independent functioning, are often a part of the rehabilitation process. These programmes have been developed to enhance independent living and quality of life for people with schizophrenia. Objectives To review the effects of life skills programmes compared with standard care or other comparable therapies for people with chronic mental health problems. Search methods We searched the Cochrane Schizophrenia Group Trials Register (June 2010). We supplemented this process with handsearching and scrutiny of references. We inspected references of all included studies for further trials. Selection criteria We included all relevant randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials for life skills programmes versus other comparable therapies or standard care involving people with serious mental illnesses. Data collection and analysis We extracted data independently. For dichotomous data we calculated relative risks (RR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) on an intention-to-treat basis, based on a random-effects model. For continuous data, we calculated mean differences (MD), again based on a random-effects model. Main results We included seven randomised controlled trials with a total of 483 participants. These evaluated life skills programmes versus standard care, or support group. We found no significant difference in life skills performance between people given life skills training and standard care (1 RCT, n = 32, MD −1.10; 95% CI −7.82 to 5.62). Life skills training did not improve or worsen study retention (5 RCTs, n = 345, RR 1.16; 95% CI 0.40 to 3.36). We found no significant difference in PANSS positive, negative or total scores between life skills intervention and standard care. We found quality of life scores to be equivocal between participants given life skills training (1 RCT, n = 32, MD −0.02; 95% CI −0.07 to 0.03) and standard care. Life skills compared with support groups also did not reveal any significant differences in PANSS scores, quality of life, or social performance skills (1 RCT, n = 158, MD −0.90; 95% CI −3.39 to 1.59). Authors’ conclusions Currently there is no good evidence to suggest life skills programmes are effective for people with chronic mental illnesses. More robust data are needed from studies that are adequately powered to determine whether life skills training is beneficial for people with chronic mental health problems. PMID:22258941

Improving the peer review skills of young rheumatologists and researchers in rheumatology: the EMEUNET Peer Review Mentoring Program.

PubMed

Rodríguez-Carrio, Javier; Putrik, Polina; Sepriano, Alexandre; Moltó, Anna; Nikiphorou, Elena; Gossec, Laure; Kvien, Tore K; Ramiro, Sofia

2018-01-01

Although peer review plays a central role in the maintenance of high standards in scientific research, training of reviewing skills is not included in the common education programmes. The Emerging EULAR (European League Against Rheumatism) Network (EMEUNET) developed a programme to address this unmet need. The EMEUNET Peer Review Mentoring Program for Rheumatology Journals promotes a systematic training of reviewing skills by engaging mentees in a 'real world' peer review experience supervised by experienced mentors with support from rheumatology journals. This viewpoint provides an overview of this initiative and its outcomes, and discusses its potential limitations. Over 4 years, 18 mentors and 86 mentees have participated. Among the 33 participants who have completed the programme, 13 (39.3%) have become independent reviewers for Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases after the training. This programme has been recently evaluated by a survey and qualitative interviews, revealing a high interest in this initiative. The main strengths (involvement of a top journal and learning opportunities) and weaknesses of the programme (limited number of places and insufficient dissemination) were identified. Overall, this programme represents an innovative and successful approach to peer review training. Continuous evaluation and improvement are key to its functioning. The EMEUNET Peer Review Mentoring Program may be used as a reference for peer review training in areas outside rheumatology.

Parent skills training for parents of children or adults with developmental disorders: systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.

PubMed

Reichow, Brian; Kogan, Cary; Barbui, Corrado; Smith, Isaac; Yasamy, M Taghi; Servili, Chiara

2014-08-27

Developmental disorders, including intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorders, may limit an individual's capacity to conduct daily activities. The emotional and economic burden on families caring for an individual with a developmental disorder is substantial, and quality of life may be limited by a lack of services. Therefore, finding effective treatments to help this population should be a priority. Recent work has shown parent skills training interventions improve developmental, behavioural and family outcomes. The purpose of this review protocol is to extend previous findings by systematically analysing randomised controlled trials of parent skills training programmes for parents of children with developmental disorders including intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorders and use meta-analytic techniques to identify programme components reliably associated with successful outcomes of parent skills training programmes. We will include all studies conducted using randomised control trials designs that compare a group of parents receiving a parent skills training programme to a group of parents in a no-treatment control, waitlist control or treatment as usual comparison group. To locate studies, we will conduct an extensive electronic database search and then use snowball methods, with no limits to publication year or language. We will present a narrative synthesis including visual displays of study effects on child and parental outcomes and conduct a quantitative synthesis of the effects of parent skills training programmes using meta-analytic techniques. No ethical issues are foreseen and ethical approval is not required given this is a protocol for a systematic review. The findings of this study will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and international conference presentations. Updates of the review will be conducted, as necessary, to inform and guide practice. PROSPERO (CRD42014006993). Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Improving Problem Solving in Primary School Students: The Effect of a Training Programme Focusing on Metacognition and Working Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cornoldi, Cesare; Carretti, Barbara; Drusi, Silvia; Tencati, Chiara

2015-01-01

Background: Despite doubts voiced on their efficacy, a series of studies has been carried out on the capacity of training programmes to improve academic and reasoning skills by focusing on underlying cognitive abilities and working memory in particular. No systematic efforts have been made, however, to test training programmes that involve both…

A Skills beyond School Review of the Slovak Republic. OECD Reviews of Vocational Education and Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fazekas, Mihály; Kurekova, Lucia Mytna

2016-01-01

Higher level vocational education and training (VET) programmes are facing rapid change and intensifying challenges. What type of training is needed to meet the needs of changing economies? How should the programmes be funded? How should they be linked to academic and university programmes? How can employers and unions be engaged? The country…

A Skills beyond School Review of Switzerland. OECD Reviews of Vocational Education and Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fazekas, Mihaly; Field, Simon

2013-01-01

Higher level vocational education and training (VET) programmes are facing rapid change and intensifying challenges. What type of training is needed to meet the needs of a changing economies? How should the programmes be funded? How should they be linked to academic and university programmes? How can employers and unions be engaged? This report…

[The necessity and possibility of developing skills in daily living activities in children attending a special kindergarten for the physically handicapped--demonstrated by means of a five-year-old boy suffering from spastic hemiparesis (author's transl)].

PubMed

Burgheim-Raguss, B

1980-02-01

Within the framework of an empirical study carried out in a special kindergarten it was attempted to answer the question whether it is necessary and possible in such an institution to develop the children's skills in daily living activities. A six month systematic programme was set up for a five-year-old boy suffering from spastic hemiparesis which was designed to develop his skills in personal hygiene, and general behaviour in the kitchen area. In preparing the programme each of the two fields was first treated separately in detail, then the common factors taken into account. The programm's subdivision into an ultimate goal and two partial goals assisted the implementation of the eighteen training steps. A comparision of the knowledge of, and skills in, the two fields before and after the training showed that they had increased both in quantity and quality. As the boy still showed a headway over his peers - comparable in their disabilities - three years after completion of the programme as far as independence was concerned, it can be said that special training in daily living activities can and must be carried out in a special kindergarten for physically handicapped children provided the training is based on a specialized and fully structured programme.

Rehabilitation of face-processing skills in an adolescent with prosopagnosia: Evaluation of an online perceptual training programme.

PubMed

Bate, Sarah; Bennetts, Rachel; Mole, Joseph A; Ainge, James A; Gregory, Nicola J; Bobak, Anna K; Bussunt, Amanda

2015-01-01

In this paper we describe the case of EM, a female adolescent who acquired prosopagnosia following encephalitis at the age of eight. Initial neuropsychological and eye-movement investigations indicated that EM had profound difficulties in face perception as well as face recognition. EM underwent 14 weeks of perceptual training in an online programme that attempted to improve her ability to make fine-grained discriminations between faces. Following training, EM's face perception skills had improved, and the effect generalised to untrained faces. Eye-movement analyses also indicated that EM spent more time viewing the inner facial features post-training. Examination of EM's face recognition skills revealed an improvement in her recognition of personally-known faces when presented in a laboratory-based test, although the same gains were not noted in her everyday experiences with these faces. In addition, EM did not improve on a test assessing the recognition of newly encoded faces. One month after training, EM had maintained the improvement on the eye-tracking test, and to a lesser extent, her performance on the familiar faces test. This pattern of findings is interpreted as promising evidence that the programme can improve face perception skills, and with some adjustments, may at least partially improve face recognition skills.

Reduction of errors during practice facilitates fundamental movement skill learning in children with intellectual disabilities.

PubMed

Capio, C M; Poolton, J M; Sit, C H P; Eguia, K F; Masters, R S W

2013-04-01

Children with intellectual disabilities (ID) have been found to have inferior motor proficiencies in fundamental movement skills (FMS). This study examined the effects of training the FMS of overhand throwing by manipulating the amount of practice errors. Participants included 39 children with ID aged 4-11 years who were allocated into either an error-reduced (ER) training programme or a more typical programme in which errors were frequent (error-strewn, ES). Throwing movement form, throwing accuracy, and throwing frequency during free play were evaluated. The ER programme improved movement form, and increased throwing activity during free play to a greater extent than the ES programme. Furthermore, ER learners were found to be capable of engaging in a secondary cognitive task while manifesting robust throwing accuracy performance. The findings support the use of movement skills training programmes that constrain practice errors in children with ID, suggesting that such approach results in improved performance and heightened movement engagement in free play. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Multidisciplinary team simulation for the operating theatre: a review of the literature.

PubMed

Tan, Shaw Boon; Pena, Guilherme; Altree, Meryl; Maddern, Guy J

2014-01-01

Analyses of adverse events inside the operating theatre has demonstrated that many errors are caused by failure in non-technical skills and teamwork. While simulation has been used successfully for teaching and improving technical skills, more recently, multidisciplinary simulation has been used for training team skills. We hypothesized that this type of training is feasible and improves team skills in the operating theatre. A systematic search of the literature for studies describing true multidisciplinary operating theatre team simulation was conducted in November and December 2012. We looked at the characteristics and outcomes of the team simulation programmes. 1636 articles were initially retrieved. Utilizing a stepwise evaluation process, 26 articles were included in the review. The studies reveal that multidisciplinary operating theatre simulation has been used to provide training in technical and non-technical skills, to help implement new techniques and technologies, and to identify latent weaknesses within a health system. Most of the studies included are descriptions of training programmes with a low level of evidence. No randomized control trial was identified. Participants' reactions to the training programme were positive in all studies; however, none of them could objectively demonstrate that skills acquired from simulation are transferred to the operating theatre or show a demonstrable benefit in patient outcomes. Multidisciplinary operating room team simulation is feasible and widely accepted by participants. More studies are required to assess the impact of this type of training on operative performance and patient safety. © 2013 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

Improving problem solving in primary school students: The effect of a training programme focusing on metacognition and working memory.

PubMed

Cornoldi, Cesare; Carretti, Barbara; Drusi, Silvia; Tencati, Chiara

2015-09-01

Despite doubts voiced on their efficacy, a series of studies has been carried out on the capacity of training programmes to improve academic and reasoning skills by focusing on underlying cognitive abilities and working memory in particular. No systematic efforts have been made, however, to test training programmes that involve both general and specific underlying abilities. If effective, these programmes could help to increase students' motivation and competence. This study examined the feasibility of improving problem-solving skills in school children by means of a training programme that addresses general and specific abilities involved in problem solving, focusing on metacognition and working memory. The project involved a sample of 135 primary school children attending eight classes in the third, fourth, and fifth grades (age range 8-10 years). The classes were assigned to two groups, one attending the training programme in the first 3 months of the study (Training Group 1) and the other serving as a waiting-list control group (Training Group 2). In the second phase of the study, the role of the two groups was reversed, with Training Group 2 attending the training instead of Training Group 1. The training programme led to improvements in both metacognitive and working memory tasks, with positive-related effects on the ability to solve problems. The gains seen in Training Group 1 were also maintained at the second post-test (after 3 months). Specific activities focusing on metacognition and working memory may contribute to modifying arithmetical problem-solving performance in primary school children. © 2015 The British Psychological Society.

Training of Practitioners and Beliefs about Family Skills in Family-Based Prevention Programmes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orte, Carmen; Ballester, Lluís; Amer, Joan; Vives, Marga

2017-01-01

To ensure close adherence to the contents of a family-based cognitive-behavioural programme, and maintain a high standard of quality in its implementation, it is important that practitioners' attitudes and beliefs regarding family skills coincide with those of the programme. This paper describes and analyses (observed) potential changes in these…

Effects of a feeding skills training programme on nursing assistants and dementia patients.

PubMed

Chang, Chia-Chi; Lin, Li-Chan

2005-11-01

The purposes of this study were to develop a comprehensive feeding skills training programme for nursing assistants and to test the effects of this training programme on their knowledge, attitude and behaviour and the outcome of dementia patients including total eating time, food intake and feeding difficulty. Dementia patients have a high probability of feeding problems that result in a substantial risk of malnutrition. Assisting residents with eating is a major task for nursing assistants and they require better training to provide adequate quality of nutritional care. A quasi-experimental study was conducted. Two convenience-chosen dementia-specialized long-term care facilities in North Taiwan were randomly assigned into either a control or a treatment group. Sixty-seven nursing assistants were enrolled (treatment: 31; control: 36). Twenty nursing assistants and the same number of dementia patients were observed during mealtime. The treatment group participated in a feeding skills training programme including three hours of in-service classes and one hour of hands-on training, whereas the control group did not receive any training. The treatment group had significantly more knowledge (F = 47.7, P < 0.001), more positive attitude (F = 15.75, P = 0.001) and better behaviours (t = 6.0, P < 0.001) than the control group after the intervention. Dementia patients in the treatment group had significantly longer total eating time (t = 2.7, P < 0.05) and higher Edinburgh Feeding Evaluation in Dementia scores (more feeding difficulty) (t = 2.1, P < 0.05) than the control group. There was no significant difference on food intake between the two groups (t = 0.8, P = 0.49). This feeding skills training programme has been found to change nursing assistants' knowledge, attitude, and behaviour as well as increasing the eating time for the dementia patients. This study raises attention regarding on-the-job training for nursing assistants. Furthermore, the feeding problems among dementia patients should be further explored as well as the nutritional care.

Effects of a Music Programme on Kindergartners' Phonological Awareness Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bolduc, Jonathan

2009-01-01

This research examines the effect of a music training programme on the development of phonological awareness among 104 Franco-Canadian kindergarten children. The experimental group (N = 51) participated in an adapted version of the Standley and Hughes music training programme, while the control group (N = 53) took part in the Ministere de…

Transfer of communication skills training from workshop to workplace: the impact of clinical supervision.

PubMed

Heaven, Cathy; Clegg, Jenny; Maguire, Peter

2006-03-01

Recent studies have recognised that the communication skills learned in the training environment are not always transferred back into the clinical setting. This paper reports a study which investigated the potential of clinical supervision in enhancing the transfer process. A randomised controlled trial was conducted involving 61 clinical nurse specialists. All attended a 3-day communication skills training workshop. Twenty-nine were then randomised to 4 weeks of clinical supervision, aimed at facilitating transfer of newly acquired skills into practice. Assessments, using real and simulated patients, were carried out before the course, immediately after the supervision period and 3 months later. Interviews were rated objectively using the Medical Interview Aural Rating Scale (MIARS) to assess nurses' ability to use key skills, respond to patient cues and identify patient concerns. Assessments with simulated patients showed that the training programme was extremely effective in changing competence in all three key areas. However, only those who experienced supervision showed any evidence of transfer. Improvements were found in the supervised groups' use of open questions, negotiation and psychological exploration. Whilst neither group facilitated more disclosure of cues or concerns, those in the experimental group responded more effectively to the cues disclosed, reduced their distancing behaviour and increasing their exploration of cues. The study has shown that whilst training enhances skills, without intervention, it may have little effect on clinical practice. The potential role of clinical supervision as one way of enhancing the clinical effectiveness of communication skills training programmes has been demonstrated. PRACTISE IMPLICATIONS: This study raises questions about the effectiveness of training programmes which do not incorporate a transfer element, and provides evidence to support the need for clinical supervision for clinical nurse specialist.

Partnering with parents in interprofessional leadership graduate education to promote family-professional partnerships.

PubMed

Margolis, Lewis H; Fahje Steber, Kathryn; Rosenberg, Angela; Palmer, Ann; Rounds, Kathleen; Wells, Marlyn

2017-07-01

Evidence supports the benefits to families of relationships with professionals that build on the concept of partnership, but there are few studies in the literature of strategies involving joint education for parents and professionals to enhance the capacity of parents of children with special healthcare needs to be effective interprofessional partners. Since 2007, parents of children with special healthcare needs have participated alongside graduate students from five different profession-based training programmes in a structured interprofessional leadership programme. The aims of this summative evaluation study were to elicit the influences of this training model on parents' capacity to partner with both health professionals and other parents and explore features of the training that facilitated these partnership skills. Using qualitative analysis, a semi-structured interview, guided by sensitising concepts informing leadership development, was conducted with 17 of the 23 parents who participated in the training. Transcriptions of the interviews were used for creating codes and categories for analysis. Parents described how the programme enhanced abilities to see other points of view, skills in communicating across professions, skills in conflict management, and feelings of confidence and equality with providers that influenced their relationships with their own providers and their capacity to assist other parents in addressing challenges in the care of their children. Parents reported that building concrete skills, organised opportunities to hear other viewpoints, structured time for learning and self-reflection, and learning in the context of a trusting relationship facilitated the development of partnership skills. These findings suggest that the leaders of interprofessional training programmes should involve parents and graduate students as equal partners to enhance partnership skills.

Group training in interpersonal problem-solving skills for workplace adaptation of adolescents and adults with Asperger syndrome: a preliminary study.

PubMed

Bonete, Saray; Calero, María Dolores; Fernández-Parra, Antonio

2015-05-01

Adults with Asperger syndrome show persistent difficulties in social situations which psychosocial treatments may address. Despite the multiple studies focusing on social skills interventions, only some have focused specifically on problem-solving skills and have not targeted workplace adaptation training in the adult population. This study describes preliminary data from a group format manual-based intervention, the Interpersonal Problem-Solving for Workplace Adaptation Programme, aimed at improving the cognitive and metacognitive process of social problem-solving skills focusing on typical social situations in the workplace based on mediation as the main strategy. A total of 50 adults with Asperger syndrome received the programme and were compared with a control group of typical development. The feasibility and effectiveness of the treatment were explored. Participants were assessed at pre-treatment and post-treatment on a task of social problem-solving skills and two secondary measures of socialisation and work profile using self- and caregiver-report. Using a variety of methods, the results showed that scores were significantly higher at post-treatment in the social problem-solving task and socialisation skills based on reports by parents. Differences in comparison to the control group had decreased after treatment. The treatment was acceptable to families and subject adherence was high. The Interpersonal Problem-Solving for Workplace Adaptation Programme appears to be a feasible training programme. © The Author(s) 2014.

Social skills programmes for schizophrenia.

PubMed

Almerie, Muhammad Qutayba; Okba Al Marhi, Muhammad; Jawoosh, Muhammad; Alsabbagh, Mohamad; Matar, Hosam E; Maayan, Nicola; Bergman, Hanna

2015-06-09

Social skills programmes (SSP) are treatment strategies aimed at enhancing the social performance and reducing the distress and difficulty experienced by people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and can be incorporated as part of the rehabilitation package for people with schizophrenia. The primary objective is to investigate the effects of social skills training programmes, compared to standard care, for people with schizophrenia. We searched the Cochrane Schizophrenia Group's Trials Register (November 2006 and December 2011) which is based on regular searches of CINAHL, BIOSIS, AMED, EMBASE, PubMed, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and registries of clinical trials. We inspected references of all identified studies for further trials.A further search for studies has been conducted by the Cochrane Schizophrenia Group in 2015, 37 citations have been found and are currently being assessed by review authors. We included all relevant randomised controlled trials for social skills programmes versus standard care involving people with serious mental illnesses. We extracted data independently. For dichotomous data we calculated risk ratios (RRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) on an intention-to-treat basis. For continuous data, we calculated mean differences (MD) and 95% CIs. We included 13 randomised trials (975 participants). These evaluated social skills programmes versus standard care, or discussion group. We found evidence in favour of social skills programmes compared to standard care on all measures of social functioning. We also found that rates of relapse and rehospitalisation were lower for social skills compared to standard care (relapse: 2 RCTs, n = 263, RR 0.52 CI 0.34 to 0.79, very low quality evidence), (rehospitalisation: 1 RCT, n = 143, RR 0.53 CI 0.30 to 0.93, very low quality evidence) and participants' mental state results (1 RCT, n = 91, MD -4.01 CI -7.52 to -0.50, very low quality evidence) were better in the group receiving social skill programmes. Global state was measured in one trial by numbers not experiencing a clinical improvement, results favoured social skills (1 RCT, n = 67, RR 0.29 CI 0.12 to 0.68, very low quality evidence). Quality of life was also improved in the social skills programme compared to standard care (1 RCT, n = 112, MD -7.60 CI -12.18 to -3.02, very low quality evidence). However, when social skills programmes were compared to a discussion group control, we found no significant differences in the participants social functioning, relapse rates, mental state or quality of life, again the quality of evidence for these outcomes was very low. Compared to standard care, social skills training may improve the social skills of people with schizophrenia and reduce relapse rates, but at present, the evidence is very limited with data rated as very low quality. When social skills training was compared to discussion there was no difference on patients outcomes. Cultural differences might limit the applicability of the current results, as most reported studies were conducted in China. Whether social skills training can improve social functioning of people with schizophrenia in different settings remains unclear and should be investigated in a large multi-centre randomised controlled trial.

A 6-Month Follow-Up of the Effects of an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Training Programme on People with Intellectual Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li-Tsang, Cecilia W. P.; Lee, Maggie Y. F.; Yeung, Susanna S. S.; Siu, Andrew M. H.; Lam, C. S.

2007-01-01

We investigated the long-term effects of an information and communication technology (ICT) training programme for people with intellectual disabilities (ID). A community-based ICT training programme was designed to enhance the computer skills of people with ID and prepare them to make use of ICT in their daily life. Of the 100 who had participated…

Eighth grade students become proficient at CPR and use of an AED following a condensed training programme.

PubMed

Kelley, James; Richman, Peter B; Ewy, Gordon A; Clark, Lani; Bulloch, Blake; Bobrow, Bentley J

2006-11-01

To evaluate a new, 1-h, condensed training programme to teach continuous chest compression cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CCC-CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) skills to a cohort of eight grade public school students. Thirty-three eligible subjects completed the programme; mean age 13.7 years; 48.5% female. Eight participants reported some prior training in CPR and AED use. Following initial training, 29/33 (87.8%) subjects demonstrated proficiency at CCC-CPR and AED application/operation in a mock adult cardiac arrest scenario. At four-weeks, 28/33 (84.8%) subjects demonstrated skill retention in similar scenario testing. Subjects also showed improvement in written knowledge regarding AED use as shown by scores on an AHA based written exam (60.9% versus 77.3%; p<0.001). With our focused, condensed training program, eighth grade public school students became proficient in CCC-CPR and AED use. This is the first study to document the ability of middle school students to learn and retain CCC-CPR and AED skills for adult sudden cardiac arrest victims with such a curriculum.

Evaluation and impact of cardiotocography training programmes: a systematic review.

PubMed

Pehrson, C; Sorensen, J L; Amer-Wåhlin, I

2011-07-01

The interpretation and management of cardiotocography (CTG) tracings are often criticised in obstetric malpractice cases. As a consequence, regular CTG training has been recommended, even though little is known about the effect of CTG training. To perform a systematic review of the existing literature on studies on CTG training in order to assess educational strategies, evaluation of training programmes, and impact of training programmes. The Medline database was searched to identify studies describing and/or evaluating CTG training programmes. The literature search resulted in 409 citations. Twenty studies describing and evaluating CTG training programmes were included. There was no restriction on study design. Data regarding study design, study quality, educational strategies used for training in CTG interpretation and decision making, target groups, number of participants, methods used for evaluation, quality of evaluation, level of evaluation and results of training was extracted from 20 articles, and analysed using Kirkpatrick's four-level model for the evaluation of education. Training was associated with improvements on all Kirkpatrick levels, resulting in increased CTG knowledge and interpretive skills, higher interobserver agreement, better management of intrapartum CTG, and improved quality of care. Computer-based training (CBT) might be less time-consuming than classroom teaching. Clinical skills seem to decrease faster than theoretical knowledge. Training can improve CTG competence and clinical practise. Further research on CBT, test-enhanced learning and long-term retention, evaluation of training and impact on clinical outcomes is recommended. © 2011 The Authors BJOG An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology © 2011 RCOG.

Strengthening the Special Educational Needs Element of Initial Teacher Training and Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Golder, Gill; Jones, Nicky; Quinn, Erica Eaton

2009-01-01

In the academic year 2006-2007, the Training and Development Agency (TDA) set up a development programme to enable Initial Teacher Training and Education (ITTE) placements in specialist special education provision. The goal of the programme was to enhance the knowledge, skills and understanding of inclusive practice for special educational needs…

Information Literacy in Employability Training: The Experience of Inverclyde Libraries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crawford, John; Irving, Christine

2012-01-01

The study is an evaluation of an employability training programme provided by Inverclyde Libraries in West Central Scotland and the role of information literacy within the training programme. Inverclyde is an area with high unemployment and pockets of multiple deprivation. Modern, applicable skills are also lacking. The findings are based on…

Preliminary Evaluation of a Social Skills Training and Facilitated Play Early Intervention Programme for Extremely Shy Young Children in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Yan; Coplan, Robert J.; Wang, Yuemin; Yin, Jingtong; Zhu, Jingjing; Gao, Zhuqing; Li, Linhui

2016-01-01

The goal of this study was to provide a preliminary evaluation of a social skills and facilitated play early intervention programme to promote social interaction, prosocial behaviours and socio-communicative skills among young extremely shy children in China. Participants were a sample of n = 16 extremely shy young children attending kindergarten…

Urology training in the developing world: The trainees’ perspective in Kurdistan, Iraq

PubMed Central

Friad, Goran; Sabah, Kawa; Ameen, Ismaeel Hama

2013-01-01

Objective To analyse the advanced systems of urology residency in the developed world, to compare them to a system in the developing world, and thereby identify the shortcomings and make recommendations to improve residency programmes for urology in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Methods A survey was conducted amongst the urology Residents (55) in the three governorates of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, to assess the accessibility of the training programme, the types of the residency programmes, skills acquisition, the use of modern technology for teaching and assessment, the environment of the settings of practice, and the status of research in their training. Results An overwhelming majority (88%) of trainees reported difficulty in securing a training position. A high proportion (43%) felt disappointed at the beginning of their training. There is no unified curriculum of training, and more than two-thirds of the respondents reported a lack of a proper evidence-based medical education. There is no formal subspecialty training programme. Of the respondents, 65% referred to the difficulties in the environment for training, and that there was a low level of research involvement (12%). Conclusions Urology training is not easily accessible, there is no unified programme of residency, there are limited facilities, and a minimal assessment of practical skills. The environment for practice needs enormous improvements and a strong foundation for research should be created. PMID:26019913

Urology training in the developing world: The trainees' perspective in Kurdistan, Iraq.

PubMed

Friad, Goran; Sabah, Kawa; Ameen, Ismaeel Hama

2014-03-01

To analyse the advanced systems of urology residency in the developed world, to compare them to a system in the developing world, and thereby identify the shortcomings and make recommendations to improve residency programmes for urology in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. A survey was conducted amongst the urology Residents (55) in the three governorates of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, to assess the accessibility of the training programme, the types of the residency programmes, skills acquisition, the use of modern technology for teaching and assessment, the environment of the settings of practice, and the status of research in their training. An overwhelming majority (88%) of trainees reported difficulty in securing a training position. A high proportion (43%) felt disappointed at the beginning of their training. There is no unified curriculum of training, and more than two-thirds of the respondents reported a lack of a proper evidence-based medical education. There is no formal subspecialty training programme. Of the respondents, 65% referred to the difficulties in the environment for training, and that there was a low level of research involvement (12%). Urology training is not easily accessible, there is no unified programme of residency, there are limited facilities, and a minimal assessment of practical skills. The environment for practice needs enormous improvements and a strong foundation for research should be created.

Effect of interprofessional clinical education programme length on students' attitudes towards teamwork.

PubMed

Renschler, Lauren; Rhodes, Darson; Cox, Carol

2016-05-01

This article reports on a study involving a range of health professions students who participated in similar one-semester (short) or two-semester (long) interprofessional clinical education programmes that focused on clinical assessment of senior citizens living independently in the community. Students' attitudes towards teamwork skills and perceptions of their own teamwork skills both before and after the programmes were assessed using two validated scales. Osteopathic medical student participants reported no significant changes in attitudes towards interprofessional healthcare teamwork skills or their perceptions of their own interprofessional teamwork skills after either the one- or two-semester programmes. For athletic training, speech-language pathology, exercise sciences, public health, and nursing students, though, attitudes towards teamwork skills significantly improved (p < .05) after the one-semester programme; and perceptions of their own team skills significantly improved (p < .05) after both the one- and two-semester programmes. Overall, this study provides some support for interprofessional teamwork attitude change, but with a significant difference between medical as compared to nursing, allied health, and public health students.

Industrial Restructuring Training Programme. Evaluation Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

European Social Fund, Dublin (Ireland).

Ireland's Industrial Restructuring Training Programme (IRTP) was evaluated to determine its effectiveness as a vehicle for improving the managerial and supervisory skill levels of employees in existing enterprises. Data were collected from the following sources: review of all program-monitoring documents submitted since the IRTP's inception;…

Learning about What Constitutes Effective Training from a Pilot Programme to Improve Music Education in Primary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rogers, Lynne; Hallam, Susan; Creech, Andrea; Preti, Costanza

2008-01-01

The new primary strategy in England has raised the profile of foundation subjects, including music, yet many primary school teachers lack skills and confidence in their ability to teach music. This research explores a year-long programme of training across 16 primary schools in England that sought to improve music education. The programme involved…

Evaluation of an elderly care training programme for women.

PubMed

Bayik, T A; Uysal, A

2010-06-01

Caregiving across different cultures has been perceived conventionally as a private or family responsibility, predominantly performed by women who accept their caregiving as part of their gender role. This study aimed to design, deliver, and evaluate an elderly training programme for women by assessing their knowledge, attitudes and skills as a lay caregiver. Encouraging the women to find suitable positions for employment in private or governmental institutions was the further objective of the study. The study was a quasi-experimental one-group pre-test post-test design. The study was conducted in a solidarity centre for women and in a nursing home for the elderly. The sample covered 120 women selected from the community by convenience sampling. Data were gathered through pre- and post-test evaluation and observation forms in 2 May-22 December 2005. The training programme consisted of 230 h of didactic sessions, demonstrations and clinical practices. The mean change in the participants' knowledge score (pre-test: 41.44 +/- 0.92; post-test: 71.16 +/- 1.34) demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in their knowledge. According to clinical observations, most of them displayed satisfactory caring and communication skills towards the elderly. Virtually all participants reported increased skill, knowledge and confidence. The developed training programme was effective, resulting in an increased knowledge, the acquisition of good attitudes towards the elderly, and performing satisfactory caring and communication skills. Similar community-based programmes managed by nurses are recommended to support non-professional caregivers. The research is not only an innovative but also a revolutionary model to promote women.

Get SET: aligning anatomy demonstrator programmes with Surgical Education and Training selection criteria.

PubMed

Rhodes, Danielle; Fogg, Quentin A; Lazarus, Michelle D

2018-05-01

Prevocational doctors aspiring to surgical careers are commonly recruited as anatomy demonstrators for undergraduate and graduate medical programmes. Entry into Surgical Education and Training (SET) is highly competitive and a unique opportunity exists to align anatomy demonstrator programmes with the selection criteria and core competencies of SET programmes. This study used a qualitative approach to (i) determine what criteria applicants for SET are assessed on and (ii) identify criteria that could be aligned with and enhanced by an anatomy demonstrator programme. The selection guidelines of all nine surgical specialties for the 2017 intake of SET trainees were analysed using qualitative content analysis methodology. The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons adopted a holistic approach to trainee selection that assessed both discipline-specific and discipline-independent skills. Qualitative content analysis identified eight categories of key selection criteria: medical expertise, scholarly activity, professional identity, interpersonal skills, integrity, self-management, insight and self-awareness and community involvement. The structured curriculum vitae was heavily weighted towards discipline-specific skills, such as medical expertise and scholarly activity. Insufficient information was available to determine the weighting of selection criteria assessed by the structured referee reports or interviews. Anatomy demonstrator programmes provide prevocational doctors with unique opportunities to develop surgical skills and competencies in a non-clinical setting. Constructively aligned anatomy demonstrator programmes may be particularly beneficial for prevocational doctors seeking to improve their anatomical knowledge, teaching skills or scholarly activity. © 2017 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

Cascading training the trainers in ophthalmology across Eastern, Central and Southern Africa.

PubMed

Corbett, Melanie C; Mathenge, Wanjiku; Zondervan, Marcia; Astbury, Nick

2017-07-10

The Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth) and the College of Ophthalmology of Eastern Central and Southern Africa (COECSA) are collaborating to cascade a Training the Trainers (TTT) Programme across the COECSA Region. Within the VISION 2020 Links Programme, it aims to develop a skilled motivated workforce who can deliver high quality eye care. It will train a lead, faculty member and facilitator in 8 countries, who can cascade the programme to local trainers. In phase 1 (2013/14) two 3-day courses were run for 16/17 selected delegates, by 3 UK Faculty. In phase 2 (2015/16) 1 UK Faculty Member ran 3 shorter courses, associated with COECSA events (Congress and Examination). A COECSA Lead was appointed after the first course, and selected delegates were promoted as Facilitators then Faculty Members on successive courses. They were given appropriate materials, preparation, training and mentoring. In 4 years the programme has trained 87 delegates, including 1 COECSA Lead, 4 Faculty Members and 7 Facilitators. Delegate feedback on the course was very good and Faculty were impressed with the progress made by delegates. A questionnaire completed by delegates after 6-42 months demonstrated how successfully they were implementing new skills in teaching and supervision. The impact was assessed using the number of eye-care workers that delegates had trained, and the number of patients seen by those workers each year. The figures suggested that approaching 1 million patients per year were treated by eye-care workers who had benefited from training delivered by those who had been on the courses. Development of the Programme in Africa initially followed the UK model, but the need to address more extensive challenges overseas, stimulated new ideas for the UK courses. The Programme has developed a pyramid of trainers capable of cascading knowledge, skills and teaching in training with RCOphth support. The third phase will extend the number of facilitators and faculty, develop on-line preparatory and teaching materials, and design training processes and tools for its assessment. The final phase will see local cascade of the TTT Programme in all 8 countries, and sustainability as UK support is withdrawn.

Assessors for communication skills: SPs or healthcare professionals?

PubMed

Liew, Siaw-Cheok; Dutta, Susmita; Sidhu, Jagmohni Kaur; De-Alwis, Ranjit; Chen, Nicole; Sow, Chew-Fei; Barua, Ankur

2014-07-01

The complexity of modern medicine creates more challenges for teaching and assessment of communication skills in undergraduate medical programme. This research was conducted to study the level of communication skills among undergraduate medical students and to determine the difference between simulated patients and clinical instructors' assessment of communication skills. This comparative study was conducted for three months at the Clinical Skills and Simulation Centre of the International Medical University in Malaysia. The modified Calgary-Cambridge checklist was used to assess the communication skills of 50 first year and 50 second year medical students (five-minutes pre-recorded interview videos on the scenario of sore throat). These videos were reviewed and scored by simulated patients (SPs), communication skills instructors (CSIs) and non-communication skills instructors (non-CSIs). Better performance was observed among the undergraduate medical students, who had formal training in communication skills with a significant difference in overall scores detected among the first and second year medical students (p = 0.0008). A non-significant difference existed between the scores of SPs and CSIs for Year 1 (p = 0.151). The SPs could be trained and involved in assessment of communication skills. Formal training in communication skills is necessary in the undergraduate medical programme.

Training future doctors to be patient-centred: efficacy of a communication skills training (CST) programme in a Malaysian medical institution.

PubMed

Lukman, H; Beevi, Z; Yeap, R

2009-03-01

This study evaluates the efficacy of the preclinical communication skills training (CST) programme at the International Medical University in Malaysia. Efficacy indicators include students' (1) perceived competency (2) attitude (3) conceptual knowledge, and (4) performance with regard to patient-centred communication. A longitudinal study with a before-after design tracked a preclinical cohort's progress on the aforementioned indicators as they advance through the training. Results indicate that following the CST, students perceived themselves to be more competent in interpersonal communication, had more positive attitude towards patient-centred communication, and developed a better conceptual knowledge of doctor-patient communication. In addition, those with good conceptual knowledge tend to demonstrate better communication skills performance at the Objective Structure Clinical Examination 12 months following the initial CST.

FEU Technology Digest No. 3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Further Education Unit, London (England).

This digest contains four articles about technology and education in Britain. "The Development of an 'Additional Skills' Training Programme" (Peter Riley) details the organization and progress of a collaborative effort between Blackpool Processing Company and Flyde College's Additional Skills training program, a solution to achieving the…

Social Skills and Social Values Training for Future K-Workers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sail, Rahim M.; Alavi, Khadijah

2010-01-01

Purpose: The main purpose of this paper is to determine the extent of acquisition of knowledge on social skills and social values by trainers of institutes and coaches of industries in training of trainers (ToT) programmes. It has been ascertained that social skills and social values can and must be taught to apprentices to enhance their…

Students' experiences with a longitudinal skills training program on breaking bad news: A follow-up study.

PubMed

Brouwers, M H; Bor, H; Laan, R; van Weel, C; van Weel-Baumgarten, E

2018-05-07

Breaking bad news (BBN) should be trained, preferably early and following a helical model with multiple sessions over time, including feedback on performance. It's unclear how medical students evaluate such an approach. We gathered student opinions regarding a helical BBN training programme, the feedback and emotional support they received, and the applicability of the skills training immediately after BBN skills training (Q1) and after finishing their clinical clerkships (Q2). Students find a helical curriculum useful, but this declines on follow-up. At Q2 students report less satisfaction with the amount of feedback and emotional support they received and report that the skills training was less applicable in clinical practice compared to what they reported at Q1. A helical BBN training programme with early exposure seems to lead to a shift from students being unconsciously incompetent to consciously incompetent. Students would have appreciated more emotional support and feedback. We recommend more feedback and emotional support after BBN during clerkships. The gap between classroom and practice can be diminished by emphasizing real life role play and clinical role models should demonstrate continuity and agreement between the skills that are taught and those that are used in clinical practice. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Parkour as a Donor Sport for Athletic Development in Youth Team Sports: Insights Through an Ecological Dynamics Lens.

PubMed

Strafford, Ben William; van der Steen, Pawel; Davids, Keith; Stone, Joseph Antony

2018-05-24

Analyses of talent development in sport have identified that skill can be enhanced through early and continued involvement in donor sports which share affordances (opportunities for action) with a performer's main target sport. Aligning key ideas of the Athletic Skills Model and ecological dynamics theory, we propose how the sport of parkour could provide a representative and adaptive platform for developing athletic skill (e.g. coordination, timing, balance, agility, spatial awareness and muscular strength). We discuss how youth sport development programmes could be (re) designed to include parkour-style activities, in order to develop general athletic skills in affordance-rich environments. It is proposed that team sports development programmes could particularly benefit from parkour-style training since it is exploratory and adaptive nature shapes utilisation of affordances for innovative and autonomous performance by athletes. Early introduction to varied, relevant activities for development of athleticism and skill, in a diversified training programme, would provide impetus for a fundamental shift away from the early specialisation approach favoured by traditional theories of skill acquisition and expertise in sport.

Gynaecological endoscopic surgical education and assessment. A diploma programme in gynaecological endoscopic surgery.

PubMed

Campo, Rudi; Wattiez, Arnaud; Tanos, Vasilis; Di Spiezio Sardo, Attilio; Grimbizis, Grigoris; Wallwiener, Diethelm; Brucker, Sara; Puga, Marco; Molinas, Roger; O'Donovan, Peter; Deprest, Jan; Van Belle, Yves; Lissens, Ann; Herrmann, Anja; Tahir, Mahmood; Benedetto, Chiara; Siebert, Igno; Rabischong, Benoit; De Wilde, Rudy Leon

In recent years, training and education in endoscopic surgery has been critically reviewed. Clinicians, both surgeons as gynaecologist who perform endoscopic surgery without proper training of the specific psychomotor skills, are at higher risk to increased patient morbidity and mortality. Although the apprentice-tutor model has long been a successful approach for training of surgeons, recently, clinicians have recognised that endoscopic surgery requires an important training phase outside the operating theatre. The Gynaecological Endoscopic Surgical Education and Assessment programme (GESEA) recognises the necessity of this structured approach and implements two separated stages in its learning strategy. In the first stage, a skill certificate on theoretical knowledge and specific practical psychomotor skills is acquired through a high-stake exam; in the second stage, a clinical programme is completed to achieve surgical competence and receive the corresponding diploma. Three diplomas can be awarded: (a) the Bachelor in Endoscopy, (b) the Minimally Invasive Gynaecological Surgeon (MIGS) and (c) the Master level. The Master level is sub-divided into two separate diplomas: the Master in Laparoscopic Pelvic Surgery and the Master in Hysteroscopy. The complexity of modern surgery has increased the demands and challenges to surgical education and the quality control. This programme is based on the best available scientific evidence, and it counteracts the problem of the traditional surgical apprentice-tutor model. It is seen as a major step toward standardisation of endoscopic surgical training in general.

The surgeon as educator: fundamentals of faculty training in surgical specialties.

PubMed

Khan, Nuzhath; Khan, Mohammed S; Dasgupta, Prokar; Ahmed, Kamran

2013-01-01

To explore faculty training in the field of surgical specialities with a focus on the educational aspect of faculty training. Teaching is an important commitment for academic surgeons alongside duties of patient care, research and continuing professional development. Educating surgical faculty in the skills of teaching is becoming increasingly important and the realisation that clinical expertise does not necessarily translate to teaching expertise has led to the notion that faculty members require formal training in teaching methods and educational theory to teach effectively. The aim of faculty training or development is to increase knowledge and skills in teaching, research and administration of faculty members. A range of resources, e.g. journal articles, books and online literature was reviewed to investigate faculty development programmes in surgery. Various issues were addressed, e.g. the need for faculty development, evaluating the various types of training programmes and their outcomes, and exploring barriers to faculty training. Recommendations were provided based on the findings. There is increased recognition that faculty members require basic training in educational theory and teaching skills to teach effectively. Most faculty training programmes are workshops and short courses, which use participant satisfaction as an outcome measure. However, there is growing consensus that longer term interventions, e.g. seminar series, longitudinal programmes and fellowships, produce more sustainable change in learning, behaviour and organisational culture. Barriers to faculty development include lack of protected time, reward and recognition for teaching. Recommendations are made including better documentation of faculty training interventions within surgery, further investigation into the effectiveness of long- vs short-term interventions, improved methodology, and increased recognition and reward for educational accomplishments. © 2012 BJU International.

Perceived tutor benefits of teaching near peers: insights from two near peer teaching programmes in South East Scotland.

PubMed

Qureshi, Z U; Gibson, K R; Ross, M T; Maxwell, S

2013-08-01

There is little evidence about the benefits to junior doctors of participating in teaching, or how to train doctors as teachers. We explore (through South East Scotland based teaching programmes): (a) How prepared do junior doctors feel to teach? (b) What junior doctors consider to be the main challenges of teaching? (c) What motivates the junior doctors to continue teaching, and what is the perceived impact of teaching on their professional development? 'Questionnaire 1', distributed at 'tutor training days', explored (i) attitudes towards teaching and (ii) tutors' preparedness to teach. 'Questionnaire 2', distributed after completion of a teaching programme, evaluated the tutor experience of teaching. Seventy-six per cent of tutors reported no previous teacher training; 10% were able to teach during allocated work hours. The strongest motivation for teaching was to help students with their learning and to develop teaching skills. Ninety one per cent of tutors felt more prepared to teach by the end of the programme. Tutors also improved their clinical skills from teaching. There is a body of junior doctors, who see teaching as an important part of their career, developing both teaching and clinical skills in the tutor. If teaching is expected of foundation doctors, rotas ought to be more flexible to facilitate both teaching and teacher training.

Developing a European Practitioner Qualification: The TRAVORS2 Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lester, Stan

2013-01-01

The TRAVORS projects, supported by the European Union's Lifelong Learning Programme, ran between 2008 and 2012. Their object was to develop training programmes for disability employment practitioners across nine countries based on proven approaches both to vocational rehabilitation and to skills training. The second of the two projects aimed to…

Teaching Emotion Recognition Skills to Young Children with Autism: A Randomised Controlled Trial of an Emotion Training Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Beth T.; Gray, Kylie M.; Tonge, Bruce J.

2012-01-01

Background: Children with autism have difficulties in emotion recognition and a number of interventions have been designed to target these problems. However, few emotion training interventions have been trialled with young children with autism and co-morbid ID. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of an emotion training programme for a group…

Improving communication and practical skills in working with inpatients who self-harm: a pre-test/post-test study of the effects of a training programme

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Differing perspectives of self-harm may result in a struggle between patients and treatment staff. As a consequence, both sides have difficulty communicating effectively about the underlying problems and feelings surrounding self-harm. Between 2009 and 2011, a programme was developed and implemented to train mental health care staff (nurses, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, and occupational therapists) in how to communicate effectively with and care for patients who self-harm. An art exhibition focusing on self-harm supported the programme. Lay experts in self-harm, i.e. people who currently harm themselves, or who have harmed themselves in the past and have the skills to disseminate their knowledge and experience, played an important role throughout the programme. Methods Paired sample t-tests were conducted to measure the effects of the training programme using the Attitude Towards Deliberate Self-Harm Questionnaire, the Self-Perceived Efficacy in Dealing with Self-Harm Questionnaire, and the Patient Contact Questionnaire. Effect sizes were calculated using r. Participants evaluated the training programme with the help of a survey. The questionnaires used in the survey were analysed descriptively. Results Of the 281 persons who followed the training programme, 178 completed the questionnaires. The results show a significant increase in the total scores of the three questionnaires, with large to moderate effect sizes. Respondents were positive about the training, especially about the role of the lay expert. Conclusion A specialised training programme in how to care for patients who self-harm can result in a more positive attitude towards self-harm patients, an improved self-efficacy in caring for patients who self-harm, and a greater closeness with the patients. The deployment of lay experts is essential here. PMID:24592861

Improving communication and practical skills in working with inpatients who self-harm: a pre-test/post-test study of the effects of a training programme.

PubMed

Kool, Nienke; van Meijel, Berno; Koekkoek, Bauke; van der Bijl, Jaap; Kerkhof, Ad

2014-03-04

Differing perspectives of self-harm may result in a struggle between patients and treatment staff. As a consequence, both sides have difficulty communicating effectively about the underlying problems and feelings surrounding self-harm. Between 2009 and 2011, a programme was developed and implemented to train mental health care staff (nurses, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, and occupational therapists) in how to communicate effectively with and care for patients who self-harm. An art exhibition focusing on self-harm supported the programme. Lay experts in self-harm, i.e. people who currently harm themselves, or who have harmed themselves in the past and have the skills to disseminate their knowledge and experience, played an important role throughout the programme. Paired sample t-tests were conducted to measure the effects of the training programme using the Attitude Towards Deliberate Self-Harm Questionnaire, the Self-Perceived Efficacy in Dealing with Self-Harm Questionnaire, and the Patient Contact Questionnaire. Effect sizes were calculated using r. Participants evaluated the training programme with the help of a survey. The questionnaires used in the survey were analysed descriptively. Of the 281 persons who followed the training programme, 178 completed the questionnaires. The results show a significant increase in the total scores of the three questionnaires, with large to moderate effect sizes. Respondents were positive about the training, especially about the role of the lay expert. A specialised training programme in how to care for patients who self-harm can result in a more positive attitude towards self-harm patients, an improved self-efficacy in caring for patients who self-harm, and a greater closeness with the patients. The deployment of lay experts is essential here.

The National Resuscitation Council, Singapore, and 34 years of resuscitation training: 1983 to 2017.

PubMed

Anantharaman, Venkataraman

2017-07-01

Training in the modern form of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) started in Singapore in 1983. For the first 15 years, the expansion of training programmes was mainly owing to the interest of a few individuals. Public training in the skill was minimal. In an area of medical care where the greatest opportunity for benefit lies in employing core resuscitation skills in the prehospital environment, very little was being done to address such a need. In 1998, a group of physicians, working together with the Ministry of Health, set up the National Resuscitation Council (NRC). Over the years, the NRC has created national guidelines on resuscitation and reviewed them at five-yearly intervals. Provider training manuals are now available for most programmes. The NRC has set up an active accreditation system for monitoring and maintaining standards of life support training. This has led to a large increase in the number of training centres, as well as recognition and adoption of the council's guidelines in the country. The NRC has also actively promoted the use of bystander CPR through community-based programmes, resulting in a rise in the number of certified providers. Improving the chain of survival, through active community-based training programmes, will likely lead to more lives being saved from sudden cardiac arrest. Copyright: © Singapore Medical Association.

The National Resuscitation Council, Singapore, and 34 years of resuscitation training: 1983 to 2017

PubMed Central

Anantharaman, Venkataraman

2017-01-01

Training in the modern form of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) started in Singapore in 1983. For the first 15 years, the expansion of training programmes was mainly owing to the interest of a few individuals. Public training in the skill was minimal. In an area of medical care where the greatest opportunity for benefit lies in employing core resuscitation skills in the prehospital environment, very little was being done to address such a need. In 1998, a group of physicians, working together with the Ministry of Health, set up the National Resuscitation Council (NRC). Over the years, the NRC has created national guidelines on resuscitation and reviewed them at five-yearly intervals. Provider training manuals are now available for most programmes. The NRC has set up an active accreditation system for monitoring and maintaining standards of life support training. This has led to a large increase in the number of training centres, as well as recognition and adoption of the council’s guidelines in the country. The NRC has also actively promoted the use of bystander CPR through community-based programmes, resulting in a rise in the number of certified providers. Improving the chain of survival, through active community-based training programmes, will likely lead to more lives being saved from sudden cardiac arrest. PMID:28741008

Daughters of the Earth: Skills-Based Literacy Programme for Women, China. Education for All: Making It Work. Innovation Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aksornkool, Namtip

Begun in the early 1990s, The Skills-Based Literacy Programme for Women aims to improve the lives of rural Chinese women by linking literacy education with skills training in agriculture and other forms of income generation. Xuan Wei County, Yunnan Province, was chosen as the seat of the project because of high female illiteracy rates and the need…

The development and evaluation of a web-based programme to support problem-solving skills following brain injury.

PubMed

Powell, Laurie Ehlhardt; Wild, Michelle R; Glang, Ann; Ibarra, Summer; Gau, Jeff M; Perez, Amanda; Albin, Richard W; O'Neil-Pirozzi, Therese M; Wade, Shari L; Keating, Tom; Saraceno, Carolyn; Slocumb, Jody

2017-10-24

Cognitive impairments following brain injury, including difficulty with problem solving, can pose significant barriers to successful community reintegration. Problem-solving strategy training is well-supported in the cognitive rehabilitation literature. However, limitations in insurance reimbursement have resulted in fewer services to train such skills to mastery and to support generalization of those skills into everyday environments. The purpose of this project was to develop and evaluate an integrated, web-based programme, ProSolv, which uses a small number of coaching sessions to support problem solving in everyday life following brain injury. We used participatory action research to guide the iterative development, usability testing, and within-subject pilot testing of the ProSolv programme. The finalized programme was then evaluated in a between-subjects group study and a non-experimental single case study. Results were mixed across studies. Participants demonstrated that it was feasible to learn and use the ProSolv programme for support in problem solving. They highly recommended the programme to others and singled out the importance of the coach. Limitations in app design were cited as a major reason for infrequent use of the app outside of coaching sessions. Results provide mixed evidence regarding the utility of web-based mobile apps, such as ProSolv to support problem solving following brain injury. Implications for Rehabilitation People with cognitive impairments following brain injury often struggle with problem solving in everyday contexts. Research supports problem solving skills training following brain injury. Assistive technology for cognition (smartphones, selected apps) offers a means of supporting problem solving for this population. This project demonstrated the feasibility of a web-based programme to address this need.

A systematic review of assessment and intervention strategies for effective clinical communication in culturally and linguistically diverse students.

PubMed

Chan, Annie; Purcell, Alison; Power, Emma

2016-09-01

Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) students often experience difficulties with the clinical communication skills that are essential for successful interactions in the workplace. However, there is little evidence on the effectiveness of assessment and intervention strategies for this population. The two aims of this study were: to evaluate the effectiveness of assessment tools in identifying and describing the clinical communication difficulties of CALD health care students; and to determine whether communication programmes improved their clinical communication skills. Systematic review based on the Cochrane protocol. Articles were identified through a search of established databases using MeSH and key search terms. Studies published in English from 1990 to March 2015 were included if they described assessment strategies or a training programme for communication skills of CALD students. Studies were excluded if they did not describe implementation of a specific assessment or intervention programme. Data were extracted independently by the first author and verified by the second author. Quality was measured by the Best Evidence Medical Education guide and the Educational Interventions Critical Appraisal Tool. The Kirkpatrick hierarchy was used to measure impact. Meta-analysis was not conducted because of the heterogeneity of programme design and outcome measures. One hundred and twenty-nine articles met the criteria for full text review. Eighty-six articles were excluded. Thirteen articles addressing assessment and 30 articles reporting on communication training programmes were included in this review. Assessment tools used rubrics and rating scales effectively. Intervention studies focused on speech and language skills (n = 20), interpersonal skills (n = 7) and faculty-level support (n = 5). Although 17 studies reported positive findings on student satisfaction, only eight reported improved skills post-training. The development of effective assessment and intervention programmes should have an integrated design and include specific outcome measures to increase educational impact. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and The Association for the Study of Medical Education.

Designing simulator-based training: an approach integrating cognitive task analysis and four-component instructional design.

PubMed

Tjiam, Irene M; Schout, Barbara M A; Hendrikx, Ad J M; Scherpbier, Albert J J M; Witjes, J Alfred; van Merriënboer, Jeroen J G

2012-01-01

Most studies of simulator-based surgical skills training have focused on the acquisition of psychomotor skills, but surgical procedures are complex tasks requiring both psychomotor and cognitive skills. As skills training is modelled on expert performance consisting partly of unconscious automatic processes that experts are not always able to explicate, simulator developers should collaborate with educational experts and physicians in developing efficient and effective training programmes. This article presents an approach to designing simulator-based skill training comprising cognitive task analysis integrated with instructional design according to the four-component/instructional design model. This theory-driven approach is illustrated by a description of how it was used in the development of simulator-based training for the nephrostomy procedure.

Peer mentoring: evaluation of a novel programme in paediatrics

PubMed Central

Eisen, Sarah; Sukhani, Seema; Brightwell, Alex; Stoneham, Sara; Long, Andrew

2014-01-01

Background Mentoring is important for personal and professional development of doctors. Peer mentoring is a core skill in the UK paediatric postgraduate curriculum. However, there is a paucity of peer mentoring programmes aimed at postgraduate doctors in training (postgraduate trainees), and there are no such schemes within paediatrics described in the literature. We developed a regional peer mentoring programme for postgraduate trainees in paediatrics to assess demand and need for peer mentoring and to explore the benefits for both peer mentees and mentors. Programme design Junior postgraduate trainees, randomly selected from volunteers, received peer mentoring from more senior trainees for 1 year. Peer mentors were selected by competitive application and undertook tailored training followed by an experiential learning programme. The programme was evaluated using structured questionnaires. Results 90% (76/84) of first-year postgraduate trainees in paediatrics applied to participate, demonstrating high demand. 18 peer mentor–mentee pairs were matched. Peer mentors and mentees reported high satisfaction rates, acquisition of new and transferable skills and changed behaviours. All peer mentors intended to use the skills in their workplace and, later, as an educational supervisor. Conclusions Our programme represents a novel approach to meeting the demonstrated demand and the curriculum requirement for peer mentoring, and enabled peer mentors and mentees to develop a valuable and versatile skill set. To our knowledge, it is the first such programme in paediatrics and provides a feasibility model that may be adapted locally to allow education providers to offer this important experience to postgraduate trainees. PMID:24152570

Helping doctors in training to STEP-UP: A leadership and quality improvement programme in the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust.

PubMed

Donaghy, Grainne; McKeever, Kris; Flanagan, Catherine; O'Kane, Donal; McQuillan, Bernie; Cash, Johnny; Jack, Cathy; Lundy, Claire

2018-05-01

Medical engagement in healthcare organisations can improve service development and patient experience. Doctors in training have limited opportunities to engage in service improvement work and develop leadership skills. We describe the Specialist Trainees Engaged in Leadership Programme (STEP) , a programme developed to introduce concepts of medical leadership and quality improvement skills in the Belfast Trust. STEP started in 2013 and over 140 trainees have now participated in the programme. Over 42 quality improvement projects have been completed with the support of the programme. Evaluation of STEP has demonstrated an improvement across all domains explored throughout the duration of the programme, with benefits for the individual trainee and the wider organisation. We describe the programme in detail. The STEP curriculum can easily be adapted to meet the needs of NHS trainees, allowing them to understand the objectives and strategy of their employers and improve their ability to plan and deliver safe, effective, patient-centred care.

Process evaluation of the teacher training for an AIDS prevention programme.

PubMed

Ahmed, Nazeema; Flisher, Alan J; Mathews, Catherine; Jansen, Shahieda; Mukoma, Wanjiru; Schaalma, Herman

2006-10-01

This paper provides a process evaluation of a 6-day teacher training programme which forms part of a sexuality education project. The training aimed at providing teachers with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively teach a 16-lesson Grade 8 (14 year olds) life skills curriculum consisting of participatory exercises on sexual reproductive health, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), sexual decision-making, abstinence, consequences of sexual activity, safe sex practices, substance abuse and sexual violence. Questionnaires administered prior to the training, on completion of the training and at two follow-up time periods were analysed as well as participant observation notes. Findings indicate that teachers reported increased confidence and comfort in teaching the sexuality curriculum. However, many struggled with the transfer of sexual reproductive knowledge and facilitative teaching methods into the classroom context. This highlights the need for HIV education to form part of teacher trainee programmes. Ongoing support and engagement with teachers is needed to encourage alternative teaching practices.

Is it time for integration of surgical skills simulation into the United Kingdom undergraduate medical curriculum? A perspective from King's College London School of Medicine.

PubMed

Hamaoui, Karim; Sadideen, Hazim; Saadeddin, Munir; Onida, Sarah; Hoey, Andrew W; Rees, John

2013-01-01

Changes in undergraduate medical curricula, combined with reforms in postgraduate education, have training implications for surgical skills acquisition in a climate of reduced clinical exposure. Confidence and prior experience influences the educational impact of learning. Currently there is no basic surgical skills (BSS) programme integrated into undergraduate curricula in the United Kingdom. We explored the role of a dedicated BSS programme for undergraduates in improving confidence and influencing careers in King's College London School of Medicine, and the programme was evaluated. A programme was designed in-line with the established Royal College of Surgeons course. Undergraduates were taught four key skills over four weeks: knot-tying, basic-suturing, tying-at-depth and chest-drain insertion, using low-fidelity bench-top models. A Likert-style questionnaire was designed to determine educational value and influence on career choice. Qualitative data was collected. Only 29% and 42% of students had undertaken previous practice in knot-tying and basic suturing, respectively. 96% agreed that skills exposure prior to starting surgical rotations was essential and felt a dedicated course would augment undergraduate training. There was a significant increase in confidence in the practice and knowledge of all skills taught (p<0.01), with a greater motivation to be actively involved in the surgical firm and theatres. A simple, structured BSS programme can increase the confidence and motivation of students. Early surgical skills targeting is valuable for students entering surgical, related allied, and even traditionally non-surgical specialties such as general practice. Such experience can increase the confidence of future junior doctors and trainees. We advocate the introduction of a BSS programme into United Kingdom undergraduate curricula.

Is it time for integration of surgical skills simulation into the United Kingdom undergraduate medical curriculum? A perspective from King’s College London School of Medicine

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Purpose: Changes in undergraduate medical curricula, combined with reforms in postgraduate education, have training implications for surgical skills acquisition in a climate of reduced clinical exposure. Confidence and prior experience influences the educational impact of learning. Currently there is no basic surgical skills (BSS) programme integrated into undergraduate curricula in the United Kingdom. We explored the role of a dedicated BSS programme for undergraduates in improving confidence and influencing careers in King’s College London School of Medicine, and the programme was evaluated. Methods: A programme was designed in-line with the established Royal College of Surgeons course. Undergraduates were taught four key skills over four weeks: knot-tying, basic-suturing, tying-at-depth and chest-drain insertion, using low-fidelity bench-top models. A Likert-style questionnaire was designed to determine educational value and influence on career choice. Qualitative data was collected. Results: Only 29% and 42% of students had undertaken previous practice in knot-tying and basic suturing, respectively. 96% agreed that skills exposure prior to starting surgical rotations was essential and felt a dedicated course would augment undergraduate training. There was a significant increase in confidence in the practice and knowledge of all skills taught (p<0.01), with a greater motivation to be actively involved in the surgical firm and theatres. Conclusion: A simple, structured BSS programme can increase the confidence and motivation of students. Early surgical skills targeting is valuable for students entering surgical, related allied, and even traditionally non-surgical specialties such as general practice. Such experience can increase the confidence of future junior doctors and trainees. We advocate the introduction of a BSS programme into United Kingdom undergraduate curricula. PMID:24498471

Core trainee boot camp-A method for improving technical and non-technical skills of novice surgical trainees. A before and after study.

PubMed

Bamford, R; Langdon, L; Rodd, C A; Eastaugh-Waring, S; Coulston, J E

2018-04-10

The transition to surgical training can be a stressful time for trainees and is most evident during national handover periods where new graduates start and senior trainees rotate to new programmes. During this time, patient mortality can increase and Hospital efficiency reduces. This influence is compounded by the impact of working time directives. Intensive, simulation rich training programmes or "Boot Camps" have been postulated as a solution. This article highlights the development of a surgical boot camp for novice surgical trainees and the impact this can have on training. A novel surgical boot camp was developed for all trainees within a surgical training region including nine acute NHS trusts. Participating cohort of trainees completed pre and post course questionnaires to assess technical and non-technical skills. 25 trainees attended and completed the pre and post boot camp questionnaire. Significant improvements were seen with technical skills (p = 0.0429), overall non-technical skills (p < 0.001) including leadership (p = 0.022), communication (p = 0.010), situational awareness (p = 0.022), patient handover (p = 0.003), ward round skills (p = 0.005) and outpatient skill (p = 0.002). Trainees reported significantly increased ability to assess and manage a critically unwell patient (p = 0.001) and a trauma patient (p = 0.001). 96% of trainees have utilised the skills they learnt on Boot Camp and all trainees would recommend it as an induction programme. Surgical Boot Camps offer a timely chance to develop technical and non-technical skills whilst enhancing a trainee's confidence and knowledge and reduce the patient safety impact of the handover period. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Developing the Model for Optimal Learning and Transfer (MOLT) Following an Evaluation of Outdoor Groupwork Skills Programmes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooley, Sam Joseph; Cumming, Jennifer; Holland, Mark J. G.; Burns, Victoria E.

2015-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to evaluate the perceived efficacy of outdoor groupwork skills programmes for the undergraduate and postgraduate students, and the factors that influence its success. It also illustrates the use of Kirkpatrick's (1994) 4-level model of training evaluation as a framework for qualitative investigation of learning and…

Simulation For Task Practice in Technical Training.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mallory, W. J.

1981-01-01

Describes two programs used by the Ford Motor Company to train manufacturing skilled trades personnel. Programmable Controller Maintenance Training Program for Industrial Technicians and Troubleshooting Strategy Program use simulation and provide improved task performance after training. (JOW)

Ability-Training-Oriented Automated Assessment in Introductory Programming Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Tiantian; Su, Xiaohong; Ma, Peijun; Wang, Yuying; Wang, Kuanquan

2011-01-01

Learning to program is a difficult process for novice programmers. AutoLEP, an automated learning and assessment system, was developed by us, to aid novice programmers to obtain programming skills. AutoLEP is ability-training-oriented. It adopts a novel assessment mechanism, which combines static analysis with dynamic testing to analyze student…

Using Participatory Action Research to Improve Vocational Skills Training for Marginalised Youth in Uganda: Experiences from an Early School-Leavers' Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tukundane, Cuthbert; Zeelen, Jacques

2015-01-01

Although vocational education and training is considered to be a good option for improving livelihood opportunities for marginalised youth in developing countries, it often suffers from an image problem. This situation affects the quality of entrants, instruction and skills acquisition in training programmes. In this article, the researchers…

Entrepreneurial training for girls empowerment in Lesotho: A process evaluation of a model programme

PubMed Central

Berry, Mary O'Neill; Kuriansky, Judy; Lytle, Megan; Vistman, Bozhena; Mosisili, ‘Mathato S.; Hlothoane, Lieketso; Matlanyane, Mapeo; Mokobori, Thabang; Mosuhli, Silas; Pebane, Jane

2014-01-01

A Girls Empowerment Programme held in 2010 in Lesotho, Sub-Saharan Africa, focused on HIV/AIDS risk reduction and prevention, life skills and entrepreneurial training (income-generating activities). Entrepreneurial training was a crucial part of equipping the camp attendees with basic skills to help them develop sustainable livelihoods. Such skills and financial independence are essential to enable rural girls to complete their secondary schooling (in a fee-based educational system) and to pursue a career, as well as to further help them be less susceptible to transactional sex and its significant risks. The results of a brief process evaluation with some nested supporting data showed considerable improvement in the girls' knowledge about income-generating activities. In addition, almost half of the camp attendees participated in further entrepreneurial training and about half of these girls went on to develop small businesses. Replication of this model of camp training is recommended and being explored in other African countries. PMID:25505804

Entrepreneurial training for girls empowerment in Lesotho: A process evaluation of a model programme.

PubMed

Berry, Mary O'Neill; Kuriansky, Judy; Lytle, Megan; Vistman, Bozhena; Mosisili, 'Mathato S; Hlothoane, Lieketso; Matlanyane, Mapeo; Mokobori, Thabang; Mosuhli, Silas; Pebane, Jane

2013-12-01

A Girls Empowerment Programme held in 2010 in Lesotho, Sub-Saharan Africa, focused on HIV/AIDS risk reduction and prevention, life skills and entrepreneurial training (income-generating activities). Entrepreneurial training was a crucial part of equipping the camp attendees with basic skills to help them develop sustainable livelihoods. Such skills and financial independence are essential to enable rural girls to complete their secondary schooling (in a fee-based educational system) and to pursue a career, as well as to further help them be less susceptible to transactional sex and its significant risks. The results of a brief process evaluation with some nested supporting data showed considerable improvement in the girls' knowledge about income-generating activities. In addition, almost half of the camp attendees participated in further entrepreneurial training and about half of these girls went on to develop small businesses. Replication of this model of camp training is recommended and being explored in other African countries.

Educating for action: Aligning skills with policies for sustainable development in the Danube river basin.

PubMed

Irvine, Kenneth; Weigelhofer, Gabriele; Popescu, Ioana; Pfeiffer, Ellen; Păun, Andrei; Drobot, Radu; Gettel, Gretchen; Staska, Bernadette; Stanica, Adrian; Hein, Thomas; Habersack, Helmut

2016-02-01

Sustainable river basin management depends on knowledge, skills and education. The DANCERS project set out to identify feasible options for achieving education for sustainable water management across the Danube river basin, and its integration with broader education and economic development. The study traced the historic, regulatory and educational landscape of water management in the basin, contrasting it with the complex political decision-making, data-heavy decision support, learning-centred collaboration, and information-based participation that are all inherent components of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM). While there is a wide range of educational opportunities and mobility schemes available to individuals, there is no coherent network related to training in water management and sustainable development in the study region. Progress in addressing the multi-layered environmental challenges within the basin requires further aligning of economic, environmental and educational policies, advancing the EU Bologna Process across the region, and the development of dedicated training programmes that combine technical and relational skills. The DANCERS project identified key short and medium term needs for education and research to support progressive adoption of sustainable development, and the necessary dialogue across the public and private sectors to align policies. These include the development of new education networks for masters and PhD programmes, including joint programmes; improved access to technical training and life-long learning programmes for skills development; developing formalized and certified competency structures and associated accreditation of institutions where such skilled individuals work; and developing a co-ordinated research infrastructure and pan-basin programme for research for water management and sustainable development. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Peer mentoring: evaluation of a novel programme in paediatrics.

PubMed

Eisen, Sarah; Sukhani, Seema; Brightwell, Alex; Stoneham, Sara; Long, Andrew

2014-02-01

Mentoring is important for personal and professional development of doctors. Peer mentoring is a core skill in the UK paediatric postgraduate curriculum. However, there is a paucity of peer mentoring programmes aimed at postgraduate doctors in training (postgraduate trainees), and there are no such schemes within paediatrics described in the literature. We developed a regional peer mentoring programme for postgraduate trainees in paediatrics to assess demand and need for peer mentoring and to explore the benefits for both peer mentees and mentors. Junior postgraduate trainees, randomly selected from volunteers, received peer mentoring from more senior trainees for 1 year. Peer mentors were selected by competitive application and undertook tailored training followed by an experiential learning programme. The programme was evaluated using structured questionnaires. 90% (76/84) of first-year postgraduate trainees in paediatrics applied to participate, demonstrating high demand. 18 peer mentor-mentee pairs were matched. Peer mentors and mentees reported high satisfaction rates, acquisition of new and transferable skills and changed behaviours. All peer mentors intended to use the skills in their workplace and, later, as an educational supervisor. Our programme represents a novel approach to meeting the demonstrated demand and the curriculum requirement for peer mentoring, and enabled peer mentors and mentees to develop a valuable and versatile skill set. To our knowledge, it is the first such programme in paediatrics and provides a feasibility model that may be adapted locally to allow education providers to offer this important experience to postgraduate trainees.

Gynaecological Endoscopic Surgical Education and Assessment. A diploma programme in gynaecological endoscopic surgery.

PubMed

Campo, Rudi; Wattiez, Arnaud; Tanos, Vasilis; Di Spiezio Sardo, Attilio; Grimbizis, Grigoris; Wallwiener, Diethelm; Brucker, Sara; Puga, Marco; Molinas, Roger; O'Donovan, Peter; Deprest, Jan; Van Belle, Yves; Lissens, Ann; Herrmann, Anja; Tahir, Mahmood; Benedetto, Chiara; Siebert, Igno; Rabischong, Benoit; De Wilde, Rudy Leon

2016-04-01

In recent years, training and education in endoscopic surgery has been critically reviewed. Clinicians, both surgeons as gynaecologist who perform endoscopic surgery without proper training of the specific psychomotor skills are at higher risk to increased patient morbidity and mortality. Although the apprentice-tutor model has long been a successful approach for training of surgeons, recently, clinicians have recognised that endoscopic surgery requires an important training phase outside the operating theatre. The Gynaecological Endoscopic Surgical Education and Assessment programme (GESEA), recognises the necessity of this structured approach and implements two separated stages in its learning strategy. In the first stage, a skill certificate on theoretical knowledge and specific practical psychomotor skills is acquired through a high stake exam; in the second stage, a clinical programme is completed to achieve surgical competence and receive the corresponding diploma. Three diplomas can be awarded: (a) the Bachelor in Endoscopy; (b) the Minimally Invasive Gynaecological Surgeon (MIGS); and (c) the Master level. The Master level is sub-divided into two separate diplomas: the Master in Laparoscopic Pelvic Surgery and the Master in Hysteroscopy. The complexity of modern surgery has increased the demands and challenges to surgical education and the quality control. This programme is based on the best available scientific evidence and it counteracts the problem of the traditional surgical apprentice tutor model. It is seen as a major step toward standardization of endoscopic surgical training in general. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The theoretical model of the school-based prevention programme Unplugged.

PubMed

Vadrucci, Serena; Vigna-Taglianti, Federica D; van der Kreeft, Peer; Vassara, Maro; Scatigna, Maria; Faggiano, Fabrizio; Burkhart, Gregor

2016-12-01

Unplugged is a school-based prevention programme designed and tested in the EU-Dap trial. The programme consists of 12 units delivered by class teachers to adolescents 12-14 years old. It is a strongly interactive programme including a training of personal and social skills with a specific focus on normative beliefs. The aim of this work is to define the theoretical model of the program, the contribution of the theories to the units, and the targeted mediators. The programme integrates several theories: Social Learning, Social Norms, Health Belief, theory of Reasoned Action-Attitude, and Problem Behaviour theory. Every theory contributes to the development of the units' contents, with specific weights. Knowledge, risk perception, attitudes towards drugs, normative beliefs, critical and creative thinking, relationship skills, communication skills, assertiveness, refusal skills, ability to manage emotions and to cope with stress, empathy, problem solving and decision making skills are the targeted mediators of the program. © The Author(s) 2015.

Metacognition-oriented social skills training for individuals with long-term schizophrenia: methodology and clinical illustration.

PubMed

Ottavi, Paolo; D'Alia, Daria; Lysaker, Paul; Kent, Jerillyn; Popolo, Raffaele; Salvatore, Giampaolo; Dimaggio, Giancarlo

2014-01-01

There is much evidence indicating the presence of social deficits in schizophrenia and the detrimental effect of these deficits on global functioning in this population. As a result, social skills training (SST) has emerged as a legitimate psychosocial treatment, although effectiveness research has revealed small effect sizes and limited generalizability regarding the benefits of this treatment. In light of the strong evidence of metacognitive deficits in schizophrenia and the importance of metacognition to successful social functioning, we propose a novel therapeutic intervention wherein metacognitive remediation is integrated into SST: metacognition-oriented social skills training (MOSST). In the current paper, we present MOSST, an adapted SST programme wherein clients are also encouraged to have mindful contact with their own thoughts and to better consider and understand the mental states of others as well as the connection between mental states and behaviour. We present a case wherein an individual with schizophrenia successfully completed the MOSST programme. We outline directions for future research, starting with the logical next step of empirically testing the efficacy of MOSST. Currently social skills training is considered to be the elected psychosocial treatment for people affected by schizophrenia, although evidence indicates limited benefits. People with schizophrenia have metacognitive deficits, which interfere with proper social functioning. A metacognitive-oriented social skills training (MOSST) intervention has been developed by the authors.A treatment such as MOSST, which integrates social skills training and metacognitive training, promises to improve social skills through improving the metacognition. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The efficacy of early language intervention in mainstream school settings: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Fricke, Silke; Burgoyne, Kelly; Bowyer-Crane, Claudine; Kyriacou, Maria; Zosimidou, Alexandra; Maxwell, Liam; Lervåg, Arne; Snowling, Margaret J; Hulme, Charles

2017-10-01

Oral language skills are a critical foundation for literacy and more generally for educational success. The current study shows that oral language skills can be improved by providing suitable additional help to children with language difficulties in the early stages of formal education. We conducted a randomized controlled trial with 394 children in England, comparing a 30-week oral language intervention programme starting in nursery (N = 132) with a 20-week version of the same programme starting in Reception (N = 133). The intervention groups were compared to an untreated waiting control group (N = 129). The programmes were delivered by trained teaching assistants (TAs) working in the children's schools/nurseries. All testers were blind to group allocation. Both the 20- and 30-week programmes produced improvements on primary outcome measures of oral language skill compared to the untreated control group. Effect sizes were small to moderate (20-week programme: d = .21; 30-week programme: d = .30) immediately following the intervention and were maintained at follow-up 6 months later. The difference in improvement between the 20-week and 30-week programmes was not statistically significant. Neither programme produced statistically significant improvements in children's early word reading or reading comprehension skills (secondary outcome measures). This study provides further evidence that oral language interventions can be delivered successfully by trained TAs to children with oral language difficulties in nursery and Reception classes. The methods evaluated have potentially important policy implications for early education. © 2017 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

A Skills beyond School Review of Peru. OECD Reviews of Vocational Education and Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCarthy, Mary Alice; Musset, Pauline

2016-01-01

Vocational education and training (VET) programmes are facing rapid change and intensifying challenges. How can employers and unions be engaged? How can workbased learning be used? How can teachers and trainers be effectively prepared? How should postsecondary programmes be structured? The country reports in this series look at these and other…

Evaluating a Research Training Programme for People with Intellectual Disabilities Participating in Inclusive Research: The Views of Participants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fullana, Judit; Pallisera, Maria; Català, Elena; Puyalto, Carolina

2017-01-01

Background: This article presents the results of evaluating a research training programme aimed at developing the skills of people with intellectual disabilities to actively participate in inclusive research. Methods: The present authors opted for a responsive approach to evaluation, using a combination of interviews, questionnaires and focus…

Context Matters: A Model of the Factors Associated with the Effectiveness of Youth Entrepreneurship Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiger, Nancy Pellowski; Chapman, David W.; Baxter, Aryn; DeJaeghere, Joan

2015-01-01

Government and development organizations are increasingly turning to entrepreneurship training programmes as a means of assisting those caught in poverty to develop the skills needed to find or create employment. Drawing on case studies from East Africa, this article argues that while such programmes offer a potentially useful strategy for…

Assessment of Resources for Training Prospective Teachers in Business Education at the Colleges of Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Okoro, James

2014-01-01

This study assessed Resources for Training Prospective Teachers in Business Education at the colleges of Education at South South Nigeria. Business Teacher Education programmes are set up to produce competent teachers for the secondary schools and skilled labour force for the private sector. These products of Business Education programme at the…

When Bodies Matter: Significance of the Body in Gender Constructions in Physiotherapy Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dahl-Michelsen, Tone; Solbraekke, Kari Nyheim

2014-01-01

This article examines which bodily performances indicate the significance of gender in the skills training of physiotherapy students. It is based on a qualitative study of first-year students' skills training in a Norwegian physiotherapy education programme. The study draws inspiration from Paechter's theory of the communities of masculinities and…

Training Phoneme Blending Skills in Children with Down Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burgoyne, Kelly; Duff, Fiona; Snowling, Maggie; Buckley, Sue; Hulme, Charles

2013-01-01

This article reports the evaluation of a 6-week programme of teaching designed to support the development of phoneme blending skills in children with Down syndrome (DS). Teaching assistants (TAs) were trained to deliver the intervention to individual children in daily 10-15-minute sessions, within a broader context of reading and language…

Communication skills of healthcare professionals in paediatric diabetes services.

PubMed

Hambly, H; Robling, M; Crowne, E; Hood, K; Gregory, J W

2009-05-01

To identify training needs in communication skills and to assess training preferences of staff working in paediatric diabetes services, which will inform the development of a learning programme in behaviour change counselling for healthcare professionals. Three hundred and eighty-five staff in 67 UK paediatric diabetes services were sent questionnaires to determine their previous communication skills training, to measure their self-reported view of the importance of and confidence in addressing common clinical problems and to assess the perceived feasibility of training methods to improve skillfulness. Two hundred and sixty-six questionnaires (69%) were returned from 65 services. Sixteen per cent of doctors, nurses and dietitians reported no previous training in communication skills and 47% had received no training since graduating. Respondents rated psychosocial issues as more important to address than medical issues within consultations (t = 8.93, P < 0.001), but felt less confident addressing such issues (t = 15.85, P < 0.001). One-day workshops and monthly team meetings were the most popular of the training options considered (65% and 77%, respectively). CD ROM and web-based learning were considered feasible for 54% and 56% of respondents, respectively, although lack of time (55%) and privacy (34%) were potential barriers. Addressing psychosocial issues is an important component of consultations involving young people with diabetes, but healthcare professionals find it easier to address medical issues. This represents a key training need in communication skills for diabetes professionals. The survey will inform the development of a tailored learning programme for health professionals in UK paediatric diabetes clinics.

Evaluating a training programme at Viet Duc University Hospital in Vietnam.

PubMed

Dung, Phan Thi; Chinh, Nguyen Duc; Hanh, Bui My; Notter, Joy

2016-06-23

Vietnam's nursing competency standards (VNCS) were issued in 2012 as the legal framework on which the continuous nursing training programme are designed and developed. The study aimed to assess the knowledge, skills, and attitudes as well as the confidence of nurses regarding wound care at Viet Duc University Hospital before and after a new educational intervention. A comparative descriptive study was carried out in 2014 at Viet Duc University Hospital. The study reviewed knowledge, skills, attitude and confidence among nurses working in seven clinical departments. The data collection tools included a 48-knowledge-item self-administered questionnaire, a sixteen-item skills set, and attitude-item observation sheet and a thirteen confidence level-item observation sheet, adapted for the field of wound care. Data were loaded into Epidata version 3.1 and analysed with SPSS version 16.0. The mean pre-training knowledge, skill, attitude and confidence scores were (117.78±24.94), (53.61±10.26), (54.39±8.02) and (1.18-3.59), respectively, while the corresponding post-training scores were (148.68±16.54), (62.33±8.40), (60.80±8.75) and (1.50-4.15) p<0.0001. This was the first cohort to undergo the new training programme and has shown promising initial results; however, it also demonstrates that the training content, while leading to positive changes, does in some areas need to be further developed and then disseminated across the hospital to all nurses who provide direct wound care for patients.

Mental health promotion in the Internet age: a consultation with Australian young people to inform the design of an online mindfulness training programme.

PubMed

Monshat, Kaveh; Vella-Brodrick, Dianne; Burns, Jane; Herrman, Helen

2012-06-01

Mindfulness training (MT) has been shown to lead to significant improvements in psychological distress and emotion regulation skills. The Internet has many advantages as a medium for building emotional skills in young people. The aim of this study was to involve young people in designing an online MT programme. A draft programme was initially designed based on a review of the literature and an established face-to-face programme for medical students. Twenty young people were then recruited through online advertising and 13 (age 16-26) interviewed. They were asked to comment on how useful, easy to use and enjoyable they found the proposed programme and how the draft version and its planned evaluation strategy could be improved. Interviewee responses were independently processed by two of the authors within a qualitative thematic analysis paradigm. The results showed that young people were eager to engage with the design of this health promotion programme and provided valuable input. All interviewees believed that young people would find the programme desirable. They provided a variety of suggestions about how training structure and content could be improved, how best it could be evaluated and how young people could be encouraged to engage with and complete the programme. It thus appears that online MT is a feasible mental health promotion strategy for young people and that it can be evaluated in a controlled trial. The result of this consultation process was the Mindful Awareness Training and Education (MATE) programme, which has been detailed.

Avoiding complications by a hands-on mentor programme.

PubMed

Lefebvre, Guylaine G; Shore, Eliane M

2016-08-01

The complexity of gynaecologic surgery has increased in recent years, while the duration of residency training has remained fixed with reduced work hours compared with our predecessors. Residents may not be graduating with the advanced surgical skill set required for complex cases, which are now considered standard of care. The ever-changing advancements in the field of gynaecologic surgery warrant the development of training programmes for practicing surgeons to incorporate recent advances and best practices. This can be accomplished through mentorship in training residents as well as the continuing professional development of safe gynaecologic surgeons. This review outlines the process of mentorship to enhance surgical skills, and objective feedback tools for surgeons seeking to improve performance. Mentorship programmes can help surgeons incorporate new technologies in a structured environment, which seeks to decrease the risk of complications for our patients. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Health behavior of medical students. Introduction of mental hygienic skills in the medical education in Hungary].

PubMed

Rosta, Eszter; Almási, Zsuzsanna; Karácsony, István; Konkolÿ Thege, Barna; Hegedűs, Katalin

2012-07-22

HuMania Training Programme is a voluntary peer training course. to measure the efficiency of HuMania Training Programme and to analyse social relations of medical students. WHO Well-being Index, Bergen Social Relationship Scale, Lazarus's Ways of Coping Questionnaire and the Maslach Burnout Inventory for undergraduate students were used. The results of HuMania Training Programme established in 2009 were compared with those obtained from controls and HuMania Training Programme of the forthcoming year. At the beginning, participants of the HuMania Training Programme had fewer well-being scores (p = 0.01), whereas their social anxiety (p = 0.01) and emotion-based coping (p = 0.05) were greater as compared to controls. After the HuMania Training Programme course, well-being showed an increasing tendency (p = 0.072), and burnout-level decreased (p = 0.040). Fifty percent of medical students had a minimum of three stressors, and 57% of them said that there was a person in their environment, who needed help, but they cannot provide it. Medical students display poor mental hygienic state. and HuMania Training Programme tries to fight this situation.

Implementing cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) in a mental health service: staff training.

PubMed

Dark, Frances; Newman, Ellie; Harris, Meredith; Cairns, Alice; Simpson, Michael; Gore-Jones, Victoria; Whiteford, Harvey; Harvey, Carol; Crompton, David

2016-04-01

This paper describes the establishment of training in cognitive remediation for psychosis within a community mental health service. Clinical staff working in the community of a mental health service were surveyed to ascertain their interest in cognitive aspects of psychosis and skills training in cognitive remediation (CR). Based on the results of the survey a tiered training programme was established with attendance figures reported for each level of training. Fidelity assessment was conducted on the five CR programmes operating. Of 106 clinical staff working in the community with people diagnosed with a psychotic illness 51 completed the survey (48% response rate). The training needs varied with all 106 staff receiving the fundamental (mandatory) training and 51 staff receiving CR facilitator training. Thirty three percent of staff trained as facilitators were delivering CR. Up skilling the mental health workforce to incorporate an understanding of the cognitive aspects of psychosis into care delivery can be facilitated by a tiered training structure. Fundamental training on the psychosocial aspects of psychosis can act as a platform for focussed CR skills based training. There is also a need for accessible therapy based supervision for staff wishing to develop competencies as CR therapists. © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2015.

The perceived benefits of a two-year period of extended specialty training in general practice: the trainees' perspective.

PubMed

Agius, Steven; Lewis, Barry; Kirk, Bob; Hayden, Jacky

2014-01-01

Evidence suggests that, in the UK, the current three-year specialty training period in general practice is inadequate for equipping newly qualified GPs with mastery in all the necessary clinical and generic skills that would allow them to respond with optimum effect to the complexities and uncertainties of the generalist workplace. The North Western Deanery initiated an innovative pilot programme of extended (by 24 months) specialty training in general practice (GPST4-5). Nine ST3 trainees who had just 'graduated' from GPST, holding nMRCGP, were recruited, thereby formally deferring their application for a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT). The programme was evaluated using established qualitative research techniques. Semi-structured interviews were conducted at fixed points and data were analysed for recurring discourses and themes using a framework thematic analysis. We obtained evidence of the benefits of extended specialty training in encouraging the development of clinical mastery alongside additional specialist skills, generalist and leadership competencies. We also identified the enabling factors for beneficial extended training, including workplace-based training under educational mentorship, combined with a blended learning programme and sustained expert- and peer-support.

Effectiveness of a workplace training programme in improving social, communication and emotional skills for adults with autism and intellectual disability in Hong Kong--a pilot study.

PubMed

Liu, Karen P Y; Wong, Denys; Chung, Anthony C Y; Kwok, Natalie; Lam, Madeleine K Y; Yuen, Cheri M C; Arblaster, Karen; Kwan, Aldous C S

2013-12-01

This pilot study explored the effectiveness of workplace training programme that aimed to enhance the work-related behaviours in individuals with autism and intellectual disabilities. Fourteen participants with autism and mild to moderate intellectual disability (mean age = 24.6 years) were recruited. The workplace training programme included practices in work context and group educational sessions. A pre-test-post-test design was used with the Work Personality Profile, the Scale of Independent Behaviour Revised and the Observational Emotional Inventory Revised to evaluate the targeted behaviours. Improvement in social and communication skills specific to the workplace was achieved. For emotional control, participants became less confused and had a better self-concept. However, improvement in other general emotional behaviours, such as impulse control, was limited. The results indicated that a structured workplace training programme aimed at improving social, communication and emotional behaviours can be helpful for people with autism and intellectual disability. Further study with a larger sample size and a control group is recommended. The development of specific programme to cater for the emotional control needs at workplace for people with autism is also suggested. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Adult Education and Training in Europe: Programmes to Raise Achievement in Basic Skills. Country Descriptions. Eurydice Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kocanova, Daniela

2015-01-01

This inventory of adult basic education and basic skills programmes takes the form of 35 system descriptions, covering 32 countries (all EU Member States as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Turkey). Its main goal is to support mutual understanding and dialogue between countries. The document has been drafted on the basis of a standalone…

Meta-cognitive skills training enhances computerized cognitive remediation outcomes among individuals with first-episode psychosis.

PubMed

Breitborde, Nicholas J K; Woolverton, Cindy; Dawson, Spencer C; Bismark, Andrew; Bell, Emily K; Bathgate, Christina J; Norman, Kaila

2017-06-01

Meta-cognitive skills training (MST) is a frequent component of cognitive remediation programmes for individuals with psychosis. However, no study has investigated whether incorporating such activities produces increased clinical benefits compared with computerized cognitive remediation alone. Individuals with first-episode psychosis who completed computerized cognitive remediation with concurrent meta-cognitive skills training (CCR + MST) were compared with a historical control group who received computerized cognitive remediation alone (CCR) and did not differ from the CCR + MST group with regard to pre-intervention cognition, diagnosis, age, duration of psychotic illness or sex. Participants completed assessments of cognition and real-world functioning before and after 6 months of treatment. Individual receiving CCR + MST experience greater gains in cognition and real-world functioning than individuals who received CCR. MST may be an important component within cognitive remediation programmes for first-episode psychosis. © 2015 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Different Skills and Their Different Effects on Personal Development: An Investigation of European Social Fund Objective 4 Financed Training in SMEs in Britain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Devins, David; Johnson, Steve; Sutherland, John

2004-01-01

This paper examines a data set that has its origins in European Social Fund Objective 4 financed training programmes in small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Britain to examine the extent to which three different personal development outcomes are attributable to different types of skills acquired during the training process. The three…

The international forum of ophthalmic simulation: developing a virtual reality training curriculum for ophthalmology.

PubMed

Saleh, George M; Lamparter, Julia; Sullivan, Paul M; O'Sullivan, Fiona; Hussain, Badrul; Athanasiadis, Ioannis; Litwin, Andre S; Gillan, Stewart N

2013-06-01

To investigate the effect of a structured, supervised, cataract simulation programme on ophthalmic surgeons in their first year of training, and to evaluate the level of skill transfer. Trainees with minimal intraocular and simulator experience in their first year of ophthalmology undertook a structured, sequential, customised, virtual reality (VR) cataract training programme developed through the International Forum of Ophthalmic Simulation. A set of one-handed, bimanual, static and dynamic tasks were evaluated before and after the course and scores obtained. Statistical significance was evaluated with the Wilcoxon sign-rank test. The median precourse score of 101.50/400 (IQR 58.75-145.75) was significantly improved after completing the training programme ((postcourse score: 302/400, range: 266.25-343), p<0.001). While improvement was evident and found to be statistically significant in all parameters, greatest improvements were found for capsulorhexis and antitremor training ((Capsulorhexis: precourse score=0/100, range 0-4.5; postcourse score=81/100, range 13-87.75; p=0.002), (antitremor training: precourse score=0/100, range 0-0; postcourse score=80/100, range 60.25-91.50; p=0.001)). Structured and supervised VR training can offer a significant level of skills transfer to novice ophthalmic surgeons. VR training at the earliest stage of ophthalmic surgical training may, therefore, be of benefit.

Emotion skills training for medical students: a systematic review.

PubMed

Satterfield, Jason M; Hughes, Ellen

2007-10-01

To identify emotion skills training methods and outcomes using a systematic review of medical student curricula studies. We searched the English language literature listed in the PubMed, Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC), PsycINFO and Web of Science databases, from 1980 to the present, using a comprehensive list of emotion skills keywords and subsequent hand searches. A total of 828 articles were initially identified. A manual search yielded 161 articles on broadly defined emotion skills educational programmes for medical students. A more stringent review and hand search of reference lists yielded a final 26 articles that included 'other-directed' emotion skills (i.e. cognitive and behavioural skills intended to manage the emotions of others), a description of the training programme, and assessment data. Emotion skills courses varied by total number of contact hours (2-64 hours), session frequency (from 1 session per day to 1 session every 6 months), duration (2 weeks to 2 years), pedagogy, patients targeted and educational outcomes. Student evaluation data were positive. Fifteen of 26 studies used objective emotion skills measures. Only 6/26 studies included a control or comparison condition and 5/26 used a randomised, controlled trial (RCT) design. All 5 RCTs showed positive outcomes with modest improvements in emotion communication skills, empathy, use of emotion words, supportive behaviours and enriched patient understanding. The heterogeneity of emotion skills curricular studies makes direct comparisons difficult. However, all controlled trials showed positive outcomes, suggesting the importance and effectiveness of 'other-directed' emotion skills training. No specific recommendations about curricular amount and frequency, timing and pedagogy can be made.

Applying Learning Analytics for Improving Students Engagement and Learning Outcomes in an MOOCS Enabled Collaborative Programming Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lu, Owen H. T.; Huang, Jeff C. H.; Huang, Anna Y. Q.; Yang, Stephen J. H.

2017-01-01

As information technology continues to evolve rapidly, programming skills become increasingly crucial. To be able to construct superb programming skills, the training must begin before college or even senior high school. However, when developing comprehensive training programmers, the learning and teaching processes must be considered. In order to…

Student teacher training: participant motivation.

PubMed

Burgess, Annette; van Diggele, Christie; Mellis, Craig

2016-08-01

Teaching, assessment and feedback skills are documented globally as required graduate attributes for medical students. By integrating teacher training into curricula, the importance of teaching and educational scholarship is highlighted. In this study, we used self-determination theory (SDT) to consider medical students' motivation to voluntarily participate in a short teacher training programme. Thirty-eight senior medical students were invited to attend a teacher training programme at a major tertiary teaching hospital. Participating students were asked to respond to one question: 'Why did you volunteer to take part in the teacher training course?' Self-determination theory was used as a conceptual framework to identify and code recurrent themes in the data. In total, 23/38 (61%) of invited students chose to participate in the programme, and 21/23 (91%) of the students responded to the survey. Students' motivation to participate in the teacher training programme were related to: (1) autonomy - their enjoyment of their current voluntary involvement in teaching; (2) competence - a recognition of the need for formal training and certification in teaching, and as an essential part of their future career in medicine; (3) relatedness - the joint recognition of the importance of quality in teaching, as emphasised by their own learning experiences in the medical programme. Students reported being motivated to take part in teacher training because of their enjoyment of teaching, their desire to increase the quality of teaching within medical education, their desire for formal recognition of teaching as a learned skill, plus their recognition of teaching as a requirement within the medical profession. By integrating teacher training into curricula, the importance of teaching and educational scholarship is highlighted. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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.

Research participants' skills development as HIV prevention peer educators in their communities.

PubMed

Morar, Neetha Shagan; Naidoo, Sarita; Goolam, Ahmed; Ramjee, Gita

2016-06-01

This article describes the influence of a peer education programme on skills development among 22 women participating in HIV prevention trials. Interviews were used to collect data on peer educator experiences and their opinions of the trainings. The training enhanced their agency and confidence to engage their family and community on health promotion, including HIV prevention research procedures, thus improving their self-esteem and communication skills. Training and partnering with clinical trial participants as peer educators is an effective and sustainable community-based approach for HIV prevention.

Use of WONCA global standards to evaluate family medicine postgraduate education for curriculum development and review in Nepal and Myanmar.

PubMed

Gibson, Christine; Ladak, Farah; Shrestha, Ashis; Yadav, Bharat; Thu, Kyaw; Aye, Tin

2016-09-01

Family medicine is an integral part of primary care within health systems. Globally, training programmes exhibit a great degree of variability in content and skill acquisition. While this may in part reflect the needs of a given setting, there exists standard criteria that all family medicine programmes should consider core activities. WONCA has provided an open-access list of standards that their expert community considers essential for family medicine (GP) post-graduate training. Evaluation of developing or existing training programmes using these standards can provide insight into the degree of variability, gaps within programmes and equally as important, gaps within recommendations. In collaboration with the host institution, two family medicine programmes in Nepal and Myanmar were evaluated based on WONCA global standards. The results of the evaluation demonstrated that such a process can allow for critical review of curriculum in various stages of development and evaluation. The implications of reviewing training programmes according to WONCA standards can lead to enhanced training world-wide and standardisation of training for post-graduate family medicine.

Capacity building for critical care training delivery: Development and evaluation of the Network for Improving Critical care Skills Training (NICST) programme in Sri Lanka.

PubMed

Stephens, Tim; De Silva, A Pubudu; Beane, Abi; Welch, John; Sigera, Chathurani; De Alwis, Sunil; Athapattu, Priyantha; Dharmagunawardene, Dilantha; Peiris, Lalitha; Siriwardana, Somalatha; Abeynayaka, Ashoka; Jayasinghe, Kosala Saroj Amarasena; Mahipala, Palitha G; Dondorp, Arjen; Haniffa, Rashan

2017-04-01

To deliver and evaluate a short critical care nurse training course whilst simultaneously building local training capacity. A multi-modal short course for critical care nursing skills was delivered in seven training blocks, from 06/2013-11/2014. Each training block included a Train the Trainer programme. The project was evaluated using Kirkpatrick's Hierarchy of Learning. There was a graded hand over of responsibility for course delivery from overseas to local faculty between 2013 and 2014. Sri Lanka. Participant learning assessed through pre/post course Multi-Choice Questionnaires. A total of 584 nurses and 29 faculty were trained. Participant feedback was consistently positive and each course demonstrated a significant increase (p≤0.0001) in MCQ scores. There was no significant difference MCQ scores (p=0.186) between overseas faculty led and local faculty led courses. In a relatively short period, training with good educational outcomes was delivered to nearly 25% of the critical care nursing population in Sri Lanka whilst simultaneously building a local faculty of trainers. Through use of a structured Train the Trainer programme, course outcomes were maintained following the handover of training responsibility to Sri Lankan faculty. The focus on local capacity building increases the possibility of long term course sustainability. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

How useful are skills acquired at adult non-formal education and training centres for finding employment in South Africa?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayombe, Celestin; Lombard, Antoinette

2015-10-01

Non-formal adult education and training (NFET) in South Africa is instrumental in breaking the high level of poverty and decreasing the social inequality the country continues to face as a post-apartheid democracy. Public and private NFET centres in South Africa aim to meet the training needs of adults who have been deprived of formal education with courses which foster access to opportunities for skills acquisition and employment and bring about social and economic inclusion. However, many adults who were facing long-term unemployment due to a lack of marketable skills remain unemployed after completing NFET programmes. This paper reports on a study which investigated what constitutes favourable conditions ("internal enabling environments") for skills acquisition inside NFET centres leading to employment and how they can be improved to contribute to coordinated efforts of increasing NFET graduates' paid and/or self-employment capacities. The authors found that centres focusing on activities suitable for self-employment during training were more likely to create internal enabling environments for skills acquisition and income generation than centres offering courses designed for entering paid employment. The authors conclude that there appears to be a significant correlation between NFET centres' training programme objectives, financial resources, trainee selection criteria, the process of training needs assessment, and skills acquisition for successful employment outcomes of NFET graduates. Without these internal enabling factors, adult trainees are likely to continue finding it difficult to integrate into the labour market or participate in economic activities and hence break the cycle of poverty and social exclusion.

Adapting operational research training to the Rwandan context: the Intermediate Operational Research Training programme

PubMed Central

Odhiambo, Jackline; Amoroso, Cheryl L.; Barebwanuwe, Peter; Warugaba, Christine; Hedt-Gauthier, Bethany L.

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Background: Promoting national health research agendas in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) requires adequate numbers of individuals with skills to initiate and conduct research. Recently, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have joined research capacity building efforts to increase research leadership by LMIC nationals. Partners In Health, an international NGO operating in Rwanda, implemented its first Intermediate Operational Research Training (IORT) course to cultivate Rwandan research talent and generate evidence to improve health care delivery. Objective: This paper describes the implementation of IORT to share experiences with other organizations interested in developing similar training programmes. Methods: The Intermediate Operational Research Training utilized a deliverable-driven training model, using learning-by-doing pedagogy with intensive hands-on mentorship to build research skills from protocol development to scientific publication. The course had short (two-day) but frequent training sessions (seven sessions over eight months). Trainees were clinical and programme staff working at the district level who were paired to jointly lead a research project. Results: Of 10 trainees admitted to the course from a pool of 24 applicants, nine trainees completed the course with five research projects published in peer-reviewed journals. Strengths of the course included supportive national and institutional research capacity guidelines, building from a successful training model, and trainee commitment. Challenges included delays in ethical review, high mentorship workload of up to 250 hours of practicum mentorship, lack of access to literature in subscription journals and high costs of open access publication. Conclusions: The IORT course was an effective way to support the district-based government and NGO staff in gaining research skills, as well as answering research questions relevant to health service delivery at district hospitals. Other NGOs should build on successful programmes while adapting course elements to address context-specific challenges. Mentorship for LMIC trainees is critical for effectiveness of research capacity building initiatives. PMID:29119872

Adapting operational research training to the Rwandan context: the Intermediate Operational Research Training programme.

PubMed

Odhiambo, Jackline; Amoroso, Cheryl L; Barebwanuwe, Peter; Warugaba, Christine; Hedt-Gauthier, Bethany L

2017-01-01

Promoting national health research agendas in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) requires adequate numbers of individuals with skills to initiate and conduct research. Recently, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have joined research capacity building efforts to increase research leadership by LMIC nationals. Partners In Health, an international NGO operating in Rwanda, implemented its first Intermediate Operational Research Training (IORT) course to cultivate Rwandan research talent and generate evidence to improve health care delivery. This paper describes the implementation of IORT to share experiences with other organizations interested in developing similar training programmes. The Intermediate Operational Research Training utilized a deliverable-driven training model, using learning-by-doing pedagogy with intensive hands-on mentorship to build research skills from protocol development to scientific publication. The course had short (two-day) but frequent training sessions (seven sessions over eight months). Trainees were clinical and programme staff working at the district level who were paired to jointly lead a research project. Of 10 trainees admitted to the course from a pool of 24 applicants, nine trainees completed the course with five research projects published in peer-reviewed journals. Strengths of the course included supportive national and institutional research capacity guidelines, building from a successful training model, and trainee commitment. Challenges included delays in ethical review, high mentorship workload of up to 250 hours of practicum mentorship, lack of access to literature in subscription journals and high costs of open access publication. The IORT course was an effective way to support the district-based government and NGO staff in gaining research skills, as well as answering research questions relevant to health service delivery at district hospitals. Other NGOs should build on successful programmes while adapting course elements to address context-specific challenges. Mentorship for LMIC trainees is critical for effectiveness of research capacity building initiatives.

Competent statistical programmer: Need of business process outsourcing industry

PubMed Central

Khan, Imran

2014-01-01

Over the last two decades Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) has evolved as much mature practice. India is looked as preferred destination for pharmaceutical outsourcing over a cost arbitrage. Among the biometrics outsourcing, statistical programming and analysis required very niche skill for service delivery. The demand and supply ratios are imbalance due to high churn out rate and less supply of competent programmer. Industry is moving from task delivery to ownership and accountability. The paradigm shift from an outsourcing to consulting is triggering the need for competent statistical programmer. Programmers should be trained in technical, analytical, problem solving, decision making and soft skill as the expectations from the customer are changing from task delivery to accountability of the project. This paper will highlight the common issue SAS programming service industry is facing and skills the programmers need to develop to cope up with these changes. PMID:24987578

Competent statistical programmer: Need of business process outsourcing industry.

PubMed

Khan, Imran

2014-07-01

Over the last two decades Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) has evolved as much mature practice. India is looked as preferred destination for pharmaceutical outsourcing over a cost arbitrage. Among the biometrics outsourcing, statistical programming and analysis required very niche skill for service delivery. The demand and supply ratios are imbalance due to high churn out rate and less supply of competent programmer. Industry is moving from task delivery to ownership and accountability. The paradigm shift from an outsourcing to consulting is triggering the need for competent statistical programmer. Programmers should be trained in technical, analytical, problem solving, decision making and soft skill as the expectations from the customer are changing from task delivery to accountability of the project. This paper will highlight the common issue SAS programming service industry is facing and skills the programmers need to develop to cope up with these changes.

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.

Aggressive behaviour in adolescent psychiatric settings: what are risk factors, possible interventions and implications for nursing practice? A literature review.

PubMed

Hage, S; Van Meijel, B; Fluttert, F; Berden, G F M G

2009-09-01

This study was aimed to identify the risk factors of aggressive behaviour in adolescents (1318 years), and to describe available intervention strategies. The findings are evaluated on the basis of their implications for nursing practice. Aggressive behaviour in adolescent psychiatric settings is a neglected research area. The consequences of aggressive behaviour on nurses, other patients and the therapeutic environment can be profound. For the development and implementation of innovative intervention strategies aimed at preventing aggressive behaviour in adolescent psychiatric patients, knowledge of risk factors and evidence-based interventions for aggressive behaviour are of the utmost importance. A systematic search of PubMed, Cinahl, PsychINFO and Cochrane Systematic Reviews (19912007) was employed. The risk factors for aggressive behaviour comprise personal and environmental risk factors. Some risk factors can be influenced by nursing intervention strategies. Available intervention programmes range from interpersonal skills training to massage therapy, parent management training, functional family therapy and multi-systemic therapy. The most effective programmes combine interpersonal skills training with parent management training. No specific nursing intervention programmes were found for dealing with aggressive behaviour in adolescent patients. Nursing staff can assist in achieving a systematic improvement in the treatment outcomes of existing intervention programmes for the prevention of aggression. There is a need for specific nursing intervention programmes to deal with aggressive behaviour in adolescent psychiatric settings.

Intensive point-of-care ultrasound training with long-term follow-up in a cohort of Rwandan physicians.

PubMed

Henwood, Patricia C; Mackenzie, David C; Rempell, Joshua S; Douglass, Emily; Dukundane, Damas; Liteplo, Andrew S; Leo, Megan M; Murray, Alice F; Vaillancourt, Samuel; Dean, Anthony J; Lewiss, Resa E; Rulisa, Stephen; Krebs, Elizabeth; Raja Rao, A K; Rudakemwa, Emmanuel; Rusanganwa, Vincent; Kyanmanywa, Patrick; Noble, Vicki E

2016-12-01

We delivered a point-of-care ultrasound training programme in a resource-limited setting in Rwanda, and sought to determine participants' knowledge and skill retention. We also measured trainees' assessment of the usefulness of ultrasound in clinical practice. This was a prospective cohort study of 17 Rwandan physicians participating in a point-of-care ultrasound training programme. The follow-up period was 1 year. Participants completed a 10-day ultrasound course, with follow-up training delivered over the subsequent 12 months. Trainee knowledge acquisition and skill retention were assessed via observed structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) administered at six points during the study, and an image-based assessment completed at three points. Trainees reported minimal structured ultrasound education and little confidence using point-of-care ultrasound before the training. Mean scores on the image-based assessment increased from 36.9% (95% CI 32-41.8%) before the initial 10-day training to 74.3% afterwards (95% CI 69.4-79.2; P < 0.001). The mean score on the initial OSCE after the introductory course was 81.7% (95% CI 78-85.4%). The mean OSCE performance at each subsequent evaluation was at least 75%, and the mean OSCE score at the 58-week follow up was 84.9% (95% CI 80.9-88.9%). Physicians providing acute care in a resource-limited setting demonstrated sustained improvement in their ultrasound knowledge and skill 1 year after completing a clinical ultrasound training programme. They also reported improvements in their ability to provide patient care and in job satisfaction. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Perceived learned skills and professional development of graduates from a master in dental public health programme.

PubMed

Aslam, S; Delgado-Angulo, E K; Bernabé, E

2017-02-01

Assessing the impact of a training programme is important for quality assurance and further development. It also can helps with accountability and marketing purposes. This study evaluated the impact of King's College London (KCL) Master of Science programme in Dental Public Health in terms of graduates' perceived learned skills and professional development. An online questionnaire was sent to individuals who completed successfully the KCL Master of Science programme in Dental Public Health and had a valid email address. Participants provided information on demographic characteristics, perceived learned skills (intellectual, practical and generic) and professional development (type of organisation, position in the organisation and functions performed at work before and after the programme). Learned skills' scores were compared by demographic factors in multiple linear regression models, and the distribution of responses on career development was compared using nonparametric tests for paired groups. Although all scores on learned skills were on the favourable side of the Likert scale, graduates reported higher scores for practical skills, followed by intellectual and generic skills. No differences in scores were found by sex, age, nationality or time since graduation. In terms of career development, there were significantly higher proportions of graduates working in higher education institutions and taking leadership/managerial roles in organisations as well as greater number and variety of functions at work after than before the programme. This online survey shows that the programme has had a positive impact on graduates in terms of perceived learned skills and professional development. © 2015 The Authors. European Journal of Dental Education Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The transition from staff nurse to ward leader.

PubMed

Spencer, Caroline; Al-Sadoon, Tara; Hemmings, Laura; Jackson, Karen; Mulligan, Paul

Moving from the staff nurse to ward sister role involves acquiring a range of skills to lead and motivate a team and ensure standards of care are high. Recognising new ward sisters' need for support, a trust developed a training programme to enable them to develop the necessary skills and provide mutual support. This article discusses the development of the programme and offers the reflections of three ward sisters who participated in it.

Utilising Multimedia ESP Programme in Enhancing Flight Attendants' Safety Knowledge and Problem Solving Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bani-Salameh, Zakaria A.; Kabilan, Muhammad K.; Bani-Salalmeh, Lina

2011-01-01

A multimedia English for Specific Purposes (ESP) programme was developed to train flight attendants. The programme comprised of two units. Unit one is listening comprehension, which provides the flight attendants' with specific information of Airbus A340. Unit two is reading comprehension, which provides the flight attendants with the emergency…

Video-based training to improve perceptual-cognitive decision-making performance of Australian football umpires.

PubMed

Larkin, Paul; Mesagno, Christopher; Berry, Jason; Spittle, Michael; Harvey, Jack

2018-02-01

Decision-making is a central component of the in-game performance of Australian football umpires; however, current umpire training focuses largely on physiological development with decision-making skills development conducted via explicit lecture-style meetings with limited practice devoted to making actual decisions. Therefore, this study investigated the efficacy of a video-based training programme, aimed to provide a greater amount of contextualised visual experiences without explicit instruction, to improve decision-making skills of umpires. Australian football umpires (n = 52) were recruited from metropolitan and regional Division 1 competitions. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention or control group and classified according to previous umpire game experience (i.e., experienced; less experienced). The intervention group completed a 12-week video-based decision-making training programme, with decision-making performance assessed at pre-training, and 1-week retention and 3-week retention periods. The control group did not complete any video-based training. Results indicated a significant Group (intervention; Control) × Test interaction (F(1, 100) = 3.98; P = 0.02, partial ῆ 2  = 0.074), with follow-up pairwise comparisons indicating significant within-group differences over time for the intervention group. In addition, decision-making performance of the less experienced umpires in the intervention group significantly improved (F(2, 40) = 5.03, P = 0.01, partial ῆ 2  = 0.201). Thus, video-based training programmes may be a viable adjunct to current training programmes to hasten decision-making development, especially for less experienced umpires.

Perspectives and concerns of clients at primary health care facilities involved in evaluation of a national mental health training programme for primary care in Kenya

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background A cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT) of a national Kenyan mental health primary care training programme demonstrated a significant impact on the health, disability and quality of life of clients, despite a severe shortage of medicines in the clinics (Jenkins et al. Submitted 2012). As focus group methodology has been found to be a useful method of obtaining a detailed understanding of client and health worker perspectives within health systems (Sharfritz and Roberts. Health Transit Rev 4:81–85, 1994), the experiences of the participating clients were explored through qualitative focus group discussions in order to better understand the potential reasons for the improved outcomes in the intervention group. Methods Two ninety minute focus groups were conducted in Nyanza province, a poor agricultural region of Kenya, with 10 clients from the intervention group clinics where staff had received the training programme, and 10 clients from the control group where staff had not received the training during the earlier randomised controlled trial. Results These focus group discussions suggest that the clients in the intervention group noticed and appreciated enhanced communication, diagnostic and counselling skills in their respective health workers, whereas clients in the control group were aware of the lack of these skills. Confidentiality emerged from the discussions as a significant client concern in relation to the volunteer cadre of community health workers, whose only training comes from their respective primary care health workers. Conclusion Enhanced health worker skills conferred by the mental health training programme may be responsible for the significant improvement in outcomes for clients in the intervention clinics found in the randomised controlled trial, despite the general shortage of medicines and other health system weaknesses. These findings suggest that strengthening mental health training for primary care staff is worthwhile even where health systems are not strong and where the medicine supply cannot be guaranteed. Trial registration ISRCTN 53515024. PMID:23343127

Using Podcasts to Support Communication Skills Development: A Case Study for Content Format Preferences among Postgraduate Research Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawlor, Bob; Donnelly, Roisin

2010-01-01

The need for the integration of generic skills training into structured PhD programmes is widely accepted. However, effective integration of such training requires flexible delivery mechanisms which facilitate self-paced and independent learning. A video recording was made of an eminent speaker delivering a 1-h live presentation to a group of 15…

Teaching emotion recognition skills to young children with autism: a randomised controlled trial of an emotion training programme.

PubMed

Williams, Beth T; Gray, Kylie M; Tonge, Bruce J

2012-12-01

Children with autism have difficulties in emotion recognition and a number of interventions have been designed to target these problems. However, few emotion training interventions have been trialled with young children with autism and co-morbid ID. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of an emotion training programme for a group of young children with autism with a range of intellectual ability. Participants were 55 children with autistic disorder, aged 4-7 years (FSIQ 42-107). Children were randomly assigned to an intervention (n = 28) or control group (n = 27). Participants in the intervention group watched a DVD designed to teach emotion recognition skills to children with autism (the Transporters), whereas the control group watched a DVD of Thomas the Tank Engine. Participants were assessed on their ability to complete basic emotion recognition tasks, mindreading and theory of mind (TOM) tasks before and after the 4-week intervention period, and at 3-month follow-up. Analyses controlled for the effect of chronological age, verbal intelligence, gender and DVD viewing time on outcomes. Children in the intervention group showed improved performance in the recognition of anger compared with the control group, with few improvements maintained at 3-month follow-up. There was no generalisation of skills to TOM or social skills. The Transporters programme showed limited efficacy in teaching basic emotion recognition skills to young children with autism with a lower range of cognitive ability. Improvements were limited to the recognition of expressions of anger, with poor maintenance of these skills at follow-up. These findings provide limited support for the efficacy of the Transporters programme for young children with autism of a lower cognitive range. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry © 2012 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Developing Preschoolers' Social Skills through Cross-Cultural Physical Education Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsangaridou, Niki; Zachopoulou, Evridiki; Liukkonen, Jarmo; Gråstén, Arto; Kokkonen, Marja

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in children's social skills after their participation in a physical education programme named ESPEC ("Early Steps" Physical Education Curriculum). The evaluators of the children's social skills were the trained educators who implemented the curriculum as well as parents of the…

Preparing Pre-Service Primary School Teachers to Assess Fundamental Motor Skills: Two Skills and Two Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haynes, John; Miller, Judith

2015-01-01

Background: Pre-service teacher education (PSTE) programmes for generalist primary school teachers have limited time allocated to Physical Education, Health and Personal Development. In practice, teachers in schools are required to assess motor skills despite the fact that their training provides minimal preparation. This necessitates creative…

An Analysis of Gendered Attitudes and Responses to Employability Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willott, John; Stevenson, Jacqueline

2006-01-01

Training programmes for unemployed people are often designed to meet the identified vocational skill needs of businesses. We describe research across a number of projects in Leeds (United Kingdom) providing training to unemployed and marginalised adults. The focus was on those with multiple barriers to accessing and sustaining training and…

Industrial Training of Construction Students: Perceptions of Training Organizations in Ghana

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ayarkwa, Joshua; Adinyira, Emmanuel; Osei-Asibey, Dickson

2012-01-01

Purpose: The industrial training component in a university's curricula adds tremendous value to a degree programme by enhancing the employable skills of graduates. The purpose of this paper is to assess the perception of organisations that have trained construction students from the Department of Building Technology of the Kwame Nkrumah University…

Structured patient education: the X-PERT Programme.

PubMed

Deakin, Trudi; Whitham, Claire

2009-09-01

The X-PERT Programme seeks to develop the knowledge, skills and confidence in diabetes treatment for health-care professionals and diabetes self-management. The programme trains health-care professionals to deliver the six-week structured patient education programme to people with diabetes. Over 850 health-care professionals have attended the X-PERT 'Train the Trainer' course and audit results document improved job satisfaction and competence in diabetes treatment and management. National audit statistics for X-PERT implementation to people with diabetes illustrate excellent attendance rates, improved diabetes control, reduced weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and waist circumference and more confidence in self-managing diabetes that has impacted positively on quality of life.

Enhancing staff attitudes, knowledge and skills in supporting the self-determination of adults with intellectual disability in residential settings in Hong Kong: a pretest-posttest comparison group design.

PubMed

Wong, P K S; Wong, D F K

2008-03-01

The ecological perspective recognizes the critical role that is played by rehabilitation personnel in helping people with intellectual disability (ID) to exercise self-determination, particularly in residential settings. In Hong Kong, the authors developed the first staff training programme of its kind to strengthen the competence of personnel in this area. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of staff training in enhancing residential staff's attitudes, knowledge and facilitation skills in assisting residents with ID to exercise self-determination. A pretest-posttest comparison group design was adopted. Thirty-two participants in an experimental group attended a six-session staff training programme. A 34-item self-constructed scale was designed and used for measuring the effectiveness of the staff training. The results showed that the experimental group achieved statistically significant positive changes in all domains, whereas no significant changes were found in the comparison group. The findings provided initial evidence of the effectiveness of staff training that uses an interactional attitude-knowledge-skills model for Chinese rehabilitation personnel. The factors that contributed to its effectiveness were discussed and recommendations for future research were made.

Generic learning skills in academically-at-risk medical students: a development programme bridges the gap.

PubMed

Burch, Vanessa C; Sikakana, Cynthia N T; Gunston, Geney D; Shamley, Delva R; Murdoch-Eaton, Deborah

2013-08-01

Widening access to medical students from diverse educational backgrounds is a global educational mandate. The impact, on students' generic learning skills profiles, of development programmes designed for students at risk of attrition is unknown. This study investigated the impact of a 12-month Intervention Programme (IP) on the generic learning skills profile of academically-at-risk students who, after failing at the end of the first semester, completed the IP before entering the second semester of a conventional medical training programme. This prospective study surveyed medical students admitted in 2009 and 2010, on entry and on completion of first year, on their reported practice and confidence in information handling, managing own learning, technical and numeracy, computer, organisational and presentation skills. Of 414 first year students, 80 (19%) entered the IP. Levels of practice and confidence for five of the six skills categories were significantly poorer at entry for IP students compared to conventional stream students. In four categories these differences were no longer statistically significant after students had completed the IP; 62 IP students (77.5%) progressed to second year. A 12-month development programme, the IP, effectively addressed generic learning skills deficiencies present in academically-at-risk students entering medical school.

Peer teaching as a means of enhancing communication skills in anaesthesia training: trainee perspectives.

PubMed

O'Shaughnessy, S M

2018-02-01

The purpose of this study is to introduce peer teaching of communication skills to first-year anaesthesia trainees in Ireland and to evaluate their perception of this teaching modality. Seventy-nine first-year anaesthesia trainees participated in a novel peer-led communication skills programme over a 2-year period (Y1, Y2). A Likert scaling questionnaire was developed to explore trainee perception of the peer teaching programme. Of the 79 respondents (36 in Y1 and 43 in Y2), 99% either agreed or strongly agreed that the peer teachers were successful in their role. Ninety-two percent requested formal peer teaching in other areas of training. The trainees regarded a peer teacher as an appropriate information provider (92%), role model (88%), planner (88%) and facilitator (94%), but less so as an assessor (70%). The most consistently stated strength of peer teaching was the relatability of peer teachers with their lack of experience cited as the main weakness. Eighty percent of participants preferred peer teaching to regular expert teaching. This study highlights the positive attitudes of first-year anaesthesia trainees towards a novel peer teaching programme in communication skills. This author recommends that peer teaching is further developed within postgraduate medical programmes to maximise learning for trainees in the student and teacher roles and to redistribute the teaching burden within clinical departments.

Paediatric burns in LMICs: An evaluation of the barriers and facilitators faced by staff involved in burns education training programmes in Blantyre, Malawi.

PubMed

Harris, Lyndsey; Fioratou, Evridiki; Broadis, Emily

2016-08-01

A burn prevention and education programme - the Reduction of Burn and Scald Mortality and Morbidity in Children in Malawi project - was implemented from January 2010-2013 in Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Malawi. This study aimed to investigate the barriers and facilitators of implementing education-training programmes. Semi-structured interviews with 14 Scottish and Malawian staff delivering and receiving teaching at training education programmes were conducted. All interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Overarching barriers and facilitators were similar for both sets of staff. Scottish participants recognised that limited experience working in LMICs narrowed the challenges they anticipated. Time was a significant barrier to implementation of training courses for both sets of participants. Lack of hands on practical experience was the greatest barrier to implementing the skills learnt for Malawian staff. Sustainability was a significant facilitator to successful implementation of training programmes. Encouraging involvement of Malawian staff in the co-ordination and delivery of teaching enabled those who attend courses to teach others. A recognition of and response to the barriers and facilitators associated with introducing paediatric burn education training programmes can contribute to the development of sustainable programme implementation in Malawi and other LMICs. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Communication and Influencing for ED Professionals: A training programme developed in the emergency department for the emergency department.

PubMed

Rixon, Andrew; Rixon, Sascha; Addae-Bosomprah, Hansel; Ding, Mingshuang; Bell, Anthony

2016-08-01

The objective of the present study is to develop and pilot a communication and influencing skills training programme that meets ED health professionals' needs at an urban district hospital. Qualitative methods within a participatory action research framework were utilised. An interdisciplinary team guided the programme's design and development. A training needs analysis saw team meetings, interviews, focus groups and observations conducted across the ED. Thematic analysis of the data identified health professionals' communication and influencing challenges. The training needs analysis informed the training programme curriculum's development. The pilot programme involved an interdisciplinary group of seven health professionals across 5 × 2 h sessions over 3 months, followed by a post-training survey. Five themes of communication and influencing challenges were identified: participating in effective handovers, involving patients in bedside handovers, effectively communicating with interdepartmental colleagues, asking ED colleagues to do tasks and understanding ED colleagues' roles, expectations and assumptions. Based on these challenges, the formulated RESPECT model (which stands for Relationships, Expectations, Styles, Partnerships, Enquiry, Coaching and Teamwork) informed the training curriculum. The peer coaching model used in the training programme was highly regarded by participants. Communication and Influencing for ED Professionals™ (Babel Fish Group Pty Ltd, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) addresses a gap for communication programmes developed in the ED for the ED. Future research will evaluate the programme's impact in this ED. © 2016 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine.

The effect of rater training on scoring performance and scale-specific expertise amongst occupational therapists participating in a multicentre study: a single-group pre-post-test study.

PubMed

Hansen, Tina; Elholm Madsen, Esben; Sørensen, Annette

2016-01-01

In order to enhance the quality of the data collected in a multicentre validation study of a revised Danish version of the McGill Ingestive Skills Assessment (MISA), the authors developed a rater training programme. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of the training on scoring performance and scale-specific expertise amongst raters. During 2 days of rater training, 81 occupational therapists (OTs) were qualified to observe and score dysphagic clients' mealtime performance according to the criteria of 36 MISA-items. The training effects were evaluated pre- to post-training using percentage exact agreement (PA) of scored MISA items of a case-vignette and a Likert scale self-report of scale-specific expertise. PA increased significantly from pre- to post-training (Z = -4.404, p < 0.001), although items for which the case-vignette reflected deficient mealtime performance appeared most difficult to score. The OTs scale-specific expertise improved significantly (knowledge: Z = -7.857, p < 0.001 and confidence: Z = -7.838, p < 0.001). Rater training improved OTs scoring performance when using the Danish MISA as well as their perceived scale-specific expertise. Future rater training should emphasis the items identified as those most difficult to score. Additionally, further studies addressing different training approaches and durations are warranted. When occupational therapists (OTs) use the McGill Ingestive Skills Assessment (MISA) they observe, interpret and record occupational performance of dysphagic clients participating in a meal. This is a highly complex task, which might introduce unwanted variability in measurement scores. A 2-day rater training programme was developed and this builds on the findings of several studies. These suggest that combinations of different training methods tend to yield the most effective results. Participation in the newly developed training programme on how to administer the MISA significantly reduces unwanted variability in measurement scores and improves OTs' competency. The training programme could be used in undergraduate and postgraduate dysphagia education initiatives to help OTs understanding of the content and the scoring criteria for each aspect of occupational performance during a meal, thus developing observation skills as well as recognizing and avoiding the most common errors in measurement scores.

Enhancing Allocentric Spatial Recall in Pre-schoolers through Navigational Training Programme

PubMed Central

Boccia, Maddalena; Rosella, Michela; Vecchione, Francesca; Tanzilli, Antonio; Palermo, Liana; D'Amico, Simonetta; Guariglia, Cecilia; Piccardi, Laura

2017-01-01

Unlike for other abilities, children do not receive systematic spatial orientation training at school, even though navigational training during adulthood improves spatial skills. We investigated whether navigational training programme (NTP) improved spatial orientation skills in pre-schoolers. We administered 12-week NTP to seventeen 4- to 5-year-old children (training group, TG). The TG children and 17 age-matched children (control group, CG) who underwent standard didactics were tested twice before (T0) and after (T1) the NTP using tasks that tap into landmark, route and survey representations. We determined that the TG participants significantly improved their performances in the most demanding navigational task, which is the task that taps into survey representation. This improvement was significantly higher than that observed in the CG, suggesting that NTP fostered the acquisition of survey representation. Such representation is typically achieved by age seven. This finding suggests that NTP improves performance on higher-level navigational tasks in pre-schoolers. PMID:29085278

A Mastery Rubric: Guiding Curriculum Design, Admissions and Development of Course Objectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tractenberg, Rochelle E.; Umans, Jason G.; McCarter, Robert J.

2010-01-01

This article describes a "Mastery Rubric" (MR) used to design both the curriculum and the assessments in a new two-year certificate programme intended to train physicians in clinical research skills. The MR for clinical research skills is built around a set of core research skills: critical review of literature; articulation of research objective;…

Social Skills Training for Adolescents with Asperger's Syndrome Using a Consultation Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minihan, Aileen; Kinsella, William; Honan, Rita

2011-01-01

A case study design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of behavioural consultation as a method for improving the social skills of adolescents with Asperger's syndrome. Two case studies were conducted. In each study, two teachers implemented a social skills programme with two to three adolescents with Asperger's syndrome in a group setting with…

What Does Low Proficiency in Literacy Really Mean? Adult Skills in Focus #2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

OECD Publishing, 2016

2016-01-01

In designing policies and programmes targeting populations with poor literacy skills, it is important to take into account differences in the level of these skills within and among these populations. For example, native speakers of the mainstream language may require different language-development training than non-native speakers; and most adults…

A qualitative perspectival review of the Australian and New Zealand Urology Education and Training program.

PubMed

Rashid, Prem

2017-03-01

To conduct a prospective, qualitative review to explore the challenges associated with the delivery of current and future high-quality urological training, and to report the reflective considerations and opinions of leaders in the Australian and New Zealand (ANZ) urological surgical training programme. Ethics-approved semi-structured, template-based, qualitative interview techniques were used to evaluate key aspects of the current urology training programme. Those interviewed were senior office bearers and management staff involved in the Surgical Education and Training (SET) programme. Interviews were recorded and transcribed for analysis. Grounded theory was used with thematic analysis to assess the data. The initial impression given by the data was used to identify critical codes and themes, which were then developed and abstracted to bring together global concepts. Twenty-four extracted themes were outlined. The recent evolution of urology training was documented as the pathway into training has changed several times over the years. The changes in the programme have led to concern from opinion leaders that the 'pendulum has swung too far.' Surgical teachers will only truly develop if appropriate resources are allocated. This can be achieved by making up-skilling courses accessible, relevant and, ultimately, a part of the accreditation of training posts. Management of underperforming trainees is challenging and continues to occupy a significant and disproportionate allocation of resources. Early constructive intervention is very important to avoid unnecessary escalation of complex issues and the resultant inter-personal consequences. The ANZ SET urology programme began, like many of the other surgical specialties, from humble beginnings. It is now a mature programme, but there remain areas needing improvement. The workload of supervisors and office bearers has been increasing and the management of underperforming trainees takes time and resources away from progress in educational development. Progressive steps can be instituted to improve supervisor up-skilling, and structural changes can be made to ensure that office bearers can continue to undertake their valuable work without undue pressure and stress. Some of this will involve separating innovation in education and training from day-to-day trainee management. © 2016 The Author BJU International © 2016 BJU International Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The European database for subspecialist training in neonatology - transparency achieved.

PubMed

Breindahl, Morten; Blennow, Mats; Fauchère, Jean-Claude; Lluch, Marta Thio; De Luca, Daniele; Marlow, Neil; Picaud, Jean-Charles; Roehr, Charles Christoph; Vanpée, Mireille; Vilamor, Eduardo; Zaharie, Gabriela; Greisen, Gorm

2013-01-01

The European Society for Neonatology (ESN) developed a curriculum for subspecialist training in Europe recommending standards for national neonatal training programmes. We speculate whether these official recommendations are widely accepted or used in practice. To characterize the variation in national neonatal training programmes, to enhance transparency, and to compare them to the ESN Curriculum. We constructed a database based on the backbone of the ESN Curriculum: (1) training - knowledge, (2) training - skills, (3) key competencies, (4) personal development, and (5) recording of progress. National neonatal representatives from all 30 member states of the Union of European Medical Specialties (UEMS) provided data on national training programmes. Although only one country (3%) based its neonatology training entirely on the ESN Curriculum, we found high levels of uniformity among the UEMS member countries regarding knowledge, skills, and key competencies needed to practice neonatology at a tertiary care level. Discrepancy was encountered on ethical and legal issues and on personal development of the trainees. Mentoring and professional evaluation was generally not implemented in the participating countries. There is an awareness and readiness to focus on educational demands for neonatal trainees. Further discussions about the overall educational goals of neonatal training and the essence of practicing neonatology in each country are needed. The ESN will undertake this process to provide an updated and effective syllabus aimed to harmonize care and outcomes for babies and their families across Europe. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.

The effectiveness of artificial intelligent 3-D virtual reality vocational problem-solving training in enhancing employment opportunities for people with traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

Man, David Wai Kwong; Poon, Wai Sang; Lam, Chow

2013-01-01

People with traumatic brain injury (TBI) often experience cognitive deficits in attention, memory, executive functioning and problem-solving. The purpose of the present research study was to examine the effectiveness of an artificial intelligent virtual reality (VR)-based vocational problem-solving skill training programme designed to enhance employment opportunities for people with TBI. This was a prospective randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing the effectiveness of the above programme with that of the conventional psycho-educational approach. Forty participants with mild (n = 20) or moderate (n = 20) brain injury were randomly assigned to each training programme. Comparisons of problem-solving skills were performed with the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, the Tower of London Test and the Vocational Cognitive Rating Scale. Improvement in selective memory processes and perception of memory function were found. Across-group comparison showed that the VR group performed more favourably than the therapist-led one in terms of objective and subjective outcome measures and better vocational outcomes. These results support the potential use of a VR-based approach in memory training in people with MCI. Further VR applications, limitations and future research are described.

Scaling up family medicine training in Gezira, Sudan - a 2-year in-service master programme using modern information and communication technology: a survey study.

PubMed

Mohamed, Khalid G; Hunskaar, Steinar; Abdelrahman, Samira Hamid; Malik, Elfatih M

2014-01-21

In 2010 the Gezira Family Medicine Project (GFMP) was initiated in Gezira state, Sudan, designed as an in-service training model. The project is a collaboration project between the University of Gezira, which aims to provide a 2-year master's programme in family medicine for practicing doctors, and the Ministry of Health, which facilitates service provision and funds the training programme. This paper presents the programme, the teaching environment, and the first batch of candidates enrolled. In this study a self-administered questionnaire was used to collect baseline data at the start of the project from doctors who joined the programme. A checklist was also used to assess the health centres where they work. A total of 188 out of 207 doctors responded (91%), while data were gathered from all 158 health centres (100%) staffed by the programme candidates. The Gezira model of in-service family medicine training has succeeded in recruiting 207 candidates in its first batch, providing health services in 158 centres, of which 84 had never been served by a doctor before. The curriculum is community oriented. The mean age of doctors was 32.5 years, 57% were males, and 32% were graduates from the University of Gezira. Respondents stated high confidence in practicing some skills such as asthma management and post-abortion uterine evacuation. They were least confident in other skills such as managing depression or inserting an intrauterine device. The majority of health centres was poorly equipped for management of noncommunicable diseases, as only 10% had an electrocardiography machine (ECG), 5% had spirometer, and 1% had a defibrillator. The Gezira model has responded to local health system needs. Use of modern information and communication technology is used to facilitate both health service provision and training. The GFMP represents an example of a large-volume scaling-up programme of family medicine in Africa.

Scaling up family medicine training in Gezira, Sudan – a 2-year in-service master programme using modern information and communication technology: a survey study

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background In 2010 the Gezira Family Medicine Project (GFMP) was initiated in Gezira state, Sudan, designed as an in-service training model. The project is a collaboration project between the University of Gezira, which aims to provide a 2-year master’s programme in family medicine for practicing doctors, and the Ministry of Health, which facilitates service provision and funds the training programme. This paper presents the programme, the teaching environment, and the first batch of candidates enrolled. Methods In this study a self-administered questionnaire was used to collect baseline data at the start of the project from doctors who joined the programme. A checklist was also used to assess the health centres where they work. A total of 188 out of 207 doctors responded (91%), while data were gathered from all 158 health centres (100%) staffed by the programme candidates. Results The Gezira model of in-service family medicine training has succeeded in recruiting 207 candidates in its first batch, providing health services in 158 centres, of which 84 had never been served by a doctor before. The curriculum is community oriented. The mean age of doctors was 32.5 years, 57% were males, and 32% were graduates from the University of Gezira. Respondents stated high confidence in practicing some skills such as asthma management and post-abortion uterine evacuation. They were least confident in other skills such as managing depression or inserting an intrauterine device. The majority of health centres was poorly equipped for management of noncommunicable diseases, as only 10% had an electrocardiography machine (ECG), 5% had spirometer, and 1% had a defibrillator. Conclusions The Gezira model has responded to local health system needs. Use of modern information and communication technology is used to facilitate both health service provision and training. The GFMP represents an example of a large-volume scaling-up programme of family medicine in Africa. PMID:24443978

A RCT of three training and support strategies to encourage implementation of screening and brief alcohol intervention by general practitioners.

PubMed

Kaner, E F; Lock, C A; McAvoy, B R; Heather, N; Gilvarry, E

1999-09-01

Providing doctors with new research findings or clinical guidelines is rarely sufficient to promote changes in clinical practice. An implementation strategy is required to provide clinicians with the skills and encouragement needed to alter established routines. To evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of different training and support strategies in promoting implementation of screening and brief alcohol intervention (SBI) by general practitioners (GPs). Subjects were 128 GPs, one per practice, from the former Northern and Yorkshire Regional Health Authority, who agreed to use the 'Drink-Less' SBI programme in an earlier dissemination trial. GPs were stratified by previous marketing conditions and randomly allocated to three intensities of training and support: controls (n = 43) received the programme with written guidelines only, trained GPs (n = 43) received the programme plus practice-based training in programme usage, trained and supported GPs (n = 42) received the programme plus practice-based training and a support telephone call every two weeks. GPs were requested to use the programme for three months. Outcome measures included proportions of GPs implementing the programme and numbers of patients screened and intervened with. Seventy-three (57%) GPs implemented the programme and screened 11,007 patients for risk drinking. Trained and supported GPs were significantly more likely to implement the programme (71%) than controls (44%) or trained GPs (56%); they also screened, and intervened with, significantly more patients. Costs per patient screened were: trained and supported GPs, 1.05 Pounds; trained GPs, 1.08 Pounds; and controls, 1.47 Pounds. Costs per patient intervened with were: trained and supported GPs, 5.43 Pounds; trained GPs, 6.02 Pounds; and controls, 8.19 Pounds. Practice-based training plus support telephone calls was the most effective and cost-effective strategy to encourage implementation of SBI by GPs.

Rolling-refresher simulation improves performance and retention of paediatric intensive care unit nurse code cart management.

PubMed

Singleton, Marcy N; Allen, Kimberly F; Li, Zhongze; McNerney, Kevin; Naber, Urs H; Braga, Matthew S

2018-04-01

Paediatric Intensive Care Unit Nurses (PICU RNs) manage the code cart during paediatric emergencies at the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock. These are low -frequency, high-stakes events. An uncontrolled intervention study with 6-month follow-up. A collaboration of physician and nursing experts developed a rolling-refresher training programme consisting of five simulated scenarios, including 22 code cart skills, to establish nursing code cart competency. The cohort of PICU RNs underwent a competency assessment in training 1. To achieve competence, the participating RN received immediate feedback and instruction and repeated each task until mastery during training 1. The competencies were repeated 6 months later, designated training 2. Thirty-two RNs participated in training 1. Sixteen RNs (50%) completed the second training. Our rolling-refresher training programme resulted in a 43% reduction in the odds of first attempt failures between training 1 and training 2 (p=0.01). Multivariate linear regression evaluating the difference in first attempt failure between training 1 and training 2 revealed that the following covariates were not significantly associated with this improvement: interval Paediatric Advanced Life Support training, interval use of the code cart or defibrillator (either real or simulated) and time between training sessions. Univariate analysis between the two trainings revealed a statistically significant reduction in first attempt failures for: preparing an epinephrine infusion (72% vs 41%, p=0.04) and providing bag-mask ventilation (28% vs 0%, p=0.02). Our rolling-refresher training programme demonstrated significant improvement in performance for low-frequency, high-risk skills required to manage a paediatric code cart with retention after initial training.

Understanding Attrition in UK Maritime Education and Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gekara, Victor

2009-01-01

The shipping industry worldwide is experiencing a shortage of trained and qualified officers to operate a rapidly expanding global merchant fleet. High cadet wastage in Maritime Education and Training (MET) institutions is an obstacle to skills replenishment in the UK. This paper examines the specificity of MET programmes with regard to the…

Vocational Education and Training in India: A Labour Market Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agrawal, Tushar; Agrawal, Ankush

2017-01-01

Skill development has been a major policy agenda in several countries and there is a lot of emphasis on the promotion of vocational education and training (VET) programmes. This paper investigates the labour market outcomes of the vocationally trained population in India using the data from a nationally representative survey on employment and…

Work-based training's 'profound effect'.

PubMed

Muecher, Klaus

2016-08-01

Klaus Muecher, Higher Education Programmes manager at Eastwood Park Training, examines the benefits of work-based learning. He suggests that, in addition to equipping those undertaking such training with valuable new skills and expertise, 'in a world of continuous quality improvement and change management', work-based degree students can also act as 'the subtle drivers of positive change'.

Improving Reasoning Skills in Secondary History Education by Working Memory Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ariës, Roel Jacobus; Groot, Wim; van den Brink, Henriette Maassen

2015-01-01

Secondary school pupils underachieve in tests in which reasoning abilities are required. Brain-based training of working memory (WM) may improve reasoning abilities. In this study, we use a brain-based training programme based on historical content to enhance reasoning abilities in history courses. In the first experiment, a combined intervention…

Training Participation and Gender: Analyzing Individual Barriers across Different Welfare State Regimes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Massing, Natascha; Gauly, Britta

2017-01-01

Lifelong learning is becoming increasingly important in today's societies. Individuals need to develop their skills through training in order to be successfully integrated in the labor market. We use data from the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies to investigate gender differences in training across 12 countries. We…

Training in the Retail Trade in the Netherlands. Report for the FORCE Programme. First Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van den Tillaart, Harry

An international team of researchers studied the following aspects of training in the Netherlands' retail sector: structure and characteristics, institutional and social context, employment and labor, changing conditions and their implications for skill requirements, and training and recruitment. Data were collected from an analysis of social and…

Training in the Retail Trade in France. Report for the FORCE Programme. First Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baret, Christophe; Bertrand, Olivier

An international team of researchers studied the following aspects of training in France's retail sector: structure and characteristics, institutional and social context, employment and labor, changing conditions and their implications for skill requirements, and training and recruitment. Data were collected from an analysis of social and…

Training in the Retail Trade in Italy. Report for the FORCE Programme. First Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mattei, Patrizia; And Others

An international team of researchers studied the following aspects of training in Italy's retail sector: structure and characteristics, institutional and social context, employment and labor, changing conditions and their implications for skill requirements, and training and recruitment. Data were collected from an analysis of social and…

Adapting continuing medical education for post-conflict areas: assessment in Nagorno Karabagh - a qualitative study.

PubMed

Balalian, Arin A; Simonyan, Hambardzum; Hekimian, Kim; Crape, Byron

2014-08-06

One of the major challenges in the current century is the increasing number of post-conflict states where infrastructures are debilitated. The dysfunctional health care systems in post-conflict settings are putting the lives of the populations in these zones at increased risk. One of the approaches to improve such situations is to strengthen human resources by organizing training programmes to meet the special needs in post-conflict zones. Evaluations of these training programmes are essential to assure effectiveness and adaptation to the health service needs in these conditions. A specialized qualitative evaluation was conducted to assess and improve a post-conflict continuing medical education (CME) programme that was conducted in Nagorno Karabagh. Qualitative research guides were designed for this post-conflict zone that included focus group discussions with physician programme participants and semi-structured in-depth interviews with directors of hospitals and training supervisors. Saturation was achieved among the three participating groups in the themes of impact of participation in the CME and obstacles to application of obtained skills. All respondents indicated that the continuing medical education programme created important physician networks absent in this post-conflict zone, updated professional skills, and improved professional confidence among participants. However, all respondents indicated that some skills gained were inapplicable in Nagorno Karabagh hospitals and clinics due to lack of appropriate medical equipment, qualified supporting human resources and facilities. The qualitative research methods evaluation highlighted the fact that the health care human resources training should be closely linked to appropriate technologies, supplies, facilities and human resources available in post-conflict zones and identified the central importance of creating health professional networks and professional confidence among physicians in these zones. The qualitative research approach most effectively identifies these limitations and strengths and can directly inform the optimal adjustments for effective CME planning in these difficult areas of greatest need.

The African Hospitalist Fellowship.

PubMed

Daniels, A D; Buys, H; Dunkley, R; Wilmshurst, J M

2017-10-31

The African Paediatric Fellowship Programme is rolling out a training course for newly qualified paediatricians to equip them with the leadership skills to function in complex general paediatric settings. The care of children in Africa carries its own unique demands, from the layering effects of multiple conditions through to establishing and sustaining services under severe resource constraints. This novel training concept aims to strengthen confidence and knowledge in areas that are not priorities during standard general paediatric training. The skills gained are considered of great relevance in assisting general paediatricians to achieve their full potential in their careers.

Evaluation of a comprehensive home-based midwifery programme in South Kalimantan, Indonesia.

PubMed

Ronsmans, C; Endang, A; Gunawan, S; Zazri, A; McDermott, J; Koblinsky, M; Marshall, T

2001-10-01

We report the findings of an evaluation of a programme in three districts in South Kalimantan, Indonesia, which consisted of the training, deployment and supervision of a large number of professional midwives in villages, an information, education and communication (IEC) strategy to increase use of village midwives for birth, and a district-based maternal and perinatal audit (MPA). Before the programme, the midwives had limited ability to manage obstetric complications, and 90% of births took place at home. Only 37% were attended by a skilled attendant. By 1998-99, 510 midwives were posted in the districts and skilled attendance at delivery had increased to 59%. Through in-service training, continuous supervision and participation in the audit system midwives also gained confidence and skills in the management of obstetric complications. Despite this, the proportion admitted to hospital for a caesarean section declined from 1.7 to 1.4% and the proportion admitted to hospital with a complication requiring a life-saving intervention declined from 1.1% to 0.7%. The strategy of a midwife in every village has dramatically increased skilled birth attendance, but does not yet provide specialized obstetric care for all women needing it. The high cost of emergency obstetric interventions may well be the most important obstacle to the use of hospital care.

Auto Body Repairer (Branch 2). Performance Demonstration Guidelines. Apprenticeship Training Program = Carrossiers automobiles (categorie 2). Programme de formation des apprentis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ontario Ministry of Skills Development, Toronto.

This manual presents training standards for auto body repairers (branch 2) and is intended to be used by apprentice/trainees, instructors, and companies in Ontario, Canada as a blueprint for training or as a prerequisite for accreditation/certification. The training standards identify skills required for this occupation and its related training…

Are Different Professionals Ready to Support Children of Parents with Mental Illness? Evaluating the Impact of a Pan-European Training Programme.

PubMed

Viganò, Giovanni; Kaunonen, Marja; Ryan, Peter; Simpson, Wendy; Dawson, Ian; Tabak, Izabela; Scherbaum, Norbert; Poma, Stefano Zanone

2017-04-01

A training package (pre-tested in a pilot phase) about supporting children who have parents with a mental illness and/or with substance misuse (COPMI) was developed and delivered to 131 different professionals from six different European Countries. A questionnaire about importance, awareness and competence on the issue (8 items on knowledge and 15 items on skills) was developed and completed by participants before and after the training. The training was evaluated by participants as generally very successful in terms of improving the importance, awareness and competence of their knowledge and skills, with a statistically significant difference in the pre-/post-analyses (no decreases occurred). Different professional groups performed differently in the pre-training self-rating scores. The participants in some countries were mainly drawn from one professional group (i.e. teachers in Finland, social workers in Germany and psychologists in Poland). It was found that stigma was considered an extremely important concern even before the training, whilst country-specific legal issues were not taken into proper account in the training. Some possibilities for further refinement of the training programme are suggested.

Evaluating a Research Training Programme for People with Intellectual Disabilities Participating in Inclusive Research: The Views of Participants.

PubMed

Fullana, Judit; Pallisera, Maria; Català, Elena; Puyalto, Carolina

2017-07-01

This article presents the results of evaluating a research training programme aimed at developing the skills of people with intellectual disabilities to actively participate in inclusive research. The present authors opted for a responsive approach to evaluation, using a combination of interviews, questionnaires and focus groups to gather information on the views of students, trainers and members of the research team regarding how the programme progressed, the learning achieved and participants' satisfaction with the programme. The evaluation showed that most of the participants were satisfied with the programme and provided guidelines for planning contents and materials, demonstrating the usefulness of these types of programme in constructing the research group and empowering people with intellectual disabilities to participate in research. The evaluation revealed that the programme had been a positive social experience that fostered interest in lifelong learning for people with intellectual disabilities. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A communication skills intervention for community healthcare workers reduces perceived patient aggression: a pretest-postest study.

PubMed

Swain, Nicola; Gale, Christopher

2014-09-01

Previous studies have shown that healthcare workers experience high levels of aggression from patients. Prevention packages to address this have received little research support. Communication skills have been shown to influence individuals' experience of aggression and are also amenable to training. This study aims to deliver a communication skills training package that will reduce the experience of aggression in the workplace for healthcare workers. An interactive, multimedia communication skills package was developed that would be suitable for community healthcare workers. The training consisted of four workshops, including teaching, discussion and DVD illustrative examples. These were based on research and clinical experience. This intervention was delivered in two community care organisations over several months. Fifty-six community healthcare workers took part in the trial in small groups. There were 46 females and 10 males with a median age of 45-54 years. For each group a series of four communication skills workshops were given. Measurements of perceived aggression and wellbeing were taken before the workshops, at the end of the workshops, one month after and two months after. Results show statistically significant reductions in perceived aggression one and two months after baseline measures (p<0.01). Results also suggest reductions in distress and increases in general mental wellness (p<0.01). Evaluation of the programme by participants was positive. A brief communication skills training programme is both enjoyable and shows decreases in perceived aggression, distress, and increases in general mental wellness. A full RCT of this intervention is warranted. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

"A Vital Role in Uncertain Times"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunt, Melanie

2009-01-01

The adult learning and skills sector is a diverse world, encompassing adult and community learning, apprenticeships, Train to Gain, and contracted employment programmes. The learning and skills sector plays a vital role in uncertain times by giving greater opportunities for social mobility, for example by supporting progression to further and…

Evaluation of the district health management fellowship training programme: a case study in Iran

PubMed Central

Gholipour, Kamal; Tabrizi, Jafar Sadegh; Farahbakhsh, Mostafa; Iezadi, Shabnam; Ghiasi, Akbar; Jahanbin, Hasan

2018-01-01

Objective To evaluate the district health management fellowship training programme in the north-west of Iran. Data sources/study setting The programme was introduced to build the managerial capacity of district health managers in Iran. Eighty-nine heads of units in the province’s health centre, district health managers and the health deputies of the district health centres in the north-west provinces of Iran had registered for the district health management fellowship training programme in Tabriz in 2015–2016. Study design This was an educational evaluation study to evaluate training courses to measure participants' reactions and learning and, to a lesser extent, application of training to their job and the organisational impact. Data collection/extraction methods Valid and reliable questionnaires were used to assess learning techniques and views towards the fellowship, and self-assessment of health managers’ knowledge and skills. Also, pretest and post-test examinations were conducted in each course and a portfolio was provided to the trainees to be completed in their work settings. Principal findings About 63% of the participants were medical doctors and 42.3% of them had over 20 years of experience. Learning by practice (scored 18.37 out of 20) and access to publications (17.27) were the most useful methods of training in health planning and management from the participants’ perspective. Moreover, meeting peers from other districts and the academic credibility of teachers were the most important features of the current programme. Based on the managers’ self-assessment, they were most skilful in quality improvement, managing, planning and evaluation of the district. The results of the post-test analysis on data collected from district health managers showed the highest scores in managing the district (77 out of 100) and planning and evaluation (69) of the courses. Conclusion The results of this study indicated that training courses, methods and improvement in managers' knowledge about the health system and the skills necessary to manage their organisation were acceptable. PMID:29525773

An Innovative Supply Chain Management Programme Structure: Broadening the SCM Skill Set

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Okongwu, Uche

2007-01-01

This paper proposes a matrix structure for training Supply Chain Management (SCM) professionals. It is an innovative programme structure that combines two approaches: cross-border and inter-organisational. It enables the students to comprehend complex and specific business environments and to understand the diverse nature of SCM systems in both…

Can Student Interdependence Be Experienced Negatively in Collective Music Education Programmes? A Contextual Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sarazin, Marc

2017-01-01

Many studies and accounts argue that collective music-making can contribute to building social cohesion and training social skills, and particularly that student interdependence in collective music education programmes can foster this. I argue that this implies two assumptions: first, that students mostly experience interdependence in music…

Potential role for psychological skills training in emergency medicine: Part 1 - Introduction and background.

PubMed

Lauria, Michael J; Rush, Stephen; Weingart, Scott D; Brooks, Jason; Gallo, Isabelle A

2016-10-01

Psychological skills training (PST) is the systematic acquisition and practice of different psychological techniques to improve cognitive and technical performance. This training consists of three phases: education, skills acquisition and practice. Some of the psychological skills developed in this training include relaxation techniques, focusing and concentration skills, positive 'self-suggestion' and visualisation exercises. Since the middle of the 20th century, PST has been successfully applied by athletes, performing artists, business executives, military personnel and other professionals in high-risk occupations. Research in these areas has demonstrated the breadth and depth of the training's effectiveness. Despite the benefits realised in other professions, medicine has only recently begun to explore certain elements of PST. The present paper reviews the history and evidence behind the concept of PST. In addition, it presents some aspects of PST that have already been incorporated into medical training as well as implications for developing more comprehensive programmes to improve delivery of emergency medical care. © 2016 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine.

Increasing health worker capacity through distance learning: a comprehensive review of programmes in Tanzania.

PubMed

Nartker, Anya J; Stevens, Liz; Shumays, Alyson; Kalowela, Martin; Kisimbo, Daniel; Potter, Katy

2010-12-31

Tanzania, like many developing countries, faces a crisis in human resources for health. The government has looked for ways to increase the number and skills of health workers, including using distance learning in their training. In 2008, the authors reviewed and assessed the country's current distance learning programmes for health care workers, as well as those in countries with similar human resource challenges, to determine the feasibility of distance learning to meet the need of an increased and more skilled health workforce. Data were collected from 25 distance learning programmes at health training institutions, universities, and non-governmental organizations throughout the country from May to August 2008. Methods included internet research; desk review; telephone, email and mail-in surveys; on-site observations; interviews with programme managers, instructors, students, information technology specialists, preceptors, health care workers and Ministry of Health and Social Welfare representatives; and a focus group with national HIV/AIDS care and treatment organizations. Challenges include lack of guidelines for administrators, instructors and preceptors of distance learning programmes regarding roles and responsibilities; absence of competencies for clinical components of curricula; and technological constraints such as lack of access to computers and to the internet. Insufficient funding resulted in personnel shortages, lack of appropriate training for personnel, and lack of materials for students.Nonetheless, current and prospective students expressed overwhelming enthusiasm for scale-up of distance learning because of the unique financial and social benefits offered by these programs. Participants were retained as employees in their health care facilities, and remained in their communities and supported their families while advancing their careers. Space in health training institutions was freed up for new students entering in-residence pre-service training. A blended print-based distance learning model is most feasible at the national level due to current resource and infrastructure constraints. With an increase in staffing; improvement of infrastructure, coordination and curricula; and decentralization to the zonal or district level, distance learning can be an effective method to increase both the skills and the numbers of qualified health care workers capable of meeting the health care needs of the Tanzanian population.

Increasing health worker capacity through distance learning: a comprehensive review of programmes in Tanzania

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Tanzania, like many developing countries, faces a crisis in human resources for health. The government has looked for ways to increase the number and skills of health workers, including using distance learning in their training. In 2008, the authors reviewed and assessed the country's current distance learning programmes for health care workers, as well as those in countries with similar human resource challenges, to determine the feasibility of distance learning to meet the need of an increased and more skilled health workforce. Methods Data were collected from 25 distance learning programmes at health training institutions, universities, and non-governmental organizations throughout the country from May to August 2008. Methods included internet research; desk review; telephone, email and mail-in surveys; on-site observations; interviews with programme managers, instructors, students, information technology specialists, preceptors, health care workers and Ministry of Health and Social Welfare representatives; and a focus group with national HIV/AIDS care and treatment organizations. Results Challenges include lack of guidelines for administrators, instructors and preceptors of distance learning programmes regarding roles and responsibilities; absence of competencies for clinical components of curricula; and technological constraints such as lack of access to computers and to the internet. Insufficient funding resulted in personnel shortages, lack of appropriate training for personnel, and lack of materials for students. Nonetheless, current and prospective students expressed overwhelming enthusiasm for scale-up of distance learning because of the unique financial and social benefits offered by these programs. Participants were retained as employees in their health care facilities, and remained in their communities and supported their families while advancing their careers. Space in health training institutions was freed up for new students entering in-residence pre-service training. Conclusions A blended print-based distance learning model is most feasible at the national level due to current resource and infrastructure constraints. With an increase in staffing; improvement of infrastructure, coordination and curricula; and decentralization to the zonal or district level, distance learning can be an effective method to increase both the skills and the numbers of qualified health care workers capable of meeting the health care needs of the Tanzanian population. PMID:21194417

Preventing Child Sexual Abuse: Body Safety Training for Young Children in Turkey.

PubMed

Citak Tunc, Gulseren; Gorak, Gulay; Ozyazicioglu, Nurcan; Ak, Bedriye; Isil, Ozlem; Vural, Pinar

2018-01-01

The "Body Safety Training Program" is an education program aimed at ensuring children are informed about their body and acquire self-protection skills. In this study, a total of 83 preschoolers were divided into experimental and control groups; based on a power analysis, 40 children comprised the experimental group, while 43 children comprised the control group. The "Body Safety Training Programme" was translated into Turkish and content validity was determined regarding the language and cultural appropriateness. The "What If Situations Test" (WIST) was administered to both groups before and after the training. Mann-Whitney U Test, Kruskal-Wallis Variance Analysis, and the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test were used to compare between the groups and the Spearman correlation analysis was used to determine the strength of the relationship between the dependent and independent variable. The differences between the pretest and posttest scores for the subscales (appropriate recognition, inappropriate recognition, say, do, tell, and reporting skills), and the personal safety questionnaire (PSQ) score means for the children in the experimental group were found to be statistically significant (p < .001). The posttest-pretest difference score means of the experimental group children for WIST saying, doing, telling and reporting, total skills, and PSQ were found to be statistically significant as compared to that of the control group (p < .05). The "Body Safety Training programme" is effective in increasing the child sexual abuse prevention and self-protection skills in Turkish young children.

University Aviation Degree Courses: A Study of Labour Market and Student Retention Challenges for Sustainable Course Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yadav, Devinder K.

2012-01-01

Universities offering aviation degree courses face a dilemma when integrating flying training, which is vocational skills training, into an academic degree programme. Whilst flying training for a pilot's licence is provided by flying schools regulated by a country's Civil Aviation Authority, the HE sector is responsible for the academic standards…

We're Giving Businesses a Choice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Way, David

2007-01-01

In this article, the author reviews Train to Gain's service and exposes a number of myths about the programme. Since its initial national roll out in September 2006 people have seen encouraging take up, with more than 53,000 employers and 230,000 learners benefiting from Train to Gain. A key element of Train to Gain is the skills brokerage…

Training in the Motor Vehicle Repair and Sales Sector in Denmark. Report for the FORCE Programme. First Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knoblauch, Jan; And Others

Training in Denmark's motor vehicle repair and sales sector was examined in a study that included the following approaches: review of the sector's structure/characteristics, institutional/social context, changing conditions and their implications for skill requirements and training, and available initial and continuing vocational education and…

Education and Training for Entrepreneurs: A Consideration of Initiatives in Ireland and the Netherlands

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Faoite, Diarmuid; Henry, Colette; Johnston, Kate; van der Sijde, Peter

2003-01-01

A growing body of academic research has examined the effectiveness of entrepreneurship training and support initiatives, with recent studies focusing on the provision of training and other skills development opportunities. An important theme that has emerged from this work is the failure of many programmes and initiatives to take on board the…

Training in the Retail Sector in the French and Flemish-Speaking Communities in Belgium. Report for the FORCE Programme. First Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pollet, Ignace; And Others

An international team of researchers studied the following aspects of training in Belgium's retail sector: structure and characteristics, institutional and social context, employment and labor, changing conditions and their implications for skill requirements, and training and recruitment. Data were collected from an analysis of social and…

Confidence in Procedural Skills before and after a Two-Year Master's Programme in Family Medicine in Gezira State, Sudan

PubMed Central

Abdelrahman, S. H.

2017-01-01

Many postgraduate family medicine training programmes have been developed to meet the worldwide dire need for practicing family physicians. This study was conducted in Gezira state of Sudan in a “before-and-after” design in the period of 2010–2012 with the aim to assess improvements in candidates' confidence in performing certain clinical skills. A self-evaluation questionnaire was used with a five-grade scale (1–5) to assess candidates' confidence in performing 46 clinical skills. A group of 108 participants responded for both the “before” and the “after” questionnaire: the response rate was 91% (before) and 90% (after). In general, a positive progress trend was detected. The mean skill value for all skills was 3.23 (before) and 3.93 (after) with a mean increase of 21.7% (P < 0.001). Male students scored constantly higher than females both before and after completing the master's programme, while females showed a higher percentage in progress. Scores in certain medical disciplines were higher than others. However, disciplines with low scores in the beginning, such as psychiatry and ophthalmology, showed the highest progress percentage. The results show a significant increase in confidence in performing procedural skills designed in the curriculum of the GFMP master's programme. PMID:29318182

Life support course for nurses in Singapore.

PubMed

Heng, W J K; Seow, E; Tham, K Y

2011-08-01

Nurses are usually the first caregivers for cardiac arrest patients in an in-hospital environment, and subsequently partner with doctors in the further resuscitation of patients. The skills of basic life support are crucial for their practice. The Advanced Cardiac Life Support programme is traditionally geared toward training of medical staff in advanced resuscitation skills. The need for a bridging course that focuses on the knowledge and skills required by nurses to become effective members of the resuscitation team has resulted in the creation of the Life Support Course for Nurses (LSCN) in Singapore. The components of the LSCN programme have evolved over the years, taking into consideration the modifications to resuscitation guidelines. The LSCN programme is gradually including a larger proportion of nurses in the emergency and critical care environments as well as those in the general ward.

[Ergonomic movement in dentistry].

PubMed

Bos-Huizer, J J A; Bolderman, F W

2014-02-01

'Ergonomic movement in dentistry' is a recently developed ergonomic programme for dental healthcare professionals which is intended to prevent work-related complaints and assist in recovering from them. The programme is recommended by disability insurers in cases of specific physical complaints, limitations or disability, as a consequence of which a dental healthcare professional is unable to carry out his or her work. In a four-day training programme, in one's own workplace, skills are taught in the areas of work organization, work attitude and movement. These skills are directly applied in the treatment ofpatients and, if necessary, further improved. In this way, one advances step by step to an ergonomic way of working. Evaluations have shown that the programme is advantageous for the attitude toward work, the workplace and the work organization as well as the reduction of disability.

Midwifery students' experiences of simulation- and skills training.

PubMed

Lendahls, Lena; Oscarsson, Marie G

2017-03-01

In Sweden, simulation- and skills training are implemented in midwifery education in order to prepare students for clinical practice. Research regarding the use of both low to high levels of fidelity in simulation in midwifery programme is limited. The aim of this study was to explore midwifery students' experiences of simulation- and skills training. Midwifery students (n=61), at advanced level, were interviewed in 13 group interviews from 2011 to 2105. A semi-structured interview guide was used, and data were analysed by content analysis. The results are presented in four main categories: develops hands on skills and communication, power of collaborative learning, highly valued learning environment and facilitates clinical practice. The majority of students felt that the simulation- and skills training were necessary to become familiar with hands on skills. Having repetitive practices in a safe and secure environment was viewed as important, and students highly valued that mistakes could be made without fear of comprising patient safety. Student's collaboration, reflections and critical thinking increased learning ability. Simulation- and skills training created links between theory and practice, and the lecturer had an important role in providing instructions and feedback. Students felt prepared and confident before their clinical practice, and simulation- and skills training increased safety for all involved, resulting in students being more confident, as patients in clinical practice became less exposed. Furthermore, mentors were satisfied with students' basic skills. Simulation- and skills training support the development of midwifery skills. It creates links between theory and practice, which facilitates students' learning ability. Training needs to include reflections and critical thinking in order to develop their learning. The lecturer has an important role in encouraging time for reflections and creating safe environment during the skills and simulation training. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Emergence of the Skills Approach in Industry and Its Consequences for the Training of Engineers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pascail, Laurent

2006-01-01

It is striking to notice that the notion of skill is not only used in industry but also in higher education in most major industrialized countries. If a significant number of companies have taken a skills approach, one notices that this term is also used in higher education to determine teaching programmes according to a simple idea: higher…

The effect of a multifaceted evidence-based practice programme for nurses on knowledge, skills, attitudes, and perceived barriers: A cohort study.

PubMed

van der Goot, Wieke E; Keers, Joost C; Kuipers, Ruud; Nieweg, Roos M B; de Groot, Martijn

2018-04-01

The Dutch professional nursing standard of 2012 stipulates that Dutch nursing practices are to be evidence-based. Not all practicing nurses can satisfy these requirements, therefore, an educational programme about Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) was developed for a Dutch teaching hospital. The aim of this study was to measure the effects of a six month in-house EBP programme on knowledge, skills, attitudes, and perceived barriers of nurses (four European Credits equals two US Credit Hours). A multiple-cohort study was conducted with a pre-post-test design. In the period of 2011-2015, a total of 58 nurses (9 cohorts) followed the programme. Baseline and follow-up assessments consisted of three questionnaires each: the Dutch Modified Fresno, the two subscales of the McColl questionnaire, and the BARRIER scale to assess knowledge and skills, attitudes, and perceived barriers, respectively. Fifty nurses completed both assessments. The results demonstrated that actual knowledge and skills significantly increased by approximately 40%. Self-perceived knowledge increased significantly, while attitudes towards EBP remained (moderately) positive. Perceived barriers did not notably change except for the Research subscale which received many "no opinion" responses prior to the programme but fewer afterwards. Our multifaceted in-house EBP programme led to a significant improvement of approximately 40% in EBP knowledge and skills of participating nurses. Most nurses who followed the EBP programme are currently applying their knowledge and skills in practice. Managerial support and allocated time for EBP are important facilitators for its implementation. Furthermore, to maintain and expand nurses' EBP knowledge and skills and translate them into practice, follow-up interventions, such as journal clubs, may well be beneficial. Based on the positive results of our programme, we will implement it throughout the hospital with an emphasis on training more groups of nurses. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of effect on skills of GP trainees taking time out of programme (OOP) in developing countries.

PubMed

Kiernan, Patrick; O'Dempsey, Tim; Kwalombota, Kwalombota; Elliott, Lynne; Cowan, Lesley

2014-03-01

The London School of General Practice Time Out of Programme (OOP) provides general practice (GP) trainees with an opportunity to enhance clinical experience and develop a range of skills and competencies, which are often not achievable in a three-year training programme, that are relevant and transferable to their practice in the UK. The programme offers one-year posts in the developing world to trainees between years ST2/3. This study builds on the work of the International Health Links Centre and London Deanery report (2011) and is designed to assess the skills and competencies of GP trainees on an OOP scheme. The study evaluated the impact of the OOP scheme on: • GP trainees? clinical skills • GP trainees' decision-making, management and leadership skills • Any other competencies. London GP trainees and trainers. Data were gathered using structured interview schedules developed for GP trainees and GP trainers and mapped against the RCGP Trainee e-portfolio Competence Areas. Our findings show that trainees and trainers reported an increase in skill levels in the more generic competencies. The study shows that the OOP scheme provides GP trainees with an excellent opportunity to develop clinical skills and more generic skills such as leadership, management and decision-making, as well as effective use of resources. However, not all clinical skill improvements were directly transferable to trainees' clinical work on return to the UK.

Identifying and training non-technical skills for teams in acute medicine

PubMed Central

Flin, R; Maran, N

2004-01-01

The aviation domain provides a better analogy for the "temporary" teams that are found in acute medical specialities than industrial or military teamwork research based on established teams. Crew resource management (CRM) training, which emphasises portable skills (for whatever crew a pilot is rostered to on a given flight), has been recognised to have potential application in medicine, especially for teams in the operating theatre, intensive care unit, and emergency room. Drawing on research from aviation psychology that produced the behavioural marker system NOTECHS for rating European pilots' non-technical skills for teamwork on the flightdeck, this paper outlines the Anaesthetists Non-Technical Skills behavioural rating system for anaesthetists working in operating theatre teams. This taxonomy was used as the design basis for a training course, Crisis Avoidance Resource Management for Anaesthetists used to develop these skills, based in an operating theatre simulator. Further developments of this training programme for teams in emergency medicine are outlined. PMID:15465960

A Mastery Rubric: guiding curriculum design, admissions and development of course objectives.

PubMed

Tractenberg, Rochelle E; Umans, Jason G; McCarter, Robert J

This article describes a 'Mastery Rubric' (MR) used to design both the curriculum and the assessments in a new two-year certificate programme intended to train physicians in clinical research skills. The MR for clinical research skills is built around a set of core research skills: critical review of literature; articulation of research objective; development of research design; development of analysis plan; implementation of the study; implementation of the analysis plan and presentation of results. Four distinct levels of performance are described for each skill: beginning, novice, competent and proficient. This rubric outlines and provides a path to mastery of the clinical research skills the certificate programme was designed and funded to target. Using the rubric to design the curriculum ensures that courses will provide instruction in key domains, promotes assessment that demonstrates development in the target skills and knowledge, and encourages reflection and cognitive self-monitoring in the students. It is a flexible, criterion-referenced definition of 'success' for students as well as the programme itself. The criteria are characterised in terms of the skills, habits of mind and organisational principles that can foster excellence in clinical research, but the approach can be generalised.

A fit for purpose training programme for the decontamination of personnel.

PubMed

O'Mara, E; Cole, P; Wynn, A; Collison, R

2015-06-01

Contingency plans are a crucial part of operating any nuclear facility. The success of a contingency plan depends on the efficacy of the plan and the confidence and understanding of those who must enact it. This project focused on both of these aspects, clarifying technique and then designing and delivering a training programme for decontamination. The design of the training was based on the IAEA Systematic Approach to Training (SAT). The delivery focused on ways of increasing retention including use of practical examples and assessment, peer assessment and visual contingency plans. A quantitative survey of the trainees was conducted using a questionnaire before and after the training programme delivery. The results clearly demonstrate an improvement across all elements of skills and knowledge required to undertake decontamination. Effective training is fundamental to the development of a good safety culture and the methodology used in this work has led to a clear improvement in radiation protection culture at the Devonport site.

Implant dentistry in postgraduate university education. Present conditions, potential, limitations and future trends.

PubMed

Mattheos, N; Wismeijer, D; Shapira, L

2014-03-01

In recent years, opportunities for postgraduate university education in implant dentistry have increased significantly, with an increase in both the number but also the complexity of available postgraduate programmes. However, there appears to be a lack of standards directing the learning outcomes of such programmes. A scientific literature search was conducted for publications reporting on university programmes within implant dentistry, including description of programmes and evaluation of learning outcomes. A separate Internet search was conducted to collect information on existing university programmes as presented on university websites. Implant dentistry has reached a critical mass of an independent, multidisciplinary and vibrant domain of science, which combines knowledge and discovery from many clinical and basic sciences. Many university programmes conclude with a master's or equivalent degree, but there appears to be a great diversity with regard to duration and learning objectives, as well as targeted skills and competences. The importance of implant dentistry has also increased within established specialist training programmes. There was little indication, however, that the comprehensive aspects of implant dentistry are present in all specialist training programmes where implants are being covered. Although universities should maintain the options of designing academic programmes as they best see fit, it is imperative for them to introduce some form of transparent and comparable criteria, which will allow the profession and the public to relate the degree and academic credentials to the actual skills and competences of the degree holder. With regard to established specialist training programmes, the interdisciplinary and comprehensive nature of implant dentistry needs to be emphasised, covering both surgical and restorative aspects. Finally, implant dentistry is not, at present, a dental specialty. The profession has not reached a consensus as to whether the introduction of a new recognised specialist field is either necessary or desired. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Bike skills training for children with cerebral palsy: protocol for a randomised controlled trial

PubMed Central

Toovey, Rachel; Harvey, Adrienne R; McGinley, Jennifer L; Lee, Katherine J; Shih, Sophy T F; Spittle, Alicia J

2018-01-01

Introduction Two-wheel bike riding can be a goal for children with cerebral palsy (CP) and a means of participating in physical activity. It is possible for some children with CP to ride a two-wheel bike; however, currently far fewer can ride compared with their typically developing peers. Evidence supports training targeted towards goals of the child with CP and their family; yet there is little evidence to guide best-practice bike skills training. Task-specific training may lead to attainment of two-wheel bike-specific goals. This study aims to determine if a novel task-specific approach to training two-wheel bike skills is more effective than a parent-led home programme for attaining individualised two-wheel bike-specific goals in independently ambulant children with CP aged 6–15 years. Methods and analysis Sixty eligible children with CP (Gross Motor Function Classification System levels I–II) aged 6–15 years with goals relating to riding a two-wheel bike will be randomised to either a novel task-specific centre-based group programme (intervention) or a parent-led home-based programme (comparison), both involving a 1-week intervention period. The primary outcome is goal attainment in the week following the intervention period (T1). Secondary outcomes include: goal attainment and participation in physical activity at 3 months postintervention (T2) and bike skills, attendance and involvement in bike riding, self-perception and functional skills at T1 and T2. Economic appraisal will involve cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analyses. Adherence of clinicians and parents to the intervention and comparison protocols will be assessed. Linear and logistic regression will be used to assess the effect of the intervention, adjusted for site as used in the randomisation process. Ethics and dissemination This study was approved by the Human Research and Ethics Committees at The Royal Children’s Hospital (#36209). Results will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. Trial registration number NCT03003026; Pre-results. PMID:29431140

Public nursing home staff's experience of participating in an intervention aimed at enhancing their self-esteem.

PubMed

Wadensten, Barbro; Engström, Maria; Häggström, Elisabeth

2009-11-01

The aim of the present study was to gain an understanding of how nursing staff experienced participating in a training programme aimed at strengthening their self-esteem and empowering them, to determine whether participation benefited them in any way, and to describe their opinions about possible benefits or disadvantages. Staff working in institutions such as nursing homes have a low status in society. A training programme was introduced to staff in a public nursing home. It focused on helping them understand factors in the work situation that influence them and on empowering them. The study was explorative and qualitative in design. The participants in the programme were generally satisfied with it. Their opinions about the benefits they received from the programme can be described using three themes: 'improved communication skills', 'enhanced self-esteem' and 'sees work in a different light'. The most important finding of the present study is that it was possible to strengthen and empower staff. Staff members were generally pleased and satisfied with the content/organization of the training programme. They felt the programme had been of value to them by improving their communication skills and increasing their self-esteem. The present result could be of value to managers and educators working in the area of nursing home care when planning education and development activities for staff. Learning to communicate better and understand the social structure at the workplace could improve staff members' self-esteem, thereby enhancing the work situation and atmosphere as well as empowering the individuals.

Effect of Training Programme on Developing Functional Sign Language among Parents of Students with Deafness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bhuvaneswari, N. R.; Srivastava, Abhishek Kumar

2016-01-01

Parents' involvement is highly needed for ensuring holistic development of their words; however parents can only assist the child when they themselves have adequate knowledge, required skills, and proper awareness regarding various aspects of children's growth and development. To have adequate communication skill among parents, ensuring better…

Activity Theory as a Lens to Understand How Facebook Develops Knowledge Application Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bagarukayo, Emily; Ssentamu, Proscovia; Mayisela, Tabisa; Brown, Cheryl

2016-01-01

Uganda's higher education system has generally been criticized for concentrating on theory leading to a mismatch between training received and practical skills required by employers. Studies have documented the inability of graduates from some programmes at Makerere University in applying knowledge in the work environment. This could partly be…

Evaluating New Approaches to Teaching of Sight-Reading Skills to Advanced Pianists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhukov, Katie

2014-01-01

This paper evaluates three teaching approaches to improving sight-reading skills against a control in a large-scale study of advanced pianists. One hundred pianists in four equal groups participated in newly developed training programmes (accompanying, rhythm, musical style and control), with pre- and post-sight-reading tests analysed using…

Enhancing Teacher Training Skills by Strengthening the Teaching Practice Component

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phillips, Heather Nadia; Chetty, Rajendra

2018-01-01

Purpose: The ongoing theory vs practice debate reinforces the problems facing teacher training institutions which need to challenge traditional programmes and work towards a tighter coherence between coursework and practical experience. Working more closely with schools to restructure teaching practice is necessary in order to create better…

Teaching Emotion Recognition Skills to Children with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryan, Christian; Charragain, Caitriona Ni

2010-01-01

Autism is associated with difficulty interacting with others and an impaired ability to recognize facial expressions of emotion. Previous teaching programmes have not addressed weak central coherence. Emotion recognition training focused on components of facial expressions. The training was administered in small groups ranging from 4 to 7…

Hear here: children with hearing loss learn words by listening.

PubMed

Lew, Joyce; Purcell, Alison A; Doble, Maree; Lim, Lynne H

2014-10-01

Early use of hearing devices and family participation in auditory-verbal therapy has been associated with age-appropriate verbal communication outcomes for children with hearing loss. However, there continues to be great variability in outcomes across different oral intervention programmes and little consensus on how therapists should prioritise goals at each therapy session for positive clinical outcomes. This pilot intervention study aimed to determine whether therapy goals that concentrate on teaching preschool children with hearing loss how to distinguish between words in a structured listening programme is effective, and whether gains in speech perception skills impact on vocabulary and speech development without them having to be worked on directly in therapy. A multiple baseline across subjects design was used in this within-subject controlled study. 3 children aged between 2:6 and 3:1 with moderate-severe to severe-profound hearing loss were recruited for a 6-week intervention programme. Each participant commenced at different stages of the 10-staged listening programme depending on their individual listening skills at recruitment. Speech development and vocabulary assessments were conducted before and after the training programme in addition to speech perception assessments and probes conducted throughout the intervention programme. All participants made gains in speech perception skills as well as vocabulary and speech development. Speech perception skills acquired were noted to be maintained a week after intervention. In addition, all participants were able to generalise speech perception skills learnt to words that had not been used in the intervention programme. This pilot study found that therapy directed at listening alone is promising and that it may have positive impact on speech and vocabulary development without these goals having to be incorporated into a therapy programme. Although a larger study is necessary for more conclusive findings, the results from this preliminary study are promising in support of emphasise on listening skills within auditory-verbal therapy programmes. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Teachers' Experiences in Educational Multi-Media Content Development: The Case of Tanzania's Institute of Adult Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mariki, Belingtone Eliringia

2014-01-01

This paper is an academic observation of an Educational Multimedia Content development-training programme funded by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) in Tanzania. This project focused on skills development in script writing and in radio and video programme development, aimed at transforming selected subjects from text to multimedia content. The…

Paired Reading: Evaluation Report and Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lloyd, Cheryl; Edovald, Triin; Kiss, Zsolt; Morris, Stephen; Skipp, Amy; Ahmed, Hashim

2015-01-01

Paired Reading is a peer tutoring programme in secondary schools which trains teachers to support and encourage the regular tutoring of Year 7 pupils (aged 11-12 years) by Year 9 pupils (aged 13-14 years). The Paired Reading programme aims to improve pupils' general literacy in addition to speaking and listening skills. This is achieved by pupils…

Community Development Workers Programme: Mentoring for Social Transformation in the Public Service in Post-Apartheid South Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geber, Hilary; Motlhake, Bona

2008-01-01

The new public sector community development workers (CDWs) programme was established in 2004 following ineffective service delivery through chronic under-spending on annual budgets in post-apartheid South Africa. CDWs receive training in learnerships within the National Skills Development Strategy to ensure access to and spending of local…

Training and learning robotic surgery, time for a more structured approach: a systematic review.

PubMed

Schreuder, H W R; Wolswijk, R; Zweemer, R P; Schijven, M P; Verheijen, R H M

2012-01-01

Robotic assisted laparoscopic surgery is growing rapidly and there is an increasing need for a structured approach to train future robotic surgeons. To review the literature on training and learning strategies for robotic assisted laparoscopic surgery. A systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library and the Journal of Robotic Surgery was performed. We included articles concerning training, learning, education and teaching of robotic assisted laparoscopic surgery in any specialism. Two authors independently selected articles to be included. We categorised the included articles into: training modalities, learning curve, training future surgeons, curriculum design and implementation. We included 114 full text articles. Training modalities such as didactic training, skills training (dry lab, virtual reality, animal or cadaver models), case observation, bedside assisting, proctoring and the mentoring console can be used for training in robotic assisted laparoscopic surgery. Several training programmes in general and specific programmes designed for residents, fellows and surgeons are described in the literature. We provide guidelines for development of a structured training programme. Robotic surgical training consists of system training and procedural training. System training should be formally organised and should be competence based, instead of time based. Virtual reality training will play an import role in the near future. Procedural training should be organised in a stepwise approach with objective assessment of each step. This review aims to facilitate and improve the implementation of structured robotic surgical training programmes. © 2011 The Authors BJOG An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology © 2011 RCOG.

Framework for incorporating simulation into urology training.

PubMed

Arora, Sonal; Lamb, Benjamin; Undre, Shabnam; Kneebone, Roger; Darzi, Ara; Sevdalis, Nick

2011-03-01

• Changes to working hours, new technologies and increased accountability have rendered the need for alternative training environments for urologists. • Simulation offers a promising arena for learning to take place in a safe, realistic setting. • Despite its benefits, the incorporation of simulation into urological training programmes remains minimal. • The current status and future directions of simulation for training in technical and non-technical skills are reviewed as they pertain to urology. • A framework is presented for how simulation-based training could be incorporated into the entire urological curriculum. • The literature on simulation in technical and non-technical skills training is reviewed, with a specific focus upon urology. • To fully integrate simulation into a training curriculum, its possibilities for addressing all the competencies required by a urologist must be realized. • At an early stage of training, simulation has been used to develop basic technical skills and cognitive skills, such as decision-making and communication. • At an intermediate stage, the studies focus upon more advanced technical skills learnt with virtual reality simulators. • Non-technical skills training would include leadership and could be delivered with in situ models. • At the final stage, experienced trainees can practise technical and non-technical skills in full crisis simulations situated within a fully-simulated operating rooms. • Simulation can provide training in the technical and non-technical skills required to be a competent urologist. • The framework presented may guide how best to incorporate simulation into training curricula. • Future work should determine whether acquired skills transfer to clinical practice and improve patient care. © 2010 THE AUTHORS. BJU INTERNATIONAL © 2010 BJU INTERNATIONAL.

Strengthening capacity to research the social determinants of health in low- and middle-income countries: lessons from the INTREC programme.

PubMed

Henschke, Nicholas; Mirny, Anna; Haafkens, Joke A; Ramroth, Heribert; Padmawati, Siwi; Bangha, Martin; Berkman, Lisa; Trisnantoro, Laksono; Blomstedt, Yulia; Becher, Heiko; Sankoh, Osman; Byass, Peter; Kinsman, John

2017-05-25

The INDEPTH Training & Research Centres of Excellence (INTREC) collaboration developed a training programme to strengthen social determinants of health (SDH) research in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). It was piloted among health- and demographic researchers from 9 countries in Africa and Asia. The programme followed a blended learning approach and was split into three consecutive teaching blocks over a 12-month period: 1) an online course of 7 video lectures and assignments on the theory of SDH research; 2) a 2-week qualitative and quantitative methods workshop; and 3) a 1-week data analysis workshop. This report aims to summarise the student evaluations of the pilot and to suggest key lessons for future approaches to strengthen SDH research capacity in LMICs. Semi-structured interviews and questionnaires with 24 students from 9 countries in Africa and Asia were used to evaluate each teaching block. Information was collected about the students' motivation and interest in studying SDH, any challenges they faced during the consecutive teaching blocks, and suggestions they had for future courses on SDH. Of the 24 students who began the programme, 13 (54%) completed all training activities. The students recognised the need for such a course and its potential to improve their skills as health researchers. The main challenges with the online course were time management, prior knowledge and skills required to participate in the course, and the need to get feedback from teaching staff throughout the learning process. All students found the face-to-face workshops to be of high quality and value for their work, because they offered an opportunity to clarify SDH concepts taught during the online course and to gain practical research skills. After the final teaching block, students felt they had improved their data analysis skills and were better able to develop research proposals, scientific manuscripts, and policy briefs. The INTREC programme has trained a promising cadre of health researchers who live and work in LMICs, which is an essential component of efforts to identify and reduce national and local level health inequities. Time management and technological issues were the greatest challenges, which can inform future attempts to strengthen research capacity on SDH.

Decision-making skills and deliberate practice in elite association football referees.

PubMed

MacMahon, Clare; Helsen, Werner F; Starkes, Janet L; Weston, Matthew

2007-01-01

We examined sport expertise as a function of role. In study 1, referees were better than players in a video-based decision-making task. This provides evidence that there are role-specific skills within one domain or sport. In study 2, we examined the training activities that could be influential in the development of skills in sports officials. Elite association football (soccer) referees retrospectively reported time spent in and perceptions of training activities for three periods: their first year of formal refereeing, 1998 (before formal training programmes were available), and the current year (2003). This allowed us to examine an area of skill with a limited culture of practice, where performance simulations with direct feedback are usually not feasible. The results showed that referees specialize early and, as they develop, they engage in greater volumes and types of training. Competitive match refereeing is considered a relevant activity for skill acquisition that does not fit Ericsson and colleagues' (1993) original definition of deliberate practice. Our findings indicate that actual performance is a significant activity for skill acquisition and refinement.

Perspectives of oncology nurses and oncologists regarding barriers to working with patients from a minority background: Systemic issues and working with interpreters.

PubMed

Watts, K J; Meiser, B; Zilliacus, E; Kaur, R; Taouk, M; Girgis, A; Butow, P; Kissane, D W; Hale, S; Perry, A; Aranda, S K; Goldstein, D

2018-03-01

This study aimed to ascertain the systemic barriers encountered by oncology health professionals (HPs) working with patients from ethnic minorities to guide the development of a communication skills training programme. Twelve medical and five radiation oncologists and 21 oncology nurses were invited to participate in this qualitative study. Participants were interviewed individually or in a focus group about their experiences working with people from minority backgrounds. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. HPs encountered language and communication barriers in their interactions with patients and their families, which were perceived to impact negatively on the quality and amount of information and support provided. There was a shortage of, and poor processes for engaging, interpreters and some HPs were concerned about the accuracy of interpretation. HPs expressed a need for training in cultural awareness and communication skills with a preference for face-to-face delivery. A lack of funding, a culture of "learning on the job", and time constraints were systemic barriers to training. Oncologists and oncology nurses encounter complex challenges in clinical interactions with minority patients and their families, including difficulties working with interpreters. Formal training programmes targeted to the development of culturally competent communication skills are required. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Capacity building of skilled birth attendants: a review of pre-service education curricula.

PubMed

Adegoke, Adetoro A; Mani, Safiyanu; Abubakar, Aisha; van den Broek, Nynke

2013-07-01

to assess the level, type and content of pre-service education curricula of health workers providing maternity services against the ICM global standards for Midwifery Education and Essential competencies for midwifery practice. We reviewed the quality and relevance of pre-service education curricula of four cadres of health-care providers of maternity care in Northern Nigeria. we adapted and used the ICM global standards for Midwifery Education and Essential competencies for midwifery practice to design a framework of criteria against which we assessed curricula for pre-service training. We reviewed the pre-service curricula for Nurses, Midwives, Community Health Extension Workers (CHEW) and Junior Community Health Extension Workers (JCHEW) in three states. Criteria against which the curricula were evaluated include: minimum entry requirement, the length of the programme, theory: practice ratio, curriculum model, minimum number of births conducted during training, clinical experience, competencies, maximum number of students allowable and proportion of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health components (MNCH) as part of the total curriculum. four pre-service education programmes were reviewed; the 3 year basic midwifery, 3 year basic nursing, 3 year Community Health Extension Worker (CHEW) and 2 year Junior Community Health Extension Worker (JCHEW) programme. Findings showed that, none of these four training curricula met all the standards. The basic midwifery curriculum most closely met the standards and competencies set out. The nursing curriculum showed a strong focus on foundations of nursing practice, theories of nursing, public health and maternal newborn and child health. This includes well-defined modules on family health which are undertaken from the first year to the third year of the programme. The CHEW and JCHEW curricula are currently inadequate with regard to training health-care workers to be skilled birth attendants. although the midwifery curriculum most closely reflects the ICM global standards for Midwifery Education and Essential competencies for midwifery practice, a revision of the competencies and content is required especially as it relates to the first year of training. There is an urgent need to modify the JCHEW and CHEW curricula by increasing the content and clinical hands-on experience of MNCH components of the curricula. Without effecting these changes, it is doubtful that graduates of the CHEW and JCHEW programmes have the requisite competencies needed to function adequately as skilled birth attendants in Health Centres, PHCs and MCHs, without direct supervision of a midwife or medical doctor with midwifery skills. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Canadian residents' perceived manager training needs.

PubMed

Stergiopoulos, Vicky; Lieff, Susan; Razack, Saleem; Lee, A Curtis; Maniate, Jerry M; Hyde, Stacey; Taber, Sarah; Frank, Jason R

2010-01-01

Despite widespread endorsement for administrative training during residency, teaching and learning in this area remains intermittent and limited in most programmes. To inform the development of a Manager Train-the-Trainer program for faculty, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada undertook a survey of perceived Manager training needs among postgraduate trainees. A representative sample of Canadian specialty residents received a web-based questionnaire in 2009 assessing their perceived deficiencies in 13 Manager knowledge and 11 Manager skill domains, as determined by gap scores (GSs). GSs were defined as the difference between residents' perceived current and desired level of knowledge or skill in selected Manager domains. Residents' educational preferences for furthering their Manager knowledge and skills were also elicited. Among the 549 residents who were emailed the survey, 199 (36.2%) responded. Residents reported significant gaps in most knowledge and skills domains examined. Residents' preferred educational methods for learning Manager knowledge and skills included workshops, web-based formats and interactive small groups. The results of this national survey, highlighting significant perceived gaps in multiple Manager knowledge and skills domains, may inform the development of Manager curricula and faculty development activities to address deficiencies in training in this important area.

The Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência and its Outreach

PubMed Central

Leão, Maria João; Godinho, Ana; Fernandes, Pedro

2012-01-01

The Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC) is biomedical research institute that acts as a host institution for small research groups, in Portugal. Most of its activities reach out to the scientific community in several ways. The IGC organizes regular series of seminars with invited international speakers, workshops, courses and conferences, and an in-house PhD programme. Specific outreach needs had to be met in the two instances that are described here. GTPB The Gulbenkian Training Programme in Bioinformatics (GTPB) started as a regular activity in 1999 in response to the demand of users seeking opportunities to acquire hands-on practical skills in Bioinformatics in an effective way. Training provision in Bioinformatics requires the conciliation of a variety of interests into a series of highly effective training events, in which scientists can acquire skills and a high degree of independence in their usage. The GTPB programme currently offers more than 30 themes, of which 15 to 20 are chosen for single events in each year. The GTPB has provided training to more than 2000 researchers and students, so far. IGC Outreach A dedicated outreach programme targets science education and public engagement in science, for different audience groups. The aim of the outreach programme is to promote scientific literacy, foster careers in science and empower citizens to engage in cutting-edge biomedical research. Activities include Open Days, seminars and laboratory workshops for teachers, development of online, multimedia and hard-copy resources and experimental protocols to be used in schools, visits to schools with hands-on experiments and career talks by researchers and facility staff. Less conventional outreach activities include direct participation in venues for the general public (such a a music festival, for example) have created unexpected opportunities for fundraising and direct financial support for students engaged in research projects.

Overcoming Barriers to Skills Training in Borderline Personality Disorder: A Qualitative Interview Study.

PubMed

Barnicot, Kirsten; Couldrey, Laura; Sandhu, Sima; Priebe, Stefan

2015-01-01

Despite evidence suggesting that skills training is an important mechanism of change in dialectical behaviour therapy, little research exploring facilitators and barriers to this process has been conducted. The study aimed to explore clients' experiences of barriers to dialectical behaviour therapy skills training and how they felt they overcame these barriers, and to compare experiences between treatment completers and dropouts. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 40 clients with borderline personality disorder who had attended a dialectical behaviour therapy programme. A thematic analysis of participants' reported experiences found that key barriers to learning the skills were anxiety during the skills groups and difficulty understanding the material. Key barriers to using the skills were overwhelming emotions which left participants feeling unable or unwilling to use them. Key ways in which participants reported overcoming barriers to skills training were by sustaining their commitment to attending therapy and practising the skills, personalising the way they used them, and practising them so often that they became an integral part of their behavioural repertoire. Participants also highlighted a number of key ways in which they were supported with their skills training by other skills group members, the group therapists, their individual therapist, friends and family. Treatment dropouts were more likely than completers to describe anxiety during the skills groups as a barrier to learning, and were less likely to report overcoming barriers to skills training via the key processes outlined above. The findings of this qualitative study require replication, but could be used to generate hypotheses for testing in further research on barriers to skills training, how these relate to dropout, and how they can be overcome. The paper outlines several such suggestions for further research.

Overcoming Barriers to Skills Training in Borderline Personality Disorder: A Qualitative Interview Study

PubMed Central

Barnicot, Kirsten; Couldrey, Laura; Sandhu, Sima; Priebe, Stefan

2015-01-01

Despite evidence suggesting that skills training is an important mechanism of change in dialectical behaviour therapy, little research exploring facilitators and barriers to this process has been conducted. The study aimed to explore clients’ experiences of barriers to dialectical behaviour therapy skills training and how they felt they overcame these barriers, and to compare experiences between treatment completers and dropouts. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 40 clients with borderline personality disorder who had attended a dialectical behaviour therapy programme. A thematic analysis of participants’ reported experiences found that key barriers to learning the skills were anxiety during the skills groups and difficulty understanding the material. Key barriers to using the skills were overwhelming emotions which left participants feeling unable or unwilling to use them. Key ways in which participants reported overcoming barriers to skills training were by sustaining their commitment to attending therapy and practising the skills, personalising the way they used them, and practising them so often that they became an integral part of their behavioural repertoire. Participants also highlighted a number of key ways in which they were supported with their skills training by other skills group members, the group therapists, their individual therapist, friends and family. Treatment dropouts were more likely than completers to describe anxiety during the skills groups as a barrier to learning, and were less likely to report overcoming barriers to skills training via the key processes outlined above. The findings of this qualitative study require replication, but could be used to generate hypotheses for testing in further research on barriers to skills training, how these relate to dropout, and how they can be overcome. The paper outlines several such suggestions for further research. PMID:26465757

Using standardized patients to assess communication skills in medical and nursing students.

PubMed

Ryan, C Anthony; Walshe, Nuala; Gaffney, Robert; Shanks, Andrew; Burgoyne, Louise; Wiskin, Connie M

2010-03-17

A number of recent developments in medical and nursing education have highlighted the importance of communication and consultation skills (CCS). Although such skills are taught in all medical and nursing undergraduate curriculums, there is no comprehensive screening or assessment programme of CCS using professionally trained Standardized Patients Educators (SPE's) in Ireland. This study was designed to test the content, process and acceptability of a screening programme in CCS with Irish medical and nursing students using trained SPE's and a previously validated global rating scale for CCS. Eight tutors from the Schools of Nursing and Medicine at University College Cork were trained in the use of a validated communication skills and attitudes holistic assessment tool. A total of forty six medical students (Year 2 of 5) and sixty four nursing students (Year 2/3 of 4) were selected to under go individual CCS assessment by the tutors via an SPE led scenario. Immediate formative feedback was provided by the SPE's for the students. Students who did not pass the assessment were referred for remediation CCS learning. Almost three quarters of medical students (33/46; 72%) and 81% of nursing students (56/64) passed the CCS assessment in both communication and attitudes categories. All nursing students had English as their first language. Nine of thirteen medical students referred for enhanced learning in CCS did not have English as their first language. A significant proportion of both medical and nursing students required referral for enhanced training in CCS. Medical students requiring enhanced training were more likely not to have English as a first language.

Simulation-based ureteroscopy skills training curriculum with integration of technical and non-technical skills: a randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Brunckhorst, Oliver; Shahid, Shahab; Aydin, Abdullatif; McIlhenny, Craig; Khan, Shahid; Raza, Syed Johar; Sahai, Arun; Brewin, James; Bello, Fernando; Kneebone, Roger; Khan, Muhammad Shamim; Dasgupta, Prokar; Ahmed, Kamran

2015-09-01

Current training modalities within ureteroscopy have been extensively validated and must now be integrated within a comprehensive curriculum. Additionally, non-technical skills often cause surgical error and little research has been conducted to combine this with technical skills teaching. This study therefore aimed to develop and validate a curriculum for semi-rigid ureteroscopy, integrating both technical and non-technical skills teaching within the programme. Delphi methodology was utilised for curriculum development and content validation, with a randomised trial then conducted (n = 32) for curriculum evaluation. The developed curriculum consisted of four modules; initially developing basic technical skills and subsequently integrating non-technical skills teaching. Sixteen participants underwent the simulation-based curriculum and were subsequently assessed, together with the control cohort (n = 16) within a full immersion environment. Both technical (Time to completion, OSATS and a task specific checklist) and non-technical (NOTSS) outcome measures were recorded with parametric and non-parametric analyses used depending on the distribution of our data as evaluated by a Shapiro-Wilk test. Improvements within the intervention cohort demonstrated educational value across all technical and non-technical parameters recorded, including time to completion (p < 0.01), OSATS scores (p < 0.001), task specific checklist scores (p = 0.011) and NOTSS scores (p < 0.001). Content validity, feasibility and acceptability were all demonstrated through curriculum development and post-study questionnaire results. The current developed curriculum demonstrates that integrating both technical and non-technical skills teaching is both educationally valuable and feasible. Additionally, the curriculum offers a validated simulation-based training modality within ureteroscopy and a framework for the development of other simulation-based programmes.

Evaluating the MESSAGE Communication Strategies in Dementia training for use with community-based aged care staff working with people with dementia: a controlled pretest-post-test study.

PubMed

Conway, Erin R; Chenery, Helen J

2016-04-01

The study aims to evaluate the effects of a communication skills training programme on community aged care staff's knowledge of communication support in dementia and on staff's care experience. Dementia can lead to impairments in communication. Therefore, quality community-based dementia care requires that staff be skilled communicators, equipped to facilitate interactions with people with dementia. The current investigation evaluated the effectiveness of the MESSAGE Communication Strategies in Dementia for Care Staff training programme with respect to knowledge of communication support and the staff/caregiver experience. A multi-centre controlled pretest/post-test design with randomised cohort allocation was used. Outcome measures were completed at baseline, immediately after training (training group only), and at three-month follow-up. Thirty-eight care staff working in community aged care participated and completed all outcome measures (training = 22; control = 16).Training and control groups completed the following outcome measures: knowledge of communication support strategies, self-efficacy, preparedness to provide care, strain in nursing care and attitude to dementia care. Staff in the training group provided written feedback on the training. A significant improvement in knowledge scores from baseline was found for the training group both immediately after training and at three-month follow-up. There was also a significant training effect for self-efficacy and preparedness to provide care. No significant difference was found for the control group for any measure. No significant training effects were found for measures of strain or attitudes to dementia care. Feedback from staff suggests that the training was well received. The MESSAGE training was positively received by staff and had a significant effect on care staff knowledge, and confidence to provide care for people with dementia. The easily accessible multimedia training programme is well received by staff and has the potential to improve quality of care. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Mandatory communication skills training for cancer and palliative care staff: does one size fit all?

PubMed

Turner, Mary; Payne, Sheila; O'Brien, Terri

2011-12-01

There is increasing recognition of the importance of good communication between healthcare professionals and patients facing cancer or end of life. In England, a new national 3-day training programme called 'Connected' has been developed and is now mandatory for all cancer and palliative care professionals. This study aimed to explore the attitudes of staff in one region to undertaking this training. A survey questionnaire was developed through a series of discussions with experts and semi-structured interviews with five healthcare professionals. The questionnaire was distributed to 200 cancer and palliative care staff; 109 were completed and returned. There were significant differences between doctors' and nurses' attitudes to communication skills training, with doctors demonstrating more negative attitudes. More nurses than doctors felt that communication skills training should be mandatory for cancer and palliative care professionals (p ≤ 0.001), whilst more doctors felt that these staff should already be skilled communicators and not require further training (p ≤ 0.001). Nurses also self-rated their communication skills more highly than doctors. The current 'one size fits all' approach being taken nationally to advanced communication skills training does not meet the training preferences of all healthcare professionals, and it is recommended that tailoring courses to individuals' needs should be considered. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Task-shifting challenges for provision of skilled birth attendance: a qualitative exploration.

PubMed

Chandhiok, Nomita; Joglekar, Neelam; Shrotri, Aparna; Choudhury, Panna; Chaudhury, Nayanjeet; Singh, Shalini

2015-05-01

Shortage of skilled birth attendants (SBA) is one of the determinants of maternal mortality in India. To combat this shortage, innovative task-shifting strategies to engage providers of the Indian system of medicine (Ayurveda and Homeopathy), called AYUSH practitioners (AP), to provide SBA services is being implemented. Engagement of APs for SBA service provision was assessed in 3 states of India (Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Odisha) through 73 in-depth interviews (37 with APs and 36 with programme managers). The interviews explored the providers' SBA training experience, barriers for SBA service provision, workplace and community acceptance, and the perspective of programme managers on the competence and quality of SBA services provided. SBA training led to skill enhancement with adoption of appropriate maternal and newborn care practices. A dedicated trainer, more hands-on practice, and strengthening training on newborn care practices and management of complications emerged as the training needs. Conditional involvement in SBA-related work, a discriminatory attitude at the workplace and lack of legal/regulatory authorisation were identified as barriers to the inclusion of APs in SBA service provision. Quality skill enhancement measures, an enabling work environment, a systematic task-shifting process, role definition, supportive supervision and credentialing could be key for the integration of APs and their acceptance in the health system. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Microbiology Managers: Managerial Training in the RItrain Project.

PubMed

Paterson, R Russell M; Lima, Nelson; Brooksbank, Cath; Guarini, Enrico; Pasterk, Markus; Lavitrano, Marialuisa

2017-06-01

Leaders of research infrastructures (RIs) in Europe who are scientists require competencies in management. RItrain has addressed this issue by identifying skills required, locating relevant courses and finding gaps, whilst establishing a Master of Management programme. We describe how one contributing microbiology RI determined the most relevant skills. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

UNESCO's Programme on Technical and Vocational Education for the First Decade of the New Millennium.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Power, Colin N.

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) believes provision of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) to prepare qualified technicians and skilled and semi-skilled workers should be an essential component of the development agenda of all countries. It is about to draft a plan of action for the…

Towards an Online Bachelor of Information Science Degree Programme in a Nigerian University: Part 1--Lessons from the Literature and Existing Curricula

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ajiferuke, Isola; Tiamiyu, Mutawakilu; Longe, Folake; Nwagwu, Williams; Ogunsola, Kemi; Opesade, Adeola; Olatokun, Wole

2012-01-01

Training programmes for the information professions worldwide have been shifting and diversifying the scope of their claimed domains and curricula in order to empower their graduates with diverse knowledge and versatile technical skills required to compete successfully in the highly competitive job markets in the information industries. In line…

Improving Functional Skills and Physical Fitness in Children with Rett Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lotan, M.; Isakov, E.; Merrick, J.

2004-01-01

To investigate the feasibility of a physical exercise programme with treadmill for persons with Rett syndrome (RS) in order to promote fitness and health. A daily training programme on a treadmill was designed for four females with RS over a period of 2 months with tests performed in three intervals, at time 1, 2 and 3, 2 months apart with…

Enhancing Employability through Industrial Training in the Malaysian Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pillai, Stefanie; Khan, Mahmud H.; Ibrahim, Ida Syahirah; Raphael, Sharmane

2012-01-01

This study discusses the industrial training programme at the University of Malaya in Malaysia, specifically the issues that need to be addressed in order to enhance the employability skills of graduates. Findings from the feedback obtained from trainees and organizations in the 2008/2009 academic session were examined in terms of the extent to…

Measuring Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Efficiency: Developing a Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Guimei; Clayton, John

2016-01-01

The growing demand for an increasingly skilled competitive workforce and the associated demand for change and responsiveness in the provision of technical vocational education and training (TVET) has led to the development of stronger links between New Zealand and the People's Republic of China. A collaborative model programme project aims to…

Laparoscopic Surgical Skills programme: preliminary evaluation of Grade I Level 1 courses by trainees.

PubMed

Buzink, Sonja; Soltes, Marek; Radonak, Jozef; Fingerhut, Abe; Hanna, George; Jakimowicz, Jack

2012-08-01

New training models are needed to maintain safety and quality of surgical performance. A simulated setting using virtual reality, synthetic, and/or organic models should precede traditional supervised training in the operating room. The aim of the paper is to describe the Laparoscopic Surgical Skills (LSS) programme and to provide information about preliminary evaluation of Grade I Level 1 courses, including overall quality, applicability of the course content in practice and the balance between theory and hands-on training modules, by participating trainees. During 5 accredited LSS Grade I Level 1 courses held in Eindhoven (the Netherlands), Kosice (Slovak Republic), and Lisbon (Portugal) between April 2011 and January 2012, demographic data and pre-course surgical experience in laparoscopic surgery of the participants were recorded. The final course evaluation form was completed by each participant after the course (anonymous) to evaluate course progress, course materials, assessment, staff, location and overall impression of the course on a 1-10 scale to obtain feedback information. Forty-seven surgeons of 5 different nationalities were enrolled in an LSS Grade I Level 1 programme. Most participants were first or second year residents (n = 25), but also already established surgeons took part (n = 6). The mean age of the participants was 31.2 years (SD = 2.86), the male/female ratio was 32/15, and previous experience with laparoscopic surgery was limited. Overall impression of the course was rated with 8.7 points (SD = 0.78). The applicability of the course content in practice and the balance between theory and hands-on training were also rated very well - mean 8.8 (SD = 1.01) and 8.1 points (SD = 0.80) respectively. Laparoscopic Surgical Skills Grade I Level 1 courses are evaluated as well balanced, with content applicable in clinical practice, meeting the expectations of individual participants. International interest in the programme suggests that LSS might become the future European standard in surgical education in laparoscopic surgery. Further conclusions concerning success of the programme may be drawn after the completion of clinical assessment of enrolled participants.

International trial of online auditory training programme for distinguishing innocent and pathological murmurs.

PubMed

Finley, John P; Caissie, Rachel; Nicol, Pam; Hoyt, Brian

2015-08-01

Recognition of normal and abnormal heart sounds and murmurs is an important but declining clinical skill among practitioners. Current teaching methods are often ineffective. This may result from inadequate repetition and normal-abnormal comparisons needed for auditory recognition. This paper describes a rapid new method of teaching murmur recognition using principles of auditory training. Participants were 120 Australian and 42 Canadian medical students. The medical students were randomised to intervention and control (no intervention) groups. The 1-h online programme structured like a computer game used auditory training methodology to teach students to distinguish between innocent and pathological murmurs. Participants underwent pre- and post-testing on 20 paediatric murmurs. Post-testing occurred immediately following training and after 2 months. Twenty-two Canadian medical students were retested 1 year later with a brief mastery-style reinforcement programme. Median pre- and post-test scores improved in about 1 h from 75-95% (P < 0.001) for Australian students and 85-95% (P = 0.004) for Canadian students. Two-month post-test scores declined for Australian students to 85% (P = 0.001), and for Canadian students to 85% (P = 0.02). Australian controls had no significant change during the study period, whereas Canadian controls improved slightly. The group receiving reinforcement after 1 year had a median final score of 90%. This auditory training programme rapidly teaches students to distinguish innocent and pathological murmurs with at least 90% accuracy. The skill declines within 2 months but can be restored with brief mastery reinforcement 1 year later. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health © 2015 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

General medicine advanced training: lessons from the John Hunter training programme.

PubMed

Jackel, D; Attia, J; Pickles, R

2014-03-01

Recent years have seen a rapid growth in the number of advanced trainees pursuing general medicine as a specialty. This reflects an awareness of the need for broader training experiences to equip future consultant physicians with the skills to manage the healthcare challenges arising from the demographic trends of ageing and increasing comorbidity. The John Hunter Hospital training programme in general medicine has several characteristics that have led to the success in producing general physicians prepared for these challenges. These include support from a core group of committed general physicians, an appropriate and sustainable funding model, flexibility with a focus on genuine training and developing awareness of a systems approach, and strong links with rural practice. © 2014 The Authors; Internal Medicine Journal © 2014 Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

Motivational interviewing-based training enhances clinicians' skills and knowledge in psoriasis: findings from the Pso Well® study.

PubMed

Chisholm, A; Nelson, P A; Pearce, C J; Littlewood, A J; Kane, K; Henry, A L; Thorneloe, R; Hamilton, M P; Lavallee, J; Lunt, M; Griffiths, C E M; Cordingley, L; Bundy, C

2017-03-01

Psoriasis is a common long-term, immune-mediated skin condition associated with behavioural factors (e.g. smoking, excess alcohol, obesity), which increase the risk of psoriasis onset, flares and comorbidities. Motivational interviewing (MI) is an evidence-based approach to health-related behaviour change that has been used successfully for patients with long-term conditions. This study assessed change in clinicians' MI skills and psoriasis knowledge following Psoriasis and Wellbeing (Pso Well ® ) training. To investigate whether the Pso Well training intervention improves clinicians' MI skills and knowledge about psoriasis-related comorbidities and risk factors; and to explore the acceptability and feasibility of the Pso Well training content, delivery and evaluation. Clinicians attended the 1-day training programme focused on MI skills development in the context of psoriasis. MI skills were assessed pre- and post-training using the Behaviour Change Counselling Index. Knowledge about psoriasis-related comorbidity and risk factors was assessed with a novel 22-point measure developed for the study. Interviews with clinicians were analysed qualitatively to identify perceptions about the feasibility and acceptability of the training. Sixty-one clinicians completed the training (35 dermatology nurses, 23 dermatologists and three primary-care clinicians). Clinicians' MI skills (P < 0·001) and knowledge (P < 0·001) increased significantly post-training. Clinicians found the training valuable and relevant to psoriasis management. Attendance at the Pso Well training resulted in improvements in clinicians' knowledge and skills to manage psoriasis holistically. Clinicians deemed the training itself and the assessment procedures used both feasible and acceptable. Future research should investigate how this training may influence patient outcomes. © 2016 British Association of Dermatologists.

Assessment of laparoscopic suturing skills of urology residents: a pan-European study.

PubMed

Kroeze, Stephanie G C; Mayer, Erik K; Chopra, Samarth; Aggarwal, Rajesh; Darzi, Ara; Patel, Anup

2009-11-01

It has been acknowledged that standardised training programmes are needed to improve laparoscopic training of urologic trainees. Previous studies have suggested that simulator-based laparoscopic training can improve performance during real laparoscopic procedures. To determine if there are performance differences for the completion of a simulated laparoscopic suturing task among urology residents based on their postgraduate year of training (PGY). Using a validated scoring checklist, two independent observers objectively scored the completion of a standardised laparoscopic suturing task in a bench-top laparoscopic box trainer. PGY and previous exposure to laparoscopic surgery and laparoscopic simulated training was obtained from self-administered questionnaires. Data acquisition was undertaken at the European Urological Residents Education Programme (EUREP) 2007, run by the European School of Urology, and included a pan-European cohort of 201 urology residents. Reliability among those rating the suturing tasks was excellent (Cronbach's α=0.83). Each resident was scored for the suturing task. Residents were categorised into three groups based on their PGY status (junior [n=8]; intermediate [n=37]; senior [n=156]). The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to measure trend across the PGY; the Mann-Whitney U test was used to determine variation among categorised PGY groups. Laparoscopic suturing skill was significantly different across PGY levels (p=0.032), and between junior residents and both intermediate and senior residents (p=0.008 and p=0.012, respectively). There was no significant difference between intermediate and senior residents (p=0.697). Only 12% of participants rated their existing volume of laparoscopic operative cases as sufficient, while 55% of participants had no regular opportunities, and 32% of participants had not performed laparoscopic procedures as primary surgeon. Most residents (96%) reported the use of laparoscopic simulators to be beneficial in training, although current European training programmes appear to provide <50% of residents with the opportunity to train with them. A discernable relationship existed between the score obtained for a laparoscopic suturing task and year of resident training. Modular simulator training as part of a formal training programme may help to overcome some of the shortfall in residents' exposure to laparoscopic procedures as primary surgeon.

Impact of postgraduate training on communication skills teaching: a controlled study.

PubMed

Junod Perron, Noelle; Nendaz, Mathieu; Louis-Simonet, Martine; Sommer, Johanna; Gut, Anne; Cerutti, Bernard; van der Vleuten, Cees P; Dolmans, Diana

2014-04-14

Observation of performance followed by feedback is the key to good teaching of communication skills in clinical practice. The fact that it occurs rarely is probably due to clinical supervisors' perceived lack of competence to identify communication skills and give effective feedback. We evaluated the impact of a faculty development programme on communication skills teaching on clinical supervisors' ability to identify residents' good and poor communication skills and to discuss them interactively during feedback. We conducted a pre-post controlled study in which clinical supervisors took part to a faculty development program on teaching communication skills in clinical practice. Outcome measures were the number and type of residents' communication skills identified by supervisors in three videotaped simulated resident-patient encounters and the number and type of communication skills discussed interactively with residents during three feedback sessions. 48 clinical supervisors (28 intervention group; 20 control group) participated. After the intervention, the number and type of communication skills identified did not differ between both groups. There was substantial heterogeneity in the number and type of communication skills identified. However, trained participants engaged in interactive discussions with residents on a significantly higher number of communication items (effect sizes 0.53 to 1.77); communication skills items discussed interactively included both structural and patient-centered elements that were considered important to be observed by expert teachers. The faculty development programme did not increase the number of communication skills recognised by supervisors but was effective in increasing the number of communication issues discussed interactively in feedback sessions. Further research should explore the respective impact of accurate identification of communication skills and effective teaching skills on achieving more effective communication skills teaching in clinical practice.

Impact of postgraduate training on communication skills teaching: a controlled study

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Observation of performance followed by feedback is the key to good teaching of communication skills in clinical practice. The fact that it occurs rarely is probably due to clinical supervisors’ perceived lack of competence to identify communication skills and give effective feedback. We evaluated the impact of a faculty development programme on communication skills teaching on clinical supervisors’ ability to identify residents’ good and poor communication skills and to discuss them interactively during feedback. Methods We conducted a pre-post controlled study in which clinical supervisors took part to a faculty development program on teaching communication skills in clinical practice. Outcome measures were the number and type of residents’ communication skills identified by supervisors in three videotaped simulated resident-patient encounters and the number and type of communication skills discussed interactively with residents during three feedback sessions. Results 48 clinical supervisors (28 intervention group; 20 control group) participated. After the intervention, the number and type of communication skills identified did not differ between both groups. There was substantial heterogeneity in the number and type of communication skills identified. However, trained participants engaged in interactive discussions with residents on a significantly higher number of communication items (effect sizes 0.53 to 1.77); communication skills items discussed interactively included both structural and patient-centered elements that were considered important to be observed by expert teachers. Conclusions The faculty development programme did not increase the number of communication skills recognised by supervisors but was effective in increasing the number of communication issues discussed interactively in feedback sessions. Further research should explore the respective impact of accurate identification of communication skills and effective teaching skills on achieving more effective communication skills teaching in clinical practice. PMID:24731477

The non specialist paediatric training registrar in the healthcare system.

PubMed

O'Neill, M B; Kumar, A

2012-01-01

This study evaluated the experiences of non Specialist Paediatric Training Registrars (nonSPTR) in the Irish Healthcare system. The survey explored their adaptation to the healthcare system, skill development, perceptions of training and career development inclusive of working conditions. Thirty nine (53%) doctors responded. The time spent in Paediatrics ranged from 3 to 19 years with a mean of 8.9 years. Nineteen (49%) had only worked in non regional hospitals and for 20 (51%) the mean time spent in regional hospitals was 2.6 years. The very positives experiences (likert scores 5/6) included journal appraisal for 19 (49%), clinical skill development for 17 (44%) and consultant feedback for 11 (28%).The very negative experiences were difficulty obtaining desired clinical posts for 16 (43%) doctors and only 5 (13%) were happy with their career progression. Thirty one (79.5%) cited specific barriers to career progression, with only 10 (25%) making an application to the Specialist Paediatrics Registrar (SPR) training programme. Solutions for the non SPTR difficulties include the expansion of the SPR programme and the utilization of a criterion based portfolio system to integrate the nonSPTR into formal training.

Appropriate training and retention of community doctors in rural areas: a case study from Mali.

PubMed

Van Dormael, Monique; Dugas, Sylvie; Kone, Yacouba; Coulibaly, Seydou; Sy, Mansour; Marchal, Bruno; Desplats, Dominique

2008-11-18

While attraction of doctors to rural settings is increasing in Mali, there is concern for their retention. An orientation course for young practicing rural doctors was set up in 2003 by a professional association and a NGO. The underlying assumption was that rurally relevant training would strengthen doctors' competences and self-confidence, improve job satisfaction, and consequently contribute to retention. Programme evaluation distinguished trainees' opinions, competences and behaviour. Data were collected through participant observation, group discussions, satisfaction questionnaires, a monitoring tool of learning progress, and follow up visits. Retention was assessed for all 65 trainees between 2003 and 2007. The programme consisted of four classroom modules--clinical skills, community health, practice management and communication skills--and a practicum supervised by an experienced rural doctor. Out of the 65 trained doctors between 2003 and 2007, 55 were still engaged in rural practice end of 2007, suggesting high retention for the Malian context. Participants viewed the training as crucial to face technical and social problems related to rural practice. Discussing professional experience with senior rural doctors contributed to socialisation to novel professional roles. Mechanisms underlying training effects on retention include increased self confidence, self esteem as rural doctor, and sense of belonging to a professional group sharing a common professional identity. Retention can however not be attributed solely to the training intervention, as rural doctors benefit from other incentives and support mechanisms (follow up visits, continuing training, mentoring...) affecting job satisfaction. Training increasing self confidence and self esteem of rural practitioners may contribute to retention of skilled professionals in rural areas. While reorientations of curricula in training institutions are necessary, other types of professional support are needed. This experience suggests that professional associations dedicated to strengthening quality of care can contribute significantly to rural practitioners' morale.

The Impact of a Postgraduate Learning Experience on the Confidence of General Dental Practitioners.

PubMed

Fine, Peter; Louca, Chris; Leung, Albert

2017-04-26

This study aimed to explore the relationship between participating in a learning experience and the ensuing changes in confidence. A self-selected group of General Dental Practitioners (GDPs) entered a five-year, part-time postgraduate master's training programme in restorative dentistry. Confidence in communication with patients and technical skills were measured at the start of the programme by questionnaire and at the conclusion of the programme by questionnaire and personal interview. A total of 72 clinicians started the programme; 27% ( n = 20) completed the master's degree. Assessment of confidence revealed a spread from 4/10 to 10/10 for communication with patients and clinical skills in restorative dentistry before the programme started. A total of 15% ( n = 11) volunteered for interview. Analysis of qualitative data revealed (i) a perceived increase in confidence from all clinicians; (ii) a perceived greater ability to treat patients; (iii) an increase in treatment options being offered to patients; (iv) a perceived increase in treatment uptake by patients; and (v) greater job opportunities. The study showed a positive relationship between the learning experience and the perceived increase in confidence of clinicians. The increase in confidence manifested itself in better communication and clinical skills.

The Impact of a Postgraduate Learning Experience on the Confidence of General Dental Practitioners

PubMed Central

Fine, Peter; Louca, Chris; Leung, Albert

2017-01-01

This study aimed to explore the relationship between participating in a learning experience and the ensuing changes in confidence. A self-selected group of General Dental Practitioners (GDPs) entered a five-year, part-time postgraduate master’s training programme in restorative dentistry. Confidence in communication with patients and technical skills were measured at the start of the programme by questionnaire and at the conclusion of the programme by questionnaire and personal interview. A total of 72 clinicians started the programme; 27% (n = 20) completed the master’s degree. Assessment of confidence revealed a spread from 4/10 to 10/10 for communication with patients and clinical skills in restorative dentistry before the programme started. A total of 15% (n = 11) volunteered for interview. Analysis of qualitative data revealed (i) a perceived increase in confidence from all clinicians; (ii) a perceived greater ability to treat patients; (iii) an increase in treatment options being offered to patients; (iv) a perceived increase in treatment uptake by patients; and (v) greater job opportunities. The study showed a positive relationship between the learning experience and the perceived increase in confidence of clinicians. The increase in confidence manifested itself in better communication and clinical skills. PMID:29563422

Communication skills training for general practitioners to promote patient coping: the GRIP approach.

PubMed

Mjaaland, Trond A; Finset, Arnstein

2009-07-01

To develop, perform and test the effects of a communication skills training program for general practitioners (GPs). The program specifically addresses the patients' coping and resources despite more or less severe psychological or physical illness. A training model was developed, based on cognitive therapy and solution-focused therapy. The training was given the acronym GRIP after its main content: Get a measure of the patient's subjective complaints and illness attributions. Respond to the patient's understanding of the complaints. Identify resources and solutions. Promote positive coping. The study involved a quasi-experimental design in which 266 consultations with 25 GPs were video recorded. Forty hours of communication skills training were given to the intervention group. Consultation duration, patient age and distress determined the frequency of the GRIP communication. There was a significant effect of training on four particular subcategories of the GRIP techniques. The effect of the training was most evident in a subgroup of GPs who used little or no resource-oriented communication before training. This pilot training model may help change the GPs' communicative pattern with patients in some situations. Communication skills training programmes that emphasize patient attributions and personal resources should be developed further and tested in general practice settings with an aim to promote patient coping.

An evaluation of the global network of field epidemiology and laboratory training programmes: a resource for improving public health capacity and increasing the number of public health professionals worldwide

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Given that many infectious diseases spread rapidly, across borders and species, there is a growing worldwide need to increase the number of public health professionals skilled in controlling infectious epidemics. Needed also are more public health professionals skilled in non-communicable disease surveillance and interventions. As a result, we surveyed all 57 field epidemiology training programmes (FETPs) that are members of the Training Program in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network (TEPHINET), to evaluate the progress of the FETPs, the only global applied epidemiology network, toward increasing public health capacity globally. Methods Data on the FETP programmes and the training they provide were abstracted from TEPHINET membership surveys and verified with FETP directors for all FETPs that were members of TEPHINET in 2012. Data on abstracts submitted to the recent TEPHINET Global Scientific Conference, on recent accomplishments by each FETP, and on quality improvement were also compiled to provide a worldwide view of the public health human resource capacity produced by these programmes. Results A total of 6980 public health professionals worldwide have graduated from an FETP or from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Epidemiology Intelligence Service (EIS). FETP residents and graduates participate in key public health prevention, control, and response activities. Each FETP has adapted its curriculum and objectives over time to align with its country’s public health priorities. FETPs are well integrated into their national public health infrastructures, and they have many partners at the national, regional and global levels. Conclusion FETPs are a competent and diverse source of highly skilled public health professionals who contribute significantly to public health’s global human resource needs. This finding is evidenced by 1) the training curricula that were adapted over time to meet public health’s human resource needs, 2) the FETPs’ continued support from internal and external partners, 3) the increasing number of FETP residents and graduates and their increasing contribution to effective public health work, and 4) the increased quality improvement initiatives facilitated through the FETPs membership in one global network, TEPHINET. PMID:24053689

Programme evaluation training for health professionals in francophone Africa: process, competence acquisition and use

PubMed Central

Ridde, Valéry; Fournier, Pierre; Banza, Baya; Tourigny, Caroline; Ouédraogo, Dieudonné

2009-01-01

Background While evaluation is, in theory, a component of training programmes in health planning, training needs in this area remain significant. Improving health systems necessarily calls for having more professionals who are skilled in evaluation. Thus, the Université de Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) and the Université de Montréal (Canada) have partnered to establish, in Burkina Faso, a master's-degree programme in population and health with a course in programme evaluation. This article describes the four-week (150-hour) course taken by two cohorts (2005–2006/2006–2007) of health professionals from 11 francophone African countries. We discuss how the course came to be, its content, its teaching processes and the master's programme results for students. Methods The conceptual framework was adapted from Kirkpatrick's (1996) four-level evaluation model: reaction, learning, behaviour, results. Reaction was evaluated based on a standardized questionnaire for all the master's courses and lessons. Learning and behaviour competences were assessed by means of a questionnaire (pretest/post-test, one year after) adapted from the work of Stevahn L, King JA, Ghere G, Minnema J: Establishing Essential Competencies for Program Evaluators. Am J Eval 2005, 26(1):43–59. Master's programme effects were tested by comparing the difference in mean scores between times (before, after, one year after) using pretest/post-test designs. Paired sample tests were used to compare mean scores. Results The teaching is skills-based, interactive and participative. Students of the first cohort gave the evaluation course the highest score (4.4/5) for overall satisfaction among the 16 courses (3.4–4.4) in the master's programme. What they most appreciated was that the forms of evaluation were well adapted to the content and format of the learning activities. By the end of the master's programme, both cohorts of students considered that they had greatly improved their mastery of the 60 competences (p < 0.001). This level was maintained one year after completing the master's degree, except for reflective practice (p < 0.05). Those who had carried out an evaluation in the intervening 12 months reported a negative gap between their declared mastery and their actual application. However, this is only statistically significant for reflective practice (p < 0.05). Conclusion This study shows the importance of integrating summative evaluation into the learning process. Skills-based teaching is much appreciated and well-adapted. Creating a master's programme in population and health in Africa and providing training in evaluation to high-level health professionals from many countries augurs well for scaling up the practice of evaluation in African health systems. PMID:19146690

Relevance for Work in the Western Cape Tourism Industry of the National Certificate Vocational in Tourism Education at TVET Colleges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engelbrecht, Mardine; Spencer, John; van der Bijl, Andre

2017-01-01

This article investigates the relevance of the National Certificate Vocational (NCV) tourism programme for the South African tourism industry in terms of skills needed by tourism students to work in the tourism industry after graduating. The NCV programmes were introduced in 2007 at public Further Education and Training Colleges (now Technical,…

Developing Empathetic Skills among Teachers and Learners in High Schools in Tshwane: An Inter-Generational Approach Involving People with Dementia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alant, Erna; Geyer, Stephan; Verde, Michael

2015-01-01

This article describes the implementation and outcomes of an experiential learning approach to facilitate the development of empathetic skills among teachers and learners at two high schools in Tshwane, South Africa. An inter-generational training programme, the Memory Bridge Initiative (MBI), aimed at exposing participants to interactions with…

Training for single port video assisted thoracoscopic surgery lung resections.

PubMed

McElnay, Philip J; Lim, Eric

2015-11-01

With many surgical training programmes providing less time for training it can be challenging for trainees to acquire the necessary surgical skills to perform complex video assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lung resections. Indeed as the utilization of single port operations increases the need to approach the operating theatre with already-existing excellent hand-eye coordination skills increases. We suggest that there are a number of ways that trainees can begin to develop these necessary skills. Firstly, using computer games that involve changing horizons and orientations. Secondly, utilizing box-trainers to practice using the thoracoscopic instruments. Thirdly, learning how essential tools such as the stapler work. Trainees will then be able to progress to meaningfully assisting in theatre and indeed learning how to perform the operation themselves. At this stage is useful to observe expert surgeons whilst they operate-to watch both their technical and non-technical skills. Ultimately, surgery is a learned skill and requires implementation of these techniques over a sustained period of time.

Systematic development of a communication skills training course for physicians performing work disability assessments: from evidence to practice

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Physicians require specific communication skills, because the face-to-face contact with their patients is an important source of information. Although physicians who perform work disability assessments attend some communication-related training courses during their professional education, no specialised and evidence-based communication skills training course is available for them. Therefore, the objectives of this study were: 1) to systematically develop a training course aimed at improving the communication skills of physicians during work disability assessment interviews with disability claimants, and 2) to plan an evaluation of the training course. Methods A physician-tailored communication skills training course was developed, according to the six steps of the Intervention Mapping protocol. Data were collected from questionnaire studies among physicians and claimants, a focus group study among physicians, a systematic review of the literature, and meetings with various experts. Determinants and performance objectives were formulated. A concept version of the training course was discussed with several experts before the final training course programme was established. The evaluation plan was developed by consulting experts, social insurance physicians, researchers, and policy-makers, and discussing with them the options for evaluation. Results A two-day post-graduate communication skills training course was developed, aimed at improving professional communication during work disability assessment interviews. Special focus was on active teaching strategies, such as practising the skills in role-play. An adoption and implementation plan was formulated, in which the infrastructure of the educational department of the institute that employs the physicians was utilised. Improvement in the skills and knowledge of the physicians who will participate in the training course will be evaluated in a randomised controlled trial. Conclusions The feasibility and practical relevance of the communication skills training course that was developed seem promising. Such a course may be relevant for physicians in many countries who perform work disability assessments. The development of the first training course of this type represents an important advancement in this field. PMID:21639871

Systematic development of a communication skills training course for physicians performing work disability assessments: from evidence to practice.

PubMed

van Rijssen, H Jolanda; Schellart, Antonius J M; Anema, Johannes R; de Boer, Wout E L; van der Beek, Allard J

2011-06-03

Physicians require specific communication skills, because the face-to-face contact with their patients is an important source of information. Although physicians who perform work disability assessments attend some communication-related training courses during their professional education, no specialised and evidence-based communication skills training course is available for them. Therefore, the objectives of this study were: 1) to systematically develop a training course aimed at improving the communication skills of physicians during work disability assessment interviews with disability claimants, and 2) to plan an evaluation of the training course. A physician-tailored communication skills training course was developed, according to the six steps of the Intervention Mapping protocol. Data were collected from questionnaire studies among physicians and claimants, a focus group study among physicians, a systematic review of the literature, and meetings with various experts. Determinants and performance objectives were formulated. A concept version of the training course was discussed with several experts before the final training course programme was established. The evaluation plan was developed by consulting experts, social insurance physicians, researchers, and policy-makers, and discussing with them the options for evaluation. A two-day post-graduate communication skills training course was developed, aimed at improving professional communication during work disability assessment interviews. Special focus was on active teaching strategies, such as practising the skills in role-play. An adoption and implementation plan was formulated, in which the infrastructure of the educational department of the institute that employs the physicians was utilised. Improvement in the skills and knowledge of the physicians who will participate in the training course will be evaluated in a randomised controlled trial. The feasibility and practical relevance of the communication skills training course that was developed seem promising. Such a course may be relevant for physicians in many countries who perform work disability assessments. The development of the first training course of this type represents an important advancement in this field.

Individual Learning on Environmental Vocational Education and Training Courses Does Not Always Lead to the Workplace Application of Knowledge and Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Draper, Fiona; Oltean-Dumbrava, Crina; Kara-Zaitri, Chakib; Newbury, Brian

2014-01-01

Empirical research on three commercial environmental vocational education and training programmes revealed distinct personal, teaching and work-based presage factors, which influenced individual learning and learning transfer to the workplace. The extent to which behaviour change and learning transfer occurred depended on a diverse range of…

Does Training Improve the Business Performance of Small-Scale Entrepreneurs? An Evaluative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friedrich, Christian; Glaub, Matthias; Gramberg, Kristina; Frese, Michael

2006-01-01

In surveys conducted in different countries over four years, the authors investigated why entrepreneurs in the same sector and during the same period were not equally successful. From the findings of this research they developed a new three-day training programme to address primarily skills and techniques relating to personal initiative, planning,…

Undergraduate training in palliative medicine: is more necessarily better?

PubMed

Mason, Stephen R; Ellershaw, John E

2010-04-01

The General Medical Council's call to modernize medical education prompted the University of Liverpool Medical School to develop a new undergraduate programme, integrating palliative medicine as 'core' curricula. Following successful piloting, the palliative medicine training programme was further developed and expanded. This paper examines whether the additional investment produces improved outcomes. In 1999, fourth year undergraduate medical students (Cohort 1, n = 217) undertook a 2-week pilot education programme in palliative medicine. Subsequently, the training programme was refined and extended, incorporating advanced communication skills training, an ethics project and individual case presentations (Cohort 2, n = 443). Congruent with the study's theoretical driver of self-efficacy, both cohorts were surveyed pre- and post-programme with validated measures of: (i) self-efficacy in palliative care scale; (ii) thanatophobia scale. No significant differences between cohorts' pre-programme scores were identified. Within each cohort, statistically and educationally significant post-education improvements were recorded in both scales. Further post-education analysis indicated that the extended programme produces significantly greater improvements in all domains of the self-efficacy in palliative care scale (communication, t =-7.28, patient management, t =-5.96, multidisciplinary team-working t =-3.77 at p < 0.000), but not thanatophobia. Although improvements were recorded in both cohorts, participation in the extended education programme resulted in further statistically significant gains. Interpreted through the theoretical model employed, improved self-efficacy and outcome expectancies will result in behavioural change that leads to improved practice and better patient care.

The Importance of Material Resources and Qualified Trainers in Adult Non-Formal Education and Training Centres in South Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mayombe, Celestin; Lombard, Antoinette

2016-01-01

Non-formal education and training (NFET) programmes in public and private centres in South Africa aim to meet the training needs of adults who have been deprived of formal education which would have fostered skills acquisition and access to employment earlier in their lives. The concern which informs this paper is that adults who face long-term…

Technology-assisted training of arm-hand skills in stroke: concepts on reacquisition of motor control and therapist guidelines for rehabilitation technology design

PubMed Central

Timmermans, Annick AA; Seelen, Henk AM; Willmann, Richard D; Kingma, Herman

2009-01-01

Background It is the purpose of this article to identify and review criteria that rehabilitation technology should meet in order to offer arm-hand training to stroke patients, based on recent principles of motor learning. Methods A literature search was conducted in PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, and EMBASE (1997–2007). Results One hundred and eighty seven scientific papers/book references were identified as being relevant. Rehabilitation approaches for upper limb training after stroke show to have shifted in the last decade from being analytical towards being focussed on environmentally contextual skill training (task-oriented training). Training programmes for enhancing motor skills use patient and goal-tailored exercise schedules and individual feedback on exercise performance. Therapist criteria for upper limb rehabilitation technology are suggested which are used to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a number of current technological systems. Conclusion This review shows that technology for supporting upper limb training after stroke needs to align with the evolution in rehabilitation training approaches of the last decade. A major challenge for related technological developments is to provide engaging patient-tailored task oriented arm-hand training in natural environments with patient-tailored feedback to support (re) learning of motor skills. PMID:19154570

Revitalization of clinical skills training at the University of the Western Cape.

PubMed

Jeggels, J D; Traut, A; Kwast, M

2010-06-01

Most educational institutions that offer health related qualifications make use of clinical skills laboratories. These spaces are generally used for the demonstration and assessment of clinical skills. The purpose of this paper is to share our experiences related to the revitalization of skills training by introducing the skills lab method at the School of Nursing (SoN), University of the Western Cape (UWC). To accommodate the contextual changes as a result of the restructuring of the higher education landscape in 2003, the clinical skills training programme at UWC had to be reviewed. With a dramatic increase in the student numbers and a reduction in hospital beds, the skills lab method provided students with an opportunity to develop clinical skills prior to their placement in real service settings. The design phase centred on adopting a skills training methodology that articulates with the case-based approach used by the SoN. Kolb's, experiential learning cycle provided the theoretical underpinning for the methodology. The planning phase was spent on the development of resources. Eight staff members were trained by our international higher education collaborators who also facilitated the training of clinical supervisors and simulated patients. The physical space had to be redesigned to accommodate audio visual and information technology to support the phases of the skills lab method. The implementation of the skills lab method was phased in from the first-year level. An interactive seminar held after the first year of implementation provided feedback from all the role players and was mostly positive. The results of introducing the skills lab method include: a move by students towards self-directed clinical skills development, clinical supervisors adopting the role of facilitators of learning and experiential clinical learning being based on, amongst others, the students' engagement with simulated patients. Finally, the recommendations relate to tailor-making clinical skills training by using various aspects of teaching and learning principles, i.e. case-based teaching, experiential learning and the skills lab method.

Visuospatial and Technical Ability in the Selection and Assessment of Higher Surgical Trainees in the London Deanery

PubMed Central

Tansley, P; Kakar, S; Withey, S; Butler, P

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTION Despite awareness of the limitations of current selection and competency assessments, there is little consensus and alternatives have not been readily accepted. Essential surgical skills include visuospatial and technical ability. The aim of this study was to survey current methods of higher surgical trainee selection and assessment. We suggest ways to improve the process. MATERIALS AND METHODS Nine surgical training programmes in the London deanery were surveyed through questionnaires to programme directors, existing trainees and examination of deanery publications. RESULTS Testing of visuospatial and technical ability was piloted at selection only in a single general surgical department. Practical skills were assessed in 3/9 (33%) specialties (ENT, plastic and general surgery). Once selected, no specialty tested visuospatial and technical ability. Practical skills were tested in only 1/9 (11%) specialties (plastic surgery). The remaining 8/9 (89%) were ‘assessed’ by interview. CONCLUSIONS Lack of visuospatial and technical ability assessment was identified at selection and during higher surgical training. Airlines have long recognised early identification of these qualities as critical for efficient training. There is a need for more objective methods in this area prior to selection as time to assess surgical trainees during long apprenticeships is no longer available. We advocate a suitably validated competency-based model during and at completion of training. PMID:18201473

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.

[Evaluation of the ICAR program--Internet communication and active rehabilitation for people with mental disorders].

PubMed

Załuska, Maria; Bronowski, Paweł; Panasiuk, Katarzyna; Brykalski, Jan; Paszko, Jolanta

2008-01-01

Prevalence of Internet use indicates, that introducing internet to people with mental disorders might have a positive impact on their social integration. There are concerns about negative effects of dealing with virtual reality on the mental health of Internet users. Evaluation of the ICAR program--"Internet communication and active rehabilitation for people with mental disorders" concerning its utility in psychiatric rehabilitation. 22 participants of the ICAR programme and 22 controls (people with mental disorders not participating in the programme) were investigated before and after the completion of the programme. There following were compared: their computer and Internet use skills, social functioning (Birchwood Scale), self-estimation of the mental health (Frankfurt Scale FBS), self-reported quality of life (WHO QOL BREV) and number of psychiatric hospitalisations during 11 months of the observation period. Among participants, their reported skills and motivation increased significantly following the programme. During 11 months of the observation there were less hospitalisations (1 fulltime and 1 daily) in the study group than in the control group (3 and 1). An increase of symptoms was observed in the Frankfurt Scale in 10 participants and 13 controls. The level of social functioning and severity of symptoms was not significantly different and did not change during observation. The self-reported quality of life increased in both groups during this period. ICAR training programme for the mentally ill, increases participants skills and motivation towards computer and Internet use, as well as their self-reported quality of life. The participation in the programme doesn't have any significant effect on the overall social functioning and number of psychiatric hospitalisations during the 11 months of observation. A positive effect of the ICAR programme on the quality of life, as well as some activating effect leading to exacerbation of the psychopatological symptoms--has an unspecific character and is therefore similar to the other community rehabilitation programmes. Wider spreading of computer training workshops similar to the ICAR programme might have a positive effect on social integration of people with mental disorders.

Developing future clinical leaders for quality improvement: experience from a London children's hospital.

PubMed

Runnacles, Jane; Moult, Beki; Lachman, Peter

2013-11-01

Medical training does not necessarily prepare graduates for the real world of healthcare in which continual improvement is required. Doctors in postgraduate training (DrPGT) rarely have the opportunity to develop skills to implement changes where they work. Paradoxically they are often best placed to identify safety and quality concerns and can innovate across organisational boundaries. In order to address this, educational programmes require a supportive educational environment and should include experiential learning on a safety and quality project, alongside teaching of quality improvement (QI) knowledge and systems theory. Enabling Doctors in Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (EQuIP) has been designed for DrPGT at a London children's hospital. The aim is to prepare trainees for the future of continual improvement to ensure safe and effective services are developed through effective clinical microsystems. This paper describes the rationale and design of EQuIP with evaluation built in the evolving programme. EQuIP supports DrPGTs through a QI project within their department, aligned to the Great Ormond Street NHS Foundation Trust's objectives. This changes the way DrPGTs view healthcare as they become quality champions for their department. A three-level approach to the programme is described. The innovation involves a peer-designed programme while being work-based, delivering organisational strategies. Results of the preprogramme and postprogramme evaluations demonstrate an improvement in knowledge, skills and attitudes. Benefits to both the DrPGTs and the organisation are emphasised and key factors to achieve success and barriers identified by the participants. The design and evaluation of EQuIP may inform similar educational programmes in other organisations. This capacity building is crucial to ensure that future clinical leaders have the skills and motivation to improve the effectiveness of clinical microsystems.

Role of virtual reality simulation in endoscopy training

PubMed Central

Harpham-Lockyer, Louis; Laskaratos, Faidon-Marios; Berlingieri, Pasquale; Epstein, Owen

2015-01-01

Recent advancements in virtual reality graphics and models have allowed virtual reality simulators to be incorporated into a variety of endoscopic training programmes. Use of virtual reality simulators in training programmes is thought to improve skill acquisition amongst trainees which is reflected in improved patient comfort and safety. Several studies have already been carried out to ascertain the impact that usage of virtual reality simulators may have upon trainee learning curves and how this may translate to patient comfort. This article reviews the available literature in this area of medical education which is particularly relevant to all parties involved in endoscopy training and curriculum development. Assessment of the available evidence for an optimal exposure time with virtual reality simulators and the long-term benefits of their use are also discussed. PMID:26675895

Role of virtual reality simulation in endoscopy training.

PubMed

Harpham-Lockyer, Louis; Laskaratos, Faidon-Marios; Berlingieri, Pasquale; Epstein, Owen

2015-12-10

Recent advancements in virtual reality graphics and models have allowed virtual reality simulators to be incorporated into a variety of endoscopic training programmes. Use of virtual reality simulators in training programmes is thought to improve skill acquisition amongst trainees which is reflected in improved patient comfort and safety. Several studies have already been carried out to ascertain the impact that usage of virtual reality simulators may have upon trainee learning curves and how this may translate to patient comfort. This article reviews the available literature in this area of medical education which is particularly relevant to all parties involved in endoscopy training and curriculum development. Assessment of the available evidence for an optimal exposure time with virtual reality simulators and the long-term benefits of their use are also discussed.

Barriers to community case management of malaria in Saraya, Senegal: training, and supply-chains.

PubMed

Blanas, Demetri A; Ndiaye, Youssoupha; Nichols, Kim; Jensen, Andrew; Siddiqui, Ammar; Hennig, Nils

2013-03-14

Health workers in sub-Saharan Africa can now diagnose and treat malaria in the field, using rapid diagnostic tests and artemisinin-based combination therapy in areas without microscopy and widespread resistance to previously effective drugs. This study evaluates communities' perceptions of a new community case management of malaria programme in the district of Saraya, south-eastern Senegal, the effectiveness of lay health worker trainings, and the availability of rapid diagnostic tests and artemisinin-based combination therapy in the field. The study employed qualitative and quantitative methods including focus groups with villagers, and pre- and post-training questionnaires with lay health workers. Communities approved of the community case management programme, but expressed concern about other general barriers to care, particularly transportation challenges. Most lay health workers acquired important skills, but a sizeable minority did not understand the rapid diagnostic test algorithm and were not able to correctly prescribe arteminisin-based combination therapy soon after the training. Further, few women lay health workers participated in the programme. Finally, the study identified stock-outs of rapid tests and anti-malaria medication products in over half of the programme sites two months after the start of the programme, thought due to a regional shortage. This study identified barriers to implementation of the community case management of malaria programme in Saraya that include lay health worker training, low numbers of women participants, and generalized stock-outs. These barriers warrant investigation into possible solutions of relevance to community case management generally.

Evaluating the impact of library user training programmes across Thames Valley Strategic Health Authority in the UK.

PubMed

Trinder, Valerie M; Fleet, Geoffrey E; Gray, Anne E

2007-03-01

This study was undertaken to provide evidence that library outreach projects in the NHS in the Thames Valley Strategic Health Authority area were effective and could justify continued funding. The object was to assess whether information literacy skills training taken up by health professionals impacts on their confidence and skills in using electronic sources of health information. A total of 487 health professionals taking up training on a voluntary basis were assessed by completing a self-assessment questionnaire prior to and after training to establish their information literacy skills and confidence levels. Of these, 223 trainees (46%) also returned 6-week follow-up questionnaires. Results showed that 464 trainees (95%) intended to apply what they had learnt in a variety of ways; use of specific resources greatly increased after training and confidence in using them increased substantially. Use of search techniques increased considerably overall, whereas use of Google decreased. The major findings of this research are that training health-care personnel in the use of electronic resources impacts positively on their information literacy skills and confidence, and that the information available to them is considered to have potential value across health-care practice.

Networking and training in palliative care: challenging values and changing practice.

PubMed

Leng, Mhoira Ef

2011-01-01

What make a good doctor is a question posed by the public and profession and is key when designing training programmes. The goal of training is to change practice not simply acquire knowledge yet too often curriculums and assessment focuses on knowledge and skills. Professional practice is underpinned by beliefs and values and therefore training may need to challenge deeply held values in order to result in a change in practice. Palliative care offers an opportunity to challenge values at a deeply personal level as it brings experiences of pain and suffering alongside clinical knowledge and skills. Palliative care is holistic and so real scenarios where physical, psychological, social and spiritual issues are evident can be presented in an interactive, learner centered environment. Training in ethics alongside clinical skills will assist the development of judgment which should also be assessed. Communication skills enable the clinician to hear and understand the needs and wishes of those facing life limiting illness. Training should include aspects of modeling and mentorship to demonstrate and integrate the learning with the realities of clinical practice and include those who lead and influence policy and advocacy.

Retention of laparoscopic procedural skills acquired on a virtual-reality surgical trainer.

PubMed

Maagaard, Mathilde; Sorensen, Jette Led; Oestergaard, Jeanett; Dalsgaard, Torur; Grantcharov, Teodor P; Ottesen, Bent S; Larsen, Christian Rifbjerg

2011-03-01

Virtual-reality (VR) simulator training has been shown to improve surgical performance in laparoscopic procedures in the operating room. We have, in a randomised controlled trial, demonstrated transferability to real operations. The validity of the LapSim virtual-reality simulator as an assessment tool has been demonstrated in several reports. However, an unanswered question regarding simulator training is the durability, or retention, of skills acquired during simulator training. The aim of the present study is to assess the retention of skills acquired using the LapSim VR simulator, 6 and 18 months after an initial training course. The investigation was designed as a 6- and 18-month follow-up on a cohort of participants who earlier participated in a skills training programme on the LapSim VR. The follow-up cohort consisted of trainees and senior consultants allocated to two groups: (1) novices (experience < 5 procedures, n = 9) and (2) experts (experience > 200 procedures during the past 3 years, n = 10). Each participant performed ten sessions. Assessment of skills was based on time, economy of movement and the error parameter "bleeding". The novice group were re-tested after 6 and 18 months, whereas the expert group were only retested once, after 6 months. None of the novices performed laparoscopic surgery in the follow-up period. The experts continued their daily work with laparoscopic surgery. Novices showed retention of skills after 6 months. After 18 months, novices' laparoscopic skills had returned to the pre-training level. This indicates that laparoscopic skills seemed to deteriorate in the period between 6 and 18 months without training. Experts showed consistent performance over time. This information can be included when planning training curricula in minimal invasive surgery.

Systematic review of skills transfer after surgical simulation-based training.

PubMed

Dawe, S R; Pena, G N; Windsor, J A; Broeders, J A J L; Cregan, P C; Hewett, P J; Maddern, G J

2014-08-01

Simulation-based training assumes that skills are directly transferable to the patient-based setting, but few studies have correlated simulated performance with surgical performance. A systematic search strategy was undertaken to find studies published since the last systematic review, published in 2007. Inclusion of articles was determined using a predetermined protocol, independent assessment by two reviewers and a final consensus decision. Studies that reported on the use of surgical simulation-based training and assessed the transferability of the acquired skills to a patient-based setting were included. Twenty-seven randomized clinical trials and seven non-randomized comparative studies were included. Fourteen studies investigated laparoscopic procedures, 13 endoscopic procedures and seven other procedures. These studies provided strong evidence that participants who reached proficiency in simulation-based training performed better in the patient-based setting than their counterparts who did not have simulation-based training. Simulation-based training was equally as effective as patient-based training for colonoscopy, laparoscopic camera navigation and endoscopic sinus surgery in the patient-based setting. These studies strengthen the evidence that simulation-based training, as part of a structured programme and incorporating predetermined proficiency levels, results in skills transfer to the operative setting. © 2014 BJS Society Ltd. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Evaluation of a Trauma-Focused CBT Training Programme for IAPT services.

PubMed

Murray, Hannah

2017-09-01

Therapists in Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services are often expected to treat complex presentations of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), such as individuals with multiple, prolonged or early life trauma histories and significant co-morbidity, for which they have received minimal training. Although high recovery rates for PTSD have been demonstrated in randomized controlled trials, these are not always replicated in routine practice, suggesting that training interventions are required to fill the research-practice gap. This study investigated the outcomes of a therapist training programme on treating PTSD with trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (TF-CBT). Twenty therapists from ten IAPT services participated in the training, which consisted of workshops, webinars and consultation sessions over a 6-month period. Feedback indicated that participants found the training highly acceptable. PTSD knowledge and self- and supervisor-rated competence on TF-CBT measures improved following the training and improvements were maintained a year later. Client outcomes on a PTSD measure improved following the training. Participants reported attempts to disseminate learning from the course back to their teams. The findings indicate that the training programme was successful in improving TF-CBT knowledge, skills and outcomes for IAPT therapists. Tentative support for training 'trauma experts' within IAPT services was found, although institutional constraints and staff turnover may limit the sustainability of the model.

Making information skills meaningful: a case study from occupational therapy.

PubMed

Spring, Hannah

2018-03-01

The effective delivery of information literacy training can be a challenging process, and health library and information professionals are constantly innovating in this area. This article presents a case study of the BHSc (Hons) Occupational therapy degree programme at York St John University to demonstrate ways in which deep integration of information skills into the curriculum can be achieved. The article advises that in the delivery of health and social care related information skills, we should look more broadly at where relevant learning can happen. In particular, contexts of the health care environment are suggested as a consideration rather than the narrow scope of the academic, classroom-based environment. Examples are provided of specific teaching and learning activities used on the programme alongside CPD activity and curriculum design. © 2018 Health Libraries Group.

An economic analysis of midwifery training programmes in South Kalimantan, Indonesia.

PubMed

Walker, Damian; McDermott, Jeanne M; Fox-Rushby, Julia; Tanjung, Marwan; Nadjib, Mardiati; Widiatmoko, Dono; Achadi, Endang

2002-01-01

In order to improve the knowledge and skills of midwives at health facilities and those based in villages in South Kalimantan, Indonesia, three in-service training programmes were carried out during 1995-98. A scheme used for both facility and village midwives included training at training centres, peer review and continuing education. One restricted to village midwives involved an internship programme in district hospitals. The incremental cost-effectiveness of these programmes was assessed from the standpoint of the health care provider. It was estimated that the first scheme could be expanded to increase the number of competent midwives based in facilities and villages in South Kalimantan by 1% at incremental costs of US$ 764.6 and US$ 1175.7 respectively, and that replication beyond South Kalimantan could increase the number of competent midwives based in facilities and villages by 1% at incremental costs of US$ 1225.5 and US$ 1786.4 per midwife respectively. It was also estimated that the number of competent village midwives could be increased by 1% at an incremental cost of US$ 898.1 per intern if replicated elsewhere, and at a cost of US$ 146.2 per intern for expanding the scheme in South Kalimantan. It was not clear whether the training programmes were more or less cost-effective than other safe motherhood interventions because the nature of the outcome measures hindered comparison.

The effects of a computer skill training programme adopting social comparison and self-efficacy enhancement strategies on self-concept and skill outcome in trainees with physical disabilities.

PubMed

Tam, S F

2000-10-15

The aim of this controlled, quasi-experimental study was to evaluate the effects of both self-efficacy enhancement and social comparison training strategy on computer skills learning and self-concept outcome of trainees with physical disabilities. The self-efficacy enhancement group comprised 16 trainees, the tutorial training group comprised 15 trainees, and there were 25 subjects in the control group. Both the self-efficacy enhancement group and the tutorial training group received a 15 week computer skills training course, including generic Chinese computer operation, Chinese word processing and Chinese desktop publishing skills. The self-efficacy enhancement group received training with tutorial instructions that incorporated self-efficacy enhancement strategies and experienced self-enhancing social comparisons. The tutorial training group received behavioural learning-based tutorials only, and the control group did not receive any training. The following measurements were employed to evaluate the outcomes: the Self-Concept Questionnaire for the Physically Disabled Hong Kong Chinese (SCQPD), the computer self-efficacy rating scale and the computer performance rating scale. The self-efficacy enhancement group showed significantly better computer skills learning outcome, total self-concept, and social self-concept than the tutorial training group. The self-efficacy enhancement group did not show significant changes in their computer self-efficacy: however, the tutorial training group showed a significant lowering of their computer self-efficacy. The training strategy that incorporated self-efficacy enhancement and positive social comparison experiences maintained the computer self-efficacy of trainees with physical disabilities. This strategy was more effective in improving the learning outcome (p = 0.01) and self-concept (p = 0.05) of the trainees than the conventional tutorial-based training strategy.

The effect of a training programme on school nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and depression recognition skills: The QUEST cluster randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Haddad, Mark; Pinfold, Vanessa; Ford, Tamsin; Walsh, Brendan; Tylee, Andre

2018-07-01

Mental health problems in children and young people are a vital public health issue. Only 25% of British school children with diagnosed mental health problems have specialist mental health services contact; front-line staff such as school nurses play a vital role in identifying and managing these problems, and accessing additional services for children, but there appears limited specific training and support for this aspect of their role. To evaluate the effectiveness of a bespoke short training programme, which incorporated interactive and didactic teaching with printed and electronic resources. Hypothesized outcomes were improvements in school nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and recognition skills for depression. A cluster-randomised controlled trial. 146 school nurses from 13 Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) in London were randomly allocated to receive the training programme. School nurses from 7 PCTs (n = 81) were randomly allocated to receive the training intervention and from 6 PCTs (n = 65) for waiting list control. Depression detection was measured by response to vignettes, attitudes measured with the Depression Attitude Questionnaire, and knowledge by the QUEST knowledge measure. These outcomes were measured at baseline and (following training) 3 months and nine months later, after which nurses in the control group received the training programme. At 3 months, 115 nurses completed outcome measures. Training was associated with significant improvements in the specificity of depression judgements (52.0% for the intervention group and 47.2% for the control group, P = 0.039), and there was a non-significant increase in sensitivity (64.5% compared to 61.5% P = 0.25). Nurses' knowledge about depression improved (standardised mean difference = 0.97 [95% CI 0.58 to 1.35], P < 0.001); and confidence about their professional role in relation to depression increased. There was also a significant change in optimism about depression outcomes, but no change in tendency to defer depression management to specialists. At 9-month follow-up, improved specificity in depression identification and improved knowledge were maintained. This school nurse development programme, designed to convey best practice for the identification and care of depression, delivered significant improvements in some aspects of depression recognition and understanding, and was associated with increased confidence in working with young people experiencing mental health problems. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effectiveness of a Simulated Clinical Examination in the Assessment of the Clinical Competencies of Entry-Level Trainees in a Family Medicine Residency Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curran, Vernon R.; Butler, Roger; Duke, Pauline; Eaton, William H.; Moffatt, Scott M.; Sherman, Greg P.; Pottle, Madge

2012-01-01

Clinical competence is a multidimensional concept and encompasses a variety of skills including procedural, problem-solving and clinical judgement. The initial stages of postgraduate medical training are believed to be a particularly important time for the development of clinical skill competencies. This study reports on an evaluation of a…

Embedding Publication Skills in Science Research Training: A Writing Group Programme Based on Applied Linguistics Frameworks and Facilitated by a Scientist

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cargill, Margaret; Smernik, Ronald

2016-01-01

Few systematic efforts have been reported to develop higher degree by research student skills for writing publishable articles in science and technology fields. There is a need to address this lack in the light of the current importance of publication to science research students and the high supervisor workload entailed in repeated draft…

Re-examining authoritative knowledge in the design and content of a TBA training in India.

PubMed

Saravanan, Sheela; Turrell, Gavin; Johnson, Helen; Fraser, Jennifer; Patterson, Carla Maree

2012-02-01

Since the 1990s, the TBA training strategy in developing countries has been increasingly seen as ineffective and hence its funding was subsequently reallocated to providing skilled attendants during delivery. The ineffectiveness of training programmes is blamed on TBAs lower literacy, their inability to adapt knowledge from training and certain practices that may cause maternal and infant health problems. However most training impact assessments evaluate post-training TBA practices and do not assess the training strategy. There are serious deficiencies noted in information on TBA training strategy in developing countries. The design and content of the training is vital to the effectiveness of TBA training programmes. We draw on Jordan's concept of 'authoritative knowledge' to assess the extent to which there is a synthesis of both biomedical and locally practiced knowledge in the content and community involvement in the design of TBA a training programme in India. The implementation of the TBA training programme at the local level overlooks the significance of and need for a baseline study and needs assessment at the local community level from which to build a training programme that is apposite to the local mother's needs and that fits within their 'comfort zone' during an act that, for most, requires a forum in which issues of modesty can be addressed. There was also little scope for the training to be a two way process of learning between the health professionals and the TBAs with hands-on experience and knowledge. The evidence from this study shows that there is an overall 'authority' of biomedical over traditional knowledge in the planning and implementation process of the TBA training programme. Certain vital information was not covered in the training content including advice to delay bathing babies for at least six hours after birth, to refrain from applying oil on the infant, and to wash hands again before directly handling mother or infant. Information on complication management and hypothermia was not adequately covered in the local TBA training programme. The suggested improvements include the need to include a baseline study, appropriate selection criteria, improve information in the training manual to increase clarity of meaning, and to encourage beneficial traditional practices through training. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

End of life care skills are essential for all students.

PubMed

Stapleton, Vanessa; Holland, Dan

2009-09-09

Further to the art&science article, 'An educational programme for end of life care in an acute setting' (August 12), I agree that modules on communication and bereavement are needed at all stages of nurse training.

How should we train physicians for remote and rural practice? What the present incumbents say.

PubMed

Wilson, P; McHardy, K C

2004-08-01

To obtain the views of the current remote and rural consultant physicians with regards to their opinion on components of an ideal training programme for an aspirant remote and rural physician. A questionnaire was designed to elicit information in three main areas: experience and training prior to appointment, current pattern of service provision and opinions on components of an ideal training programme for remote and rural physicians. Five Scottish rural hospitals in Shetland, Wick, Stornoway, Fort William and Oban. Thirteen consultant physicians based in the five rural hospitals chosen. The response rate to the questionnaire was 85%. All had previous experience in acute general medicine, and most in one of a variety of subspecialties. Each physician had developed interests and skills in other branches of medicine following appointment in order to meet local service needs. Most felt that there was a need for expansion of consultant numbers in the future, 45% citing the European Working Time Directive as the major reason. There was an encouraging degree of commonality between the current consultants as to what they felt should be included in a training programme for remote and rural physicians. There are challenges in meeting training needs for consultant physicians intending to work in a remote setting. Development of broader-based training than offered by most current dual training programmes is essential. Only imaginative approaches to training will produce physicians who are fit for purpose.

Rising to the Challenge: Acute Stress Appraisals and Selection Centre Performance in Applicants to Postgraduate Specialty Training in Anaesthesia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Martin J.; Gale, Thomas C. E.; McGrath, John S.; Wilson, Mark R.

2016-01-01

The ability to work under pressure is a vital non-technical skill for doctors working in acute medical specialties. Individuals who evaluate potentially stressful situations as challenging rather than threatening may perform better under pressure and be more resilient to stress and burnout. Training programme recruitment processes provide an…

Vocational Training in Asia and the Pacific: A Profile of Bangladesh.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

International Labour Office, Islamabad (Pakistan). Asian and Pacific Skill Development Programme.

This country profile of Bangladesh is one of a series of country profiles intended to give the user a graphic view of the structure, outputs, and legal basis of the vocational training system of individual countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The data, gathered by the Asian and Pacific Skill Development Programme in Pakistan, generally cover the…

An Observational Study for Evaluating the Effects of Interpersonal Problem-Solving Skills Training on Behavioural Dimensions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anliak, Sakire; Sahin, Derya

2010-01-01

The present observational study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the I Can Problem Solve (ICPS) programme on behavioural change from aggression to pro-social behaviours by using the DECB rating scale. Non-participant observation method was used to collect data in pretest-training-posttest design. It was hypothesised that the ICPS…

Obstacles to the Use of ICTs in Training and Consequences for the Development of "E"-Learning and "M"-Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marquet, Pascal

2011-01-01

Being able to access educational or training resources or programmes anytime and anywhere is one of the challenges that "e"-learning and now "m"-learning seek to address, with the aim of maintaining the highest possible level of professional skills. Although hardware and software solutions are now firmly established, instructional design issues…

From the Classroom to the Workplace: How Social Science Students Are Learning to Do Data Analysis for Real

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carter, Jackie; Brown, Mark; Simpson, Kathryn

2017-01-01

In British social science degree programmes, methods courses have a bad press, and statistics courses in particular are not well-liked by most students. A nationally-coordinated, strategic investment in quantitative skills training, Q-Step, is an attempt to address the issues affecting the shortage of quantitatively trained humanities and social…

Validating a Culturally-Sensitive Social Competence Training Programme for Adolescents with ASD in a Chinese Context: An Initial Investigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chan, Raymond Won Shing; Leung, Cecilia Nga Wing; Ng, Denise Ching Yiu; Yau, Sania Sau Wai

2018-01-01

Previous studies on social skills training on ASD were done almost exclusively in the West with children as the main subjects. Demonstrations of the applicability of social interventions in different cultures and age groups are warranted. The current study outlined the development and preliminary evaluation of a CBT-context-based social competence…

Strengthening pre-service training for skilled birth attendance - An evaluation of the maternal and child health aide training programme in Sierra Leone.

PubMed

Jones, Susan A; Sam, Betty; Bull, Florence; James, Margaret; Ameh, Charles A; van den Broek, Nynke R

2016-06-01

The high maternal mortality rate in Sierra Leone combined with an ongoing shortage of midwives has led to the introduction of new cadres of healthcare workers. Maternal and Child Health Aides are one such cadre and now provide 56% of patient care. The quality of the education training programme for MCHA is therefore of paramount importance if high quality maternal care is to be provided. To conduct an evaluation of the MCHAide training programme in Sierra Leone. Mapping of programme and focus group discussions (FGDs) with key informants. Analysis of data using a thematic approach and formulation of recommendations for national, district and individual levels. All 14 MCHAide schools across Sierra Leone. The National Coordinator, Coordinators from 14 MCHAide schools and District Health Sisters from District Health Management Teams. Focus group discussions were held with tutors facilitated by a group member to encourage a free flowing discussion. Participants were divided into 4 groups, one for each province, with 5-8 participants per group and 50min for the discussion. Strengths, weaknesses and opportunities of the MCHAide training programme were identified. Four major themes were identified; the need for autonomy and support within the programme from stakeholders; the effect of poor infrastructure on teaching and student learning; the need to ensure rigorous academic quality including teaching quality, curricula content and the academic ability of the students; and the benefits of community support. It is important that the key personnel be involved in the development and introduction of training programmes for new cadres of staff from the earliest stages of development. On-going programme review and development is essential and those implementing the programme are the best placed to lead and contribute to this. Gathering the experiences and perceptions of key informants helps provide an in-depth examination that can inform recommendations. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

A qualitative process evaluation of training for non-physician clinicians/associate clinicians (NPCs/ACs) in emergency maternal, neonatal care and clinical leadership, impact on clinical services improvements in rural Tanzania: the ETATMBA project

PubMed Central

Ellard, David R; Shemdoe, Aloisia; Mazuguni, Festo; Mbaruku, Godfrey; Davies, David; Kihaile, Paul; Pemba, Senga; Bergström, Staffan; Nyamtema, Angelo; Mohamed, Hamed-Mahfoudh; O'Hare, Joseph Paul

2016-01-01

Objectives The Enhancing Human Resources and Use of Appropriate Training for Maternal and Perinatal Survival in sub-Saharan Africa (ETATMBA) project is training non-physician clinicians as advanced clinical leaders in emergency maternal and newborn care in Tanzania and Malawi. The main aims of this process evaluation were to explore the implementation of the programme of training in Tanzania, how it was received, how or if the training has been implemented into practice and the challenges faced along the way. Design Qualitative interviews with trainees, trainers, district officers and others exploring the application of the training into practice. Participants During late 2010 and 2011, 36 trainees including 19 assistant medical officers one senior clinical officer and 16 nurse midwives/nurses (anaesthesia) were recruited from districts across rural Tanzania and invited to join the ETATMBA training programme. Results Trainees (n=36) completed the training returning to 17 facilities, two left and one died shortly after training. Of the remaining trainees, 27 were interviewed at their health facility. Training was well received and knowledge and skills were increased. There were a number of challenges faced by trainees, not least that their new skills could not be practised because the facilities they returned to were not upgraded. Nonetheless, there is evidence that the training is having an effect locally on health outcomes, like maternal and neonatal mortality, and the trainees are sharing their new knowledge and skills with others. Conclusions The outcome of this evaluation is encouraging but highlights that there are many ongoing challenges relating to infrastructure (including appropriate facilities, electricity and water) and the availability of basic supplies and drugs. This cadre of workers is a dedicated and valuable resource that can make a difference, which with better support could make a greater contribution to healthcare in the country. PMID:26873045

Improving reading comprehension in reading and listening settings: the effect of two training programmes focusing on metacognition and working memory.

PubMed

Carretti, Barbara; Caldarola, Nadia; Tencati, Chiara; Cornoldi, Cesare

2014-06-01

Metacognition and working memory (WM) have been found associated with success in reading comprehension, but no studies have examined their combined effect on the training of reading comprehension. Another open question concerns the role of listening comprehension: In particular, it is not clear whether training to improve reading comprehension must necessarily be based on processing written material or whether, as suggested in a recent study by Clarke et al. (2010, Psychol. Sci., 21, 1106), a programme based on verbal language could also be effective. The study examined the feasibility of improving text comprehension in school children by comparing the efficacy of two training programmes, both involving metacognition and WM, but one based on listening comprehension, the other on reading comprehension. The study involved a sample of 159 pupils attending eight classes in the fourth and fifth grades (age range 9-11 years). The listening and reading programmes focused on the same abilities/processes strictly related to text comprehension, and particularly metacognitive knowledge and control, WM (per se and in terms of integrating information in a text). The training programmes were implemented by school teachers as part of the class's normal school activities, under the supervision of experts. Their efficacy was compared with the results obtained in an active control group that completed standard text comprehension activities. Our results showed that both the training programmes focusing on specific text comprehension skills were effective in improving the children's achievement, but training in reading comprehension generated greater gains than the listening comprehension programme. Our study suggests that activities focusing specifically on metacognition and WM could foster text comprehension, but the potential benefit is influenced by the training modality, that is, the Reading group obtained greater and longer-lasting improvements than the Active control or Listening groups. © 2013 The British Psychological Society.

Risks in teaching manipulation techniques in master programmes.

PubMed

Pool, Jan; Cagnie, Barbara; Pool-Goudzwaard, Annelies

2016-09-01

High Velocity Techniques (HVT) in the (high) cervical spine are part of the standard curricula of manual therapy educational programmes. Little is known about the risk or the presence of adverse events during skills training sessions. This article describes two cases of students with both being at risk for an adverse event; one with a congenital artery aberration and one with cancer in the high cervical region. Teachers and educational programme developers should take risk management into account when teaching HVT. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Understanding recruitment and retention in the NHS community pharmacy stop smoking service: perceptions of smoking cessation advisers.

PubMed

Sohanpal, Ratna; Rivas, Carol; Steed, Liz; MacNeill, Virginia; Kuan, Valerie; Edwards, Elizabeth; Griffiths, Chris; Eldridge, Sandra; Taylor, Stephanie; Walton, Robert

2016-07-07

To understand views of pharmacy advisers about smoker recruitment and retention in the National Health Service community pharmacy stop smoking programme. Thematic framework analysis of semistructured, in-depth interviews applying the Theoretical Domains Framework and COM-B behaviour change model. We aimed to identify aspects of adviser behaviour that might be modified to increase numbers joining and completing the programme. 25 stop smoking advisers (13 pharmacists and 12 support staff). 29 community pharmacies in 3 inner east London boroughs. Advisers had preconceived ideas about smokers likely to join or drop out and made judgements about smokers' readiness to quit. Actively recruiting smokers was accorded low priority due in part to perceived insufficient remuneration to the pharmacy and anticipated challenging interactions with smokers. Suggestions to improve smoker recruitment and retention included developing a more holistic and supportive approach using patient-centred communication. Training counter assistants were seen to be important as was flexibility to extend the programme duration to fit better with smokers' needs. Cessation advisers feel they lack the interpersonal skills necessary to engage well with smokers and help them to quit. Addressing advisers' behaviours about active engagement and follow-up of clients, together with regular skills training including staff not formally trained as cessation advisers, could potentially boost numbers recruited and retained in the stop smoking programme. Adjustments to the pharmacy remuneration structure to incentivise recruitment and to allow personalisation of the programme for individual smokers should also be considered. 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/

Implementation of laparoscopic virtual-reality simulation training in gynaecology: a mixed-methods design.

PubMed

Burden, Christy; Appleyard, Tracy-Louise; Angouri, Jo; Draycott, Timothy J; McDermott, Leanne; Fox, Robert

2013-10-01

Virtual-reality (VR) training has been demonstrated to improve laparoscopic surgical skills in the operating theatre. The incorporation of laparoscopic VR simulation into surgical training in gynaecology remains a significant educational challenge. We undertook a pilot study to assess the feasibility of the implementation of a laparoscopic VR simulation programme into a single unit. An observational study with qualitative analysis of semi-structured group interviews. Trainees in gynaecology (n=9) were scheduled to undertake a pre-validated structured training programme on a laparoscopic VR simulator (LapSim(®)) over six months. The main outcome measure was the trainees' progress through the training modules in six months. Trainees' perceptions of the feasibility and barriers to the implementation of laparoscopic VR training were assessed in focus groups after training. Sixty-six percent of participants completed six of ten modules. Overall, feedback from the focus groups was positive; trainees felt training improved their dexterity, hand-eye co-ordination and confidence in theatre. Negative aspects included lack of haptic feedback, and facility for laparoscopic port placement training. Time restriction emerged as the main barrier to training. Despite positive perceptions of training, no trainee completed more than two-thirds of the modules of a self-directed laparoscopic VR training programme. Suggested improvements to the integration of future laparoscopic VR training include an additional theoretical component with a fuller understanding of benefits of VR training, and scheduled supervision. Ultimately, the success of a laparoscopic VR simulation training programme might only be improved if it is a mandatory component of the curriculum, together with dedicated time for training. Future multi-centred implementation studies of validated laparoscopic VR curricula are required. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Establishing psychiatric registrars' competence in psychotherapy: a portfolio based model.

PubMed

Naidu, T; Ramlall, S

2008-11-01

During most of the latter part of the last century, South Africa has followed international trends in the training of psychiatrists. Training programmes have become increasingly focused on the neurobiological aspects of psychiatric disorders with less attention being paid to psychotherapy. This is consistent with developments in psychiatric research. In the clinical arena this manifests as a focus on pharmacological and medically based interventions and a resulting relative inattention to non-pharmacological interventions, most especially psychotherapy. In an effort to address this imbalance there has been an international initiative, over the past two decades, to establish an acceptable level of competence in psychotherapy in the training of psychiatrists. A South African programme is needed that can take account of international trends and adapt them for the local context. In order to produce a programme for establishing competence in psychotherapy for psychiatric registrars at the Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, the authors examine directives for the development of psychotherapy skills from international regulatory bodies for graduate medical training and their application. Defining and setting preliminary standards for competence is emphasized. A programme based on five core psychotherapy components using a portfolio based model to facilitate learning and assessment of competence in psychotherapy, is proposed.

Optimizing performance by improving core stability and core strength.

PubMed

Hibbs, Angela E; Thompson, Kevin G; French, Duncan; Wrigley, Allan; Spears, Iain

2008-01-01

Core stability and core strength have been subject to research since the early 1980s. Research has highlighted benefits of training these processes for people with back pain and for carrying out everyday activities. However, less research has been performed on the benefits of core training for elite athletes and how this training should be carried out to optimize sporting performance. Many elite athletes undertake core stability and core strength training as part of their training programme, despite contradictory findings and conclusions as to their efficacy. This is mainly due to the lack of a gold standard method for measuring core stability and strength when performing everyday tasks and sporting movements. A further confounding factor is that because of the differing demands on the core musculature during everyday activities (low load, slow movements) and sporting activities (high load, resisted, dynamic movements), research performed in the rehabilitation sector cannot be applied to the sporting environment and, subsequently, data regarding core training programmes and their effectiveness on sporting performance are lacking. There are many articles in the literature that promote core training programmes and exercises for performance enhancement without providing a strong scientific rationale of their effectiveness, especially in the sporting sector. In the rehabilitation sector, improvements in lower back injuries have been reported by improving core stability. Few studies have observed any performance enhancement in sporting activities despite observing improvements in core stability and core strength following a core training programme. A clearer understanding of the roles that specific muscles have during core stability and core strength exercises would enable more functional training programmes to be implemented, which may result in a more effective transfer of these skills to actual sporting activities.

An evaluation of the effectiveness of information literacy training for undergraduate midwives to improve their ability to access evidence for practice.

PubMed

Lalor, Joan G; Clarke, Michael; Sheaf, Greg

2012-09-01

Several authors have suggested that computer skills should be taught within the undergraduate curriculum. In this paper, the focus is mainly on the results of an examination of midwifery students' search strategy in response to a specific question undertaken before and after training session in the first, second and third years of the undergraduate programme. The intervention allocated 16 h of library-based instruction over the first three years of the programme focussing specifically on the skills required to utilise electronic resources effectively. Following ethical approval by the university, 108 undergraduates took part from 2008 to 2011. The data obtained from the search history files were categorised as either poor, fair or good. The primary analyses compared the pre and post-instruction categories in each year, within each student, with a comparison of each student's post-instruction category one year and the pre-instruction category the following year. The data indicated that the sessions in the first and second years of the programmes resulted in improvements in the ability to search, with less improvement in third year. As with any complex intervention, it is not possible to tease out which elements of the session were most beneficial. We will try to identify ways in which midwifery students' search skills could be strengthened further. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Leadership skills teaching in Yorkshire & the Humber - a survey: uncovering, sharing, developing, embedding.

PubMed

Fowler, Iolanthe; Gill, Andy

2015-09-01

Medical leadership is a hot topic, but it is not known yet how to teach this most effectively. A working party of educators in Yorkshire and the Humber (Y&H) studied the leadership domains, as set out in the Medical Leadership Competency Framework and from this distilled a set of 'trainable' leadership skills, which were felt to be important to teach during general practitioner (GP) training. A questionnaire was sent out to a large GP educational community (educators and trainees) within Y&H to establish the following: (i) whether the distilled skills were thought to have face validity when applied to the concept of leadership, (ii) what was the relative importance of these skills in relation to each other and (iii) the degree to which these skills were already being taught in practice placements and at General Practice Specialty Training Programme (GPSTP) teaching sessions.Educators reported more teaching and training occurring than trainees reported receiving, and the relative importance of the skills sets were different between educators and trainees. It was evident that leadership skills are currently being taught, but that making training explicitly 'leadership', and raising the importance of leadership skills in GP, may address some of these imbalances. Educators requested guidance on how to teach these skills effectively and commented that many existing opportunities for leadership teaching and training are not well recognised or used. Routinely and regularly offering the chance for trainees at all levels to be exposed to leadership skills by role modelling, making use of everyday opportunities in practice to teach and encouraging trainee involvement in projects and opportunities to practice new skills can facilitate the acquisition and celebration of mastery of generic leadership skills.

["Practical clinical competence" - a joint programme to improve training in surgery].

PubMed

Ruesseler, M; Schill, A; Stibane, T; Damanakis, A; Schleicher, I; Menzler, S; Braunbeck, A; Walcher, F

2013-12-01

Practical clinical competence is, as a result of the complexity of the required skills and the immediate consequences of their insufficient mastery, fundamentally important for undergraduate medical education. However, in the daily clinical routine, undergraduate training competes with patient care and experimental research, mostly to the disadvantage of the training of clinical skills and competencies. All students have to spend long periods in compulsory surgical training courses during their undergraduate studies. Thus, surgical undergraduate training is predestined to exemplarily develop, analyse and implement a training concept comprising defined learning objectives, elaborated teaching materials, analysed teaching methods, as well as objective and reliable assessment methods. The aim of this project is to improve and strengthen undergraduate training in practical clinical skills and competencies. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research with almost two million Euro as a joint research project of the medical faculties of the universities of Frankfurt/Main, Gießen and Marburg, in collaboration with the German Society of Surgery, the German Society of Medical Education and the German Medical Students' Association. Nine packages in three pillars are combined in order to improve undergraduate medical training on a methodical, didactic and curricular level in a nation-wide network. Each partner of this network provides a systematic contribution to the project based on individual experience and competence. Based on the learning objectives, which were defined by the working group "Education" of the German Society of Surgery, teaching contents will be analysed with respect to their quality and will be available for both teachers and students as mobile learning tool (first pillar). The existing surgical curricula at the cooperating medical faculties will be analysed and teaching methods as well as assessment methods for clinical skills will be evaluated regarding their methodological quality and evidence. The existing surgical curricula will be revised and adapted on the basis of these results (second pillar). Qualification programmes for physicians will be implemented in order to improve both undergraduate education and the attractiveness of educational research, the required teaching quality will be imparted in a nationwide "train-the-teacher" program for surgical clinical skills (third pillar). Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Communication skills intervention: promoting effective communication between nurses and mechanically ventilated patients.

PubMed

Dithole, K S; Thupayagale-Tshweneagae, Gloria; Akpor, Oluwaseyi A; Moleki, Mary M

2017-01-01

Patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) often experience communication difficulties - usually associated with mechanical ventilation - resulting in psychological problems such as anxiety, fear, and depression. Good communication between nurses and patients is critical for success from personalised nursing care of each patient. The purpose of this study is to describe nurses' experience of a communication skills training intervention. A convenience sample of twenty intensive care nurses participated in the study. Data was collected by means of interviews with nurses. Data from the interviews were analysed using qualitative thematic content analysis. Six themes emerged: (1) acceptance of knowledge and skills developed during workshops; (2) management support; (3) appreciation of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices; (4) change in attitudes; and (5) the need to share knowledge with others and (6) inclusion of communication skills workshop training as an integral part of an orientation programme for all nurses. The findings of this study indicated that the application of augmentative and alternative communication devices and strategies can improve nurse-patient communication in intensive care units. Therefore, the implementation of communication skills training for intensive care nurses should constantly be encouraged and, indeed, introduced as a key element of ICU care training.

Online patient safety education programme for junior doctors: is it worthwhile?

PubMed

McCarthy, S E; O'Boyle, C A; O'Shaughnessy, A; Walsh, G

2016-02-01

Increasing demand exists for blended approaches to the development of professionalism. Trainees of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland participated in an online patient safety programme. Study aims were: (1) to determine whether the programme improved junior doctors' knowledge, attitudes and skills relating to error reporting, open communication and care for the second victim and (2) to establish whether the methodology facilitated participants' learning. 208 junior doctors who completed the programme completed a pre-online questionnaire. Measures were "patient safety knowledge and attitudes", "medical safety climate" and "experience of learning". Sixty-two completed the post-questionnaire, representing a 30 % matched response rate. Participating in the programme resulted in immediate (p < 0.01) improvement in skills such as knowing when and how to complete incident forms and disclosing errors to patients, in self-rated knowledge (p < 0.01) and attitudes towards error reporting (p < 0.01). Sixty-three per cent disagreed that doctors routinely report medical errors and 42 % disagreed that doctors routinely share information about medical errors and what caused them. Participants rated interactive features as the most positive elements of the programme. An online training programme on medical error improved self-rated knowledge, attitudes and skills in junior doctors and was deemed an effective learning tool. Perceptions of work issues such as a poor culture of error reporting among doctors may prevent improved attitudes being realised in practice. Online patient safety education has a role in practice-based initiatives aimed at developing professionalism and improving safety.

Training a new generation of speech-language pathologists with competences in the management of literacy disorders and learning disabilities in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Yuen, Kevin C P

2014-01-01

One of the recent developments in the education of speech-language pathology is to include literacy disorders and learning disabilities as key training components in the training curriculum. Disorders in reading and writing are interwoven with disorders in speaking and listening, which should be managed holistically, particularly in children and adolescents. With extensive training in clinical linguistics, language disorders, and other theoretical knowledge and clinical skills, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are the best equipped and most competent professionals to screen, identify, diagnose, and manage individuals with literacy disorders. To tackle the challenges of and the huge demand for services in literacy as well as language and learning disorders, the Hong Kong Institute of Education has recently developed the Master of Science Programme in Educational Speech-Language Pathology and Learning Disabilities, which is one of the very first speech-language pathology training programmes in Asia to blend training components of learning disabilities, literacy disorders, and social-emotional-behavioural-developmental disabilities into a developmentally and medically oriented speech-language pathology training programme. This new training programme aims to prepare a new generation of SLPs to be able to offer comprehensive support to individuals with speech, language, literacy, learning, communication, and swallowing disorders of different developmental or neurogenic origins, particularly to infants and adolescents as well as to their family and educational team. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

The application of k-Nearest Neighbour in the identification of high potential archers based on relative psychological coping skills variables

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taha, Zahari; Muazu Musa, Rabiu; Majeed, Anwar P. P. Abdul; Razali Abdullah, Mohamad; Muaz Alim, Muhammad; Nasir, Ahmad Fakhri Ab

2018-04-01

The present study aims at classifying and predicting high and low potential archers from a collection of psychological coping skills variables trained on different k-Nearest Neighbour (k-NN) kernels. 50 youth archers with the average age and standard deviation of (17.0 ±.056) gathered from various archery programmes completed a one end shooting score test. Psychological coping skills inventory which evaluates the archers level of related coping skills were filled out by the archers prior to their shooting tests. k-means cluster analysis was applied to cluster the archers based on their scores on variables assessed k-NN models, i.e. fine, medium, coarse, cosine, cubic and weighted kernel functions, were trained on the psychological variables. The k-means clustered the archers into high psychologically prepared archers (HPPA) and low psychologically prepared archers (LPPA), respectively. It was demonstrated that the cosine k-NN model exhibited good accuracy and precision throughout the exercise with an accuracy of 94% and considerably fewer error rate for the prediction of the HPPA and the LPPA as compared to the rest of the models. The findings of this investigation can be valuable to coaches and sports managers to recognise high potential athletes from the selected psychological coping skills variables examined which would consequently save time and energy during talent identification and development programme.

Health rights pamphlets: critical literacy and inclusive citizenship, South Africa.

PubMed

Strecker, Morgan; Stuttaford, Maria; London, Leslie

2014-06-01

The Ottawa Charter recognizes the importance of strengthening community action for health and developing personal skills. At the same time, a rights-based approach to health includes the right to information, participation and accountability. The Learning Network for Health and Human Rights is a research and learning collaboration between Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and universities in the Western Cape, South Africa. For the purposes of this article, a CSO is understood to be any organization that is outside of the state and private market sector. As part of a wider programme of action research, the learning network developed six pamphlets aimed at enhancing individual and collective skills to support action related to the implementation of the right to health. The research reported here analyses how the pamphlets, coupled with directed training, strengthened skills, promoted critical literacy and supported inclusive citizenship. Eighteen semi-structured interviews and eight focus groups were conducted with 59 participants from eight CSOs, their members, beneficiaries and communities. The success of the pamphlets was found to be attributed to the role they played in a wider training programme, requested by the CSOs and developed jointly by CSOs and university-based researchers. Community action on the right to health is contingent on personal as well as collective skills development. Understanding of the right to health and skills for participation and accountability were extended in breadth and depth, which enabled inclusive citizenship.

Dental nursing education and the introduction of technology-assisted learning.

PubMed

Sheridan, C; Gorman, T; Claffey, N

2008-11-01

The aim of this paper is to explore the profile of dental nursing students in the National Dental Nurse Training Programme of Ireland and their adjustment to a technology-assisted learning environment. Evaluation by students of the course and their reactions to the course were analysed. Dental nurses must possess the skills and knowledge to proficiently function in the modern day dental surgery. The implementation of a dental nurse programme that is heavily reliant on technology has started to create a group of dental nurses equipped with basic skills to access and retrieve information over a lifetime. However, the transition to a technology-assisted learning environment including online learning activities requires adaptation and expertise by educators and students alike. Careful evaluation and stakeholder feedback is imperative in the creation and maintaining of a quality programme. In conclusion, the students in this study responded well to the transition to a technology-based learning environment. Furthermore, the findings of this study suggest that the use of an online environment is an effective and stimulating learning environment for the students of a dental nurse programme; however, familiarity skills and knowledge of information technology is a prerequisite for success.

Lessons learnt from a three-year pilot field epidemiology training programme.

PubMed

Hoy, Damian; Durand, A Mark; Hancock, Thane; Cash, Haley L; Hardie, Kate; Paterson, Beverley; Paulino, Yvette; White, Paul; Merritt, Tony; Fitzgibbons, Dawn; Gopalani, Sameer Vali; Flint, James; Edwin A Merilles, Onofre; Kashiwabara, Mina; Biaukula, Viema; Lepers, Christelle; Souares, Yvan; Nilles, Eric; Batikawai, Anaseini; Huseynova, Sevil; Patel, Mahomed; Saketa, Salanieta T; Durrheim, David; Henderson, Alden; Roth, Adam

2017-01-01

The Pacific region has widely dispersed populations, limited financial and human resources and a high burden of disease. There is an urgent need to improve the availability, reliability and timeliness of useable health data. The purpose of this paper is to share lessons learnt from a three-year pilot field epidemiology training programme that was designed to respond to these Pacific health challenges. The pilot programme built on and further developed an existing field epidemiology training programme for Pacific health staff. The programme was delivered in country by epidemiologists working for Pacific Public Health Surveillance Network partners. The programme consisted of five courses: four one-week classroom-based courses and one field epidemiology project. Sessions were structured so that theoretical understanding was achieved through interaction and reinforced through practical hands-on group activities, case studies and other interactive practical learning methods. As of September 2016, 258 students had commenced the programme. Twenty-six course workshops were delivered and one cohort of students had completed the full five-course programme. The programme proved popular and gained a high level of student engagement. Face-to-face delivery, a low student-to-facilitator ratio, substantial group work and practical exercises were identified as key factors that contributed to the students developing skills and confidence. Close engagement of leaders and the need to quickly evaluate and adapt the curriculum were important lessons, and the collaboration between external partners was considered important for promoting a harmonized approach to health needs in the Pacific.

Muenster Parental Programme empowers parents in communicating with their infant with hearing loss.

PubMed

Glanemann, Reinhild; Reichmuth, Karen; Matulat, Peter; Zehnhoff-Dinnesen, Antoinette Am

2013-12-01

With the implementation of the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS), the age of diagnosis of children with hearing loss (HL) has been steadily declining in the past years. Consequently, there is a need for early educational intervention methods that are suitable for infants at the preverbal level. To meet this need we have developed and evaluated the Muenster Parental Programme (MPP), a responsive parenting programme for parents of children with HL aged 3-18 months. It aims at enhancing the parents' communicative skills towards their child. The MPP is introduced following confirmation of a HL. Flanked by two individual counselling sessions, the programme comprises six group sessions and two single training sessions with video feedback. The focus of the programme lies in enhancing parents' responsive behaviour and in reducing inappropriate initiative behaviour. The present study involved 29 parents of 24 children aged 6.6 (mean, range: 3-12) months at the outset of the MPP. The children's degree of HL ranged from moderate to profound. Parents of children with unilateral HL and/or risk for an additional developmental delay were included. The prospective study compared parent communication skills of a trained (N = 15) versus a control group (N = 14) before and after the MPP. For this purpose, instances of responsive behaviour to the signals of the child and total time of initiative behaviour within a 4-min video-sample were measured before and after completion of the study in both groups. Trained parents could enhance their responsiveness to vocal and preverbal signals of the child (Wilcoxon test, p = .002) and also their responsiveness to non-verbal signals (Wilcoxon test, p < .001). Moreover, parents reduced their inappropriate initiative behaviour (related t-test, p < .001). Pre-post comparisons in the control group were non-significant. The increased parental responsiveness to infants with HL is of great importance as these early behaviours underlie later acquisition of speech, language, hearing and social communication skills. The MPP constitutes the first evaluated group concept for parents of infants with HL in the German-speaking countries and equally meets the needs of parents and professionals. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A multi-modal training programme to improve physical activity, physical fitness and perceived physical ability in obese children.

PubMed

Morano, Milena; Colella, Dario; Rutigliano, Irene; Fiore, Pietro; Pettoello-Mantovani, Massimo; Campanozzi, Angelo

2014-01-01

Actual and perceived physical abilities are important correlates of physical activity (PA) and fitness, but little research has explored these relationships over time in obese children. This study was designed: (a) to assess the feasibility of a multi-modal training programme promoting changes in PA, fundamental motor skills and real and perceived physical abilities of obese children; and (b) to explore cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between real and perceived physical competence in boys and girls. Forty-one participants (9.2 ± 1.2 years) were assessed before and after an 8-month intervention with respect to body composition, physical fitness, self-reported PA and perceived physical ability. After treatment, obese children reported improvements in the body mass index, PA levels, gross motor performance and actual and perceived physical abilities. Real and perceived physical competence was correlated in boys, but not in girls. Results indicate that a multi-modal programme focused on actual and perceived physical competence as associated with the gradual increase in the volume of activity might be an effective strategy to improve adherence of the participants and to increase the lifelong exercise skills of obese children.

Volunteering as a community mother--a pathway to lifelong learning.

PubMed

Molloy, Mary

2007-05-01

This paper describes a study that was undertaken to investigate the effects of participating in a community volunteering programme (the Community Mothers Programme) on volunteers (Community Mothers). The aim of the study was to investigate if volunteering in this programme acted as a pathway to lifelong learning; did the volunteers recognise the learning of new knowledge and/or skills, and did their participation in the programme trigger them to progress to further education in other settings? A self-administered questionnaire method was used for data collection: 115 questionnaires being distributed to volunteers, with a response rate of eighty-two (71 per cent). Findings show that the majority of the respondents cited the learning of new knowledge and/or skills as a result of their participation in the Community Mothers Programme. Learning appeared to stem from the various training and activities, suggesting an educational process within the volunteer setting. Findings also show that the majority of respondents had progressed to further education. In this instance, therefore, volunteering did appear to act as a pathway to lifelong learning.

Research Capacity Strengthening in Low and Middle Income Countries - An Evaluation of the WHO/TDR Career Development Fellowship Programme.

PubMed

Käser, Michael; Maure, Christine; Halpaap, Beatrice M M; Vahedi, Mahnaz; Yamaka, Sara; Launois, Pascal; Casamitjana, Núria

2016-05-01

Between August 2012 and April 2013 the Career Development Fellowship programme of the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (World Health Organization) underwent an external evaluation to assess its past performance and determine recommendations for future programme development and continuous performance improvement. The programme provides a year-long training experience for qualified researchers from low and middle income countries at pharmaceutical companies or product development partnerships. Independent evaluators from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute and the Barcelona Institute for Global Health used a results-based methodology to review the programme. Data were gathered through document review, surveys, and interviews with a range of programme participants. The final evaluation report found the Career Development Fellowship to be relevant to organizers' and programme objectives, efficient in its operations, and effective in its training scheme, which was found to address needs and gaps for both fellows and their home institutions. Evaluators found that the programme has the potential for impact and sustainability beyond the programme period, especially with the successful reintegration of fellows into their home institutions, through which newly-developed skills can be shared at the institutional level. Recommendations included the development of a scheme to support the re-integration of fellows into their home institutions post-fellowship and to seek partnerships to facilitate the scaling-up of the programme. The impact of the Professional Membership Scheme, an online professional development tool launched through the programme, beyond the scope of the Career Development Fellowship programme itself to other applications, has been identified as a positive unintended outcome. The results of this evaluation may be of interest for other efforts in the field of research capacity strengthening in LMICs or, generally, to other professional development schemes of a similar structure.

A one-year practice-based learning programme for new general practice nurses in Scotland: evaluation of the pilot.

PubMed

Wakeling, Judy; Ferguson, Julie; Kennedy, Susan

2016-01-01

This paper summarises the evaluation of a pilot programme introduced by NHS Education for Scotland to provide education and skills training for nurses new to general practice. The programme was developed through extensive consultation with existing general practice nurses and was educationally accredited by the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Royal College of Nursing in 2013. Twelve nurses embarked upon the programme 2012-2013 and nine completed it. The programme was extensively evaluated through questionnaires (with supervisors, practice staff and participants), analysis of programme documentation and interviews with participants. Based on the evaluation feedback, alterations have been made to subsequent deliveries of the programme. These include removing some topic areas and lengthening the programme by three months. The programme continues to be successfully delivered and evaluation is ongoing to ensure it continues to meet nurses' needs.

Influence on general practitioners of teaching undergraduates: qualitative study of London general practitioner teachers

PubMed Central

Hartley, Sarah; Macfarlane, Fraser; Gantley, Madeleine; Murray, Elizabeth

1999-01-01

Objective To examine the perceived effect of teaching clinical skills and associated teacher training programmes on general practitioners' morale and clinical practice. Design Qualitative semistructured interview study. Setting General practices throughout north London. Subjects 30 general practitioners who taught clinical skills were asked about the effect of teaching and teacher training on their morale, confidence in clinical and teaching skills, and clinical practice. Results The main theme was a positive effect on morale. Within teacher training this was attributed to developing peer and professional support; improved teaching skills; and revision of clinical knowledge and skills. Within teaching this was attributed to a broadening of horizons; contact with enthusiastic students; increased time with patients; improved clinical practice; improved teaching skills; and an improved image of the practice. Problems with teaching were due to external factors such as lack of time and space and anxieties about adequacy of clinical cover while teaching. Conclusions Teaching clinical skills can have a positive effect on the morale of general practitioner teachers as a result of contact with students and peers, as long as logistic and funding issues are adequately dealt with. Key messagesThe increase in community based teaching of clinical skills requires an increase in the number of general practitioner teachersLittle evidence is available about the effect of teaching of clinical skills and teacher training on general practitioner teachers and practicesGeneral practitioner teachers reported an increase in morale, improvements in clinical skills, and changes in clinical practice and in practice infrastructure as a result of teaching and trainingGeneral practitioner teachers reported problems because of pressure on time, lack of space, problems recruiting patients, and unsupportive practice partnersPositive effects on morale and clinical practice may be important for sustainable teaching and continuing medical education PMID:10541508

Virtual reality training for improving the skills needed for performing surgery of the ear, nose or throat.

PubMed

Piromchai, Patorn; Avery, Alex; Laopaiboon, Malinee; Kennedy, Gregor; O'Leary, Stephen

2015-09-09

Virtual reality simulation uses computer-generated imagery to present a simulated training environment for learners. This review seeks to examine whether there is evidence to support the introduction of virtual reality surgical simulation into ear, nose and throat surgical training programmes. 1. To assess whether surgeons undertaking virtual reality simulation-based training achieve surgical ('patient') outcomes that are at least as good as, or better than, those achieved through conventional training methods.2. To assess whether there is evidence from either the operating theatre, or from controlled (simulation centre-based) environments, that virtual reality-based surgical training leads to surgical skills that are comparable to, or better than, those achieved through conventional training. The Cochrane Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders Group (CENTDG) Trials Search Co-ordinator searched the CENTDG Trials Register; Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL 2015, Issue 6); PubMed; EMBASE; ERIC; CINAHL; Web of Science; ClinicalTrials.gov; ICTRP and additional sources for published and unpublished trials. The date of the search was 27 July 2015. We included all randomised controlled trials and controlled trials comparing virtual reality training and any other method of training in ear, nose or throat surgery. We used the standard methodological procedures expected by The Cochrane Collaboration. We evaluated both technical and non-technical aspects of skill competency. We included nine studies involving 210 participants. Out of these, four studies (involving 61 residents) assessed technical skills in the operating theatre (primary outcomes). Five studies (comprising 149 residents and medical students) assessed technical skills in controlled environments (secondary outcomes). The majority of the trials were at high risk of bias. We assessed the GRADE quality of evidence for most outcomes across studies as 'low'. Operating theatre environment (primary outcomes) In the operating theatre, there were no studies that examined two of three primary outcomes: real world patient outcomes and acquisition of non-technical skills. The third primary outcome (technical skills in the operating theatre) was evaluated in two studies comparing virtual reality endoscopic sinus surgery training with conventional training. In one study, psychomotor skill (which relates to operative technique or the physical co-ordination associated with instrument handling) was assessed on a 10-point scale. A second study evaluated the procedural outcome of time-on-task. The virtual reality group performance was significantly better, with a better psychomotor score (mean difference (MD) 1.66, 95% CI 0.52 to 2.81; 10-point scale) and a shorter time taken to complete the operation (MD -5.50 minutes, 95% CI -9.97 to -1.03). Controlled training environments (secondary outcomes) In a controlled environment five studies evaluated the technical skills of surgical trainees (one study) and medical students (three studies). One study was excluded from the analysis. Surgical trainees: One study (80 participants) evaluated the technical performance of surgical trainees during temporal bone surgery, where the outcome was the quality of the final dissection. There was no difference in the end-product scores between virtual reality and cadaveric temporal bone training. Medical students: Two other studies (40 participants) evaluated technical skills achieved by medical students in the temporal bone laboratory. Learners' knowledge of the flow of the operative procedure (procedural score) was better after virtual reality than conventional training (SMD 1.11, 95% CI 0.44 to 1.79). There was also a significant difference in end-product score between the virtual reality and conventional training groups (SMD 2.60, 95% CI 1.71 to 3.49). One study (17 participants) revealed that medical students acquired anatomical knowledge (on a scale of 0 to 10) better during virtual reality than during conventional training (MD 4.3, 95% CI 2.05 to 6.55). No studies in a controlled training environment assessed non-technical skills. There is limited evidence to support the inclusion of virtual reality surgical simulation into surgical training programmes, on the basis that it can allow trainees to develop technical skills that are at least as good as those achieved through conventional training. Further investigations are required to determine whether virtual reality training is associated with better real world outcomes for patients and the development of non-technical skills. Virtual reality simulation may be considered as an additional learning tool for medical students.

Outreach Programmes for Education and Training: Contributions from the International Cartographic Association

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cartwright, W. E.; Fairbairn, D.

2012-07-01

Organisations like the International Cartographic Association champion programmes that develop and deliver education and training to cartographers and geospatial scientists, globally. This can be in the form of traditional university and training college programmes, short courses for professional and technical members of mapping agencies and as outreach initiatives to transfer knowledge about the discipline and its contemporary practices. Through its international community, the ICA undertakes the transfer of knowledge about cartography and GI Science by publishing books and special editions of journals and running workshops. Colleagues from the ICA community conduct these workshops on a volunteer basis, generally with the support of the national member organisation of ICA or the national mapping body. For example, the ICA promotes the generation of extensive publications, generally through its Commissions and Working Groups. The publications include books, journals and the ICA Newsletter. Outreach activities are especially pertinent to up skill colleagues from developing countries. Specialist programmes can be offered for professional and 'everyday' map users (from adults to children). The ICA can assist with its current programmes, designed to embrace professional and non-professional cartographers alike. This paper will address how education and outreach programmes can be supported by international associations, by offering programmes independently, or in partnership with sister associations and national and regional organisations and societies. As well, the paper will address the need to deliver education and outreach programmes not to just the professional international community, but also to map users and citizen map publishers.

A survey of public health and consumer health informatics programmes and courses in Canadian universities and colleges.

PubMed

Arocha, Jose F; Hoffman-Goetz, Laurie

2012-12-01

As information technology becomes more widely used by people for health-care decisions, training in consumer and public health informatics will be important for health practitioners working directly with the public. Using information from 74 universities and colleges across Canada, we searched websites and online calendars for programmes (undergraduate, graduate) regarding availability and scope of education in programmes, courses and topics geared to public health and/or consumer health informatics. Of the 74 institutions searched, 31 provided some content relevant to health informatics (HI) and 8 institutions offered full HI-related programmes. Of these 8 HI programmes, only 1 course was identified with content relevant to public health informatics and 1 with content about consumer health informatics. Some institutions (n  =  22) - which do not offer HI-degree programmes - provide health informatics-related courses, including one on consumer health informatics. We found few programmes, courses or topic areas within courses in Canadian universities and colleges that focus on consumer or public health informatics education. Given the increasing emphasis on personal responsibility for health and health-care decision-making, skills training for health professionals who help consumers navigate the Internet should be considered in health informatics education.

We can cure your child's clumsiness! A review of intervention methods.

PubMed

Sigmundsson, H; Pedersen, A V; Whiting, H T; Ingvaldsen, R P

1998-06-01

Intervention procedures for treatment of clumsiness have come in many guises. We have looked at some of the most powerful methods put forward in the past 30 years--Perceptual-motor training (PMT), Sensory Integration Therapy (SIT), and some promising new approaches. Both the PMT and the SIT have been heavily criticised. It is hard to find support for the idea that the programmes improve academic skills or that they have more than a limited effect on perceptual-motor development as claimed. The more recently introduced Kinaesthetic training is shown to have an effect on general motor competence but that this may be better explained in terms of the general principles on which this training procedure lies rather than the influence on Kinaesthesis per se. Since other recent studies have also shown a dependence on similar general principles, it might be asked whether it is the teacher rather than the programmes that accounts for the differences shown between different intervention programmes.

Partnership work between Public Health and Health Psychology: introduction to a novel training programme

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Public health services implement individual, community and population level interventions to change health behaviours, improve healthy life expectancy and reduce health inequalities. Understanding and changing health behaviour is complex. Integrating behaviour change theory and evidence into interventions has the potential to improve services. Methods Health Psychologists apply evidence and theories aimed at understanding and changing health behaviour. A Scottish programme is piloting the training of Health Psychologists within NHS contexts to address prominent public health challenges. Results This article outlines the details of this novel programme. Two projects are examined to illustrate the potential of partnership working between public health and health psychology. Conclusion In order to develop and improve behaviour change interventions and services, public health planners may want to consider developing and using the knowledge and skills of Health Psychologists. Supporting such training within public health contexts is a promising avenue to build critical NHS internal mass to tackle the major public health challenges ahead. PMID:21070643

Simulation-based inter-professional education to improve attitudes towards collaborative practice: a prospective comparative pilot study in a Chinese medical centre

PubMed Central

Yang, Ling-Yu; Yang, Ying-Ying; Huang, Chia-Chang; Liang, Jen-Feng; Lee, Fa-Yauh; Cheng, Hao-Min; Huang, Chin-Chou; Kao, Shou-Yen

2017-01-01

Objectives Inter-professional education (IPE) builds inter-professional collaboration (IPC) attitude/skills of health professionals. This interventional IPE programme evaluates whether benchmarking sharing can successfully cultivate seed instructors responsible for improving their team members’ IPC attitudes. Design Prospective, pre-post comparative cross-sectional pilot study. Setting/participants Thirty four physicians, 30 nurses and 24 pharmacists, who volunteered to be trained as seed instructors participated in 3.5-hour preparation and 3.5-hour simulation courses. Then, participants (n=88) drew lots to decide 44 presenters, half of each profession, who needed to prepare IPC benchmarking and formed Group 1. The remaining participants formed Group 2 (regular). Facilitators rated the Group 1 participants’ degree of appropriate transfer and sustainable practice of the learnt IPC skills in the workplace according to successful IPC examples in their benchmarking sharing. Results For the three professions, improvement in IPC attitude was identified by sequential increase in the post-course (second month, T2) and end-of-study (third month, T3) Interdisciplinary Education Perception Scale (IEPS) and Attitudes Towards Healthcare Teams Scale (ATHCTS) scores, compared with pre-course (first month, T1) scores. By IEPS and ATHCTS-based assessment, the degree of sequential improvements in IPC attitude was found to be higher among nurses and pharmacists than in physicians. In benchmarking sharing, the facilitators’ agreement about the degree of participants’appropriate transfer and sustainable practice learnt ‘communication and teamwork’ skills in the workplace were significantly higher among pharmacists and nurses than among physicians. The post-intervention random sampling survey (sixth month, Tpost) found that the IPC attitude of the three professions improved after on-site IPC skill promotion by new programme-trained seed instructors within teams. Conclusions Addition of benchmark sharing to a diamond-based IPE simulation programme enhances participants’ IPC attitudes, self-reflection, workplace transfer and practice of the learnt skills. Furthermore, IPC promotion within teams by newly trained seed instructors improved the IPC attitudes across all three professions. PMID:29122781

Development Module (Lab Report) As a Media of Learning in Vocational Education Viewed by Gender

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muslim, Supari; Suprianto, Bambang; Putra Gitama, Nahindi

2018-04-01

Module as a media of learning and training, which especially the students studying in institutions offering education at undergraduate and associate levels can employ as a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) controlled simulator of the logic gate, timer and counter. During industrial manufacturing processes, has been actualized through this work, for the purpose of training qualified technical personnel needed by companies, who are specialized in control and electro mechanics. It was found that, students are very happy learning to use the module so with very significant contributes to a large extent to the training process in favor of faculty members, who are to train personnel for the sector, and in favor of students, who should be able to acquire proper education. Working on the training tool allows students to acquire knowledge and practical skills and then make use of those skills for troubleshooting and control of machinery.

Effectiveness of the ACA (Availability, Current issues and Anticipation) training programme on GP-patient communication in palliative care; a controlled trial

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Communicating effectively with palliative care patients has been acknowledged to be somewhat difficult, but little is known about the effect that training general practitioners (GPs) in specific elements of communication in palliative care might have. We hypothesized that GPs exposed to a new training programme in GP-patient communication in palliative care focusing on availability of the GP for the patient, current issues the GP should discuss with the patient and anticipation by the GP of various scenarios (ACA), would discuss more issues and become more skilled in their communication with palliative care patients. Methods In this controlled trial among GPs who attended a two-year Palliative Care Peer Group Training Course in the Netherlands only intervention GPs received the ACA training programme. To evaluate the effect of the programme a content analysis (Roter Interaction Analysis System) was performed of one videotaped 15-minute consultation of each GP with a simulated palliative care patient conducted at baseline, and one at 12 months follow-up. Both how the GP communicated with the patient (‘availability’) and the number of current and anticipated issues the GP discussed with the patient were measured quantitatively. We used linear mixed models and logistic regression models to evaluate between-group differences over time. Results Sixty-two GPs were assigned to the intervention and 64 to the control group. We found no effect of the ACA training programme on how the GPs communicated with the patient or on the number of issues discussed by GPs with the patient. The total number of issues discussed by the GPs was eight out of 13 before and after the training in both groups. Conclusion The ACA training programme did not influence how the GPs communicated with the simulated palliative care patient or the number of issues discussed by the GPs in this trial. Further research should evaluate whether this training programme is effective for GPs who do not have a special interest in palliative care and whether studies using outcomes at patient level can provide more insight into the effectiveness of the ACA training programme. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN56722368 PMID:23819723

Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust Fellowships in Clinical Leadership Programme: An Evaluation.

PubMed

Miani, Celine; Marjanovic, Sonja; Jones, Molly Morgan; Marshall, Martin; Meikle, Samantha; Nolte, Ellen

2013-01-01

Leadership is seen to be central to improving the quality of healthcare and existing research suggests that absence of leadership is related to poor quality and safety performance. Leadership training might therefore provide an important means through which to promote quality improvement and, more widely, performance within the healthcare environment. This article presents an evaluation of the Fellowships in Clinical Leadership Programme, which combines leadership training and quality improvement initiatives with the placement of temporary external clinical champions in Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust. We assessed impacts of the Programme on individual and organisational change, alongside core enablers and barriers for Programme success. Analyses drew on the principles of a theory-of-change-led realist evaluation, using logic modelling to specify the underlying causal mechanisms of the Programme. Data collection involved a stakeholder workshop, online questionnaires of programme participants, senior managers and support staff (n=114), and follow-up in-depth semi-structured interviews with a subsample of survey participants (n=15). We observed that the Programme had notable impacts at individual and organisational levels. Examples of individual impact included enhanced communication and negotiation skills or increased confidence as a result of multi-modal leadership training. At the organisational level, participants reported indications of behaviour change among staff, with evidence of spill-over effects to non-participants towards a greater focus on patient-centred care. Our findings suggest that there is potential for combined leadership training and quality improvement programmes to contribute to strengthening a culture of care quality in healthcare organisations. Our study provides useful insights into strategies seeking to achieve sustainable improvement in NHS organisations.

Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust Fellowships in Clinical Leadership Programme

PubMed Central

Miani, Celine; Marjanovic, Sonja; Jones, Molly Morgan; Marshall, Martin; Meikle, Samantha; Nolte, Ellen

2013-01-01

Abstract Leadership is seen to be central to improving the quality of healthcare and existing research suggests that absence of leadership is related to poor quality and safety performance. Leadership training might therefore provide an important means through which to promote quality improvement and, more widely, performance within the healthcare environment. This article presents an evaluation of the Fellowships in Clinical Leadership Programme, which combines leadership training and quality improvement initiatives with the placement of temporary external clinical champions in Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust. We assessed impacts of the Programme on individual and organisational change, alongside core enablers and barriers for Programme success. Analyses drew on the principles of a theory-of-change-led realist evaluation, using logic modelling to specify the underlying causal mechanisms of the Programme. Data collection involved a stakeholder workshop, online questionnaires of programme participants, senior managers and support staff (n=114), and follow-up in-depth semi-structured interviews with a subsample of survey participants (n=15). We observed that the Programme had notable impacts at individual and organisational levels. Examples of individual impact included enhanced communication and negotiation skills or increased confidence as a result of multi-modal leadership training. At the organisational level, participants reported indications of behaviour change among staff, with evidence of spill-over effects to non-participants towards a greater focus on patient-centred care. Our findings suggest that there is potential for combined leadership training and quality improvement programmes to contribute to strengthening a culture of care quality in healthcare organisations. Our study provides useful insights into strategies seeking to achieve sustainable improvement in NHS organisations. PMID:28083304

Evaluation of learning from Practical Obstetric Multi-Professional Training and its impact on patient outcomes in Australia using Kirkpatrick's framework: a mixed methods study.

PubMed

Kumar, Arunaz; Sturrock, Sam; Wallace, Euan M; Nestel, Debra; Lucey, Donna; Stoyles, Sally; Morgan, Jenny; Neil, Peter; Schlipalius, Michelle; Dekoninck, Philip

2018-02-17

The aim of this study was to evaluate the implementation of the Practical Obstetric Multi-Professional Training (PROMPT) simulation using the Kirkpatrick's framework. We explored participants' acquisition of knowledge and skills, its impact on clinical outcomes and organisational change to integrate the PROMPT programme as a credentialing tool. We also aimed to assess participants' perception of usefulness of PROMPT in their clinical practice. Mixed methods approach with a pre-test/post-test design. Healthcare network providing obstetric care in Victoria, Australia. Medical and midwifery staff attending PROMPT between 2013 and 2015 (n=508); clinical outcomes were evaluated in two cohorts: 2011-2012 (n=15 361 births) and 2014-2015 (n=12 388 births). Attendance of the PROMPT programme, a simulation programme taught in multidisciplinary teams to facilitate teaching emergency obstetric skills. Clinical outcomes compared before and after embedding PROMPT in educational practice. Assessment of knowledge gained by participants through a qualitative analysis and description of process of embedding PROMPT in educational practice. There was a change in the management of postpartum haemorrhage by early recognition and intervention. The key learning themes described by participants were being prepared with a prior understanding of procedures and equipment, communication, leadership and learning in a safe, supportive environment. Participants reported a positive learning experience and increase in confidence in managing emergency obstetric situations through the PROMPT programme, which was perceived as a realistic demonstration of the emergencies. Participants reported an improvement of both clinical and non-technical skills highlighting principles of teamwork, communication, leadership and prioritisation in an emergency situation. An improvement was observed in management of postpartum haemorrhage, but no significant change was noted in clinical outcomes over a 2-year period after PROMPT. However, the skills acquired by medical and midwifery staff justify embedding PROMPT in educational programmes. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Introduction of Core Based Subjects in the Curriculum of Technical and Vocational Institutions in Ghana: Assessment of Its Effect on Practical Training Sessions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

William, Otu

2015-01-01

Technical education among other things focuses on training the skill manpower needs of the youth in most countries of which Ghana is no exception. This study looks at Ghana Education Service technical and vocational sector reform programme introduced in 2010 with emphasis on the introduction of compulsory core based subjects and its effect on…

Education and Training for Development in East Asia: The Political Economy of Skill Formation in East Asian Newly Industrialised Economies. ESRC Pacific Asia Programme [Series].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ashton, David; Green, Francis; James, Donna; Sung, Johnny

This book provides a detailed analysis of the development of education and training systems in Asia and the relationship with the process of economic growth. Focus is on four impoverished agrarian economies--Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan--that were transformed in little more than a generation into East Asian "tigers":…

Barriers and enablers to academic health leadership.

PubMed

Bharwani, Aleem; Kline, Theresa; Patterson, Margaret; Craighead, Peter

2017-02-06

Purpose This study sought to identify the barriers and enablers to leadership enactment in academic health-care settings. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews ( n = 77) with programme stakeholders (medical school trainees, university leaders, clinical leaders, medical scientists and directors external to the medical school) were conducted, and the responses content-analysed. Findings Both contextual and individual factors were identified as playing a role in affecting academic health leadership enactment that has an impact on programme development, success and maintenance. Contextual factors included sufficient resources allocated to the programme, opportunities for learners to practise leadership skills, a competent team around the leader once that person is in place, clear expectations for the leader and a culture that fosters open communication. Contextual barriers included highly bureaucratic structures, fear-of-failure and non-trusting cultures and inappropriate performance systems. Programmes were advised to select participants based on self-awareness, strong communication skills and an innovative thinking style. Filling specific knowledge and skill gaps, particularly for those not trained in medical school, was viewed as essential. Ineffective decision-making styles and tendencies to get involved in day-to-day activities were barriers to the development of academic health leaders. Originality/value Programmes designed to develop academic health-care leaders will be most effective if they develop leadership at all levels; ensure that the organisation's culture, structure and processes reinforce positive leadership practices; and recognise the critical role of teams in supporting its leaders.

Minimal Access Surgery Educational Needs of Trainees from Africa: Perspectives from an Asian Training Institution.

PubMed

Ahmad, J I; Mishra, R K

2015-01-01

The establishment of minimal access surgery (MAS) in the last three decades brought new dimensions to surgical training. The sole role of traditional apprenticeship training model was challenged and adjunctive surgical simulation models were introduced. Knowledge of the trainees' educational needs is important in designing MAS training curriculum. To study the MAS educational needs of trainees from Africa, review MAS training models and offer recommendations for MAS training. Data was obtained from questionnaires filled by trainees from Africa who attended the monthly MAS training at the World Laparoscopy Hospital, India from October 2013 to May 2014 about their MAS educational needs. There were 38 trainees from different parts of Africa (Central, East, North, South and West Africa) with average age of 41.92 ± 8.67 years (minimum-28 years and maximum 63 years) and majority were males (92%). General surgeons constituted 57% while Gynaecologists were 41%. Only a quarter have MAS training integrated in their training curriculum. Box trainers, Animal models, live human surgeries and virtual reality simulation were the commonest models used in previous trainings and favoured in the educational needs for MAS training. Using cadaveric models and self sponsorship were deemphasised. Widespread application of MAS, globalisation and trainees educational needs call for establishing training programmes. Box trainers, animal models, live human surgeries and virtual reality simulators should be adopted and a synergy between Postgraduate surgical programmes, biomedical industry, universities and trainees will facilitate the setting of MAS skills laboratories and programmes.

In-simulator training of driving abilities in a person with a traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

Gamache, Pierre-Luc; Lavallière, Martin; Tremblay, Mathieu; Simoneau, Martin; Teasdale, Normand

2011-01-01

This study reports the case of a 23-year-old woman (MC) who sustained a severe traumatic brain injury in 2004. After her accident, her driving license was revoked. Despite recovering normal neuropsychological functions in the following years, MC was unable to renew her license, failing four on-road evaluations assessing her fitness to drive. In hope of an eventual license renewal, MC went through an in-simulator training programme in the laboratory in 2009. The training programme aimed at improving features of MC's driving behaviour that were identified as being problematic in prior on-road evaluations. To do so, proper driving behaviour was reinforced via driving-specific feedback provided during the training sessions. After 25 sessions in the simulator (over a period of 4 months), MC significantly improved various components of her driving. Notably, compared to early sessions, later ones were associated with a reduced cognitive load, less jerky speed profiles when stopping at intersections and better vehicle control and positioning. A 1-year retention test showed most of these improvements were consistent. The learning principles underlying well conducted simulator-based education programmes have a strong scientific basis. A simulator training programme like this one represents a promising avenue for driving rehabilitation. It allows individuals without a driving license to practice and improve their skills in a safe and realistic environment.

Leading article: how can I optimise my role as a leader within the surgical team?

PubMed

Green, B; Mitchell, D A; Stevenson, P; Kane, T; Reynard, J; Brennan, P A

2016-10-01

Leadership is uncommonly taught formally at any level in surgical training, and is not often evaluated formally either within assessment programmes or during appraisal. Good leadership skills in oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) include professionalism, technical competence, motivation, innovation, ability to communicate, resilience, and effective teaching. They also include the recognition of when and how to "follow" when appropriate. Such skills can be developed through experience, observation, and education using a framework that can include mentoring, coaching, and feedback. This review provides some guidance in how to improve leadership skills in OMFS, which we hope will to improve the quality of training and care of patients. Copyright © 2016 The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Lessons learnt from a three-year pilot field epidemiology training programme

PubMed Central

Durand, A Mark; Hancock, Thane; Cash, Haley L; Hardie, Kate; Paterson, Beverley; Paulino, Yvette; White, Paul; Merritt, Tony; Fitzgibbons, Dawn; Gopalani, Sameer Vali; Flint, James; Edwin A Merilles, Onofre; Kashiwabara, Mina; Biaukula, Viema; Lepers, Christelle; Souares, Yvan; Nilles, Eric; Batikawai, Anaseini; Huseynova, Sevil; Patel, Mahomed; Saketa, Salanieta T; Durrheim, David; Henderson, Alden; Roth, Adam

2017-01-01

Problem The Pacific region has widely dispersed populations, limited financial and human resources and a high burden of disease. There is an urgent need to improve the availability, reliability and timeliness of useable health data. Context The purpose of this paper is to share lessons learnt from a three-year pilot field epidemiology training programme that was designed to respond to these Pacific health challenges. The pilot programme built on and further developed an existing field epidemiology training programme for Pacific health staff. Action The programme was delivered in country by epidemiologists working for Pacific Public Health Surveillance Network partners. The programme consisted of five courses: four one-week classroom-based courses and one field epidemiology project. Sessions were structured so that theoretical understanding was achieved through interaction and reinforced through practical hands-on group activities, case studies and other interactive practical learning methods. Outcome As of September 2016, 258 students had commenced the programme. Twenty-six course workshops were delivered and one cohort of students had completed the full five-course programme. The programme proved popular and gained a high level of student engagement. Discussion Face-to-face delivery, a low student-to-facilitator ratio, substantial group work and practical exercises were identified as key factors that contributed to the students developing skills and confidence. Close engagement of leaders and the need to quickly evaluate and adapt the curriculum were important lessons, and the collaboration between external partners was considered important for promoting a harmonized approach to health needs in the Pacific. PMID:29051838

CPSP/HSE Postgraduate Overseas Rotational Programme: Residents' Perspective.

PubMed

Gondal, Khalid Masood; Iqbal, Uzma; Arif, Seema; Ahmed, Arslan; Khan, Umair Ahmed

2016-04-01

To get direct upward feedback from the residents of first batch of CPSP/HSE Postgraduate Scholarship Programme. Mixed methods qualitative research study. CPSP, Regional Office, Lahore, in June 2015. It is a mixed-method study that was conducted in June, 2015. Data was collected through an email survey with 33 medical residents doing their rotation in Ireland; and focus group discussions were carried out with 8 residents, who had successfully completed their rotation. Data were collected through pre-designed questionnaires comprising of open- and close-ended questions. The data were entered into SPSS version 21 and analyzed. The mean age of residents was 29.9 &plusmn;1.1 years, 7 (21.2%) were females and 24 (72.7%) respondents were males. Residents agreed that HSE programme has improved their evidence-based decision making (mean score of 3.3 &plusmn;1.2) and enhanced professionalism (mean score of 3.6 &plusmn;1.1). They disagreed that training has polished their procedural skills (mean score 2.4 &plusmn;1.2). The identified strengths of the programme are: adopting a systematic approach towards patients, evidence-based decision making, better exposure and opportunities, financial stability and development of communication skills. The weaknesses are: less exposure to procedural skills, difficulty in synopsis and dissertation writing and difficulty in adjustment with rotational schedules. Residents of CPSP/HSE Programme believed that CPSP/HSE has improved their professionalism, communication skills and increased their future opportunities for career growth. Better communication between CPSP focal person and residents will help sort out many minor but important issues.

[Contribution of humanities and social sciences to the training of healthcare professionals in Africa: an experience in the context of the mother and child Priority Solidarity Fund].

PubMed

Cauli, Marie

2013-01-01

The mother-and-child Priority Solidarity Fund is a programme supported by Coopération Française in the fields of health, higher education and new technologies. It aims to achieve the Millennium Development Goals of reducing maternal and infantile mortality. This programme, focused on the training of trainers, is developing two innovative plans: digital resources and the integration of the humanities and social sciences. This second aspect is decisive: by aligning content, skills, and needs, it can place greater emphasis on preventive care and give a real meaning to the work of trainers.

Assessing nursing students' knowledge and skills in performing venepuncture and inserting peripheral venous catheters.

PubMed

Ahlin, C; Klang-Söderkvist, B; Johansson, E; Björkholm, M; Löfmark, A

2017-03-01

Venepuncture and the insertion of peripheral venous catheters are common tasks in health care, and training in these procedures is included in nursing programmes. Evidence of nursing students' knowledge and skills in these procedures is limited. The main aim of this study was to assess nursing students' knowledge and skills when performing venepuncture and inserting peripheral venous catheters. Potential associations between level of knowledge and skills, self-training, self-efficacy, and demographic characteristics were also investigated. The assessment was performed by lecturers at a university college in Sweden using the two previously tested instruments "Assess Venepuncture" and "Assess Peripheral Venous Catheter Insertion". Between 81% and 100% of steps were carried out correctly by the students. The step with the highest rating was "Uses gloves", and lowest rating was 'Informs the patients about the possibility of obtaining local anaesthesia'. Significant correlations between degree of self-training and correct performance were found in the group of students who registered their self-training. No associations between demographic characteristics and correct performances were found. Assessing that students have achieved adequate levels of knowledge and skills in these procedures at different levels of the nursing education is of importance to prevent complications and support patient safety. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The identification of high potential archers based on relative psychological coping skills variables: A Support Vector Machine approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taha, Zahari; Muazu Musa, Rabiu; Majeed, A. P. P. Abdul; Razali Abdullah, Mohamad; Aizzat Zakaria, Muhammad; Muaz Alim, Muhammad; Arif Mat Jizat, Jessnor; Fauzi Ibrahim, Mohamad

2018-03-01

Support Vector Machine (SVM) has been revealed to be a powerful learning algorithm for classification and prediction. However, the use of SVM for prediction and classification in sport is at its inception. The present study classified and predicted high and low potential archers from a collection of psychological coping skills variables trained on different SVMs. 50 youth archers with the average age and standard deviation of (17.0 ±.056) gathered from various archery programmes completed a one end shooting score test. Psychological coping skills inventory which evaluates the archers level of related coping skills were filled out by the archers prior to their shooting tests. k-means cluster analysis was applied to cluster the archers based on their scores on variables assessed. SVM models, i.e. linear and fine radial basis function (RBF) kernel functions, were trained on the psychological variables. The k-means clustered the archers into high psychologically prepared archers (HPPA) and low psychologically prepared archers (LPPA), respectively. It was demonstrated that the linear SVM exhibited good accuracy and precision throughout the exercise with an accuracy of 92% and considerably fewer error rate for the prediction of the HPPA and the LPPA as compared to the fine RBF SVM. The findings of this investigation can be valuable to coaches and sports managers to recognise high potential athletes from the selected psychological coping skills variables examined which would consequently save time and energy during talent identification and development programme.

Transforming learning?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1999-09-01

A new Learning and Skills Council for post-16 learning is the latest proposal from the UK Government in its attempt to ensure a highly skilled workforce for the next century. Other aims will be to reduce the variability in standards of the existing post-16 system, coordination and coherence between further education and training, and a reduction in the duplication and layers in contracting and funding. The proposals include: a national Learning and Skills Council, with 40-50 local Learning and Skills Councils to develop local plans; a strengthened strategic role for business in education and training, influencing a budget of #5bn a radical new youth programme entitled `Connexions', with dedicated personal advisors for young people; greater cooperation between sixth forms and colleges; and the establishment of an independent inspectorate covering all work-related learning and training, to include a new role for Ofsted in inspecting the provision for 16-19 year-olds in schools and colleges. It is hoped that this programme will build on the successes of the previous systems and that savings of at least #50m can be achieved through streamlining and the reduction in bureaucracy. The intentions are set out in a White Paper, Learning to Succeed, which is available from the Stationery Office and bookshops, as well as on the website www.dfee.gov.uk/post16. Published in addition to the White Paper was `School Sixth form funding: a consultation paper' (available from DfEE publications, Prolog, PO Box 5050, Sherwood Park, Annesley, Nottingham NG15 0DJ) and `Transition plan for the post-16 education and training and for local delivery of support for small firms' (available from Trevor Tucknutt, TECSOP Division, Level 3, Department for Education and Employment, Moorfoot, Sheffield S1 4PQ). The deadline for comments on both the sixth form consultation document and the White Paper is 15 October 1999. Almost simultaneously with the announcement of the above proposals came the launch of the new Institute for Learning and Teaching in York. This has been established with the aim of raising standards of teaching in higher education and improving learning and teaching methods in universities and colleges. Teaching is felt to be at least as important as research in higher education, and the new Institute will oversee the quality of training programmes for higher education teachers, highlight examples of good practice throughout the UK, as well as recognize and reward good teaching. It will also help to administer teaching and learning support schemes on behalf of the Higher Education Funding Council for England, including a new #1m a year fund for national teaching fellowships. The Institute has been set up in response to recommendations in the Dearing Report on higher education, and will be an independent body supported by the teaching organisations, universities and colleges of higher education and the funding councils. Besides accrediting programmes of training and development, it will provide a range of services for members. Membership will be open to those engaged in teaching or learning support who have completed accredited training programmes or provided other evidence of eligibility. It is expected that membership of the institute will become a normal requirement for new teachers in higher education. Further information about the Institute may be obtained from the Institute for Learning and Teaching, Genesis 3, York Science Park, York YO10 5DQ (tel: 01904 434222, e-mail: enquiries@ilt.ac.uk).

Strengthening public health nutrition research and training capacities in West Africa: Report of a planning workshop convened in Dakar, Senegal, 26-28 March 2009.

PubMed

Brown, Kenneth H; McLachlan, Milla; Cardosa, Placido; Tchibindat, Félicité; Baker, Shawn K

2010-01-01

A three-day workshop was convened in Dakar, Senegal, to provide participants from West African and international academic and research institutions, public health agencies, and donor organisations an opportunity to review current public health nutrition research and training capabilities in West Africa, assess needs for strengthening the regional institutional and workforce capacities, and discuss appropriate steps required to advance this agenda. The workshop included presentations of background papers, experiences of regional and international training programmes and small group discussions. Participants concluded that there is an urgent need to: (1) increase the throughput of public health nutrition training programmes, including undergraduate education, pre-service and in-service professional training, and higher education in public health nutrition and related research skills; and (2) enhance applied research capacity, to provide the evidence base necessary for nutrition program planning and evaluation. A Task Team was appointed to inform the regional Assembly of Health Ministers of the workshop conclusions and to develop political and financial support for a regional nutrition initiative to: (1) conduct advocacy and nutrition stewardship; (2) survey existing training programmes and assist with curriculum development; and (3) develop a plan for a regional applied research institute in Public Health Nutrition.

Current training provision and training needs in oral health for UK general practice trainees: survey of General Practitioner Training Programme Directors.

PubMed

Ahluwalia, Aneeta; Crossman, Tim; Smith, Helen

2016-05-11

In the UK the incidence of oral cancers has risen by a third in the last decade, and there have been minimal improvements in survival rates. Moreover, a significant proportion of the population no longer access dental health services regularly, instead presenting their oral health concerns to their General Medical Practitioner. Therefore, General Practitioners (GP) have an important role in the diagnosis of oral health pathologies and the earlier detection of oral cancers. This study aims to understand the current provision of training in oral health and cancer for GP trainees and to identify how unmet training needs could be met. A cross-sectional survey of GP Training Programme Directors using an online questionnaire asking about current oral health education training (hospital placements and structured teaching), the competencies covered with trainees and ways to improve oral health training. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and content analysis was undertaken of free text responses. We obtained responses from 132 GP Training Programme Directors (GPTPDs), from 13 of the 16 UK medical deaneries surveyed. The majority of respondents (71.2%) indicated that their programmes did not provide any structured oral health training to GP trainees and that ≤ 10% of their trainees were undertaking hospital posts relevant to oral health. GPTPDs were of the view that the quality of oral health training was poor, relative to the specified competencies, and that teaching on clinical presentations of 'normal' oral anatomy was particularly poor. It was envisaged that oral health training could be improved by access to specialist tutors, e-learning programmes and problem-based-learning sessions. Respondents highlighted the need for training sessions to be relevant to GPs. Barriers to improving training in oral health were time constraints, competing priorities and reluctance to taking on the workload of dentists. This UK-wide survey has identified important gaps in the training of GP trainees in relation to oral health care and cancer detection. Addressing these knowledge and skill gaps, particularly in the identification of oral cancers, will help to improve oral health and, more importantly, the timely diagnosis of oral cancer.

Engaging Future Clinical Oncology Researchers: An Initiative to Integrate Teaching of Biostatistics and Research Methodology into Specialty Training.

PubMed

Turner, S; Sundaresan, P; Mann, K; Pryor, D; Gebski, V; Shaw, T

2016-05-01

To evaluate the learner's perspectives on a novel workshop programme designed to improve skills in biostatistics, research methodology and critical appraisal in oncology. Trainees were surveyed anonymously at the completion of each annual workshop from 2012 to 2015. In total, 103 trainees in years 2-4 of training in radiation oncology responded, giving a 94% survey response rate. A 1 day workshop, designed by biostatisticians and radiation oncologist facilitators, is the central component of a programme teaching skills in biostatistics, research methods and critical appraisal. This links short didactic lectures about statistical concepts to interactive trainee discussions around discipline-related publications. The workshop was run in conjunction with the major radiation oncology clinical trials group meeting with alternating programmes (A and B). Most of the participants (44-47/47 for A and 48-55/56 for B), reported that their understanding of one or more individual topics improved as a result of teaching. Refinement of the workshop over time led to a more favourable perception of the 'optimal' balance between didactic/interactive teaching: nine of 27 (33%) 'optimal' responses seen in 2013 compared with 23 of 29 (79%) in 2015 (P < 0.001). Commonly reported themes were: clinician facilitators and access to biostatisticians helped contextualise learning and small group, structured discussions provided an environment conducive to learning. Overall, radiation oncology trainees reported positive perceptions of the educational value of this programme, with feedback identifying areas where this resource might be improved. This model could readily be adapted to suit other medical disciplines and/or other training environments, using specialty-specific research to illuminate key statistical concepts. Copyright © 2015 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A qualitative process evaluation of training for non-physician clinicians/associate clinicians (NPCs/ACs) in emergency maternal, neonatal care and clinical leadership, impact on clinical services improvements in rural Tanzania: the ETATMBA project.

PubMed

Ellard, David R; Shemdoe, Aloisia; Mazuguni, Festo; Mbaruku, Godfrey; Davies, David; Kihaile, Paul; Pemba, Senga; Bergström, Staffan; Nyamtema, Angelo; Mohamed, Hamed-Mahfoudh; O'Hare, Joseph Paul

2016-02-12

The Enhancing Human Resources and Use of Appropriate Training for Maternal and Perinatal Survival in sub-Saharan Africa (ETATMBA) project is training non-physician clinicians as advanced clinical leaders in emergency maternal and newborn care in Tanzania and Malawi. The main aims of this process evaluation were to explore the implementation of the programme of training in Tanzania, how it was received, how or if the training has been implemented into practice and the challenges faced along the way. Qualitative interviews with trainees, trainers, district officers and others exploring the application of the training into practice. During late 2010 and 2011, 36 trainees including 19 assistant medical officers one senior clinical officer and 16 nurse midwives/nurses (anaesthesia) were recruited from districts across rural Tanzania and invited to join the ETATMBA training programme. Trainees (n=36) completed the training returning to 17 facilities, two left and one died shortly after training. Of the remaining trainees, 27 were interviewed at their health facility. Training was well received and knowledge and skills were increased. There were a number of challenges faced by trainees, not least that their new skills could not be practised because the facilities they returned to were not upgraded. Nonetheless, there is evidence that the training is having an effect locally on health outcomes, like maternal and neonatal mortality, and the trainees are sharing their new knowledge and skills with others. The outcome of this evaluation is encouraging but highlights that there are many ongoing challenges relating to infrastructure (including appropriate facilities, electricity and water) and the availability of basic supplies and drugs. This cadre of workers is a dedicated and valuable resource that can make a difference, which with better support could make a greater contribution to healthcare in the country. 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/

Interprofessional enhanced skills training in periodontology: a qualitative study of one London pilot.

PubMed

Radcliffe, Eloise; Ghotane, Swapnil G; Harrison, Victoria; Gallagher, Jennifer E

2017-01-01

Health Education England (HEE) London developed an innovative 2-year pilot educational and training initiative for enhancing skills in periodontology for dentists and dental hygienists/therapists in 2011. This study explores the perceptions and experiences of those involved in initiating, designing, delivering and participating in this interprofessional approach to training. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of key stakeholders including course participants (dentists and dental hygienists and/or therapists), education and training commissioners, and providers towards the end of the 2-year programme. Interviews, based on a topic guide informed by health services and policy literature, were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed based on framework methodology, using QSR NVivo 9 software to manage the data. Twenty-two people were interviewed. Although certain challenges were identified in designing, and teaching, a course bringing together different professional backgrounds and level of skills, the experiences of all key stakeholders were overwhelmingly positive relating to the concept. There was evidence of 'creative interprofessional learning', which led to 'enhancing team working', 'enabling role recognition' and 'equipping participants for delivery of new models of care'. Recommendations emerged with regard to future training and wider health policy, and systems that will enable participants on future enhanced skills courses in periodontology to apply these skills in clinical practice. The interprofessional approach to enhanced skills training in periodontology represents an important creative innovation to build capacity within the oral health workforce. This qualitative study has provided a useful insight into the benefits and tensions of an interprofessional model of training from the perspectives of different groups of key stakeholders and suggests its application to other areas of dentistry.

Interprofessional enhanced skills training in periodontology: a qualitative study of one London pilot

PubMed Central

Radcliffe, Eloise; Ghotane, Swapnil G; Harrison, Victoria; Gallagher, Jennifer E

2017-01-01

OBJECTIVES/AIMS: Health Education England (HEE) London developed an innovative 2-year pilot educational and training initiative for enhancing skills in periodontology for dentists and dental hygienists/therapists in 2011. This study explores the perceptions and experiences of those involved in initiating, designing, delivering and participating in this interprofessional approach to training. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of key stakeholders including course participants (dentists and dental hygienists and/or therapists), education and training commissioners, and providers towards the end of the 2-year programme. Interviews, based on a topic guide informed by health services and policy literature, were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed based on framework methodology, using QSR NVivo 9 software to manage the data. RESULTS: Twenty-two people were interviewed. Although certain challenges were identified in designing, and teaching, a course bringing together different professional backgrounds and level of skills, the experiences of all key stakeholders were overwhelmingly positive relating to the concept. There was evidence of ‘creative interprofessional learning’, which led to ‘enhancing team working’, ‘enabling role recognition’ and ‘equipping participants for delivery of new models of care’. Recommendations emerged with regard to future training and wider health policy, and systems that will enable participants on future enhanced skills courses in periodontology to apply these skills in clinical practice. CONCLUSION: The interprofessional approach to enhanced skills training in periodontology represents an important creative innovation to build capacity within the oral health workforce. This qualitative study has provided a useful insight into the benefits and tensions of an interprofessional model of training from the perspectives of different groups of key stakeholders and suggests its application to other areas of dentistry. PMID:29607074

Learning globally to enhance local practice: an international programme in primary care & family health.

PubMed

Godoy-Ruiz, Paula; Rodas, Jamie; Talbot, Yves; Rouleau, Katherine

2016-09-01

In a global context of growing health inequities, international learning experiences have become a popular strategy for equipping health professionals with skills, knowledge, and competencies required to work with the populations they serve. This study sought to analyse the Chilean Interprofessional Programme in Primary Health Care (CIPPHC), a 5 week international learning experience funded by the Ministry of Health in Chile targeted at Chilean primary care providers and delivered in Toronto by the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. The study focused on three cohorts of students (2010-2012). Anonymous programme evaluations were analysed and semi-structured interviews conducted with programme alumni. Simple descriptive statistics were gathered from the evaluations and the interviews were analysed via thematic content analysis. The majority of participants reported high levels of satisfaction with the training programme, knowledge gain, particularly in the areas of the Canadian model of primary care, and found the materials delivered to be applicable to their local context. The CIPPHC has proven to be a successful educational initiative and provides valuable lessons for other academic centres in developing international interprofessional training programmes for primary care health care providers.

A randomised group comparison controlled trial of 'preschoolers with autism': a parent education and skills training intervention for young children with autistic disorder.

PubMed

Tonge, Bruce; Brereton, Avril; Kiomall, Melissa; Mackinnon, Andrew; Rinehart, Nicole J

2014-02-01

To determine the effect of parent education on adaptive behaviour, autism symptoms and cognitive/language skills of young children with autistic disorder. A randomised group comparison design involving a parent education and counselling intervention and a parent education and behaviour management intervention to control for parent skills training and a control sample. Two rural and two metropolitan regions were randomly allocated to intervention groups (n = 70) or control (n = 35). Parents from autism assessment services in the intervention regions were randomly allocated to parent education and behaviour management (n = 35) or parent education and counselling (n = 35). Parent education and behaviour management resulted in significant improvement in adaptive behaviour and autism symptoms at 6 months follow-up for children with greater delays in adaptive behaviour. Parent education and behaviour management was superior to parent education and counselling. We conclude that a 20-week parent education programme including skills training for parents of young children with autistic disorder provides significant improvements in child adaptive behaviour and symptoms of autism for low-functioning children.

Improving health-related fitness in adolescents: the CrossFit Teens™ randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Eather, Narelle; Morgan, Philip James; Lubans, David Revalds

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the preliminary efficacy and feasibility of the CrossFit Teens™ resistance training programme for improving health-related fitness and resistance training skill competency in adolescents. This assessor-blinded randomised controlled trial was conducted in one secondary school in the Hunter Region, Australia, from July to September 2013. Ninety-six (96) students (age = 15.4 (.5) years, 51.5% female) were randomised into intervention (n = 51) or control (n = 45) conditions for 8-weeks (60 min twice per week). Waist circumference, body mass index (BMI), BMI-Z score (primary outcomes), cardiorespiratory fitness (shuttle run test), muscular fitness (standing jump, push-up, handgrip, curl-up test), flexibility (sit and reach) and resistance training skill competency were measured at baseline and immediate post-intervention. Feasibility measures of recruitment, retention, adherence and satisfaction were assessed. Significant group-by-time intervention effects were found for waist circumference [-3.1 cm, P < 0.001], BMI [-1.38 kg · m(‒)(2), P < 0.001], BMI-Z [-0.5 z-scores, P < 0.001], sit and reach [+3.0 cm, P < 0.001], standing jump [+0.1 m, P = 0.021] and shuttle run [+10.3 laps, P = 0.019]. Retention rate was 82.3%. All programme sessions were delivered and participants' mean satisfaction scores ranged from 4.2 to 4.6 out of 5. The findings demonstrate that CrossFit Teens™ is a feasible and efficacious programme for improving health-related fitness in adolescents.

Assessment of CPR-D skills of nurses in Göteborg, Sweden and Espoo, Finland: teaching leadership makes a difference.

PubMed

Mäkinen, M; Aune, S; Niemi-Murola, L; Herlitz, J; Varpula, T; Nurmi, J; Axelsson, A B; Thorén, A-B; Castrén, M

2007-02-01

Construction of an effective in-hospital resuscitation programme is challenging. To document and analyse resuscitation skills assessment must provide reliable data. Benchmarking with a hospital having documented excellent results of in-hospital resuscitation is beneficial. The purpose of this study was to assess the resuscitation skills to facilitate construction of an educational programme. Nurses working in a university hospital Jorvi, Espoo (n=110), Finland and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg (n=40), Sweden were compared. The nurses were trained in the same way in both hospitals except for the defining and teaching of leadership applied in Sahlgrenska. Jorvi nurses are not trained to be, nor do they act as, leaders in a resuscitation situation. Their cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills using an automated external defibrillator (AED) were assessed using Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) which was build up as a case of cardiac arrest with ventricular fibrillation (VF) as the initial rhythm. The subjects were tested in pairs, each pair alone. Group-working skills were registered. All Sahlgrenska nurses, but only 49% of Jorvi nurses, were able to defibrillate. Seventy percent of the nurses working in the Sahlgrenska hospital (mean score 35/49) and 27% of the nurses in Jorvi (mean score 26/49) would have passed the OSCE test. Statistically significant differences were found in activating the alarm (P<0.001), activating the AED without delay (P<0.01), setting the lower defibrillation electrode correctly (P<0.001) and using the correct resuscitation technique (P<0.05). The group-working skills of Sahlgrenska nurses were also significantly better than those of Jorvi nurses. Assessment of CPR-D skills gave valuable information for further education in both hospitals. Defining and teaching leadership seems to improve resuscitation performance.

Computer Aided Lip Reading Training Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sarmasik, Gamze; Dalkilic, Gokhan; Kut, Alp; Cebi, Yalcin; Serbetcioglu, Bulent

2007-01-01

Worldwide auditory-verbal education is becoming widespread for deaf children. But many prelingually, late-diagnosed deaf children and adults may utilize neither hearing aids nor cochlear implants and needed the support of lip-reading. Therefore, lip-reading skill remains to be important for oral education programmes of hearing impaired. The…

The Collaborative Development of Teacher Training Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stillwell, Christopher

2009-01-01

This paper describes "mentor development", a means of collaborative professional development through peer observation that was initiated by the author with 18 peers, all native English speaker EFL teachers at Kanda University of International Studies in Chiba, Japan. It shows how such a programme allows teachers to learn from one another…

Developing Vocational Competences during Secondary School?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Behle, Heike

2017-01-01

Purpose: Using the example of an amalgamated secondary school qualification (International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme--IBCP), in which both vocational education and training (VET) and academic subjects are taught, the paper aims to discuss the use of skills and knowledge gained during the IBCP for post-secondary school activities.…

Struggle and Failure on Clinical Placement: A Critical Narrative Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davenport, Rachel; Hewat, Sally; Ferguson, Alison; McAllister, Sue; Lincoln, Michelle

2018-01-01

Background: Clinical placements are crucial to the development of skills and competencies in speech-language pathology (SLP) education and, more generally, a requirement of all health professional training programmes. Literature from medical education provides a context for understanding how the environment can be vital to all students' learning.…

Accelerating Early Language Development with Multi-Sensory Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bjorn, Piia M.; Kakkuri, Irma; Karvonen, Pirkko; Leppanen, Paavo H. T.

2012-01-01

This paper reports the outcome of a multi-sensory intervention on infant language skills. A programme titled "Rhyming Game and Exercise Club", which included kinaesthetic-tactile mother-child rhyming games performed in natural joint attention situations, was intended to accelerate Finnish six- to eight-month-old infants' language development. The…

Virtual Reality: Is It for Real?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dowding, Tim J.

1994-01-01

Defines virtual reality and describes its application to psychomotor skills training. A description of a system that could be used to teach a college course in physical therapy, including the use of miniature computer workstation, sensory gloves, a programmable mannequin, and other existing technology, is provided. (Contains 10 references.) (KRN)

Investigating the Effectiveness of a Study Skills Training Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sikhwari, T. D.; Pillay, J.

2012-01-01

Various studies have shown that the school system in South Africa is continually producing learners who are inadequately prepared for higher education studies, particularly schools in disadvantaged environments. The University of Venda (UNIVEN) is situated in an educationally disadvantaged environment. Most of the students who enroll at this…

The development and implementation of the structured training programme for caregivers of inpatients after stroke (TRACS) intervention: the London Stroke Carers Training Course.

PubMed

Forster, Anne; Dickerson, Josie; Melbourn, Anne; Steadman, Jayne; Wittink, Margreet; Young, John; Kalra, Lalit; Farrin, Amanda

2015-03-01

To describe the content and delivery of the adapted London Stroke Carers Training Course intervention evaluated in the Training Caregivers after Stroke (TRACS) trial. The London Stroke Carers Training Course is a structured training programme for caregivers of inpatients who are likely to return home after their stroke. The course was delivered by members of the multidisciplinary team while the patient was in the stroke unit with one recommended 'follow through' session after discharge home. The intervention consists of 14 training components (six mandatory) that were identified as important knowledge/skills that caregivers would need to be able to care for the stroke patient after discharge home. Following national training days, the London Stroke Carers Training Course was disseminated to intervention sites by the cascade method of implementation. The intervention was adapted for implementation across a range of stroke units. Training days were well attended (median 2.5 and 2.0 attendees per centre for the first and second days, respectively) and the feedback positive, demonstrating 'face validity' for the intervention. However cascading of this training to other members of the multidisciplinary team was not consistent, with 7/18 centres recording no cascade training. The adapted London Stroke Carers Training Course provided a training programme that could be delivered in a standardised, structured way in a variety of stroke unit settings throughout the UK. The intervention was well received by stroke unit staff, however, the cascade method of implementation was not as effective as we would have wished. © The Author(s) 2014.

An online positive parenting skills programme for paediatric traumatic brain injury: feasibility and parental satisfaction.

PubMed

Antonini, Tanya N; Raj, Stacey P; Oberjohn, Karen S; Wade, Shari L

2012-09-01

We examined the feasibility of and parental satisfaction with a training programme for parents with children who had suffered traumatic brain injury (TBI). Families who did not have a home computer and/or webcam were loaned the necessary equipment. Skype was used for videoconferencing. After the initial treatment session in the family's home, the remaining nine sessions were conducted online. Each session had two parts: (1) a self-guided web session with information about a particular skill; (2) a videoconference session with the therapist. Three of the 20 families (15%) dropped out prior to the final 6-month follow-up visit. Of the remaining 17 families, 13 (65% of those enrolled) completed 9-14 sessions. Almost all of the caregivers (87%) said that the Skype sessions were helpful compared to a conventional office visit. Almost all parents were satisfied with the programme and the technology that was used. Parental satisfaction with the programme was not influenced by prior computer ownership or comfort with technology. The programme appears to be feasible for a wide range of parents of children with TBI and provides an alternative to conventional office-based sessions that may not be accessible to all families.

Simulation training: a systematic review of simulation in arthroscopy and proposal of a new competency-based training framework.

PubMed

Tay, Charison; Khajuria, Ankur; Gupte, Chinmay

2014-01-01

Traditional orthopaedic training has followed an apprenticeship model whereby trainees enhance their skills by operating under guidance. However the introduction of limitations on training hours and shorter training programmes mean that alternative training strategies are required. To perform a literature review on simulation training in arthroscopy and devise a framework that structures different simulation techniques that could be used in arthroscopic training. A systematic search of Medline, Embase, Google Scholar and the Cochrane Databases were performed. Search terms included "virtual reality OR simulator OR simulation" and "arthroscopy OR arthroscopic". 14 studies evaluating simulators in knee, shoulder and hip arthroplasty were included. The majority of the studies demonstrated construct and transference validity but only one showed concurrent validity. More studies are required to assess its potential as a training and assessment tool, skills transference between simulators and to determine the extent of skills decay from prolonged delays in training. We also devised a "ladder of arthroscopic simulation" that provides a competency-based framework to implement different simulation strategies. The incorporation of simulation into an orthopaedic curriculum will depend on a coordinated approach between many bodies. But the successful integration of simulators in other areas of surgery supports a possible role for simulation in advancing orthopaedic education. Copyright © 2014 Surgical Associates Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A review of factors affecting the transfer of sexual and reproductive health training into practice in low and lower-middle income country humanitarian settings.

PubMed

Beek, Kristen; Dawson, Angela; Whelan, Anna

2017-01-01

A lack of access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among displaced women and girls of reproductive age. Efforts to address this public health emergency in humanitarian settings have included the widespread delivery of training programmes to address gaps in health worker capacity for SRH. There remains a lack of data on the factors which may affect the ability of health workers to apply SRH knowledge and skills gained through training programmes in humanitarian contexts. We searched four electronic databases and ten key organizations' websites to locate literature on SRH training for humanitarian settings in low and lower-middle income countries. Papers were examined using content analysis to identify factors which contribute to health workers' capacity to transfer SRH knowledge, skills and attitudes learned in training into practice in humanitarian settings. Seven studies were included in this review. Six research papers focused on the response stage of humanitarian crises and five papers featured the disaster context of conflict. A range of SRH components were addressed including maternal, newborn health and sexual violence. The review identified factors, including appropriate resourcing, organisational support and confidence in health care workers that were found to facilitate the transfer of learning. The findings suggest the presence of factors that moderate the transfer of training at the individual, training, organisational, socio-cultural, political and health system levels. Supportive strategies are necessary to best assist trainees to apply newly acquired knowledge and skills in their work settings. These interventions must address factors that moderate the success of learning transfer. Findings from this review suggest that these are related to the individual trainee, the training program itself and the workplace as well as the broader environmental context. Organisations which provide SRH training for humanitarian emergencies should work to identify the system of moderating factors that affect training transfer in their setting and employ evidence-based strategies to ameliorate these.

Industrial training approach using GPM P5 Standard for Sustainability in Project Management: a framework for sustainability competencies in the 21st century

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johan, Kartina; Mohd Turan, Faiz

2016-11-01

Malaysian Engineering Accreditation (Engineering Programme Accreditation Manual, 2007) requires all bachelor degree in engineering programmes to incorporate a minimum of two months industrial training in order for the programme to be accredited by the council. The industrial training has the objective to provide students on the insights of being an engineer at the workplace hence increasing their knowledge in employability skills prior to graduation. However the current structure of industrial training is not able to inculcate good leadership ability and prepare students with sustainability competencies needed in the era of Sustainable Development (SD). This paper aims to study project management methodology as a framework to create a training pathway in industrial training for students in engineering programs using Green Project Management (GPM) P5 standard for sustainability in project management. The framework involves students as interns, supervisors from both university and industry and also participation from NonProfit Organisation (NPO). The framework focus on the development of the student's competency in employability skills, lean leadership and sustainability competencies using experiential learning approach. Deliverables of the framework include internship report, professional sustainability report using GPM P5 standard and competency assessment. The post-industrial phase of the framework is constructed for students to be assessed collaboratively by the university, industry and the sustainability practitioner in the country. The ability for the interns to act as a change agent in sustainability practices is measured by the competency assessment and the quality of the sustainability report. The framework support the call for developing holistic students based on Malaysian Education Blueprint (Higher Education) 2015-2025 and address the gap between the statuses of engineering qualification to the sustainability competencies in the 21st century in particular by achieving the Sustainability Graduates (SG) attributes outlined in the framework.

A pressure ulcer prevention programme specially designed for nursing homes: does it work?

PubMed

Kwong, Enid W-Y; Lau, Ada T-Y; Lee, Rainbow L-P; Kwan, Rick Y-C

2011-10-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate a pressure ulcer prevention programme for nursing homes to ascertain the feasibility of its implementation, impact on care staff and outcomes for pressure ulcer knowledge and skills and pressure ulcer reduction. No pressure ulcer prevention protocol for long-term care settings has been established to date. The first author of this study thus developed a pressure ulcer prevention programme for nursing homes. A quasi-experimental pretest and post-test design was adopted. Forty-one non-licensed care providers and eleven nurses from a government-subsidised nursing home voluntarily participated in the study. Knowledge and skills of the non-licensed care providers were assessed before, immediately after and six weeks after the training course, and pressure ulcer prevalence and incidence were recorded before and during the protocol implementation. At the end of the programme implementation, focus group interviews with the subjects were conducted to explore their views on the programme. A statistically significant improvement in knowledge and skills scores amongst non-licensed care providers was noted. Pressure ulcer prevalence and incidence rates dropped from 9-2·5% and 2·5-0·8%, respectively, after programme implementation. The focus group findings indicated that the programme enhanced the motivation of non-licensed care providers to improve their performance of pressure ulcer prevention care and increased communication and cooperation amongst care staff, but use of the modified Braden scale was considered by nurses to increase their workload. A pressure ulcer prevention programme for nursing homes, which was feasible and acceptable, with positive impact and outcome in a nursing home was empirically developed. The study findings can be employed to modify the programme and its outcomes for an evaluation of effectiveness of the programme through a randomised controlled trial. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Undergraduate training in the atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) approach--an activity report.

PubMed

Mickenautsch, S; Rudolph, M J

2002-09-01

The Division of Public Oral Health at the University of the Witwatersrand conducted a 2-week ART training course for 5th year dental students in the School of Oral Health Sciences. Students were taught both theoretical knowledge and clinical skills in ART. Course evaluation showed that the course achieved its aims and objectives and was considered a worthwhile experience by students. However, there were some limitations to the format of the programme. We recommend that ART should be integrated as part of clinical student training in the BDS curriculum.

Academic and non-academic career options for marine scientists. - Support measures for early career scientists offered at MARUM - Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Germany

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hebbeln, Dierk; Klose, Christina

2015-04-01

Early career scientists at MARUM cover a wide range of research topics and disciplines including geosciences, biology, chemistry, social sciences and law. Just as colourful as the disciplinary background of the people, are their ideas for their personal careers. With our services and programmes, we aim to address some important career planning needs of PhD students and early career Postdocs, both, for careers in science and for careers outside academia. For PhD students aiming to stay in science, MARUM provides funding opportunities for a research stay abroad for a duration of up to 6 months. A range of courses is offered to prepare for the first Postdoc position. These include trainings in applying for research funding, proposal writing and interview skills. Following MARUM lectures which are held once a month, early career scientists are offered the opportunity to talk to senior scientists from all over the world in an informal Meet&Greet. Mentoring and coaching programmes for women in science are offered in cooperation with the office for equal opportunities at the University of Bremen. These programmes offer an additional opportunity to train interpersonal skills and to develop personal career strategies including a focus on special challenges that especially women might (have to) face in the scientific community. Early career scientists aiming for a non-academic career find support on different levels. MARUM provides funding opportunities for placements in industry, administration, consulting or similar. We offer trainings in e.g. job hunting strategies or interview skills. For a deeper insight into jobs outside the academic world, we regularly invite professionals for informal fireside chats and career days. These events are organised in cooperation with other graduate programmes in the region to broaden the focus of both, the lecturers and the participants. A fundamental component of our career programmes is the active involvement of alumni of MARUM and our partner institutions. Alumni are invited regularly for presentations and informal communication. Feedback shows that early career scientists especially benefit from the experiences shared by their former colleagues since the latter are perceived to have gone through the same education.

The effect of pre-course e-learning prior to advanced life support training: a randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Perkins, Gavin D; Fullerton, James N; Davis-Gomez, Nicole; Davies, Robin P; Baldock, Catherine; Stevens, Harry; Bullock, Ian; Lockey, Andrew S

2010-07-01

The role of e-learning in contemporary healthcare education is quickly developing. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the use of an e-learning simulation programme (Microsim, Laerdal, UK) prior to attending an Advanced Life Support (ALS) course and the subsequent relationship to candidate performance. An open label, multi-centre randomised controlled study was conducted. The control group received a course manual and pre-course MCQ four weeks prior to the face to face course. The intervention group in addition received the Microsim programme on a CD. The primary outcome was performance during a simulated cardiac arrest at the end of the course. Secondary outcomes were performance during multiple choice exams, resuscitation skills assessments and feedback to Microsim programme. 572 participants were randomised (287 Microsim, 285 control). There were no significant differences in the primary outcome (performance during a standard cardiac arrest simulation) or secondary outcomes. User evaluations were favorable. 79% would recommend it to colleagues. 9% stated Microsim could replace the entire ALS course, 25% parts. Over 70% of participants' perceived that Microsim improved their understanding of the key learning domains of the ALS course. Distributing Microsim to healthcare providers prior to attending an ALS courses did not improve either cognitive or psychomotor skills performance during cardiac arrest simulation testing. The challenge that lies ahead is to identify the optimal way to use e-learning as part of a blended approach to learning for this type of training programme.

The effect of dyad versus individual simulation-based ultrasound training on skills transfer.

PubMed

Tolsgaard, Martin G; Madsen, Mette E; Ringsted, Charlotte; Oxlund, Birgitte S; Oldenburg, Anna; Sorensen, Jette L; Ottesen, Bent; Tabor, Ann

2015-03-01

Dyad practice may be as effective as individual practice during clinical skills training, improve students' confidence, and reduce costs of training. However, there is little evidence that dyad training is non-inferior to single-student practice in terms of skills transfer. This study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of simulation-based ultrasound training in pairs (dyad practice) with that of training alone (single-student practice) on skills transfer. In a non-inferiority trial, 30 ultrasound novices were randomised to dyad (n = 16) or single-student (n = 14) practice. All participants completed a 2-hour training programme on a transvaginal ultrasound simulator. Participants in the dyad group practised together and took turns as the active practitioner, whereas participants in the single group practised alone. Performance improvements were evaluated through pre-, post- and transfer tests. The transfer test involved the assessment of a transvaginal ultrasound scan by one of two clinicians using the Objective Structured Assessment of Ultrasound Skills (OSAUS). Thirty participants completed the simulation-based training and 24 of these completed the transfer test. Dyad training was found to be non-inferior to single-student training: transfer test OSAUS scores were significantly higher than the pre-specified non-inferiority margin (delta score 7.8%, 95% confidence interval -3.8-19.6%; p = 0.04). More dyad (71.4%) than single (30.0%) trainees achieved OSAUS scores above a pre-established pass/fail level in the transfer test (p = 0.05). There were significant differences in performance scores before and after training in both groups (pre- versus post-test, p < 0.01) with large effect sizes (Cohen's d = 3.85) and no significant interactions between training type and performance (p = 0.59). The dyad group demonstrated higher training efficiency in terms of simulator score per number of attempts compared with the single-student group (p = 0.03). Dyad practice improves the efficiency of simulation-based training and is non-inferior to individual practice in terms of skills transfer. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Competency based advanced training in Intellectual Disability Psychiatry: a NSW prototype.

PubMed

Johnson, Keith; Bowden, Michael; Coyne, David; Trollor, Julian

2013-08-01

This paper describes a competency based advanced training year in adult Intellectual Disability Psychiatry enabled through a partnership between disability and mental health sectors. This training experience could be viewed as a prototype for further specialised training schemes in Intellectual Disability Psychiatry, and has relevance for the implementation of competency based psychiatric training schemes in Australia. The need for a specific training curriculum in Intellectual Disability Psychiatry is outlined with reference to epidemiological evidence and human rights. The formulation of the training programme and the training experience itself is described and evaluated. Conclusions on the implications of this experience for the future competency based training schemes are drawn. Building a skilled workforce is necessary to address the significant inequalities in mental health experienced by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. A significant initial step for this would be the development of a specialised training curriculum. Service provision for this population is scattered across many disciplines and organisations with historically little mutual cooperation. Additionally, proposed competency-based training schemes stipulate that a medical expert develops a wide skill set across multiple domains. Thus, formal cross sector collaboration is fundamental for any competency based training scheme to be feasible.

The EuroSprite2005 Observational Campaign: an example of training and outreach opportunities for CAL young scientists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chanrion, O.; Crosby, N. B.; Arnone, E.; Boberg, F.; van der Velde, O.; Odzimek, A.; Mika, Á.; Enell, C.-F.; Berg, P.; Ignaccolo, M.; Steiner, R. J.; Laursen, S.; Neubert, T.

2007-07-01

The four year "Coupling of Atmospheric Layers (CAL)" EU FP5 Research Training Network project studied unanswered questions related to transient luminous events (sprites, jets and elves) in the upper atmosphere. Consisting of ten scientific work-packages CAL also included intensive training and outreach programmes for the young scientists hired. Educational activities were based on the following elements: national PhD programmes, activities at CAL and other meetings, a dedicated summer school, and two European sprite observational campaigns. The young scientists were strongly involved in the latter and, as an example, the "EuroSprite2005" observational campaign is presented in detail. Some of the young scientists participated in the instrument set-up, others in the campaign logistics, some coordinated the observations, and others gathered the results to build a catalogue. During the four-month duration of this campaign, all of them took turns in operating the system and making their own night observations. The ongoing campaign activities were constantly advertised and communicated via an Internet blog. In summary the campaign required all the CAL young scientists to embark on experimental work, to develop their organisational skills, and to enhance their ability to communicate their activities. The campaign was a unique opportunity to train and strengthen skills that will be an asset to their future careers and, overall, was most successful.

Transformational leadership training programme for charge nurses.

PubMed

Duygulu, Sergul; Kublay, Gulumser

2011-03-01

This paper is a report of an evaluation of the effects of a transformational leadership training programme on Unit Charge Nurses' leadership practices. Current healthcare regulations in the European Union and accreditation efforts of hospitals for their services mandate transformation in healthcare services in Turkey. Therefore, the transformational leadership role of nurse managers is vital in determining and achieving long-term goals in this process. The sample consisted of 30 Unit Charge Nurses with a baccalaureate degree and 151 observers at two university hospitals in Turkey. Data were collected using the Leadership Practices Inventory-Self and Observer (applied four times during a 14-month study process from December 2005 to January 2007). The transformational leadership training programme had theoretical (14 hours) and individual study (14 hours) in five sections. Means, standard deviations and percentages, repeated measure tests and two-way factor analysis were used for analysis. According the Leadership Practices Inventory-Self and Observer ratings, leadership practices increased statistically significantly with the implementation of the programme. There were no significant differences between groups in age, length of time in current job and current position. The Unit Charge Nurses Leadership Practices Inventory self-ratings were significantly higher than those of the observers. There is a need to develop similar programmes to improve the leadership skills of Unit Charge Nurses, and to make it mandatory for nurses assigned to positions of Unit Charge Nurse to attend this kind of leadership programme. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Developing Self-Management and Teamwork Using Digital Games in 3D Simulations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cela-Ranilla, Jose M.; Esteve-Mon, Francesc M.; Esteve-González, Vanessa; Gisbert-Cervera, Merce

2014-01-01

Emerging technologies are providing opportunities for designing new learning environments, especially environments in which students can learn by putting their skills into practice. Knowledge about the development of these experiences needs to be accumulated and processed so that they can be integrated effectively into training programmes. In this…

Evaluation of an Interview Skills Training Package for Adolescents with Speech, Language and Communication Needs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mathrick, Rachel; Meagher, Tina; Norbury, Courtenay Frazier

2017-01-01

Background & Aims: We evaluated a structured intervention programme aimed at preparing adolescents with developmental language disorders for job interviews. Our primary outcome measures included change in ratings of verbal and non-verbal social communication behaviours evident during mock interviews. Methods & Procedures: In study 1, 12…

Evaluation of a Stranger Safety Training Programme for Adults with Williams Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fisher, M. H.

2014-01-01

Background: Individuals with Williams syndrome (WS) are reported to display increased sociability towards strangers, leading to increased social vulnerability. No research has examined real life interactions of adults with WS towards strangers and no interventions have been implemented to teach stranger safety skills to this population. Method:…

Switch-On Effectiveness Trial: Evaluation Report and Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patel, Rakhee; Jabin, Nico; Bussard, Loraine; Cartagena, Javiera; Haywood, Sarah; Lumpkin, Michael

2017-01-01

Switch-on is an intensive, targeted literacy intervention that aims to improve the reading skills of pupils who are struggling with literacy. There are two versions of the intervention: Switch-on Reading and Switch-on Reading and Writing. Both involve specially trained Teaching Assistants (TAs) delivering a tailored programme of literacy support…

Co-producing public involvement training with members of the public and research organisations in the East Midlands: creating, delivering and evaluating the lay assessor training programme.

PubMed

Horobin, Adele; Brown, George; Higton, Fred; Vanhegan, Stevie; Wragg, Andrew; Wray, Paula; Walker, Dawn-Marie

2017-01-01

Members of the public share their views with researchers to improve health and social care research. Lay assessing is one way of doing this. This is where people, drawing upon personal and general life experience, comment on material, such as grant applications and patient information, to highlight strengths and weaknesses and to suggest improvements. This paper reports on setting up a training programme for lay assessors. Meetings were held between interested public and staff from research organisations. People discussed what lay assessing is, why they want to do it, skills and support needed and if training was wanted. They were invited to form a group to develop the training together. Training was delivered in the East Midlands. People who attended gave their thoughts about it by completing questionnaires and joining a feedback event. The group developed the structure of the training programme together and it oversaw the development of the training content by individual members. People who attended training reported feeling more confident about lay assessing. This was particularly so for those who had not done lay assessing before. They indicated how valuable it was to talk with others at the training. Our findings support the National Institute for Health Research recommendations for improving learning and development for public involvement in research. This project has created a solid base for local research organisations to work together in public involvement training. Lay assessor training is now part of a wider programme of shared resources called the Sharebank. Background Involving members of the public in research can improve its quality and incorporate the needs and views of patients. One method for doing this is lay assessing, where members of the public are consulted to improve research materials. This paper documents the establishment of a pilot training programme for lay assessors. It describes a way of working that embodies a regional, cross-organisational approach to co-producing training with members of the public. Methods Open meetings, led by AH, were held for existing and aspiring lay assessors to define lay assessing, motivations for doing it, skills required, associated learning and development needs, and to gauge interest for training. Those who attended meetings, including members of the public and staff, were invited to form a working group to co-produce the training programme. Training was delivered in modules at two centres in the East Midlands and evaluated through participant feedback at the end of each module and at an evaluation event. Feedback was through a mix of Likert scale scoring, open text and verbal responses. Results Discussions from the open meetings informed the development of the training by the working group. Led by AH, the working group, as a whole, co-produced the structure and format of the training and oversaw training content development by individuals within the group. Training was well-received by participants. Feedback through Likert scoring ( n  = 14) indicated higher feelings of confidence in knowledge of relevant subject matter and in fulfilling the lay assessor role, particularly amongst those who had not done lay assessing before. Opportunities that the training afforded for interaction between participants - sharing of varied experiences and knowledge - and a 'learn by doing' approach was of particular value, as indicated by 10 responses to open-ended questions. Conclusions This project has created a solid foundation for collaboration between research organisations in the East Midlands in devising and delivering training in public involvement together. Our evaluation provides evidence in support of National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) recommendations on principles for learning and development for public involvement in research.

Deliberate acquisition of competence in physiological breech birth: A grounded theory study.

PubMed

Walker, Shawn; Scamell, Mandie; Parker, Pam

2018-06-01

Research suggests that the skill and experience of the attendant significantly affect the outcomes of vaginal breech births, yet practitioner experience levels are minimal within many contemporary maternity care systems. Due to minimal experience and cultural resistance, few practitioners offer vaginal breech birth, and many practice guidelines and training programmes recommend delivery techniques requiring supine maternal position. Fewer practitioners have skills to support physiological breech birth, involving active maternal movement and choice of birthing position, including upright postures such as kneeling, standing, squatting, or on a birth stool. How professionals learn complex skills contrary to those taught in their local practice settings is unclear. How do professionals develop competence and expertise in physiological breech birth? Nine midwives and five obstetricians with experience facilitating upright physiological breech births participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed iteratively using constructivist grounded theory methods to develop an empirical theory of physiological breech skill acquisition. Among the participants in this research, the deliberate acquisition of competence in physiological breech birth included stages of affinity with physiological birth, critical awareness, intention, identity and responsibility. Expert practitioners operating across local and national boundaries guided less experienced practitioners. The results depict a specialist learning model which could be formalised in sympathetic training programmes, and evaluated. It may also be relevant to developing competence in other specialist/expert roles and innovative practices. Deliberate development of local communities of practice may support professionals to acquire elusive breech skills in a sustainable way. Copyright © 2017 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Communication in mental health nursing - Bachelor Students' appraisal of a blended learning training programme - an exploratory study.

PubMed

Furnes, Merete; Kvaal, Kari Sofie; Høye, Sevald

2018-01-01

It is important that mental health nursing students at Bachelor level obtain effective communication skills. Many students dread the fact that in the mental health field they will encounter patients and relatives with various backgrounds and personalities. Large classes and limited teaching resources in nursing education are challenging. To prepare students for mental health nursing practice, a communication skills course based on the blended learning method was developed and carried out at two different campuses.The aim of the study is to explore Bachelor nursing students' appraisal of blended learning methods for enhancing communication skills in mental health nursing. This study employed an exploratory design. Teaching and information materials were available on the learning management system (LMS). Videotaped role play training was carried out in the Simulation Department. Data were collected after the course by means of a questionnaire with closed and open-ended questions. The response rate was 59.2%. Quantitative data were analysed using the Statistical package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and the Kruskal Wallis test, while qualitative data were analysed by content analysis based on Graneheim and Lundman's approach. No impact of background variables was observed. Students appreciated teachers' participation in role play and immediate feedback was considered especially important for learning outcomes. The students perceived that their communication skills and knowledge had improved after completing the blended learning programme. According to the nursing students, blended learning is an appropriate method for improving communication skills in preparation for mental health nursing. Blended learning makes it possible to build flexible courses with limited resources.

Goneis.gr: Training Greek Parents on ICT and Safer Internet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manouselis, Nikos; Riviou, Katerina; Palavitsinis, Nikos; Giannikopoulou, Vasiliki; Tsanakas, Panayotis

Children's use of the Internet has significantly risen in the last decade. Nevertheless, children spend a lot of time online which makes them susceptible to various threats (such as inappropriate material, offensive language, etc). Parents are the last frontier to this menace but they also need to be educated and trained in order to protect their children. Goneis.gr is an initiative launched by the Greek government that aims to educate parents on safer Internet and the use of parental control software. Parents are also entitled to distance learning courses covering basic computer skills. This paper presents the results of two separate surveys that took place in the last few months (December 2008-January 2009). The first survey targeted the parents that have completed the programme and the second one the educational providers that participate in the programme and offer the training to the beneficiaries.

Working with soils: soil science continuing professional development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hannam, Jacqueline; Thompson, Dick

2017-04-01

The British Society of Soil Science launched the Working with Soils professional competency programme in 2011. This was in response to concerns from practitioners and professionals of a significant skills gap in various sectors that require soil science skills. The programme includes one and two day courses that cover the qualifications, knowledge and skills required of a professional scientist or engineer conducting a range of contract work. All courses qualify for continuing professional development points with various professional practice schemes. Three courses cover the foundations of soil science namely; describing a soil profile, soil classification and understanding soil variability in the field and landscape. Other tailored courses relate to specific skills required from consultants particularly in the planning process where land is assessed for agricultural quality (agricultural land classification). New courses this year include soil handling and restoration that provides practitioners with knowledge of the appropriate management of large volumes of soil that are disturbed during development projects. The courses have so far successfully trained over 100 delegates ranging from PhD students, environmental consultants and government policy advisors.

Take-Home Training in Laparoscopy.

PubMed

Thinggaard, Ebbe

2017-04-01

When laparoscopy was first introduced, skills were primarily taught using the apprenticeship model. A limitation of this method when compared to open surgery, was that it requires more time to practise and more frequent learning opportunities in clinical practice. The unique set of skills required in laparoscopy highlighted the need for new training methods that reduce the need for supervision and do not put the patient at risk. Simulation training was developed to meet this need. The overall purpose of this thesis was to explore simulation-based laparoscopic training at home. The thesis consists of five papers: a review, a validation study, a study of methodology, a randomised controlled trial and a mixed-methods study. Our aims were to review the current knowledge on training off-site, to develop and explore validity for a training and assessment system, to investigate the effect of take-home training in a simulation-based laparoscopic training programme, and to explore the use of take-home training. The first paper in this thesis is a scoping review. The aim of the review was to explore the current knowledge on off-site laparoscopic skills training. We found that off-site training was feasible but that changes were required in order for it to become an effective method of training. Furthermore, the select-ed instructional design varied and training programmes were designed using a variety of educational theories. Based on our findings, we recommended that courses and training curricula should follow established education theories such as proficiency-based learning and deliberate practice. Principles of directed self-regulated learning could be used to improve off-site laparoscopic training programmes. In the second study, we set out to develop and explore validity evidence of the TABLT test. The TABLT test was developed for basic laparoscopic skills training in a cross-specialty curriculum. We found validity evidence to support the TABLT test as a summative test in a basic laparoscopic training programme. We also established a credible pass/fail level using the contrasting groups method. We concluded that the TABTL test could be used to assess novice laparoscopic trainees across different specialties and help trainees acquire basic laparoscopic competencies prior to supervised surgery. In the third study, we aimed to explore the consequences of the choice of standard setting method and whether there is a difference in terms of how high a score experienced and novice laparoscopic surgeons expect that novices should achieve during training. We used three different standard setting methods and found that pass/fail levels vary depending on the choice of standard setting method. We also asked experienced and novice laparoscopic surgeons how high a score they expected a novice laparoscopic surgeon should achieve on a test during training. We found a significant difference, with experienced surgeons setting a lower pass/fail level. We concluded that an established standard setting method supported by evidence should be used when setting a pass/fail level. In the first and second papers of this thesis, we found that off-site training is feasible and explored validity for the TABLT test. We used this knowledge in the fourth study to design a randomised controlled trial. The aim of the trial was to investigate the effect of take-home training in a simulation-based laparoscopic course. We hypothesised that training at home could help trainees plan their training according to their own schedule and thereby increase the effect of training. We found that participants had a distributed training pattern; they trained more frequently and in shorter sessions. We also found that participants were able to rate their own performance during unsupervised training and that selfrating was reliable. The fifth and final study of the thesis was a mixed-methods study that aimed to explore the use of take-home training. To meet this aim, we recruited participants from the intervention arm in our randomised controlled trial. All participants had access to the simulation centre and were given a port-able trainer to train on at home. Participants were asked to use a logbook during training. At the end of the course, they were invited to take part in focus group interviews and individual interviews. Based on data from logbooks, a descriptive statistical analysis was conducted and data from interviews were analysed using a content analysis. We found that participants took an individualised approach to training when training at home. They structured their training according to their needs and external requirements. We concluded that mandatory training requirements and testing help determine when and how much participants train. We also found that self-rating can guide unsupervised training by giving clear goals to be reached during training. From the papers included in the thesis, we found that the literature describes training at home as a feasible method of acquiring laparoscopic skills. Nonetheless, changes to current training programmes are needed in order to make this method effective. We then developed and explored validity evidence for the TABLT test. We also established a reasonable pass/fail level and went on to explore the immediate consequences of the pass/fail level. Using our knowledge from the review, we conducted a randomised controlled trial and a mixed-method study. Based on these studies we found that training at home allows for distributed learning, that self-rating guides unsupervised training, and that mandatory training requirements and testing strongly influence training patterns. Access to training, guidance during training, and mandatory training requirements will make take-home training not just feasible but also effective. Articles published in the Danish Medical Journal are “open access”. This means that the articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial License, which permits any non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.

Randomized clinical trial of virtual reality simulation for laparoscopic skills training.

PubMed

Grantcharov, T P; Kristiansen, V B; Bendix, J; Bardram, L; Rosenberg, J; Funch-Jensen, P

2004-02-01

This study examined the impact of virtual reality (VR) surgical simulation on improvement of psychomotor skills relevant to the performance of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Sixteen surgical trainees performed a laparoscopic cholecystectomy on patients in the operating room (OR). The participants were then randomized to receive VR training (ten repetitions of all six tasks on the Minimally Invasive Surgical Trainer-Virtual Reality (MIST-VR)) or no training. Subsequently, all subjects performed a further laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the OR. Both operative procedures were recorded on videotape, and assessed by two independent and blinded observers using predefined objective criteria. Time to complete the procedure, error score and economy of movement score were assessed during the laparoscopic procedure in the OR. No differences in baseline variables were found between the two groups. Surgeons who received VR training performed laparoscopic cholecystectomy significantly faster than the control group (P=0.021). Furthermore, those who had VR training showed significantly greater improvement in error (P=0.003) and economy of movement (P=0.003) scores. Surgeons who received VR simulator training showed significantly greater improvement in performance in the OR than those in the control group. VR surgical simulation is therefore a valid tool for training of laparoscopic psychomotor skills and could be incorporated into surgical training programmes. Copyright 2003 British Journal of Surgery Society Ltd. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Clinical leadership training: an evaluation of the Welsh Fellowship programme.

PubMed

Phillips, Suzanne; Bullock, Alison

2018-05-08

Purpose UK fellowship schemes have been set up to address low-level engagement of doctors with leadership roles. Established in 2013, the Welsh Clinical Leadership Fellowship (WCLF) programme aims to recruit aspiring future clinical leaders and equip them with knowledge and skills to lead improvements in healthcare delivery. This paper aims to evaluate the 12-month WCLF programme in its first two years of operation. Design/methodology/approach Focused on the participants ( n = 8), the authors explored expectations of the programme, reactions to academic components (provided by Academi Wales) and learning from workplace projects and other opportunities. The authors adopted a qualitative approach, collecting data from four focus groups, 20 individual face-to-face or telephone interviews with fellows and project supervisors and observation of Academi Wales training days. Findings Although from diverse specialties and stages in training, all participants reported that the Fellowship met expectations. Fellows learned leadership theory, developing understanding of leadership and teamwork in complex organisations. Through workplace projects, they applied their knowledge, learning from both success and failure. The quality of communication with fellows distinguished the better supervisors and impacted on project success. Research limitations/implications Small participant numbers limit generalisability. The authors did not evaluate longer-term impact. Practical implications Doctors are required to be both clinically proficient and influence service delivery and improve patient care. The WCLF programme addresses both the need for leadership theory (through the Academi Wales training) and the application of learning through the performance of leadership roles in the projects. Originality/value This work represents an evaluation of the only leadership programme in Wales, and outcomes have led to improvements.

The efficacy of a self-management programme for people with diabetes, after a special training programme for healthcare workers in Taiwan: a quasi-experimental design.

PubMed

Wu, Shu-Fang Vivienne; Liang, Shu-Yuan; Lee, Mei-Chen; Yu, Neng-Chun; Kao, Mu-Jung

2014-09-01

To analyse the efficacy of improving disease management after implementing a self-management programme for people with type 2 diabetes administered by healthcare workers who have received special training. The needs for diabetic care include increased training for healthcare providers to enhance their confidence and skills in managing patients, both physically and mentally. Quasi-experimental design. This study recruited participants from outpatient clinics in 10 hospitals in Taiwan. In 2010, purposive sampling was used to recruit 228 participants from two medical centres, five regional hospitals and three district hospitals. Participants were enrolled in a 'diabetes self-management programme' (watching patient videos, reading a diabetes self-care handbook, participating in four consultation courses of diabetes self-efficacy improvement, telephone follow-up and positive reinforcement). Efficacy analysis of post-test diabetes outcome variables of the experimental group was carried out. Sex, age and pretest score were used as the control variables for ancova test. Patients in the experimental group had significant improvement in body mass index (p < 0·01), waistline circumference (p < 0·001), haemoglobin A1C levels (p < 0·001), degrees of anxiety and depression (p < 0·001), self-efficacy (p < 0·001) and levels of self-care (p < 0·001). Self-efficacy of people with diabetes can be effectively improved by planned implementation of a 'diabetes self-management programme' by trained healthcare workers. The diabetes care professionals are provided the self-management programme to strengthen the awareness and importance of self-management in diabetes care. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Getting fit for practice: an innovative paediatric clinical placement provided physiotherapy students opportunities for skill development.

PubMed

Shields, Nora; Bruder, Andrea; Taylor, Nicholas F; Angelo, Tom

2013-06-01

Negative attitudes to disability among physiotherapy students in paediatric placements might be addressed by providing clinical placement opportunities for students early in their course. The aim of this qualitative research study was to explore what physiotherapy students reported learning from an innovative paediatric placement option. Qualitative research with in-depth interviews. Seventeen first and second year physiotherapy students (15 women, 2 men; mean age 19.9 (SD 1.4) years) who took part in the clinical education experience. The experience comprised a student-led progressive resistance training programme performed twice a week for 10 weeks at a community gymnasium with an adolescent with Down syndrome. In-depth interviews were completed after the 10-week programme and were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and independently coded by two researchers. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Two themes emerged from the data, one about being a student mentor and the second about skill development and application. The physiotherapy students indicated the programme was a challenging yet rewarding experience, and that they gained an increased appreciation of disability. They reported developing and applying a range of communication, professional and physiotherapy specific skills. The results suggest that the clinical experience provided physiotherapy students with opportunities to learn clinical skills, generic professional skills, and better understand disability in young people. Many of the learning outcomes identified by the participating students align with desired graduate capabilities and required professional competencies. Copyright © 2012 Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Structured training on the da Vinci Skills Simulator leads to improvement in technical performance of robotic novices.

PubMed

Walliczek-Dworschak, U; Mandapathil, M; Förtsch, A; Teymoortash, A; Dworschak, P; Werner, J A; Güldner, C

2017-02-01

The increasing use of minimally invasive techniques such as robotic-assisted devices raises the question of how to acquire robotic surgery skills. The da Vinci Skills Simulator has been demonstrated to be an effective training tool in previous reports. To date, little data are available on how to acquire proficiency through simulator training. We investigated the outcome of a structured training programme for robotic surgical skills by robotic novices. This prospective study was conducted from January to December 2013 using the da Vinci Skills Simulator. Twenty participants, all robotic novices, were enrolled in a 4-week training curriculum. After a brief introduction to the simulator system, three consecutive repetitions of five selected exercises (Match Board 1, 2, 3 and Ring and Rail 1, 2) were performed in a defined order on days 1, 8, 15 and 22. On day 22, one repetition of a previously unpractised more advanced module (Needle Targeting) was also performed. After completion of each study day, the overall performance, time to completion, economy in motion, instrument collisions, excessive instrument force, instruments out of view, master workspace range and number of drops were analysed. Comparing the first and final repetition, overall score and time needed to complete all exercises, economy of motion and instrument collisions were significantly improved in nearly all exercises. Regarding the new exercise, a positive training effect could be demonstrated. While its overall entry score was significantly higher, the time to completion and economy of motion were significantly lower than the scores on the first repetition of the previous 5 exercises. It could be shown that training on the da Vinci Skills Simulator led to an improvement in technical performance of robotic novices. With regard to a new exercise, the training had a positive effect on the technical performance. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Continuous professional development of Liberia's midwifery workforce-A coordinated multi-stakeholder approach.

PubMed

Michel-Schuldt, Michaela; Billy Dayon, Matilda; Toft Klar, Robin; Subah, Marion; King-Lincoln, Esther; Kpangbala-Flomo, Cecelia; Broniatowski, Raphaël

2018-03-03

Maternal and newborn mortality remains high in Liberia. There is a severe rural-urban gap in accessibility to health care services. A competent midwifery workforce is able to meet the needs of mothers and newborns. Evidence shows that competence can be assured through initial education along with continuous professional development (CPD). In the past, CPD was not regulated and coordinated in Liberia which is cpommon in the African region. To Support a competent regulated midwifery workforce through continuous professional development. A new CPD model was developed by the Liberian Board for Nursing and Midwifery. With its establishment, all midwives and nurses are required to undertake CPD programmes consisting of certified training and mentoring in order to renew their practicing license. The new model is being piloted in one county in which regular mentoring visits that include skills training are being conducted combined with the use of mobile learning applications addressing maternity health issues. Quality control of the CPD pilot is assured by the Liberian Board for Nursing and Midwifery. The mentoring visits are conducted on a clinical level but are coordinated on the national and county level. CPD using mobile learning on smartphones and regular mentoring visits not only improved knowledge and skills of midwives and nurses but also provided a solution to enhance accessibility in rural areas through improved communication and transportation, as well as improved career development of health personnel working in remote areas. Mentors were trained on a national, county, and health facility level in the pilot county with mentoring visits conducted regularly. The CPD programme of the Liberian Board for Nursing and Midwifery, currently in pilot-testing by various partners, aims to highlight the positive impact of the coordinating role of both the regulatory body and health authorities. Using regular process and programme reviews to improve capacity, knowledge, and skills of health professionals. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Visuospatial training improves elementary students' mathematics performance.

PubMed

Lowrie, Tom; Logan, Tracy; Ramful, Ajay

2017-06-01

Although spatial ability and mathematics performance are highly correlated, there is scant research on the extent to which spatial ability training can improve mathematics performance. This study evaluated the efficacy of a visuospatial intervention programme within classrooms to determine the effect on students' (1) spatial reasoning and (2) mathematics performance as a result of the intervention. The study involved grade six students (ages 10-12) in eight classes. There were five intervention classes (n = 120) and three non-intervention control classes (n = 66). A specifically designed 10-week spatial reasoning programme was developed collaboratively with the participating teachers, with the intervention replacing the standard mathematics curriculum. The five classroom teachers in the intervention programme presented 20 hr of activities aimed at enhancing students' spatial visualization, mental rotation, and spatial orientation skills. The spatial reasoning programme led to improvements in both spatial ability and mathematics performance relative to the control group who received standard mathematics instruction. Our study is the first to show that a classroom-based spatial reasoning intervention improves elementary school students' mathematics performance. © 2017 The British Psychological Society.

Perceived professional needs of Korean science teachers majoring in chemical education and their preferences for online and on-site training

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noh, Taehee; Cha, Jeongho; Kang, Sukjin; Scharmann, Lawrence C.

2004-10-01

In this study, we investigated the perceived professional needs of Korean science teachers majoring in chemical education, and examined their preferences for online and on-site inservice teacher training programmes. The results were also compared with those of preservice teachers. Participants were 120 secondary school teachers and 67 preservice teachers, whose majors were either chemical education or science education with emphasis in chemistry. A questionnaire consisting of a modified Science Teacher Inventory of Need and a section concerning respondents' demographic information and their use of the Internet was administered. In contrast to previous studies, the perceived needs of Korean inservice and preservice teachers were found to be very strong in all 30 needs assessment items, and their prominent needs were from all seven categories. Preservice teachers indicated significantly greater needs than inservice teachers on several items. Korean teachers generally tended to prefer online inservice to traditional on-site training programmes, although they still preferred on-site types of programmes in areas such as conducting laboratory sessions and demonstrating manipulative skills. Preferences for online programmes tended to be stronger among preservice teachers than inservice teachers, and among non-veteran teachers than in veteran teachers. Educational implications are discussed.

Developing a music programme for preschool children with cochlear implants.

PubMed

Koşaner, Julie; Kilinc, Aynur; Deniz, Murat

2012-11-01

Although music perception is especially challenging for cochlear implant (CI) users, young CI users' musical perception abilities are improved by participation in structured musical activities. To design, implement, evaluate, and publish a music training programme with a monitoring tool for preschool CI users, for use in family-centred habilitation programmes. We devised a programme of musical activities, Musical EARS®, and a curriculum-related hierarchical Evaluation Form to represent performance. The programme included sections on singing; recognizing songs, tunes, and timbre; and responding appropriately to music and rhythm. It was implemented over 18 months at Ilkses Rehabilitation Centre, with 25 paediatric MED-EL CI users split into three groups of varying age, duration of CI use, and ability. Mean total scores increased significantly for all groups. Scores increased unevenly across subscales. Participation in and enjoyment of musical activities increased for both children and parents. Significant correlations were found between scores and length of CI use. The training programme effectively enriches child CI users' musical experience. To varying degrees, children learned to perform the Musical EARS® activities. The study allowed us to validate the lesson content and the hierarchical nature of the Evaluation Form. We conclude that prelingually deafened CI users should be systematically involved in musical activities to help them acquire skills acquired more easily by hearing peers.

Developing learning community model with soft skill integration for the building engineering apprenticeship programme in vocational high school

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sutrisno, Dardiri, Ahmad; Sugandi, R. Machmud

2017-09-01

This study aimed to address the procedure, effectiveness, and problems in the implementation of learning model for Building Engineering Apprenticeship Training Programme. This study was carried out through survey method and experiment. The data were collected using questionnaire, test, and assessment sheet. The collected data were examined through description, t-test, and covariance analysis. The results of the study showed that (1) the model's procedure covered preparation course, readiness assessment, assignment distribution, handing over students to apprenticeship instructors, task completion, assisting, field assessment, report writing, and follow-up examination, (2) the Learning Community model could significantly improve students' active learning, but not improve students' hard skills and soft skills, and (3) the problems emerging in the implementation of the model were (1) students' difficulties in finding apprenticeship places and qualified instructors, and asking for relevant tasks, (2) teachers' difficulties in determining relevant tasks and monitoring students, and (3) apprenticeship instructors' difficulties in assigning, monitoring, and assessing students.

The European Project Semester at ISEP: the challenge of educating global engineers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malheiro, Benedita; Silva, Manuel; Ribeiro, Maria Cristina; Guedes, Pedro; Ferreira, Paulo

2015-05-01

Current engineering education challenges require approaches that promote scientific, technical, design and complementary skills while fostering autonomy, innovation and responsibility. The European Project Semester (EPS) at Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto (ISEP) (EPS@ISEP) is a one semester project-based learning programme (30 European Credit Transfer Units (ECTU)) for engineering students from diverse scientific backgrounds and nationalities that intends to address these goals. The students, organised in multidisciplinary and multicultural teams, are challenged to solve real multidisciplinary problems during one semester. The EPS package, although on project development (20 ECTU), includes a series of complementary seminars aimed at fostering soft, project-related and engineering transversal skills (10 ECTU). Hence, the students enrolled in this programme improve their transversal skills and learn, together and with the team of supervisors, subjects distinct from their core training. This paper presents the structure, implementation and results of the EPS@ISEP that was created in 2011 to apply the best engineering practices and promote internationalisation and engineering education innovation at ISEP.

Simulation training for improving the quality of care for older people: an independent evaluation of an innovative programme for inter-professional education.

PubMed

Ross, Alastair J; Anderson, Janet E; Kodate, Naonori; Thomas, Libby; Thompson, Kellie; Thomas, Beth; Key, Suzie; Jensen, Heidi; Schiff, Rebekah; Jaye, Peter

2013-06-01

This paper describes the evaluation of a 2-day simulation training programme for staff designed to improve teamwork and inpatient care and compassion in an older persons' unit. The programme was designed to improve inpatient care for older people by using mixed modality simulation exercises to enhance teamwork and empathetic and compassionate care. Healthcare professionals took part in: (a) a 1-day human patient simulation course with six scenarios and (b) a 1-day ward-based simulation course involving five 1-h exercises with integrated debriefing. A mixed methods evaluation included observations of the programme, precourse and postcourse confidence rating scales and follow-up interviews with staff at 7-9 weeks post-training. Observations showed enjoyment of the course but some anxiety and apprehension about the simulation environment. Staff self-confidence improved after human patient simulation (t=9; df=56; p<0.001) and ward-based exercises (t=9.3; df=76; p<0.001). Thematic analysis of interview data showed learning in teamwork and patient care. Participants thought that simulation had been beneficial for team practices such as calling for help and verbalising concerns and for improved interaction with patients. Areas to address in future include widening participation across multi-disciplinary teams, enhancing post-training support and exploring further which aspects of the programme enhance compassion and care of older persons. The study demonstrated that simulation is an effective method for encouraging dignified care and compassion for older persons by teaching team skills and empathetic and sensitive communication with patients and relatives.

Implementing digital skills training in care homes: a literature review.

PubMed

Wild, Deidre; Kydd, Angela; Szczepura, Ala

2016-05-01

This article is the first of a two-part series that informs and describes digital skills training using a dedicated console computer provided for staff and residents in a care home setting. This was part of a programme of culture change in a large care home with nursing in Glasgow, Scotland. The literature review shows that over the past decade there has been a gradual increase in the use of digital technology by staff and older people in community settings including care homes. Policy from the European Commission presents a persuasive argument for the advancement of technology-enabled care to counter the future impact of an increased number of people of advanced age on finite health and social care resources. The psychosocial and environmental issues that inhibit or enhance the acquisition of digital skills in care homes are considered and include the identification of exemplar schemes and the support involved.

Use of simulated patients to develop communication skills in nursing education: An integrative review.

PubMed

MacLean, Sharon; Kelly, Michelle; Geddes, Fiona; Della, Phillip

2017-01-01

Registered nurses are expected to communicate effectively with patients. To improve on this skill education programmes in both hospital and tertiary settings are increasingly turning to simulation modalities when training undergraduate and registered nurses. The roles simulated patients (SPs) assume can vary according to training purposes and approach. The first aim is to analyse how SPs are used in nursing education to develop communication skills. The second aim is to evaluate the evidence that is available to support the efficacy of using SPs for training nurses in communication skills and finally to review the SP recruitment and training procedure. An Integrative review. A search was conducted on CINAHL, Psych-info, PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, Ovid, Medline, and ProQuest databases. Keywords and inclusion/exclusion criteria were determined and applied to the search strategy. The integrative review included Nineteen studies from 2006-2016. Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) method of evaluation was utilised. Emergent themes were extracted with similar and divergent perspectives. Analysis identified seven clinical contexts for communication skills training (CST) and two SP roles from the eighteen studies. SPs were either directly involved in the teaching of communication (active role) or used in the evaluation of the effectiveness of a communication skills program (passive role). A majority of studies utilised faculty-designed measurement instruments. The evidence presented in the 19 articles indicates that the use of SPs to teach nurse-patient communication skills targets more challenging clinical interactions. Engaging SPs in both CST program facilitation and course evaluation provides nurse educators with a strong foundation to develop further pedagogical and research capacity. Expanding the utilisation of SPs to augment nurses' communication skills and ability to engage with patients in a broader range of clinical contexts with increased methodological rigor is recommended. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Malaysian registered nurses' professional learning.

PubMed

Chiu, Lee H

2006-01-01

Findings of a study of the impact of professional learning on Malaysian registered nurses are reported. The offshore delivery post-registration nursing degree programme is a formal aspect of professional learning, which enables Malaysian registered nurses to upgrade their hospital-based training or diploma of nursing qualification to a degree. Using a qualitative case study approach, data were collected from twelve programme graduates, through individual and focus group interviews. The programme promoted their personal professional growth and enhanced their professional development. It increased self-confidence, knowledge, self-fulfillment, critical thinking ability, interpersonal skills, interest in research and research utilisation, and life-long learning. There was evidence of career mobility and a raised awareness of their professional role and responsibility.

[Dream Team--a pre-graduate surgical talent development project].

PubMed

Jensen, Rune Dall; Christensen, Mette Krogh; Seyer-Hansen, Mikkel

2014-08-04

In 2009 surgeons from Aarhus University Hospital founded an extracurricular talent development project based on a skill-acquisition training programme for medical students at Aarhus University. The training program, named Dream Team, provides medical students with the opportunity to pursue a career in surgery. This paper presents and discusses the organizational and pedagogical framework of the concept Dream Team, as well as the results from two inquiries: a survey and an exploratory observational study. The inquiries were conducted in summer 2013.

Integrating evidence-based practice and information literacy skills in teaching physical and occupational therapy students.

PubMed

Boruff, Jill T; Thomas, Aliki

2011-12-01

To ensure that physical and occupational therapy graduates develop evidence-based practice (EBP) competencies, their academic training must promote EBP skills, such as posing a clinical question and retrieving relevant literature, and the information literacy skills needed to practice these EBP skills. This article describes the collaborative process and outcome of integrating EBP and information literacy early in a professional physical therapy and occupational therapy programme. The liaison librarian and a faculty member designed an instructional activity that included a lecture, workshop and assignment that integrated EBP skills and information literacy skills in the first year of the programme. The assignment was designed to assess students' ability to conduct a search independently. The lecture and workshop were successful in their objectives, as 101 of the 104 students received at least 8 out of 10 points on the search assignment. The teaching activities developed for the students in this course appear to have achieved the goal of teaching students the EBP research cycle so that they might begin to emulate it. The collaboration between the faculty member and the librarian was integral to the success of this endeavour. Future work will include the evaluation of students' long-term retention of information literacy objectives. © 2011 The authors. Health Information and Libraries Journal © 2011 Health Libraries Group.

A training network for introducing telemedicine, telecare and hospital informatics in the Adriatic-Danube-Black Sea region.

PubMed

Anogeianaki, Antonia; Ilonidis, George; Anogianakis, George; Lianguris, John; Katsaros, Kyriakos; Pseftogianni, Dimitra; Klisarova, Anelia; Negrev, Negrin

2004-01-01

DIMNET is a training mechanism for a region of central Europe. The aim is to upgrade the information technology skills of local hospital personnel and preserve their employability following the introduction of medical informatics. DIMNET uses Internet-based virtual classrooms to provide a 200-hour training course in medical informatics. Training takes place in the cities of Drama, Kavala, Xanthi and Varna. So far, more than 600 people have benefited from the programme. Initial results are encouraging. DIMNET promotes a new vocational training culture in the Balkans and is supported by local governments that perceive health-care as a fulcrum for economic development.

Screening for depression: integrating training into the professional development programme for low vision rehabilitation staff.

PubMed

Rees, Gwyneth; Holloway, Edith E; Craig, Graeme; Hepi, Niky; Coad, Samantha; Keeffe, Jill E; Lamoureux, Ecosse L

2012-12-01

To describe the integration of depression screening training into the professional development programme for low vision rehabilitation staff and report on staff evaluation of this training. Pre-post intervention study, in a single population of low vision rehabilitation staff. Three hundred and thirty-six staff from Australia's largest low vision rehabilitation organization, Vision Australia. Staff completed the depression screening and referral training as part of a wider professional development programme. A pre-post-training questionnaire was administered to all staff. Descriptive and non-parametric statistics were used to determine differences in self-reported knowledge, confidence, barriers to recognition and management of depression between baseline and post training. One hundred and seventy-two participants completed both questionnaires. Following training, participants reported an increased knowledge of depression, were more likely to respond to depression in their clients and reported to be more confident in managing depression (P < 0.05). A range of barriers were identified including issues related to the client (e.g. acceptance of referrals); practitioners (e.g. skill, role); availability and accessibility of psychological services; time and contact constraints; and environmental barriers (e.g. lack of privacy). Additional training incorporating more active and 'hands-on' sessions are likely to be required. This training is a promising first step in integrating a depression screening tool into low vision rehabilitation practice. Further work is needed to determine the barriers and facilitators to implementation in practice and to assess clients' acceptability and outcomes. © 2012 The Authors. Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology © 2012 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists.

Where did the acute medical trainees go? A review of the career pathways of acute care common stem acute medical trainees in London.

PubMed

Gowland, Emily; Ball, Karen Le; Bryant, Catherine; Birns, Jonathan

2016-10-01

Acute care common stem acute medicine (ACCS AM) training was designed to develop competent multi-skilled acute physicians to manage patients with multimorbidity from 'door to discharge' in an era of increasing acute hospital admissions. Recent surveys by the Royal College of Physicians have suggested that acute medical specialties are proving less attractive to trainees. However, data on the career pathways taken by trainees completing core acute medical training has been lacking. Using London as a region with a 100% fill rate for its ACCS AM training programme, this study showed only 14% of trainees go on to higher specialty training in acute internal medicine and a further 10% to pursue higher medical specialty training with dual accreditation with internal medicine. 16% of trainees switched from ACCS AM to emergency medicine or anaesthetics during core ACCS training, and intensive care medicine proved to be the most popular career choice for ACCS AM trainees (21%). The ACCS AM training programme therefore does not appear to be providing what it was set out to do and this paper discusses the potential causes and effects. © Royal College of Physicians 2016. All rights reserved.

'I'm actually being the grown-up now': leadership, maturity and professional identity development.

PubMed

Miskelly, Philippa; Duncan, Lindsay

2014-01-01

This study reports on an evaluation of an in-house nursing and midwifery leadership programme within a New Zealand District Health Board aimed at improving leadership capacity within clinical environments. The programme associated with this study is based on Practice Development concepts which aim to improve patient care and service delivery as well as empower practitioners to foster and support a transformational culture. Mixed methods were used. Evidence indicated participants' self-confidence improved leading to a 'growing up'. This was demonstrated in a number of ways: taking more responsibility for individual clinical practice, undertaking quality and safety roles as well as postgraduate study. These findings can be constructed in terms of linking leadership training with the development of professional identity. This study provides evidence that in-house leadership programmes can provide front-line nurses and midwives with opportunities to enhance their professional identity and expand their skills in a variety of ways. Organisational investment in in-house programmes aimed at leadership skills have the potential to enhance patient care as well as improve the work environment for nurses and midwives. However, in-house programmes should be considered as augmenting rather than replacing tertiary education institutions' leadership courses and qualifications. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Effects of participation in a cross year peer tutoring programme in clinical examination skills on volunteer tutors' skills and attitudes towards teachers and teaching.

PubMed

Buckley, Sharon; Zamora, Javier

2007-06-28

Development of students' teaching skills is increasingly recognised as an important component of UK undergraduate medical curricula and, in consequence, there is renewed interest in the potential benefits of cross-year peer tutoring. Whilst several studies have described the use of cross-year peer tutoring in undergraduate medical courses, its use in the clinical setting is less well reported, particularly the effects of peer tutoring on volunteer tutors' views of teachers and teaching. This study explored the effects of participation in a cross-year peer tutoring programme in clinical examination skills ('OSCE tutor') on volunteer tutors' own skills and on their attitudes towards teachers and teaching. Volunteer tutors were final year MBChB students who took part in the programme as part of a Student Selected Component (SSC). Tutees were year 3 MBChB students preparing for their end of year 'OSCE' examination. Pre and post participation questionnaires, including both Likert-type and open response questions, were used. Paired data was compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. All tests were two-tailed with 5% significance level. Tutors reflected their cohort in terms of gender but were drawn from among the more academically successful final year students. Most had previous teaching experience. They were influenced to participate in 'OSCE tutor' by a desire to improve their own teaching and associated generic skills and by contextual factors relating to the organisation or previous experience of the OSCE tutor programme. Issues relating to longer term career aspirations were less important. After the event, tutors felt that participation had enhanced their skills in various areas, including practical teaching skills, confidence in speaking to groups and communication skills; and that as a result of taking part, they were now more likely to undertake further teacher training and to make teaching a major part of their career. However, whilst a number of students reported that their views of teachers and teaching had changed as a result of participation, this did not translate into significant changes in responses to questions that explored their views of the roles and qualities required of a good clinical teacher. Findings affirm the benefits to volunteer tutors of cross-year peer tutoring, particularly in terms of skills enhancement and reinforcement of positive attitudes towards future teaching responsibilities, and have implications for the design and organisation of such programmes.

Effects of participation in a cross year peer tutoring programme in clinical examination skills on volunteer tutors' skills and attitudes towards teachers and teaching

PubMed Central

Buckley, Sharon; Zamora, Javier

2007-01-01

Background Development of students' teaching skills is increasingly recognised as an important component of UK undergraduate medical curricula and, in consequence, there is renewed interest in the potential benefits of cross-year peer tutoring. Whilst several studies have described the use of cross-year peer tutoring in undergraduate medical courses, its use in the clinical setting is less well reported, particularly the effects of peer tutoring on volunteer tutors' views of teachers and teaching. This study explored the effects of participation in a cross-year peer tutoring programme in clinical examination skills ('OSCE tutor') on volunteer tutors' own skills and on their attitudes towards teachers and teaching. Methods Volunteer tutors were final year MBChB students who took part in the programme as part of a Student Selected Component (SSC). Tutees were year 3 MBChB students preparing for their end of year 'OSCE' examination. Pre and post participation questionnaires, including both Likert-type and open response questions, were used. Paired data was compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. All tests were two-tailed with 5% significance level. Results Tutors reflected their cohort in terms of gender but were drawn from among the more academically successful final year students. Most had previous teaching experience. They were influenced to participate in 'OSCE tutor' by a desire to improve their own teaching and associated generic skills and by contextual factors relating to the organisation or previous experience of the OSCE tutor programme. Issues relating to longer term career aspirations were less important. After the event, tutors felt that participation had enhanced their skills in various areas, including practical teaching skills, confidence in speaking to groups and communication skills; and that as a result of taking part, they were now more likely to undertake further teacher training and to make teaching a major part of their career. However, whilst a number of students reported that their views of teachers and teaching had changed as a result of participation, this did not translate into significant changes in responses to questions that explored their views of the roles and qualities required of a good clinical teacher. Conclusion Findings affirm the benefits to volunteer tutors of cross-year peer tutoring, particularly in terms of skills enhancement and reinforcement of positive attitudes towards future teaching responsibilities, and have implications for the design and organisation of such programmes. PMID:17598885

Postural stability and vehicle kinematics during an evasive lane change manoeuvre: a driver training study.

PubMed

Petersen, Andrew; Barrett, Rod

2009-05-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a 2-day driver-training course that emphasised postural stability maintenance during critical driving situations on postural stability and vehicle kinematics during an evasive lane change manoeuvre. Following training, the trainee group experienced enhanced postural stability during specific phases of the task. In terms of vehicle kinematics, the main adaptation to training was that trained drivers reduced the extent to which they experienced vehicle decelerations during rapid turning compared to controls. Such a strategy may confer a safety benefit due to the increased risks associated with simultaneous braking while turning during an evasive manoeuvre. The newly learned strategy was consistent with the strategy used by a group of highly skilled drivers (driving instructors). Taken together, the results of the study suggest postural stability may be a useful variable to consider in relation to the skill-based component of hierarchical driver training programmes. The findings of this study provide some preliminary evidence to suggest that postural stability may be an important consideration when instructing individuals on how to safely negotiate obstacles during driving.

Dream Team--The Case of an Undergraduate Surgical Talent Development Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jensen, Rune Dall; Ljungmann, Ken; Christensen, Mette Krogh; Møldrup, Ulla; Grøndal, Anne Krogh; Mogensen, Mads Filtenborg; Seyer-Hansen, Mikkel

2016-01-01

To be successful, a surgeon must master a variety of skills. To meet the high demand for surgical expertise, an extracurricular undergraduate project was launched. The extracurricular project consists of hands-on laparoscopic training and a mentorship programme. The project aims to find the best surgical talents among fourth-year medical students.…

Andragogical Content Knowledge as a Key Component in the Training of the Instructors of Nonformal Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nurhayati, Sri

2015-01-01

Currently, professionals and academics of non-formal education in Indonesia have began to question the competences of the non-formal education instructors. Non-formal education is a profession that requires knowledge (subject-content area), skill (ability to deliver content in regard to the needs of society) and programme content (the content…

ICT Integration in Mathematics Initial Teacher Training and Its Impact on Visualization: The Case of GeoGebra

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dockendorff, Monika; Solar, Horacio

2018-01-01

This case study investigates the impact of the integration of information and communications technology (ICT) in mathematics visualization skills and initial teacher education programmes. It reports on the influence GeoGebra dynamic software use has on promoting mathematical learning at secondary school and on its impact on teachers' conceptions…

Thinking, Doing, Talking Science: Evaluation Report and Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanley, Pam; Slavin, Robert; Elliott, Louise

2015-01-01

Thinking, Doing, Talking Science (TDTS) is a programme that aims to make science lessons in primary schools more practical, creative and challenging. Teachers are trained in a repertoire of strategies that aim to encourage pupils to use higher order thinking skills. For example, pupils are posed 'Big Questions,' such as 'How do you know that the…

Fostering Professional Communication Skills of Future Physicians and Teachers: Effects of E-Learning with Video Cases and Role-Play

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gartmeier, Martin; Bauer, Johannes; Fischer, Martin R.; Hoppe-Seyler, Tobias; Karsten, Gudrun; Kiessling, Claudia; Möller, Grit E.; Wiesbeck, Anne; Prenzel, Manfred

2015-01-01

This study investigated the effectiveness of three different versions of a training programme on physician-patient and teacher-parent conversations for medical students and student teachers. The research questions concerned the differential effects of e-learning featuring contrastive video cases, role-play including video feedback and their…

The Advance of Research and Evaluation Skills by EPs: Implications for Training and Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eodanable, Miranda; Lauchlan, Fraser

2009-01-01

Research and evaluation has become increasingly important in many professions, including educational psychology, particularly as the profession moves to becoming more evidence-based in its practice. The recent move to a three year doctoral programme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland may be viewed as a positive one in developing research…

Providing Effective Feedback to EFL Student Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ali, Holi Ibrahim Holi; Al-Adawi, Hamed Ahmed

2013-01-01

Feedback on school practicum is of utmost importance for student teachers to help them to develop their pedagogical and teaching skills. This paper attempts to collect data from both student teachers and their mentors in an ELT teacher training programme in Oman to answer the questions which are raised by this study: 1) What kind of feedback do…

Effect of Reflective Teaching Training and Teaching Aptitude on Teaching Skills among Elementary Teacher Trainees

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vijaya Kumari, S. N.; Naik, Savita P.

2016-01-01

Teachers serve education, which is an effective instrument of man making. The teachers learn this art through Preservice teacher education programme. Teaching has been a reflective process from the beginning. Reflection is used in all sectors of teacher education, including Vocational and Adult education, for a number of years. Despite numerous…

EQUIP training the trainers: an evaluation of a training programme for service users and carers involved in training mental health professionals in user-involved care planning.

PubMed

Fraser, C; Grundy, A; Meade, O; Callaghan, P; Lovell, K

2017-08-01

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: UK NHS policy highlights the importance of user and carer involvement in health professional training. We know little about service user and carer motivations and experiences of accessing training courses for delivering training to health professionals and how well such courses prepare them for delivering training to healthcare professionals. 'Involvement' in training has often been tokenistic and too narrowly focused on preregistration courses. There is limited data on how best to prepare and support potential service user and carer trainers. WHAT DOES THIS PAPER ADD TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: This study adds to the international literature by highlighting service user and carer motivations for accessing a training course for delivering training to health professionals. Service users and carers wanted to gain new skills and confidence in presentation/facilitation as well as to make a difference to healthcare practice. We also learned that service users desired different levels of involvement in training facilitation - some wanted to take a more active role than others. A one-size-fits-all approach is not always appropriate. Encountering resistance from staff in training was a previously unidentified challenge to service user and carers' experience of delivering training in practice and is a key challenge for trainers to address in future. Professional training involvement can be enhanced via specialist training such as the EQUIP training the trainers programme evaluated here. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: When training service users and carers to deliver training to mental health professionals, it is important that service users are equipped to deal with resistance from staff. It is important that service user and carer roles are negotiated and agreed prior to delivering training to healthcare professionals to accommodate individual preferences and allay anxieties. Training for service users and carers must be offered alongside ongoing support and supervision. Mental health nurses (and other health professionals) will be better able to involve service users and carers in care planning. Service users and carers may feel more involved in care planning in future. Introduction Limited evidence exists on service user and carer perceptions of undertaking a training course for delivering care planning training to qualified mental health professionals. We know little about trainee motivations for engaging with such train the trainers courses, experiences of attending courses and trainees' subsequent experiences of codelivering training to health professionals, hence the current study. Aim To obtain participants' views on the suitability and acceptability of a training programme that aimed to prepare service users and carers to codeliver training to health professionals. Method Semi-structured interviews with nine service users and carers attending the training programme. Transcripts were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Results Participants' reasons for attending training included skill development and making a difference to mental health practice. Course content was generally rated highly but may benefit from review and/or extension to allow the range of topics and resulting professional training programme to be covered in more depth. Trainees who delivered the care planning training reported a mix of expectations, support experiences, preparedness and personal impacts. Implications for Practice Mental health nurses are increasingly coproducing and delivering training with service users and carers. This study identifies possibilities and pitfalls in this endeavour, highlighting areas where user and carer involvement and support structures might be improved in order to fully realize the potential for involvement in training. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Changes in job stress and coping skills among caregivers after dementia care practitioner training.

PubMed

Takizawa, Takeya; Takahashi, Megumi; Takai, Michiko; Ikeda, Taichiro; Miyaoka, Hitoshi

2017-01-01

Dementia care practitioner training is essential for professional caregivers to acquire medical knowledge and care skills for dementia patients. We investigated the significance of training in stress management by evaluating caregivers' job stress and coping style before and after they have completed training. The subjects included 134 professional caregivers (41 men, 93 women) recruited from participants in training programmes held in Kanagawa Prefecture from August 2008 to March 2010. A survey using a brief job stress questionnaire and a coping scale was carried out before and after they completed their training. A t-test and multiple regression analysis were performed to evaluate the effects of the training. After the training, the scores of modifiers on the job stress scale and of the coping scale increased, whereas the scores of stress reactions on the job stress scale decreased. However, there were no changes in participants' subjective cognition concerning their workplace environment. Furthermore, the change in stress reaction score tended to correlate with the change in consultation score in all participants and with the change in problem-solving and consultation in male participants. Among female participants, the change in stress reaction score tended to correlate with change in support from superiors and colleagues as modifiers. The factors that correlated to the change in stress reaction score differed between genders. The findings suggest that training caregivers improves their stress reaction and coping skills. © 2016 The Authors. Psychogeriatrics © 2016 Japanese Psychogeriatric Society.

EM Talk: communication skills training for emergency medicine patients with serious illness.

PubMed

Grudzen, Corita R; Emlet, Lillian L; Kuntz, Joanne; Shreves, Ashley; Zimny, Erin; Gang, Maureen; Schaulis, Monique; Schmidt, Scott; Isaacs, Eric; Arnold, Robert

2016-06-01

The emergency department visit for a patient with serious illness represents a sentinel event, signalling a change in the illness trajectory. By better understanding patient and family wishes, emergency physicians can reinforce advance care plans and ensure the hospital care provided matches the patient's values. Despite their importance in care at the end of life, emergency physicians have received little training on how to talk to seriously ill patients and their families about goals of care. To expand communication skills training to emergency medicine, we developed a programme to give emergency medicine physicians the ability to empathically deliver serious news and to talk about goals of care. We have built on lessons from prior studies to design an intervention employing the most effective pedagogical techniques, including the use of simulated patients/families, role-playing and small group learning with constructive feedback from master clinicians. Here, we describe our evidence-based communication skills training course EM Talk using simulation, reflective feedback and deliberate practice. 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/

Breastfeeding promotion, support and protection: review of six country programmes.

PubMed

Mangasaryan, Nune; Martin, Luann; Brownlee, Ann; Ogunlade, Adebayo; Rudert, Christiane; Cai, Xiaodong

2012-08-01

Reviews of programmes in Bangladesh, Benin, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Uganda, and Uzbekistan sought to identify health policy and programmatic factors that influenced breastfeeding practices during a 10 to 15 year period. Exclusive breastfeeding rates and trends were analysed in six countries in general and from an equity perspective in two of them. Success factors and challenges were identified in countries with improved and stagnated rates respectively. The disaggregated data analysis showed that progress may be unequal in population subgroups, but if appropriately designed and implemented, a programme can become a "health equalizer" and eliminate discrepancies among different subgroups. Success requires commitment, supportive policies, and comprehensiveness of programmes for breastfeeding promotion, protection and support. Community-based promotion and support was identified as a particularly important component. Although health workers' training on infant feeding support and counselling was prioritized, further improvement of interpersonal counselling and problem solving skills is needed. More attention is advised for pre-service education, including a stronger focus on clinical practice, to ensure knowledge and skills among all health workers. Large-scale communication activities played a significant role, but essential steps were often underemphasized, including identifying social norms and influencing factors, ensuring community participation, and testing of approaches and messages.

Cultural competence in medical education: A questionnaire study of Danish medical teachers' perceptions of and preparedness to teach cultural competence.

PubMed

Sorensen, Janne; Jervelund, Signe Smith; Norredam, Marie; Kristiansen, Maria; Krasnik, Allan

2017-03-01

The cultural competence training of healthcare professionals is a key element in ensuring the quality of both the access and delivery of healthcare to increasingly ethnically diverse populations. The aim of this study is to investigate Danish medical teachers' opinions about cultural competence, their willingness to receive training and preparedness to teach cultural competence topics. The survey was sent to medical teachers, clinical teachers and external lecturers who teach in the medical programme at the University of Copenhagen. A total of 1400 medical teachers received the survey, and 199 responded. The response rate is 14%. Data were analysed through descriptive calculations, and answers to open-ended questions were coded using content analysis. Results showed that 82.4% of the informants agreed or strongly agreed that the medical education programme should include training on cultural issues, and 60.3% agreed or strongly agreed that students should be assessed on their cultural competence skills. Regarding preparedness to teach a diverse classroom, 88.4% felt somewhat or very prepared to engage and motivate all students. About 70% were interested in receiving training on cultural competence. Generally, there is interest in and acknowledgement of the importance of cultural competence in Danish medical education among teachers at the University of Copenhagen. This creates an opportunity to implement cultural competence in the medical curriculum, training of teachers and strengthening the diversity sensitivity of the organisation. However, support for this programme by management and the allocation of an appropriate level of resources is a prerequisite to the success of the programme.

Influence of non-preferred foot technical training in reducing lower limbs functional asymmetry among young football players.

PubMed

Guilherme, José; Garganta, Júlio; Graça, Amândio; Seabra, André

2015-01-01

The functional asymmetry of the lower limbs has been regarded as a relevant factor of the performance of football players. We purposed to ascertain whether a specific technical training programme for the non-preferred foot has implications in the increasing utilisation rate of the respective member during the game. Young football players (n = 71) were randomly divided into experimental group (N = 35; 14.37 ± 1.94 years) and control group (N = 36; 14.50 ± 1.81 years). The study was developed into three stages: first, assessment of the index utilisation of both limbs during the game; second, application of a technical training programme that includes the drilling of specific motor skills exclusively directed to the non-preferred foot; and third, assessment of the new rate of both limbs' utilisation after the predefined six months. The main findings were: (1) the use of the non-preferred foot increased significantly with the technical training programme in the experimental group and remained constant in the control group; (2) the use of the preferred foot decreased significantly in the experimental group and remained similar in control group. We concluded that a systematic and specific technical training for the non-preferred foot increases its use and reduces functional asymmetry in game situation, consequently improving the player's performance.

Implementation of laparoscopy surgery training via simulation in a low-income country.

PubMed

Ghesquière, L; Garabedian, C; Boukerrou, M; Dennis, T; Garbin, O; Hery, R; Rubod, C; Cosson, M

2018-05-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate laparoscopy training using pelvitrainers for gynaecological surgeons in a low-income country. The study was carried out in Madagascar from April 2016 to January 2017. The participants were gynaecological surgeons who had not previously performed laparoscopy. Each surgeon was timed to evaluate the execution times of four proposed exercises, based on the fundamentals of laparoscopic surgery (FLS) programme's skills manual, as follows: exercise 1, involving a simple object transfer; exercises 2 and 3, comprising complex object transfers; and exercise 4, a precision cutting exercise. The 8-month training and evaluation programme was divided into different stages, and the four following evaluations were compared: a pretest (T0), assessment at the end of the first training (T1) and auto-evaluation at 2 months (T2) and 8 months (T3). Eight participants were included. The median time was significantly reduced (P<0.05) at each evaluation for exercises 1, 2 and 4 compared to the pretest. For exercise 3, there was no difference between T0 and T1 (P=0.07). After 8 months of training, all participants progressed in all exercises. Our study showed that it is possible and beneficial to develop a programme for teaching laparoscopic surgery in low-income countries before providing the necessary equipment. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

The relevance of body positioning and its training effect on badminton smash.

PubMed

Li, Shiming; Zhang, Zhao; Wan, Bingjun; Wilde, Brandie; Shan, Gongbing

2017-02-01

One of the dominant skills in badminton is the forehand overhead smash, which consists of 1/5 attacks during games. Empirical evidences show that one has to adjust the body position in relation to the coming shuttlecock to produce a powerful and accurate smash. Therefore, positioning is a fundamental aspect influencing smash quality. Unfortunately, a search of literature has shown that there is a dearth/lack of study on this fundamental aspect. The goals of this study were to determine the influence of positioning and training experience on smash quality in order to discover information that could help learn/acquire the skill. Using 3D motion capture and full-body biomechanical modelling, 14 skilled and 15 novice players were analysed. Results have revealed that the body positioning has direct influence on shuttlecock release angle and clearance height of the offensive player. The results also suggest that, for training the positioning of beginners, one could conduct a self-selected comfort position towards a statically hanged shuttlecock and then step one foot back - a practical reference marker for learning. As one gains experience through repetitive training, improved limbs' coordination would increase smash quality further. We hope our findings will benefit practitioners for developing effective training programmes for beginners.

Skills acquired in research and public health in the specialty of family and community nursing in the Valencian Community.

PubMed

García-Martínez, Pedro; Lozano-Vidal, Ruth; Herraiz-Ortiz, María Del Carmen; Collado-Boira, Eladio

To evaluate the acquisition of skills in research and public health specialists in family and community nursing. Descriptive and analytical study on a population of specialist nurse members of with the Valencian Primary Nurse Society. Measured with anonymous self-administered questionnaire on activities implemented and turnaround time in the training period. The questionnaire was conducted and reviewed based on the training programme of the specialty. Sixteen of the 41 specialists responded. The four year groups of nurses who had finished their training were represented as well as seven national teaching units. The results show high heterogeneity in the activities developed in the training. The average rotation in public health is 7.07 weeks, with range of 0 to 16 weeks. The mean number of educational sessions is 2.69 in the two years. The average number of research projects is 1.19. The result shows a specialisation process with training gaps in the skills of research and public health that could be remedied. Some practitioners claim that they finish their specialisation without undertaking research activities or completing the minimum proposed shifts. There is no process of improvement in the four year groups studied. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

The experiential curriculum: an alternate model for anaesthesia education.

PubMed

Tweed, W A; Donen, N

1994-12-01

The shift to direct entry into residency training from medical school for all graduates will offer new challenges for anaesthesia training programmes. In this paper we argue that it also offers us an opportunity to re-evaluate our current approach to anaesthesia education. Emphasis in the residency programmes should be to provide trainees with clinical experiences and stimulation that will develop the required traditional competencies. It should also cultivate competency in clinical decision-making, intuition and judgement. Our purpose is to generate discussion by proposing an alternate curriculum model, the experiential curriculum. The basic premise is that learning is a process and outcome is to a large extent related to what the learner does. The process begins with an experience that provides for observation and reflection. Integration of the thoughts provides the basis for executing either existing or new actions. In the experiential curriculum residency training and learning are enhanced by documenting and critically evaluating the experiences to which the resident is exposed. Included within such a structured programme are the methodologies of problem-based and evidence-based learning. Faculty development will be required to help the resident pursue these skills of self-evaluation and efficient learning. We believe that incorporation of an experiential curriculum into the residency training programme will achieve the goals listed above and allow maturation of the process of lifelong learning. It will also allow greater achievement of the application of new information to one's practice.

[Determining the efficacy of a high-school life-skills' programme in Huancavelica, Peru].

PubMed

Choque-Larrauri, Raúl; Chirinos-Cáceres, Jesús Lorenzo

2009-01-01

Determining the efficacy of a life-skills' programme within the context of a school health promotion programme using teenagers from a high-school in the district of Huancavelica, Peru during school year 2006. This was non-equivalent experimental research with pre-test and post-test. The subjects consisted of 284 high school students. The variables analyzed were communication, self esteem, assertiveness, decision making, sex and age. There was a significant increase in the experimental group's communication and assertiveness skills' development. There were no significant differences in decision-making and self-esteem skills. The life-skills' programme was effective during one school year, especially in terms of learning and developing communication and assertiveness skills. However, self-esteem and decision-making skills did not present a statistically significance difference. Programme implementation must thus be redirected and the life-skills' programme should be implemented throughout all high-school years.

Should we use philosophy to teach clinical communication skills?

PubMed

Gerber, Berna

2016-11-16

Effective communication between the doctor and patient is crucial for good quality health care. Yet, this form of communication is often problematic, which may lead to several negative consequences for both patients and doctors. Clinical communication skills have become important components of medical training programmes. The traditional approach is to teach students particular communication skills, such as listening to patients and asking open-ended questions. Despite their importance, such training approaches do not seem to be enough to deliver medical practitioners who are able and committed to communicate effectively with patients. This might be due to the pervasive negative influence of the medical profession's (mistaken) understanding of itself as a natural science on doctor-patient communication. Doctors who have been trained according to a positivist framework may consider their only responsibility to be the physical treatment of physical disorders. They may thus have little regard for the patient's psychological and social world and by extension for communication with the patient and/or their caregivers. To address this problem, I propose a curriculum, based on the academic field of philosophy, for teaching clinical communication.

Should we use philosophy to teach clinical communication skills?

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Effective communication between the doctor and patient is crucial for good quality health care. Yet, this form of communication is often problematic, which may lead to several negative consequences for both patients and doctors. Clinical communication skills have become important components of medical training programmes. The traditional approach is to teach students particular communication skills, such as listening to patients and asking open-ended questions. Despite their importance, such training approaches do not seem to be enough to deliver medical practitioners who are able and committed to communicate effectively with patients. This might be due to the pervasive negative influence of the medical profession’s (mistaken) understanding of itself as a natural science on doctor–patient communication. Doctors who have been trained according to a positivist framework may consider their only responsibility to be the physical treatment of physical disorders. They may thus have little regard for the patient’s psychological and social world and by extension for communication with the patient and/or their caregivers. To address this problem, I propose a curriculum, based on the academic field of philosophy, for teaching clinical communication. PMID:28155325

[Is vocational reintegration of young cancer patients possible?].

PubMed

Weiss, J; Kuhn, R; Wentrock, S; Malitz, J; Reuss-Borst, M

2013-12-01

Besides an improvement in quality of life, one of the major targets of rehabilitation programmes is to preserve the ability to work and to integrate the patient into working life again. Cancer in particular is often associated with a loss of employment and joblessness, frequently caused by incomplete rehabilitation. The programme is aimed at young cancer patients aged between 18 and 40 years. In addition to medical rehabilitation, they undergo a specially developed programme which they complete in groups of no more than 5 persons. At baseline and at the end of the 3 weeks rehabilitation, tests on physical and mental capacity are conducted. During rehabilitation, different training programmes concerning mobility at work, fine motor skills and cognitive abilities are held, complemented by an intensive psycho-social training programme. Additionally, patients receive individual social counselling. So far, 34 patients with an average age of 31.8 years have participated in the programme, 65% of them suffering from malignant haematological diseases. The combination of a medical and a vocational rehabilitation programme was judged extremely positively by the participants, which remained the case 6 months after completion of the programme. The rehabilitation programme significantly reduced work incapacity periods: at baseline, only 6% of the participants had not experienced such periods, but after 3 and 6 months, this rate had increased to 61% and 62% respectively. This was accompanied by an increased health-related quality of life and reduced fatigue. With our pilot project we were able to show that such a programme is feasible, can be well integrated into clinical routine and is successful.

European Antibiotic Awareness Day 2017: training the next generation of health care professionals in antibiotic stewardship.

PubMed

Schrier, Lenneke; Hadjipanayis, Adamos; Del Torso, Stefano; Stiris, Tom; Emonts, Marieke; Dornbusch, Hans Juergen

2018-02-01

Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) aims to optimise treatment, minimise the risk of adverse effects and reduce health care costs. In addition, it is recognised as a key component to stop the current spread of antimicrobial resistance in Europe. Educational programmes are particularly important for the successful implementation of AMS. Training should start during medical school, continue during clinical training and be reinforced throughout postgraduate training. National core curricula for paediatric training should include passive and active training of competencies needed for AMS and future paediatricians should be skilled in taking leadership roles in AMS initiatives. Other core members of the paediatric AMS team should also receive training focused on the unique medical needs of the paediatric patient. Ideally, all communities, hospitals and health regions in Europe should have AMS that serve all patient types, including children. We all have the responsibility to ensure that existing antibiotics remain effective. What is Known: • Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) is a key component to stop the current spread of antimicrobial resistance • Educational programmes are particularly important for the successful implementation of AMS What is New: • All medical doctors in Europe who will be undertaking significant practice in child health should master the competencies needed to prescribe antibiotics to children rationally as described in the European Academy of Paediatrics (EAP) Curriculum for Common Trunk Training in Paediatrics • Interdisciplinary approaches of education need to be developed, as all hospitals and health regions in Europe ideally should have AMS programmes that serve all patient types, including children.

Promoting Darfuri women's psychosocial health: developing a war trauma counsellor training programme tailored to the person.

PubMed

Badri, Alia; Crutzen, Rik; Eltayeb, Shahla; Van den Borne, H W

2013-03-26

Women are considered special groups who are uniquely vulnerable in the context of war exposures. To effectively target the resources aimed at mitigating mental health consequences and optimising and maximising the use of mental health provisions, culturally relevant war trauma counsellor training is required. The objectives of this study are to promote a new philosophy in the Sudanese mental health care by introducing an integrative approach for targeted prevention and tailored treatments to the Darfuri person in a cost-effective way. Furthermore, the study provides evidence- and theory-based guidelines for developing a war trauma counsellor training programme in Sudan, mainly based on qualitative and quantitative studies among war-affected Darfuri female students. Cultural conceptualisations such as gender roles and religious expectations as well as theories that emphasise resilience and other psychosocial adaptation skills have been operationalised to reflect the totality of the Darfuri women's experiences. Furthermore, the results of four interrelated studies among war-traumatised undergraduate Darfuri women who are internally displaced provide the basis that guides an outline for qualification development, capacity building and skills consolidation among Sudanese mental health care providers. Explicit war-related psychosocial needs assessment tools, specific war-related trauma counsellor training and particular counsellor characteristics, qualities and awareness that pertain to strengthening the efficacy of war trauma Sudanese counsellors are recommended. The aim is to produce expertly trained war trauma counsellors working with war-affected Darfuri women in particular and with regards to their helpfulness in responding to the psychosocial needs of war-exposed Sudanese in general.

The neonatal resuscitation training project in rural South Africa.

PubMed

Couper, I D; Thurley, J D; Hugo, J F M

2005-01-01

A paediatrician trainer from Australia (JT) spent 3 months in South Africa to assist with the development of neonatal resuscitation training in rural areas, particularly in district hospitals. The project was initiated by the Rural Health Unit at the University of the Witwatersrand and coordinated through the Family Medicine Education Consortium (FaMEC). The Rural Workforce Agency of Victoria together with General Practice and Primary Health Care Northern Territory covered the salary and international travel costs of the trainer, while local costs were funded by provincial departments of health, participants and a Belgian funded FaMEC project. The trainer developed an appropriate one-day skills training course in neonatal resuscitation (NNR), using the South African Paediatric Association Manual of Resuscitation of the Newborn as pre-reading, and a course to train trainers in neonatal resuscitation. From July to October 2004 he moved around the country running the neonatal resuscitation course, and, more importantly, training and accrediting trainers to run their own courses on an ongoing basis. The neonatal resuscitation course involved pre- and post-course multiple-choice question tests to assess knowledge and application, and, later, pre- and post-course skills tests to assess competence. A total of 415 people, including 215 nurses and 192 doctors, attended the neonatal resuscitation courses in 28 different sites in eight provinces. In addition, 97 trainers were trained, in nine sites. The participants rated the course highly. Pre- and post-course tests showed a high level of learning and improved confidence. The logistical arrangements, through the departments of family medicine, worked well, but the programme was very demanding of the trainer. Lessons and experiences were not shared between provinces, leading to repetition of some problems. A clear issue around the country was a lack of adequate equipment in hospitals for neonatal resuscitation, which needs to be addressed by health authorities. A process of ongoing training has been established, with provincial coordinators taking responsibility for standards and the roll-out of training. A formal evaluation of the project is planned. The project serves as a model for skills training in rural areas in South Africa, and for collaboration between organisations. A number of specific recommendations are made for the future of this NNR training project, which offer lessons for similar programmes.

Training informal caregivers to care for older people after stroke: a quasi-experimental study.

PubMed

Araújo, Odete; Lage, Isabel; Cabrita, José; Teixeira, Laetitia

2018-05-12

The present study aimed at evaluating whether training on practical skills involved in providing care reduces the burden experienced by informal caregivers and improves their general health condition. A substantial number of informal caregivers lack skills to deliver post-stroke assistance to older people after hospital discharge, which leads to burden situations as well as mental and physical health deterioration of the former. A quasi-experimental design. This study involved 174 informal caregivers of older people who overcame a stroke. The control group (N= 89) received the usual type of care delivered in healthcare units. The experimental group (N=85) adopted the InCARE programme for 1 week (T0), 1 month (T1) and 3 (T2) months and received telephone support by counselling caregivers on the subsequent 3rd, 6th, 8th and 10th weeks to hospital discharge. It aimed at facilitating the caregiver's adjustment to the demands of a post- stroke stage and at increasing knowledge and practical skills to support the decision making. Data collection occurred between February - December 2014 at the Community Home Care Services in northern Portugal. The experimental group obtained significantly better results regarding practical skills as well as lower burden levels and a better general mental health condition when compared with the control group 1 (T1) and 3 (T2) months after intervention. Findings suggest that our programme improved practical skills, helped reduce burden levels with better scores and improvement regarding general mental health condition of informal caregivers. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Introducing the female condom through the public health sector: experiences from South Africa.

PubMed

Mantell, J E; Scheepers, E; Karim, Q A

2000-10-01

The successful implementation of new public health policy is influenced by provider preparedness and user acceptability of the new intervention. This paper describes the development and implementation of a participatory Training of Trainers (TOT) programme as a precursor to launch the South African government's female-initiated HIV prevention strategies in public health clinics. Three hundred peer-trainees from throughout South Africa were trained through a comprehensive, modular and interactive three-day workshop. The workshop content included: HIV/AIDS knowledge, beliefs and attitudes; values clarification regarding HIV infection and sexuality; sexual desensitization; 'hands-on' training in the use of and introduction of the female condom; and counselling, communication and programme planning skills. The TOT generated a cadre of knowledgeable health care workers for training others and provided a support structure at the service delivery level for ensuring potential users' access to the female condom within each province. Qualitative assessments of the training and trainer debriefing sessions suggest that the training was successful in increasing knowledge and promoting positive attitudes about female condoms. In addition, the expanded repertoire of problem-solving approaches left providers feeling confident about recommending this method to clients.

SmartRoads: training Indonesian workers to become road safety ambassadors in industrial and community settings.

PubMed

Montero, Kerry; Spencer, Graham; Ariens, Bernadette

2012-06-01

This paper reports on a programme to improve road safety awareness in an industrial community in the vicinity of Jakarta, in Indonesia. Adapting the model of a successful community and school-based programme in Victoria, in Australia, and using a peer education approach, 16 employees of a major manufacturing company were trained to implement road safety education programmes amongst their peers. Specific target groups for the educators were colleagues, schools and the local community. Over 2 days the employees, from areas as diverse as production, public relations, personnel services, administration and management, learned about road safety facts, causes of traffic casualties, prevention approaches and peer education strategies. They explored and developed strategies to use with their respective target groups and practised health education skills. The newly trained workers received certificates to acknowledge them as 'SmartRoads Ambassadors' and, with follow-up support and development, became road safety educators with a commitment and responsibility to deliver education to their respective work and local communities. This paper argues that the model has potential to provide an effective and locally relevant response to road safety issues in similar communities.

Global health: A lasting partnership in paediatric surgery

PubMed Central

Lakhoo, Kokila; Msuya, David

2015-01-01

Background: To emphasise the value of on-going commitment in Global Health Partnerships. Materials and Methods: A hospital link, by invitation, was set up between United Kingdom and Tanzania since 2002. The project involved annual visits with activities ranging from exchange of skill to training health professionals. Furthermore, the programme attracted teaching and research activities. For continuity, there was electronic communication between visits. Results: Six paediatric surgeons are now fully trained with three further in training in Africa. Paediatric surgery services are now separate from adult services. Seven trainee exchanges have taken place with four awarded fellowships/scholarships. Twenty-three clinical projects have been presented internationally resulting in eight international publications. The programme has attracted other health professionals, especially nursing and engineering. The Tropical Health and Education Trust prize was recently achieved for nursing and radiography. National Health Service has benefited from volunteering staff bringing new cost-effective ideas. A fully funded medical student elective programme has been achieved since 2008. Conclusion: Global Health Partnerships are an excellent initiative in establishing specialist services in countries with limited resources. In the future, this will translate into improved patient care as long as it is sustained and valued by long term commitment. PMID:26168748

Global health: A lasting partnership in paediatric surgery.

PubMed

Lakhoo, Kokila; Msuya, David

2015-01-01

To emphasise the value of on-going commitment in Global Health Partnerships. A hospital link, by invitation, was set up between United Kingdom and Tanzania since 2002. The project involved annual visits with activities ranging from exchange of skill to training health professionals. Furthermore, the programme attracted teaching and research activities. For continuity, there was electronic communication between visits. Six paediatric surgeons are now fully trained with three further in training in Africa. Paediatric surgery services are now separate from adult services. Seven trainee exchanges have taken place with four awarded fellowships/scholarships. Twenty-three clinical projects have been presented internationally resulting in eight international publications. The programme has attracted other health professionals, especially nursing and engineering. The Tropical Health and Education Trust prize was recently achieved for nursing and radiography. National Health Service has benefited from volunteering staff bringing new cost-effective ideas. A fully funded medical student elective programme has been achieved since 2008. Global Health Partnerships are an excellent initiative in establishing specialist services in countries with limited resources. In the future, this will translate into improved patient care as long as it is sustained and valued by long term commitment.

Strengthening individual capacity in monitoring and evaluation of malaria control programmes to streamline M&E systems and enhance information use in malaria endemic countries.

PubMed

Garley, Ashley; Eckert, Erin; Sie, Ali; Ye, Maurice; Malm, Keziah; Afari, Edwin A; Sawadogo, Mamadou; Herrera, Samantha; Ivanovich, Elizabeth; Ye, Yazoume

2016-05-28

Malaria control interventions in most endemic countries have intensified in recent years and so there is a need for a robust monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system to measure progress and achievements. Providing programme and M&E officers with the appropriate skills is a way to strengthen malaria's M&E systems and enhance information use for programmes' implementation. This paper describes a recent effort in capacity strengthening for malaria M&E in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). From 2010 to 2014, capacity-strengthening efforts consisted of organizing regional in-person workshops for M&E of malaria programmes for Anglophone and Francophone countries in SSA in collaboration with partners from Ghana and Burkina Faso. Open-sourced online courses were also available in English. A post-workshop assessment was conducted after 5 years to assess the effects of these regional workshops and identify gaps in capacity. The regional workshops trained 181 participants from 28 countries from 2010 to 2014. Trained participants were from ministries of health, national malaria control and elimination programmes, non-governmental organizations, and development partners. The average score (%) for participants' knowledge tests increased from pretest to posttest for Anglophone workshops (2011: 59 vs. 76, 2012: 41 vs. 63, 2013: 51 vs. 73; 2014: 50 vs. 74). Similarly, Francophone workshop posttest scores increased, but were lower than Anglophone due to higher scores at pretest. (2011: 70 vs. 76, 2012: 74 vs. 79, 2013: 61 vs. 68; 2014: 64 vs. 75). Results of the post-workshop assessment revealed that participants retained practical M&E knowledge and skills for malaria programs, but there is a need for a module on malaria surveillance adapted to the pre-elimination context. The workshops were successful because of the curriculum content, facilitation quality, and the engagement of partner institutions with training expertise. Results from the post-workshop assessment will guide the curriculum's development and restructuring for the next phase of workshops. Country-specific malaria M&E capacity needs assessments may also inform this process as countries reduce malaria burden.

How quickly do breast screeners learn their skills?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nevisi, Hossein; Dong, Leng; Chen, Yan; Gale, Alastair G.

2017-03-01

The UK's Breast Screening Programme is 27 years old and many experienced breast radiologists are now retiring, coupled with an influx of new screening personnel. It is important to the ongoing Programme that new mammography readers are quickly up to the skill level of experienced readers. This raises the question of how quickly the necessary cancer detection skills are learnt. All breast screening radiologists in the UK read educational training sets of challenging FFDM images (the PERFORMS® scheme) yearly to maintain and improve their performance in real life screening. Data were examined from the PERFORMS® annual scheme for 54 new screeners, 55 screeners who have been screening for one year and also for more experienced screeners (597 screeners). Not surprisingly, significant differences in cancer detection rate were found between new readers and both of the other groups. Additionally, the performance of 48 new readers who have now been screening for about a year and have taken part twice in the PERFORMS® scheme were further examined where again a significant difference in cancer detection was found. These data imply that cancer detection skills are learnt quickly in the first year of screening. Information was also examined concerning the volume of cases participants read and other factors.

Obstetrics and gynaecology chief resident attitudes toward teaching junior residents under normal working conditions.

PubMed

Gil, Karen M; Savitski, Jennifer L; Bazan, Sara; Patterson, Laurene R; Kirven, Melissa

2009-09-01

This study aimed to identify factors that chief residents believe impact the teaching of junior residents under normal working conditions and the areas in which they believe education on the role of resident as teacher would be beneficial. Obstetrics and gynaecology (O&G) chief residents were asked to rate the importance of teaching various skills, how often conflict situations arose, and to identify training that would be helpful through a national web-based survey. An e-mail was sent to coordinators of the Residency Review Committee (RRC) O&G residency programmes with a request that they forward the link to their chief residents three times from January through March 2006. Responses were received from 204 postgraduate Year 4 (PGY4) residents (18% of all PGY4 residents) from 133 programmes (54% of all residency programmes) and 33 states. Teaching junior residents how to prioritise patient care and obtain critical information in an emergent situation was considered very to extremely important by 97%. Conflict situations with junior residents were reported to occur between one and five times by 41-58%; an additional 26-28% reported that these situations occurred six or more times. Residents felt it would be helpful to extremely helpful to have training in resolving conflicts that involved patient care (48-59%), as well as in resolving conflict among junior residents, communicating effectively with them and becoming an effective leader (65-78%). The skills that chief residents considered most important to teach junior residents involved direct patient care. Chief residents would like training in how to resolve conflict with, and among, junior residents, and in how to become an effective leader.

Analysing the Effects of an Industry-Based Jazz Education Performance Training Programme on the Development of Adjunct-Professional Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerr, Derrin; Knight, Bruce Allen

2011-01-01

Since 2002, The Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music (CQCM) has maintained a partnership with Hamilton Island Enterprises (HIE). Within this partnership the Bachelor of Music (Jazz & Popular) students visit Hamilton Island (HI), an island resort located off the Australian east coast, 4-6 times annually to engage in 3-10 days of…

Competing Values in the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Industry: Leadership Roles and Managerial Competencies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riggs, Michael W.; Hughey, Aaron W.

2011-01-01

It is important that education and training programmes align with the needs of the professions they are designed to support. The culinary arts and hospitality industry is a vocational area that needs to be examined more closely to ensure that the skills and competencies taught are those that will actually be needed when students matriculate from…

Report on the 2009 ESO Fellows Symposium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Emsellem, Eric; West, Michael; Leibundgut, Bruno

2009-09-01

The fourth ESO Fellows Symposium took place in Garching from 8-10 June 2009. This year's symposium brought together 28 ESO Fellows from Chile and Germany to meet their colleagues from across the ocean, discuss their research and provide feedback on ESO's Fellowship programme. This year's symposium also included training workshops to enhance the practical skills of ESO Fellows in today's competitive job market.

The Effect of Teachers Trained in a Fundamental Movement Skills Programme on Children's Self-Perceptions and Motor Competence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Breslin, Gavin; Murphy, Marie; McKee, David; Delaney, Brian; Dempster, Martin

2012-01-01

Perceived and actual motor competence are hypothesized to have potential links to children and young people's physical activity (PA) levels with a potential consequential link to long-term health. In this cross-sectional study, Harter's (1985, "Manual for the Self-perception Profile for Children." Denver, CO: University of Denver)…

"Just Wait Then and See What He Does": A Speech Act Analysis of Healthcare Professionals' Interaction Coaching with Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKnight, Lindsay M.; O'Malley-Keighran, Mary-Pat; Carroll, Clare

2016-01-01

Background: There is evidence indicating that parent training programmes including interaction coaching of parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) can increase parental responsiveness, promote language development and social interaction skills in children with ASD. However, there is a lack of research exploring precisely how…

The Education Pacific Islands Children Deserve: The Learn and Play Project in the Solomon Islands

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maebuta, Jack

2011-01-01

The Learn and Play Project was initiated by Solomon Islands Football Federation and aimed at educating and providing football skills training for primary school dropouts. The aim of this paper is to report the implementation of the programme in a case study school. Because the project is still being implemented, this paper is not intended to…

Peer-Assisted Learning Programme: Supporting Students in High-Risk Subjects at the Mechanical Engineering Department at Walter Sisulu University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Makola, Qonda

2017-01-01

The majority of the students who enroll at the Walter Sisulu University (WSU) in South Africa are not equipped with the necessary academic/learning skills to cope with the university environment, especially in Mechanical Engineering. The Department of Higher Education and Training (2013, p. 17), further states that "students' support is…

In vivo porcine training model for cranial neurosurgery.

PubMed

Regelsberger, Jan; Eicker, Sven; Siasios, Ioannis; Hänggi, Daniel; Kirsch, Matthias; Horn, Peter; Winkler, Peter; Signoretti, Stefano; Fountas, Kostas; Dufour, Henry; Barcia, Juan A; Sakowitz, Oliver; Westermaier, Thomas; Sabel, Michael; Heese, Oliver

2015-01-01

Supplemental education is desirable for neurosurgical training, and the use of human cadaver specimen and virtual reality models is routine. An in vivo porcine training model for cranial neurosurgery was introduced in 2005, and our recent experience with this unique model is outlined here. For the first time, porcine anatomy is illustrated with particular respect to neurosurgical procedures. The pros and cons of this model are described. The aim of the course was to set up a laboratory scenery imitating an almost realistic operating room in which anatomy of the brain and neurosurgical techniques in a mentored environment free from time constraints could be trained. Learning objectives of the course were to learn about the microsurgical techniques in cranial neurosurgery and the management of complications. Participants were asked to evaluate the quality and utility of the programme via standardized questionnaires by a grading scale from A (best) to E (worst). In total, 154 residents have been trained on the porcine model to date. None of the participants regarded his own residency programme as structured. The bleeding and complication management (97%), the realistic laboratory set-up (89%) and the working environment (94%) were favoured by the vast majority of trainees and confirmed our previous findings. After finishing the course, the participants graded that their skills in bone drilling, dissecting the brain and preserving cerebral vessels under microscopic magnification had improved to level A and B. In vivo hands-on courses, fully equipped with microsurgical instruments, offer an outstanding training opportunity in which bleeding management on a pulsating, vital brain represents a unique training approach. Our results have shown that education programmes still lack practical training facilities in which in vivo models may act as a complementary approach in surgical training.

Understanding how prevocational training on care farms can lead to functioning, motivation and well-being.

PubMed

Ellingsen-Dalskau, Lina H; Berget, Bente; Pedersen, Ingeborg; Tellnes, Gunnar; Ihlebæk, Camilla

2016-12-01

Prevocational training aims to improve basic vocational and social skills, supporting return to work for people who have been out of work for a long time. Care farms provide prevocational training; the aim of the study was to use the self-determination theory to gain an understanding of how these programmes can lead to healthy functioning and motivation for clients. A total of 194 participants in prevocational training on care farms answered questions about demographic information, their perception of being a colleague, the social community on the farm, experiencing nature and animals and need satisfaction. A cross-sectional design resulting in a structural equation model was used to understand how elements of the care farm context influence satisfaction of three psychological needs. The results showed that a feeling of being a useful colleague led to competence, experiencing a sense of group belonging led to relatedness and autonomy, while receiving social support from the farmer led to satisfaction of all three needs for the participants. The results explain how prevocational training can stimulate participants' functionality, motivation and well-being. This understanding enables initiators and managers of prevocational training to understand and further strengthen the need-supportive elements of such programmes. Implications for Rehabilitation Prevocational training on care farms can facilitate motivation, functioning and well-being for clients. Making clients feel like useful colleagues that belong to a client group will strengthen the positive qualities of these programmes. Support, understanding and acknowledgement from the farmer are the most important elements for a positive development for the clients.

Integrating national community-based health worker programmes into health systems: a systematic review identifying lessons learned from low-and middle-income countries.

PubMed

Zulu, Joseph Mumba; Kinsman, John; Michelo, Charles; Hurtig, Anna-Karin

2014-09-22

Despite the development of national community-based health worker (CBHW) programmes in several low- and middle-income countries, their integration into health systems has not been optimal. Studies have been conducted to investigate the factors influencing the integration processes, but systematic reviews to provide a more comprehensive understanding are lacking. We conducted a systematic review of published research to understand factors that may influence the integration of national CBHW programmes into health systems in low- and middle-income countries. To be included in the study, CBHW programmes should have been developed by the government and have standardised training, supervision and incentive structures. A conceptual framework on the integration of health innovations into health systems guided the review. We identified 3410 records, of which 36 were finally selected, and on which an analysis was conducted concerning the themes and pathways associated with different factors that may influence the integration process. Four programmes from Brazil, Ethiopia, India and Pakistan met the inclusion criteria. Different aspects of each of these programmes were integrated in different ways into their respective health systems. Factors that facilitated the integration process included the magnitude of countries' human resources for health problems and the associated discourses about how to address these problems; the perceived relative advantage of national CBHWs with regard to delivering health services over training and retaining highly skilled health workers; and the participation of some politicians and community members in programme processes, with the result that they viewed the programmes as legitimate, credible and relevant. Finally, integration of programmes within the existing health systems enhanced programme compatibility with the health systems' governance, financing and training functions. Factors that inhibited the integration process included a rapid scale-up process; resistance from other health workers; discrimination of CBHWs based on social, gender and economic status; ineffective incentive structures; inadequate infrastructure and supplies; and hierarchical and parallel communication structures. CBHW programmes should design their scale-up strategy differently based on current contextual factors. Further, adoption of a stepwise approach to the scale-up and integration process may positively shape the integration process of CBHW programmes into health systems.

Do previous sports experiences influence the effect of an enrichment programme in basketball skills?

PubMed

Santos, Sara; Mateus, Nuno; Sampaio, Jaime; Leite, Nuno

2017-09-01

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of an enrichment programme in motor, technical and tactical basketball skills, when accounting for the age of youth sport specialisation. Seventy-six college students (age: M = 20.4, SD = 1.9) were allocated according to three different paths: (i) non-structured (n = 14), (ii) early specialisation (n = 34), and (iii) late specialisation (n = 28), according to information previously provided by the participants about the quantity and type of sporting activities performed throughout their sporting careers. Then, the participants of each path were randomly distributed across control and experimental groups. Variables under study included agility, technical skills circuit, as well as tactical actions performed in a 4-on-4 full-court basketball game. The results indicated improvements in the early and late specialisation paths namely in the experimental training groups. However, the late specialisation path revealed larger benefits, in contrast with the non-structured path, which showed less sensitivity to the enrichment programme, mostly sustained in physical literacy and differential learning. Higher improvements were observed in agility, and also in reducing the number of unsuccessful actions performed during the game. Overall, this study provided evidence of how early sports experiences affect basketball skill acquisition and contribute to adapt to new contexts with motor and technical-tactical challenges. In addition, a path supported by late specialisation might present several advantages in sport performance achievement.

Effective teaching of communication to health professional undergraduate and postgraduate students: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

MacDonald-Wicks, Lesley; Levett-Jones, Tracy

The objective is to identify and assess the effectiveness of tools and methods of teaching communication skills to health professional students in undergraduate and postgraduate programs, to facilitate communication in hospitals, nursing homes and mental health institutions.For this review, effective communication will be defined as that which enhances patient satisfaction, safety, symptom resolution, psychological status, or reduces the impact/burden of disease and/or improved communication skills within undergraduate or postgraduate studentsThe review question is: What is the best available evidence on strategies to effectively teach communication skills to undergraduate and postgraduate medical, nursing and allied health students (nutrition and dietetics, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech pathology etc)? Communication is a two-way interaction where information, meanings and feelings are shared both verbally and non-verbally. Effective communication is when the message being conveyed is understood as intended. Effective communication between the health professional and patient is increasingly being recognised as a core clinical skill. Research has identified the far reaching benefits of effective communication skills including enhanced patient satisfaction, patient safety, symptom resolution and improvements in functional and psychological status. Poor communication can result in omitted or misinterpretation of information resulting in declining health of the patient. Despite the importance of effective communication in ensuring positive outcomes for both the patient and health professional, there is concern that contemporary teaching and learning approaches do not always facilitate the development of a requisite level of communication skills, both verbal and written and a difficulty for the current generation of communication skills teachers is that many have not had the experience of being taught communication skills themselves.Studies have shown that communication skills can be taught, although proven learning strategies should be the basis of any communication teaching. It is reported that the communication skills teachers themselves be trained in communication skills and assessment of communication skills should be an important component of the health professionals' accreditation. Not only should the communication skills of the teacher be evaluated but the teaching modules within the program should also be evaluated on a regular basis.In all cases of communication teaching, strong faculty support is required for any communication skills programme to be successful. Early introduction of communication skills programmes, which are continued throughout all the years of the curriculum, has been shown to be effective in improving confidence and reducing the number of errors made and establishing a more permanent understanding of communication. Throughout the undergraduate degree, increased integration between communication and clinical teaching is important in learning to use the two skill sets together, so as to closely reflect what happens in clinical practice. Research suggests that communication training is most effective when longitudinal in nature and coincides with ongoing professional practice education.Many studies have shown that communication skills programmes with a strong experimental and/or practical component are more effective than programmes that are solely theory or discussion based. Simulations and role-play are effective instructional methods for developing communication skills including opening and closing consultations, conducting the consultation in a logical manner, improving body language, using language at the level of understanding of the patient and using clear verbal and written communication. One particular strategy that has been shown to be effective is the use of videotaped consultations with standardised patients.Although measuring the effectiveness of communication skills training is difficult, there are a few common strategies used in the current literature. It has been suggested that evaluation of the competence of students' verbal communication skills is best assessed during observations of simulated consultations with standardised patients followed by constructive feedback. The quality of the constructive feedback is crucial, needing to be specific, non-judgemental and descriptive. A number of studies have used objective structured clinical exams (OSCE) where a marking scheme is used to evaluate different components of communication whilst ensuring a more standardised assessment for all students.Given the concern with communication skills of contemporary health professionals, and the variability in current communication education programmes, it is important that an educational model be developed to foster the development of effective communication. This model should be multi-faceted, that is, address knowledge, skill and attitude domains and cover both verbal and non-verbal forms of communication.A preliminary search of JBI Library of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Library of Systematic Reviews, Medline, CINAHL, DARE, PROSPERO has been performed and one existing systematic review was identified. The review investigated communication teaching in nurse education in the United Kingdom (UK). The review discusses a number of points including 1) who teaches communication skills; 2) the methods used; 3) time spent on communication skills training; 4) the goals or content of the teaching and; 5) assessment, evaluation and overall effectiveness of communication teaching. From the 17 studies included in this review, it was found that team teaching provides greater depth and more perspectives therefore likely to be more effective. Experiential methods, standardised patients, and group work are commonly used as methods of teaching with course content including empathy, self-awareness, interviewing skills and critical thinking. The time spent in teaching communication skills is often not reported with information on the methods of assessment of communication skills also limited although the use of standardised patients and OSCEs most commonly used. This review concluded that there was a lack of research in this area and the strength of conclusions from these studies were lessened due to the flaws in methodological design, Therefore, the question still remains as to what aspects of teaching communication are effective.Given the poor methodological design of the studies included in the above review, the time since publication of the last review (2002), and the lack of recent research specific to this topic, this review is somewhat exploratory and hopes to further explain effective methods of communication teaching and evaluation.

The cost-effectiveness of orthopaedic clinical officers in Malawi.

PubMed

Grimes, Caris E; Mkandawire, Nyengo C; Billingsley, Michael L; Ngulube, Christopher; Cobey, James C

2014-07-01

In Malawi the orthopaedic clinical officer (OCO) training programme trains non-physician clinicians in musculoskeletal care. We studied the cost-effectiveness of this program. Hospital logbooks were reviewed for data pertaining to activity in seven district hospitals over a 6-month period. The total costs were divided by the total effectiveness, calculated as disability adjusted life years (DALYs) averted. The total cost-effectiveness of providing orthopaedic care through the OCO training programme was US$92.06 per DALY averted. The mean per hospital was US$138.75 (95% CI: US$69.58-207.91) per DALY averted which is very cost-effective when compared with other health interventions. Of the 837 patients treated 63% were aged <15 years and 36% were in the 'economically active' demographic of ages 15-74 years. Training of clinical officers in orthopaedic surgery is very cost-effective and allows transfer of skills into rural areas. The demographics suggest that failure to provide such care would have a negative economic impact. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Kansas nurse leader residency programme: advancing leader knowledge and skills.

PubMed

Shen, Qiuhua; Peltzer, Jill; Teel, Cynthia; Pierce, Janet

2018-03-01

To evaluate the effectiveness of the Kansas Nurse Leader Residency (KNLR) programme in improving nurses' leadership knowledge and skills and its acceptability, feasibility and fidelity. The Future of Nursing Report (Institute of Medicine, 2011) calls for nurses to lead change and advance health. The 6-month KNLR programme was developed by the Kansas Action Coalition to support nurses' leadership development. Nurses (n = 36) from four nursing specialties (acute care, long-term care, public health and school health) participated in the programme. The adapted Leader Knowledge and Skill Inventory was used to assess leadership knowledge and skills. Programme acceptability, feasibility and implementation fidelity also were evaluated. The programme completion rate was 67.7% (n = 24). Programme completers had significantly improved self-assessed and mentor-assessed leadership knowledge and skills (p < .05). These post-programme gains were maintained 3 months after programme completion. The KNLR programme effectively improved leadership knowledge and skills and was positively evaluated by participants. The implementation of the KNLR programme using a hybrid format of in-person sessions and online modules was feasible across four specialty areas in both rural and urban regions. The next steps include the development of an advanced programme. Residency programmes for new nurse leaders are critical for successful transition into management positions. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Face and content validation of a novel three-dimensional printed temporal bone for surgical skills development.

PubMed

Da Cruz, M J; Francis, H W

2015-07-01

To assess the face and content validity of a novel synthetic, three-dimensional printed temporal bone for surgical skills development and training. A synthetic temporal bone was printed using composite materials and three-dimensional printing technology. Surgical trainees were asked to complete three structured temporal bone dissection exercises. Attitudes and impressions were then assessed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Previous cadaver and real operating experiences were used as a reference. Trainees' experiences of the synthetic temporal bone were analysed in terms of four domains: anatomical realism, usefulness as a training tool, task-based usefulness and overall reactions. Responses across all domains indicated a high degree of acceptance, suggesting that the three-dimensional printed temporal bone was a useful tool in skills development. A sophisticated three-dimensional printed temporal bone that demonstrates face and content validity was developed. The efficiency in cost savings coupled with low associated biohazards make it likely that the printed temporal bone will be incorporated into traditional temporal bone skills development programmes in the near future.

Neuro-critical care: a valuable placement during foundation and early neurosurgical training.

PubMed

Dyson, Edward W; Kolias, Angelos G; Burnstein, Rowan M; Hutchinson, Peter J A; Garnett, Matthew R; Menon, David K; Trivedi, Rikin A

2014-10-01

Neurosciences critical care units (NCCUs) present a unique opportunity to junior trainees in neurosurgery as well as foundation trainees looking to gain experience in the management of critically ill patients with neurological conditions. Placements in NCCUs are undertaken in the early years of neurosurgical training or during neurosciences themed foundation programmes. We sought to quantify the educational benefits of such placements from the trainee perspective. Thirty-two trainees who had undertaken placements at Foundation Year 2 (FY2) to Specialty Trainee Year 3 (ST3) level between August 2009 and April 2013 were invited to take part in an online questionnaire survey. Competence in individual skills was self-rated on a ranked scale from one (never observed) to five (performed unsupervised) both before and after the placement. Trainees were also asked a series of questions pertaining to their ability to manage common neurosurgical conditions, as well as the perceived educational rigour of their placement. Twenty-three responses were received. Eighteen responses were from FY2s and seven were from ST1-3 level trainees. Following their placements, 100% of respondents felt better equipped to deal with neurosurgical and neurological emergencies and cranial trauma. Most felt better equipped to manage hydrocephalus (95.7%), polytrauma patients (95.7%), spontaneous intracranial haemorrhage (91.3%) and spinal trauma (82.6%). Significant increases were seen in experience in all practical skills assessed. These included central venous catheterisation (p < 0.001), intracranial pressure (ICP) bolt insertion (p < 0.001), ICP bolt removal (p < 0.001), external ventricular drain (EVD) insertion (p = 0.001) and tapping of EVD for cerebrospinal fluid sample (p < 0.001). Our results clearly demonstrate the educational benefits of NCCU placements in the early stages of a neurosurgical training programme as well as in the Foundation Programme. This supports the incorporation of a four- to six-month NCCU rotation in early years training as educationally valuable.

‘The year of first aid’: effectiveness of a 3-day first aid programme for 7-14-year-old primary school children

PubMed Central

Banfai, Balint; Pek, Emese; Pandur, Attila; Csonka, Henrietta; Betlehem, Jozsef

2017-01-01

Aim of the study Bystanders can play an important role in the event of sudden injury or illness. Our aim was to evaluate the effects of a 3-day first aid course for all primary school age groups (7–14 years old). Methods 582 school children were involved in the study. Training consisted of three sessions with transfer of theoretical knowledge and practical skills about first aid. The following most urgent situations were addressed in our study: adult basic life support (BLS), using an automated external defibrillator (AED), handling an unconscious patient, managing bleeding and calling the ambulance. Data collection was made with a questionnaire developed for the study and observation. Students were tested before, immediately after and 4 months after training. Results were considered significant in case of p<0.05. Results Prior to training there was a low level of knowledge and skills on BLS, management of the unconscious patient, use of an AED and management of bleeding. Knowledge and skills improved significantly in all of these categories (p<0.01) and remained significantly higher than the pre-test level at 4 months after training (p<0.01). Younger children overall performed less well than older children, but significantly improved over the pre-test level both immediately and 4 months after training (p<0.01). Prior first aid training was associated with knowledge of the correct ambulance number (p=0.015) and management of bleeding (p=0.041). Prior to training, age was associated with pre-test knowledge and skills of all topics (p<0.01); after training, it was only associated with AED use (p<0.001). There was a significant correlation between the depth of chest compression and children’s age, weight, height and body mass index (p<0.001). Ventilation depended on the same factors (p<0.001). Conclusion Children aged 7–14 years are able to perform basic life-saving skills. Knowledge retention after 4 months is good for skills, but thinking in algorithms is difficult for these children. PMID:28420689

Autism.

PubMed

Parr, Jeremy

2010-01-07

Evidence for the efficacy of treatments for autism has improved in recent years. In this systematic review the evidence for both drug and non-drug treatments is appraised and clinical guidance is provided for their use. We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical questions: What are the effects of early intensive multidisciplinary intervention programmes in children with autism? What are the effects of dietary interventions in children with autism? What are the effects of drug treatments in children with autism? What are the effects of non-drug treatments in children with autism? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to May 2009 (Clinical evidence reviews are updated periodically; please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). We found 30 systematic reviews, RCTs, or observational studies that met our inclusion criteria. We performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions. In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: applied behavioural analysis; auditory integration training; Autism Preschool Programme; casein-free diet; chelation; Child's Talk programme; cognitive behavioural therapy; digestive enzymes; EarlyBird programme; facilitated communication; Floortime therapy; gluten-free diet; immunoglobulins; melatonin; memantine; methylphenidate; More Than Words programme; music therapy; olanzapine; omega-3 fish oil; picture exchange communication system; Portage scheme; probiotics; relationship development interventions; risperidone; secretin; selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs); sensory integration training; social stories; social skills training; Son-Rise programme; TEACCH; vitamin A; vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) plus magnesium; and vitamin C.

Experiences of leaders in the implementation of Lean in a teaching hospital—barriers and facilitators in clinical practices: a qualitative study

PubMed Central

Aij, Kjeld Harald; Simons, Frederique Elisabeth; Widdershoven, Guy A M; Visse, Merel

2013-01-01

Objectives To date, experiences of leaders in the implementation of Lean after a Lean Training Programme have not been systematically investigated within teaching hospitals. Existing studies have identified barriers and facilitators only from an improvement programme perspective and have not considered the experiences of leaders themselves. This study aims to bridge this gap. Design Semistructured, indepth interviews. Setting One of largest teaching hospitals in the Netherlands. Participants 31 medical, surgical and nursing professionals with an average of 19.2 years of supervisory experience. All professionals were appointed to a Lean Training Programme and were directly involved in the implementation of Lean. Results The evidence obtained in this study shows that, from the perspectives of participants, leadership management support, a continuous learning environment and cross-departmental cooperation play a significant role in successful Lean implementation. The results suggest that a Lean Training Programme contributed to positive outcomes in personal and professional skills that were evident during the first 4 months after programme completion. Conclusions Implementing Lean in a teaching hospital setting is a challenge because of the ambiguous and complex environment of a highly professionalised organisation. The study found that leadership management support and a continuous learning environment are important facilitators of Lean implementation. To increase the successful outcomes of leadership actions, training should be supplemented with actions to remove perceived barriers. This requires the involvement of all professionals, the crossing of departmental boundaries and a focus on meaning-making processes rather than simply ‘implementing’ facts. Therefore, this research suggests that programme participants, such as staff members and leaders, can mutually explore the meanings of Lean thinking and working for their own contexts. By entering this shared learning process (eg, learning on the job) the ownership of Lean implementation could also increase. PMID:24171938

Clinical experience with a chronic pain management programme in Hong Kong Chinese patients.

PubMed

Man, Alice K Y; Chu, M C; Chen, P P; Ma, M; Gin, Tony

2007-10-01

To describe experience with a chronic pain management programme in Hong Kong Chinese patients. Prospective study. Regional hospital, Hong Kong. Patients with chronic pain who participated in the first six Comprehensive Out-patient Pain Engagement programmes between 2002 and 2005. Comprehensive Out-patient Pain Engagement is a 14-day structured, multidisciplinary out-patient programme conducted over 6 weeks. It includes pain education, cognitive re-conceptualisation, training in communication skills and coping strategies, graded physical exercises and functional activities training. It aims to improve patient function and quality of life, despite persistent pain. Changes in scores from baseline values after joining the programme, with respect to several assessment tools. These included the following: visual analogue pain scale, Pain Catastrophizing Scale, Patient Self-efficacy Questionnaire, Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, Medical Outcome Survey-Short Form 36 Questionnaire, and duration of physical tolerances, medication utilisation, and work status records. Forty-five patients were available for analysis. After the Comprehensive Out-patient Pain Engagement programme, improvements in Medical Outcome Survey-Short Form 36 Questionnaire (role physical and vitality), Pain Catastrophizing Scale, Patient Self-efficacy Questionnaire, and Canadian Occupational Performance Measure were demonstrated (P<0.05). The duration of standing and sitting tolerances increased (P<0.05). An improvement in employment rate was also evident (P=0.01). The initial results of our management programme in Chinese patients with chronic pain are encouraging. This type of programme should be promoted more widely in this group of patients, as it appears to improve physical function, psychological well-being, and productivity.

Nephrology training in Australia and New Zealand: A survey of outcomes and adequacy.

PubMed

Beaton, Thomas J; Krishnasamy, Rathika; Toussaint, Nigel D; Phoon, Richard K; Gray, Nicholas A

2017-01-01

Advanced training programmes in nephrology should provide broad exposure to all aspects of nephrology. In Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), the Advanced Training Committee in Nephrology oversees training, and recent increases in trainee numbers have led to concern about dilution of experience. To investigate early career paths of nephrologists in ANZ and determine the adequacy of training by comparing self-determined competency and skill relevance among recently graduated nephrologists. In 2015, the Advanced Training Committee in Nephrology administered an online survey during the annual subscription for members of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Nephrology. Nephrologists who were awarded Fellowship after 2002 were invited to participate. The survey was completed by 113 Fellows with 8 respondents excluded (response rate 44.1%). Initial post-Fellowship work included full-time public hospital appointments (34.3%) or undertaking full-time higher research degrees (41.9%). The majority reported securing their desired employment. Respondents indicated adequate training in most clinical skills; however, responses of 'well trained' in home haemodialysis (41.8%), conservative care (42.9%), automated peritoneal dialysis (38.8%), and assessment of kidney transplant recipients (48%) and living kidney donors (34.7%) were less adequate. Although considered highly relevant to current practice, responses of 'well trained' were low for management and research skills, including complaint management (16.3%), private practice management (2%), health system knowledge (14.3%) and regulations (6.1%), ethics approval (23.5%), research funding (11.2%) and quality assurance (26.5%). Nephrology training in ANZ generally meets clinical needs and most secure their desired employment. Training in management and research are areas for improvement. © 2016 Asian Pacific Society of Nephrology.

A qualitative evaluation of foundation dentists' and training programme directors' perceptions of clinical audit in general dental practice.

PubMed

Thornley, P; Quinn, A; Elley, K

2015-08-28

This study reports on an investigation into clinical audit (CA) educational and service delivery outcomes in a dental foundation training (DFT) programme. The aim was to investigate CA teaching, learning and practice from the perspective of foundation dentists (FDs) and to record suggestions for improvement. A qualitative research methodology was used. Audio recordings of focus group interviews with FDs were triangulated by an interview with a group of training programme directors (TPDs). The interviews were transcribed and thematically analysed using a 'Framework' approach within Nvivo Data Analysis Software. FDs report considerable learning and behaviour change. However, TPDs have doubts about the long-term effects on service delivery. There can be substantial learning in the clinical, managerial, communication and professionalism domains, and in the development of time management, organisational and team-working skills. Information is provided about use of resources and interaction with teachers and colleagues. CA provides learning opportunities not produced by other educational activities including 'awkward conversations' with team-members in the context of change management and providing feedback. This is relevant when applying the recommendations of the Francis report. This paper should be useful to any dentist conducting audit or team training. Suggestions are made for improvements to resources and support including right touch intervention. Trainers should teach in the 'Goldilocks Zone'.

A pilot study of the Incredible Years Teacher Training programme and a curriculum unit on social and emotional skills in community pre-schools in Jamaica.

PubMed

Baker-Henningham, H; Walker, S; Powell, C; Gardner, J Meeks

2009-09-01

School-based interventions involving teacher and/or child training have been shown to benefit teacher practices and to prevent conduct problems and improve children's social and emotional competence in developed countries; however, we are aware of no reports from a developing country. We conducted a pilot study of the Incredible Years Teacher Training programme and a curriculum unit on social and emotional skills based on concepts and activities drawn from the Incredible Years Dina Dinosaur Classroom Curriculum to determine if this approach is appropriate for use with Jamaican pre-school teachers and children. Five pre-schools in Kingston, Jamaica were randomly assigned to an intervention (3 pre-schools with 15 classrooms) or control (2 pre-schools with 12 classrooms) condition. Intervention involved seven whole-day teacher workshops using the Incredible Years Teacher Training programme supplemented by 14 child lessons in each class. The project was evaluated through structured observations of four categories of teacher behaviour and four observer ratings: two rating scales of child behaviour and two rating scales of classroom atmosphere. Significant intervention benefits were found to teachers' behaviour with increased positive behaviour [b = 7.9; 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.5, 12.3], reduced negative behaviour (b =-3.5; 95% CI: -6.6, -0.2) and increases in the extent to which teachers promoted children's social and emotional skills (b = 46.4; 95% CI: 11.0, 81.7). The number of teacher commands was not significantly reduced (b =-2.71; 95% CI: -6.01, 0.59). Significant intervention benefits were found to ratings of child behaviour with an increase in children's appropriate behaviour (b = 5.7, 95% CI: 1.0, 10.8) and in children's interest and enthusiasm (b = 7.2, 95% CI: 0.9, 13.5). Intervention also benefited classroom atmosphere with increases in opportunities provided for children to share and help each other (b = 1.3, 95% CI: 0.5, 2.1) and in teacher warmth (b = 1.3, 95% CI: 0.9, 1.8). This is a promising approach for improving the emotional climate of Jamaican pre-school classrooms and for improving child behaviour and participation.

Breastfeeding Promotion, Support and Protection: Review of Six Country Programmes

PubMed Central

Mangasaryan, Nune; Martin, Luann; Brownlee, Ann; Ogunlade, Adebayo; Rudert, Christiane; Cai, Xiaodong

2012-01-01

Reviews of programmes in Bangladesh, Benin, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Uganda, and Uzbekistan sought to identify health policy and programmatic factors that influenced breastfeeding practices during a 10 to 15 year period. Exclusive breastfeeding rates and trends were analysed in six countries in general and from an equity perspective in two of them. Success factors and challenges were identified in countries with improved and stagnated rates respectively. The disaggregated data analysis showed that progress may be unequal in population subgroups, but if appropriately designed and implemented, a programme can become a “health equalizer” and eliminate discrepancies among different subgroups. Success requires commitment, supportive policies, and comprehensiveness of programmes for breastfeeding promotion, protection and support. Community-based promotion and support was identified as a particularly important component. Although health workers’ training on infant feeding support and counselling was prioritized, further improvement of interpersonal counselling and problem solving skills is needed. More attention is advised for pre-service education, including a stronger focus on clinical practice, to ensure knowledge and skills among all health workers. Large-scale communication activities played a significant role, but essential steps were often underemphasized, including identifying social norms and influencing factors, ensuring community participation, and testing of approaches and messages. PMID:23016128

The implementation of industrial training in tertiary education in Malaysia: Objectives, realisations and outputs in the case of foreign language students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Machart, Régis

2017-02-01

The large range of jobs that Malaysian undergraduates of foreign languages are often employed in after completion of their studies (education, tourism, banking, business, management, etc.) is not necessarily related to their major field of study. This situation often makes it difficult for lecturers to develop a comprehensive professional training for their benefit. In the early 2010s, unemployment rates of Malaysian undergraduates were increasing, although the job market was quite flexible. In order to improve students' employability, Malaysian universities decided to restructure their curricula. Industrial training, or Latihan Industri (LI), became a new mandatory requirement for all future undergraduates of the new programmes from 2011. LI aims to match students' academic training with the needs of the private sector. However, most companies were not prepared to accept the first influx of trainees from all types of programmes (sciences, social sciences or the humanities) in 2014. Consequently, many students could not find an appropriate LI position in the field they were studying, and were placed in positions for which they were poorly prepared. At the end of their LI, students had to submit a logbook of their activities as well as provide a final report in which they were asked to evaluate their experiences. A content analysis of these reports from four foreign language students who did their LI in different sectors (finance, education, industry and retail) provides interesting insights into the different skills required by Malaysian employers, irrespective of their sector of activity. The analysis of the reports raises the question of the adequacy of the academic training of foreign language students for the Malaysian job market, and the transferability of their acquired language skills to their new work environment.

The intuitive use of laryngeal airway tools by first year medical students.

PubMed

Bickenbach, Johannes; Schälte, Gereon; Beckers, Stefan; Fries, Michael; Derwall, Matthias; Rossaint, Rolf

2009-09-22

Providing a secured airway is of paramount importance in cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Although intubating the trachea is yet seen as gold standard, this technique is still reserved to experienced healthcare professionals. Compared to bag-valve facemask ventilation, however, the insertion of a laryngeal mask airway offers the opportunity to ventilate the patient effectively and can also be placed easily by lay responders. Obviously, it might be inserted without detailed background knowledge.The purpose of the study was to investigate the intuitive use of airway devices by first-year medical students as well as the effect of a simple, but well-directed training programme. Retention of skills was re-evaluated six months thereafter. The insertion of a LMA-Classic and a LMA-Fastrach performed by inexperienced medical students was compared in an airway model. The improvement on their performance after a training programme of overall two hours was examined afterwards. Prior to any instruction, mean time to correct placement was 55.5 +/- 29.6 s for the LMA-Classic and 38.1 +/- 24.9 s for the LMA-Fastrach. Following training, time to correct placement decreased significantly with 22.9 +/- 13.5 s for the LMA-Classic and 22.9 +/- 19.0 s for the LMA-Fastrach, respectively (p < 0.05). After six months, the results are comparable prior (55.6 +/- 29.9 vs 43.1 +/- 34.7 s) and after a further training period (23.5 +/- 13.2 vs 26.6 +/- 21.6, p < 0.05). Untrained laypersons are able to use different airway devices in a manikin and may therefore provide a secured airway even without having any detailed background knowledge about the tool. Minimal theoretical instruction and practical skill training can improve their performance significantly. However, refreshment of knowledge seems justified after six months.

Short-term impact of a robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy 'mini-residency' experience on postgraduate urologists' practice patterns.

PubMed

McDougall, Elspeth M; Corica, Federico A; Chou, David S; Abdelshehid, Corollos S; Uribe, Carlos A; Stoliar, Gabriella; Sala, Leandro G; Khonsari, Sepi S; Eichel, Louis; Boker, John R; Ahlering, Thomas E; Clayman, Ralph V

2006-03-01

To assist practising urologists acquire and incorporate robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) into their practice, a 5 day mini-residency (M-R) programme with a mentor, preceptor and potential proctor experience was established at the University of California, Irvine, Yamanouchi Center for Urological Education. The follow-up results from the initial 21 RALP M-R participants are presented. Between September 2003 and September 2004, 21 urologists from six states and four countries underwent a RALP M-R. Each participant underwent 1:2 teacher:attendee instruction over a 5 day period, which included inanimate model skills training, animal/cadaver laboratory skills training and operating room observation experience. Participants were also offered a proctoring experience at their hospital if they so desired. A questionnaire survey was mailed 1-14 months (mean 7.2 months) following completion of the mini-residency and these results were tabulated and reviewed. A 100% response rate was achieved from the mailed questionnaires. The mean M-R participant age was 43 years (range 33-55 years). One-third of the M-R participants were practising in an academic environment. Most of the participants (55%) had no fellowship training. Of those with fellowship training (45%), three (15%) were in laparoscopy and three (15%) were in oncology; 25% of the participants were in large (>6 physicians), 25% in small (2-6 physicians) and 15% in solo practices; 70% of the participants were located in an urban setting. The majority of the participants (80%) had laparoscopic experience during residency training and had performed 20-60 laparoscopic cases prior to attending the M-R programme. Within 7.2 months after M-R (range 1-14 months), 95% of the participants were practising robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy and 25% of the RALP M-R participants had also performed robotic-assisted laparoscopic pyeloplasty. Of the M-R participants, 38% availed themselves of the preceptor/proctor component of the programme; among these, 100% reported that they were performing RALP vs. only 92% of the MR participants who did not have a proctor experience. The 5 day length of the M-R was considered to be of satisfactory duration by 90% of the participants, while 1 participant considered it too brief and 1 considered it too long. All but one of the participants rated the M-R as a very or extremely valuable experience. All the M-R participants indicated that they would recommend this training programme to a colleague. A 5 day intensive RALP M-R course seems to encourage postgraduate urologists, already familiar with laparoscopy, to successfully incorporate robotic surgery into their practice. The take rate, or the percentage of participants performing robotic-assisted surgery within 14 months after M-R, was 95%. Continued follow-up will ultimately determine the long-term effectiveness of this 1 week intensive training programme for postgraduate urologists. Copyright 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Developing information literacy: a key to evidence-based nursing.

PubMed

Shorten, A; Wallace, M C; Crookes, P A

2001-06-01

This report describes the evaluation of a curriculum-integrated programme designed to help students develop an awareness of the nursing literature, the skills to locate and retrieve it, and skills required in its evaluation; in other words'information literacy'. Positive changes in student performance on objective measures of information-literacy skills were revealed as well as a significant increase in the levels of confidence of the student in performing those skills. Students who had undertaken the information-literacy programme ('programme' students) performed better on a range of objective measures of information literacy, as well as reporting higher levels of confidence in these skills, than students who had not participated in the programme ('non-programme' students). Evaluation of this programme provides evidence of the potential usefulness of a curriculum-integrated approach for the development of information-literacy skills within nursing education. With these underlying skills, students will be better equipped to consolidate and extend their key information-literacy skills to include research appreciation and application. These are vital for effective lifelong learning and a prerequisite to evidence-based practice.

The Suffering of Arts Entrepreneurs: Will Fine Art Students Be Educated on How to Become Successfully Self-Employed?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thom, Marco

2015-01-01

The aim of the study is to show whether, how and to what extent fine art students will be equipped with entrepreneurial skills and therefore be educated on how to make a living as a practicing artist. A comprehensive and comparative analysis of Fine Art degree programmes and extra-curricular training offerings at higher education institutions…

Hard-to-fill vacancies.

PubMed

Williams, Ruth

2010-09-29

Skills for Health has launched a set of resources to help healthcare employers tackle hard-to-fill entry-level vacancies and provide sustainable employment for local unemployed people. The Sector Employability Toolkit aims to reduce recruitment and retention costs for entry-level posts and repare people for employment through pre-job training programmes, and support employers to develop local partnerships to gain access to wider pools of candidates and funding streams.

The Sustainable Impact of a Short Comparative Teaching Placement Abroad on Primary School Language Teachers' Professional, Linguistic and Cultural Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Driscoll, Patricia; Rowe, Janet Elizabeth; Thomae, Manuela

2014-01-01

Recent research shows an increase in the number of trained teachers teaching foreign languages to learners aged 7-11 in English primary schools. Part of this increase stems from a government-funded four-week teaching placement abroad as part of a languages programme in initial teacher education (ITE). Student teachers' cultural, linguistic and…

Training in Evaluation Skills for Drug Treatment and Drug Prevention Professionals in the Commonwealth Caribbean: How Do Non-Governmental and Statutory Services Compare?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klein, Axel; Day, Marcus

2006-01-01

In the countries of the Commonwealth Caribbean there has been a dramatic expansion in drug demand reduction (DDR) programmes over the past decade. Often drawing on models originating in the countries providing the funding in North America or Europe, these activities have often been inadequately monitored and rarely evaluated. The absence of…

Longitudinal impact of interprofessional education on attitudes, skills and career trajectories: a protocol for a quasi­experimental study in New Zealand

PubMed Central

Darlow, Ben; Brown, Melanie; Gallagher, Peter; Gray, Lesley; McKinlay, Eileen; Purdie, Gordon; Wilson, Christine; Pullon, Sue

2018-01-01

Introduction Interprofessional practice is recognised as an important element of safe and effective healthcare. However, few studies exist that evaluate how preregistration education contributes to interprofessional competencies, and how these competencies develop throughout the early years of a health professional’s career. This quasiexperimental study will gather longitudinal data during students’ last year of preregistration training and their first 3 years of professional practice to evaluate the ongoing development of interprofessional competencies and the influence that preregistration education including an explicit interprofessional education (IPE) programme may have on these. Methods and analysis Participants are students and graduates from the disciplines of dentistry, dietetics, medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, oral health, pharmacy and physiotherapy recruited before their final year of study. A subset of these students attended a 5-week IPE immersion programme during their final year of training. All data will be collected via five written or electronic surveys completed at 12-month intervals. Each survey will contain the Attitudes Towards Health Care Teams Scale and the Team Skills Scale, as well as quantitative and free-text items to explore vocational satisfaction, career trajectories and influences on these. Students who attend the IPE programme will complete additional free-text items to explore the effects of this programme on their careers. Quantitative analysis will compare scores at each time point, adjusted for baseline scores, for graduates who did and did not participate in the IPE programme. Associations between satisfaction data and discipline, professional setting, location and IPE participation will also be examined. Template analysis will explore free-text themes related to influences on career choices including participation in preregistration IPE. Ethics and dissemination This study has received approval from the University of Otago Ethics Committee (D13/019). Results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, conferences and stakeholder reports. Findings will inform future IPE developments and health workforce planning. PMID:29358432

Evaluation of nurses’ changing perceptions when trained to implement a self-management programme for dual sensory impaired older adults in long-term care: a qualitative study

PubMed Central

Roets-Merken, Lieve M; Vernooij-Dassen, Myrra J F J; Zuidema, Sytse U; Dees, Marianne K; Hermsen, Pieter G J M; Kempen, Gertrudis I J M; Graff, Maud J L

2016-01-01

Objectives To gain insights into the process of nurses’ changing perceptions when trained to implement a self-management programme for dual sensory impaired older adults in long-term care, and into the factors that contributed to these changes in their perceptions. Design Qualitative study alongside a cluster randomised controlled trial. Setting 17 long-term care homes spread across the Netherlands. Participants 34 licensed practical nurses supporting 54 dual sensory impaired older adults. Intervention A 5-month training programme designed to enable nurses to support the self-management of dual sensory impaired older adults in long-term care. Primary outcomes Nurses’ perceptions on relevance and feasibility of the self-management programme collected from nurses’ semistructured coaching diaries over the 5-month training and intervention period, as well as from trainers’ reports. Results Nurses’ initial negative perceptions on relevance and feasibility of the intervention changed to positive as nurses better understood the concept of autonomy. Through interactions with older adults and by self-evaluations of the effect of their behaviour, nurses discovered that their usual care conflicted with client autonomy. From that moment, nurses felt encouraged to adapt their behaviour to the older adults’ autonomy needs. However, nurses’ initial unfamiliarity with conversation techniques required a longer exploration period than planned. Once client autonomy was understood, nurses recommended expanding the intervention as a generic approach to all their clients, whether dual sensory impaired or not. Conclusions Longitudinal data collection enabled exploration of nurses’ changes in perceptions when moving towards self-management support. The training programme stimulated nurses to go beyond ‘protocol thinking’, discovering client autonomy and exploring the need for their own behavioural adaptations. Educational programmes for practical nurses should offer more longitudinal coaching of autonomy supportive conversational skills. Intervention programming should acknowledge that change is a process rather than an event, and should include self-evaluations of professional behaviours over a period of time. Trial registration number NCT01217502, Post-results. PMID:27856482

Evaluation of nurses' changing perceptions when trained to implement a self-management programme for dual sensory impaired older adults in long-term care: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Roets-Merken, Lieve M; Vernooij-Dassen, Myrra J F J; Zuidema, Sytse U; Dees, Marianne K; Hermsen, Pieter G J M; Kempen, Gertrudis I J M; Graff, Maud J L

2016-11-17

To gain insights into the process of nurses' changing perceptions when trained to implement a self-management programme for dual sensory impaired older adults in long-term care, and into the factors that contributed to these changes in their perceptions. Qualitative study alongside a cluster randomised controlled trial. 17 long-term care homes spread across the Netherlands. 34 licensed practical nurses supporting 54 dual sensory impaired older adults. A 5-month training programme designed to enable nurses to support the self-management of dual sensory impaired older adults in long-term care. Nurses' perceptions on relevance and feasibility of the self-management programme collected from nurses' semistructured coaching diaries over the 5-month training and intervention period, as well as from trainers' reports. Nurses' initial negative perceptions on relevance and feasibility of the intervention changed to positive as nurses better understood the concept of autonomy. Through interactions with older adults and by self-evaluations of the effect of their behaviour, nurses discovered that their usual care conflicted with client autonomy. From that moment, nurses felt encouraged to adapt their behaviour to the older adults' autonomy needs. However, nurses' initial unfamiliarity with conversation techniques required a longer exploration period than planned. Once client autonomy was understood, nurses recommended expanding the intervention as a generic approach to all their clients, whether dual sensory impaired or not. Longitudinal data collection enabled exploration of nurses' changes in perceptions when moving towards self-management support. The training programme stimulated nurses to go beyond 'protocol thinking', discovering client autonomy and exploring the need for their own behavioural adaptations. Educational programmes for practical nurses should offer more longitudinal coaching of autonomy supportive conversational skills. Intervention programming should acknowledge that change is a process rather than an event, and should include self-evaluations of professional behaviours over a period of time. NCT01217502, Post-results. 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/.

Effect of a multi-dimensional intervention programme on the motivation of physical education students.

PubMed

Amado, Diana; Del Villar, Fernando; Leo, Francisco Miguel; Sánchez-Oliva, David; Sánchez-Miguel, Pedro Antonio; García-Calvo, Tomás

2014-01-01

This research study purports to verify the effect produced on the motivation of physical education students of a multi-dimensional programme in dance teaching sessions. This programme incorporates the application of teaching skills directed towards supporting the needs of autonomy, competence and relatedness. A quasi-experimental design was carried out with two natural groups of 4(th) year Secondary Education students--control and experimental -, delivering 12 dance teaching sessions. A prior training programme was carried out with the teacher in the experimental group to support these needs. An initial and final measurement was taken in both groups and the results revealed that the students from the experimental group showed an increase of the perception of autonomy and, in general, of the level of self-determination towards the curricular content of corporal expression focused on dance in physical education. To this end, we highlight the programme's usefulness in increasing the students' motivation towards this content, which is so complicated for teachers of this area to develop.

An evaluation of the HM prison service "thinking skills programme" using psychometric assessments.

PubMed

Gobbett, Matthew J; Sellen, Joselyn L

2014-04-01

The most widely implemented offending behaviour programme in the United Kingdom was Enhanced Thinking Skills (ETS), a cognitive-behavioural group intervention that aimed to develop participant's general cognitive skills. A new offending behaviour programme has been developed to replace ETS: the Thinking Skills Programme (TSP). This study reports an evaluation of the effectiveness of TSP using psychometric assessments. Phasing of the two programmes created an opportunity to compare the two programmes consecutively. Forty participants, 20 from each programme, completed a range of psychometric measures to examine cognition, attitudes, and thinking styles. Analysis of pre- and post-programme psychometric results indicated that participants of TSP demonstrated improvements on 14 of the 15 scales, 9 of which were statistically significant. Effect sizes between pre-post results were generally greater for TSP than ETS, demonstrating that TSP had a more positive impact on the thinking styles and attitudes of participants than the ETS programme.

Validating a Culturally-sensitive Social Competence Training Programme for Adolescents with ASD in a Chinese Context: An Initial Investigation.

PubMed

Chan, Raymond Won Shing; Leung, Cecilia Nga Wing; Ng, Denise Ching Yiu; Yau, Sania Sau Wai

2018-02-01

Previous studies on social skills training on ASD were done almost exclusively in the West with children as the main subjects. Demonstrations of the applicability of social interventions in different cultures and age groups are warranted. The current study outlined the development and preliminary evaluation of a CBT-context-based social competence training for ASD (CBT-CSCA) developed in Hong Kong for Chinese adolescents with ASD. Twenty-five adolescents (aged 12-17 years, with a FSIQ above 80) were recruited. Significant improvements in social competence, autistic symptoms and general psychopathology at post-training and 3-month follow-up were reported by the parents. The study provided initial evidence support to the applicability of social competence training for adolescents with ASD in a different culture.

Speech-language therapists supporting foundation-phase teachers with literacy and numeracy in a rural and township context.

PubMed

Wium, Anna-Marie; Louw, Brenda; Eloff, Irma

2010-12-01

Language is required for learning, but educators often find it difficult to facilitate listening and language skills while they have to adapt to a new national curriculum with an outcomes-based approach for which they have not necessarily been adequately trained. A multifaceted support programme was developed for foundation-phase educators to facilitate listening and language for literacy and numeracy, with a particular focus on language for numeracy. The aim of the research was to determine the value of this particular support programme for foundation-phase educators in two different contexts (a semi-rural and a township context). A mixed methods approach with a concurrent, equal status triangulation design was used, where qualitative data were transformed to quantitative data in order to be compared in a matrix. The results show that the participants benefited to varying degrees from the programme. The combination of workshops, practical and mentoring components proved to be an effective means of support. The results indicate a need for pre-training selection procedures as more effective support can be provided to homogeneous groups.

Skill acquisition and retention in automated external defibrillator (AED) use and CPR by lay responders: a prospective study.

PubMed

Woollard, Malcolm; Whitfeild, Richard; Smith, Anna; Colquhoun, Michael; Newcombe, Robert G; Vetteer, Norman; Chamberlain, Douglas

2004-01-01

This prospective study evaluated the acquisition and retention of skills in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the use of the automated external defibrillator (AED) by lay volunteers involved in the Department of Health, England National Defibrillator Programme. One hundred and twelve trainees were tested immediately before and after and initial 4-h class; 76 were similarly reassessed at refresher training 6 months later. A standardised test scenario that required assessment of the casualty, CPR and the use of on AED was evaluated using recording manikin data and video recordings. Before training only 44% of subjects delivered a shock. Afterwards, all did so and the average delay to first shock was reduced by 57 s. All trainees placed the defibrillator electrodes in an "acceptable" position after training, but very few did so in the recommended "ideal" position. After refresher training 80% of subjects used the correct sequence for CPR and shock delivery, yet a third failed to perform adequate safety checks before all shocks. The trainees self-assessed AED competence score was 86 (scale 0-100) after the initial class and their confidence that they would act in a real emergency was rated at a similar level. Initial training improved performance of all CPR skills, although all except compression rate had deteriorated after 6 months. The proportion of subjects able to correctly perform most CPR skill was higher following refresher training that after the initial class. Although this course was judged to be effective in teaching delivery of counter-shocks, the need was identified for more emphasis on positioning of electrodes, pre-shock safety checks, airway opening, ventilation volume, checking for signs of a circulation, hand positioning, and depth and rate of chest compressions.

Progress in reading and spelling of dyslexic children is not affected by executive functioning.

PubMed

Walda, Sietske A E; van Weerdenburg, Marjolijn; Wijnants, Maarten L; Bosman, Anna M T

2014-12-01

Although poor reading and spelling skills have been associated with weak skills of executive functioning (EF), its role in literacy is not undisputed. Because EF has different theoretical underpinnings, methods of analysis and of assessing, it has led to varying and often contrasting results in its effects in children with dyslexia. The present study has two goals. The first goal is to establish the relationship between a large number of EF tasks and reading and spelling skills in a large number of Dutch dyslexic children (n = 229). More interesting, however, is the second aim. To what extent do EF skills predict progress in reading and spelling in dyslexic children who attended a remediation programme? The results revealed small, but significant relationships between EF and reading and spelling skills, but no relationships between EF and progress in reading and spelling. It is concluded that training EF skills is unlikely to enhance reading and spelling skills. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Oral language skills intervention in pre-school-a cautionary tale.

PubMed

Haley, Allyson; Hulme, Charles; Bowyer-Crane, Claudine; Snowling, Margaret J; Fricke, Silke

2017-01-01

While practitioners are increasingly asked to be mindful of the evidence base of intervention programmes, evidence from rigorous trials for the effectiveness of interventions that promote oral language abilities in the early years is sparse. To evaluate the effectiveness of a language intervention programme for children identified as having poor oral language skills in preschool classes. A randomized controlled trial was carried out in 13 UK nursery schools. In each nursery, eight children (N = 104, mean age = 3 years 11 months) with the poorest performance on standardized language measures were selected to take part. All but one child were randomly allocated to either an intervention (N = 52) or a waiting control group (N = 51). The intervention group received a 15-week oral language programme in addition to their standard nursery curriculum. The programme was delivered by trained teaching assistants and aimed to foster vocabulary knowledge, narrative and listening skills. Initial results revealed significant differences between the intervention and control group on measures of taught vocabulary. No group differences were found on any standardized language measure; however, there were gains of moderate effect size in listening comprehension. The study suggests that an intervention, of moderate duration and intensity, for small groups of preschool children successfully builds vocabulary knowledge, but does not generalize to non-taught areas of language. The findings strike a note of caution about implementing language interventions of moderate duration in preschool settings. The findings also highlight the importance of including a control group in intervention studies. © 2016 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

Implementing a collaborative coaching intervention for professionals providing care to children and their families: An exploratory study.

PubMed

Tatla, Sandy K; Howard, Dori; Antunes Silvestre, Alda; Burnes, Stacey; Husson, Meghan; Jarus, Tal

2017-09-01

The growing complexity of healthcare requires family and interprofessional partnerships to deliver effective care. Interprofessional coaching can enhance family-centred practice and collaboration. The purpose of this study was to explore the acceptability and feasibility of collaborative coaching training to improve family centredness within acute paediatric rehabilitation. Using a participatory action design, service providers (SPs; n = 36) underwent a 6-month coaching programme involving coaching workshops, learning triads, and tailored sessions with a licensed coach. The feasibility and acceptability of coaching on SPs' family interactions and care was explored. Measure of Processes of Care (MPOC) and MPOC-SP, a coaching skills questionnaire, and focus groups were used to evaluate the acceptability of coaching training. We found that structured coaching training was feasible and SPs reported significant improvements in their coaching skills; however, MPOC and MPOC-SP scores did not reveal significant differences. Qualitative themes indicated that clinicians are developing coaching competencies and applying these skills in clinical practice. Participants perceived that the coaching approach strengthened relationships amongst colleagues, and they valued the opportunity for interprofessional learning. Findings suggest that coaching offers promise as an approach to facilitate successful patient outcomes and improve processes of care. Preliminary findings indicate that interprofessional coaching training is acceptable, feasible, and can significantly improve SP coaching skills and improve team cohesion. Further research to study the effects of coaching on interprofessional care using validated outcome measures and to assess the impact on service delivery is recommended.

Family co-operation programme description.

PubMed

Peine, H A; Terry, T

1990-01-01

Current parenting practices indicate a continuing trend towards less family interaction. Institutional attempts to intervene with parents often fail. The 'Family Co-operation Programme' provides a tangible method for families and schools to work together in preventing alcohol and drug abuse, by utilising the positive influence of the home and strengthening family relationships. The Board of Education for the State of Utah has tested and is currently implementing a unique, low-cost, alternative to impact on the home. Utilising a K-12 alcohol/drug abuse school-based curriculum, the child, based on his/her inclass training, becomes the resource for family co-operation activities. These include training in coping skills, decision-making, resistance to peer persuasion, increased self-esteem and alcohol/drug information. Grade level materials go home with the child, who returns a requested parent evaluation. Data for over one thousand families show the positive impact of the activities.

Effectiveness of a Multisystem Aquatic Therapy for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

PubMed

Caputo, Giovanni; Ippolito, Giovanni; Mazzotta, Marina; Sentenza, Luigi; Muzio, Mara Rosaria; Salzano, Sara; Conson, Massimiliano

2018-06-01

Aquatic therapy improves motor skills of persons with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), but its usefulness for treating functional difficulties needs to be verified yet. We tested effectiveness of a multisystem aquatic therapy on behavioural, emotional, social and swimming skills of children with ASD. Multisystem aquatic therapy was divided in three phases (emotional adaptation, swimming adaptation and social integration) implemented in a 10-months-programme. At post-treatment, the aquatic therapy group showed significant improvements relative to controls on functional adaptation (Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales), emotional response, adaptation to change and on activity level (Childhood Autism Rating Scale). Swimming skills learning was also demonstrated. Multisystem aquatic therapy is useful for ameliorating functional impairments of children with ASD, going well beyond a swimming training.

Conflict coaching training for nurse managers: a case study of a two-hospital health system.

PubMed

Brinkert, Ross

2011-01-01

This study evaluated the application of the Comprehensive Conflict Coaching model in a hospital environment. Conflict coaching involves a coach working with a client to improve the client's conflict understanding, interaction strategies and/or interaction skills. The training of nurse managers as conflict coaches is an innovative continuing education programme that partially addresses conflict-related concerns in nursing. Twenty nurse managers trained as conflict coaches and each coached a supervisee. Qualitative data were gathered from nurse managers, supervisees and senior nursing leaders over an 8-month period and organized using standard programme evaluation themes. Benefits included supervisor conflict coaching competency and enhanced conflict communication competency for nurse managers and supervisees facing specific conflict situations. Challenges included the management of programme tensions. Additional benefits and challenges are discussed, along with study limitations. Conflict coaching was a practical and effective means of developing the conflict communication competencies of nurse managers and supervisees. Additional research is needed. Conflict is common in nursing. Conflict coaching is a new conflict communication and supervision intervention that demonstrates initial promise. Conflict coaching seems to work best when supported by a positive conflict culture and integrated with other conflict intervention processes. © 2010 The Author. Journal compilation © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Exploring temporal patterning of psychological skills usage during the week leading up to competition: Lessons for developing intervention programmes

PubMed Central

Pollmann, Dietmar; Schack, Thomas

2017-01-01

Background and purpose Although sport psychology literature focuses on psychological skills use to promote proficiency, it is still puzzling that current research has focused on psychological skills use only during competition. There remains a scarcity of empirical evidence to support the timing, and content of psychological skill application during the time preceding competition. This study examined the extent to which psychological skills usage are dynamic or stable over a 7-day pre-competitive period and whether any natural learning experiences might have accounted for the acquisition of these skills across gender and skill level. Methods and results Ninety elite and sub-elite table tennis players completed the Test of Performance Strategies (TOPS) at three different periods (7 days, 2 days, 1 hour) before competition. A MANOVA repeated measures with follow-up analyses revealed significant multivariate main effects for only skill level and time-to-competition with no interactions. Specifically, elite (international) athletes reported more usage than sub-elite (national) counterparts for self-talk, imagery and relaxation respectively. Time-to-competition effects showed imagery use decreased steadily across the three time points while reported usage of relaxation were almost at the same level on two time points (7 days and 1 hour) but decreased 2 days before competition. Conclusions Findings suggest an implementation of formalized and periodized psychological skills training programs over continuous training cycles. This may foster a positive long-term athletes’ psychological state prior to the onset of competition. PMID:28786998

The effect of strength training on quality of prolonged basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

PubMed

Abelairas-Gómez, Cristian; Barcala-Furelos, Roberto; Szarpak, Łukasz; García-García, Óscar; Paz-Domínguez, Álvaro; López-García, Sergio; Rodríguez-Núñez, Antonio

2017-01-01

Providing high-quality chest compressions and rescue breaths are key elements in the effectiveness of cardio-pulmonary resuscitation. To investigate the effects of a strength training programme on the quality of prolonged basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation on a manikin. This was a quasi-experimental trial. Thirty-nine participants with prior basic life support knowledge were randomised to an experimental or control group. They then performed a test of 10 min of chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth ventilation on manikins equipped with a skill reporter tool (baseline or test 1). The experimental group participated in a four-week strength training programme focused on the muscles involved in chest compressions. Both groups were subsequently tested again (test 2). After training, the experimental group significantly increased the mean depth of compression (53.7 ± 2.3 mm vs. 49.9 ± 5.9 mm; p = 0.003) and the correct compression fraction (68.2 ± 21.0% vs. 46.4 ± 29.1%; p = 0.004). Trained subjects maintained chest compression quality over time better than the control group. The mean tidal volume delivered was higher in the experimental than in the control group (701.5 ± 187.0 mL vs. 584.8 ± 113.6 mL; p = 0.040) and above the current resuscitation guidelines. In test 2, the percentage of rescue breaths with excessive volume was higher in the experi-mental group than in the controls (31.5 ± 19.6% vs. 15.6 ± 13.0%; p = 0.007). A simple strength training programme has a significant impact on the quality of chest compressions and its maintenance over time. Additional training is needed to avoid over-ventilation of potential patients.

Family medicine training in sub-Saharan Africa: South–South cooperation in the Primafamed project as strategy for development

PubMed Central

Flinkenflögel, Maaike; Essuman, Akye; Chege, Patrick; Ayankogbe, Olayinka; De Maeseneer, Jan

2014-01-01

Background. Health-care systems based on primary health care (PHC) are more equitable and cost effective. Family medicine trains medical doctors in comprehensive PHC with knowledge and skills that are needed to increase quality of care. Family medicine is a relatively new specialty in sub-Saharan Africa. Objective. To explore the extent to which the Primafamed South–South cooperative project contributed to the development of family medicine in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods. The Primafamed (Primary Health Care and Family Medicine Education) project worked together with 10 partner universities in sub-Saharan Africa to develop family medicine training programmes over a period of 2.5 years. A SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis was done and the training development from 2008 to 2010 in the different partner universities was analysed. Results. During the 2.5 years of the Primafamed project, all partner universities made progress in the development of their family medicine training programmes. The SWOT analysis showed that at both national and international levels, the time is ripe to train medical doctors in family medicine and to integrate the specialty into health-care systems, although many barriers, including little awareness, lack of funding, low support from other specialists and reserved support from policymakers, are still present. Conclusions. Family medicine can play an important role in health-care systems in sub-Saharan Africa; however, developing a new discipline is challenging. Advocacy, local ownership, action research and support from governments are necessary to develop family medicine and increase its impact. The Primafamed project showed that development of sustainable family medicine training programmes is a feasible but slow process. The South–South cooperation between the ten partners and the South African departments of family medicine strengthened confidence at both national and international levels. PMID:24857843

Incorporating cardiopulmonary resuscitation training into a cardiac rehabilitation programme: A feasibility study.

PubMed

Cartledge, Susie; Finn, Judith; Bray, Janet E; Case, Rosalind; Barker, Lauren; Missen, Diane; Shaw, James; Stub, Dion

2018-02-01

Patients with a cardiac history are at future risk of cardiac events, including out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Targeting cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training to family members of cardiac patients has long been advocated, but is an area in need of contemporary research evidence. An environment yet to be investigated for targeted training is cardiac rehabilitation. To evaluate the feasibility of providing CPR training in a cardiac rehabilitation programme among patients, their family members and staff. A prospective before and after study design was used. CPR training was delivered using video self-instruction CPR training kits, facilitated by a cardiac nurse. Data was collected pre-training, post-training and at one month. Cardiac patient participation rates in CPR classes were high ( n = 56, 72.7% of eligible patients) with a further 27 family members attending training. Patients were predominantly male (60.2%), family members were predominantly female (81.5%), both with a mean age of 65 years. Confidence to perform CPR and willingness to use skills significantly increased post-training (both p<0.001). Post training participants demonstrated a mean compression rate of 112 beats/min and a mean depth of 48 mm. Training reach was doubled as participants shared the video self-instruction kit with a further 87 people. Patients, family members and cardiac rehabilitation staff had positive feedback about the training. We demonstrated that cardiac rehabilitation is an effective and feasible environment to provide CPR training. Using video self-instruction CPR training kits enabled further training reach to the target population.

Psychotherapy Training on Psychological Mindedness in a Japanese Nurse Population: Effects and Personality Correlates

PubMed Central

Saito, Tomomi; Takeda, Satoru; Yamagishi, Yukiko; Kubo, Reiko; Kitamura, Toshinori

2017-01-01

Aims and objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether the training would influence the psychological mindedness of nurses and midwives. In addition, we explored the relationship of the change of psychological mindedness before and after the training and the correlation with their personality traits. Background: It is important for perinatal health professionals such as nurses and midwives to acquire intervention skills such as psychotherapy and counselling techniques. We think that one of the essential requisites is psychological mindedness. Method: A total of 45 perinatal health professionals who participated in the postpartum depression prevention programme were distributed a set of questionnaires including the Psychological Mindedness Scale (PMS) and Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) at the beginning and end of the training. Results: The PMS scores increased significantly after the training. A structured equation modelling suggested that PMS and self-directedness predicted each other whereas PMS predicted low harm avoidance. Conclusion: These findings indicate that the psychological mindedness of nurses and midwives could be advanced by a course of training and that this could be supported by high self-directedness. The harm avoidance trait may be reduced by increased psychological mindedness. Relevance to clinical practice: Nurses and nursing students are apt to psychological skill training in the advancement of psychological mindedness. PMID:28786921

Increased confidence to engage in physical exertion: older ICD recipients' experiences of participating in an exercise training programme.

PubMed

Morken, Ingvild Margreta; Norekvål, Tone M; Isaksen, Kjetil; Munk, Peter S; Karlsen, Bjørg; Larsen, Alf I

2013-06-01

Research suggests that exercise training (ET) programmes may improve both physical and psychosocial functioning in implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) recipients. Most of this research has been conducted by means of quantitative methods. However, knowledge of older ICD recipients' experiences of participating in such programmes is sparse. There is thus a need for more detailed qualitative data from the perspective of older patients. To describe older ICD recipients' experiences of participating in an ET programme. A qualitative design with semistructured interviews involving 12 older ICD recipients who had participated in a 3-month ET programme. Mini-disc recordings of the interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using content analysis. The analysis revealed two major themes: (1) 'increased confidence to engage in physical exertion'; and (2) 'increased satisfaction with life'. The first theme is illustrated by three subthemes: 'perceived support from physiotherapists', 'perceiving the heart rate monitor as a motivation to exercise', and 'perceiving peers as motivators for enjoyment and making the effort to exercise'. The second theme was illustrated by the following subthemes: 'perceived psychosocial benefits', 'perceived physical benefits', and 'exercise as a new health habit'. The findings indicate that exercising in a cardiac rehabilitation centre together with peers and supervised by skilled healthcare professionals may increase motivation to exert oneself, leading to emotional and physical benefits as well as a more social and active lifestyle for older ICD recipients.

In-service and pre-service teacher education in IBSE: The ESTABLISH approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ješková, Zuzana; Kireš, Marián; McLoughlin, Eilish; Finlayson, Odilla; Ottander, Christina; Ekborg, Margareta

2016-05-01

One of the main goals of the ESTABLISH 7fp project (available on line at http://www.establish-fp7.eu/) was the development and implementation of the professional development teacher education programmes (TEP) to support teachers in adopting inquiry-based strategies in their teaching. Within the project there was a model for in-service and pre-service teacher training in IBSE designed and implemented across 12 participating countries. The programme is based on 4 core elements and 4 additional elements that are built around the IBSE teaching units developed within the project. As accepted by ESTABLISH partners, all teacher training programmes include the minimum of the four elements, i.e. introduction to IBSE, industrial content knowledge, teacher as implementer and teacher as developer of IBSE teaching materials. There are also four additional elements designed in detail, i.e. ICT for IBSE, argumentation in the classroom, research and design projects for students, assessment of IBSE. These can be added to the programme optionally with regard to the level of teachers' IBSE skills and current situation in education and teachers' professional development within the country. This ESTABLISH model of TEP was followed in participating countries in order to change teachers' attitudes from traditional ways of teaching towards adopting inquiry strategies and their successful implementation in the classroom. Within the face-to-face workshops teachers experienced and developed their inquiry based teaching strategies using specifically developed materials. In addition, the e-platform has been developed to provide on-line support. This platform provides educators and teachers with all the necessary materials for the training and IBSE teaching units and other teaching materials for teachers' ongoing help. The teacher training programme was successfully implemented in Slovakia. There were two runs of teacher training workshops on IBSE already carried out. Moreover, the additional element ICT in IBSE was developed more deeply designing a separate teacher training course for it. The contribution discusses in more details the success and problems of implementation in the context of Slovak educational environment.

A study protocol of a randomised controlled trial to investigate if a community based strength training programme improves work task performance in young adults with Down syndrome.

PubMed

Shields, Nora; Taylor, Nicholas F; Fernhall, Bo

2010-03-25

Muscle strength is important for young people with Down syndrome as they make the transition to adulthood, because their workplace activities typically emphasise physical rather than cognitive skills. Muscle strength is reduced up to 50% in people with Down syndrome compared to their peers without disability. Progressive resistance training improves muscle strength and endurance in people with Down syndrome. However, there is no evidence on whether it has an effect on work task performance or physical activity levels. The aim of this study is to investigate if a student-led community-based progressive resistance training programme can improve these outcomes in adolescents and young adults with Down syndrome. A randomised controlled trial will compare progressive resistance training with a control group undertaking a social programme. Seventy adolescents and young adults with Down syndrome aged 14-22 years and mild to moderate intellectual disability will be randomly allocated to the intervention or control group using a concealed method. The intervention group will complete a 10-week, twice a week, student-led progressive resistance training programme at a local community gymnasium. The student mentors will be undergraduate physiotherapy students. The control group will complete an arts/social programme with a student mentor once a week for 90 minutes also for 10 weeks to control for the social aspect of the intervention. Work task performance (box stacking, pail carry), muscle strength (1 repetition maximum for chest and leg press) and physical activity (frequency, duration, intensity over 7-days) will be assessed at baseline (Week 0), following the intervention (Week 11), and at 3 months post intervention (Week 24) by an assessor blind to group allocation. Data will be analysed using ANCOVA with baseline measures as covariates. This paper outlines the study protocol for a randomised controlled trial on the effects of progressive resistance training on work task performance and physical activity for adolescents and young adults with Down syndrome. The intervention addresses the impairment of muscle weakness which may improve work task performance and help to increase physical activity levels. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12609000938202.

Perceptions of Science Graduating Students on their Learning Gains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varsavsky, Cristina; Matthews, Kelly E.; Hodgson, Yvonne

2014-04-01

In this study, the Science Student Skills Inventory was used to gain understanding of student perceptions about their science skills set developed throughout their programme (scientific content knowledge, communication, scientific writing, teamwork, quantitative skills, and ethical thinking). The study involved 400 responses from undergraduate science students about to graduate from two Australian research-intensive institutions. For each skill, students rated on a four-point Likert scale their perception of the importance of developing the skill within the programme, how much they improved it throughout their undergraduate science programme, how much they saw the skill included in the programme, how confident they were about the skill, and how much they will use the skill in the future. Descriptive statistics indicate that overall, student perception of importance of these skills was greater than perceptions of improvement, inclusion in the programme, confidence, and future use. Quantitative skills and ethical thinking were perceived by more students to be less important. t-Test analyses revealed some differences in perception across different demographic groups (gender, age, graduate plans, and research experience). Most notably, gender showed significant differences across most skills. Implications for curriculum development are discussed, and lines for further research are given.

Effectiveness of CME on "Pediatric Emergencies and Management" Among the Health Personnels in Community Health Centre, Karikalampakkam, Puducherry.

PubMed

Vasudevaiah, V; Dash, Manjubala

2014-05-01

To assess the level of knowledge among health personnels on pediatric emergencies and their management and to evaluate the effectiveness of CME programme on the same. This study was conducted at Karikalampakkam village of Puducherry. Karikalampakkam is a Community Health Center with seven subcenters under it. The research design was one of the Quasi Experimental Design pre and post test with one group. All the health personnels like ANM, PHN, Health educators were considered as subjects for the study. The sample size was 40 and selected by purposive sampling technique. Pretest was conducted before the CME programme with the structured interview schedule. Post test was conducted after completion of the programme with the help of same tool. The pretest mean knowledge score among the health personnels was 3.15 ± 0.89 with the mean percentage 7.8 % whereas the posttest mean knowledge score was 4.47 ± 1.58 with mean percentage 11.17 %. The Z value was -2.555 and the p value was 0.011 (p < 0.05) which was significant at 0.05 level. Though the health personnels are already trained, during pretest their knowledge level was found to be poor and after training, the results show that their knowledge improved. Thus, there is a necessity to conduct inservice training programmes to update knowledge and skill of health personnels.

Study protocol of a cluster randomized controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of a comprehensive pressure ulcer prevention programme for private for-profit nursing homes.

PubMed

Kwong, Enid Wai-yung; Lee, Paul Hong; Yeung, Kwan-mo

2016-01-18

Because the demand for government-subsidized nursing homes in Hong Kong outstrips the supply, the number of for-profit private nursing homes has been increasing rapidly. However, the standard of care in such homes is always criticized. Pressure ulcers are a major long-term care issue that is closely associated with the quality of care delivered in nursing home settings. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a pressure ulcer prevention programme for residents in private for-profit nursing homes. This is a two-arm cluster randomized controlled trial with an estimated sample size of 1088 residents and 74 care staff from eight for-profit private nursing homes. Eligible nursing homes will be those classified as category A2 homes in the Enhanced Bought Place Scheme (EBPS), having a capacity of around 130-150 beds, and no structured PU prevention protocol and/or programmes in place. Care staff will be health workers, personal care workers, and nurses who are front-line staff providing direct care to residents. Eight nursing homes will be randomly assigned to either an experimental or control group. The experimental group will be provided with an intensive training programme and will be involved in the implementation of a 16-week pressure ulcer prevention protocol, while the control group will deliver the usual pressure ulcer prevention care. The study outcomes are the pressure ulcer prevention knowledge and skills of the care staff and the prevalence and incidence of pressure ulcers. Data on the knowledge and skills of care staff, and prevalence of pressure ulcer will be collected at the base line, and then at the 8(th) week and at completion of the implementation of the protocol. The assessment of the incidence of pressures will start from before the commencement of the intensive training course to the end of the implementation of the protocol. In view of the negative impact of pressure ulcers, it is important to have an effective and evidence-based pressure ulcer prevention programme to improve preventive care in private for-profit nursing homes. The programme will potentially improve the knowledge and skills of care staff on the prevention of pressure ulcers and also lead to a reduction in the development of pressure ulcers in nursing homes. The Current Controlled Trial is NCT02270385, 18 October 2014.

Development and Evaluation of a Psychosocial Intervention for Children and Teenagers Experiencing Diabetes (DEPICTED): a protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of a communication skills training programme for healthcare professionals working with young people with type 1 diabetes

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Diabetes is the third most common chronic condition in childhood and poor glycaemic control leads to serious short-term and life-limiting long-term complications. In addition to optimal medical management, it is widely recognised that psychosocial and educational factors play a key role in improving outcomes for young people with diabetes. Recent systematic reviews of psycho-educational interventions recognise the need for new methods to be developed in consultation with key stakeholders including patients, their families and the multidisciplinary diabetes healthcare team. Methods/design Following a development phase involving key stakeholders, a psychosocial intervention for use by paediatric diabetes staff and not requiring input from trained psychologists has been developed, incorporating a communication skills training programme for health professionals and a shared agenda-setting tool. The effectiveness of the intervention will be evaluated in a cluster-randomised controlled trial (RCT). The primary outcome, to be measured in children aged 4-15 years diagnosed with type 1 diabetes for at least one year, is the effect on glycaemic control (HbA1c) during the year after training of the healthcare team is completed. Secondary outcomes include quality of life for patients and carers and cost-effectiveness. Patient and carer preferences for service delivery will also be assessed. Twenty-six paediatric diabetes teams are participating in the trial, recruiting a total of 700 patients for evaluation of outcome measures. Half the participating teams will be randomised to receive the intervention at the beginning of the trial and remaining centres offered the training package at the end of the one year trial period. Discussion The primary aim of the trial is to determine whether a communication skills training intervention for specialist paediatric diabetes teams will improve clinical and psychological outcomes for young people with type 1 diabetes. Previous research indicates the effectiveness of specialist psychological interventions in achieving sustained improvements in glycaemic control. This trial will evaluate an intervention which does not require the involvement of trained psychologists, maximising the potential feasibility of delivery in a wider NHS context. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN61568050. PMID:20144218

Implementing HIV/AIDS education: impact of teachers' training on HIV/AIDS education in Bangladesh.

PubMed

Sarma, Haribondhu; Oliveras, Elizabeth

2013-03-01

School-based HIV/AIDS education is a common and well-proven intervention strategy for providing information on HIV/AIDS to young people. However, lack of skills among teachers for imparting sensitive information to students can lead to programme failure in terms of achieving goals. A cross-sectional study was conducted among teachers to identify the factors that support or hinder their role in HIV/AIDS education. A self-administered questionnaire was used for interviewing teachers from randomly-selected schools in two adjacent districts in Bangladesh. Based on exposure to teachers' training, the districts were divided into control and intervention areas and the teachers' ability, skill, and their participation in HIV/AIDS education were compared between the districts. Trained teachers in the intervention schools were more likely to participate, less likely to face difficulties, and more likely to use interactive teaching methods in HIV/ AIDS classes compared to the controls who did not receive any training. Inadequate allocation of time for conducting the HIV/AIDS class was found to be barriers to HIV/AIDS education that suggest the need to provide teachers with more support in terms of training and logistics.

Feasibility of a focused ultrasound training programme for medical undergraduate students.

PubMed

Wong, Ivan; Jayatilleke, Thilina; Kendall, Richard; Atkinson, Paul

2011-03-01

Although ultrasound is a core skill for many clinical specialties, UK medical schools are not currently required to teach this skill. The College of Emergency Medicine (CEM) has championed the use of ultrasound to answer focused clinical questions in emergency settings. We have designed and piloted an ultrasound training course for undergraduate medical students addressing one important indication: ultrasound assessment of the abdominal aorta. Fourteen clinical students, who had no prior experience of using ultrasound, received focused ultrasound training in the form of didactic instruction, a short bedside practical workshop and self-directed learning over a 20-day period. At the end of this period, the students were assessed by a structured viva and an observed structured clinical examination (OSCE) used for accreditation by the CEM. The primary endpoint was the number of students who passed the assessment. The secondary endpoint was the accuracy of the students' anatomical measurements. Thirteen of the 14 (93%) students completed the training and assessment. Eight of the 13 (62%) students passed both the viva and OSCE, and were deemed to have achieved the CEM standard. The measurements by the competent students were not statistically different from those of experienced practitioners. We have shown for the first time that it is feasible to train inexperienced undergraduate students to scan the abdominal aorta to a professional standard using a focused training course. It is time for the medical education community to address whether focused ultrasound training should accompany traditional clinical skills, such as using a stethoscope, in UK medical school curricula. © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2011.

An evaluation of Knowledge and Understanding Framework personality disorder awareness training: can a co-production model be effective in a local NHS mental health Trust?

PubMed

Davies, Julie; Sampson, Mark; Beesley, Frank; Smith, Debra; Baldwin, Victoria

2014-05-01

5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, in the Northwest of England, has trained over 500 staff in the Knowledge and Understanding Framework, level 1 personality disorder awareness training. This is a 3-day nationally devised training programme delivered via an innovative co-production model (i.e. co-delivery and partnership working with service users who have lived experience). This paper provides quantitative and qualitative information on the effectiveness of training delivery and also serves to provide some insight into the impact of service-user involvement via such a co-production model. Information on 162 participants using the Knowledge and Understanding Framework bespoke questionnaire (Personality Disorder Knowledge, Attitudes and Skills Questionnaire) suggests that the training can be effectively delivered by and within a local NHS Mental Health Trust. Results immediately post-training suggest an improvement in levels of understanding and capability efficacy and a reduction in negative emotional reactions. Indications from a 3-month follow-up suggest that while understanding and emotional reaction remain improved, capability efficacy regresses back to pre-training levels, suggesting the need for ongoing supervision and/or support to consolidate skills. Discussion includes guidelines for the implementation of a truly integrated co-production model of training provision, as well as advice relating to the maximization of long-term benefits. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Can the Enhancement of Group Working in Classrooms Provide a Basis for Effective Communication in Support of School-Based Cognitive Achievement in Classrooms of Young Learners?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kutnick, Peter; Berdondini, Lucia

2009-01-01

This quasi-experimental study was part of the SPRinG project (Social Pedagogy Research into Group Work). The review notes group work in "authentic" classrooms rarely fulfils its interactive or attainment potential. SPRinG classes undertook a programme of relational training to enhance children's group working skills while control classes…

Bioinformatics education in India.

PubMed

Kulkarni-Kale, Urmila; Sawant, Sangeeta; Chavan, Vishwas

2010-11-01

An account of bioinformatics education in India is presented along with future prospects. Establishment of BTIS network by Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India in the 1980s had been a systematic effort in the development of bioinformatics infrastructure in India to provide services to scientific community. Advances in the field of bioinformatics underpinned the need for well-trained professionals with skills in information technology and biotechnology. As a result, programmes for capacity building in terms of human resource development were initiated. Educational programmes gradually evolved from the organisation of short-term workshops to the institution of formal diploma/degree programmes. A case study of the Master's degree course offered at the Bioinformatics Centre, University of Pune is discussed. Currently, many universities and institutes are offering bioinformatics courses at different levels with variations in the course contents and degree of detailing. BioInformatics National Certification (BINC) examination initiated in 2005 by DBT provides a common yardstick to assess the knowledge and skill sets of students passing out of various institutions. The potential for broadening the scope of bioinformatics to transform it into a data intensive discovery discipline is discussed. This necessitates introduction of amendments in the existing curricula to accommodate the upcoming developments.

Impact of a person-centred dementia care training programme on hospital staff attitudes, role efficacy and perceptions of caring for people with dementia: A repeated measures study.

PubMed

Surr, C A; Smith, S J; Crossland, J; Robins, J

2016-01-01

People with dementia occupy up to one quarter of acute hospital beds. However, the quality of care delivered to this patient group is of national concern. Staff working in acute hospitals report lack of knowledge, skills and confidence in caring for people with dementia. There is limited evidence about the most effective approaches to supporting acute hospital staff to deliver more person-centred care. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a specialist training programme for acute hospital staff regarding improving attitudes, satisfaction and feelings of caring efficacy, in provision of care to people with dementia. A repeated measures design, with measures completed immediately prior to commencing training (T1), after completion of Foundation level training (T2: 4-6 weeks post-baseline), and following Intermediate level training (T3: 3-4 months post-baseline). One NHS Trust in the North of England, UK. 40 acute hospital staff working in clinical roles, the majority of whom (90%) were nurses. All participants received the 3.5 day Person-centred Care Training for Acute Hospitals (PCTAH) programme, comprised of two levels, Foundation (0.5 day) and Intermediate (3 days), delivered over a 3-4 months period. Staff demographics and previous exposure to dementia training were collected via a questionnaire. Staff attitudes were measured using the Approaches to Dementia Questionnaire (ADQ), satisfaction in caring for people with dementia was captured using the Staff Experiences of Working with Demented Residents questionnaire (SEWDR) and perceived caring efficacy was measured using the Caring Efficacy Scale (CES). The training programme was effective in producing a significant positive change on all three outcome measures following intermediate training compared to baseline. A significant positive effect was found on the ADQ between baseline and after completion of Foundation level training, but not for either of the other measures. Training acute hospital staff in Intermediate level person-centred dementia care is effective in producing significant improvements in attitudes towards and satisfaction in caring for people with dementia and feelings of caring efficacy. Foundation level training is effective in changing attitudes but does not seem to be sufficient to bring about change in satisfaction or caring efficacy. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of a multidisciplinary group rehabilitation programme on participation of the visually impaired elderly: a pilot study.

PubMed

Alma, Manna A; Groothoff, Johan W; Melis-Dankers, Bart J M; Post, Marcel W M; Suurmeijer, Theo P B M; van der Mei, Sijrike F

2012-01-01

To pilot test the newly developed multidisciplinary group rehabilitation programme Visually Impaired elderly Persons Participating (VIPP). A single group pretest-posttest design pilot study included 29 visually impaired persons (≥ 55 years). The intervention (20 weekly meetings) consisted of four components (practical training; education, social interaction, counselling and training of problem-solving skills; individual and group goal setting; home-based exercise programme). Participation was assessed with the Utrecht Scale for Evaluation of Rehabilitation-Participation (USER-P) and the Impact on Participation and Autonomy (IPA) questionnaire at baseline, immediately and 6 months after the intervention. At scale level, no statistical significant changes over time were found whereas the effect size indicated small effects for restrictions and satisfaction with participation, and a medium effect for autonomy outdoors. At item level, improvements tended to occur in frequency of housekeeping, in restrictions in housekeeping and outdoor activities and in satisfaction with the partner relationship. Satisfaction with leisure indoors and autonomy regarding using leisure time tended to increase as well. The tentative conclusion of this small-scale pilot study is that the VIPP programme modestly benefits perceived restrictions in participation, satisfaction with participation and autonomy outdoors of the visually impaired elderly. These preliminary findings warrant further investigation.

Learning health 'safety' within non-technical skills interprofessional simulation education: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Gordon, Morris; Fell, Christopher W R; Box, Helen; Farrell, Michael; Stewart, Alison

2017-01-01

Healthcare increasingly recognises and focusses on the phenomena of 'safe practice' and 'patient safety.' Success with non-technical skills (NTS) training in other industries has led to widespread transposition to healthcare education, with communication and teamwork skills central to NTS frameworks. This study set out to identify how the context of interprofessional simulation learning influences NTS acquisition and development of 'safety' amongst learners. Participants receiving a non-technical skills (NTS) safety focussed training package were invited to take part in a focus group interview which set out to explore communication, teamwork, and the phenomenon of safety in the context of the learning experiences they had within the training programme. The analysis was aligned with a constructivist paradigm and took an interactive methodological approach. The analysis proceeded through three stages, consisting of open, axial, and selective coding, with constant comparisons taking place throughout each phase. Each stage provided categories that could be used to explore the themes of the data. Additionally, to ensure thematic saturation, transcripts of observed simulated learning encounters were then analysed. Six themes were established at the axial coding level, i.e., analytical skills, personal behaviours, communication, teamwork, context, and pedagogy. Underlying these themes, two principal concepts emerged, namely: intergroup contact anxiety - as both a result of and determinant of communication - and teamwork, both of which must be considered in relation to context. These concepts have subsequently been used to propose a framework for NTS learning. This study highlights the role of intergroup contact anxiety and teamwork as factors in NTS behaviour and its dissipation through interprofessional simulation learning. Therefore, this should be a key consideration in NTS education. Future research is needed to consider the role of the affective non-technical attributes of intergroup contact anxiety and teamwork as focuses for education and determinants of safe behaviour. AUM: Anxiety/uncertainty management; NTS: Non-technical skills; TINSELS: Training in non-technical skills to enhance levels of medicines safety.

Clinical communication skills and professionalism education are required from the beginning of medical training - a point of view of family physicians.

PubMed

Franco, Camila Ament Giuliani Dos Santos; Franco, Renato Soleiman; Lopes, José Mauro Ceratti; Severo, Milton; Ferreira, Maria Amélia

2018-03-20

The Brazilian undergraduate medical course is six years long. As in other countries, a medical residency is not obligatory to practice as a doctor. In this context, this paper aims to clarify what and when competencies in communication and professionalism should be addressed, shedding light on the role of university, residency and post-residency programmes. Brazilian family physicians with diverse levels of medical training answered a questionnaire designed to seek a consensus on the competencies that should be taught (key competencies) and when students should achieve them during their medical training. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and correlation tests. A total of seventy-four physicians participated; nearly all participants suggested that the students should achieve communication and professionalism competencies during undergraduate study (twenty out of thirty competencies - 66.7%) or during residency (seven out of thirty competencies - 23.33%). When competencies were analysed in domains, the results were that clinical communication skills and professionalism competencies should be achieved during undergraduate medical education, and interpersonal communication and leadership skills should be reached during postgraduate study. The authors propose that attainment of clinical communication skills and professionalism competencies should be required for undergraduate students. The foundation for Leadership and Interpersonal Abilities should be particularly formed at an undergraduate level and, furthermore, mastered by immersion in the future workplace and medical responsibilities in residency.

Early years neurosurgical training in the era of the European Working Time Directive.

PubMed

Kirkman, Matthew A; Watkins, Laurence D; Kitchen, Neil D; Sethi, Huma

2013-10-01

The past decade has seen significant changes to the face of neurosurgical training in the United Kingdom, driven in part by an increasing focus on patient safety and the introduction of Modernising Medical Careers and the European Working Time Directive (EWTD). Recent reforms to neurosurgical training over the past few years have resulted in creation of an 8-year 'run-through' training programme. In this programme, early years (ST1 and ST2) trainees often lack dedicated time for elective theatre lists and outpatient clinics. Further, any time spent in theatre and clinics is often with different teams. Here we describe a training model for early years trainees at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, who are given the responsibilities traditionally associated with a more senior trainee including dedicated weekly theatre and clinic time under the supervision of a single consultant, in addition to out of hours experience. The advantages and considerations for implementing this model are discussed, including the benefit of guidance under a single consultant in the early stages of training, along with key educational concepts necessary for understanding its utility. We feel that this is an effective model for junior neurosurgical training in the EWTD era, expediting the trainee's development of key technical and non-technical skills, with potentially significant rewards for patient, trainee and trainer. National implementation of this model should be considered.