A Participative Process for the Design and Production of Adult Basic Education Training Resources.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Villa, Jane Kathryn; Chalmers, Michael

1981-01-01

Reviews the three-stage participative process used to create and test resources for Adult Basic Education (ABE) staff development in North Carolina. Introduces the 1980 State plan for ABE and its objectives. Describes workshops for program directors and instructors which resulted in staff development handbooks. Explains the evaluation process.…

Developing an Employee Counselling Service within the British National Health Service.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whelan, Linda; Robson, Maggie; Cook, Peter

1999-01-01

Evaluation of an employee counseling service in Britain's National Health Service by 26 staff participants found the service was valued by employees. Designed to meet the objectives of a "healthy workplace" initiative, the service appeared to be addressing staff support needs. (SK)

Nursing staff connect libraries with improving patient care but not with achieving organisational objectives: a grounded theory approach.

PubMed

Chamberlain, David; Brook, Richard

2014-03-01

Health organisations are often driven by specific targets defined by mission statements, aims and objectives to improve patient care. Health libraries need to demonstrate that they contribute to organisational objectives, but it is not clear how nurses view that contribution. To investigate ward nursing staff motivations, their awareness of ward and organisational objectives; and their attitudes towards the contribution of health library services to improving patient care. Qualitative research using focus group data was combined with content analysis of literature evidence and library statistics (quantitative data). Data were analysed using thematic coding, divided into five group themes: understanding of Trust, Ward and Personal objectives, use of Library, use of other information sources, quality and Issues. Four basic social-psychological processes were then developed. Behaviour indicates low awareness of organisational objectives despite patient-centric motivation. High awareness of library services is shown with some connection made by ward staff between improved knowledge and improved patient care. There was a two-tiered understanding of ward objectives and library services, based on level of seniority. However, evidence-based culture needs to be intrinsic in the organisation before all staff benefit. Libraries can actively engage in this at ward and board level and improve patient care by supporting organisational objectives. © 2014 The author. Health Information and Libraries Journal © 2014 Health Libraries Group.

Music Objectives: Second Assessment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Education Commission of the States, Denver, CO. National Assessment of Educational Progress.

The document describes the development of objectives and presents objectives formulated by music educators, lay individuals, and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) staff in 1973. Objectives from the first music assessment were reappraised, reviewed, and revised to include greater breadth of application, greater emphasis on the…

Why revisit your cost-accounting strategy.

PubMed

Arredondo, Ricky

2014-07-01

Healthcare entities seeking to develop effective cost-accounting systems should take six steps to avoid potential pitfalls: Secure broad executive-level support for the effort. Ensure systems are in place to analyze the disparate data. Define measurable objectives to ensure that implementation achieves desired results. Give due consideration to implementation planning. Train support staff sufficiently to avoid underutilization. Develop a sufficiently broad base of staff support for the system.

Implementation of formal learning objectives during a physical medicine and rehabilitation sports medicine rotation.

PubMed

Smith, Jay; Laskowski, Edward R; Newcomer-Aney, Karen L; Thompson, Jeffrey M; Schaefer, Michael P; Morfe, Erasmus G

2005-04-01

To develop and implement formal learning objectives during a physical medicine and rehabilitation sports medicine rotation and characterize resident experiences with the objectives over a 16-mo period. Prospective, including learning objective development, implementation, and postrotation survey. A total of 69 learning objectives were developed by physical medicine and rehabilitation staff physician consensus, including 39 core objectives. Eighteen residents completed 4-wk sports medicine rotations from January 2003 through April 2004. Residents completed an average of 31 total objectives (45%; range, 3-52), of which 24 (62%; range, 3-35) were core. Residents completed the highest percentage of knee (60%), shoulder (57%), and ankle-foot (57%) objectives and reported that objectives related to these areas were most effective to facilitate learning. In general, residents reported that objective content was good and that the objectives delineated important concepts to learn during the rotation. Seventeen of 18 residents indicated that the objectives should be permanently implemented into the sports rotation and that similar objectives should be developed for other rotations. Based on our experience and the recommendations of residents, the average resident should be able to complete approximately 30 objectives during a typical 4-wk rotation. Successful implementation of specific, consensus-derived learning objectives is possible within the context of a busy clinical practice. Our initial physician staff and resident experience with the objectives suggests that this model may be useful as a supplementary educational tool in physical medicine and rehabilitation residency programs.

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

PubMed

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

2009-07-01

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

School-Based Health Promotion Intervention: Parent and School Staff Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patino-Fernandez, Anna M.; Hernandez, Jennifer; Villa, Manuela; Delamater, Alan

2013-01-01

Background: The prevalence of childhood obesity is high, particularly among minority youth. The objective of this article was to evaluate parent and school staff perspectives of childhood health and weight qualitatively to guide the development of a school-based obesity prevention program for minority youth. Methods: Hispanic parents (N?=?9) of…

Strategic planning for clinical services: St. Joseph Hospital and Health Care Center.

PubMed

Linggi, A; Pelham, L D

1986-09-01

A pharmacy department at a 340-bed community hospital based its strategic plan for developing patient-oriented services on a sound drug distribution system, a credible work-measurement program, and fiscal responsibility. In 1982 the department of pharmacy and i.v. therapy implemented a strategic plan for improving pharmaceutical services. The plan involved developing goals and objectives for the department; marketing the department's services and fiscal management to hospital administrators, medical staff, and nursing staff; building teamwork among the pharmacy staff; and improving the drug distribution system before instituting clinical services. Hiring of additional pharmacy staff was justified on the basis of work-measurement data. By adjusting staffing levels every two weeks based on work-measurement data, the department increased the efficiency of drug distribution activities; the pharmacy also implemented cost-saving programs like selection of therapeutic alternates and formulary restrictions. The savings were then reinvested in labor-intensive patient-oriented pharmaceutical services. A staff development program using staff pharmacists as preceptors expanded the breadth and depth of pharmacists' clinical skills. The planning efforts were successful because the needs of hospital administrators, the pharmacy department, and staff members were addressed.

Investigation into the cost-effectiveness of using consultants versus in-house staff in providing professional engineering services for Louisiana's Department of Transportation and Development : technical assistance report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1995-06-01

The objective of the work reported in this document is to: (i) review past studies of the cost-effectiveness of using consultants versus in-house staff in conducting professional engineering services for state Departments of Transportation, (ii) repo...

A simulation-based training program improves emergency department staff communication.

PubMed

Sweeney, Lynn A; Warren, Otis; Gardner, Liz; Rojek, Adam; Lindquist, David G

2014-01-01

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effectiveness of Project CLEAR!, a novel simulation-based training program designed to instill Crew Resource Management (CRM) as the communication standard and to create a service-focused environment in the emergency department (ED) by standardizing the patient encounter. A survey-based study compared physicians' and nurses' perceptions of the quality of communication before and after the training program. Surveys were developed to measure ED staff perceptions of the quality of communication between staff members and with patients. Pretraining and posttraining survey results were compared. After the training program, survey scores improved significantly on questions that asked participants to rate the overall communication between staff members and between staff and patients. A simulation-based training program focusing on CRM and standardizing the patient encounter improves communication in the ED, both between staff members and between staff members and patients.

Impact of Magnet Culture in Maintaining Quality Outcomes During Periods of Organizational Transition.

PubMed

Gonzalez, Judith F Zedreck; Wolf, Gail; Dudjak, Linda; Jordan, Bernadette

2015-01-01

Organizational transition presents substantial risk to maintaining quality outcomes. The leadership style and culture present during periods of change and transition empower the frontline staff to react quickly and identify opportunities. The culture of Magnet develops the skill set that enables staff to be leaders in problem solving and identifying creative care delivery approaches. Objectives of this study were to analyze the impact of organizational transition on patient and staff satisfaction, quality, and safety in a Magnet-designated hospital and determine key factors contributing to these outcomes.

Beyond communication: the development of a training program for hospital and hospice staff in the detection and management of psychological distress--preliminary results.

PubMed

Jenkins, Kate; Alberry, Beccy; Daniel, Jane; Dixie, Laura; North, Vivien; Patterson, Lawrence; Pestell, Sarah; North, Nigel

2010-03-01

In the United Kingdom, a Four-Tier Model of Psychological Support has been recommended for all patients with cancer and their families. This model suggests that staff at Tier 2, such as nurses, doctors, and allied health professionals, should be proficient in screening for psychological distress and intervening with techniques such as psycho-education and problem solving. Research has suggested that although communication skills training is essential for staff working in cancer services, it does not necessarily improve the detection of specific psychological disorder or staff confidence in intervening with highly distressed patients. The objective was therefore to design a training program that addressed this deficit and was easily accessible to hospital staff. A training package was developed to train staff in the recommended skills. A literature review of teaching modalities and the effectiveness of different formats was conducted. A four-session program was developed, to be administered by staff at Tiers 3 and 4 of the model, such as clinical psychologists and counsellors. Over 3 years, 255 sets of data were collected from staff who attended the course. Precourse, postcourse, and 6-month follow-up data were collected through the use of confidence questionnaires, developed from the literature. The data show a significant improvement in staff confidence across all domains measured, including confidence in the detection and management of psychological distress (p =.0001). Although the results have limitations and the data are subjective, we can conclude that this course significantly improves staff confidence in dealing with psychological distress and that this increased confidence is maintained over a 6-month follow-up period.

The Importance of Sexuality Program Objectives to Long-Term Care Staff.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Bonnie L.; Osgood, Nancy J.

The opinions of long-term care staff were surveyed regarding the importance of objectives of a program that would provide staff education and training regarding the sexuality of older people. A literature review determined what staff needed to know about elderly sexuality, the needs of elderly people related to their sexuality, and how caregivers…

The Development of Interactive World Wide Web Based Teaching Material in Forensic Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daeid, Niamh Nic

2001-01-01

Describes the development of a Web-based tutorial in the forensic science teaching program at the University of Strathclyde (Scotland). Highlights include the theoretical basis for course development; objectives; Web site design; student feedback; and staff feedback. (LRW)

A new curriculum to address dementia-related stigma: Preliminary experience with Alzheimer's Association staff.

PubMed

Herrmann, Lynn K; Udelson, Nancy; Kanetsky, Cheryl; Liu, Hongyan; Cassidy, Kristin; Welter, Elisabeth; Sajatovic, Martha

2018-01-01

Objective Develop and test a stigma awareness and education curriculum targeted to non-medical staff of a local Alzheimer's Association chapter. Methods The curriculum, developed in collaboration with leadership and educational staff from the Cleveland Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, included a definition, types, and domains of stigma; effects of stigma on individuals with dementia and their families; stigma evaluation studies; tips to address the topic of dementia-related stigma with individuals and families. Lastly, an interactive discussion of real-life scenarios facilitated stigma recognition and management. Results Most staff felt the training improved their ability to identify Alzheimer's disease stigma, made them more comfortable talking about stigma, and would change the way they interacted with people and families impacted by Alzheimer's disease. Conclusions This brief, practical educational curriculum has potential to improve awareness of dementia stigma in Alzheimer's Association staff. Research is needed to expand stigma awareness in individuals and groups with varying levels of dementia knowledge.

Nursing staff's communication modes in patient transfer before and after an educational intervention.

PubMed

Kindblom-Rising, Kristina; Wahlstrom, Rolf; Ekman, Sirkka-Liisa; Buer, Nina; Nilsson-Wikmar, Lena

2010-10-01

The objective was to explore and describe nursing staff's body awareness and communication in patient transfers and evaluate any changes made after an educational intervention to promote staff competence in guiding patients to move independently. In total, 63 nursing staff from two hospitals wrote weekly notes before and after the intervention. The topics were: A) reflect on a transfer during the last week that you consider was good and one that was poor; B) reflect on how your body felt during a good and a poor transfer. The notes were analysed with content analysis. The results showed five different communication modes connected with nursing staff's physical and verbal communication. These communication modes changed after 1 year to a more verbal communication, focusing on the patient's mobility. The use of instructions indicated a new or different understanding of patient transfer, which may contribute to a development of nursing staff's competence. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: The present findings indicate that patient transfer consists of communication. Therefore, verbal and bodily communication can have an integral part of training in patient transfer; furthermore, the educational design of such programmes is important to reach the goal of developing new understanding and enhancing nursing staff's competence in patient transfer.

The Camp Hill Project: Objectives and Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mattingly, John B.

1976-01-01

Available from: EC 090 474. Outlined are the problems and objectives of Pennsylvania's Camp Hill Project--a program designed to complete psychological needs assessments for juveniles incarcerated at Camp Hill, to develop project policies and guidelines in preparation for meeting with juvenile court judges, and to hire staff. (SBH)

Developing an appropriate staff mix for anticoagulation clinics: functional job analysis approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hailemariam, Desta A.; Shan, Xiaojun; Chung, Sung H.; Khasawneh, Mohammad T.; Lukesh, William; Park, Angela; Rose, Adam

2018-05-01

Anticoagulation clinics (ACCs) are specialty clinics that manage patients with blood clotting problems. Since labor costs usually account for a substantial portion of a healthcare organization's budget, optimizing the number and types of staff required was often the focus, especially for ACCs, where labor-intensive staff-patient interactions occur. A significant portion of tasks performed by clinical pharmacists might be completed by clinical pharmacist technicians, which are less-expensive resources. While nurse staffing models for a hospital inpatient unit are well established, these models are not readily applicable to staffing ACCs. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to develop a framework for determining the right staff mix of clinical pharmacists and clinical pharmacy technicians that increases the efficiency of care delivery process and improves the productivity of ACC staff. A framework is developed and applied to build a semi-automated full-time equivalent (FTE) calculator and compare various staffing scenarios using a simulation model. The FTE calculator provides the right staff mix for a given staff utilization target. Data collected from the ACCs at VA Boston Healthcare System is used to illustrate the FTE calculator and the simulation model. The result of the simulation model can be used by ACC managers to easily determine the number of FTEs of clinical pharmacists and clinical pharmacy technicians required to reach the target utilization and the corresponding staffing cost.

Dialysis facility staff perceptions of racial, gender, and age disparities in access to renal transplantation.

PubMed

Lipford, Kristie J; McPherson, Laura; Hamoda, Reem; Browne, Teri; Gander, Jennifer C; Pastan, Stephen O; Patzer, Rachel E

2018-01-10

Racial/ethnic, gender, and age disparities in access to renal transplantation among end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients have been well documented, but few studies have explored health care staff attitudes towards these inequalities. Staff perceptions can influence patient care and outcomes, and identifying staff perceptions on disparities could aid in the development of potential interventions to address these health inequities. The objective of this study was to investigate dialysis staff (n = 509), primarily social workers and nurse managers, perceptions of renal transplant disparities in the Southeastern United States. This is a mixed methods study that uses both deductive and inductive qualitative analysis of a dialysis staff survey conducted in 2012 using three open-ended questions that asked staff to discuss their perceptions of factors that may contribute to transplant disparities among African American, female, and elderly patients. Study results suggested that the majority of staff (n = 255, 28%) perceived patients' low socioeconomic status as the primary theme related to why renal transplant disparities exist between African Americans and non-Hispanic whites. Staff cited patient perception of old age as a primary contributor (n = 188, 23%) to the disparity between young and elderly patients. The dialysis staff responses on gender transplant disparities suggested that staff were unaware of differences due to limited experience and observation (n = 76, 14.7%) of gender disparities. These findings suggest that dialysis facilities should educate staff on existing renal transplantation disparities, particularly gender disparities, and collaboratively work with transplant facilities to develop strategies to actively address modifiable patient barriers for transplant.

Another Milestone Day in AGU's History

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Enderlein, Cheryl

2010-09-01

The AGU Board of Directors held its first board meeting on 20-21 September 2010 in Washington, D. C. The meeting, chaired by President Michael McPhaden, marked another step forward in implementing AGU's new governance structure and strategic direction. The agenda included ongoing organizational business, high-level strategic discussions, and opportunities for Board development. In the new governance structure, the Board is responsible for governing the business aspects of AGU, while the Council is responsible for governing scientific affairs. The strategic plan guides both governing groups, staff, and other membership groups by providing clear goals and objectives. Of the 28 objectives in the AGU strategic plan, the volunteer and staff leadership identified eight as priorities. The priority objectives are listed in the diagram to the right, which is also posted on the AGU Web site.

Symmetry in the Car Park

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hancock, Karen

2007-01-01

In this article, the author presents a lesson on rotational symmetry which she developed for her students. The aim of the lesson was "to identify objects with rotational symmetry in the staff car park" and the success criteria were "pictures or sketches of at least six objects with different orders of rotation". After finding examples of…

Short Term Objectives. (SCAT Project, Title VI-G).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Archer, Anita

Developed by the staff of the SCAT (Support, Competency-Assistance and Training) Project, the document deals with the third step of the systematic instructional model--sequencing short term objectives for exceptional students. The manual focuses on reviewing long term goals established by the child study team, converting these goals into long term…

Collection Development in 19 Libraries of the Association of Research Libraries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baatz, Wilmer H.

The objective of this study was to determine how large research libraries perform the function of collection development. The paper describes collection development theory within the formal organizational structure of the library, identifies the actual decision points involved in selection of materials, and examines the staff and facilities…

Improving the School Food Environment

PubMed Central

CULLEN, KAREN W.; HARTSTEIN, JILL; REYNOLDS, KIM D.; VU, MAIHAN; RESNICOW, KEN; GREENE, NATASHA; WHITE, MAMIE A.

2009-01-01

Our objective for this study was to examine the feasibility of instituting environmental changes during a 6-week pilot in school foodservice programs, with long-term goals of improving dietary quality and preventing obesity and type 2 diabetes in youth. Participants included students and staff from six middle schools in three states. Formative assessment with students and school staff was conducted in the spring of 2003 to inform the development of school foodservice policy changes. Thirteen potential policy goals were delineated. These formed the basis for the environmental change pilot intervention implemented during the winter/spring of 2004. Questionnaires were used to assess the extent to which the 13 foodservice goals were achieved. Success was defined as achieving 75% of goals not met at baseline. Daily data were collected on goal achievement using the schools’ daily food production and sales records. Qualitative data were also collected after the pilot study to obtain feedback from students and staff. Formative research with staff and students identified potential environmental changes. Most schools made substantial changes in the National School Lunch Program meal and snack bar/a la carte offerings. Vending goals were least likely to be achieved. Only one school did not meet the 75% goal achievement objective. Based on the objective data as well as qualitative feedback from student focus groups and interviews with students and school staff, healthful school foodservice changes in the cafeteria and snack bar can be implemented and were acceptable to the staff and students. Implementing longer-term and more ambitious changes and assessing cost issues and the potential enduring impact of these changes on student dietary change and disease risk reduction merits investigation. PMID:17324667

Piloting an information literacy program for staff nurses: lessons learned.

PubMed

Rosenfeld, Peri; Salazar-Riera, Noraliza; Vieira, Dorice

2002-01-01

Intrinsic to all models of evidence-based practice is the need for information literacy and the critical assessment of information. As part of a house-wide evidence-based practice initiative, the objective of this pilot project was to develop the information literacy skills of staff nurses to increase their ability to find and assess available electronic resources for clinical decision making. An intensive care unit was chosen to pilot a unit-based approach to educate staff nurses to perform patient care-related electronic literature searches. An additional goal was to determine the effectiveness of unit-based training sessions on the frequency and quality of electronic literature searches by participating nurses. In addition to the unit-based instruction, nursing and library staff collaborated to develop a Web-based tutorial to supplement and reinforce the content of the training sessions. A pretest-post-test design was used to evaluate the initiative and to assess the effect of the educational intervention over time. Among the lessons learned from this pilot study was that unit-based instruction presents significant obstacles for effective learning of new technological skills for staff nurses.

An effective strategy for influenza vaccination of healthcare workers in Australia: experience at a large health service without a mandatory policy.

PubMed

Heinrich-Morrison, Kristina; McLellan, Sue; McGinnes, Ursula; Carroll, Brendan; Watson, Kerrie; Bass, Pauline; Worth, Leon J; Cheng, Allen C

2015-02-06

Annual influenza vaccination of healthcare workers (HCWs) is recommended in Australia, but uptake in healthcare facilities has historically been low (approximately 50%). The objective of this study was to develop and implement a dedicated campaign to improve uptake of staff influenza annual vaccination at a large Australian health service. A quality improvement program was developed at Alfred Health, a tertiary metropolitan health service spanning 3 campuses. Pre-campaign evaluation was performed by questionnaire in 2013 to plan a multimodal vaccination strategy. Reasons for and against vaccination were captured. A campaign targeting clinical and non-clinical healthcare workers was then implemented between March 31 and July 31 2014. Proportional uptake of influenza vaccination was determined by campus and staff category. Pre-campaign questionnaire responses were received from 1328/6879 HCWs (response rate 20.4%), of which 76% were vaccinated. Common beliefs held by unvaccinated staff included vaccine ineffectiveness (37.1%), that vaccination makes staff unwell (21.0%), or that vaccination is not required because staff are at low risk for acquiring influenza (20.2%). In 2014, 6009/7480 (80.3%) staff were vaccinated, with significant improvement in uptake across all campuses and amongst nursing, medical and allied health staff categories from 2013 to 2014 (p < 0.0001). A non-mandatory multimodal strategy utilising social marketing and a customised staff database was successful in increasing influenza vaccination uptake by all staff categories. The sustainability of dedicated campaigns must be evaluated.

Sunshine School's S.O.P.: Sequenced Objectives for Preschoolers. An Evaluation and Instruction Guide for Working with the Developmentally Delayed.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sunshine School, Gainesville, FL.

Developed by professional educational staff, the curriculum of developmentally sequenced objectives for preschoolers (SOP) is designed for use in infant stimulation programs, for preschool training for all levels of retardation, with severely and profoundly retarded school age children, and for trainable and educable children during the earlier…

Pierce County Indian Education Program, Educational Service District #121, Tacoma, Washington. 1976-77 Final Evaluation Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Steve; Clark, Robey

Comparing program objectives with program outcomes, 4 program components targeted at 1,100 American Indian students in 9 school districts in Pierce County, Washington were evaluated. Program objectives operationalized by an 11-member staff including 9 specialists and 1 coordinator were to develop: (1) basic skills via tutoring services for…

The Role of Research Institutions in Building Visual Content for the Geowall

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newman, R. L.; Kilb, D.; Nayak, A.; Kent, G.

2003-12-01

The advent of the low-cost Geowall (http://www.geowall.org) allows researchers and students to study 3-D geophysical datasets in a collaborative setting. Although 3-D visual objects can aid the understanding of geological principles in the classroom, it is often difficult for staff to develop their own custom visual objects. This is a fundamentally important aspect that research institutions that store large (terabyte) geophysical datasets can address. At Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) we regularly explore gigabyte 3-D visual objects in the SIO Visualization Center (http://siovizcenter.ucsd.edu). Exporting these datasets for use with the Geowall has become routine with current software applications such as IVS's Fledermaus and iView3D. We have developed visualizations that incorporate topographic, bathymetric, and 3-D volumetric crustal datasets to demonstrate fundamental principles of earth science including plate tectonics, seismology, sea-level change, and neotectonics. These visualizations are available for download either via FTP or a website, and have been incorporated into graduate and undergraduate classes at both SIO and the University of California, San Diego. Additionally, staff at the Visualization Center develop content for external schools and colleges such as the Preuss School, a local middle/high school, where a Geowall was installed in February 2003 and curriculum developed for 8th grade students. We have also developed custom visual objects for researchers and educators at diverse education institutions across the globe. At SIO we encourage graduate students and researchers alike to develop visual objects of their datasets through innovative classes and competitions. This not only assists the researchers themselves in understanding their data but also increases the number of visual objects freely available to geoscience educators worldwide.

Development of an Inventory for Health-Care Office Staff to Self-Assess Their Patient-Centered Cultural Sensitivity.

PubMed

Tucker, Carolyn M; Wall, Whitney A; Wippold, Guillermo; Roncoroni, Julia; Marsiske, Michael; Linn, Gabriel S

2016-04-27

Patient-centered culturally sensitive health care (PC-CSHC) is a best practice approach for improving health-care delivery to culturally diverse populations and reducing health disparities. Despite patients' report that cultural sensitivity by health-care office staff is an important aspect of PC-CSHC, the majority of available research on PC-CSHC focuses exclusively on health-care providers. This may be due in part to the paucity of instruments available to assess the cultural sensitivity of health-care office staff. The objective of the present study is to determine the psychometric properties of the Tucker-Culturally Sensitive Health Care Office Staff Inventory-Self-Assessment Form (T-CSHCOSI-SAF). This instrument is designed to enable health-care office staff to self-assess their level of agreement that they display behaviors and attitudes that culturally diverse patients have identified as office staff cultural sensitivity indicators. A sample of 510 health-care office staff were recruited at 67 health-care sites across the United States. These health-care office staff anonymously completed the T-CSHCOSI-SAF and a demographic data questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analyses of the T-CSHCOSI-SAF revealed that this inventory has 2 factors with high internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's αs= .916 and .912). The T-CSHCOSI-SAF is a useful inventory for health-care office staff to assess their own level of patient-centered cultural sensitivity. Such self-assessment data can be used in the development and implementation of trainings to promote patient-centered cultural sensitivity of health-care office staff and to help draw the attention of these staff to displaying patient-centered cultural sensitivity.

Graduate Entrepreneurship Incubation Environments: A Framework of Key Success Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Dajani, Haya; Dedoussis, Evangelos; Watson, Erika; Tzokas, Nikalaos

2014-01-01

The benchmarking framework developed in this study is specifically designed for higher education institutions to consider when developing environments to encourage entrepreneurship among their students, graduates and staff. The objective of the study was to identify key success factors of Graduate Entrepreneurship Incubator Environments (GEIEs)…

Site-Specific Analyses for Demonstrating Compliance with 10 CFR 61 Performance Objectives - 12179

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

Grossman, C.J.; Esh, D.W.; Yadav, P.

2012-07-01

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is proposing to amend its regulations at 10 CFR Part 61 to require low-level radioactive waste disposal facilities to conduct site-specific analyses to demonstrate compliance with the performance objectives in Subpart C. The amendments would require licensees to conduct site-specific analyses for protection of the public and inadvertent intruders as well as analyses for long-lived waste. The amendments would ensure protection of public health and safety, while providing flexibility to demonstrate compliance with the performance objectives, for current and potential future waste streams. NRC staff intends to submit proposed rule language and associated regulatorymore » basis to the Commission for its approval in early 2012. The NRC staff also intends to develop associated guidance to accompany any proposed amendments. The guidance is intended to supplement existing low-level radioactive waste guidance on issues pertinent to conducting site-specific analyses to demonstrate compliance with the performance objectives. The guidance will facilitate implementation of the proposed amendments by licensees and assist competent regulatory authorities in reviewing the site-specific analyses. Specifically, the guidance provides staff recommendations on general considerations for the site-specific analyses, modeling issues for assessments to demonstrate compliance with the performance objectives including the performance assessment, intruder assessment, stability assessment, and analyses for long-lived waste. This paper describes the technical basis for changes to the rule language and the proposed guidance associated with implementation of the rule language. The NRC staff, per Commission direction, intends to propose amendments to 10 CFR Part 61 to require licensees to conduct site-specific analyses to demonstrate compliance with performance objectives for the protection of public health and the environment. The amendments would require a performance assessment to demonstrate protection of the general population from releases of radioactivity, an assessment to demonstrate protection of a potential inadvertent intruder, and a long-term analysis to assess how the design of the facility considers the potential radiological impacts associated with disposal of long-lived waste streams. Concurrently, the NRC staff intends to propose associated guidance to facilitate the implementation of the requirements to conduct site-specific analyses. In proposing these amendments to the regulation and associated guidance, the NRC staff has conducted extensive public outreach since 2009 including three public meetings and four briefings of the NRC's Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards. The NRC staff plans to submit the proposed amendments to the regulations to the Commission in early 2012. Subsequently, the proposed amendments and associated guidance would be published in the Federal Register for public comment pending approval of the proposed amendments to the regulations by the Commission. Following the public comment period, NRC staff plans to address public comments and revise, as necessary, the regulations and associated guidance before publishing a final rule, which is anticipated in 2013. (authors)« less

The Balanced Scorecard of acute settings: development process, definition of 20 strategic objectives and implementation.

PubMed

Groene, Oliver; Brandt, Elimer; Schmidt, Werner; Moeller, Johannes

2009-08-01

Strategy development and implementation in acute care settings is often restricted by competing challenges, the pace of policy reform and the existence of parallel hierarchies. To describe a generic approach to strategy development, illustrate the use of the Balanced Scorecard as a tool to facilitate strategy implementation and demonstrate how to break down strategic goals into measurable elements. Multi-method approach using three different conceptual models: Health Promoting Hospitals Standards and Strategies, the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Model and the Balanced Scorecard. A bundle of qualitative and quantitative methods were used including in-depth interviews, standardized organization-wide surveys on organizational values, staff satisfaction and patient experience. Three acute care hospitals in four different locations belonging to a German holding group. Chief executive officer, senior medical officers, working group leaders and hospital staff. Development and implementation of the Balanced Scorecard. Twenty strategic objectives with corresponding Balanced Scorecard measures. A stepped approach from strategy development to implementation is presented to identify key themes for strategy development, drafting a strategy map and developing strategic objectives and measures. The Balanced Scorecard, in combination with the EFQM model, is a useful tool to guide strategy development and implementation in health care organizations. As for other quality improvement and management tools not specifically developed for health care organizations, some adaptations are required to improve acceptability among professionals. The step-wise approach of strategy development and implementation presented here may support similar processes in comparable organizations.

Use of Bloom's Taxonomy in Developing Reading Comprehension Specifications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luebke, Stephen; Lorie, James

2013-01-01

This article is a brief account of the use of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives (Bloom, Engelhart, Furst, Hill, & Krathwohl, 1956) by staff of the Law School Admission Council in the 1990 development of redesigned specifications for the Reading Comprehension section of the Law School Admission Test. Summary item statistics for the…

Use of an Information Retrieval Service in an Obstetrics/Gynecology Residency Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

And Others; Gunning, John E.

1980-01-01

A program that uses the clinical librarian as a member of the patient care team has been developed by an obstetrics and gynecology department of a university medical center to keep faculty and hospital house staff knowledgeable about current developments and research. Program objectives, methodology, costs, evaluation, and information utilization…

A Conceptual Design Model for CBT Development: A NATO Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kok, Ayse

2014-01-01

CBT (computer-based training) can benefit from the modern multimedia tools combined with network capabilities to overcame traditional education. The objective of this paper is focused on CBT development to improve strategic decision-making with regard to air command and control system for NATO staff in virtual environment. A conceptual design for…

QA RESOURCE MATERIALS TO ASSIST IN DEVELOPING AND WRITING RESEARCH PLANS AT A USEPA OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT DIVISION

EPA Science Inventory

In the process of adapting the Agency's Data Quality Objectives Workshop for presentation at an ORD Research Facility, ownership and consensus approval of the presentation by the Division's research staff was sought. Three groups of researchers, at various levels of responsibilit...

Self Validation: Putting the Pieces Together. [Leader's Handbook].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beiman, Abbie; And Others

This document is one in a set of eight staff development training manuals developed to facilitate the efforts of educators in the planning and implementation of comprehensive career guidance programs on the secondary level (7-12). This series is based on the goals and developmental objectives identified by the Georgia Comprehensive Career Guidance…

Development of the implant surgical technique and assessment rating system

PubMed Central

Park, Jung-Chul; Hwang, Ji-Wan; Lee, Jung-Seok; Jung, Ui-Won; Choi, Seong-Ho; Cho, Kyoo-Sung; Chai, Jung-Kiu

2012-01-01

Purpose There has been no attempt to establish an objective implant surgical evaluation protocol to assess residents' surgical competence and improve their surgical outcomes. The present study presents a newly developed assessment and rating system and simulation model that can assist the teaching staffs to evaluate the surgical events and surgical skills of residents objectively. Methods Articles published in peer-reviewed English journals were selected using several scientific databases and subsequently reviewed regarding surgical competence and assessment tools. Particularly, medical journals reporting rating and evaluation protocols for various types of medical surgeries were thoroughly analyzed. Based on these studies, an implant surgical technique assessment and rating system (iSTAR) has been developed. Also, a specialized dental typodont was developed for the valid and reliable assessment of surgery. Results The iSTAR consists of two parts including surgical information and task-specific checklists. Specialized simulation model was subsequently produced and can be used in combination with iSTAR. Conclusions The assessment and rating system provided may serve as a reference guide for teaching staffs to evaluate the residents' implant surgical techniques. PMID:22413071

Programmatic Research to Develop and Disseminate Improved Instructional Technology for Handicapped Children. Project MORE Quarterly Progress Report, September 1 to December 1, 1972.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schiefelbusch, Richard L.; Lent, James R.

During the past reporting period the curriculum development staff of Project MORE (Mediated Operational Research for Education) has made substantial progress in attaining its program objectives. Design and development phases have proceeded on schedule. Four programs are currently in the field-testing stage, and four others are under development.…

The Delivery, Financing, and Assessment of Professional Development in Education: Pre-Service Preparation and In-Service Training.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neville, Katherine S.; Robinson, Casey J.

In December 2003, The Finance Project staff published and disseminated a paper that synthesizes the delivery and financing of professional development in education and gives an objective summary of the various debates in the field. This paper outlines the current status of both pre-service and in-service professional development for teachers,…

Pedagogy with babies: perspectives of eight nursery managers.

PubMed

Elfer, Peter; Page, Jools

2015-12-02

The last 30 years have seen a significant increase in babies attending nursery, with corresponding questions about the aims and organisation of practice. Research broadly agrees on the importance of emotionally consistent, sensitive and responsive interactions between staff and babies. Policy objectives for nursery and expectations of parents and staff give rise to different and sometimes conflicting aims for such interactions; for example attachments to staff, peer interactions or early learning. Research shows marked variations of pedagogy aims and organisation with babies in nurseries in different national and cultural contexts. It also demonstrates variation between nurseries in similar contexts and between staff in their beliefs and values about work with babies. This paper reports on an exploratory study of the beliefs, aspirations and approaches of eight managers concerning pedagogy with babies in two similar English local authorities. These managers spoke of the importance of being responsive to the concerns and priorities of parents, whilst being sensitive to the demands of the work on their staff. The main finding was of the contradictions and confusions managers felt were inherent in the work, arising from both conflicting policy objectives and personal beliefs and aspirations; sometimes their own and sometimes those of individual staff and parents. Urban, Vandenbroeck, Van Laere, Lazzari, and Peeters' [(2012). Towards competent systems in early childhood education and care. Implications for policy and practice. European Journal of Education , 47 (4), 508-526.] concept of the 'competent system' is used to recommend a grounded approach to the development of a more culturally, socially and individually responsive pedagogy with babies than appears to exist at present.

Pedagogy with babies: perspectives of eight nursery managers

PubMed Central

Elfer, Peter; Page, Jools

2015-01-01

The last 30 years have seen a significant increase in babies attending nursery, with corresponding questions about the aims and organisation of practice. Research broadly agrees on the importance of emotionally consistent, sensitive and responsive interactions between staff and babies. Policy objectives for nursery and expectations of parents and staff give rise to different and sometimes conflicting aims for such interactions; for example attachments to staff, peer interactions or early learning. Research shows marked variations of pedagogy aims and organisation with babies in nurseries in different national and cultural contexts. It also demonstrates variation between nurseries in similar contexts and between staff in their beliefs and values about work with babies. This paper reports on an exploratory study of the beliefs, aspirations and approaches of eight managers concerning pedagogy with babies in two similar English local authorities. These managers spoke of the importance of being responsive to the concerns and priorities of parents, whilst being sensitive to the demands of the work on their staff. The main finding was of the contradictions and confusions managers felt were inherent in the work, arising from both conflicting policy objectives and personal beliefs and aspirations; sometimes their own and sometimes those of individual staff and parents. Urban, Vandenbroeck, Van Laere, Lazzari, and Peeters' [(2012). Towards competent systems in early childhood education and care. Implications for policy and practice. European Journal of Education, 47(4), 508–526.] concept of the ‘competent system’ is used to recommend a grounded approach to the development of a more culturally, socially and individually responsive pedagogy with babies than appears to exist at present. PMID:26692633

Staff Utilization and Commitment in Borno State Colleges of Education, Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fika, Ibrahim Baba; Ibi, Mustapha Baba; Abdulrahman, Aishatu

2016-01-01

The study determines the relationship between staff utilization and staff commitment in Borno State Colleges of Education, Nigeria. The objectives of the study were to determine: the level of staff utilization in Borno State Colleges of Education, the level of staff commitment in Borno State Colleges of Education and the relationship between staff…

Adolescent sexuality in a therapeutic community: staff countertransference issues.

PubMed

Schneider, S; Deutsch, C

1985-01-01

Issues connected with sexuality such as heterosexual relationships, homosexuality, sexual identity, and seductiveness, create conflict and countertransference dilemmas for staff who work with psychiatric patients in a therapeutic community. When the therapeutic community is composed of adolescents, these issues are exacerbated since sexual identity and sexual development are major concerns. The staff reacts strongly to the issue of self-determination and violation/infringement on a basic human need. These philosophical differences have their roots in countertransference feelings. Staff sometimes find it difficult to confront adolescents on emotionally charged issues that have a sexual coloring. A system is proposed for articulating and working through these feelings. A unique solution is posited for solving this conflictual attitude (based on object relations theory), whereby the residential treatment center serves as the analog of the home in order to allow adolescents to develop a sense of self before they can move on to the halfway house where heterosexual behavior is allowed (as part of the therapeutic process). This facilitates the meeting of the "self" with the "other." This procedure is explored in light of Sullivan's concept of intimacy.

Multidimensional evaluation of a radio frequency identification wi-fi location tracking system in an acute-care hospital setting

PubMed Central

Okoniewska, Barbara; Graham, Alecia; Gavrilova, Marina; Wah, Dannel; Gilgen, Jonathan; Coke, Jason; Burden, Jack; Nayyar, Shikha; Kaunda, Joseph; Yergens, Dean; Baylis, Barry

2012-01-01

Real-time locating systems (RTLS) have the potential to enhance healthcare systems through the live tracking of assets, patients and staff. This study evaluated a commercially available RTLS system deployed in a clinical setting, with three objectives: (1) assessment of the location accuracy of the technology in a clinical setting; (2) assessment of the value of asset tracking to staff; and (3) assessment of threshold monitoring applications developed for patient tracking and inventory control. Simulated daily activities were monitored by RTLS and compared with direct research team observations. Staff surveys and interviews concerning the system's effectiveness and accuracy were also conducted and analyzed. The study showed only modest location accuracy, and mixed reactions in staff interviews. These findings reveal that the technology needs to be refined further for better specific location accuracy before full-scale implementation can be recommended. PMID:22298566

Psychosocial Intervention Use in Long-Stay Dementia Care: A Classic Grounded Theory.

PubMed

Hunter, Andrew; Keady, John; Casey, Dympna; Grealish, Annmarie; Murphy, Kathy

2016-12-01

The objective of this study was to develop a substantive grounded theory of staff psychosocial intervention use with residents with dementia in long-stay care. "Becoming a person again" emerged as the core category accounting for staffs' psychosocial intervention use within long-stay care. Interview data were collected from participants in nine Irish long-stay settings: 14 residents with dementia, 19 staff nurses, one clinical facilitator, seven nurse managers, 21 nursing assistants, and five relatives. Constant comparative method guided the data collection and analysis. The researcher's theoretical memos, based on unstructured observation, and applicable extant literature were also included as data. By identifying the mutuality of the participants' experiences, this classic grounded theory explains staff motivation toward psychosocial intervention use within long-stay care. It also explains how institutional factors interact with those personal factors that incline individuals toward psychosocial intervention use. © The Author(s) 2016.

Multidimensional evaluation of a radio frequency identification wi-fi location tracking system in an acute-care hospital setting.

PubMed

Okoniewska, Barbara; Graham, Alecia; Gavrilova, Marina; Wah, Dannel; Gilgen, Jonathan; Coke, Jason; Burden, Jack; Nayyar, Shikha; Kaunda, Joseph; Yergens, Dean; Baylis, Barry; Ghali, William A

2012-01-01

Real-time locating systems (RTLS) have the potential to enhance healthcare systems through the live tracking of assets, patients and staff. This study evaluated a commercially available RTLS system deployed in a clinical setting, with three objectives: (1) assessment of the location accuracy of the technology in a clinical setting; (2) assessment of the value of asset tracking to staff; and (3) assessment of threshold monitoring applications developed for patient tracking and inventory control. Simulated daily activities were monitored by RTLS and compared with direct research team observations. Staff surveys and interviews concerning the system's effectiveness and accuracy were also conducted and analyzed. The study showed only modest location accuracy, and mixed reactions in staff interviews. These findings reveal that the technology needs to be refined further for better specific location accuracy before full-scale implementation can be recommended.

Introducing information technologies into medical education: activities of the AAMC.

PubMed

Salas, A A; Anderson, M B

1997-03-01

Previous articles in this column have discussed how new information technologies are revolutionizing medical education. In this article, two staff members from the Association of American Medical College's Division of Medical Education discuss how the Association (the AAMC) is working both to support the introduction of new technologies into medical education and to facilitate dialogue on information technology and curriculum issues among AAMC constituents and staff. The authors describe six AAMC initiatives related to computing in medical education: the Medical School Objectives Project, the National Curriculum Database Project, the Information Technology and Medical Education Project, a professional development program for chief information officers, the AAMC ACCESS Data Collection and Dissemination System, and the internal Staff Interest Group on Medical Informatics and Medical Education.

Disentangling the Purposes of Staff Appraisal.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, D.

1993-01-01

Critiques Annual Staff Reports, personnel evaluations in the British Civil Service. Considers the implications of management by objectives and staff evaluation practices in the National Health Service and universities for Civil Service evaluations. (SK)

Allocation of resources for ambulatory care -a staffing model for outpatient clinics.

PubMed Central

Mansdorf, B D

1975-01-01

The enormous commitment of resources to ambulatory health care services requires that flexible and easily implementable management techniques be developed to improve the allocation of health manpower and funds. This article develops a feasible model for staffing outpatient clinics and thereby potentially provides an important analytical tool for allocating and monitoring the utilization of the most critical and expensive of ambulatory care resources-professional and nonprofessional clinic personnel. The model is simplistic, extremely flexible, and can be applied to many modes of delivering ambulatory care-from HMOs to traditional hospital outpatient clinics. To employ the model, certain decision variables must be specified so that the model can produce a least-cost staffing configuration to meet the demand for service in accordance with the desired mode and intensity of care. The key decision varables that require input from administrators and medical personnel include standards for physician-patient contact time, a desired ratio of staff time actually spent treating patients to total paid staff time, and the desired mix of various staff categories to achieve program objectives. Specific benefits of using the model include determining staffing for new, expanded, or existing outpatient clinics, determining budget requirements for such staffing needs, and providing quantitative productivity and utilization objectives and measurements. PMID:809787

Making tradeoffs between the reasons to leave and reasons to stay employed in long-term care homes: perspectives of licensed nursing staff.

PubMed

McGilton, Katherine S; Boscart, Veronique M; Brown, Maryanne; Bowers, Barbara

2014-06-01

Turnover of licensed nursing staff in long-term care (LTC) settings (e.g., nursing homes) is a mounting concern and is associated with poor quality of care and low staff morale. Retention and turnover research in LTC have focused primarily on direct care workers (i.e., nurse aides) leaving the issues largely unexplored for licensed nursing staff (i.e., registered nurses and licensed practical nurses). The main objective of this study was to understand factors that influence nurses' intentions to remain employed at their current job. Qualitative descriptive study. Seven nursing homes in Ontario, Canada. A convenience sample of forty-one licensed LTC nurses. Data were collected through focus groups conducted at each of the participating nursing homes. Focus group discussions were transcribed verbatim. Directed content analysis was used to identify and develop themes. Work conditions were a salient element affecting nurses' intention to stay and included impact of regulations on nurse role flexibility and professional judgment, an underfunded system contributing to insufficient resources and staffing, and a lack of supportive leadership. Factors promoting nurses' willingness to stay included the development of meaningful relationships with residents and staff and opportunities for learning and professional development. Nurses also considered personal and life circumstances (e.g., marital status and seniority) when discussing intention to stay. Nurses in this study weighed positive and negative work-related factors as well as personal circumstances to determine their intent to stay. Developing a more individualized approach to address attrition of licensed nurses in LTC may be the most successful strategy for improving retention of highly skilled staff in this sector. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improving communication between staff and disabled children in hospital wards: testing the feasibility of a training intervention developed through intervention mapping.

PubMed

Gumm, Rebecca; Thomas, Eleanor; Lloyd, Claire; Hambly, Helen; Tomlinson, Richard; Logan, Stuart; Morris, Christopher

2017-01-01

To develop and test the feasibility of a novel parent-inspired training intervention for hospital ward staff to improve communication with disabled children when inpatients. Training content and delivery strategies were informed by the iterative process of Intervention Mapping and developed in collaboration with parents of disabled children. UK University Hospital children's ward. 80 medical, nursing, allied health professionals, clerical and housekeeping staff on a children's ward. Themes identified in previous qualitative research formed the basis of the training. Learning objectives included prioritising communication, cultivating empathy, improving knowledge and developing confidence. Participant feedback was used to refine content and delivery. Intervention documentation adheres to the Template for Intervention Description and Replication checklist. Highlighting mandated National Health Service policies and involving the hospital Patient and Carer Experience Group facilitated management support for the training. Eighty staff participated in one of four 1-hour sessions. A paediatric registrar and nurse delivered sessions to mixed groups of staff. General feedback was very positive. The intervention, fully documented in a manual, includes videos of parent carers discussing hospital experiences, interactive tasks, small group discussion, personal reflection and intention planning. Generic and local resources were provided. It was feasible to deliver this new communication training to hospital ward staff and it was positively received. Early feedback was encouraging and indicates a commitment to behaviour change. Further piloting is required to establish the transferability of the intervention to other hospitals, followed by consideration of downstream markers to evaluate the effects on disabled children's inpatient experience. Organisational and cultural change is required to support individual behaviour change.

The Design and Development of a Technology Based Orientation Manual for Clinical Research Coordinators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Copp, Susan L.

2010-01-01

The objective of this research was to use technology to develop an on-line orientation manual for clinical research coordinators. Many clinical research coordinators begin their careers as staff nurses and have little knowledge related to clinical research. As such, when they transition to a career in clinical research they lack the knowledge…

Water Reclamation Technology Development at Johnson Space Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Callahan, Michael R.; Pickering, Karen

2014-01-01

Who We Are: A staff of approximately 14 BS, MS, and PhD-Level Engineers and Scientists with experience in Aerospace, Civil, Environmental, and Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, Physical Science and Water Pollution Microbiology. Our Primary Objective: To develop the next generation water recovery system technologies that will support NASA's long duration missions beyond low-earth orbit.

Supporting Extended Family Members (SEFAM) Program. An HCEEP Demonstration Project. Final Report, August 1, 1981-October 30, 1984.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Washington Univ., Seattle. Child Development and Mental Retardation Center.

The report documents the progress and accomplishments of the SEFAM (Supporting Extended Family Members) Program, which developed model programs for fathers, siblings, and grandparents. The first section summarizes staff efforts for five project objectives: (1) to develop, expand, test, and refine the pilot "Fathers and Infants/Toddlers"…

Vocational Pedagogical Competencies of a Professor in the Secondary Vocational Education System: Approbation of Monitoring Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andryukhina, Lyudmila M.; Dneprov, Sergey ?.; Sumina, Tatyana G.; Zimina, Elena Yu.; Utkina, Svetlana N.; Mantulenko, Valentina V.

2016-01-01

The relevance of the researched issue is preconditioned by the strategic changes in the secondary vocational education system taking place not only in Russia, but also in the majority of industrially developed countries. Provision of the system with qualified pedagogical staff is the leading strategic objective of development of the secondary…

The Model of Monitoring of Vocational Pedagogical Competences of Professors in Secondary Vocational Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andryukhina, Lyudmila M.; Dneprov, Sergey ?.; Sumina, Tatyana G.; Zimina, Elena Yu.; Utkina, Svetlana N.; Mantulenko, Valentina V.

2016-01-01

The relevance of the researched issue is preconditioned by the strategic changes in the secondary vocational education system taking place not only in Russia, but also in majority of industrially developed countries. Provision of the system with qualified pedagogical staff is the leading strategic objective of development of the secondary…

Development and Implementation of an Innovative Burn Nursing Handbook for Quality Improvement

PubMed Central

Olszewski, Anna; Yanes, Amber; Stafford, Jessica; Greenhalgh, David G.; Palmieri, Tina L.; Sen, Soman; Tran, Nam

2015-01-01

Objective Evidence-based burn nursing literature is extremely limited and often non-existent. As a result, there is a lack of standardization in burn nursing care. Our objective is to evaluate burn nursing knowledge at an academic medical center and implement innovative educational tools to enhance staff competency and improve the quality of care. Methods A collaboration of practicing clinical nurses developed a 24-question knowledge assessment survey (“pre-survey”) to evaluate fundamental burn nursing knowledge (fluid management, burn pathophysiology, burn-related procedures, wound care, infection control). Pre-education knowledge surveys were administered to 59 burn nurses electronically. A writing team of new and experienced nurses was established and developed a 51-page handbook focusing on areas of need identified in the survey. This book was disseminated to staff as required reading. Post-educational surveys were sent to the same nurses who completed the initial survey. Results Forty-six nurses (46/59, 78.0%) completed the survey with a mean (SD) of 55.9 (11.0)% of questions being answered correctly. Post-surveys sent to the same 46 nurses who completed the pre-survey had a response rate of 78.3% (36/46). We observed a significant increase in correctly answered questions (mean [SD]: 69.6 (8.7)%, P<0.001) in the post-survey intervention. Conclusion The handbook improved education and significantly improved overall fundamental burn knowledge of practicing nursing staff. Use of electronic surveys to drive development of targeted educational interventions provides evidence-based tools for establishing burn nursing standards and developing quality improvement metrics. PMID:26284646

Media Standards.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

North Clackamas School District 12, Milwaukie, OR.

Guidelines for library media services for the North Clackamas School District were developed by two teams representing the elementary, junior high, and senior high schools. These minimum standards describe the goals and objectives for library media services to students, staff, and community; the operation of the media centers; and the audiovisual…

Incremental Improvement of Career Education in Utah. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Utah State Board of Education, Salt Lake City.

This is a project report on Utah's plans to effect "incremental improvements" in career education implementation in seven school districts. Project objectives are formulated as follow: effect incremental improvements in attendance area cones, strengthen career education leadership capabilities, develop staff competence to diffuse the…

Effective Schools. What Makes a Public School Work Well?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Our Children, 1998

1998-01-01

Most effective schools share a number of key characteristics, including clear-cut goals and objectives, adequate funding and financial management, quality academic programs, valid assessment programs, parent and family involvement, teacher and staff development, high expectations for students, community involvement, comprehensive support services,…

Thinking About Challenging Behavior: A Repertory Grid Study of Inpatient Staff Beliefs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hare, Dougal Julian; Durand, Marianne; Hendy, Steve; Wittkowski, Anja

2012-01-01

Studies examining staff attitudes toward people with intellectual disability have traditionally used pre-determined categories and models or been open to researcher bias. The use of methods derived from personal construct psychology permits an objective investigation of staff views and attitudes without such limitations. Fourteen staff from an…

Suspected Child Maltreatment: Preschool Staff in a Conflict of Loyalty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Svensson, Birgitta; Janson, Staffan

2008-01-01

Objective: To investigate the actions of Swedish preschool staff when suspecting the maltreatment of children in their domestic environment, and the staff's further experiences and relations to the family members. Methods: A questionnaire in 2005 to the staff of 189 child groups in community preschools, including 3,100 children. Results: A report…

Using research evidence to inform staff learning needs in cross-cultural communication in aged care homes.

PubMed

Gillham, David; De Bellis, Anita; Xiao, Lily; Willis, Eileen; Harrington, Ann; Morey, Wendy; Jeffers, Lesley

2018-04-01

Developed countries worldwide are facing an unprecedented demand for aged care services, with recent migrants of diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds increasingly recruited as care workers while at the same time there is growing cultural diversity among aged care residents. This situation is compounded by rapidly changing technology and varied educational levels of care workers from diverse backgrounds. The objectives were threefold: to identify staff learning needs to enable them to provide high-quality cross-cultural care; to improve team cohesion; and identify preferred learning approaches. An interpretive qualitative study utilising focus group and interview data informed the development of an education resource. Fifty six care workers from four residential aged care facilities participated in either focus groups or interviews conducted in private meeting rooms within the care facilities. Participants included personal care attendants, registered and clinical nurses, managers, hospitality staff and allied health professionals. Focus group and interview data were categorised and thematically analysed. Data relevant to cross-cultural care, team cohesion and preferred learning approaches informed education resource development, including case studies. Major themes identified the need to promote cultural awareness and understanding, and strategies for cross-cultural care and communication. Themes related to team cohesion demonstrated that staff were already sympathetic and sensitive to cross-cultural issues, and that culturally and linguistically diverse staff add value to the workforce and are supported by the organisation. Staff required clear, uncomplicated education resources to equip them with skills to address problematic cultural situations. Preferred learning approaches varied and highlighted the need for varied educational materials and approaches, as well as time efficient, opportunistic education strategies for the busy workplace. An education package was developed to value cultural diversity in the aged care workplace for staff and residents, and provide an exemplar for evidence informed education. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Patient-centred communication intervention study to evaluate nurse-patient interactions in complex continuing care

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Communication impairment is a frequent consequence of stroke. Patients who cannot articulate their needs respond with frustration and agitation, resulting in poor optimization of post-stroke functions. A key component of patient-centred care is the ability of staff to communicate in a way that allows them to understand the patient’s needs. We developed a patient-centred communication intervention targeting registered and unregulated nursing staff caring for complex continuing care patients with communication impairments post stroke. Research objectives include 1) examining the effects of the intervention on patients’ quality of life, depression, satisfaction with care, and agitation; and (2) examining the extent to which the intervention improves staff’s attitudes and knowledge in caring for patients with communication impairments. The intervention builds on a previous pilot study. Methods/design A quasi-experimental repeated measures non-equivalent control group design in a complex continuing care facility is being used. Patients with a communication impairment post-stroke admitted to the facility are eligible to participate. All staff nurses are eligible. Baseline data are collected from staff and patients. Follow-up will occur at 1 and 3 months post-intervention. Subject recruitment and data collection from 60 patients and 30 staff will take approximately 36 months. The Patient-Centred Communication Intervention consists of three components: (1) development of an individualized patient communication care plan; (2) a one-day workshop focused on communication and behavioural management strategies for nursing staff; and (3) a staff support system. The intervention takes comprehensive patient assessments into account to inform the development of communication and behavioural strategies specifically tailored to each patient. Discussion The Patient-Centred Communication Intervention will provide staff with strategies to facilitate interactions with patients and to minimize agitation associated with considerable stress. The improvement of these interactions will lead to a reduction of agitation, which has the additional significance of increasing patients’ well-being, quality of life, and satisfaction with care. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT01654029 PMID:23050517

The Ties that Bind: Creating Great Customer Service.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lisker, Peter

2000-01-01

Offers suggestions for libraries on how to develop a customer service plan to provide excellent service, create a positive environment for staff members, foster new and continued positive relationships with patrons, and evaluate customer service goals and objectives. Also discusses policies and building appearance. (Author/LRW)

ANNUAL REPORT

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

None

1959-07-01

The national laboratory concept, laboratory objectives, the staff, research facilities. research activities, and administration are discussed in general terms and a financial statement is given. Fairly detailed accounts are given for the research programs in the fields of physics, accelerator development, instrumentation, applied mathematics, chemistry, nuclear engineering, biology, and medicine. (W.D.M.)

Introduction to Systematic Instruction. (SCAT Project, Title VI-G).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Idaho State Dept. of Education, Boise.

Developed by the staff of SCAT (Support, Competency-Assistance and Training), the document provides information on systematic instructional procedures for teachers of exceptional children. Briefly addressed are the seven components of systematic instruction: initial assessment, establishment of long term goals, sequencing of short term objectives,…

A Survey of 100 Community Colleges on Student Substance Use, Programming, and Collaborations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chiauzzi, Emil; Donovan, Elizabeth; Black, Ryan; Cooney, Elizabeth; Buechner, Allison; Wood, Mollie

2011-01-01

Objective: The objective was to survey community college personnel about student substance use, and infrastructure (staff and funding), programs, and collaborations dedicated to substance use prevention. Participants: The sample included 100 administrators, faculty, and health services staff at 100 community colleges. Methods: Participants…

Job-Embedded Professional Development: How School Leaders Create and Support the Structures for Improved Teacher Effectiveness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hussey, Maureen P.

2013-01-01

This study was an exploration of the steps school leaders take when creating site-based professional support for school-based staff. The objective was to learn the steps taken by school leaders to implement job-embedded professional development practices and to identify the impact those steps had on the teachers, the students, and the school…

Development and Evaluation of an Integrated Pest Management Toolkit for Child Care Providers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alkon, Abbey; Kalmar, Evie; Leonard, Victoria; Flint, Mary Louise; Kuo, Devina; Davidson, Nita; Bradman, Asa

2012-01-01

Young children and early care and education (ECE) staff are exposed to pesticides used to manage pests in ECE facilities in the United States and elsewhere. The objective of this pilot study was to encourage child care programs to reduce pesticide use and child exposures by developing and evaluating an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Toolkit for…

Supporting Self-Improvement in Teaching, Literacy, Language and Numeracy. Tools for Staff Development. Module 4: Teaching and Learning Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Basic Skills Agency, 2007

2007-01-01

This module provides teachers with practical tools to improve the quality of teaching and learning activities and enable learners to achieve their objectives in literacy, language and numeracy. Unit 1 explores approaches that are particularly appropriate to adult learners, developing thinking skills and involving them in decision making and…

Los Alamos National Laboratory JOWOG 31 Weapons Engineering Education & Training

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

Domzalski, Mark W.

The objectives of this report are to recruit talented staff, invest in new and early/mid career staff, retain trained and talented staff and future leaders, and shorten the ~5-10 year time line to realize new Weaponeers.

Validation of a patient-centered culturally sensitive health care office staff inventory.

PubMed

Tucker, Carolyn M; Wall, Whitney; Marsiske, Michael; Nghiem, Khanh; Roncoroni, Julia

2015-09-01

Research suggests that patient-perceived culturally sensitive health care encompasses multiple components of the health care delivery system including the cultural sensitivity of front desk office staff. Despite this, research on culturally sensitive health care focuses almost exclusively on provider behaviors, attitudes, and knowledge. This is due in part to the paucity of instruments available to assess the cultural sensitivity of front desk office staff. Thus, the objective of the present study is to determine the psychometric properties of the pilot Tucker-Culturally Sensitive Health Care Office Staff Inventory-Patient Form (T-CSHCOSI-PF), which is an instrument designed to enable patients to evaluate the patient-defined cultural sensitivity of their front desk office staff. A sample of 1648 adult patients was recruited by staff at 67 health care sites across the United States. These patients anonymously completed the T-CSHCOSI-PF, a demographic data questionnaire, and a patient satisfaction questionnaire. Findings Confirmatory factor analyses of the TCSHCOSI-PF revealed that this inventory has two factors with high internal consistency reliability and validity (Cronbach's αs=0.97 and 0.95). It is concluded that the T-CSHCOSI-PF is a psychometrically strong and useful inventory for assessing the cultural sensitivity of front desk office staff. This inventory can be used to support culturally sensitive health care research, evaluate the job performance of front desk office staff, and aid in the development of trainings designed to improve the cultural sensitivity of these office staff.

[An investigation of reproductive health and related influencing factors in female staff in six industries in seven provinces in China].

PubMed

Xu, M; Yu, W L; Xing, Z L; Yao, H Y; Sun, J F; Yu, C Y

2016-12-20

Objective: To investigate the reproductive health status in female staff, and to develop labor protection strategies for female staff. Methods: From May to November, 2015, cluster sampling was performed in the industries of medicine and health, petrochemical engineering, metallurgy, railway, mechanical manufacturing, and electronics in seven provinces (municipalities directly under the Central Government and autonomous regions) . A questionnaire surveywas performed for female staff, and the investigation covered general information, occupational history andexposure to occupational hazards, and reproductive health and childbearing history. Results: A total of 14 614 usable questionnaires were collected, resulting in a response rate of 96.00%. The meanage of all female staff was 36 years. Of all female staff, 80.06% were married and 40.84% were exposed to hazardous factors; 28.14% had abnormal menstruation, and the female staff in theelectronics and railway industries had higher rates of abnormal menstruation (32.28% and 32.11%, respectively) . The overall rate of abnormal gynecological examination results was 18.29%, and the female staff in therailway industry had the highest rate (29.49%) . Of all female staff, 49.01% reported gynecological diseases in the past, among which hyperplasia of mammary glands accounted for 27.11% and inflammation in the reproductive system accounted for 36.31%. The medical staff had higher rates of abnormal menstruation (33.11%) and abnormal gynecological examination results (27.46%) compared with the staff engaged in other occupations. With normal sexual life and no contraceptive measures, the 1-, 2-, and 3-year infertility rates were 24.26%, 11.88%, and 8.88%, respectively. Conclusion: The female staff in the industries of medicine and health, railway, and electronics have serious reproductive health issues. Labor protection should be enhanced and working environment should be improved.

Developing a structured education reminiscence-based programme for staff in long-stay care facilities in Ireland.

PubMed

Cooney, Adeline; O'Shea, Eamon; Casey, Dympna; Murphy, Kathy; Dempsey, Laura; Smyth, Siobhan; Hunter, Andrew; Murphy, Edel; Devane, Declan; Jordan, Fionnuala

2013-07-01

This paper describes the steps used in developing and piloting a structured education programme - the Structured Education Reminiscence-based Programme for Staff (SERPS). The programme aimed to prepare nurses and care assistants to use reminiscence when caring for people with dementia living in long-term care. Reminiscence involves facilitating people to talk or think about their past. Structured education programmes are used widely as interventions in randomised controlled trials. However, the process of developing a structured education programme has received little attention relative to that given to evaluating the effectiveness of such programmes. This paper makes explicit the steps followed to develop the SERPS, thereby making a contribution to the methodology of designing and implementing effective structured education programmes. The approach to designing the SERPS was informed by the Van Meijel et al. (2004) model (Journal of Advanced Nursing 48, 84): (1) problem definition, (2) accumulation of building blocks for intervention design, (3) intervention design and (4) intervention validation. Grounded theory was used (1) to generate data to shape the 'building blocks' for the SERPS and (2) to explore residents, family and staff's experience of using/receiving reminiscence. Analysis of the pilot data indicated that the programme met its objective of preparing staff to use reminiscence with residents with dementia. Staff were positive both about the SERPS and the use of reminiscence with residents with dementia. This paper outlines a systematic approach to developing and validating a structured education programme. Participation in a structured education programme is more positive for staff if they are expected to actively implement what they have learnt. Ongoing support during the delivery of the programme is important for successful implementation. The incorporation of client and professional experience in the design phase is a key strength of this approach to programme design. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Perceptions Regarding Importance and Skill at Policy Development Among Public Health Staff

PubMed Central

Castrucci, Brian C.; Leider, Jonathon P.; Sellers, Katie

2015-01-01

Context: Policy development is recognized as a core function of public health and a core competency in formal public health education. However, relatively little is known nationally about worker perceptions and competencies related to policy development in the governmental public health workforce. Objective: To characterize perceived importance and presence or absence of competency gaps related to policy development. Design: As part of the Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (PH WINS), a nationally representative stratified sample of permanently employed state health agency (SHA) central office staff was created. Descriptive and inferential analyses examined correlates of perceived importance and competency gaps related to policy development. Setting and Participants: Permanently employed central office employees of SHAs. Main Outcome Measure: Analyses focus on 2 self-reported measures of perceived importance and ability related to policy development skills, as well as awareness and perceptions regarding Health in All Policies (HiAP). Results: Seventy-two percent of SHA central office staff (95% confidence interval, 71-73) indicated “influencing policy development” was somewhat or very important to their day-to-day work. Among that group, 35% (95% confidence interval, 34-36) reported that they were unable to perform this or they considered themselves to be a beginner at this skill. Approximately three-fourths of staff indicated “understanding the relationship between a new policy and many types of public health problems” was somewhat or very important, and 30% of those who did said they were unable to perform this skill or were a beginner at it. Nationally, one-half of staff have not heard of HiAP. Among those who have, 86% indicated it was somewhat or very important to public health, and 41% reported they would like to see more emphasis on HiAP. Conclusions: Workforce development, both formal education and on-the-job training, may benefit from placing a greater emphasis on the development of policy skills. HiAP is an important approach to policy development. PMID:26422484

Phase II: Final Report. Northern New Mexico Energy Education Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New Mexico Highlands Univ., Las Vegas.

Objectives of the Northern New Mexico Energy Education Project were to: (1) improve teachers' knowledge of energy-related subject matter and energy-related educational materials; (2) develop continuing communication and cooperation between elementary and junior high staffs and the university on energy-related matters; and (3) provide follow-up…

Program on Administration in Higher Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karadima, Oscar

The importance of developing a university level program on administration in higher education in Latin America is discussed. The objective of such a program would provide training to faculty and higher level education and administrative staff in matters related to administration. The program would offer the necessary guidelines in dealing with…

JVIEW Visualization for Virtual Airspace Modeling and Simulation

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-04-01

23  4.2.2  Translucency ................................................................................................................. 25  4.3... Translucency Used to Display Multiple Visualization Elements .............................. 26  Figure 26 - Textual Labels Feature...been done by Jason Moore and other AFRL/RISF staff and support personnel developing the JView API. JView relies on concrete Object Oriented Design

Working with Numbers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newton, Derek

1993-01-01

In order to help students learn mathematics skills and how to apply them, a staff development workshop for vocational tutors was held at Calderdale College (England). The workshop focused on three objectives: to identify and raise awareness of students' needs, to identify barriers to learning, and to identify ways of supporting students. Four key…

Give Everyone a Vested Interest in Food Service.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watkins, Shirley Maree

1987-01-01

Describes the school food service industry, providing 27 million meals daily in 89,000 schools, as second only to McDonald's in size. Offers advice for developing a superior, cooperative business venture. Focus must be on visible managers, high quality staff, clearly communicated objectives, and customer satisfaction. (MLH)

Developing and Managing a Comprehensive Community Services Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fightmaster, Walter J.

Five objectives of any comprehensive Community Services program are to: (1) provide educational services for all age and occupational groups, utilizing the skills and knowledge of college staff and outside experts, (2) take educational, cultural, and recreational activities to the total community, (3) become a center of community life, (4) provide…

Job Analysis, Job Descriptions, and Performance Appraisal Systems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sims, Johnnie M.; Foxley, Cecelia H.

1980-01-01

Job analysis, job descriptions, and performance appraisal can benefit student services administration in many ways. Involving staff members in the development and implementation of these techniques can increase commitment to and understanding of the overall objectives of the office, as well as communication and cooperation among colleagues.…

38 CFR 21.382 - Training and staff development for personnel providing assistance under Chapter 31.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... shall coordinate with the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration and the Assistant... Service engaged in providing rehabilitation services under chapter 31. The objective of such training shall be to insure that rehabilitation services for disabled veterans are provided in accordance with...

38 CFR 21.382 - Training and staff development for personnel providing assistance under Chapter 31.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... shall coordinate with the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration and the Assistant... Service engaged in providing rehabilitation services under chapter 31. The objective of such training shall be to insure that rehabilitation services for disabled veterans are provided in accordance with...

38 CFR 21.382 - Training and staff development for personnel providing assistance under Chapter 31.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... shall coordinate with the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration and the Assistant... Service engaged in providing rehabilitation services under chapter 31. The objective of such training shall be to insure that rehabilitation services for disabled veterans are provided in accordance with...

38 CFR 21.382 - Training and staff development for personnel providing assistance under Chapter 31.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... shall coordinate with the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration and the Assistant... Service engaged in providing rehabilitation services under chapter 31. The objective of such training shall be to insure that rehabilitation services for disabled veterans are provided in accordance with...

Human Resource Management: Managerial Efficacy in Recruiting and Retaining Teachers-- National Implications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butcher, Jennifer; Kritsonis, William Allan

2007-01-01

Human Resource Management is a branch of an organization which recruits and develops personnel to promote the organization's objectives. Human Resource Management involves interviewing applicants, training staff, and employee retention. Compensation, benefits, employee/labor relations, health, safety, and security issues are a few of the aspects…

Integrated wetland management for waterfowl and shorebirds at Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, North Carolina

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tavernia, Brian G.; Stanton, John D.; Lyons, James E.

2017-11-22

Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge (MNWR) offers a mix of open water, marsh, forest, and cropland habitats on 20,307 hectares in coastal North Carolina. In 1934, Federal legislation (Executive Order 6924) established MNWR to benefit wintering waterfowl and other migratory bird species. On an annual basis, the refuge staff decide how to manage 14 impoundments to benefit not only waterfowl during the nonbreeding season, but also shorebirds during fall and spring migration. In making these decisions, the challenge is to select a portfolio, or collection, of management actions for the impoundments that optimizes use by the three groups of birds while respecting budget constraints. In this study, a decision support tool was developed for these annual management decisions.Within the decision framework, there are three different management objectives: shorebird-use days during fall and spring migrations, and waterfowl-use days during the nonbreeding season. Sixteen potential management actions were identified for impoundments; each action represents a combination of hydroperiod and vegetation manipulation. Example hydroperiods include semi-permanent and seasonal drawdowns, and vegetation manipulations include mechanical-chemical treatment, burning, disking, and no action. Expert elicitation was used to build a Bayesian Belief Network (BBN) model that predicts shorebird- and waterfowl-use days for each potential management action. The BBN was parameterized for a representative impoundment, MI-9, and predictions were re-scaled for this impoundment to predict outcomes at other impoundments on the basis of size. Parameter estimates in the BBN model can be updated using observations from ongoing monitoring that is part of the Integrated Waterbird Management and Monitoring (IWMM) program.The optimal portfolio of management actions depends on the importance, that is, weights, assigned to the three objectives, as well as the budget. Five scenarios with a variety of objective weights and budgets were developed. Given the large number of possible portfolios (1614), a heuristic genetic algorithm was used to identify a management action portfolio that maximized use-day objectives while respecting budget constraints. The genetic algorithm identified a portfolio of management actions for each of the five scenarios, enabling refuge staff to explore the sensitivity of their management decisions to objective weights and budget constraints.The decision framework developed here provides a transparent, defensible, and testable foundation for decision making at MNWR. The BBN model explicitly structures and parameterizes a mental model previously used by an expert to assign management actions to the impoundments. With ongoing IWMM monitoring, predictions from the model can be tested, and model parameters updated, to reflect empirical observations. This framework is intended to be a living document that can be updated to reflect changes in the decision context (for example, new objectives or constraints, or new models to compete with the current BBN model). Rather than a mandate to refuge staff, this framework is intended to be a decision support tool; tool outputs can become part of the deliberations of refuge staff when making difficult management decisions for multiple objectives.

Attitudes of emergency department staff toward family presence during resuscitation.

PubMed

Wacht, Oren; Dopelt, Keren; Snir, Yoram; Davidovitch, Nadav

2010-06-01

While family presence during resuscitation has been researched extensively in the international and especially American medical literature, in Israel this subject has rarely been researched. Because such policies have become common practice in many countries, it is important to investigate the attitudes of health care staff in Israeli emergency departments to better understand the potential implication of adopting such policies. To examine the attitudes of the physicians and nurses in the ED of Soroka Medical Center to FPDR. The methods we used were both qualitative (partly structured open interviews of 10 ED staff members from various medical professions) and quantitative (an anonymous questionnaire that collected sociodemographic, professional, and attitude data). The qualitative and quantitative results showed that most staff members opposed FPDR. The main reasons for objecting to FPDR were concern about family criticism, the added pressure that would be put on the staff members, fear of lawsuits, fear of hurting the feelings of the families, and the danger of losing one's "objectivity" while treating patients. Physicians objected more strongly to FPDR than did nurses. More research is needed on FPDR in Israel, including an examination of its medical, ethical, legal and logistic aspects. In addition to the views of the medical staff, the attitudes of patients and their families should also be examined.

Aligning institutional priorities: engaging house staff in a quality improvement and safety initiative to fulfill Clinical Learning Environment Review objectives and electronic medical record Meaningful Use requirements.

PubMed

Flanagan, Meghan R; Foster, Carolyn C; Schleyer, Anneliese; Peterson, Gene N; Mandell, Samuel P; Rudd, Kristina E; Joyner, Byron D; Payne, Thomas H

2016-02-01

House staff quality improvement projects are often not aligned with training institution priorities. House staff are the primary users of inpatient problem lists in academic medical centers, and list maintenance has significant patient safety and financial implications. Improvement of the problem list is an important objective for hospitals with electronic health records under the Meaningful Use program. House staff surveys were used to create an electronic problem list manager (PLM) tool enabling efficient problem list updating. Number of new problems added and house staff perceptions of the problem list were compared before and after PLM intervention. The PLM was used by 654 house staff after release. Surveys demonstrated increased problem list updating (P = .002; response rate 47%). Mean new problems added per day increased from 64 pre-PLM to 125 post-PLM (P < .001). This innovative project serves as a model for successful engagement of house staff in institutional quality and safety initiatives with tangible institutional benefits. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hospital Staff Shortage after the 2011 Triple Disaster in Fukushima, Japan-An Earthquake, Tsunamis, and Nuclear Power Plant Accident: A Case of the Soso District

PubMed Central

Ochi, Sae; Tsubokura, Masaharu; Kato, Shigeaki; Iwamoto, Shuichi; Ogata, Shinichi; Morita, Tomohiro; Hori, Arinobu; Oikawa, Tomoyoshi; Kikuchi, Antoku; Watanabe, Zenjiro; Kanazawa, Yukio; Kumakawa, Hiromi; Kuma, Yoshinobu; Kumakura, Tetsuo; Inomata, Yoshimitsu; Kami, Masahiro; Shineha, Ryuzaburo; Saito, Yasutoshi

2016-01-01

Introduction In 2011, Fukushima was struck by a triple disaster: an earthquake, tsunamis, and a nuclear accident. In the aftermath, there was much fear among hospital staff members about radiation exposure and many staff members failed to report to work. Objectives One objective is to measure this shortage in hospital staff and another is to compare the difference in recovery by hospital types and by categories of hospital staff. Design The monthly records of the number of staff members from May 2011 to September 2012 were extracted anonymously from the records of 7 local hospitals in the Soso district in Fukushima. Change in the number of staff was analyzed. Results Staff shortages at hospitals reached a maximum within one month after the disaster (47% reported to work). The shortage of clerks was the most severe (38% reported to work), followed by nurses (48% reported to work). The shortages remained even 18 months after the disaster. Conclusion After a disaster in which the damage to hospital functions surpasses the structural damage, massive support of human resources in the acute phase and a smaller volume of support in the mid-term phase appear to be required, particularly for non-medical staff. PMID:27788170

Documenting the NICU design dilemma: parent and staff perceptions of open ward versus single family room units

PubMed Central

Domanico, R; Davis, D K; Coleman, F; Davis, B O

2010-01-01

Objective: With neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) evolving from multipatient wards toward family-friendly, single-family room units, the study objective was to compare satisfaction levels of families and health-care staff across these differing NICU facility designs. Study Design: This prospective study documented, by means of institutional review board-approved questionnaire survey protocols, the perceptions of parents and staff from two contrasting NICU environments. Result: Findings showed that demographic subgroups of parents and staff perceived the advantages and disadvantages of the two facility designs differently. Staff perceptions varied with previous experience, acclimation time and employment position, whereas parental perceptions revealed a naiveté bias through surveys of transitional parents with experience in both NICU facilities. Conclusion: Use of transitional parent surveys showed a subject naiveté bias inherent in perceptions of inexperienced parents. Grouping all survey participants demographically provided more informative interpretations of data, and revealed staff perceptions to vary with position, previous training and hospital experience. PMID:20072132

Embedding systematic quality assessments in supportive supervision at primary healthcare level: application of an electronic Tool to Improve Quality of Healthcare in Tanzania.

PubMed

Mboya, Dominick; Mshana, Christopher; Kessy, Flora; Alba, Sandra; Lengeler, Christian; Renggli, Sabine; Vander Plaetse, Bart; Mohamed, Mohamed A; Schulze, Alexander

2016-10-13

Assessing quality of health services, for example through supportive supervision, is essential for strengthening healthcare delivery. Most systematic health facility assessment mechanisms, however, are not suitable for routine supervision. The objective of this study is to describe a quality assessment methodology using an electronic format that can be embedded in supervision activities and conducted by council health staff. An electronic Tool to Improve Quality of Healthcare (e-TIQH) was developed to assess the quality of primary healthcare provision. The e-TIQH contains six sub-tools, each covering one quality dimension: infrastructure and equipment of the facility, its management and administration, job expectations, clinical skills of the staff, staff motivation and client satisfaction. As part of supportive supervision, council health staff conduct quality assessments in all primary healthcare facilities in a given council, including observation of clinical consultations and exit interviews with clients. Using a hand-held device, assessors enter data and view results in real time through automated data analysis, permitting immediate feedback to health workers. Based on the results, quality gaps and potential measures to address them are jointly discussed and actions plans developed. For illustrative purposes, preliminary findings from e-TIQH application are presented from eight councils of Tanzania for the period 2011-2013, with a quality score <75 % classed as 'unsatisfactory'. Staff motivation (<50 % in all councils) and job expectations (≤50 %) scored lowest of all quality dimensions at baseline. Clinical practice was unsatisfactory in six councils, with more mixed results for availability of infrastructure and equipment, and for administration and management. In contrast, client satisfaction scored surprisingly high. Over time, each council showed a significant overall increase of 3-7 % in mean score, with the most pronounced improvements in staff motivation and job expectations. Given its comprehensiveness, convenient handling and automated statistical reports, e-TIQH enables council health staff to conduct systematic quality assessments. Therefore e-TIQH may not only contribute to objectively identifying quality gaps, but also to more evidence-based supervision. E-TIQH also provides important information for resource planning. Institutional and financial challenges for implementing e-TIQH on a broader scale need to be addressed.

Do Doctrinal Buzzwords Obscure the Meaning of Operational Art

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-04-21

doctrine defines military strategy as "the art and science of employing the armed forres of a nation or alliance to secure policy objectives by the...objectives during peace, crisis, or war. 𔄂 Joint Chiefs of Staff Publication I (JCS Pub 1) defines 7, strategy as "the art and science of developing...definitions. One definition is "the science and art of employing the pnlitical, economic, psychological, and military forces of a nation or group of

Trends in International Trade in Higher Education: Implications and Options for Developing Countries. Education Working Paper Series, Number 6

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bashir, Sajitha

2007-01-01

This paper analyzes the trends, underlying factors and implications of the trade in higher education services. The term "trade in higher education" refers to the purchase of higher education services from a foreign country using domestic resources. The objectives of this paper are to provide policy makers in developing countries, World Bank staff,…

Earth land landing alternatives: Lunar transportation system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meyerson, Robert

1992-01-01

The objectives of this study are as follows: (1) develop a landing option such that it is a viable trade option for future NASA missions; (2) provide NASA programs with solid technical support in the landing systems area; (3) develop the technical staff; and (4) advance the state of landing systems technology to apply to future NASA missions. All results are presented in viewgraph format.

Morale, stress and coping strategies of staff working in the emergency department: A comparison of two different-sized departments.

PubMed

Abraham, Louisa J; Thom, Ogilvie; Greenslade, Jaimi H; Wallis, Marianne; Johnston, Amy Nb; Carlström, Eric; Mills, Donna; Crilly, Julia

2018-06-01

Clinical staff in EDs are subject to a range of stressors. The objective of this study was to describe and compare clinical staff perceptions of their ED's working environment across two different Australian EDs. This was a cross-sectional, descriptive, research design that included distribution of three survey tools to clinical staff in two Australian EDs in 2016. Descriptive statistics were reported to characterise workplace stressors, coping styles and the ED environment. These data were compared by hospital and the employee's clinical role (nurse or physician). In total, 146 ED nurses and doctors completed the survey (response rate: 67%). Despite geographical variation, the staff at the two locations had similar demographic profiles in terms of age, sex and years of experience. Staff reported moderate levels of workload and self-realisation but low levels of conflict or nervousness in the workplace. Nurses and physicians reported similar perceptions of the work environment, although nurses reported slightly higher median levels of workload. Staff rated the death or sexual abuse of a child as most stressful, followed by workplace violence and heavy workload. Staff used a large range of coping strategies, and these were similar across both sites. These findings are the first multi-site and multidisciplinary examinations of Australian ED staff perceptions, improving our understanding of staff stressors and coping strategies and highlighting similarities across different EDs. These data support the development and implementation of strategies to improve ED working environments to help ensure professional longevity of ED staff. © 2018 The Authors. Emergency Medicine Australasia published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine.

Personnel and Staff Development Planning for the Human Services. Volume 1. Final Report of the Florida Board of Regents, Office of Career Planning and Curriculum Development for the Human Services.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Austin, Michael J.; And Others

The Office of Career Planning and Curriculum Development for the Human Services was established in September 1972 to study the problems associated with manpower utilization and the lack of career mobility within the Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services (HRS). Objectives of the study were: (1) to identify the contributing…

Perspectives of pharmacy staff on dispensing subtherapeutic doses of antibiotics: a theory informed qualitative study.

PubMed

Amin, Mohamed Ezzat Khamis; Amine, Amira; Newegy, Mohammad Shoukry

2017-10-01

Background Injudicious dispensing of antibiotics in subtherapeutic doses is common in many developing countries. In Egypt, as in many developing countries, a few pills of common cold products are offered under the name cold group (CG). A cold group may contain one or more pills of antibiotics. A pharmacy client may obtain subtherapeutic doses of antibiotics upon direct request or as part of a CG. Objective To examine factors associated with the unwarranted dispensing of subtherapeutic doses of antibiotics in community pharmacies as part of a CG or upon direct request from patients among community pharmacy staff. Setting Community pharmacy staff in Alexandria, Egypt. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of community pharmacy staff. An interview guide was developed based on the theory of planned behavior. Constructs related to attitudes, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control and perceived moral obligation were explored. Directed content analysis was conducted using interview data which were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Main outcome measures Community pharmacy staff's views on factors associated with the unwarranted dispensing of subtherapeutic doses of antibiotics. Results Nine Pharmacists and six pharmacy assistants were purposively sampled to assure variance in age, gender, time in practice and socioeconomic status of patients served by their corresponding pharmacies. Factors contributing to dispensing antibiotics injudiciously included incorrect beliefs about potential benefit of antibiotics, profit, client pressure, ease of obtaining antibiotics from other pharmacies, inadequate enforcement of the law, pharmacist absenteeism, and assuming that the 'nonmalfeasance' principle is not violated. Reasons for lying to clients about the actual content of CGs included protecting the patient from harm resulting from antibiotic resistance and avoiding a possible argument. Conclusions Examining constructs related to pharmacy staff's attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control as well as perceived moral obligation provided insight into community pharmacy staff's behavior related to dispensing subtherapeutic doses of antibiotics. Multi-tiered interventions are urgently needed to tackle different factors contributing to this dangerous practice.

Staff Evaluation, Sacramento City College, 1973.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kinnebrew, Elbert L.; Day, Leo R.

Efforts of Sacramento City College in performing evaluations of instructors, counselors, and administrative staff or management team are discussed. The district and college philosophy, goals and objectives, standards, and procedural calendar as related to staff evaluation are outlined. Details involved in the treatment of the evaluation data are…

Measurement of workplace empowerment across caregivers.

PubMed

Caspar, Sienna; O'Rourke, Norm

2011-01-01

Culture change models (CCM) developed to improve the provision of individualized care in long-term care (LTC) facilities often include initiatives that are thought to empower care staff. Therefore, the ability to measure empowerment accurately across all levels of care staff is necessary. The objective of this study was to examine the structure of responses by registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs), and care aides to 3 instruments measuring workplace empowerment: the Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire, Job Activities Scale, and Organizational Relationships Scale. Despite considerable differences in education and job function, both caregiver groups appear to interpret and respond to 38 of 40 empowerment items in a similar manner. Therefore, our findings support the inclusion of all care staff when using these instruments to measure work place empowerment in LTC settings. Copyright © 2011 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

An Impact Evaluation of the "FoodMate" Programme: Perspectives of Homeless Young People and Staff

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meiklejohn, Sarah J.; Barbour, Liza; Palermo, Claire E.

2017-01-01

Objectives: Food insecurity remains an issue for vulnerable populations in developed countries. The potential dietary and food security impacts of nutrition education programmes in Australia remain largely undocumented. This study investigated the impacts of an eight-session nutrition education programme delivered within community case management…

Explorations; Part I, Revised: Career Activities for Adult Education Classes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feingold, S. Norman

The Adult Career Education Resources Survey was designed to (a) compile career information resources for adults and (b) provide materials that will encourage adult educators to integrate career education activities into ongoing curricula. The document was developed and revised by the Suvey staff to meet the second objective; it provides a group of…

A Dean Speaks Out: The Financial Aid Profession in Higher Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meyerson, Ely

1981-01-01

Although financial aid staff feel they are treated as second-class citizens, they are seen as their own worst enemy. Some recommendations to improve the profession include: avoid use of jargon, reduce use of forms, promote the consolidation of loan activities, establish goals and objectives, and improve organizational development. (MLW)

Home Start Evaluation Study. Interim Case Studies IIa.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fein, Robert

This formative evaluation study of Home Start uses a case study approach. A brief case study focuses on the administrative structure and staff resources and responsibilities of National Home Start. Also included are reports on seven local programs developed after two field visits had been made to each program. In the first visit, objectives chosen…

The importance of staff in the facial plastic surgical practice: dynamic staff interface with patients in support of the surgeon's objectives.

PubMed

Patseavouras, Louie L

2008-05-01

This article addresses how staff can support surgeons in practical terms, making a business more efficient, seamless, and less costly (in terms of emotional and time components). This article addresses (1) using staff as a first line of defense against misperceptions, false expectations, and general problems; (2) recognizing that effective staff are highly intuitive and can be trained to troubleshoot and intervene; (3) encouraging staff to rely on gut instinct; (4) learning that body language and the nonverbal are powerful indicators; (5) training staff concerning nonverbal communication; and (6) realizing that a great deal of communication is within surgeon and staff control.

Mobilization of ventilated patients in the intensive care unit: An elicitation study using the theory of planned behavior.

PubMed

Holdsworth, Clare; Haines, Kimberley J; Francis, Jill J; Marshall, Andrea; O'Connor, Denise; Skinner, Elizabeth H

2015-12-01

Early mobilization in intensive care unit (ICU) is safe, feasible, and beneficial. However, mobilization frequently does not occur in practice. The study objective was to elicit attitudinal, normative, and control beliefs (barriers and enablers) toward the mobilization of ventilated patients, to inform development of targeted implementation interventions. A 9-item elicitation questionnaire was administered electronically to a convenience sample of multidisciplinary staff in a tertiary ICU. A snowball recruitment approach was used to target a sample size of 20 to 25. Two investigators performed word count and thematic analyses independently. Themes were cross-checked by a third investigator. Twenty-two questionnaires were completed. Respondents wrote the most text about disadvantages. Positive attitudinal beliefs included better respiratory function, reduced functional decline, and reduced muscle wasting/weakness. The main negative attitudinal beliefs were that mobilization is perceived as time consuming and poses a risk of line dislodgement/disconnection. Positive control beliefs (enablers) included increased staff availability, positive staff attitudes, engagement, and teamwork. Negative control beliefs (barriers) included unstable patient physiology and negative workplace culture. Intensive care unit staff expressed positive and negative attitudinal, normative, and control beliefs across the spectrum, and disadvantages were most frequently reported. Identified beliefs can be used to inform development of future interventions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effectiveness of interventions targeting health behaviors in university and college staff: a systematic review.

PubMed

Plotnikoff, Ronald; Collins, Clare E; Williams, Rebecca; Germov, John; Callister, Robin

2015-01-01

Evaluate the literature on interventions targeting tertiary education staff within colleges and universities for improvements in health behaviors such as physical activity, dietary intake, and weight loss. One online database, Medline, was searched for literature published between January 1970 and February 2013. All quantitative study designs, including but not limited to randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies, nonrandomized experimental trials, cohort studies, and case-control studies, were eligible. Data extraction was performed by one reviewer using a standardized form developed by the researchers. Extraction was checked for accuracy and consistency by a second reviewer. Data in relation to the above objective were extracted and described in a narrative synthesis. Seventeen studies were identified that focused on staff within the tertiary education setting. The review yielded overall positive results with 13 reporting significant health-related improvements. Weight loss, physical activity and fitness, and/or nutrition were the focus in more than half (n = 9) of the studies. This appears to be the first review to examine health interventions for tertiary education staff. There is scope to enhance cross-disciplinary collaboration in the development and implementation of a "Healthy University" settings-based approach to health promotion in tertiary education workplaces. Universities or colleges could serve as a research platform to evaluate such intervention strategies.

Staff development and secondary science teachers: Factors that affect voluntary participation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corley, Theresa Roebuck

2000-10-01

A researcher-designed survey assessed the perceptions of Alabama secondary science public school teachers toward the need for staff development and toward certain staff development strategies and programs. Factors that encouraged or discouraged attendance at voluntary staff development programs and opinions regarding effective and ineffective features of programs were identified. Data were analyzed using descriptive techniques. Percentages and frequencies were noted. Average rankings were computed for the staff development techniques considered most and least effective and for the preferred designs of future staff development offerings. Chi squares were computed to respond to each of the 4 research hypotheses. Narrative discussions and tables were utilized to report the data and provide clarification. This study related demographic information to the research hypotheses. Analysis of the research hypotheses revealed that experienced teachers agree more strongly about the features of staff development programs that they consider effective and about the factors that may affect participation in staff development programs. Analysis of the research questions revealed that secondary science teachers in Alabama agree that staff development is a personal responsibility but that the school systems are responsible for providing staff development opportunities. Teachers believe that staff development is needed annually in both science content and teaching strategies and favor lengthening the school year for staff development. Teachers identified interest level, graduate credit, ability to implement material, scheduling factors, and the reputation of the organizer as the most important factors in determining participation in voluntary staff development programs. Hands-on workshops were identified as the most effective type of voluntary staff development and teachers requested that future staff development experiences include hands-on workshops, networking, curriculum development, mentoring, support groups, training trainers, cooperative learning groups, coaching, implementing changes, and collecting resources.

Patient satisfaction with nursing staff in bone marrow transplantation and hematology units.

PubMed

Piras, A; Poddigue, M; Angelucci, E

2010-01-01

Several validated questionnaires for assessment of hospitalized patient satisfaction have been reported in the literature. Many have been designed specifically for patients with cancer. User satisfaction is one indicator of service quality and benefits. Thus, we conducted a small qualitative survey managed by nursing staff in our Bone Marrow Transplantation Unit and Acute Leukemia Unit, with the objectives of assessing patient satisfaction, determining critical existing problems, and developing required interventions. The sample was not probabilistic. A questionnaire was developed using the Delphi method in a pilot study with 30 patients. Analysis of the data suggested a good level of patient satisfaction with medical and nursing staffs (100%), but poor satisfaction with food (48%), services (38%), and amenities (31%). Limitations of the study were that the questionnaire was unvalidated and the sample was small. However, for the first time, patient satisfaction was directly measured at our hospital. Another qualitative study will be conducted after correction of the critical points that emerged during this initial study, in a larger sample of patients. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Developing an educational safety program for pharmacy employees.

PubMed

Hayman, J N

1980-02-01

The need for developing educational safety programs for pharmacy employees is discussed. A three-part program is offered as a guide for structuring a departmental safety program. Part I deals with environmental hazards such as wet floors, poor lighting, and cluttered walk areas. Precautions that should be taken to avoid accidental exposure to patients with communicable diseases are also included. Hazards that may result from improper handling of materials or equipment are addressed in Part II. Included are precautions for handling chemicals, needles, ladders, and electrical equipment. Proper methods of lifting heavy objects are also discussed. Part III details plans to protect staff members in the event of a fire. Plans for reporting fires and evacuating the pharmacy and hospital are discussed. The outlined program requires self-study by staff members during initial employee orientation, followed by annual retraining. Employees are tested and graded on safety topics, and training records are filed for future reference. The program outlined is thought to offer a simple yet effective means of acquainting staff members with established institutional and departmental safety procedures.

Optimising decision making on illness absenteeism due to fever and common infections within childcare centres: development of a multicomponent intervention and study protocol of a cluster randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Peetoom, K K B; Crutzen, R; Bohnen, J M H A; Verhoeven, R; Nelissen-Vrancken, H J M G; Winkens, B; Dinant, G J; Cals, J W L

2017-07-26

Evidence has shown that children 0-4 year-old attending childcare are prone to acquire infections compared to children cared for at home, with fever being the most common symptom. Illness absenteeism due to fever and common infections is substantial and mostly driven by unrealistic concerns and negative attitude towards fever of both childcare staff and parents, resulting in illness absenteeism from childcare, work absenteeism among parents and healthcare service use. The objective of this study is to optimise decision making among childcare staff on illness absenteeism due to fever and common infections in childcare. Underlying determinants of behavioural change were targeted by means of a multicomponent intervention. A multicomponent intervention was developed to improve decision making, using the stepwise approach of Intervention Mapping, and in close collaboration with stakeholders and experts. The intervention consisted of 1) a two-hour educational session on fever among childcare staff; 2) an online video for childcare staff and parents emphasising key information of the educational session; 3) a decision tool for childcare staff and parents in the format of a traffic light system to estimate the severity of illness and corresponding advices for childcare staff and parents; 4) an information booklet regarding childhood fever, common infections, and self-management strategies for childcare staff and parents. The multicomponent intervention will be evaluated in a cluster randomised trial with a 12-week follow-up period and absenteeism due to illness (defined as the percentage of childcare days absent due to illness on the total of childcare days during a 12-week period) as primary outcome measure. Secondary outcome measures are: incidence rate and duration of illness episodes, knowledge, attitude, self-efficacy, and risk perception on fever and common infections of childcare staff and parents, healthcare service use in general and paracetamol use, and work absenteeism of parents. This study aims to develop a multicomponent intervention and to evaluate to what extent illness absenteeism due to fever and common infections can be affected by implementing a multicomponent intervention addressing decision making and underlying determinants among childcare staff and parents of children attending daycare. NTR6402 (registered on 21-apr-2017).

Minneapolis Human Relations Program: An Evaluation 1972-1973. No. C-72-3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nesset, Bonna; And Others

The first phase of the Minneapolis Public Schools' Desegregation/integration Plan involved a human relations oriented staff development program which focused on improving communication skills. The goal of the Human Relations Program for 1972-73 was to change the climate in the schools in preparation for desegregation and integration. The object of…

A Project to Rewrite and Restructure the Competitive Events for the Distributive Education Clubs of America, Texas Association. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Speary, William A.

A project is reported which accomplished the following objectives: (1) Developed greater awareness among high school distributive education teacher-coordinators and State and area staff toward the competency based concept as applied to the Texas DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) Association's competitive events program, (2) identified…

Identifying research needs for improved management of social impacts in wilderness recreation

Treesearch

Gordon R. Cessford

2000-01-01

This paper summarizes the social impact research and information needs derived from a workshop of over 50 recreation management staff in the New Zealand Department of Conservation. The overall objective was to establish the basis for developing a research plan underpinning social impact management. After scoping the diversity of social impact issues, the workshop...

Delinquency and Crime Prevention: Overview of Research Comparing Treatment Foster Care and Group Care

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osei, Gershon K.; Gorey, Kevin M.; Jozefowicz, Debra M. Hernandez

2016-01-01

Background: Evidence of treatment foster care (TFC) and group care's (GC) potential to prevent delinquency and crime has been developing. Objectives: We clarified the state of comparative knowledge with a historical overview. Then we explored the hypothesis that smaller, probably better resourced group homes with smaller staff/resident ratios have…

Discourses of Merit. The Hot Potato of Teacher Evaluation in Italy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barzanò, Giovanna; Grimaldi, Emiliano

2013-01-01

Italy is well known for its difficulty in introducing any educational evaluation system. This paper explores the dynamics which occurred in Italy in 2010-2011, within the context of the umpteenth national pilot of school and staff evaluation. Our research object is an unfinished project, observed in its development. We get close to the struggles…

Education Projects: Elaboration, Financing and Management. Fundamentals of Educational Planning, No. 38.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Magnen, Andre

In many developing countries, the translation of political objectives to action projects is made difficult by the lack of training of staff of the ministry of education planning and managing units. This booklet deals with the implementation of these projects within the framework of the planning process. After defining projects, chapter 1 shows the…

Child Development: Day Care. Administration, Number 7.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Host, Malcolm S.; Heller, Pearl B.

The organizing and administering of day care services are the focus of this handbook. The three parts of the handbook are: (1) Organizing Day Care Services (Starting a Day Care Program, The Board of Directors, and The Staff); (2) Components of Day Care Services (Purpose, Objectives and Evaluation of Day Care Programs; Health and Medical Program;…

Invitational Conference on College Prepayment and Savings Plans (Denver, Colorado, June 7-8, 1987). Summary.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

College Entrance Examination Board, New York, NY.

Summaries of conference presentations on college savings and prepayment plans and related tax, policy, and social issues are provided. The conference objective was to communicate the issues to constituents with the most at stake: parents, students, and relatives; state and federal legislators and staff; and developers of plans for higher education…

Cancer Center Clinic and Research Team Perceptions of Identity and Interactions.

PubMed

Reimer, Torsten; Lee, Simon J Craddock; Garcia, Sandra; Gill, Mary; Duncan, Tobi; Williams, Erin L; Gerber, David E

2017-12-01

Conduct of cancer clinical trials requires coordination and cooperation among research and clinic teams. Diffusion of and confusion about responsibility may occur if team members' perceptions of roles and objectives do not align. These factors are critical to the success of cancer centers but are poorly studied. We developed a survey adapting components of the Adapted Team Climate Inventory, Measure of Team Identification, and Measure of In-Group Bias. Surveys were administered to research and clinic staff at a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t tests, and analyses of variance. Responses were received from 105 staff (clinic, n = 55; research, n = 50; 61% response rate). Compared with clinic staff, research staff identified more strongly with their own group ( P < .01) but less strongly with the overall cancer center ( P = .02). Both clinic staff and research staff viewed their own group's goals as clearer than those of the other group ( P < .01) and felt that members of their groups interacted and shared information within ( P < .01) and across ( P < .01) groups more than the other group did. Research staff perceived daily outcomes as more important than did clinic staff ( P = .05), specifically research-related outcomes ( P = .07). Although there are many similarities between clinic and research teams, we also identified key differences, including perceptions of goal clarity and sharing, understanding and alignment with cancer center goals, and importance of outcomes. Future studies should examine how variation in perceptions and group dynamics between clinic and research teams may impact function and processes of cancer care.

Exploring Organizational Barriers to Strengthening Clinical Supervision of Psychiatric Nursing Staff: A Longitudinal Controlled Intervention Study.

PubMed

Gonge, Henrik; Buus, Niels

2016-05-01

This article reports findings from a longitudinal controlled intervention study of 115 psychiatric nursing staff. The twofold objective of the study was: (a) To test whether the intervention could increase clinical supervision participation and effectiveness of existing supervision practices, and (b) To explore organizational constraints to implementation of these strengthened practices. Questionnaire responses and registration of participation in clinical supervision were registered prior and subsequent to the intervention consisting of an action learning oriented reflection on staff's existing clinical supervision practices. Major organizational changes in the intervention group during the study period obstructed the implementation of strengthened clinical supervision practices, but offered an opportunity for studying the influences of organizational constraints. The main findings were that a) diminishing experience of social support from colleagues was associated with reduced participation in clinical supervision, while b) additional quantitative demands were associated with staff reporting difficulties finding time for supervision. This probably explained a negative development in the experienced effectiveness of supervision. It is concluded that organizational support is an imperative for implementation of clinical supervision.

International business travel: impact on families and travellers

PubMed Central

Espino, C; Sundstrom, S; Frick, H; Jacobs, M; Peters, M

2002-01-01

Objectives: Spouses and staff of the World Bank Group (WBG) were questioned about the impact of international business travel on families and travellers. Dependent variables were self reported stress, concern about the health of the traveller, and negative impact on the family. We hypothesised that several travel factors (independent variables) would be associated with these impacts. These travel factors had to do with the frequency, duration, and predictability of travel and its interference with family activities. Methods: Survey forms were developed and distributed to all spouses of travelling staff as well as a small sample of operational staff. Kendall's tau b correlation coefficients of response frequencies were computed with the data from scaled items. Written responses to open ended questions were categorised. Results: Response rates for spouses and staff were 24% and 36%, respectively. Half the spouse sample (n=533) and almost 75% of the staff sample (n=102) reported high or very high stress due to business travel. Self reported spouse stress was associated with six out of eight travel factors. Female spouses, those with children, and younger spouses reported greater stress. Self reported staff stress was significantly associated with four out of nine travel factors. Further insight into how business travel affects families and staff (including children's behavioural changes) and how families cope was gained through responses to written questions. Conclusions: The findings support the notion that lengthy and frequent travel and frequent changes in travel dates which affect family plans, all characteristic of WBG missions, negatively affects many spouses and children (particularly young children) and that the strain on families contributes significantly to the stress staff feel about their travel. Policies or management practices that take into consideration family activities and give staff greater leeway in controlling and refusing travel may help relieve stress. PMID:11983846

Academic Job Satisfaction and Motivation: Findings from a Nationwide Study in Portuguese Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Lourdes Machado-Taylor, Maria; Meira Soares, Virgílio; Brites, Rui; Brites Ferreira, José; Farhangmehr, Minoo; Gouveia, Odília Maria Rocha; Peterson, Marvin

2016-01-01

Academic staff is a key resource in higher education institutions (HEIs) and therefore has a major role in the achievement of the objectives of these institutions. Satisfied and well-motivated academic staff can build a national and international reputation for themselves and their institutions. Moreover, the performance of academic staff impacts…

Student and Staff Perceptions of a Learning Management System for Blended Learning in Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holmes, Kathryn A.; Prieto-Rodriguez, Elena

2018-01-01

Higher education institutions routinely use Learning Management Systems (LMS) for multiple purposes; to organise coursework and assessment, to facilitate staff and student interactions, and to act as repositories of learning objects. The analysis reported here involves staff (n = 46) and student (n = 470) responses to surveys as well as data…

41 CFR 102-3.125 - How should agencies consider the roles of advisory committee members and staff?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... consider the roles of advisory committee members and staff? 102-3.125 Section 102-3.125 Public Contracts... How should agencies consider the roles of advisory committee members and staff? FACA does not assign... critical roles in achieving the goals and objectives assigned to advisory committees. Agency heads...

University of Tokyo, Institute of Astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murdin, P.

2000-11-01

Founded in 1987, the Institute of Astronomy, University of Tokyo, is located at Ohsawa, Mitaka, Japan, 30 km west of central Tokyo. Its objectives are research and education in observational astronomy. It has a staff of 3 professors; 5 associate professors; 8 research associates, 2 technical support staff, 2 administrative officers and several part-time staff (secretary, catering etc). Its major ...

Beliefs about Meditating among University Students, Faculty, and Staff: A Theory-Based Salient Belief Elicitation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lederer, Alyssa M.; Middlestadt, Susan E.

2014-01-01

Objective: Stress impacts college students, faculty, and staff alike. Although meditation has been found to decrease stress, it is an underutilized strategy. This study used the Reasoned Action Approach (RAA) to identify beliefs underlying university constituents' decision to meditate. Participants: N = 96 students, faculty, and staff at a large…

Advancing staff development and progression in nursing.

PubMed

Narayanasamy, Aru; Narayanasamy, Mani

Staff development in the NHS is integral to clinical governance and therefore important to health service providers. It is concerned with all the activities that advance knowledge, skills and attitudes of staff, embracing induction, mentorship, continuing professional development, learning beyond registration, performance appraisals, promotion, personal and professional development, and related activities. The recent contraction in nursing posts and services and competition for jobs means that only well-qualified staff with an impressive portfolio of staff development are likely to climb the career ladder. Nursing staff development and training needs in the NHS are huge and multifaceted. Healthcare providers need to invest in clear staff development strategies if they are to maintain their status as effective care delivery organizations in an increasingly competitive market-driven economy. This article examines the many features of staff development and highlights the benefits for both staff and organizations.

Understanding work contextual factors: a short-cut to evidence-based practice?

PubMed

Wallin, Lars; Ewald, Uwe; Wikblad, Karin; Scott-Findlay, Shannon; Arnetz, Bengt B

2006-01-01

It has become increasingly clear that workplace contextual factors make an important contribution to provider and patient outcomes. The potential for health care professionals of using research in practice is also linked to such factors, although the exact factors or mechanisms for enhancing this potential are not understood. From a perspective of implementing evidence-based nursing practice, the authors of this article report on a study examining contextual factors. The objective of this study was to identify predictors of organizational improvement by measuring staff perceptions of work contextual factors. The Quality Work Competence questionnaire was used in a repeated measurement survey with a 1-year break between the two periods of data collection. The sample consisted of 134 employees from four neonatal units in Sweden. Over the study period significant changes occurred among staff perceptions, both within and between units, on various factors. Changes in staff perceptions on skills development and participatory management were the major predictors of enhanced potential of overall organizational improvement. Perceived improvement in skills development and performance feedback predicted improvement in leadership. Change in commitment was predicted by perceived decreases in work tempo and work-related exhaustion. These findings indicate the potential for organizational improvement by developing a learning and supportive professional environment as well as by involving staff in decision-making at the unit level. Such initiatives are also likely to be of importance for enhanced use of research in practice and evidence-based nursing. On the other hand, high levels of work tempo and burnout appear to have negative consequences on staff commitment for improving care and the work environment. A better understanding of workplace contextual factors is necessary for improving the organizational potential of getting research into practice and should be considered in future implementation projects.

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

PubMed

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

2016-09-01

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

Correlation of Objective Assessment Data With General Surgery Resident In-Training Evaluation Reports and Operative Volumes.

PubMed

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

2018-05-14

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

UNAVCO's Education and Community Engagement Program: Evaluating Five years of Geoscience Education and Community Outreach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charlevoix, D. J.; Dutilly, E.

2017-12-01

In 2013, UNAVCO, a facility co-sponsored by the NSF and NASA, received a five-year award from the NSF: Geodesy Advancing Geosciences and EarthScope (GAGE). Under GAGE, UNAVCO's Education and Community Engagement (ECE) program conducts outreach and education activities, in essence broader impacts for the scientific community and public. One major challenge of this evaluation was the breadth and depth of the dozens of projects conducted by the ECE program under the GAGE award. To efficiently solve this problem of a large-scale program evaluation, we adopted a deliberative democratic (DD) approach that afforded UNAVCO ECE staff a prominent voice in the process. The evaluator directed staff members to chose the projects they wished to highlight as case studies of their finest broader impacts work. The DD approach prizes inclusion, dialogue, and deliberation. The evaluator invited ECE staff to articulate qualities of great programs and develop a case study of their most valuable broader impacts work. To anchor the staff's opinion in more objectivity than opinion, the evaluator asked each staff member to articulate exemplary qualities of their chosen project, discuss how these qualities fit their case study, and helped staff to develop data collection systems that lead to an evidence-based argument in support of their project's unique value. The results of this evaluation show that the individual ECE work areas specialized in certain kinds of projects. However, when viewed at the aggregate level, ECE projects spanned almost the entire gamut of NSF broader impacts categories. Longitudinal analyses show that since the beginning of the GAGE award, many projects grew in impact from year 1 to year 5. While roughly half of the ECE projects were prior work projects, by year five at least 33% of projects were newly developed under GAGE. All selected case studies exemplified how education and outreach work can be productively tied to UNAVCO's core mission of promoting geodesy.

[An analysis of status of personnel in occupational disease prevention and treatment institutions in Hunan Province, China, from 1996 to 2015].

PubMed

Liu, X L; Xiao, Y L; Tang, H Q; Chen, B L; Yang, L H; Xiao, Y L; Lv, S J

2018-01-20

Objective: To analyze the status of personnel in occupational disease prevention and treatment institutions in Hunan Province, China, from 1996 to 2015, to predict staff composition using grey model (GM) (1, 1) , and to provide a scientific basis and reference for optimizing human resource planning of occupational disease prevention and treatment in other provinces and regions and promoting the service capacity of the institutions. Methods: The data of the staff in occupational disease prevention and treatment institutions in Hunan Province, China, from 1996 to 2015 were obtained from the established basic information management system. The descriptive analysis method was used to analyze the dynamic changes in number and composition of the staff and the GM (1, 1) was used to predict the staff composition. Results: The numbers of the staff members in 1996 and 2015 in occupational disease prevention and treatment institutions in Hunan Province, China were 1591 and 1429, respectively. In the twenty years, the main education level of the staff transformed from "technical secondary school education and non-academic qualifications" to "bachelor degree or above and college degree"; the main major of the staff transformed from "other majors" to "public health and clinical medicine"; the proportion of the staff members without professional titles changed from >1/3 to 5%; and the proportions of the staff members with senior, intermediate, and junior professional titles were steadily rising. GM prediction showed that the proportions of highly educated staff members in 2018 and 2020 would be up to 41.00% and 45.61%, respectively; and the proportions of the staff members with a major in public health in 2018 and 2020 would be up to 44.15% and 46.60%, respectively. Conclusion: The staff in occupational disease prevention and treatment institutions in Hunan Province, China, in the twenty years have slight changes in staff size and great improvement in staff quality, which is beneficial to sustainable development of the occupational disease prevention and treatment undertakings. The education level and major will be further optimized in the next five years.

Older people's care experience in community and general hospitals: a comparative study.

PubMed

Green, John; Forster, Anne; Young, John; Small, Neil; Spink, Joanna

2008-07-01

Community hospitals are an important component of the post-acute care pathway for older people. The objective of this study was to describe and contrast patients' and carers' experiences of community and general hospitals. Interviews with patients and carers revealed similarities in the perceptions of care between the two settings. These included appreciation of staff sensitivity, a sense of security, encouragement of independence and lack of activity. The community hospital was appreciated for its location, atmosphere, accommodation, greater sense of freedom, quality of food and staff attitudes. UK health policy promotes the development of community hospitals. This should be progressed in a way that retains key strengths of the specific service they offer.

The Effects of Staff Training on the Types of Interactions Observed at Two Group Homes for Foster Care Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crosland, Kimberly A.; Dunlap, Glen; Sager, Wayne; Neff, Bryon; Wilcox, Catherine; Blanco, Alfredo; Giddings, Tamela

2008-01-01

Objectives: An extensive literature base exists for behavioral parent training; however, few studies have focused on training direct care staff at group home and residential facilities for children. This study was conducted to determine whether a behavioral staff training program consisting of classroom training and in-home feedback would improve…

"Something to Smile About": An Evaluation of a Capacity-Building Oral Health Intervention for Staff Working with Homeless People

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coles, Emma; Watt, Celia; Freeman, Ruth

2013-01-01

Objective: To use a qualitative exploration to evaluate whether "Something to Smile About" (STSA), an oral health intervention, had increased the oral health capacity of staff working with homeless people. Setting: A National Health Service board area in Scotland. Method: A purposive sample of 14 staff members from STSA-participating…

What Adolescents Need to Prevent Relapse after Treatment for Substance Abuse: A Comparison of Youth, Parent, and Staff Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Acri, Mary C.; Gogel, Leah P.; Pollock, Michele; Wisdom, Jennifer P.

2012-01-01

Objective: Little is known about what factors and supports youths identify as important for their sustained recovery after substance abuse treatment, and if their caregivers and treatment staff identify similar needs. The purpose of this study was to explore what youths, caregivers, and staff perceive as important to remain substance free after…

Staff Retention. Personnel Management Module. Operational Management Programme. Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Peter

This module on staff retention is intended to show the direct link between problems in staff recruitment and retention and level of job satisfaction in hospitality settings. The material is presented in a self-instructional format in four sections. At the beginning of each section is a statement of the objectives that will be achieved as a result…

Whole-system approaches to improving the health and wellbeing of healthcare workers: A systematic review

PubMed Central

Brand, Sarah L.; Thompson Coon, Jo; Fleming, Lora E.; Carroll, Lauren; Bethel, Alison; Wyatt, Katrina

2017-01-01

Background Healthcare professionals throughout the developed world report higher levels of sickness absence, dissatisfaction, distress, and “burnout” at work than staff in other sectors. There is a growing call for the ‘triple aim’ of healthcare delivery (improving patient experience and outcomes and reducing costs; to include a fourth aim: improving healthcare staff experience of healthcare delivery. A systematic review commissioned by the United Kingdom’s (UK) Department of Health reviewed a large number of international healthy workplace interventions and recommended five whole-system changes to improve healthcare staff health and wellbeing: identification and response to local need, engagement of staff at all levels, and the involvement, visible leadership from, and up-skilling of, management and board-level staff. Objectives This systematic review aims to identify whole-system healthy workplace interventions in healthcare settings that incorporate (combinations of) these recommendations and determine whether they improve staff health and wellbeing. Methods A comprehensive and systematic search of medical, education, exercise science, and social science databases was undertaken. Studies were included if they reported the results of interventions that included all healthcare staff within a healthcare setting (e.g. whole hospital; whole unit, e.g. ward) in collective activities to improve physical or mental health or promote healthy behaviours. Results Eleven studies were identified which incorporated at least one of the whole-system recommendations. Interventions that incorporated recommendations to address local need and engage the whole workforce fell in to four broad types: 1) pre-determined (one-size-fits-all) and no choice of activities (two studies); or 2) pre-determined and some choice of activities (one study); 3) A wide choice of a range of activities and some adaptation to local needs (five studies); or, 3) a participatory approach to creating programmes responsive and adaptive to local staff needs that have extensive choice of activities to participate in (three studies). Only five of the interventions included substantial involvement and engagement of leadership and efforts aimed at up-skilling the leadership of staff to support staff health and wellbeing. Incorporation of more of the recommendations did not appear to be related to effectiveness. The heterogeneity of study designs, populations and outcomes excluded a meta-analysis. All studies were deemed by their authors to be at least partly effective. Two studies reported statistically significant improvement in objectively measured physical health (BMI) and eight in subjective mental health. Six studies reported statistically significant positive changes in subjectively assessed health behaviours. Conclusions This systematic review identified 11 studies which incorporate at least one of the Boorman recommendations and provides evidence that whole-system healthy workplace interventions can improve health and wellbeing and promote healthier behaviours in healthcare staff. PMID:29200422

Final Report of the Demonstration and Evaluation for the City/University EPSDT Day Care Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hierta, Ebba L., Ed.

This report describes (1) the development of a comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach to early health assessment and follow-through for 750 children in day care centers and family day care homes, and (2) training and consultation provisions for day care staffs to aid children and their families. Objectives of the three year project were to…

Student Loans in Developing Countries: An Evaluation of the Colombian Performance. Bank Staff Working Paper No. 182.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jallade, Jean-Pierre

The student loan program run by the Instituto Colombiano de Credito Educativo y Estudios Tecnicos en el Exterior (ICETEX) has three main objectives: to increase the country's supply of highly skilled manpower, to achieve more equality of educational opportunity, and to provide a meaningful source of finance for higher education. An analysis of…

Institute for Training in Library Management and Communication Skills. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Henry C.; And Others

An institute held December 10-16, 1978, in the United States Virgin Islands, trained 25 middle-level library administrators in the use of communications as a management tool. The institute was part of an on-going program of staff development in a multi-cultural, disadvantaged area. The program was based on these objectives: (1) to introduce basic…

A Systemwide Evaluation of a Child Abuse Policy and Staff Development Initiative.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pugh, Wesley C.; Brawner, Linda

The School District of Philadelphia initiated a child abuse awareness workshop for all schools and school district personnel in April 1988. The objective of the sessions was to provide an increased awareness and sensitivity on the part of all school district employees to the issue of child abuse and its impact on the physical, emotional, and…

A Model Pilot Program for Training Personnel to Develop Solutions to Major Educational Problems. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cullinan, Paul A.; Merrifield, Philip R.

This document is the final report of the Model Educational Research Training (MERT) program, a graduate program of the New York University School of Education. MERT trains urban school staff in skills necessary to identify problems, design valid research projects, and apply research results. The long-term objective is the training of small groups…

Evaluation of a performance appraisal framework for radiation therapists in planning and simulation

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

Becker, Jillian, E-mail: jillian.becker@health.qld.gov.au; Bridge, Pete; Brown, Elizabeth

2015-06-15

Constantly evolving technology and techniques within radiation therapy require practitioners to maintain a continuous approach to professional development and training. Systems of performance appraisal and adoption of regular feedback mechanisms are vital to support this development yet frequently lack structure and rely on informal peer support. A Radiation Therapy Performance Appraisal Framework (RT-PAF) for radiation therapists in planning and simulation was developed to define expectations of practice and promote a supportive and objective culture of performance and skills appraisal. Evaluation of the framework was conducted via an anonymous online survey tool. Nine peer reviewers and fourteen recipients provided feedback onmore » its effectiveness and the challenges and limitations of the approach. Findings from the evaluation were positive and suggested that both groups gained benefit from and expressed a strong interest in embedding the approach more routinely. Respondents identified common challenges related to the limited ability to implement suggested development strategies; this was strongly associated with time and rostering issues. This framework successfully defined expectations for practice and provided a fair and objective feedback process that focussed on skills development. It empowered staff to maintain their skills and reach their professional potential. Management support, particularly in regard to provision of protected time was highlighted as critical to the framework's ongoing success. The demonstrated benefits arising in terms of staff satisfaction and development highlight the importance of this commitment to the modern radiation therapy workforce.« less

Nursing staff perceptions of student contributions in clinical settings.

PubMed

Slaughter-Smith, Cheryl; Helms, Jennifer E; Burris, Rebecca

2012-01-01

Because nursing is a practice discipline, students are placed in clinical settings to collaborate with professional nurses in caring for patients. This descriptive study aimed to explore the benefits and limitations of undergraduate nursing students in the clinical setting. A 54-item instrument, Nursing Students' Contributions to Clinical Agencies, was used to collect data from staff nurses (N = 84) at three hospitals. The instrument also provided space for participants to share qualitative data, which revealed perceptions with which staff nurses were likely to agree and three key themes: Eager to Learn, Willing to Help, and Serving Their Time. The major implication for students is that they are often judged on their assertiveness skills and should offer assistance so they appear eager to learn. Faculty must ascertain that students understand their objectives for the clinical rotation and share those objectives with the staff nurses to enhance their learning experience. Copyright 2012, SLACK Incorporated.

Asthma education for school staff in Riyadh city: effectiveness of pamphlets as an educational tool.

PubMed

Abdel Gawwad, Ensaf S; El-Herishi, Sultana

2007-01-01

Teachers and support staff are often called upon to manage asthma at school but may have little knowledge and understanding of the condition. The objectives of this study were to develop educational package (pamphlets) about asthma, and assess its effectiveness as an educational tool for schools' staff through evaluation of its impact on the staff's asthma-related knowledge, attitudes and management practices on their pupils. A pre-post experimental research design was used in Riyadh city with distribution of self-administered questionnaires and asthma package to 4 randomly selected girls schools compounds. Participants were school staff (n = 297) of primary, intermediate and secondary schools. Results showed that only 5.7% of the staff had received previous training in asthma education. Lack of knowledge and misconceptions about asthma medication were evident among a considerable proportion of the staff specifically for use of antibiotics, steroids, side effect of ventolin, and addicting effect of inhalers. At pretest, only 35% and 40.1% of the staff had good level of knowledge and management practices. At posttest, the corresponding percentages increased significantly to be 83.9% and 68.6% respectively. The mean total score of staff's asthma related-attitudes became more favorable towards asthma education after intervention, it increased significantly from 53.5 to be 55.0. Total posttest knowledge score was the only predictor of both staff attitudes and management practices constituting 9.1% and 10.2% of their variance. The great majority cited lack of training (92%), unavailability school policy (86.8%), and shortage of educational resources (88.3%) as barriers against asthma education and management in their schools. Most of school staff had poor to fair level of asthma knowledge and management practices. Such simple educational intervention using pamphlets and demonstration of inhaler use and peaked flow meter was significantly successful in enhancing staff's asthma-related knowledge, attitudes and management practices among their pupils. It is very important that training is directed to all staff as pre-service and in-service programs.

Can incident reporting improve safety? Healthcare practitioners' views of the effectiveness of incident reporting.

PubMed

Anderson, Janet E; Kodate, Naonori; Walters, Rhiannon; Dodds, Anneliese

2013-04-01

Recent critiques of incident reporting suggest that its role in managing safety has been over emphasized. The objective of this study was to examine the perceived effectiveness of incident reporting in improving safety in mental health and acute hospital settings by asking staff about their perceptions and experiences. Qualitative research design using documentary analysis and semi-structured interviews. Two large teaching hospitals in London; one providing acute and the other mental healthcare. Sixty-two healthcare practitioners with experience of reporting and analysing incidents. Incident reporting was perceived as having a positive effect on safety, not only by leading to changes in care processes but also by changing staff attitudes and knowledge. Staff discussed examples of both instrumental and conceptual uses of the knowledge generated by incident reports. There are difficulties in using incident reports to improve safety in healthcare at all stages of the incident reporting process. Differences in the risks encountered and the organizational systems developed in the two hospitals to review reported incidents could be linked to the differences we found in attitudes to incident reporting between the two hospitals. Incident reporting can be a powerful tool for developing and maintaining an awareness of risks in healthcare practice. Using incident reports to improve care is challenging and the study highlighted the complexities involved and the difficulties faced by staff in learning from incident data.

Volunteer experience of an American dietitian in Liberia, West Africa.

PubMed

Fairfull, C B

1989-02-01

An American volunteer dietitian can make significant contributions in a developing country with the support of local personnel. Three objectives were achieved during a recent experience. The first objective was to become familiar with local foods and food customs and to revise the hospital diet manual to reflect Liberian food habits. Clinical observation of malnourished pediatric patients was the second objective, and this led to evaluation of the ELWA Hospital's kwashiorkor formula. The third objective was to provide in-service education to nurses and physicians at the ELWA and JFK Memorial Hospitals in Monrovia. Presentations were made on basic nutrition, diet manual revisions, and a kwashiorkor literature review. These objectives were set at the request of the ELWA Hospital administrator and accomplished with the support of the medical staff.

Using a community of practice to evaluate falls prevention activity in a residential aged care organisation: a clinical audit.

PubMed

Francis-Coad, Jacqueline; Etherton-Beer, Christopher; Bulsara, Caroline; Nobre, Debbie; Hill, Anne-Marie

2017-03-01

Objective This study evaluates whether a community of practice (CoP) could conduct a falls prevention clinical audit and identify gaps in falls prevention practice requiring action. Methods Cross-sectional falls prevention clinical audits were conducted in 13 residential aged care (RAC) sites of a not-for-profit organisation providing care to a total of 779 residents. The audits were led by an operationalised CoP assisted by site clinical staff. A CoP is a group of people with a shared interest who get together to innovate for change. The CoP was made up of self-nominated staff representing all RAC sites and comprised of staff from various disciplines with a shared interest in falls prevention. Results All 13 (100%) sites completed the audit. CoP conduct of the audit met identified criteria for an effective clinical audit. The priorities for improvement were identified as increasing the proportion of residents receiving vitamin D supplementation (mean 41.5%, s.d. 23.7) and development of mandatory falls prevention education for staff and a falls prevention policy, as neither was in place at any site. CoP actions undertaken included a letter to visiting GPs requesting support for vitamin D prescription, surveys of care staff and residents to inform falls education development, defining falls and writing a falls prevention policy. Conclusion A CoP was able to effectively conduct an evidence-based falls prevention activity audit and identify gaps in practice. CoP members were well positioned, as site staff, to overcome barriers and facilitate action in falls prevention practice. What is known about the topic? Audit and feedback is an effective way of measuring clinical quality and safety. CoPs have been established in healthcare using workplace staff to address clinical problems but little is known about their ability to audit and influence practice change. What does this paper add? This study contributes to the body of knowledge on CoPs in healthcare by evaluating the performance of one in the domain of falls prevention audit action. What are the implications for practitioners? A CoP is an effective model to engage staff in the clinical audit process. Clinical audits can raise staff awareness of gaps in practice and motivate staff to plan and action change as recommended in best practice guidelines.

Assessing Clinical Trial-Associated Workload in Community-Based Research Programs Using the ASCO Clinical Trial Workload Assessment Tool.

PubMed

Good, Marjorie J; Hurley, Patricia; Woo, Kaitlin M; Szczepanek, Connie; Stewart, Teresa; Robert, Nicholas; Lyss, Alan; Gönen, Mithat; Lilenbaum, Rogerio

2016-05-01

Clinical research program managers are regularly faced with the quandary of determining how much of a workload research staff members can manage while they balance clinical practice and still achieve clinical trial accrual goals, maintain data quality and protocol compliance, and stay within budget. A tool was developed to measure clinical trial-associated workload, to apply objective metrics toward documentation of work, and to provide clearer insight to better meet clinical research program challenges and aid in balancing staff workloads. A project was conducted to assess the feasibility and utility of using this tool in diverse research settings. Community-based research programs were recruited to collect and enter clinical trial-associated monthly workload data into a web-based tool for 6 consecutive months. Descriptive statistics were computed for self-reported program characteristics and workload data, including staff acuity scores and number of patient encounters. Fifty-one research programs that represented 30 states participated. Median staff acuity scores were highest for staff with patients enrolled in studies and receiving treatment, relative to staff with patients in follow-up status. Treatment trials typically resulted in higher median staff acuity, relative to cancer control, observational/registry, and prevention trials. Industry trials exhibited higher median staff acuity scores than trials sponsored by the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute, academic institutions, or others. The results from this project demonstrate that trial-specific acuity measurement is a better measure of workload than simply counting the number of patients. The tool was shown to be feasible and useable in diverse community-based research settings. Copyright © 2016 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Assessing Clinical Trial–Associated Workload in Community-Based Research Programs Using the ASCO Clinical Trial Workload Assessment Tool

PubMed Central

Hurley, Patricia; Woo, Kaitlin M.; Szczepanek, Connie; Stewart, Teresa; Robert, Nicholas; Lyss, Alan; Gönen, Mithat; Lilenbaum, Rogerio

2016-01-01

Purpose: Clinical research program managers are regularly faced with the quandary of determining how much of a workload research staff members can manage while they balance clinical practice and still achieve clinical trial accrual goals, maintain data quality and protocol compliance, and stay within budget. A tool was developed to measure clinical trial–associated workload, to apply objective metrics toward documentation of work, and to provide clearer insight to better meet clinical research program challenges and aid in balancing staff workloads. A project was conducted to assess the feasibility and utility of using this tool in diverse research settings. Methods: Community-based research programs were recruited to collect and enter clinical trial–associated monthly workload data into a web-based tool for 6 consecutive months. Descriptive statistics were computed for self-reported program characteristics and workload data, including staff acuity scores and number of patient encounters. Results: Fifty-one research programs that represented 30 states participated. Median staff acuity scores were highest for staff with patients enrolled in studies and receiving treatment, relative to staff with patients in follow-up status. Treatment trials typically resulted in higher median staff acuity, relative to cancer control, observational/registry, and prevention trials. Industry trials exhibited higher median staff acuity scores than trials sponsored by the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute, academic institutions, or others. Conclusion: The results from this project demonstrate that trial-specific acuity measurement is a better measure of workload than simply counting the number of patients. The tool was shown to be feasible and useable in diverse community-based research settings. PMID:27006354

[Training programs for staff at local Infectious Disease Surveillance Centers: the needs and usefulness].

PubMed

Suzuki, Tomoyuki; Kamiya, Nobuyuki; Yahata, Yuichiro; Ozeki, Yukie; Kishimoto, Tsuyoshi; Nadaoka, Yoko; Nakanishi, Yoshiko; Yoshimura, Takesumi; Shimada, Tomoe; Tada, Yuki; Shirabe, Komei; Kozawa, Kunihisa

2013-03-01

The objective of this study was to assess the need for and usefulness of training programs for Local Infectious Disease Surveillance Center (LIDSC) staff. A structured questionnaire survey was conducted to assess the needs and usefulness of training programs. The subjects of the survey were participants of a workshop held after an annual conference for the LIDSC staff. Data on demographic information, the necessity of training programs for LIDSC staff, the themes and contents of the training program, self-assessment of knowledge on epidemiology and statistics were covered by the questionnaire. A total of 55 local government officials responded to the questionnaire (response rate: 100%). Among these, 95% of participants believed that the training program for the LIDSC staff was necessary. Basic statistical analysis (85%), descriptive epidemiology (65%), outline of epidemiology (60%), interpretation of surveillance data (65%), background and objectives of national infectious disease surveillance in Japan (60%), methods of field epidemiology (60%), and methods of analysis data (51%) were selected by over half of the respondents as suitable themes for training programs. A total of 34 LIDSC staff answered the self-assessment question on knowledge of epidemiology. A majority of respondents selected "a little" or "none" for all questions about knowledge. Only a few respondents had received education in epidemiology. The results of this study indicate that LIDSC staff have basic demands for fundamental and specialized education to improve their work. Considering the current situation regarding the capacity of LIDSC staff, these training programs should be started immediately.

A Survey of Workplace Violence Across 65 U.S. Emergency Departments

PubMed Central

Kansagra, Susan M.; Rao, Sowmya R.; Sullivan, Ashley F.; Gordon, James A.; Magid, David J.; Kaushal, Rainu; Camargo, Carlos A.; Blumenthal, David

2012-01-01

Objectives Workplace violence is a concerning issue. Healthcare workers represent a significant portion of the victims, especially those who work in the emergency department (ED). The objective of this study was to examine ED workplace violence and staff perceptions of physical safety. Methods Data were obtained from the National Emergency Department Safety Study (NEDSS), which surveyed staff across 69 U.S. EDs including physicians, residents, nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. The authors also conducted surveys of key informants (one from each site) including ED chairs, medical directors, nurse managers, and administrators. The main outcome measures included physical attacks against staff, frequency of guns or knives in the ED, and staff perceptions of physical safety. Results A total of 5,695 staff surveys were distributed, and 3,518 surveys from 65 sites were included in the final analysis. One-fourth of surveyed ED staff reported feeling safe sometimes, rarely, or never. Key informants at the sampled EDs reported a total of 3,461 physical attacks (median of 11 attacks per ED) over the 5-year period. Key informants at 20% of EDs reported that guns or knives were brought to the ED on a daily or weekly basis. In multivariate analysis, nurses were less likely to feel safe “most of the time” or “always” when compared to other surveyed staff. Conclusions This study showed that violence and weapons in the ED are common, and nurses were less likely to feel safe than other ED staff. PMID:18976337

Integration of Staff Development and Research: Description of the Staff Development Project in Progress for the School Year 1975-1976. Technical Report #62.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Speidel, Gisela E.

This report from the Kamehameha Early Education Program (KEEP) describes the 1975-76 KEEP staff development program, which was designed to integrate staff development and research. Specific purposes of the program were: (1) to develop the abilities of the teaching staff in teaching, consultation, and research; (2) to conduct pilot research in…

Staff Perspectives on the Use of a Computer-Based Concept for Lifestyle Intervention Implemented in Primary Health Care

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carlfjord, Siw; Johansson, Kjell; Bendtsen, Preben; Nilsen, Per; Andersson, Agneta

2010-01-01

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate staff experiences of the use of a computer-based concept for lifestyle testing and tailored advice implemented in routine primary health care (PHC). Design: The design of the study was a cross-sectional, retrospective survey. Setting: The study population consisted of staff at nine PHC units in the…

Evaluation of Compliance to National Nutrition Policies in Summer Day Camps

PubMed Central

Tilley, Falon; W.Beets, Michael; Jones, Sonya; Turner-McGrievy, Gabrielle

2015-01-01

Objective The National Afterschool Association (NAA) standards specify the role of summer day camps (SDCs) in promoting healthy nutrition habits of children attending, identifying foods and beverages to be provided to children, and staff roles in promoting good nutrition habits; however, many SDCs to not provide meals. Currently, national guidelines specifying what children are allowed to bring to such settings does not exist, nor is there a solid understanding of the current landscape surrounding healthy eating within SDCs. Design A cross-sectional study design using validated measures with multiple observations was used to determine the types of foods and beverage brought to SDC programs. Setting Four large-scale, community-based SDCs participated in the study during summer 2011. Subjects The types of foods and beverages brought by children (N=766) and staff (N=87) as well as any instances of staff promoting healthy eating behaviors were examined via direct observation over 27 days. Additionally, the extent to which current foods and beverages at SDCs complied with NAA standards was evaluated. Results Less than half of the children brought water, 47% brought non-100% juices, 4% brought soda, 4% brought a vegetable, and 20% brought fruit. Staff foods/beverages modeled similar patterns. Promotion of healthy eating by staff was observed <1% of the time. Conclusions Findings suggest that foods and beverages brought to SDC by children and staff do support nutrition standards and staff do not regularly promote healthy eating habits. To assist, professional development, parent education, and organizational policies are needed. PMID:24909716

Enhancing science teaching in an elementary school: A case study of a school-initiated Teacher Professional Development Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brooks, Clare M.

1998-12-01

This naturalistic case study documents a year long Teacher Professional Development Program (TPDP) initiated by an elementary school staff in British Columbia. The TPDP was designed to enable the teachers to meet their objective of making science instruction more frequent, more active, and more student-centered in all classrooms in the school. This case study addresses two research questions: (1) What attributes of the Teacher Professional Development Program supported the school's "objective" for improved science instruction? (2) How did the outcomes of the Teacher Professional Development Program relate to the achievement of the school's educational objective? The site for the research was a kindergarten--Grade 7 school. A university professor and the researcher were invited to visit the school on a bi-weekly basis during one school year (1993--94) to facilitate a series of science workshops involving the entire teaching staff and to provide classroom support to teachers. Teachers were offered university course credit for their participation. This case study draws on qualitative data including: audio recordings of planning/debriefing sessions, workshop discussions, and interviews with participants; field notes and written observations; a survey of teachers' opinions about the TPDP; and documents relating to the school accreditation process in 1994--95. The results of the study show that teachers, administrators, and parents were satisfied that the school's objective for science instruction was met, and that the TPDP contributed significantly to this outcome. The study identifies TPDP attributes which supported the school's objective with reference to the teachers and their context, the planning process, and the organizational context, that is, the school. This study contributes to our understanding of teacher professional development by examining an alternative to more common approaches to elementary teacher science inservice in British Columbia, which are typically short-term, designed by inservice providers with little input from participants, and removed physically and conceptually from the classroom. Such inservice experiences often lack administrative and collegial support for the teacher who attempts classroom implementation. While this study relates to science; the discussion is relevant to other curriculum areas such as fine arts or physical education.

A Framework for Staff Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schiffer, Judith

1978-01-01

Outlines the failure of traditional staff development programs and theorizes that the crucial issue in staff development concerns the problem of educational authority: Who makes what decisions and how? Successful models for staff development programs should have personal, organizational, and political foci. (JMF)

Environmental scanning for Social Services.

PubMed

Russell, S; Prince, M J

1992-10-01

This article describes the development of a process of systematic regional environmental scanning as part of strategic planning in the Ministry of Social Services (MSS) in British Columbia, over the 1987-1990 period. Social Services, a large regionalized social service organization, adopted a formal strategic planning process in early 1988. Ministry services are delivered in ten regions with widely varying characteristics. To ensure that this diversity is reflected in the planning process, it is essential that regional environmental information receive consideration. A simple format was developed and regional directors asked to consult with their staff and to scan their regions for issues that may impact the ministry over the medium term. The information obtained was presented by regional directors at a Senior Management Committee meeting and included in the ministry's annual Business Plan, a document which informs staff, contractors, stakeholders, and the community at large of the ministry's values, objectives, and operational goals. The inclusion of regional analyses adds useful information to the Plan. A second output of the planning process is the ministry budget. The systematic regional scans were found to be extremely useful to regional staff, other directors, and to the ministry executives while setting priorities.

Prevention and management of "do not return" notices: a quality improvement process for supplemental staffing nursing agencies.

PubMed

Ade-Oshifogun, Jochebed Bosede; Dufelmeier, Thaddeus

2012-01-01

This article describes a quality improvement process for "do not return" (DNR) notices for healthcare supplemental staffing agencies and healthcare facilities that use them. It is imperative that supplemental staffing agencies partner with healthcare facilities in assuring the quality of supplemental staff. Although supplemental staffing agencies attempt to ensure quality staffing, supplemental staff are sometimes subjectively evaluated by healthcare facilities as "DNR." The objective of this article is to describe a quality improvement process to prevent and manage "DNR" within healthcare organizations. We developed a curriculum and accompanying evaluation tool by adapting Rampersad's problem-solving discipline approach: (a) definition of area(s) for improvement; (b) identification of all possible causes; (c) development of an action plan; (d) implementation of the action plan; (e) evaluation for program improvement; and (f) standardization of the process. Face and content validity of the evaluation tool was ascertained by input from a panel of experienced supplemental staff and nursing faculty. This curriculum and its evaluation tool will have practical implications for supplemental staffing agencies and healthcare facilities in reducing "DNR" rates and in meeting certification/accreditation requirements. Further work is needed to translate this process into future research. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Five Flaws of Staff Development and the Future Beyond

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hargreaves, Andy

2007-01-01

Student learning and development do not occur without teacher learning and development. Not any teacher development will do, though. The old flaws of weak and wayward staff development are well-known--no staff development, in which trial and error are assumed to be enough; staff development that is all ideas and no implementation, i.e. the…

Higher Education Staff Development: Directions for the 21st Century.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnes, Jennifer; And Others

This collection of 13 papers offers an international perspective on future directions of staff development at colleges and universities, focusing on academic staff development, higher education teaching networks, and managerial and human resource development. Papers are: (1) "Higher Education Staff Development for the 21st Century: Directions…

Staff Development and Student Achievement: Making the Connection.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weathersby, Jeanie; Harkreader, Steve

This study examined connections between staff development and student achievement in order to develop a base of knowledge for improving Georgia's staff development. The study asked whether differences in how districts and schools provided staff development for teachers accounted for some of the variation in student achievement across Georgia…

Do physical environmental changes make a difference? Supporting person-centered care at mealtimes in nursing homes.

PubMed

Chaudhury, Habib; Hung, Lillian; Rust, Tiana; Wu, Sarah

2017-10-01

Purpose Drawing on therapeutic physical environmental design principles and Kitwood's theoretical view of person-centered care, this study examined the impact of environmental renovations in dining spaces of a long-term care facility on residents' mealtime experience and staff practice in two care units. Method The research design involved pre- and post-renovation ethnographic observations in the dining spaces of the care units and a post-renovation staff survey. The objective physical environmental features pre- and post-renovations were assessed with a newly developed tool titled Dining Environment Audit Protocol. We collected observational data from 10 residents and survey responses from 17 care aides and nurses. Findings Based on a systematic analysis of observational data and staff survey responses, five themes were identified: (a) autonomy and personal control, (b) comfort of homelike environment, (c) conducive to social interaction, (d) increased personal support, and (e) effective teamwork. Implications Although the physical environment can play an influential role in enhancing the dining experience of residents, the variability in staff practices reveals the complexity of mealtime environment and points to the necessity of a systemic approach to foster meaningful culture change.

Peoria Housing Authority(PHA) Weatherization Training Project

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

Phillip Chrismon; Jason Dollarhide

2011-12-31

The DOE Weatherization Training Project's goal is to obtain a solid foundation of administrative and technical knowledge so the Peoria Housing Authority (PHA) can establish and implement a successful Weatherization Program by 2011. The DOE weatherization Training Project's two objectives are to (1) build PHA's capabilities by (2) developing its staff members capacities via the acquisition of weatherization skills and competencies. The impacts from this project include: (a) the improvement and expansion of PHA staff skills, (b) the overall enhancement of the quality of the PHA workforce, which will (c) foster employment, (d) the ability to properly weatherize PHA housingmore » stock, tribal buildings, and tribal members houses, which will (e) result in reduced energy use, and (f) improved tribal and household economies.« less

Revisit, revamp and revitalize your business plan: Part 4.

PubMed

Waldron, David

2011-01-01

A best practice for all imaging leaders working on a management development program should be to invest enough time to complete a detailed planthatsetsgoals, objectives, step targets, landmarks, and a timetable for their achievements. Keys to success for a management development program include no surprises, active participation, and preparation by both the facilitator and the managers involved. A successful management team will have trained staff and lean processes mapped and documented, as well as be comfortable in a coaching, delegating, and consensus management style.

Automated Information System (AIS) Support for FMF Units When Deployed or in Combat (1985-1995).

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-04-13

1995 ) MAJOR T. J. DUNN DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF FOR DEVELOPMENTAL COORDINATION DEVELOPMENT CENTER MARINE CORPS DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION COMMAND...Support for FMF Units When Deployed or in Combat (1985- 1995 ) (Deployed AIS-88) Study (SCN: 60-81-02) 1. The objectives of the study were: a. To...S. TYPE OF REPORT 6 PERIOD COVERED Automated Information System (AIS) Support for Final Report FMF Units When Deployed or in Combat (1985- 1995 ) 6

Partners in nursing education.

PubMed

Wigginton, M A; Miracle, V A; Sims, J M; Mitchell, K A

1994-01-01

In this article, the authors present the efforts of several hospitals in a large southern city to collaborate on continuing education projects to meet the needs of the nursing staff. In 1985, four hospitals formed a health maintenance organization. An outgrowth was the formation of a critical care consortium whose main objective was to develop an entry level critical care course. The authors discuss the development of this course, the advantages and disadvantages of a partnership, and the results of 7 years of experience.

Participatory Staff Development: Lessons from Peers. Special Demonstration Project. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lutheran Social Mission Society, Philadelphia, PA. Lutheran Settlement House.

Staff development workshops for teachers, tutors, and supervisors were conducted at the Lutheran Settlement House Women's Program. Staff and teachers were surveyed to ascertain staff development needs. Workshops were unique in that they were presented by peer teachers and supervisory staff of the program and invited all participants to share ideas…

Reforming the Ministry to Improve Education: An Institutional Analysis of the Ministry of Education and Sports (MOES) of Nepal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bista, Min Bahadur; Carney, Stephen

2004-01-01

This study has two main objectives: first, to assess the overall capacity of the Ministry of Education and Sports (MOES) of Nepal, its staff and constituent bodies in relation to their mandates, roles and responsibilities; second, to guide the conceptualization and preparation of a human resource development plan (HRDP) for MOES to support the…

Knowledge Development Generic Framework Concept

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-18

requirements. The conceptual model serves as a communication interface among analysts, military staff, and other actors involved [22015] Systems Analysis will...It designates all long- lived basic mechanisms of material and institutional kind, which guarantee the functioning of a complex community . 2.2.3.2...cooperation with users) • Analyze and decide whether it is better to communicate an information object automatically (“document-to-people”) or via human

Teaching Folder Management System for the Enhancement of Engineering and Built Environment Faculty Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ab-Rahman, Mohammad Syuhaimi; Mustaffa, Muhamad Azrin Mohd; Abdul, Nasrul Amir; Yusoff, Abdul Rahman Mohd; Hipni, Afiq

2015-01-01

A strong, systematic and well-executed management system will be able to minimize and coordinate workload. A number of committees need to be developed, which are joined by the department staffs to achieve the objectives that have been set. Another important aspect is the monitoring department in order to ensure that the work done is correct and in…

An Annotated Bibliography of Objective Pilot Performance Measures

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-01-01

realism . (Author) 224 NAVTRAEQUIPCEN IH-330 t 667. PROPHET, Wallace W., and Caro, Paul W., Simulation and Aircrew Training and Performance, Human... cinematic simulation and air training appears to be the most promising cost-effective method of developing NOE visual perception skills. Of other...flight and control dynamics. Informal trials were run with research staff and carrier-qualified pilots to evaluate realism of the displays; amount of

Development of an Applied Fisheries Science Program for Native Alaskans at Sheldon Jackson College (Sitka, Alaska). Fourth Progress Report, 1 July 1976.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seifert, Mel

Covering the period January 1 through June 30, 1976, this fourth and final semi-annual report of the first two-year grant for the Applied Fishery Science Program operating at Sheldon Jackson College in Sitka, Alaska presents the following information; Background (program objectives, advisory committee, and program staff); Program Progress…

MIT Laboratory for Computer Science Progress Report 26

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-06-01

conteinporary and prospective applications from business to sensory computing. In Sqst.-ns., Languagcs, and Nr/o4orks, our objective is to provide the...numbers 363 through 400. 1,i Advanced Network Architecture Academic Staff D. Clark, Group Leader D. Tennenhouse Restarch Staff J. Davin K. Sollins Graduate...Zurich, Switzerland, May 1989. 23 24 Clinical Decision Making Academic Staff R. Patil P. Szolovits, Group Leader Collaborating Investigators M

School-Based Staff Development in Two Federal States in Germany

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thillmann, Katja; Bach, Anabel; Wurster, Sebastian; Thiel, Felicitas

2015-01-01

Purpose: In Germany up until now, there has been very little research on staff development in schools. The purpose of this paper is to comprehensively assess school-based staff development and to describe the interplay between different instruments of staff development (e.g. classroom observations, development discussions) at the school level.…

Transition Room Program, 1967 Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glassner, Leonard E.

The Transition Room Program of the Pittsburgh Schools was defined and evaluated by the staff, the administration, and a program evaluator from the Office of Research. The definition included general objectives, anticipated outcomes, student criteria and characteristics, staff qualifications and functions, media, student activities, and staff…

Evaluation of the 'Ladder to the Moon, Culture Change Studio Engagement Programme' staff training: Two quasi-experimental case studies.

PubMed

Guzmán, Azucena; Wenborn, Jennifer; Swinson, Tom; Orrell, Martin

2017-09-01

To evaluate the impact of the CCSEP on care home staff in two care settings for older people in one nursing home and one residential home. Care homes provide personal care and accommodation for older people. The English Dementia Strategy aims to improve the quality of service provision for people with dementia. This includes specific mention of improving the quality of life in care homes and as such includes objectives related to developing the workforce knowledge and skills. The Ladder to the Moon Culture Change Studio Engagement Programme (CCSEP) is a staff training approach based on the Positive Psychology framework that uses theatre- and film-based activities. This study used a wait-list controlled design. However, the data analysis plan was amended to reflect difficulties in data collection, and a quasi-experimental case study approach was consequently utilised. Outcome measures for staff attitudes and beliefs were as follows: Sense of Competence in Dementia Care Staff; Approaches to Dementia Questionnaire; Job Satisfaction Index; Brief Learning Transfer System Inventory; and Scale of Positive and Negative Experience. The Quality of Interaction Schedule (QUIS) was used to observe changes in staff-resident interaction. Fifty staff in two care homes completed the questionnaires and forty-one undertook formal CCSEP training. In Home A (nursing home), there was no significant change in any of the measures. In Home B (residential home), the QUIS showed an increase in positive interactions post intervention; a significant increase in the Building Relationship subscale of Sense of Competence; and a significant increase in staff sense of hopefulness towards people with dementia. The Brief Learning Transfer System Inventory showed a significant decrease post-intervention. The intervention did not significantly affect the happiness or job satisfaction of care home staff. The results of this study provide tentative evidence about the efficacy of this staff training programme. Some significant improvement in staff attitudes to people with dementia, staff sense of competence and positive staff-resident interactions were found in one of two homes. It is likely that the organisational problems affecting the other care home limited the implementation and therefore efficacy of the intervention there. The results therefore suggest that when a supportive management structure is in place, CCSEP may be more effective in improving staff attitudes, sense of competence and interactions with residents. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

[Mental health problems among female staff in a provincial maternal and child health hospital: an investigation of 647 individuals].

PubMed

He, W J; Xia, J H; Lv, X; Li, L M

2018-02-20

Objective: To investigate the current status of depression and anxiety among female staff in a maternal and child health hospital, and to provide a basis for developing related prevention and intervention measures and promoting the mental health of female staff. Methods: The female staff from a provincial maternal and child health hospital completed a psycho-health questionnaire survey on Internet from June to October, 2016. The questionnaires used in the survey consisted of Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) , Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) , and Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) . The distribution features of mental health problems such as depression and anxiety were analyzed according to the results: of the questionnaire survey. Results Of all female staff surveyed, 42.04% showed depression symptoms, 28.90% showed anxiety symptoms, and 26.12% showed comorbid symptoms of depression and anxiety. Moderate or severe depression (anxiety) was mainly distributed among the female staff with comorbid symptoms (90.63% and 97.01%, respectively) . There were significant differences in the distribution of moderate or severe anxiety symptoms between the medical staff and nursing staff (χ(2)= 5.81, P =0.05) and between those with intermediate and junior professional titles (χ(2)=7.99, P =0.018) . As for SCL-90 results, the total score, total average score, and scores on factors of somatization, compulsion, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, and anxiety in the female staff with comorbid symptoms, moderate or severe depression, and moderate or severe anxiety were significantly higher than the national norm ( P <0.01) , while the scores on paranoid and psychotic factors were significantly lower than the national norm ( P <0.01) . The numbers of cases of positive factors were significantly higher in the female staff with comorbid symptoms than in the female staff with a single symptom and asymptomatic female staff (both P <0.01) , and positive cases were mainly distributed in depression, interpersonal sensitivity, compulsion, anxiety, and somatic factors. Conclusion: The prevalence of depression and anxiety is high among female staff in the maternal and child health hospital, mainly characterized by comorbid symptoms of moderate or severe depression and anxiety. Comorbidity is accompanied by mental health problems such as interpersonal sensitivity, obsessive compulsion, and physical discomfort. Corresponding measures are needed for the prevention and intervention of mental health problems among female staff in the maternal and child health hospital.

Fund-raising strategies for the allied health professions.

PubMed

Cornesky, R A; Anderson, J A

1987-05-01

Academic units of allied health (eg, schools and colleges of allied health) are relatively new to institutions of higher education. As a result, the academic units lack prestige with private funding sources. This article describes a development model for raising private contributions emphasizing allied health academic units. The roles of the academic department, development advisory committee, and faculty in developing the mission statement, needs, objectives, and case statement for the department are described. How the department chairperson, faculty, dean, and advisory committee members interact with the staff from a development office in identifying, cultivating, and soliciting private support are explained.

Santa Fe Community College Staff Development Programs, Policies and Procedures.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Santa Fe Community Coll., NM.

This collection of materials describes various aspects of Santa Fe Community College's (SFCC's) faculty and staff development program. Part 1 explains the philosophy that underpins staff development at SFCC; the planning, programming, information dissemination, and evaluation phases of staff development; and the use of professional development…

Conflict in Staff Development Implementation: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ponticell, Judith A.; Thomas, Julie A.; Cooper, Sandra B.

2006-01-01

Staff development is aimed at changing practice. Change creates conflict. Little work has been done to gain insight into the conflict that teachers experience in the implementation of staff development. This study examines conflict in a staff development project aimed at increasing teachers' knowledge and implementation of problem-based integrated…

Impacts of Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) development on recreation and tourism. Volume 1. Executive summary

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

Not Available

The study was intended to provide the Mineral Management Service (MMS) with an analytical tool to evaluate possible economic impacts from Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) development. In particular, the study was designed to provide MMS staff who work on lease sale Energy Impact Statements with an objective technique for estimating the impacts to coastal communities from events that might occur as a result of lease sales: oil spills, onshore construction, and construction of platforms offshore. The project had several specific objectives: (1) provide profiles of 1982 socio-economic conditions in coastal communities, including an analysis of the relative importance of themore » tourist industry in each coastal county; (2) develop a methodology for determining the effects of OCS development on coastal recreation; and recommend mitigation measure that may reduce the negative effect of OCS development on coastal recreation using gravity and economic effects models.« less

Factors that enable and hinder the implementation of projects in the alcohol and other drug field.

PubMed

MacLean, Sarah; Berends, Lynda; Hunter, Barbara; Roberts, Bridget; Mugavin, Janette

2012-02-01

Few studies systematically explore elements of successful project implementation across a range of alcohol and other drug (AOD) activities. This paper provides an evidence base to inform project implementation in the AOD field. We accessed records for 127 completed projects funded by the Alcohol, Education and Rehabilitation Foundation from 2002 to 2008. An adapted realist synthesis methodology enabled us to develop categories of enablers and barriers to successful project implementation, and to identify factors statistically associated with successful project implementation, defined as meeting all funding objectives. Thematic analysis of eight case study projects allowed detailed exploration of findings. Nine enabler and 10 barrier categories were identified. Those most frequently reported as both barriers and enablers concerned partnerships with external agencies and communities, staffing and project design. Achieving supportive relationships with partner agencies and communities, employing skilled staff and implementing consumer or participant input mechanisms were statistically associated with successful project implementation. The framework described here will support development of evidence-based project funding guidelines and project performance indicators. The study provides evidence that investing project hours and resources to develop robust relationships with project partners and communities, implementing mechanisms for consumer or participant input and attracting skilled staff are legitimate and important activities, not just in themselves but because they potentially influence achievement of project funding objectives. © 2012 The Authors. ANZJPH © 2012 Public Health Association of Australia.

The challenge of achieving professionalism and respect of diversity in a UK Earth Sciences department

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Imber, Jonathan; Taylor, Michelle; Callaghan, Mark; Castiello, Gabriella; Cooper, George; Foulger, Gillian; Gregory, Emma; Herron, Louise; Hoult, Jill; Lo, Marissa; Love, Tara; Macpherson, Colin; Oakes, Janice; Phethean, Jordan; Riches, Amy

2017-04-01

The Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University, has a balanced gender profile at undergraduate, postgraduate and postdoctoral levels (38%, 42% and 45% females, respectively), but one of the lowest percentages, relative to the natural applicant pool, of female academic staff amongst UK geoscience departments. There are currently 9% female academic staff at Durham, compared with a median value (in November 2015) of 20% for all Russell Group geoscience departments in the UK. Despite the fact that the female staff group is relatively senior, the Department's current academic management is essentially entirely male. The Department has an informal working culture, in which academics operate an "open door" policy, and staff and students are on first name terms. This culture, open plan office space, and our fieldwork programme, allow staff and students to socialise. A positive outcome of this culture is that > 95% of final year undergraduate students deemed the staff approachable (National Student Survey 2016). Nevertheless, a survey of staff and research student attitudes revealed significant differences in the way males and females perceive our working environment. Females are less likely than males to agree with the statements that "the Department considers inappropriate language to be unacceptable" and "inappropriate images are not considered acceptable in the Department". That anyone could find "inappropriate" language and images "acceptable" is a measure of the challenge faced by the Department. Males disagree more strongly than females that they "have felt uncomfortable because of [their] gender". The Department is proactively working to improve equality and diversity. It held a series of focus group meetings, divided according to gender and job role, to understand the differences in male and female responses. Female respondents identified examples of inappropriate language (e.g. sexual stereotyping) that were directed at female, but not male, colleagues. Males recognised the unacceptability of inappropriate language, but were unsure how it is defined. These differences have serious implications for professional relationships in our department, in which males occupy all positions of managerial authority and most academic positions. Such asymmetric relationships make it difficult for students and junior staff to challenge inappropriate behaviour. The Department will hold a workshop for all staff, and student representatives, facilitated by the University's Centre for Academic, Researcher & Organisational Development, on "Professionalism and Respecting Diversity in Earth Sciences". The objectives are to: 1) define the boundaries between informality and inappropriate behaviour in office, laboratory and fieldwork environments; 2) encourage all colleagues to reflect on their own behaviours; and 3) develop a culture to empower individuals to intervene where inappropriate behaviour occurs. Outcomes of the workshop will be discussed in this presentation. Our immediate aim is to encourage positive change whilst preserving the best aspects of our open door culture. Longer term, we hope that by fostering a positive working environment, we will encourage outstanding female academics to work at Durham. The Department's objective is to achieve the average gender balance of the Russell Group geoscience departments over a period of 10 years.

The Utilization of Psychologists for Staff Development in a Large Public School System: A Staff Development Director's Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stone, James L., Jr.

This model proposes the TAP Team approach as an on-site delivery system for local school staff development in large, urban school systems. TAP emphasizes in-service training for both upgrading skills of staff and for helping staff acquire new skills in the areas of coping strategies, classroom management, communication skills, instructional…

A qualitative evaluation of the Scottish Staff and Associate Specialist Development Programme.

PubMed

Cleland, Jennifer; Burr, Jacqueline; Johnston, Peter

2016-05-01

The continued professional development of staff and associate specialist doctors in the UK was ill served prior to the introduction of the new staff and associate specialist doctor's contract in 2008. The aim of this study was to independently evaluate NHS Education for Scotland's approach to improving professional development for staff and associate specialist doctors, the staff and associate specialist Professional Development Fund. Semi-structured telephone interviews with key stakeholders, framed by a realistic approach to evaluate what works, for whom and in how and under what circumstances. An inductive and data-driven thematic analysis was carried out and then the realist framework was applied to the data. We interviewed 22 key stakeholders: staff and associate specialist doctors, staff and associate specialist educational advisors, programme architects and clinical directors, between end February and May 2014. The resultant data indicated five broad themes: organisational barriers to continued professional development for staff and associate specialist doctors, the purpose of funding, gains from funding, the need for better communication about the staff and associate specialist Programme Development Fund, and the interplay between individual and systems factors. The staff and associate specialist Programme Development Fund has changed the opportunities available to staff and associate specialist doctors in Scotland and, in that sense, has changed the context for this group - or at least those who have realised the opportunities. © The Author(s) 2016.

Perspectives of emergency department staff on the triage of mental health-related presentations: Implications for education, policy and practice.

PubMed

Gerdtz, Marie F; Weiland, Tracey J; Jelinek, George A; Mackinlay, Claire; Hill, Nicole

2012-10-01

To explore ED staff perceptions of the factors that influence accuracy of triage for people with mental health problems. This qualitative learning needs analysis used a descriptive exploratory design. Participants were Australian emergency nurses and doctors. We used a criterion-based sampling approach. Recruitment was facilitated by the College of Emergency Nursing Australasia and the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine. A semi-structured interview schedule was developed. Telephone interviews were conducted, audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was used to identify factors perceived to affect triage outcomes and to explore strategies to optimise the accuracy of triage assessments. Thirty-six staff participated (16 nurses and 20 doctors). Four major factors were perceived to influence accuracy. These were: environmental factors (physical structure, time pressures, activity levels, and interruptions), policy and education (guidelines, training and resources), staff factors (knowledge, experience, attitudes) and patient factors (police presence, patient behaviour, clinical condition). Differences of opinion were expressed by emergency doctors about the validity of the time to treatment objectives included in the Australasian Triage Scale for mental health presentations, and the utility of the scale to differentiate urgency for psychiatric conditions. Clinical guidelines and training have been developed to support the use of the Australasian Triage Scale. Further evaluation of the application of this scale to assess mental health problems is indicated. Additional work is also required to reduce variance in urgency assignment based on staff knowledge and attitudes about the causes, assessment and early management of psychiatric disorders. © 2012 The Authors. EMA © 2012 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine.

Development and testing of the ‘Culture of Care Barometer’ (CoCB) in healthcare organisations: a mixed methods study

PubMed Central

Rafferty, Anne Marie; Philippou, Julia; Fitzpatrick, Joanne M; Pike, Geoff; Ball, Jane

2017-01-01

Objective Concerns about care quality have prompted calls to create workplace cultures conducive to high-quality, safe and compassionate care and to provide a supportive environment in which staff can operate effectively. How healthcare organisations assess their culture of care is an important first step in creating such cultures. This article reports on the development and validation of a tool, the Culture of Care Barometer, designed to assess perceptions of a caring culture among healthcare workers preliminary to culture change. Design/setting/participants An exploratory mixed methods study designed to develop and test the validity of a tool to measure ‘culture of care’ through focus groups and questionnaires. Questionnaire development was facilitated through: a literature review, experts generating items of interest and focus group discussions with healthcare staff across specialities, roles and seniority within three types of public healthcare organisations in the UK. The tool was designed to be multiprofessional and pilot tested with a sample of 467 nurses and healthcare support workers in acute care and then validated with a sample of 1698 staff working across acute, mental health and community services in England. Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify dimensions underlying the Barometer. Results Psychometric testing resulted in the development of a 30-item questionnaire linked to four domains with retained items loading to four factors: organisational values (α=0.93, valid n=1568, M=3.7), team support (α=0.93, valid n=1557, M=3.2), relationships with colleagues (α=0.84, valid n=1617, M=4.0) and job constraints (α=0.70, valid n=1616, M=3.3). Conclusions The study developed a valid and reliable instrument with which to gauge the different attributes of care culture perceived by healthcare staff with potential for organisational benchmarking. PMID:28821526

Staff Development Program Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ashur, Nina E.; And Others

An evaluation of the staff development program at College of the Canyons (California) was conducted in 1991 to provide information applicable to program improvement. Questionnaires were distributed to all faculty, classified staff, and flexible calendar program committee and staff development advisory committee members, resulting in response rates…

Job satisfaction and associated factors among healthcare staff: a cross-sectional study in Guangdong Province, China

PubMed Central

Lu, Yong; Hu, Xiao-Min; Huang, Xiao-Liang; Zhuang, Xiao-Dong; Guo, Pi; Feng, Li-Fen; Hu, Wei; Chen, Long; Hao, Yuan-Tao

2016-01-01

Objectives This cross-sectional study aimed to explore job satisfaction among healthcare staff in Guangdong following the health system reforms in 2009, and to investigate the association between job satisfaction and work stress, work–family conflict and doctor–patient relationship. Design Cross-sectional survey. Setting The Fifth National Health Service Survey was carried out in Guangdong, China. Participants All participants in this study were healthcare staff including physicians, nurses and public health staff from hospitals, health service centres and health clinics. A total of 6583 questionnaires were distributed and collected. After excluding the incomplete questionnaires, 5845 questionnaires were included for the analysis. Outcome measures Sociodemographic information and scores for evaluating job satisfaction, work stress, work–family conflict and doctor–patient relationship were obtained using the questionnaire developed by the National Health and Family Planning Commission of the People's Republic of China. To assess the significantly associated factors on job satisfaction of the healthcare staff in Guangdong, a binary logistic regression model was used. Results Based on the 5845 valid responses of the healthcare staff who worked in Guangdong, the mean score of overall perception of job satisfaction was 3.99 on a scale of 1–6. Among the sociodemographic variables, occupation, educational background, professional status, years of service, annual income and night shift frequency significantly influenced the level of job satisfaction. Work stress, work–family conflict and doctor–patient relationship also had significant effect on job satisfaction. Conclusions The overall job satisfaction exceeded slightly dissatisfied (score 3) and approached slightly satisfied (score 4). Measures to enhance job satisfaction include the reduction of workload, increase of welfare, maintaining moderate stress and balancing work–family conflict. Moreover, relevant laws should be issued to protect the healthcare staff from violent acts. PMID:27436667

Relationship between speaking English as a second language and agitation in people with dementia living in care homes: Results from the MARQUE (Managing Agitation and Raising Quality of life) English national care home survey

PubMed Central

Rapaport, P.; Robertson, S.; Marston, L.; Barber, J.; Manela, M.; Livingston, G.

2017-01-01

Objective As not speaking English as a first language may lead to increased difficulties in communication with staff and other residents, we (1) tested our primary hypotheses that care home residents with dementia speaking English as a second language experience more agitation and overall neuropsychiatric symptoms, and (2) explored qualitatively how staff consider that residents' language, ethnicity, and culture might impact on how they manage agitation. Methods We interviewed staff, residents with dementia, and their family carers from 86 care homes (2014–2015) about resident's neuropsychiatric symptoms, agitation, life quality, and dementia severity. We qualitatively interviewed 25 staff. Results Seventy‐one out of 1420 (5%) of care home residents with dementia interviewed spoke English as a second language. After controlling for dementia severity, age, and sex, and accounting for care home and staff proxy clustering, speaking English as a second language compared with as a first language was associated with significantly higher Cohen‐Mansfield Agitation Inventory (adjusted difference in means 8.3, 95% confidence interval 4.1 to 12.5) and Neuropsychiatric inventory scores (4.1, 0.65 to 7.5). Staff narratives described how linguistic and culturally isolating being in a care home where no residents or staff share your culture or language could be for people with dementia, and how this sometimes caused or worsened agitation. Conclusions Considering a person with dementia's need to be understood when selecting a care home and developing technology resources to enable dementia‐friendly translation services could be important strategies for reducing distress of people with dementia from minority ethnic groups who live in care homes. PMID:28971511

34 CFR 364.24 - What assurances are required for staff development?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2011-07-01 2010-07-01 true What assurances are required for staff development? 364... Requirements? § 364.24 What assurances are required for staff development? The State plan must assure that the service provider establishes and maintains a program of staff development for all classes of positions...

34 CFR 364.24 - What assurances are required for staff development?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What assurances are required for staff development? 364... Requirements? § 364.24 What assurances are required for staff development? The State plan must assure that the service provider establishes and maintains a program of staff development for all classes of positions...

[Development of an evaluation instrument for service quality in nursing homes].

PubMed

Lee, Jia; Ji, Eun Sun

2011-08-01

The purposes of this study were to identify the factors influencing service quality in nursing homes, and to develop an evaluation instrument for service quality. A three-phase process was employed for the study. 1) The important factors to evaluate the service quality in nursing homes were identified through a literature review, panel discussion and focus group interview, 2) the evaluation instrument was developed, and 3) validity and reliability of the study instrument were tested by factor analysis, Pearson correlation coefficient, Cronbach's α and Cohen's Kappa. Factor analysis showed that the factors influencing service quality in nursing homes were healthcare, diet/assistance, therapy, environment and staff. To improve objectivity of the instrument, quantitative as well as qualitative evaluation approaches were adopted. The study instrument was developed with 30 items and showed acceptable construct validity. The criterion-related validity was a Pearson correlation coefficient of .85 in 151 care facilities. The internal consistency was Cronbach's α=.95. The instrument has acceptable validity and a high degree of reliability. Staff in nursing homes can continuously improve and manage their services using the results of the evaluation instrument.

Development of a rapid response plan for intraoperative emergencies: the Circulate, Scrub, and Technical Assistance Team.

PubMed

Earle, David; Betti, Diane; Scala, Emilia

2017-01-01

Unplanned intraoperative events are inevitable and cause stress and inefficiency among staff. We believe that developing a technical rapid response team with explicitly defined, narrow roles would reduce the amount of chaos during such emergencies. This article provides a detailed description of the development and implementation of such a program. In-situ simulation of an intraoperative emergency was used for a formal assessment of the current practice. Debriefing sessions identified areas of improvement and solicited solutions. A multidisciplinary working group then developed and implemented the technical rapid response team based on the needs assessment. The program was designed to create a Circulating, Scrubbing, and Technical Assistance Team that helps with equipment, supplies, anesthesia, and communication. We anticipate the program will foster a culture of safety, and promote positive relationships and attitudes of the entire multidisciplinary team. In the future, research regarding patient outcomes and staff satisfaction and safety attitudes may help provide objective evidence of the benefits of the program. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Feasibility and relevance of an operating room safety checklist for developing countries: Study in a French hospital in Djibouti].

PubMed

Becret, A; Clapson, P; Andro, C; Chapelier, X; Gauthier, J; Kaiser, E

2013-01-01

The use of the World Health Organization surgical safety checklist, mandatory in operating rooms (OR) in France, significantly reduces morbidity and mortality. Our objective was to evaluate the use of this checklist in the OR of a French military hospital in Djibouti (Horn of Africa). The study was performed in three stages: a retrospective evaluation of the checklist use over the previous two months, to assess the utilization and completeness rates; provision of information to the OR staff; and thereafter, prospective evaluation for a one-month period of checklist use, the reasons for non-compliance, and the cases in which the checklist identified errors and thus prevented serious adverse events. The initial utilization rate was 49%, with only 24% complete. After staff training and during the study these rates reached 100% and 99%. The staff encountered language difficulties in 53% of cases, and an interpreter was available for 81% of them. The capacity of the surgical safety checklist to detect serious adverse events was highlighted. The utilization and completeness rates were initially worse than those observed in metropolitan French ORs, but a simple staff information program was rapidly effective. Language difficulties are frequent but an interpreter is often available, unlike in developed countries where language problems are uncommon and the availability of interpreters difficult. Moreover, this study illustrates the ability of the checklist to detect and therefore prevent potentially serious adverse events.

Improving Healthcare Transition Planning and Health-Related Independence for Youth with ASD and their Families

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-01

volunteers) recruited Objective 5: Develop and test focus group & individual interview guide; train staff on protocol and procedure • Caregiver and young...and individual items will then be evaluated and revised based on finds from cognitive interviewing and full-scale pretesting . 15. SUBJECT TERMS...first modality assessed caregiver perspectives on health-related transitioning using focus groups . The second modality included individual interviews

Computer simulation of functioning of elements of security systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Godovykh, A. V.; Stepanov, B. P.; Sheveleva, A. A.

2017-01-01

The article is devoted to issues of development of the informational complex for simulation of functioning of the security system elements. The complex is described from the point of view of main objectives, a design concept and an interrelation of main elements. The proposed conception of the computer simulation provides an opportunity to simulate processes of security system work for training security staff during normal and emergency operation.

Adult Basic Education: Research, Demonstration, Staff Development and Dissemination. Proceedings of the 1978 Virgina ABE Dissemination Conference (Ingleside Resort Hotel, Staunton, Virginia, July 31-August 2, 1978).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Virginia State Dept. of Education, Richmond. Adult Education Service.

This conference proceedings report contains abstracts of seven 1977-78 Virginia Adult Basic Education (ABE) projects presented at a dissemination conference for ABE administrators and teachers. The abstracts vary in length (two to seven pages) and format and focus on program objectives, procedures or strategies, expected results, findings,…

Understanding and Managing Staff Development in an Urban School System. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schlechty, Phillip; And Others

A study is reported that examined the way staff development functions in schools, the effects of staff development, and the interaction between staff development and other activities and conditions in school systems. The study took place in a large urban school district (in the Southeast) that is heavily committed to and involved in staff…

Preparing for the future: a case study of role changing and reengineering. Recognize and seize the new opportunities.

PubMed

Holland, C A

1995-01-01

Today's laboratory managers are caught in the midst of a tumultuous environment as a result of managed care, mergers and acquisitions, and downsizing. We must prepare ourselves through continuous learning, recognize the marketable value of our skills outside of the laboratory, and seize opportunities to expand into new roles. At Arkansas Children's Hospital, the Chief Executive Officer selected the Administrative Director of Laboratories to reengineer the General Pediatric Center. Our goals were to improve quality of care, efficiency, teamwork, clinic visit times, and satisfaction of patients, staff, and physicians. We developed ideal objectives from surveys, brainstorming sessions, and interviews to serve as guidelines for reengineering teams. Teams met the goals and 12 of 15 ideal objectives. Patient flow redesign resulted in different processes for different patient populations and a 35% decrease in the average clinic visit time. Patient, staff, and physician satisfaction improved, as did the clinic's financial status. The project's success confirms that our leadership and analytical skills are transferable from the laboratory to carry us to new heights in other health-care arenas.

Smallpox eradication in Bangladesh, 1972-1976.

PubMed

Foster, Stanley O; Hughes, Kenneth; Tarantola, Daniel; Glasser, John W

2011-12-30

Rahima Banu, the world's last endemic case of severe smallpox, Variola Major, developed rash on October 16, 1975 on Bhola Island, Bangladesh. Achieving eradication in a country destroyed by war challenged the achievement of smallpox eradication. Between January 1, 1972 and December 31, 1975, 225,000 smallpox cases and 45,000 smallpox deaths occurred. Adapting the global smallpox eradication strategies of surveillance, the detection of smallpox cases, and containment, the interruption of smallpox transmission, utilized progress toward three objectives to monitor performance: (1) surveillance - the percent of smallpox infected villages detected within 14 days of the first case of rash, (2) knowledge of the reward - public knowledge of the current amount of the reward for reporting smallpox, and (3) containment - the percent of infected villages interrupting smallpox transmission within 14 days of detection. Failures to achieve these objectives led to the identification and implementation of improved strategies that eventually achieved eradication. Essential to this success was a tripartite partnership of the citizens of Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Ministry of Health, its field staff, and staff and resources mobilized by the World Health Organization. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Healthy Conversation Skills: increasing competence and confidence in front-line staff

PubMed Central

Black, Christina; Lawrence, Wendy; Cradock, Sue; Ntani, Georgia; Tinati, Tannaze; Jarman, Megan; Begum, Rufia; Inskip, Hazel; Cooper, Cyrus; Barker, Mary; Baird, Janis

2013-01-01

Objectives 1) To assess change in confidence in having conversations that support parents with healthy eating and physical activity post-training. 2) To assess change in staff competence in using ‘open discovery’ questions (those generally beginning with “how” and “what” that help individuals reflect and identify barriers and solutions) post-training. 3) To examine the relationship between confidence and competence post-training. Design A pre-post evaluation of ‘Healthy Conversation Skills’, a staff training intervention. Setting Sure Start Children’s Centres in Southampton, England. Participants A total of 145 staff working in Sure Start Children’s Centres completed the training, including playworkers (45%) and community development or family support workers (31%). Results We observed an increase in median confidence rating for having conversations about healthy eating and physical activity (both p<0.001), and in using ‘open discovery’ questions (p<0.001) after staff attended the ‘Healthy Conversation Skills’ training. We also found a positive relationship between use of ‘open discovery’ questions and confidence in having conversations about healthy eating post-training (r=0.21, p=0.01), but a non-significant trend was observed for having conversations about physical activity (r=0.15, p=0.06). Conclusions The ‘Healthy Conversation Skills’ training has proved effective at increasing the confidence of staff working at Sure Start Children’s Centres to have more productive conversations with parents about healthy eating. Wider implementation of these skills may be a useful public health nutrition capacity building strategy to help community workers support families with young children to eat more healthy foods. PMID:22989477

Educational Attainment of the Public Health Workforce and Its Implications for Workforce Development

PubMed Central

Leider, Jonathon P.; Harper, Elizabeth; Bharthapudi, Kiran; Castrucci, Brian C.

2015-01-01

Context: Educational attainment is a critical issue in public health workforce development. However, relatively little is known about the actual attainment of staff in state health agencies (SHAs). Objective: Ascertain the levels of educational attainment among SHA employees, as well as the correlates of attainment. Design: Using a stratified sampling approaching, staff from SHAs were surveyed using the Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (PH WINS) instrument in late 2014. A nationally representative sample was drawn across 5 geographic (paired adjacent HHS) regions. Descriptive and inferential statistics were analyzed using balanced repeated replication weights to account for complex sampling. A logistic regression was conducted with attainment of a bachelor's degree as the dependent variable and age, region, supervisory status, race/ethnicity, gender, and staff type as independent variables. Setting and Participants: Web-based survey of SHA central office employees. Main Outcome Measure: Educational attainment overall, as well as receipt of a degree with a major in public health. Results: A total of 10 246 permanently-employed SHA central office staff participated in the survey (response rate 46%). Seventy-five percent (95% confidence interval [CI], 74-77) had a bachelor's degree, 38% (95% CI, 37-40) had a master's degree, and 9% (95% CI, 8%-10%) had a doctoral degree. A logistic regression showed Asian staff had the highest odds of having a bachelor's degree (odds ratio [OR] = 2.8; 95% CI, 2.2-3.7) compared with non-Hispanic whites, and Hispanic/Latino staff had lower odds (OR = 0.6; 95% CI, 0.4-0.8). Women had lower odds of having a bachelor's degree than men (OR = 0.5; 95% CI, 0.4-0.6). About 17% of the workforce (95% CI, 16-18) had a degree in public health at any level. Conclusions: Educational attainment among SHA central office staff is high, but relatively few have formal training of any sort in public health. This makes efforts to increase availability of on-the-job training and distance learning all the more critical. PMID:26422495

Implementing and Evaluating a Multicomponent Inpatient Diabetes Management Program: Putting Research into Practice

PubMed Central

Munoz, Miguel; Pronovost, Peter; Dintzis, Joanne; Kemmerer, Theresa; Wang, Nae-Yuh; Chang, Yi-Ting; Efird, Leigh; Berenholtz, Sean M.; Golden, Sherita Hill

2013-01-01

Background Strategies for successful implementation of hospitalwide glucose control efforts were addressed in a conceptual model for the development and implementation of an institutional inpatient glucose management program. Conceptual Model Components The Glucose Steering Committee incrementally developed and implemented hospitalwide glucose policies, coupled with targeted education and clinical decision support to facilitate policy acceptance and uptake by staff while incorporating process and outcome measures to objectively assess the effectiveness of quality improvement efforts. The model includes four components: (1) engaging staff and hospital executives in the importance of inpatient glycemic management, (2) educating staff involved in the care of patients with diabetes through structured knowledge dissemination, (3) executing evidence-based inpatient glucose management through development of policies and clinical decision aids, and (4) evaluating intervention effectiveness through assessing process measures, intermediary glucometric outcomes, and clinical and economic outcomes. An educational curriculum for nursing, provider, and pharmacist diabetes education programs and current glucometrics were also developed. Outcomes Overall the average patient-day–weighted mean blood glucose (PDWMBG) was below the currently recommended maximum of 180 mg/dL in patients with diabetes and hyperglycemia, with a significant decrease in PDWMBG of 7.8 mg/dL in patients with hyperglycemia. The program resulted in an 18.8% reduction in hypoglycemia event rates, which was sustained. Conclusion Inpatient glucose management remains an important area for patient safety, quality improvement, and clinical research, and the implementation model should guide other hospitals in their glucose management initiatives. PMID:22649859

Camp Courageous of Iowa Staff Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Camp Courageous of Iowa, Monticello.

Designed as a useful and practical tool for the staff at Camp Courageous of Iowa, a year-round residential camp serving all handicapped individuals, the manual outlines safety rules for camp activities, characteristics of the mentally and physically handicapped, and a general description of the camp and its objectives. Contents of the manual…

Evaluating Library Staff: A Performance Appraisal System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Belcastro, Patricia

This manual provides librarians and library managers with a performance appraisal system that measures staff fairly and objectively and links performance to the goals of the library. The following topics are addressed: (1) identifying expectations for quality service or standards of performance; (2) the importance of a library's code of service,…

Use of National Parks for Outdoor Environmental Education: An Australian Case Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lugg, Alison; Slattery, Deirdre

2003-01-01

A study examined the objectives of outdoor education teachers and park staff involved in secondary school visits to Victoria (Australia) national parks. Interviews with teachers and park staff, observations, and document analysis indicate that outdoor education teachers needed training in socially critical environmental education, ecology, and…

Attitudes of Infertile Couples, Fertility Clinic Staff and Researchers toward Personhood of The Human Embryo in Iran

PubMed Central

Kayssan, Marjaneh; Dolatian, Mahrokh; Omani Samani, Reza; Maroufizadeh, Saman

2017-01-01

Objective After the introduction of assisted reproductive techniques, human embryos were officially introduced into laboratories and now thousands of them are cryopreserved in such settings. Embryonic stem cells and the future application of such cells in the treatment of disease opened the door to further research on human embryos. These developments raise many ethical issues, some of which have religious aspects. The main question is: what is the embryo? Should we consider it a human being? Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate attitudes towards the personhood of the embryo. Materials and Methods In this cross sectional study, 203 infertile patients (n=406), 54 clinic staff and 49 embryo researchers, selected using convenience sampling at the Royan Institute, completed a questionnaire on personhood of human embryo. The questionnaire had been developed following qualitative research and had satisfied face and content validity tests. Results At the pre-implantation stage the majority of participants in all three groups considered the human embryo as "not a human being". Also, at the post-implantation stage of development, the majority of infertile couples and clinic staff considered the embryo as "not a human being" but, half the researchers (51%) considered the embryo in this stage as a "potential human". Half of the infertile couples considered the human fetus before ensoulment time (19th week of pregnancy according to the Shiite Islamic scholars) as "not-human being", while more than half of researchers (55.1%) considered it as a "potential human". Conclusion Ensoulment time is a major and important border for personhood. Most infertile couples and clinic staff consider the human embryo as "not a human being" but majority of all study participants considered the human fetus to be a complete human after ensoulment time. PMID:28670524

Nepal [Population education in countries of the region].

PubMed

Rongong, R K

1982-06-01

In 1979 the Ministry of Education and Culture in Nepal, in collaboration with Unesco and the UN Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), organized a National Planning and Development Meeting in Population Education. The objectives were to understand the concept and nature of population education and population education programs in Asia, to review the existing programs of population education initiated by various agencies in Nepal, and to develop guidelines for the formulation of a national population education program, both in school and out of school. All of these objectives were realized. Subsequently, a population education project was formulated for UNFPA funding, with the help of the Unesco Regional Team on Population Education. The primary goal of the project is to gear the entire system--formal and nonformal--to the realization of the potential role of education in the development efforts of the country and the interrelationships between the population situation and different aspects of quality of life at the micro and macro levels. The long range objectives of the program are as follows: develop in the target audience an insight into the interrelationships between population growth and the process of social and economic development at the individual, family, society, national, and international levels; develop desirable attitudes and behavior in the teachers, students, and the community at large towards population issues so that they may make rational decisions about their family size and the quality of life that they would like to have; and institutionalize population education in the formal education system, including university, and the nonformal education program of the Ministry of Education. In a 1981 population education curriculum development workshop, 2 further objectives were added: develop in learners a knowledge and understanding of basic concepts, processes, and measures; and develop among learners an awareness of the attitudes, beliefs, and values affecting decision making on population issues and problems. The key personnel identified to staff the different units implementing population education had no prior training and experience in population education. 3 modalities of training were deemed necessary: an intensive training program for the project staff; orientation for key administrators; and an intercountry study visit. Population education is beginning to take root in the formal and nonformal education system and is regarded as a crucial complementary program to family planning and other population programs in Nepal.

Coordinating a Team Response to Behavioral Emergencies in the Emergency Department: A Simulation-Enhanced Interprofessional Curriculum

PubMed Central

Wong, Ambrose H.; Wing, Lisa; Weiss, Brenda; Gang, Maureen

2015-01-01

Introduction While treating potentially violent patients in the emergency department (ED), both patients and staff may be subject to unintentional injury. Emergency healthcare providers are at the greatest risk of experiencing physical and verbal assault from patients. Preliminary studies have shown that a team-based approach with targeted staff training has significant positive outcomes in mitigating violence in healthcare settings. Staff attitudes toward patient aggression have also been linked to workplace safety, but current literature suggests that providers experience fear and anxiety while caring for potentially violent patients. The objectives of the study were (1) to develop an interprofessional curriculum focusing on improving teamwork and staff attitudes toward patient violence using simulation-enhanced education for ED staff, and (2) to assess attitudes towards patient aggression both at pre- and post-curriculum implementation stages using a survey-based study design. Methods Formal roles and responsibilities for each member of the care team, including positioning during restraint placement, were predefined in conjunction with ED leadership. Emergency medicine residents, nurses and hospital police officers were assigned to interprofessional teams. The curriculum started with an introductory lecture discussing de-escalation techniques and restraint placement as well as core tenets of interprofessional collaboration. Next, we conducted two simulation scenarios using standardized participants (SPs) and structured debriefing. The study consisted of a survey-based design comparing pre- and post-intervention responses via a paired Student t-test to assess changes in staff attitudes. We used the validated Management of Aggression and Violence Attitude Scale (MAVAS) consisting of 30 Likert-scale questions grouped into four themed constructs. Results One hundred sixty-two ED staff members completed the course with >95% staff participation, generating a total of 106 paired surveys. Constructs for internal/biomedical factors, external/staff factors and situational/interactional perspectives on patient aggression significantly improved (p<0.0001, p<0.002, p<0.0001 respectively). Staff attitudes toward management of patient aggression did not significantly change (p=0.542). Multiple quality improvement initiatives were successfully implemented, including the creation of an interprofessional crisis management alert and response protocol. Staff members described appreciation for our simulation-based curriculum and welcomed the interaction with SPs during their training. Conclusion A structured simulation-enhanced interprofessional intervention was successful in improving multiple facets of ED staff attitudes toward behavioral emergency care. PMID:26594279

Coordinating a Team Response to Behavioral Emergencies in the Emergency Department: A Simulation-Enhanced Interprofessional Curriculum.

PubMed

Wong, Ambrose H; Wing, Lisa; Weiss, Brenda; Gang, Maureen

2015-11-01

While treating potentially violent patients in the emergency department (ED), both patients and staff may be subject to unintentional injury. Emergency healthcare providers are at the greatest risk of experiencing physical and verbal assault from patients. Preliminary studies have shown that a team-based approach with targeted staff training has significant positive outcomes in mitigating violence in healthcare settings. Staff attitudes toward patient aggression have also been linked to workplace safety, but current literature suggests that providers experience fear and anxiety while caring for potentially violent patients. The objectives of the study were (1) to develop an interprofessional curriculum focusing on improving teamwork and staff attitudes toward patient violence using simulation-enhanced education for ED staff, and (2) to assess attitudes towards patient aggression both at pre- and post-curriculum implementation stages using a survey-based study design. Formal roles and responsibilities for each member of the care team, including positioning during restraint placement, were predefined in conjunction with ED leadership. Emergency medicine residents, nurses and hospital police officers were assigned to interprofessional teams. The curriculum started with an introductory lecture discussing de-escalation techniques and restraint placement as well as core tenets of interprofessional collaboration. Next, we conducted two simulation scenarios using standardized participants (SPs) and structured debriefing. The study consisted of a survey-based design comparing pre- and post-intervention responses via a paired Student t-test to assess changes in staff attitudes. We used the validated Management of Aggression and Violence Attitude Scale (MAVAS) consisting of 30 Likert-scale questions grouped into four themed constructs. One hundred sixty-two ED staff members completed the course with >95% staff participation, generating a total of 106 paired surveys. Constructs for internal/biomedical factors, external/staff factors and situational/interactional perspectives on patient aggression significantly improved (p<0.0001, p<0.002, p<0.0001 respectively). Staff attitudes toward management of patient aggression did not significantly change (p=0.542). Multiple quality improvement initiatives were successfully implemented, including the creation of an interprofessional crisis management alert and response protocol. Staff members described appreciation for our simulation-based curriculum and welcomed the interaction with SPs during their training. A structured simulation-enhanced interprofessional intervention was successful in improving multiple facets of ED staff attitudes toward behavioral emergency care.

Classification of Staff Development Programmes and Effects Perceived by Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Rijdt, Catherine; Dochy, Filip; Bamelis, Sofie; van der Vleuten, Cees

2016-01-01

Educational institutions offer diverse staff development programmes to allow staff members to keep up with educational innovations and to guarantee educational quality. The current study investigates by means of a survey and semi-structured interviews whether the teacher perceives staff development as a management model, a shop-floor model or a…

The Implementation of a Staff Development Support System Under Decentralized Management.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chalk, Thomas C.; And Others

The formation of a consortium of three elementary schools was proposed and initiated to offer inservice teacher education experiences to 45 staff members. The consortium schools shared resources to increase the scope and quality of staff development activities. A staff development program was designed to meet both group (institutional) and…

Energy management system optimization for on-site facility staff - a case history of the New York State Office of Mental Health

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

Bagdon, M.J.; Martin, P.J.

1997-06-01

In 1994, Novus Engineering and EME Group began a project for the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) to maximize the use and benefit of energy management systems (EMS) installed at various large psychiatric hospitals throughout New York State. The project, which was funded and managed by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY), had three major objectives: (1) Maximize Energy Savings - Novus staff quickly learned that EMS systems as set up by contractors are far from optimal for generating energy savings. This part of the program revealed numerous opportunities for increased energy savings,more » such as: fine tuning proportional/integral/derivative (PID) loops to eliminate valve and damper hunting; adjusting temperature reset schedules to reduce energy consumption and provide more uniform temperature conditions throughout the facilities; and modifying equipment schedules. (2) Develop Monitoring Protocols - Large EMS systems are so complex that they require a systematic approach to daily, monthly and seasonal monitoring of building system conditions in order to locate system problems before they turn into trouble calls or equipment failures. In order to assist local facility staff in their monitoring efforts, Novus prepared user-friendly handbooks on each EMS. These included monitoring protocols tailored to each facility. (3) Provide Staff Training - When a new EMS is installed at a facility, it is frequently the maintenance staffs first exposure to a complex computerized system. Without proper training in what to look for, staff use of the EMS is generally very limited. With proper training, staff can be taught to take a pro-active approach to identify and solve problems before they get out of hand. The staff then realize that the EMS is a powerful preventative maintenance tool that can be used to make their work more effective and efficient. Case histories are presented.« less

The Rhode Island Life Saving Score (RILSS)--a proposed life-saving definition for EMS and emergency medicine.

PubMed

Williams, Kenneth A; Sullivan, Francis M

2013-12-03

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Emergency Medicine staff are often described as life-saving providers, but there is no generally accepted objective definition of a life saved by these providers. Therefore, a proposed definition is described. Development of this definition began with conceptual rules, followed by a survey of physician EMS medical directors, and then by the development of a tool to implement the definition, and measure its validity and reliability through a review of 100 critical care transport EMS patient charts.

Airport electrotechnology resource guide. Final report

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

Geba, V.; Nesbit, M.

1998-06-01

Electrotechnologies offer utilities a cutting edge marketing tool to work with airport customers to increase passenger comfort, and achieve environmental and economic goals. At the same time, utility objectives such as customer retention, and revenue and sales goals can be enhanced. This guide provides electric utility marketing staff with the necessary information to market electrotechnologies in airport applications. The airport industry is profiled and an overview of airport building, infrastructure technologies and electric vehicles is provided. In addition, the guide offers market strategies for customer targeting, market research, market plan development and development of trade ally partnerships.

The implications of high-quality staff break areas for nurses' health, performance, job satisfaction and retention.

PubMed

Nejati, Adeleh; Rodiek, Susan; Shepley, Mardelle

2016-05-01

The main study objective was to explore policy and design factors contributing to nurses' perception of how well-designed staff break areas can play an important beneficial role in relation to their overall job satisfaction, retention, performance and job-related health concerns. Nurses are extremely valuable to the healthcare industry; however, today's nursing profession is challenged by nurses' fatigue and its negative consequences on nurses' health and the quality of patient care they provide. Preliminary interviews were conducted with 10 nurses who worked as consultants in the healthcare design and construction industry. Based on findings, an online survey was developed and distributed to over 10 000 members of the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses in the United States. The majority of nurses viewed high-quality break spaces as 'fairly' or 'very' important in terms of their potential to positively influence staff, patient and facility outcomes. Stress, rest breaks and the quality of break areas were some of the significant factors contributing to their perception. The results of this empirical study support the conclusion that improvements in healthcare facility policies regarding staff breaks, as well as the creation of better-designed break areas, can be of significant benefit for nurses and the patients that they serve. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Mobile Phones as a Potential Vehicle of Infection in a Hospital Setting.

PubMed

Chao Foong, Yi; Green, Mark; Zargari, Ahmad; Siddique, Romana; Tan, Vanessa; Brain, Terry; Ogden, Kathryn

2015-01-01

The objective of this article is to investigate the potential role of mobile phones as a reservoir for bacterial colonization and the risk factors for bacterial colonization in a hospital setting. We screened 226 staff members at a regional Australian hospital (146 doctors and 80 medical students) between January 2013 and March 2014. The main outcomes of interest were the types of microorganisms and the amount of contamination of the mobile phones. This study found a high level of bacterial contamination (n = 168/226, 74%) on the mobile phones of staff members in a tertiary hospital, with similar organisms isolated from the staff member's dominant hand and mobile phones. While most of the isolated organisms were normal skin flora, a small percentage were potentially pathogenic (n = 12/226, 5%). Being a junior medical staff was found to be a risk factor for heavy microbial growth (OR 4.00, 95% CI 1.54, 10.37). Only 31% (70/226) of our participants reported cleaning their phones routinely, and only 21% (47/226) reported using alcohol containing wipes on their phones. This study demonstrates that mobile phones are potentially vehicles for pathogenic bacteria in a hospital setting. Only a minority of our participants reported cleaning their phones routinely. Disinfection guidelines utilizing alcohol wipes should be developed and implemented.

Foreign Object in the Eye: First Aid

MedlinePlus

... eye: First aid Foreign object in the eye: First aid By Mayo Clinic Staff If you get a foreign object in your eye Wash your hands ... et al., eds. American Medical Association Handbook of First Aid and Emergency Care. New York, N.Y.: Random ...

78 FR 48902 - Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-12

... published, the Field Museum staff determined that the objects meet the NAGPRA definitions for sacred objects... sacred objects and objects of cultural patrimony under 25 U.S.C. 3001. In the Federal Register (72 FR... notice are specific ceremonial objects needed by traditional Native American religious leaders for the...

[Adverse events management. Methods and results of a development project].

PubMed

Rabøl, Louise Isager; Jensen, Elisabeth Brøgger; Hellebek, Annemarie H; Pedersen, Beth Lilja

2006-11-27

This article describes the methods and results of a project in the Copenhagen Hospital Corporation (H:S) on preventing adverse events. The aim of the project was to raise awareness about patients' safety, test a reporting system for adverse events, develop and test methods of analysis of events and propagate ideas about how to prevent adverse events. H:S developed an action plan and a reporting system for adverse events, founded an organization and developed an educational program on theories and methods of learning from adverse events for both leaders and employees. During the three-year period from 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2004, the H:S staff reported 6011 adverse events. In the same period, the organization completed 92 root cause analyses. More than half of these dealt with events that had been optional to report, the other half events that had been mandatory to report. The number of reports and the front-line staff's attitude towards reporting shows that the H:S succeeded in founding a safety culture. Future work should be centred on developing and testing methods that will prevent adverse events from happening. The objective is to suggest and complete preventive initiatives which will help increase patient safety.

Amplifying Staff Development through Film: The Case of a University Staff Visit to a Sixth Form College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prowse, Alicia; Sweasey, Penny; Delbridge, Rachel

2017-01-01

Purpose: The literature on student transition to university commonly investigates student expectations, perceptions and experiences and rarely focusses on university academic staff viewpoints. The purpose of this paper is to explore the staff development potential of a filmed visit of university academic staff to a sixth form college.…

The Development of Instructional Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

1970-12-01

of the behaviorsI which were the objectives of the system, the system is an effective one . In many cases , the results of the administration of all...of Maintenance Staff (including conference on duties located and "laying on " interview requir~mnts) 2. Study of Nominee Records 3. Selection of Job...unnecessary burden on supervisory personnel for on -the-job training. In such cases , the training program is not serving the enterprise as it should. On

Evaluating the balanced scorecard at the University Health Network: an impact assessment.

PubMed

Young, Justin; Bell, Robert; Khalfan, Adil; Lindquist, Evert

2008-01-01

The balanced scorecard (BSC) has become increasing popular in healthcare organizations. A recent study conducted at the University Health Network in Toronto explored the extent to which the BSC has focused and aligned various organizational units and departments around shared goals and objectives. The evaluation also assessed the BSC's impact on front-line staff and how the development and rollout of the BSC should be modified in the next planning iteration.

Principles of Training in Marine Corps Task Analysis. Training Manual I. Evaluation of the Marine Corps Task Analysis Program. Technical Report No. 7.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuriloff, Arthur H.

This is the first in a series of five training manuals developed for use by the U.S. Marine Corps Office of Manpower Utilization (OMU) in its Task Analysis (TA) program. It is designed for trainers of OMU staff members assigned to the TA program, a research effort requiring interpersonal and research competence. Objectives of the manual are: (1)…

Staff Responses When Parents Hit Children in a Hospital Setting

PubMed Central

Font, Sarah A.; Gershoff, Elizabeth T.; Taylor, Catherine A.; Terreros, Amy; Nielsen-Parker, Monica; Spector, Lisa; Foster, Rebecca H.; Budzak Garza, Ann; Olson-Dorff, Denyse

2016-01-01

Objective Physical punishment of children is a prevalent practice that is condemned by most medical professionals given its link with increased risk of child physical abuse and other adverse child outcomes. This study examined the prevalence of parent-to-child hitting in medical settings and the intervention behaviors of staff who witness it. Method Staff at a children's medical center and a general medical center completed a voluntary, anonymous survey. We used descriptive statistics to examine differences in the experiences of physicians, nurses, and other medical staff. We used logistic regression to predict intervention behaviors among staff who witnessed parent-to-child hitting. Results Of the hospital staff who completed the survey (N=2,863), we found that 50% of physicians, 24% of nurses, 27% of other direct care staff, and 17% of non-direct care staff witnessed parent-to-child hitting at their medical center in the past year. A majority of physicians, nurses and other direct care staff reported intervening sometimes or always. Non-direct care staff rarely intervened. Believing staff have the responsibility to intervene and having comfortable strategies with which to intervene were strongly predictive of intervention behavior. Staff who did not intervene commonly reported that they did not know how to respond. Conclusion Many medical center staff witness parent-to-child hitting. Although some of the staff reported that they intervened when they witnessed this behavior, the findings indicate that staff may need training to identify when and how they should respond. PMID:27802257

Staff perspectives of relationships in aged care: A qualitative approach.

PubMed

Jones, Cindy; Moyle, Wendy

2016-09-01

To explore aged care staff perceptions and experience of their relationships with co-workers, older people and families via pragmatic exploratory interviews. Thirty-nine direct care staff from seven residential age care facilities and 12 community organisations were interviewed. Staff felt that their capacity to develop therapeutic relationships with older people and families was impeded by care tasks and concerns regarding professional boundaries. Positive relationships between staff-family and staff-staff are hindered by staff perceptions of undue care demands, high family expectations, and staff-staff conflict within a hierarchical context and between work shifts. A relationship-centred approach to care as well as staff training and education should be encouraged to assist the development of therapeutic relationships and the management of professional boundaries. © 2016 AJA Inc.

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: Environmental Stressors and Supports

PubMed Central

Williams, Kristen G.; Patel, Kayla T.; Stausmire, Julie M.; Mathis, Mary W.; Barkin, Jennifer L.

2018-01-01

The relationship between maternal mental health and infant development has been established in the literature. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is a particularly challenging environment for new mothers as several natural processes are disrupted. The objective of this study is to elucidate protective factors and environmental deficits associated with the NICU. The experiences of forty-six (n = 46) mothers of infants admitted to a Level III NICU in the Midwestern United States, who responded to a related open-ended question, were analyzed thematically. Five themes related to the NICU environment emerged as being either stressful or helpful: (1) amount and quality of communication with medical staff, (2) bedside manner of medical staff, (3) feeling alienated from infant’s care, (4) support from other NICU mothers and families, and (5) NICU Physical Environment and Regulations. There is a need for medical staff training on awareness, communication, empathy, and other behaviors that might improve maternal (and parental) experiences in the NICU. The physical environment, including rules and regulations of the NICU, should be reexamined with family comfort in mind in addition to the clinical care of the infant. PMID:29301343

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: Environmental Stressors and Supports.

PubMed

Williams, Kristen G; Patel, Kayla T; Stausmire, Julie M; Bridges, Christy; Mathis, Mary W; Barkin, Jennifer L

2018-01-03

The relationship between maternal mental health and infant development has been established in the literature. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is a particularly challenging environment for new mothers as several natural processes are disrupted. The objective of this study is to elucidate protective factors and environmental deficits associated with the NICU. The experiences of forty-six ( n = 46) mothers of infants admitted to a Level III NICU in the Midwestern United States, who responded to a related open-ended question, were analyzed thematically. Five themes related to the NICU environment emerged as being either stressful or helpful: (1) amount and quality of communication with medical staff, (2) bedside manner of medical staff, (3) feeling alienated from infant's care, (4) support from other NICU mothers and families, and (5) NICU Physical Environment and Regulations. There is a need for medical staff training on awareness, communication, empathy, and other behaviors that might improve maternal (and parental) experiences in the NICU. The physical environment, including rules and regulations of the NICU, should be reexamined with family comfort in mind in addition to the clinical care of the infant.

Financial impact of nursing professionals staff required in an Intensive Care Unit 1

PubMed Central

de Araújo, Thamiris Ricci; Menegueti, Mayra Gonçalves; Auxiliadora-Martins, Maria; Castilho, Valéria; Chaves, Lucieli Dias Pedreschi; Laus, Ana Maria

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Objective: to calculate the cost of the average time of nursing care spent and required by patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the financial expense for the right dimension of staff of nursing professionals. Method: a descriptive, quantitative research, using the case study method, developed in adult ICU patients. We used the workload index - Nursing Activities Score; the average care time spent and required and the amount of professionals required were calculated using equations and from these data, and from the salary composition of professionals and contractual monthly time values, calculated the cost of direct labor of nursing. Results: the monthly cost of the average quantity of available professionals was US$ 35,763.12, corresponding to 29.6 professionals, and the required staff for 24 hours of care is 42.2 nurses, with a monthly cost of US$ 50,995.44. Conclusion: the numerical gap of nursing professionals was 30% and the monthly financial expense for adaptation of the structure is US$ 15,232.32, which corresponds to an increase of 42.59% in the amounts currently paid by the institution. PMID:27878219

Translating knowledge into practice: An exploratory study of dementia-specific training for community-based service providers.

PubMed

O'Sullivan, Grace; Hocking, Clare; McPherson, Kathryn

2017-08-01

Objective To develop, deliver, and evaluate dementia-specific training designed to inform service delivery by enhancing the knowledge of community-based service providers. Methods This exploratory qualitative study used an interdisciplinary, interuniversity team approach to develop and deliver dementia-specific training. Participants included management, care staff, and clients from three organizations funded to provide services in the community. Data on the acceptability, applicability, and perceived outcomes of the training were gathered through focus group discussions and individual interviews. Transcripts were analyzed to generate open codes which were clustered into themes and sub-themes addressing the content, delivery, and value of the training. Findings Staff valued up-to-date knowledge and "real stories" grounded in practice. Clients welcomed the strengths-based approach. Contractual obligations impact on the application of knowledge in practice. Implications The capacity to implement new knowledge may be limited by the legislative policies which frame service provision, to the detriment of service users.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Based Employee Attendance Management System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maramis, G. D. P.; Rompas, P. T. D.

2018-02-01

Manually recorded attendance of all the employees has produced some problems such as the data accuracy and staff performance efficiency. The objective of this research is to design and develop a software of RFID attendance system which is integrated with database system. This RFID attendance system was developed using several main components such as tags that will be used as a replacement of ID cards and a reader device that will read the information related to the employee attendance. The result of this project is a software of RFID attendance system that is integrated with the database and has a function to store the data or information of every single employee. This system has a maximum reading range of 2 cm with success probability of 1 and requires a minimum interval between readings of 2 seconds in order to achieve an optimal functionality. By using the system, the discipline attitude of the employees and also the performance of the staff will be improved instantly.

Analysis, requirements and development of a collaborative social and medical services data model.

PubMed

Bobroff, R B; Petermann, C A; Beck, J R; Buffone, G J

1994-01-01

In any medical and social service setting, patient data must be readily shared among multiple providers for delivery of expeditious, quality care. This paper describes the development and implementation of a generalized social and medical services data model for an ambulatory population. The model, part of the Collaborative Social and Medical Services System Project, is based on the data needs of the Baylor College of Medicine Teen Health Clinics and follows the guidelines of the ANSI HISPP/MSDS JWG for a Common Data Model. Design details were determined by informal staff interviews, operational observations, and examination of clinic guidelines and forms. The social and medical services data model is implemented using object-oriented data modeling techniques and will be implemented in C++ using an Object-Oriented Database Management System.

Standardization in the Handling and Evaluation of Objective Examinations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sass, M. Burke

1978-01-01

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

Academic Staff's Perceptions of Characteristics of Learning Organization in a Higher Learning Institution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ali, Ali Khamis

2012-01-01

Purpose: The main objective of this study was to examine academic staff's perceptions of the characteristics of a learning organization within higher education: in this instance, the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). The study also examined the relationship between the characteristics of a learning organization and satisfaction…

Suicide Intervention Training for College Staff: Program Evaluation and Intervention Skill Measurement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shannonhouse, Laura; Lin, Yung-Wei Dennis; Shaw, Kelly; Wanna, Reema; Porter, Michael

2017-01-01

Objective: Suicide remains a pressing issue for college communities. Consequently, gatekeeper trainings are often provided for staff. This study examines the effect of one such program, Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST). Participants: 51 college employees received ASIST in August of 2014 and were compared to 30 wait-list control…

7 CFR Exhibit B to Subpart I of... - Evaluation Report of Self-Help Technical Assistance (TA) Grants

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

...) f. Number of TA employees: (16) 6. a. Average time needed to construct a single house: (17) b... following adversely affect the Grantee's ability to accomplish program objectives? YES NO TA Staff Turnover ____ ____ FmHA Staff Turnover ____ ____ Bad Weather ____ ____ Loan Processing Delays ____ ____ Site Acquisition...

Addressing the Causes of Chef Shortages in the UK

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pratten, John; O'Leary, Barbara

2007-01-01

Purpose: To outline the reasons for staff shortages in the UK catering industry and then to decide if further training could help to address these issues. Design/methodology/approach: The objectives have been achieved by examining the training provisions at a college, and then asking the students, their training staff, employers and employees…

A Survey on Dementia Training Needs among Staff at Community-Based Outpatient Clinics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adler, Geri; Lawrence, Briana M.; Ounpraseuth, Songthip T.; Asghar-Ali, Ali Abbas

2015-01-01

Dementia is a major public health concern. Educating health-care providers about dementia warning signs, diagnosis, and management is paramount to fostering clinical competence and improving patient outcomes. The objective of this project was to describe and identify educational and training needs of staff at community-based outpatient clinics…

Survey of Staff Perceptions of the AEL Resource Center.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cowley, Kimberly S.

The Resource Center at the Appalachia Educational Laboratory (AEL), Inc., provides direct services to clients both within and outside AEL, as well as serving as a repository and distribution center for educational materials. Three main objectives were identified: to discover the extent to which staff use current components of the Resource Center;…

Burnout of Academic Staff in South African Higher Education Institutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rothmann, S.; Barkhuizen, N.

2008-01-01

The objectives of this study are to assess the psychometric properties of an adapted version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS) for academic staff in South African higher education institutions and to investigate differences between the burnout levels of different demographic groups. A survey design was used, with stratified…

7 CFR Exhibit B to Subpart I of... - Evaluation Report of Self-Help Technical Assistance (TA) Grants

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

...) f. Number of TA employees: (16) 6. a. Average time needed to construct a single house: (17) b... following adversely affect the Grantee's ability to accomplish program objectives? YES NO TA Staff Turnover ____ ____ FmHA Staff Turnover ____ ____ Bad Weather ____ ____ Loan Processing Delays ____ ____ Site Acquisition...

Adaptive Planning: Understanding Organizational Workload to Capability/ Capacity through Modeling and Simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hase, Chris

2010-01-01

In August 2003, the Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) established the Adaptive Planning (AP) initiative [1] with an objective of reducing the time necessary to develop and revise Combatant Commander (COCOM) contingency plans and increase SECDEF plan visibility. In addition to reducing the traditional plan development timeline from twenty-four months to less than twelve months (with a goal of six months)[2], AP increased plan visibility to Department of Defense (DoD) leadership through In-Progress Reviews (IPRs). The IPR process, as well as the increased number of campaign and contingency plans COCOMs had to develop, increased the workload while the number of planners remained fixed. Several efforts from collaborative planning tools to streamlined processes were initiated to compensate for the increased workload enabling COCOMS to better meet shorter planning timelines. This paper examines the Joint Strategic Capabilities Plan (JSCP) directed contingency planning and staffing requirements assigned to a combatant commander staff through the lens of modeling and simulation. The dynamics of developing a COCOM plan are captured with an ExtendSim [3] simulation. The resulting analysis provides a quantifiable means by which to measure a combatant commander staffs workload associated with development and staffing JSCP [4] directed contingency plans with COCOM capability/capacity. Modeling and simulation bring significant opportunities in measuring the sensitivity of key variables in the assessment of workload to capability/capacity analysis. Gaining an understanding of the relationship between plan complexity, number of plans, planning processes, and number of planners with time required for plan development provides valuable information to DoD leadership. Through modeling and simulation AP leadership can gain greater insight in making key decisions on knowing where to best allocate scarce resources in an effort to meet DoD planning objectives.

Injury Prevention and Safety

MedlinePlus

... The percentage of states that provided funding for staff development or offered staff development on injury prevention and safety to those ... classes or courses with a teacher who received staff development on injury prevention and safety increased from ...

Impact of a smoke-free policy in a large psychiatric hospital on staff attitudes and patient behavior.

PubMed

Voci, Sabrina; Bondy, Susan; Zawertailo, Laurie; Walker, Louise; George, Tony P; Selby, Peter

2010-01-01

The objectives of this work were to examine changes over time in degree of staff support for the implementation of a smoke-free policy in Canada's largest public mental health and addiction teaching hospital and to assess the impact of the policy on patient behavior. Staff completed an anonymous survey, which assessed views toward the smoke-free policy and perceived change in patient behavior, 2-7 and 31-33 months after an indoor smoke-free policy was implemented (September 21, 2005). Objective indicators of patient behavior were also collected in the form of number of emergency code whites (aggressive behavior) and that of code reds (fire) called 1 year prior to and 2 years following policy implementation. Survey response rates were 19.0% (n=481) and 18.1% (n=500) at 2-7 and 31-33 months, respectively. The proportion of staff who supported the policy increased from pre-implementation (82.6%) to post-implementation (89.1%), and a high level of support was maintained 2 years after policy enactment (90.1%). The number of emergency codes did not significantly change after policy implementation, and staff did not perceive a change in most forms of patient behavior. A smoke-free policy can be implemented in a large psychiatric hospital with a high degree of support from staff and no substantial negative impact on patient behavior. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Design for Effective Staff Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seagren, Alan T.

This paper presents a model for designing an effective staff development program. The rationale, philosophy, and instructional design utilized in the instructional Staff Development (ISD) program provides the basis for the design presented. The ISD program was conceptualized, developed, pilot tested, and field tested as a cooperative research…

Educators’ perspectives about how older hospital patients can engage in a falls prevention education programme: a qualitative process evaluation

PubMed Central

Hill, Anne-Marie; McPhail, Steven M; Francis-Coad, Jacqueline; Waldron, Nicholas; Etherton-Beer, Christopher; Flicker, Leon; Ingram, Katharine; Haines, Terry P

2015-01-01

Objectives Falls are the most frequent adverse event reported in hospitals. Patient and staff education delivered by trained educators significantly reduced falls and injurious falls in an older rehabilitation population. The purpose of the study was to explore the educators’ perspectives of delivering the education and to conceptualise how the programme worked to prevent falls among older patients who received the education. Design A qualitative exploratory study. Methods Data were gathered from three sources: conducting a focus group and an interview (n=10 educators), written educator notes and reflective researcher field notes based on interactions with the educators during the primary study. The educators delivered the programme on eight rehabilitation wards for periods of between 10 and 40 weeks. They provided older patients with individualised education to engage in falls prevention and provided staff with education to support patient actions. Data were thematically analysed and presented using a conceptual framework. Results Falls prevention education led to mutual understanding between staff and patients which assisted patients to engage in falls prevention behaviours. Mutual understanding was derived from the following observations: the educators perceived that they could facilitate an effective three-way interaction between staff actions, patient actions and the ward environment which led to behaviour change on the wards. This included engaging with staff and patients, and assisting them to reconcile differing perspectives about falls prevention behaviours. Conclusions Individualised falls prevention education effectively provides patients who receive it with the capability and motivation to develop and undertake behavioural strategies that reduce their falls, if supported by staff and the ward environment. PMID:26656027

Infusing gerontology into grades 7-12 social studies curricula.

PubMed

Krout, John A; Wasyliw, Zenon

2002-06-01

This paper describes a model process to increase the exposure of middle and high school students to information on aging so they better understand the implications of an aging population and the stereotypes of older adults. A college Gerontology Institute, a social studies teacher education faculty member, and middle/high school social studies teachers collaborated on a program to develop and implement lesson plans that incorporate information on aging into existing courses. Institute staff provided expertise on gerontology and student teachers assisted in writing lesson plan objectives. Teachers developed about a dozen lessons covering from one class to two weeks in subjects such as global history, participation in government, Western civilizations, economics, and government. This experience suggests a number of issues that should be addressed when developing a gerontology infusion initiative with school teachers. Information on aging can be successfully incorporated into existing school curricula within the constraints of mandated learning objectives.

Using discrete event computer simulation to improve patient flow in a Ghanaian acute care hospital.

PubMed

Best, Allyson M; Dixon, Cinnamon A; Kelton, W David; Lindsell, Christopher J; Ward, Michael J

2014-08-01

Crowding and limited resources have increased the strain on acute care facilities and emergency departments worldwide. These problems are particularly prevalent in developing countries. Discrete event simulation is a computer-based tool that can be used to estimate how changes to complex health care delivery systems such as emergency departments will affect operational performance. Using this modality, our objective was to identify operational interventions that could potentially improve patient throughput of one acute care setting in a developing country. We developed a simulation model of acute care at a district level hospital in Ghana to test the effects of resource-neutral (eg, modified staff start times and roles) and resource-additional (eg, increased staff) operational interventions on patient throughput. Previously captured deidentified time-and-motion data from 487 acute care patients were used to develop and test the model. The primary outcome was the modeled effect of interventions on patient length of stay (LOS). The base-case (no change) scenario had a mean LOS of 292 minutes (95% confidence interval [CI], 291-293). In isolation, adding staffing, changing staff roles, and varying shift times did not affect overall patient LOS. Specifically, adding 2 registration workers, history takers, and physicians resulted in a 23.8-minute (95% CI, 22.3-25.3) LOS decrease. However, when shift start times were coordinated with patient arrival patterns, potential mean LOS was decreased by 96 minutes (95% CI, 94-98), and with the simultaneous combination of staff roles (registration and history taking), there was an overall mean LOS reduction of 152 minutes (95% CI, 150-154). Resource-neutral interventions identified through discrete event simulation modeling have the potential to improve acute care throughput in this Ghanaian municipal hospital. Discrete event simulation offers another approach to identifying potentially effective interventions to improve patient flow in emergency and acute care in resource-limited settings. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A qualitative study on cross-cultural communication in post-accident in-patient rehabilitation of migrant and ethnic minority patients in Austria.

PubMed

Dressler, Dominique; Pils, Peter

2009-01-01

The objective of this study was to examine how the staff of a post-accident in-patient rehabilitation centre in Austria perceived cross-cultural communication between the staff and migrant and ethnic minority patients. A qualitative study was conducted with 28 semi-structured expert interviews with staff members in a post-accident in-patient rehabilitation centre in Austria. The interviews were conducted along the pathway of rehabilitation. Migrant and ethnic minority patients constitute about one-third of the patients, and often speak little or no German. Staff members (apart from those with migrant/ethnic minority origin) do not speak the languages of the majority of migrant and ethnic minority patients. The language barriers affect the whole rehabilitation process. The staff is unsure whether patients understand; it is difficult to explain the aim of therapies or rehabilitation, and therapies therefore hampered or impossible. To overcome these barriers, non-trained persons are used as interpreters, but the resulting communication is often perceived as unsatisfactory. External professional interpreters are used rarely because they are costly and difficult to organise. Cultural aspects also affect cross-cultural communication. Aspects mostly relating to daily life are dealt with in a pragmatic way. However, cultural aspects directly impacting rehabilitation, and particularly pain behaviour, are seen as more difficult to deal with. Effective and intensive communication between the individual patient and the rehabilitation team is essential for the outcome of rehabilitation, as patients must undertake their own rehabilitation and the rehabilitation team must be able to investigate the objectives, views and dreams of the individual patient to establish rehabilitation objectives in keeping with the patient's wishes.

The project shift: a form of participative management and staffing.

PubMed

Puckett, F

1991-11-01

North Colorado Medical Center is a 326 bed primary and tertiary care medical center serving northeastern Colorado and southwestern Nebraska. The pharmacy department provides 24-hour-a-day clinical and distributive services to both inpatients and outpatients with a staff of 1 clinical pharmacy coordinator, 10 pharmacists (excluding pharmacy manager), and 11 technicians. Rather than rely on one assistant manager, the pharmacy manager involves all interested staff pharmacists in various administrative, clinical, and distributive projects. These project (P) shifts are scheduled 8-hour shifts with minimal or no drug distribution duties. This staffing system and form of participative management has been used since 1983 and has been successful in achieving three objectives: it provides assistance to the manager in achieving certain departmental objectives; it provides job variety and professional growth/satisfaction for staff pharmacists; and it provides flexible and readily available source of pharmacists to meet personal leave days (vacation, illness, time off) needs.

Development of a statewide hospital plan for radiologic emergencies

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

Dainiak, Nicholas; Delli Carpini, Domenico; Bohan, Michael

Although general guidelines have been developed for triage of victims in the field and for hospitals to plan for a radiologic event, specific information for clinicians and administrators is not available for guidance in efficient management of radiation victims during their early encounter in the hospital. A consensus document was developed by staff members of four Connecticut hospitals, two institutions of higher learning, and the State of Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and Office of Emergency Preparedness, with assistance of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology. The objective was to write a practical manual for clinicians (including radiationmore » oncologists, emergency room physicians, and nursing staff), hospital administrators, radiation safety officers, and other individuals knowledgeable in radiation monitoring that would be useful for evaluation and management of radiation injury. The rationale for and process by which the radiation response plan was developed and implemented in the State of Connecticut are reviewed. Hospital admission pathways are described, based on classification of victims as exposed, contaminated, and/or physically injured. This manual will be of value to those involved in planning the health care response to a radiologic event.« less

How Fidelity invests in service professionals.

PubMed

McColgan, E A

1997-01-01

If you're in the business of service delivery, investment in the training and development of your staff is one of the keys to your company's success. But what's the best way to design and implement your investment? In 1994, Fidelity Institutional Retirement Services Company (FIRSCo) needed to ensure that its rapidly expanding staff maintained the company's high levels of customer satisfaction. The solution, according to Ellyn McColgan, formerly an executive vice president of FIRSCo and now the president of Fidelity Investments Tax-Exempt Services Company, was to reach out to its service associates with a powerful new model for training and development called Service Delivery University. SDU is a virtual university with a content-based core curriculum and five colleges that focus on business concepts and skills. It is driven by three principles. First, all training must be directly aligned with the company's strategic and financial objectives and focused on customer needs. Second, service delivery is a profession and should be taught as such. And finally, professional development should be the primary responsibility of line managers rather than the human resources department. McColgan explains how FIRSCo overcame resistance to this sweeping change in employee education. (Time was one obstacle: each associate receives 80 hours of training per year.) In addition, the author discusses the fine art of measuring the success of a program like SDU. She finds that the company's investment has paid dividends to the staff, to the organization as a whole, and to FIRSCo's customers.

Bioaugmentation for Remediation of Chlorinated Solvents: Technology Development, Status, and Research Needs

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-10-01

Report Documentation Page Form ApprovedOMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for the collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour...subject to a penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. 1 . REPORT DATE...staff at GeoSyntec, though other vendors and experts have contributed as well. The objectives of this White Paper are to: 1 ) summarize the current

Trends in academic health sciences libraries and their emergence as the “knowledge nexus” for their academic health centers*

PubMed Central

Kronenfeld, Michael R.

2005-01-01

Objectives: The objective of this study was to identify trends in academic health sciences libraries (AHSLs) as they adapt to the shift from a print knowledgebase to an increasingly digital knowledgebase. This research was funded by the 2003 David A. Kronick Traveling Fellowship. Methods: The author spent a day and a half interviewing professional staff at each library. The questionnaire used was sent to the directors of each library in advance of the visit, and the directors picked the staff to be interviewed and set up the schedule. Results: Seven significant trends were identified. These trends are part of the shift of AHSLs from being facility and print oriented with a primary focus on their role as repositories of a print-based knowledgebase to a new focus on their role as the center or “nexus” for the organization, access, and use of an increasingly digital-based knowledgebase. Conclusion: This paper calls for a national effort to develop a new model or structure for health sciences libraries to more effectively respond to the challenges of access and use of a digital knowledgebase, much the same way the National Library of Medicine did in the 1960s and 1970s in developing and implementing the National Network of Libraries of Medicine. The paper then concludes with some examples or ideas for research to assist in this process. PMID:15685271

The Life Satisfaction of Academic and Non-Academic Staff in a Malaysian Higher Education Institution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jusoff, Kamaruzaman; Hussein, Zaliha Hj.; SoonYew, Ju; Din, Mohd Salleh Hj.

2009-01-01

This study was conducted in Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Penang, Malaysia in April 2005. The objectives of the study were to examine the life satisfaction of the academic and non-academic staff. Findings revealed that some demographic variables had significant difference in life satisfaction. This study could provide meaningful information to…

Impact of Management Style on Performance Indicators of Academic Staff

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Irtwange, S. V.; Orsaah, S.

2009-01-01

The objective of this study is to assess the impact of management style on academic staff performance with University of Agriculture, Makurdi as a case study. The management style of the vice chancellor of the University of Agriculture, Makurdi between the periods, September 3, 1996 to September 3, 2001 was determined using the Ohio State…

The Use of Instructional Objectives: A Model for Second-Year Podiatric Surgical Residency.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lepow, Gary M.; Levy, Leonard A.

1980-01-01

The use of highly specific objectives can be the basis for a second-year podiatric surgical residency program. They show both residents and attending staff precisely the knowledge and skills to be achieved and aid evaluation of students. A series of objectives is provided. (MSE)

Audit of the job satisfaction levels of the UK radiography and physics workforce in UK radiotherapy centres 2012

PubMed Central

Beardmore, C; Patel, I; Massey, J; Wong, H; Probst, H

2014-01-01

Objective: Workforce planning reports identify a staff shortfall that jeopardizes the ability of UK radiotherapy centres to meet future demands. Obtaining an understanding of the work experiences of radiotherapy professionals will support the development of strategies to increase job satisfaction, productivity and effectiveness. Methods: A quantitative survey assessed job satisfaction, attitudes to incident reporting, stress and burnout, opportunities for professional development, workload, retention and turnover. Clinical oncologists were not included, as the Royal College of Radiologists, London, UK, had recently assessed their members' satisfaction. All questions were taken from validated instruments or adapted from the “UK National Health Service Staff Survey”. Results: The survey yielded 658 completed responses (approximately 16% response rate), from public and private sectors. Over a third (36%) of respondents were classified as satisfied for job satisfaction with 11% dissatisfied and the remaining 53% ambivalent. A significant proportion of clinical staff (37.5%) report high emotional exhaustion. Presenteeism was an issue with 42.4% attending work despite feeling unable to fulfil their role. Conclusion: Radiotherapy professionals are prone to the effects of compassion fatigue and burnout. Attention must be paid to workload and its impact on practitioners' job satisfaction. Professional development that is supported and informed by a performance development review is a simple and effective means of enhancing satisfaction. Individuals have a responsibility to themselves and their colleagues as their behaviours and attitudes influence job satisfaction. Advances in knowledge: This work identifies areas for future research to enhance the professional resilience of practitioners, in order to provide high-quality treatments. PMID:24786316

Increasing Staff Participation in Curriculum Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marsh, C. J.

1977-01-01

A challenge facing school staffs is the development of school-based curriculum. Some guidelines and incentives for increasing staff participation in curriculum development are presented. Available from: Australian College of Education, 916 Swanston Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia, $2.50 single copy. (Author/MLF)

Library staff development course.

PubMed Central

Eaton, E K

1981-01-01

The Moody Medical Library at the University of Texas Medical Branch plans, presents, and evaluates regularly a staff development program for its employees, including librarians and clerical and technical staff. The program's purpose is to provide continuing education for the library staff while concurrently: (1) providing information concerning specific library services and programs; (2) illustrating the interrelationship of the departments and divisions within the library; (3) developing a sense of teamwork and loyalty; and (4) developing job pride. Staff member volunteers teach the various courses. An integral part of the program is an evaluation of the efficacy of its various components using a form developed specifically for this purpose. Participants give the majority of courses an effectiveness rating of 90% or above. PMID:7248595

Staff Development Practices of Open and Distance Learning Institutions in Ghana: The Case of the Distance Education Programme of University of Education, Winneba, Ghana

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Owusu-Mensah, Francis; Anyan, Jerry Addison; Denkyi, Charles

2015-01-01

Staff development plays a crucial role in Open and Distance learning programmes because most of the staff working on these programmes are products of the conventional face to face system. Lack of proper training of staff in ODL can lead to high dropout rate among distance learners. The purpose of this study was to investigate staff development…

GRIPS Plan

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

Not Available

1978-07-31

The GRIPS (Geothermal Resources Impact Projection Study) Commission was established by a Joint Powers Agreement between the California Counties of Lake, Mendocino, Napa, and Sonoma. The objectives of GRIPS are primarily to develop and use a cooperative environmental data collection and use system including natural, social, and economic considerations to facilitate their independent decisions and those of State and Federal agencies related to the environmental effects of geothermal development. This GRIPS Plan was prepared from a wide range of studies, workshops, and staff analyses. The plan is presented in four parts: summary and introduction; environmental data status report; planned programs;more » and budget. (MHR)« less

How Documentalists Update SIMBAD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buga, M.; Bot, C.; Brouty, M.; Bruneau, C.; Brunet, C.; Cambresy, L.; Eisele, A.; Genova, F.; Lesteven, S.; Loup, C.; Neuville, M.; Oberto, A.; Ochsenbein, F.; Perret, E.; Siebert, A.; Son, E.; Vannier, P.; Vollmer, B.; Vonflie, P.; Wenger, M.; Woelfel, F.

2015-04-01

The Strasbourg astronomical Data Center (CDS) was created in 1972 and has had a major role in astronomy for more than forty years. CDS develops a service called SIMBAD that provides basic data, cross-identifications, bibliography, and measurements for astronomical objects outside the solar system. It brings to the scientific community an added value to content which is updated daily by a team of documentalists working together in close collaboration with astronomers and IT specialists. We explain how the CDS staff updates SIMBAD with object citations in the main astronomical journals, as well as with astronomical data and measurements. We also explain how the identification is made between the objects found in the literature and those already existing in SIMBAD. We show the steps followed by the documentalist team to update the database using different tools developed at CDS, like the sky visualizer Aladin, and the large catalogues and survey database VizieR. As a direct result of this teamwork, SIMBAD integrates almost 10.000 bibliographic references per year. The service receives more than 400.000 queries per day.

Motivating Experienced School Personnel: Capitalizing on Age-Appropriate Tasks.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krupp, Judy-Arin

A study was made to determine what developmental tasks typify life stages and how schools have used these tasks and their "teachable moments" to increase employee receptivity to staff development. Data came from a review of adult development and staff development literature, observations of innovative staff development procedures used by school…

The Journal of Staff, Program, & Organization Development, Volume 4, Numbers 1-4, 1986.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watts, Gordon E., Ed.

1986-01-01

These four issues of "The Journal of Staff, Program, and Organization Development" contain the following articles: "A Theory of Effectiveness: Faculty Development Case Studies," by Ronald Smith and Fred Schwartz; "Career Goals of Faculty," by Mary Deane Sorcinelli; "Effects of a Staff Development Center," by Donna Nickel; "Distinguished Teaching…

Developing compassion through a relationship centred appreciative leadership programme.

PubMed

Dewar, Belinda; Cook, Fiona

2014-09-01

Recent attention in health care focuses on how to develop effective leaders for the future. Effective leadership is embodied in relationships and should be developed in and with staff and patients. This paper describes development, implementation and evaluation of an appreciative and relationship centred leadership programme carried out with 86 nursing staff covering 24 in-patient areas within one acute NHS Board in Scotland. The aim of the programme was to support staff to work together to develop a culture of inquiry that would enhance delivery of compassionate care. The 12 month Leadership Programme used the principles of appreciative relationship centred leadership. Within this framework participants were supported to explore relationships with self, patients and families, and with teams and the wider organisation using caring conversations. Participants worked within communities of practice and action learning sets. They were supported to use a range of structured tools to learn about the experience of others and to identify caring practices that worked well and then explore ways in which these could happen more of the time. A range of methods were used to evaluate impact of the programme including a culture questionnaire and semi structured interviews. Immersion crystallisation technique and descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. Key themes included; enhanced self-awareness, better relationships, greater ability to reflect on practice, different conversations in the workplace that were more compassionate and respectful, and an ethos of continuing learning and improvement. The programme supported participants to think in different ways and to be reflective and engaged participants rather than passive actors in shaping the cultural climate in which compassionate relationship centred care can flourish. Multidisciplinary programmes where the process and outcomes are explicitly linked to organisational objectives need to be considered in future programmes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of the Workplace Health Savings Calculator: a practical tool to measure economic impact from reduced absenteeism and staff turnover in workplace health promotion.

PubMed

Baxter, Siyan; Campbell, Sharon; Sanderson, Kristy; Cazaly, Carl; Venn, Alison; Owen, Carole; Palmer, Andrew J

2015-09-18

Workplace health promotion is focussed on improving the health and wellbeing of workers. Although quantifiable effectiveness and economic evidence is variable, workplace health promotion is recognised by both government and business stakeholders as potentially beneficial for worker health and economic advantage. Despite the current debate on whether conclusive positive outcomes exist, governments are investing, and business engagement is necessary for value to be realised. Practical tools are needed to assist decision makers in developing the business case for workplace health promotion programs. Our primary objective was to develop an evidence-based, simple and easy-to-use resource (calculator) for Australian employers interested in workplace health investment figures. Three phases were undertaken to develop the calculator. First, evidence from a literature review located appropriate effectiveness measures. Second, a review of employer-facilitated programs aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of employees was utilised to identify change estimates surrounding these measures, and third, currently available online evaluation tools and models were investigated. We present a simple web-based calculator for use by employers who wish to estimate potential annual savings associated with implementing a successful workplace health promotion program. The calculator uses effectiveness measures (absenteeism and staff turnover rates) and change estimates sourced from 55 case studies to generate the annual savings an employer may potentially gain. Australian wage statistics were used to calculate replacement costs due to staff turnover. The calculator was named the Workplace Health Savings Calculator and adapted and reproduced on the Healthy Workers web portal by the Australian Commonwealth Government Department of Health and Ageing. The Workplace Health Savings Calculator is a simple online business tool that aims to engage employers and to assist participation, development and implementation of workplace health promotion programs.

Advantage and choice: social relationships and staff assistance in assisted living.

PubMed

Burge, Stephanie; Street, Debra

2010-05-01

OBJECTIVES. To understand how "cumulative inequality" (CI), expressed as individual advantage and choice, and "external social supports" contribute to the quality of social relationships and perceptions of staff assistance for older individuals in different assisted living (AL) settings. Data are from 429 cognitively intact AL residents aged 60 years and older interviewed for the Florida Study of Assisted Living. Bivariate and multivariate statistical analyses show how individual advantage and choice and external social networks influence respondents' social relationships and staff assistance in AL. Controlling for resident and facility characteristics, being able to pay privately enhances resident satisfaction with staff assistance and having control over the move to AL is positively associated with perceptions of staff relationships and assistance. Maintaining contact with pre-AL friends predicts quality of coresident relationships, as does family contact. Regular contact with family buffers some of the disadvantages associated with CI for perceptions of staff relationships but not perceptions of staff assistance. Discussion. Individual advantage and choice influence the quality of staff relationships and assistance for AL residents but matter little for coresident relationships. External social relationships buffer some of the risks associated with CI for perceptions of staff relationships but not perceived quality of staff assistance. Findings highlight outcomes associated with CI, including predictable risks that disadvantaged elders face in particular types of AL settings, differential advantages others enjoy that influence positive perceptions of staff relationships and staff assistance, and the enduring importance of supportive social relationships.

Behavioral Emergency Response Team: Implementation Improves Patient Safety, Staff Safety, and Staff Collaboration.

PubMed

Zicko, Cdr Jennifer M; Schroeder, Lcdr Rebecca A; Byers, Cdr William S; Taylor, Lt Adam M; Spence, Cdr Dennis L

2017-10-01

Staff members working on our nonmental health (non-MH) units (i.e., medical-surgical [MS] units) were not educated in recognizing or deescalating behavioral emergencies. Published evidence suggests a behavioral emergency response team (BERT) composed of MH experts who assist with deescalating behavioral emergencies may be beneficial in these situations. Therefore, we sought to implement a BERT on the inpatient non-MH units at our military treatment facility. The objectives of this evidence-based practice process improvement project were to determine how implementation of a BERT affects staff and patient safety and to examine nursing staffs' level of knowledge, confidence, and support in caring for psychiatric patients and patients exhibiting behavioral emergencies. A BERT was piloted on one MS unit for 5 months and expanded to two additional units for 3 months. Pre- and postimplementation staff surveys were conducted, and the number of staff assaults and injuries, restraint usage, and security intervention were compared. The BERT responded to 17 behavioral emergencies. The number of assaults decreased from 10 (pre) to 1 (post); security intervention decreased from 14 to 1; and restraint use decreased from 8 to 1. MS staffs' level of BERT knowledge and rating of support between MH staff and their staff significantly increased. Both MS and MH nurses rated the BERT as supportive and effective. A BERT can assist with deescalating behavioral emergencies, and improve staff collaboration and patient and staff safety. © 2017 Sigma Theta Tau International.

Using Appreciative Inquiry for an e-Learning Change Management Programme: The ENTICE Project at Brunel University

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murray, Linda A.; Alberts, Philip P.; Stephenson, Julia E.

Brunel University's e-Learning strategy provides direction for the teaching staff, but remains flexible. Although all Schools had engaged with e-Learning in the past, detailed consideration of effective e-Learning and the e-experience of students had not been generally in evidence. We sought to address this gap in the strategic work of schools by implementing a change management program, the major elements of which were the development of a local evidence-base of effectiveness of e-Learning practices and conversations for change. Our program was based on the Appreciative Inquiry (AI) method, which we adapted for this educational context. The aim was to identify the pedagogic value of the diverse range of e-Learning activities already being undertaken and to encourage more widespread use. There was also a longer-term objective of assisting schools to establish or review their own e-Learning strategies and action plans. In terms of the effectiveness of the process, it is evident that the AI methodology was very beneficial. There is greater awareness among academic staff of the range of e-Learning activities that are currently being used in teaching designs of teaching staff at the University and about student use and attitudes to those activities. The evidence provides inputs to the development/review of e-Learning action plans and strategies for each school, usually within the context of the overall school plan.

Understanding Afghan healthcare providers: a qualitative study of the culture of care in a Kabul maternity hospital

PubMed Central

Arnold, R; van Teijlingen, E; Ryan, K; Holloway, I

2015-01-01

Objective To analyse the culture of a Kabul maternity hospital to understand the perspectives of healthcare providers on their roles, experiences, values and motivations and the impact of these determinants on the care of perinatal women and their babies. Design Qualitative ethnographic study. Setting A maternity hospital, Afghanistan. Population Doctors, midwives and care assistants. Methods Six weeks of observation followed by 22 semi-structured interviews and four informal group discussions with staff, two focus group discussions with women and 41 background interviews with Afghan and non-Afghan medical and cultural experts. Main outcome measures The culture of care in an Afghan maternity hospital. Results A large workload, high proportion of complicated cases and poor staff organisation affected the quality of care. Cultural values, social and family pressures influenced the motivation and priorities of healthcare providers. Nepotism and cronyism created inequality in clinical training and support and undermined the authority of management to improve standards of care. Staff without powerful connections were vulnerable in a punitive inequitable environment—fearing humiliation, blame and the loss of employment. Conclusions Suboptimal care put the lives of women and babies at risk and was, in part, the result of conflicting priorities. The underlying motivation of staff appeared to be the socio-economic survival of their own families. The hospital culture closely mirrored the culture and core values of Afghan society. In setting priorities for women's health post-2015 Millennium Development Goals, understanding the context-specific pressures on staff is key to more effective programme interventions and sustainability. PMID:25394518

Pharmacy staff characteristics associated with support for pharmacy-based HIV-testing in pharmacies participating in the New York State Expanded Access Syringe Exchange Program

PubMed Central

Amesty, Silvia; Blaney, Shannon; Crawford, Natalie D.; Rivera, Alexis V.; Fuller, Crystal

2013-01-01

Objective To determine support of in-pharmacy HIV-testing among pharmacy staff and the individual-level characteristics associated with in-pharmacy HIV testing support. Design Descriptive, nonexperimental, cross-sectional study. Setting New York City (NYC) during January 2008 to March 2009. Intervention 131 pharmacies registered in the Expanded Syringe Access Program (ESAP) completed a survey. Participants 480 pharmacy staff, including pharmacists, owners/managers, and technicians/clerks. Main outcome measures Support of in-pharmacy HIV testing. Results Support of in-pharmacy HIV testing is high among pharmacy staff (79.4%). Pharmacy staff that supported in-pharmacy vaccinations were significantly more likely to support in-pharmacy HIV testing. Pharmacy staff that think that selling syringes to IDUs causes the community to be littered with dirty syringes were significantly less likely to support in-pharmacy HIV testing. Conclusion Support for in-pharmacy HIV testing is high among our sample of ESAP pharmacy staff actively involved in non-prescription syringe sales. These findings suggest that active ESAP pharmacy staff may be amenable to providing HIV counseling and testing to injection drug users and warrants further investigation. PMID:22825227

Work Hours Regulations for House Staff in Psychiatry: Bad or Good for Residency Training?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rasminsky, Sonya; Lomonaco, Allison; Auchincloss, Elizabeth

2008-01-01

Objective: The movement to limit work hours for house staff has gained momentum in recent years. The authors set out to review the literature on work hours reform, particularly as it applies to psychiatric residency training, and to provide two different viewpoints on the controversy. Methods: The authors present the historical background of work…

Prerequisite programs and food hygiene in hospitals: food safety knowledge and practices of food service staff in Ankara, Turkey.

PubMed

Bas, Murat; Temel, Mehtap Akçil; Ersun, Azmi Safak; Kivanç, Gökhan

2005-04-01

Our objective was to determine food safety practices related to prerequisite program implementation in hospital food services in Turkey. Staff often lack basic food hygiene knowledge. Problems of implementing HACCP and prerequisite programs in hospitals include lack of food hygiene management training, lack of financial resources, and inadequate equipment and environment.

Strong Schools against Suicidality and Self-Injury: Evaluation of a Workshop for School Staff

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Groschwitz, Rebecca; Munz, Lara; Straub, Joana; Bohnacker, Isabelle; Plener, Paul L.

2017-01-01

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicidality are common among adolescents. School staff are often the first adults to be confronted with those behaviors. However, previous studies have shown a lack of knowledge and confidence in dealing with self-harming behaviors. Objectives of this study were to evaluate a workshop on NSSI and suicidality in…

A Pilot Intervention to Promote Walking and Wellness and to Improve the Health of College Faculty and Staff

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haines, Danell J.; Davis, Liz; Rancour, Patrice; Robinson, Marianne; Neel-Wilson, Trish; Wagner, Susan

2007-01-01

There is a need to investigate novel interventions that promote worksite physical activity and wellness. Objective: The authors' purpose in this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a 12-week walking program supplemented with a pedometer, computer educational program, and weekly e-mails. Methods: College faculty and staff participated in a…

Model of Work-Related Ill Health of Academic Staff in a South African Higher Education Institution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rothmann, S.; Barkhuizen, N.; Tytherleigh, M. Y.

2008-01-01

The objective of this study is to investigate the relationships between burnout, ill health, job demands and resources, and dispositional optimism in a higher education institution in South Africa. A survey design was used. The study population (N = 279) consisted of academic staff working in a higher education institution. The Maslach Burnout…

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Mental Health First Aid Training among Student Affairs Staff at a Canadian University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Massey, Jennifer; Brooks, Meghan; Burrow, Jeff

2014-01-01

This study evaluates the effectiveness of providing the Mental Health First Aid training program to student affairs staff. The objective of the training was to increase knowledge of mental health, enhance sensitivity, and raise confidence to intervene and assist individuals experiencing a mental health issue. We found the training successfully met…

Free and Reduced-Price Meal Application and Income Verification Practices in School Nutrition Programs in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kwon, Junehee; Lee, Yee Ming; Park, Eunhye; Wang, Yujia; Rushing, Keith

2017-01-01

Purpose/Objectives: This study assessed current practices and attitudes of school nutrition program (SNP) management staff regarding free and reduced-price (F-RP) meal application and verification in SNPs. Methods: Stratified, randomly selected 1,500 SNP management staff in 14 states received a link to an online questionnaire and/or a printed…

Dementia-Related Work Activities of Home Care Nurses and Aides: Frequency, Perceived Competence, and Continuing Education Priorities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morgan, Debra G.; Kosteniuk, Julie G.; O'Connell, Megan E.; Dal Bello-Haas, Vanina; Stewart, Norma J.; Karunanayake, Chandima

2016-01-01

An understanding of the specific dementia learning needs of home care staff is needed to plan relevant continuing education (CE) programs and supports. The study's objective was to examine frequency and perceived competence in performing 20 dementia-related work activities, and identify CE priorities among home care staff. A cross-sectional survey…

Staff Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Purcell, Larry O.

Staff development programs and activities are common methods of stimulating change in the behavior of educators. These programs may be designed for a number of purposes, including (1) problem-solving within the local school or district; (2) remediation to develop work-related skills; (3) motivation to change and improve staff; and (4) development…

Integrating Quality Concepts into TAFE Courses.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayton, Geoff; And Others

This document contains the written outcomes from a 1988 project designed to result in the development and integration of instruction on quality into existing Australia's technical and further education (TAFE) courses. The document is intended for TAFE senior staff, staff developers, teaching staff, and curriculum developers; and senior management…

Workforce Development and Renewal in Australian Universities and the Management of Casual Academic Staff

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

May, Robyn; Strachan, Glenda; Peetz, David

2013-01-01

Most undergraduate teaching in Australia's universities is now performed by hourly paid staff, and these casual academics form the majority of the academic teaching workforce in our universities. This recent development has significant implications for the careers and working lives of those staff, for other academic staff, and for students,…

Staff Development: Finding the Right Fit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Standerfer, Leslie

2005-01-01

Three years ago, when the author joined the staff of Agua Fria High School in Phoenix, Arizona, as an assistant principal, she was excited to find that the students' school day started an hour and a half later than normal each Wednesday to provide staff development time for the teaching staff. That first year, however, neither the principal, Bryce…

Implementing a 6-day physiotherapy service in rehabilitation: exploring staff perceptions.

PubMed

Caruana, Erin L; Kuys, Suzanne S; Clarke, Jane; Brauer, Sandra G

2017-11-20

Objective Australian weekend rehabilitation therapy provision is increasing. Staff engagement optimises service delivery. The present mixed-methods process evaluation explored staff perceptions regarding implementation of a 6-day physiotherapy service in a private rehabilitation unit. Methods All multidisciplinary staff working in the rehabilitation unit were surveyed regarding barriers, facilitators and perceptions of the effect of a 6-day physiotherapy service on length of stay (LOS) and patient goal attainment at three time points: before and after implementation, as well as after modification of a 6-day physiotherapy service. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Results Fifty-one staff (50%) responded. Before implementation, all staff identified barriers, the most common being staffing (62%) and patient selection (29%). After implementation, only 30% of staff identified barriers, which differed to those identified before implementation, and included staff rostering and experience (20%), timing of therapy (10%) and increasing the allocation of patients (5%). Over time, staff perceptions changed from being unsure to being positive about the effect of the 6-day service on LOS and patient goal attainment. Conclusion Staff perceived a large number of barriers before implementation of a 6-day rehabilitation service, but these did not eventuate following implementation. Staff perceived improved LOS and patient goal attainment after implementation of a 6-day rehabilitation service incorporating staff feedback. What is known about this topic? Rehabilitation weekend services improve patient quality of life and functional independence while reducing LOS. What does this study add? Staff feedback during implementation and modification of new services is important to address potential barriers and ensure staff satisfaction and support. What are the implications for practitioners? Staff engagement and open communication are important to successfully implement a new service in rehabilitation.

Targeted support and telecare in staffed housing for people with intellectual disabilities: impact on staffing levels and objective lifestyle indicators.

PubMed

Perry, Jonathan; Firth, Caroline; Puppa, Michael; Wilson, Rick; Felce, David

2012-01-01

Increased provision of out-of-family residential support is required because of demographic changes within the intellectual disabilities population. Residential support now has to be provided in a climate requiring both financial constraint and high quality service outcomes. The aim was to evaluate the quality of life consequences of living with less intensive staff support, resulting from the introduction of more targeted staff allocation coupled with telecare. The study comprised 91 participants who lived in 33 settings. The targeted support/telecare intervention was implemented at staggered intervals in 25 of these settings (63 participants). Data on a range of participant and setting descriptors, quality of care, and a range of objective lifestyle indicators were collected at four points in time over 2 years. Impact of the intervention was evaluated using within-group comparisons over time. Comparison between pre- and post-intervention showed that staffing levels were significantly reduced by 23%, whereas they were constant in the absence of intervention. One health indicator improved in the absence of intervention and another improved following intervention. There were no significant changes in any other lifestyle indicators (safety, money, social and community activity, independence or choice). A combination of targeted support and telecare had no adverse short-term affect on participants' quality of life, but reduced staff input so it seems that they have a role to play in the strategic development of out-of-family placements for adults with intellectual disabilities. Further research is needed to explore in more detail how efficiency is achieved in practice. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Hospital Staff Shortage after the 2011 Triple Disaster in Fukushima, Japan-An Earthquake, Tsunamis, and Nuclear Power Plant Accident: A Case of the Soso District.

PubMed

Ochi, Sae; Tsubokura, Masaharu; Kato, Shigeaki; Iwamoto, Shuichi; Ogata, Shinichi; Morita, Tomohiro; Hori, Arinobu; Oikawa, Tomoyoshi; Kikuchi, Antoku; Watanabe, Zenjiro; Kanazawa, Yukio; Kumakawa, Hiromi; Kuma, Yoshinobu; Kumakura, Tetsuo; Inomata, Yoshimitsu; Kami, Masahiro; Shineha, Ryuzaburo; Saito, Yasutoshi

2016-01-01

In 2011, Fukushima was struck by a triple disaster: an earthquake, tsunamis, and a nuclear accident. In the aftermath, there was much fear among hospital staff members about radiation exposure and many staff members failed to report to work. One objective is to measure this shortage in hospital staff and another is to compare the difference in recovery by hospital types and by categories of hospital staff. The monthly records of the number of staff members from May 2011 to September 2012 were extracted anonymously from the records of 7 local hospitals in the Soso district in Fukushima. Change in the number of staff was analyzed. Staff shortages at hospitals reached a maximum within one month after the disaster (47% reported to work). The shortage of clerks was the most severe (38% reported to work), followed by nurses (48% reported to work). The shortages remained even 18 months after the disaster. After a disaster in which the damage to hospital functions surpasses the structural damage, massive support of human resources in the acute phase and a smaller volume of support in the mid-term phase appear to be required, particularly for non-medical staff.

SUPPORTING PRETERM INFANT ATTACHMENT AND SOCIOEMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT: STAFF PERCEPTIONS.

PubMed

Twohig, Aoife; Reulbach, Udo; Figuerdo, Ricardo; McCarthy, Anthony; McNicholas, Fiona; Molloy, Eleanor Joan

2016-01-01

The infant-parent relationship has been shown to be of particular significance to preterm infant socioemotional development. Supporting parents and infants in this process of developing their relationships is an integral part of neonatal intensive care; however, there is limited knowledge of NICU staff perceptions about this aspect of care. To explore NICU staff perceptions about attachment and socioemotional development of preterm infants, experience of training in this area and the emotional impact of their work. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey of staff perceptions of the emotional experiences of parents and the developing parent-infant relationship in an NICU was conducted in a Level III NICU, after pilot testing, revision, and ethical approval. Fifty-seven (68%) of NICU staff responded to the survey. Respondents identified parents' emotional experiences such as "anxiety," "shock," "loss of control," and "lack of feelings of competence as parents" as highly prevalent. Infant cues of "responding to parent's voice" and "quieting-alerting" were ranked most highly; "crying" and "physiological changes" were ranked lowest. Preterm infant medical risk, maternal emotional state, and mental health are perceived to impact most highly on the developing relationship, as compared with infant state or behavior and socioeconomic factors. Fifty-three (93%) respondents felt confident, and 50 (87.8%) felt competent discussing their emotional experiences with parents. Fifty-four (95%) responded that attending to these areas was an integral part of their role; however, staff had seldom received education in this area. Respondents also perceived that specific psychological support for parents was lacking both during and after the infant's discharge. While all staff surveyed perceived the nature of their work to be emotionally stressful, there were differences among NICU staff disciplines and with years of experience in the NICU in terms of their perceptions about education in this area, the place of supervision for staff, and in relation to opportunities to discuss the emotional impact of the work on staff. NICU staff perceive their role as integral to supporting the developing parent-infant relationship and preterm infant socioemotional development; however, education in this area and provision of specific psychological support are lacking. Opportunities for staff to discuss and reflect on this aspect of their work should be developed and evaluated given the essential, but emotionally challenging, nature of their work with preterm babies and their parents. © 2016 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health.

Nursing Home Staffing Requirements and Input Substitution: Effects on Housekeeping, Food Service, and Activities Staff

PubMed Central

Bowblis, John R; Hyer, Kathryn

2013-01-01

Objective To study the effect of minimum nurse staffing requirements on the subsequent employment of nursing home support staff. Data Sources Nursing home data from the Online Survey Certification and Reporting (OSCAR) System merged with state nurse staffing requirements. Study Design Facility-level housekeeping, food service, and activities staff levels are regressed on nurse staffing requirements and other controls using fixed effect panel regression. Data Extraction Method OSCAR surveys from 1999 to 2004. Principal Findings Increases in state direct care and licensed nurse staffing requirements are associated with decreases in the staffing levels of all types of support staff. Conclusions Increased nursing home nurse staffing requirements lead to input substitution in the form of reduced support staffing levels. PMID:23445455

Formalities, good faith, and tissue donation.

PubMed

Helminski, F

1994-10-01

After a patient died in a Veterans Administration hospital, a resident physician asked the next of kin to sign two identical autopsy forms, one of which was stamped "Eye Donor." The family signed, despite orally objecting to donation of tissue. Nevertheless, the patient's eyes were removed because other hospital staff were unaware of the objection. The family sued the hospital and eye bank. The Federal District Court in Minnesota dismissed the case before trial on the basis that both defendants were immune from liability because of the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act. Clear policies communicated to staff and separate autopsy and donation forms can help to avoid confusion and legal difficulties.

Secondhand smoke in psychiatric units: patient and staff misperceptions.

PubMed

Ballbè, Montse; Sureda, Xisca; Martínez-Sánchez, Jose M; Fu, Marcela; Saltó, Esteve; Gual, Antoni; Fernández, Esteve

2015-10-01

Mental health units have usually been exempted from complete smoke-free policies. The aim of this study was to compare the self-reported level of exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) of patients and staff in psychiatric units to objective measures, and examine preference for different types of smoking bans. Cross-sectional survey about ban preferences and self-reported exposure to SHS by means of a self-administered questionnaire administered to patients and staff from 65 inpatient psychiatric units in Catalonia (95.5% of all units). We measured air concentrations of particulate matter ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5 in µg/m(3)) as a marker of SHS in these units. 600 patients and 575 professionals completed the questionnaire. 78.7% of them were objectively exposed to SHS (PM2.5>10 μm/m(3)) but 56.9% of patients and 33.6% of staff believed they were not exposed at all and 41.6% of patients and 28.4% of staff believed the environment was not at all unhealthy. Nurses had a higher smoking prevalence than psychiatrists (35.8% vs 17.2%; p<0.001), and nurses had a higher perception of being moderately highly exposed to SHS (40.3% vs 26.2%; p<0.001). PM2.5 levels were significantly different depending on the type of smoking ban implemented but unrelated to the perception of SHS levels by both patients and staff. Only 29.3% of staff and 14.1% of patients strongly supported total smoking bans. Patients and staff have substantial misperceptions about the extent of their exposure to SHS and low awareness about the harmful environment in which they stay/work. This might have an influence on the preference for less restrictive smoke-free bans. It is particularly noteworthy that less that one-third of mental health staff supported smoke-free units, suggesting an urgent need for further education about the harmful health effects of SHS. 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.

Cyber ACTS/SAASS: A Second Year of Command and Staff College for the Future Leaders of Our Cyber Forces

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-01-01

objectives. The Air Force is struggling to determine the best way of developing offensive and defensive capabilities for cyber warfare . Our warfighting...education (IDE) cyber warfare program at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), located at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. I propose that the Air...Force create a two-year professional military education (PME) path consisting of ACSC followed by AFIT’s cyber warfare program, paralleling the current path of ACSC followed by SAASS.

Orbital transfer vehicle concept definition and system analysis study. Volume 2: OTV concept definition and evaluation. Book 3: Subsystem trade studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dickman, Glen J.

1987-01-01

The technical trade studies and analyses reported in this book represent the accumulated work of the technical staff for the contract period. The general disciplines covered are as follows: (1) Guidance, Navigation, and Control; (2) Avionics Hardware; (3) Aeroassist Technology; (4) Propulsion; (5) Structure and Materials; and (6) Thermal Control Technology. The objectives in each of these areas were to develop the latest data, information, and analyses in support of the vehicle design effort.

A Triangular Teaching Process: Using Mass Communication as a Media to Integrate Vocational and Academic Curricula through Cooperative Efforts of a Public High School, a Vocational School, and a Four Year College. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

List, Frank A.

In order to offer students guidance about the rapidly increasing field of communications, Apollo High School developed a cooperative radio and television communication program to be added to the English curriculum. The objectives of the project were (1) to utilize the expertise of the staff and the resources of Apollo High School, the Daviess…

Cooking and Staff Development: A Blend of Training and Experience.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koll, Patricia; Anderson, Jim

1982-01-01

The making of a staff developer combines deliberate, systematic training and an accumulation of knowledge, skills, and assumptions based on experience. Staff developers must understand school practices and adult learning theory, shared decision-making and organization of support, and be flexible, creative, and committed to their work. (PP)

When Teachers Take Staff Development Personally

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCarthy, Ellen H.

2005-01-01

School administrators, eager to raise student achievement levels to meet the requirements of President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act, are increasingly looking to staff development for the purpose of enhancing student achievement. How would it be possible for staff development to be more effective than it now is? Mountain View Alternative High…

Issues in Staff Development. A Collection of Conference Papers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

London Univ. (England). Inst. of Education.

Papers and discussions presented at a British Staff Development in Universities program conference are reported in this collection. Focus was on the role of staff development units, courses and activities concerned with both teaching and administration, and information services. Topics and authors or reporters are: "The Longer Reach," by…

Targets of Opportunity: Strategies for Managing a Staff Development Consortium.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parsons, Michael H.

The Appalachian Staff Development Consortium, comprised of three community colleges and the state college located in Appalachian Maryland, attempts to integrate staff development activities into the operational framework of the sponsoring agencies. The consortium, which is managed by a steering committee composed of one teaching faculty member and…

How Adults Read. A Staff Development Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rance-Roney, Judith A.; Ditmars, Jane W.

This textbook/sourcebook and accompanying trainer's guide, which were issued as part of a project to republish important staff development project reports/materials, are updated and repackaged versions of a staff development curriculum in adult literacy and learning. The first part of the sourcebook contains 20 "keys" or quick overviews…

Seeing Through the Fog: The Evolution of Problem Framing in United States Army Decision-Making Doctrine

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-05-22

Commander and Staff 2: Mission Analysis 3: Mission analysis 3: Course of Action (COA) Development 4: Staff Estimates 4: COA Analysis 5: Commander’s...Commander and Staff 2: Mission Analysis 2: Mission Analysis 3: Mission analysis 3: Course of Action (COA) Development 3: Course of Action (COA... Development 4: Staff Estimates 4: COA Analysis 4: COA Analysis 5: Commander’s Estimate 5: COA Comparison 5: COA Comparison 6: Preparation

“It is a thin line to walk on”: Challenges of staff working at Swedish immigration detention centres

PubMed Central

Puthoopparambil, Soorej J.; Ahlberg, Beth M.; Bjerneld, Magdalena

2015-01-01

Detention of irregular migrants awaiting deportation is widely practiced in many countries and has been shown to have profound negative impact on health and well-being of detainees. Detention staff, an integral part of the detention environment, affect and are affected by detainees’ health and well-being. The objective of the study was to explore experiences of staff working at Swedish immigration detention centres. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with staff in three Swedish detention centres and were analysed using thematic analysis. The results indicate that the main challenge for the staff was to manage the emotional dilemma entailed in working as migration officers and simultaneously fellow human beings whose task was to implement deportation decisions while being expected to provide humane service to detainees. They tried to manage their dilemma by balancing the two roles, but still found it challenging. Among the staff, there was a high perception of fear of physical threat from detainees that made detention a stressful environment. Limited interaction between the staff and detainees was a reason for this. There is thus a need to support detention staff to improve their interaction with detainees in order to decrease their fear, manage their emotional dilemma, and provide better service to detainees. It is important to address staff challenges in order to ensure better health and well-being for both staff and detainees. PMID:25833827

Strengthening molecular genetics and training in craniosynostosis: The need of the hour

PubMed Central

Barik, Mayadhar; Bajpai, Minu; Panda, Shasanka Shekhar; Malhotra, Arun; Samantaray, Jyotish Chandra; Dwivedi, Sada Nanda

2014-01-01

Craniosynostosis (CS) is premature fusion of skull. It is divided into two groups: Syndromic craniosynostosis (SCS) and non-syndromic craniosynostosis (NSC). Its incidence in Indian population is 1:1000 live births where as in the USA it is 1:2500 live births. Its incidence varies from country to country. Molecular genetics having great interest and relevance in medical students, faculty, scientist, pediatric neurosurgeon and staff nurses, our objective was to educate the medical students, residents, researchers, clinicians, pediatric neurosurgeon, anesthetists, pediatricians, staff nurses and paramedics. We summarized here including with diagnosis, investigations, surgical therapy, induction therapy, and molecular therapy. Molecular genetics training is needed to know the information regarding development of skull, cranial connective tissue, craniofacial dysplasia, frame work, network of receptors and its etiopathogenesis. The important part is clinically with molecular therapy (MT) how to manage CS in rural sector and metropolitan cities need a special attention. PMID:25288859

Strengthening molecular genetics and training in craniosynostosis: The need of the hour.

PubMed

Barik, Mayadhar; Bajpai, Minu; Panda, Shasanka Shekhar; Malhotra, Arun; Samantaray, Jyotish Chandra; Dwivedi, Sada Nanda

2014-10-01

Craniosynostosis (CS) is premature fusion of skull. It is divided into two groups: Syndromic craniosynostosis (SCS) and non-syndromic craniosynostosis (NSC). Its incidence in Indian population is 1:1000 live births where as in the USA it is 1:2500 live births. Its incidence varies from country to country. Molecular genetics having great interest and relevance in medical students, faculty, scientist, pediatric neurosurgeon and staff nurses, our objective was to educate the medical students, residents, researchers, clinicians, pediatric neurosurgeon, anesthetists, pediatricians, staff nurses and paramedics. We summarized here including with diagnosis, investigations, surgical therapy, induction therapy, and molecular therapy. Molecular genetics training is needed to know the information regarding development of skull, cranial connective tissue, craniofacial dysplasia, frame work, network of receptors and its etiopathogenesis. The important part is clinically with molecular therapy (MT) how to manage CS in rural sector and metropolitan cities need a special attention.

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

Abbott, Jennifer; Sandberg, Tami

The Wind-Wildlife Impacts Literature Database (WILD), formerly known as the Avian Literature Database, was created in 1997. The goal of the database was to begin tracking the research that detailed the potential impact of wind energy development on birds. The Avian Literature Database was originally housed on a proprietary platform called Livelink ECM from Open- Text and maintained by in-house technical staff. The initial set of records was added by library staff. A vital part of the newly launched Drupal-based WILD database is the Bibliography module. Many of the resources included in the database have digital object identifiers (DOI). Themore » bibliographic information for any item that has a DOI can be imported into the database using this module. This greatly reduces the amount of manual data entry required to add records to the database. The content available in WILD is international in scope, which can be easily discerned by looking at the tags available in the browse menu.« less

The ethics of dysfunctional professional relationships.

PubMed

Jones, James W; McCullough, Laurence B

2016-06-01

Dr N, the chief surgeon at a large private hospital who has been practicing there for decades, has noted recent changes in the administration that are troubling. Multiple advertisements proclaim awards that have not been achieved and various ads employed actors pretending to be patients experiencing miracle cures. Pressures on medical staff to practice more efficiently have become overbearing. Changes in bundling Medicare postoperative care have raised questions about future patient selection. There is a lack of transparency with minimal physician input. The much respected chief-of-staff has moved into the administrative side and no longer advocates for the professionalism of the staff. When Dr N meets with the chief-of-staff and objects to these changes, the chief of staff calls Dr N a complainer and tells him to forget about it. Nothing is done. Copyright © 2016 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An Integrated Model of Patient and Staff Satisfaction Using Queuing Theory

PubMed Central

Mousavi, Ali; Clarkson, P. John; Young, Terry

2015-01-01

This paper investigates the connection between patient satisfaction, waiting time, staff satisfaction, and service time. It uses a variety of models to enable improvement against experiential and operational health service goals. Patient satisfaction levels are estimated using a model based on waiting (waiting times). Staff satisfaction levels are estimated using a model based on the time spent with patients (service time). An integrated model of patient and staff satisfaction, the effective satisfaction level model, is then proposed (using queuing theory). This links patient satisfaction, waiting time, staff satisfaction, and service time, connecting two important concepts, namely, experience and efficiency in care delivery and leading to a more holistic approach in designing and managing health services. The proposed model will enable healthcare systems analysts to objectively and directly relate elements of service quality to capacity planning. Moreover, as an instrument used jointly by healthcare commissioners and providers, it affords the prospect of better resource allocation. PMID:27170899

An Integrated Model of Patient and Staff Satisfaction Using Queuing Theory.

PubMed

Komashie, Alexander; Mousavi, Ali; Clarkson, P John; Young, Terry

2015-01-01

This paper investigates the connection between patient satisfaction, waiting time, staff satisfaction, and service time. It uses a variety of models to enable improvement against experiential and operational health service goals. Patient satisfaction levels are estimated using a model based on waiting (waiting times). Staff satisfaction levels are estimated using a model based on the time spent with patients (service time). An integrated model of patient and staff satisfaction, the effective satisfaction level model, is then proposed (using queuing theory). This links patient satisfaction, waiting time, staff satisfaction, and service time, connecting two important concepts, namely, experience and efficiency in care delivery and leading to a more holistic approach in designing and managing health services. The proposed model will enable healthcare systems analysts to objectively and directly relate elements of service quality to capacity planning. Moreover, as an instrument used jointly by healthcare commissioners and providers, it affords the prospect of better resource allocation.

Development Project (2001-2004) of School Staff and Occupational Health Nurses as a Promoter of Occupational Wellbeing--Staff's Evaluations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saaranen, Terhi; Tossavainen, Kerttu; Turunen, Hannele; Naumanen, Paula

2007-01-01

This article reports on school staff's and occupational health nurses' development project (2001-2004), which aimed to promote school staff's occupational wellbeing by activities to maintain the ability to work in 12 comprehensive schools in Finland. The effects of the project were evaluated based on a follow-up study questionnaire presented to…

Communicating about Death and Dying: Developing Training for Staff Working in Services for People with Intellectual Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tuffrey-Wijne, Irene; Rose, Tracey; Grant, Robert; Wijne, Astrid

2017-01-01

Background: Many people with intellectual disabilities are affected by death, yet conversations about death are often avoided by staff working with them. This study aimed to assess staff training needs and to develop, trial and evaluate a training course on communicating about death and dying. Method:(i) Semi-structured interviews with 20 staff in…

Development and perceived effects of an educational programme on quality and safety in medication handling in residential facilities.

PubMed

Mygind, Anna; El-Souri, Mira; Rossing, Charlotte; Thomsen, Linda Aagaard

2018-04-01

To develop and test an educational programme on quality and safety in medication handling for staff in residential facilities for the disabled. The continuing pharmacy education instructional design model was used to develop the programme with 22 learning objectives on disease and medicines, quality and safety, communication and coordination. The programme was a flexible, modular seven + two days' course addressing quality and safety in medication handling, disease and medicines, and medication supervision and reconciliation. The programme was tested in five Danish municipalities. Municipalities were selected based on their application for participation; each independently selected a facility for residents with mental and intellectual disabilities, and a facility for residents with severe mental illnesses. Perceived effects were measured based on a questionnaire completed by participants before and after the programme. Effects on motivation and confidence as well as perceived effects on knowledge, skills and competences related to medication handling, patient empowerment, communication, role clarification and safety culture were analysed conducting bivariate, stratified analyses and test for independence. Of the 114 participants completing the programme, 75 participants returned both questionnaires (response rate = 66%). Motivation and confidence regarding quality and safety in medication handling significantly improved, as did perceived knowledge, skills and competences on 20 learning objectives on role clarification, safety culture, medication handling, patient empowerment and communication. The programme improved staffs' motivation and confidence and their perceived ability to handle residents' medication safely through improved role clarification, safety culture, medication handling and patient empowerment and communication skills. © 2017 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

Clinician Telephone Training to Reduce Family Tobacco Use: Analysis of Transcribed Recordings

PubMed Central

Walters, Bethany Hipple; Ossip, Deborah J.; Drehmer, Jeremy E.; Nabi-Burza, Emara; Whitmore, Regina; Gorzkowski, Julie; Winickoff, Jonathan P.

2018-01-01

Background Family tobacco use and exposure are significant threats to the health of children and their families. However, few pediatric clinicians address family tobacco use and exposure in a routine and effective manner. The Clinical Effort Against Secondhand Smoke Exposure (CEASE) intervention was developed to tackle this gap between clinical need and clinical practice. Objective To review the main considerations and questions that clinicians and office staff expressed during telephone training to participate in CEASE. Methods This study was conducted in pediatric practices in 5 US states. Practices were recruited by the American Academy of Pediatrics (10 intervention, 10 control). Ten training calls were recorded and transcribed. The data was then coded inductively based on themes found in the transcripts. Results The data revealed that clinicians and staff were concerned about prescribing, dosing, and insurance coverage of nicotine replacement therapy; motivation for and methods to help families become tobacco-free; and the impact of the intervention on practice operations. Conclusion While the majority of clinicians and office staff were interested and enthusiastic about helping families become tobacco-free, they expressed concerns that could threaten implementation of family tobacco control strategies. PMID:29497272

Peer assisted learning: teaching dental skills and enhancing graduate attributes.

PubMed

Cameron, D A; Binnie, V I; Sherriff, A; Bissell, V

2015-09-25

This study describes a pilot project in which peer assisted learning (PAL) is used to teach dental clinical skills. A cluster randomised controlled trial compared opinions of Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) students from peer-led groups versus staff-led groups in a clinical (impression taking) and a pre-clinical (handpiece skills) task. BDS5 (peer tutors) in their final year delivered teaching to BDS1 (tutees) for each task. Quantitative data from tutees and the peer tutors was gathered from questionnaires, along with open written comments. PAL was well received by both tutees and peer tutors. BDS1 tutees rated BDS5 peer tutors highly for delivery of information, and level of feedback. The tutees considered peer tutors more approachable and less intimidating than staff. Peer tutors reported their own knowledge had increased as a result of teaching. In a summative OSCE (objective structured clinical examination) four months following the teaching, no statistical significant difference between the performance of peer-led and staff-led groups was found at stations related to the subject matter in question. It is argued that PAL, as well as being a useful method of delivering subject-specific teaching, is able to contribute to the development of graduate attributes.

An integrative review of graduate transition programmes: Developmental considerations for nursing management.

PubMed

Bakon, Shannon; Craft, Judy; Wirihana, Lisa; Christensen, Martin; Barr, Jennie; Tsai, Lily

2018-01-01

Graduate transition programmes have been developed to recruit new nursing staff and facilitate an effective transition from nursing student to Registered Nurse within the clinical environment. Therefore the aim of this paper was to explore the various elements included in nursing graduate transition programmes. An integrative review was undertaken incorporating a strict inclusion criterion, critical appraisal, and thematic analysis of 30 studies. There are numerous transition programmes available yet there remains a lack of transparency regarding their aims/objectives, course content, support timeframe and the type of support provided. This inconsistency has resulted in a lack of clarity regarding efficacy or superiority of any one programme over another. Innovative multifaceted programs may assist in supporting the graduate registered nurse to transition effectively into the clinical environment. Providing these support programmes may allow nurse managers to recruit new graduates and therefore decrease the staff budget expenditure. No graduate programme was shown to be superior to others yet graduate programmes appear to positively influence the experience of the graduate and increase staff recruitment. Comparative research is needed to ascertain the integral components of these programmes. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Implementing Evidence-Based Practice in Community Mental Health Agencies: A Multiple Stakeholder Analysis

PubMed Central

Wells, Rebecca S.; Zagursky, Karen; Fettes, Danielle L.; Palinkas, Lawrence A.

2009-01-01

Objectives. We sought to identify factors believed to facilitate or hinder evidence-based practice (EBP) implementation in public mental health service systems as a step in developing theory to be tested in future studies. Methods. Focusing across levels of an entire large public sector mental health service system for youths, we engaged participants from 6 stakeholder groups: county officials, agency directors, program managers, clinical staff, administrative staff, and consumers. Results. Participants generated 105 unique statements identifying implementation barriers and facilitators. Participants rated each statement on importance and changeability (i.e., the degree to which each barrier or facilitator is considered changeable). Data analyses distilled statements into 14 factors or dimensions. Descriptive analyses suggest that perceptions of importance and changeability varied across stakeholder groups. Conclusions. Implementation of EBP is a complex process. Cross-system–level approaches are needed to bring divergent and convergent perspectives to light. Examples include agency and program directors facilitating EBP implementation by supporting staff, actively sharing information with policymakers and administrators about EBP effectiveness and fit with clients' needs and preferences, and helping clinicians to present and deliver EBPs and address consumer concerns. PMID:19762654

NRC Monitoring of Salt Waste Disposal at the Savannah River Site - 13147

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

Pinkston, Karen E.; Ridge, A. Christianne; Alexander, George W.

2013-07-01

As part of monitoring required under Section 3116 of the Ronald W. Reagan National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005 (NDAA), the NRC staff reviewed an updated DOE performance assessment (PA) for salt waste disposal at the Saltstone Disposal Facility (SDF). The NRC staff concluded that it has reasonable assurance that waste disposal at the SDF meets the 10 CFR 61 performance objectives for protection of individuals against intrusion (chap.61.42), protection of individuals during operations (chap.61.43), and site stability (chap.61.44). However, based on its evaluation of DOE's results and independent sensitivity analyses conducted with DOE's models, the NRC staffmore » concluded that it did not have reasonable assurance that DOE's disposal activities at the SDF meet the performance objective for protection of the general population from releases of radioactivity (chap.61.41) evaluated at a dose limit of 0.25 mSv/yr (25 mrem/yr) total effective dose equivalent (TEDE). NRC staff also concluded that the potential dose to a member of the public is expected to be limited (i.e., is expected to be similar to or less than the public dose limit in chap.20.1301 of 1 mSv/yr [100 mrem/yr] TEDE) and is expected to occur many years after site closure. The NRC staff used risk insights gained from review of the SDF PA, its experience monitoring DOE disposal actions at the SDF over the last 5 years, as well as independent analysis and modeling to identify factors that are important to assessing whether DOE's disposal actions meet the performance objectives. Many of these factors are similar to factors identified in the NRC staff's 2005 review of salt waste disposal at the SDF. Key areas of interest continue to be waste form and disposal unit degradation, the effectiveness of infiltration and erosion controls, and estimation of the radiological inventory. Based on these factors, NRC is revising its plan for monitoring salt waste disposal at the SDF in coordination with South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC). DOE has completed or begun additional work related to salt waste disposal to address these factors. NRC staff continues to evaluate information related to the performance of the SDF and has been working with DOE and SCDHEC to resolve NRC staff's technical concerns. (authors)« less

Evaluation of an educational "toolbox" for improving nursing staff competence and psychosocial work environment in elderly care: results of a prospective, non-randomized controlled intervention.

PubMed

Arnetz, J E; Hasson, H

2007-07-01

Lack of professional development opportunities among nursing staff is a major concern in elderly care and has been associated with work dissatisfaction and staff turnover. There is a lack of prospective, controlled studies evaluating the effects of educational interventions on nursing competence and work satisfaction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible effects of an educational "toolbox" intervention on nursing staff ratings of their competence, psychosocial work environment and overall work satisfaction. The study was a prospective, non-randomized, controlled intervention. Nursing staff in two municipal elderly care organizations in western Sweden. In an initial questionnaire survey, nursing staff in the intervention municipality described several areas in which they felt a need for competence development. Measurement instruments and educational materials for improving staff knowledge and work practices were then collated by researchers and managers in a "toolbox." Nursing staff ratings of their competence and work were measured pre and post-intervention by questionnaire. Staff ratings in the intervention municipality were compared to staff ratings in the reference municipality, where no toolbox was introduced. Nursing staff ratings of their competence and psychosocial work environment, including overall work satisfaction, improved significantly over time in the intervention municipality, compared to the reference group. Both competence and work environment ratings were largely unchanged among reference municipality staff. Multivariate analysis revealed a significant interaction effect between municipalities over time for nursing staff ratings of participation, leadership, performance feedback and skills' development. Staff ratings for these four scales improved significantly in the intervention municipality as compared to the reference municipality. Compared to a reference municipality, nursing staff ratings of their competence and the psychosocial work environment improved in the municipality where the toolbox was introduced.

Community/hospital indicators in South African public sector mental health services.

PubMed

Lund, Crick; Flisher, Alan J

2003-12-01

The need to balance resources between community and hospital-based mental health services in the post-deinstitutionalisation era has been well-documented. However, few indicators have been developed to monitor the relationship between community and hospital services, in either developed or developing countries. There is a particular need for such indicators in the South African context, with its history of inequitable services based in custodial institutions under apartheid, and a new policy that proposes the development of more equitable community-based care. Indicators are needed to measure the distribution of resources and the relative utilisation of community and hospital-based services during the reform process. These indicators are potentially useful for assessing the implementation of policy objectives over time. To develop and document community/hospital indicators in public sector mental health services in South Africa. A questionnaire was distributed to provincial mental health coordinators requesting numbers of full-time equivalent (FTE) staff who provide mental health care at all service levels, annual patient admissions to hospitals and annual patient attendances at ambulatory care facilities. The information was supplemented by consultations with mental health coordinators in each of the 9 provinces. Population data were obtained from preliminary findings of the 1996 census. The community/hospital indicator measuring staff distribution was defined as the ratio of staff employed in community settings to all staff, expressed as a percentage. The community/hospital indicator measuring patient service utilisation was defined as the ratio of the annual ambulatory care attendance rate per 100,000 population to the sum of this rate and the annual hospital admission rate per 100,000 population, expressed as a percentage. Of psychiatric public sector staff, 25% are located in community settings in South Africa (provincial range: 11-70%). If hospital outpatient services are included in the definition of ' 'hospital' ', this figure is reduced to 17% (provincial range: 3-56%). In terms of service utilisation, 66% of patient contacts with mental health services occur through ambulatory care services in South Africa (provincial range: 44-93%). Community/hospital staff distribution indicates an overemphasis on centralised hospital-based care in most provinces and inadequate hospital care in certain provinces. Patterns of patient service utilisation indicate an over-reliance on central hospital-based services and substantial unmet need. The findings draw attention to problems in information systems for mental health care in South Africa. The community/hospital indicators developed for this study form a useful measure for assessing the implementation of mental health policy over time. For the South African context, the community/hospital indicators are a measure of the extent of resource redistribution from hospital to community services and changing patterns of service utilisation over time. Currently, patterns of resource distribution and service utilisation are inconsistent with government policy. Further research is needed into the development of mental health information systems, refining service indicators and improving methodologies for assessing the implementation of mental health policies in service delivery.

STATS SRS v11.0

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

Piscotty, M A; Nazario, O L

2007-06-20

The objective of this project is the delivery of an application that will provide a unified, web-based system for collecting, verifying and analyzing the achievements for Laboratory employees. The application will enable individual Directorates to manage and report achievement record data for their employees using an LLNL standard web browser. In addition, cross directorate data reporting and analysis will be available for such organizations as LSTO and programmatic directorates. This system is intended to store reference data and metadata for employee achievements. Abstracts and entire publications will not be stored in this system.Directorates are expected to use this system atmore » all levels of management in preparing for Annual Self-Assessments, peer reviews, LDRD reviews, work force reviews, performance appraisals, and requests from sponsors. This document represents the primary deliverable for the Requirements Definition stage of system development. As part of a successful Requirements Definition, this document provides the development staff, the project sponsor, and the user community with a clear understanding of the product's operational, data, and other requirements. With this understanding, the development staff will take the opportunity to refine estimates regarding the cost, schedule, and deliverables reflected in it.« less

Incident Management Systems and Building Emergency Management Capacity during the 2014-2016 Ebola Epidemic - Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea.

PubMed

Brooks, Jennifer C; Pinto, Meredith; Gill, Adrienne; Hills, Katherine E; Murthy, Shivani; Podgornik, Michelle N; Hernandez, Luis F; Rose, Dale A; Angulo, Frederick J; Rzeszotarski, Peter

2016-07-08

Establishing a functional incident management system (IMS) is important in the management of public health emergencies. In response to the 2014-2016 Ebola virus disease (Ebola) epidemic in West Africa, CDC established the Emergency Management Development Team (EMDT) to coordinate technical assistance for developing emergency management capacity in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. EMDT staff, deployed staff, and partners supported each country to develop response goals and objectives, identify gaps in response capabilities, and determine strategies for coordinating response activities. To monitor key programmatic milestones and assess changes in emergency management and response capacities over time, EMDT implemented three data collection methods in country: coordination calls, weekly written situation reports, and an emergency management dashboard tool. On the basis of the information collected, EMDT observed improvements in emergency management capacity over time in all three countries. The collaborations in each country yielded IMS structures that streamlined response and laid the foundation for long-term emergency management programs.The activities summarized in this report would not have been possible without collaboration with many U.S and international partners (http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/2014-west-africa/partners.html).

Creating an effort tracking tool to improve therapeutic cancer clinical trials workload management and budgeting.

PubMed

James, Pam; Bebee, Patty; Beekman, Linda; Browning, David; Innes, Mathew; Kain, Jeannie; Royce-Westcott, Theresa; Waldinger, Marcy

2011-11-01

Quantifying data management and regulatory workload for clinical research is a difficult task that would benefit from a robust tool to assess and allocate effort. As in most clinical research environments, The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMCCC) Clinical Trials Office (CTO) struggled to effectively allocate data management and regulatory time with frequently inaccurate estimates of how much time was required to complete the specific tasks performed by each role. In a dynamic clinical research environment in which volume and intensity of work ebbs and flows, determining requisite effort to meet study objectives was challenging. In addition, a data-driven understanding of how much staff time was required to complete a clinical trial was desired to ensure accurate trial budget development and effective cost recovery. Accordingly, the UMCCC CTO developed and implemented a Web-based effort-tracking application with the goal of determining the true costs of data management and regulatory staff effort in clinical trials. This tool was developed, implemented, and refined over a 3-year period. This article describes the process improvement and subsequent leveling of workload within data management and regulatory that enhanced the efficiency of UMCCC's clinical trials operation.

WE-FG-201-01: Patient Centric Technologies for Diagnosis of Breast and Cervical Cancer

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

Ramanujam, N.

Many low- and middle-income countries lack the resources and services to manage cancer, from screening and diagnosis to radiation therapy planning, treatment and quality assurance. The challenges in upgrading or introducing the needed services are enormous, and include severe shortages in equipment and trained staff. In this symposium, we will describe examples of technology and scientific research that have the potential to impact all these areas. These include: (1) the development of high-quality/low-cost colposcopes for cervical cancer screening, (2) the application of automated radiotherapy treatment planning to reduce staffing shortages, (3) the development of a novel radiotherapy treatment unit, andmore » (4) utilizing a cloud-based infrastructure to facilitate collaboration and QA. Learning Objectives: Understand some of the issues in cancer care in low- resource environments, including shortages in staff and equipment, and inadequate physical infrastructure for advanced radiotherapy. Understand the challenges in developing and deploying diagnostic and treatment devices and services for low-resource environments. Understand some of the emerging technological solutions for cancer management in LMICs. NCI; L. Court, NIH, Varian, Elekta; I. Feain, Ilana Feain is founder and CTO of Nano-X Pty Ltd.« less

WE-FG-201-00: High Impact Technologies for Low Resource Environments

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

NONE

Many low- and middle-income countries lack the resources and services to manage cancer, from screening and diagnosis to radiation therapy planning, treatment and quality assurance. The challenges in upgrading or introducing the needed services are enormous, and include severe shortages in equipment and trained staff. In this symposium, we will describe examples of technology and scientific research that have the potential to impact all these areas. These include: (1) the development of high-quality/low-cost colposcopes for cervical cancer screening, (2) the application of automated radiotherapy treatment planning to reduce staffing shortages, (3) the development of a novel radiotherapy treatment unit, andmore » (4) utilizing a cloud-based infrastructure to facilitate collaboration and QA. Learning Objectives: Understand some of the issues in cancer care in low- resource environments, including shortages in staff and equipment, and inadequate physical infrastructure for advanced radiotherapy. Understand the challenges in developing and deploying diagnostic and treatment devices and services for low-resource environments. Understand some of the emerging technological solutions for cancer management in LMICs. NCI; L. Court, NIH, Varian, Elekta; I. Feain, Ilana Feain is founder and CTO of Nano-X Pty Ltd.« less

WE-FG-201-03: Lean Innovation Transforming Global Access to Best Practice Radiotherapy Treatment

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

Feain, I.

Many low- and middle-income countries lack the resources and services to manage cancer, from screening and diagnosis to radiation therapy planning, treatment and quality assurance. The challenges in upgrading or introducing the needed services are enormous, and include severe shortages in equipment and trained staff. In this symposium, we will describe examples of technology and scientific research that have the potential to impact all these areas. These include: (1) the development of high-quality/low-cost colposcopes for cervical cancer screening, (2) the application of automated radiotherapy treatment planning to reduce staffing shortages, (3) the development of a novel radiotherapy treatment unit, andmore » (4) utilizing a cloud-based infrastructure to facilitate collaboration and QA. Learning Objectives: Understand some of the issues in cancer care in low- resource environments, including shortages in staff and equipment, and inadequate physical infrastructure for advanced radiotherapy. Understand the challenges in developing and deploying diagnostic and treatment devices and services for low-resource environments. Understand some of the emerging technological solutions for cancer management in LMICs. NCI; L. Court, NIH, Varian, Elekta; I. Feain, Ilana Feain is founder and CTO of Nano-X Pty Ltd.« less

WE-FG-201-02: Automated Treatment Planning for Low-Resource Settings

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

Court, L.

Many low- and middle-income countries lack the resources and services to manage cancer, from screening and diagnosis to radiation therapy planning, treatment and quality assurance. The challenges in upgrading or introducing the needed services are enormous, and include severe shortages in equipment and trained staff. In this symposium, we will describe examples of technology and scientific research that have the potential to impact all these areas. These include: (1) the development of high-quality/low-cost colposcopes for cervical cancer screening, (2) the application of automated radiotherapy treatment planning to reduce staffing shortages, (3) the development of a novel radiotherapy treatment unit, andmore » (4) utilizing a cloud-based infrastructure to facilitate collaboration and QA. Learning Objectives: Understand some of the issues in cancer care in low- resource environments, including shortages in staff and equipment, and inadequate physical infrastructure for advanced radiotherapy. Understand the challenges in developing and deploying diagnostic and treatment devices and services for low-resource environments. Understand some of the emerging technological solutions for cancer management in LMICs. NCI; L. Court, NIH, Varian, Elekta; I. Feain, Ilana Feain is founder and CTO of Nano-X Pty Ltd.« less

WE-FG-201-04: Cloud-Based Collaboration for Radiotherapy Clinical Trials, Research and Training

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

Palta, J.

Many low- and middle-income countries lack the resources and services to manage cancer, from screening and diagnosis to radiation therapy planning, treatment and quality assurance. The challenges in upgrading or introducing the needed services are enormous, and include severe shortages in equipment and trained staff. In this symposium, we will describe examples of technology and scientific research that have the potential to impact all these areas. These include: (1) the development of high-quality/low-cost colposcopes for cervical cancer screening, (2) the application of automated radiotherapy treatment planning to reduce staffing shortages, (3) the development of a novel radiotherapy treatment unit, andmore » (4) utilizing a cloud-based infrastructure to facilitate collaboration and QA. Learning Objectives: Understand some of the issues in cancer care in low- resource environments, including shortages in staff and equipment, and inadequate physical infrastructure for advanced radiotherapy. Understand the challenges in developing and deploying diagnostic and treatment devices and services for low-resource environments. Understand some of the emerging technological solutions for cancer management in LMICs. NCI; L. Court, NIH, Varian, Elekta; I. Feain, Ilana Feain is founder and CTO of Nano-X Pty Ltd.« less

An Examination of the Perceived Importance and Skills Related to Policies and Policy Making Among State Public Health Injury Prevention Staff

PubMed Central

Chapple-McGruder, Theresa; Castrucci, Brian; Wingate, Martha Slay; Hilson, Renata; Mendez, Dara; Cilenti, Dorothy; Raskind, Ilana

2018-01-01

Objective: The purpose of this research is to use the Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey to assess in greater detail state injury prevention staff perceptions of policy development and related skills and their awareness and perception of “Health in All Policies” (HiAP). Design: The Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey gauged public health practitioners' perspectives on workplace environment, job satisfaction, national trends, and training needs, and gathered demographics on the workforce. This study utilizes data from the state health agency frame only, focusing solely on those permanently employed, central office staff in injury prevention. Respondents were sampled from 5 paired Health and Human Services regions. Setting/Participants: Approximately 25 000 invitations were sent to central office employees. The response rate was 46% (n = 10 246). The analysis in this article includes only injury prevention employees with programmatic roles, excluding clerical and custodial staff, providing us with a total of 97 respondents. When weighted, this resulted in a weighted population size of 365 injury prevention workers. Main Outcome Measures: The main outcome measures include demographics, responses to understanding of and skill levels related to policy development, and perceptions of HiAP public health trend. Results: State injury prevention workers reported lower policy-making skill but had an overall appreciation of the importance of policies. In general, state injury prevention workers heard of HiAP, thought there should be more emphasis on it, but did not think that HiAP would have an impact on their day-to-day work. Conclusions/Implications for Policy and Practice: Efforts are needed for all state injury prevention workers to become better skilled in policy development, implementation, and evaluation in order to become stronger injury prevention advocates and role models. PMID:28885320

The impact of the Dementia ABC educational programme on competence in person-centred dementia care and job satisfaction of care staff.

PubMed

Rokstad, Anne Marie Mork; Døble, Betty Sandvik; Engedal, Knut; Kirkevold, Øyvind; Benth, Jūratė Šaltytė; Selbaek, Geir

2017-06-01

The objective of the study was to evaluate the impact of the Dementia ABC educational programme on the participants' competence in person-centred care and on their level of job satisfaction. The development of person-centred care for people with dementia is highly recommended, and staff training that enhances such an approach may positively influence job satisfaction and the possibility of recruiting and retaining competent care staff. The study is a longitudinal survey, following participants over a period of 24 months with a 6-month follow-up after completion of the programme. A total of 1,795 participants from 90 municipalities in Norway are included, and 580 from 52 municipalities completed all measurements. The person-centred care assessment tool (P-CAT) is used to evaluate person-centredness. The psychosocial workplace environment and job satisfaction questionnaire is used to investigate job satisfaction. Measurements are made at baseline, and after 12, 24 and 30 months. A statistically significant increase in the mean P-CAT subscore of person-centred practice and the P-CAT total score is found at 12, 24 and 30 months compared to baseline. A statistically significant decrease in scores in the P-CAT subscore for organisational support is found at all points of measurement compared to baseline. Statistically significant increases in satisfaction with workload, personal and professional development, demands balanced with qualifications and variation in job tasks as elements of job satisfaction are reported. The evaluation of the Dementia ABC educational programme identifies statistically significant increases in scores of person-centredness and job satisfaction, indicating that the training has a positive impact. The results indicate that a multicomponent training programme including written material, multidisciplinary reflection groups and workshops has a positive impact on the development of person-centred care practice and the job satisfaction of care staff. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Infection Control Practice in the Operating Room: Staff Adherence to Existing Policies in a Developing Country

PubMed Central

Cawich, Shamir O; Tennant, Ingrid A; McGaw, Clarence D; Harding, Hyacinth; Walters, Christine A; Crandon, Ivor W

2013-01-01

Context: Infection control interventions are important for containing surgery-related infections. For this reason, the modern operating room (OR) should have well-developed infection control policies. The efficacy of these policies depends on how well the OR staff adhere to them. There is a lack of available data documenting adherence to infection control policies. Objective: To evaluate OR staff adherence to existing infection control policies in Jamaica. Methods: We administered a questionnaire to all OR staff to assess their training, knowledge of local infection control protocols, and practice with regard to 8 randomly selected guidelines. Adherence to each guideline was rated with fixed-choice items on a 4-point Likert scale. The sum of points determined the adherence score. Two respondent groups were defined: adherent (score > 26) and nonadherent (score ≤ 26). We evaluated the relationship between respondent group and age, sex, occupational rank, and time since completion of basic medical training. We used χ2 and Fisher exact tests to assess associations and t tests to compare means between variables of interest. Results: The sample comprised 132 participants (90 physicians and 42 nurses) with a mean age of 36 (standard deviation ± 9.5) years. Overall, 40.1% were adherent to existing protocols. There was no significant association between the distribution of adherence scores and sex (p = 0.319), time since completion of basic training (p = 0.595), occupational rank (p = 0.461), or age (p = 0.949). Overall, 19% felt their knowledge of infection control practices was inadequate. Those with working knowledge of infection control practices attained it mostly through informal communication (80.4%) and self-directed research (62.6%). Conclusion: New approaches to the problem of nonadherence to infection control guidelines are needed in the Caribbean. Several unique cultural, financial, and environmental factors influence adherence in this region, in contrast to conditions in developed countries. PMID:24355900

Service users' experiences and views of aggressive situations in mental health care: a systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative studies.

PubMed

Gudde, Camilla Buch; Olsø, Turid Møller; Whittington, Richard; Vatne, Solfrid

2015-01-01

Aggressive situations occurring within mental health services can harm service users, staff, and the therapeutic environment. There is a consensus that the aggression phenomenon is multidimensional, but the picture is still unclear concerning the complex interplay of causal variables and their respective impact. To date, only a small number of empirical studies include users' views of relevant factors. The main objective of this review is to identify and synthesize evidence relating to service users' experiences and views of aggressive situations in mental health settings. We included qualitative studies of any design reporting on service users' own experiences of conditions contributing to aggressive situations in mental health care and their views on preventative strategies. Eligible articles were identified through an electronic database search (PsycINFO, PubMed, Ovid Nursing Database, Embase, and CINAHL), hand search, and cross-referencing. Extracted data were combined and interpreted using aspects of thematic synthesis. We reviewed 5,566 records and included 13 studies (ten qualitative and three mixed methods). Service users recognized that both their own mental state and negative aspects of the treatment environment affected the development of aggressive situations. Themes were derived from experiential knowledge and included calls to be involved in questions regarding how to define aggression and relevant triggers, and how to prevent aggressive encounters effectively. The findings suggest that incidents are triggered when users experience staff behavior as custodial rather than caring and when they feel ignored. The findings highlight the importance of staffs' knowledge and skills in communication for developing relationships based on sensitivity, respect, and collaboration with service users in order to prevent aggressive situations. An important factor is a treatment environment with opportunities for meaningful activities and a preponderance of trained staff who work continuously on the development of conditions and skills for collaborative interaction with users.

Different Spaces: Staff Development for Web 2.0

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Samarawickrema, Gayani; Benson, Robyn; Brack, Charlotte

2010-01-01

This paper reports on a collaborative staff development activity run across two Australian universities, for academic staff integrating Web 2.0 technologies into their teaching. It describes a three-week long virtual workshop on teaching with wikis, where participants in two groups developed a group project as students and then assessed the work…

Restructure Staff Development for Systemic Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelly, Thomas F.

2012-01-01

This paper presents a systems approach based on the work of W. Edwards Deming to system wide, high impact staff development. Deming has pointed out the significance of structure in systems. By restructuring the process of staff development we can bring about cost effective improvement of the whole system. We can improve student achievement while…

Rethinking Staff Development in Kenya: Agenda for the Twenty-first Century.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wanzare, Zachariah; Ward, Kenneth L.

2000-01-01

Provides an overview of current staff development practices and procedures in Kenya and suggests that teachers and head teachers need staff development opportunities to grow professionally, although current inservice training programs in Kenya are skewed to meet the needs of only a few teachers. Discusses the role of the head teacher in…

Staff Development Workshops for High School Science Teachers of Limited English Proficient Students 1988-89.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berney, Tomi D.; Cantalupo, Denise

The staff development workshops for high school science teachers of Limited English Proficient (LEP) Students program are described. The project provided services which involved: creating a resource library, collecting videotaped records of the staff development workshops for future training sessions, disseminating information and materials, and…

Managing Staff Development in Adult and Community Learning: Reflection to Practice.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ewens, David

This document is intended to assist individuals responsible for managing staff development in adult and community learning (ACL) in the United Kingdom. The guide presents step-by-step advice for designing and implementing an approach based on the belief that staff development should do the following things: (1) relate holistically to the…

The Role of Staff Development and the Corporate Culture.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warick, Ruth

This paper discusses the role of staff development units with respect to "corporate culture" and in light of the experience of the Staff Development Division of the Saskatchewan Public Service. The term "corporate culture" has been defined as the values, symbols, and beliefs that people in a given organization hold jointly and…

Staff Development for the 1980's: International Perspectives.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rhodes, Dent, Ed.; Hounsell, Dai, Ed.

Staff development in higher education is discussed in these papers in terms of its definitions, scope, and future activities. Most of the papers were originally prepared for the working party on staff development at the Fourth International Conference on Higher Education, University of Lancaster (August 29-September 1, 1978). The first three…

Willow System Demonstration

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-01-01

possibility of terrorists attempting to breach airport security . If a few terrorists attempt to smuggle weapons at any single airport, most will be...introduction of law- enforcement officials, and so on. For airport security , secu- rity staff would indicate when a banned object was found using a touch...necessary responses could be communicated to the airport security staff. In the Willow architecture, the various components and all of the algorithms

Final Report on an Analysis of the Education and Training Systems at Milan, Michigan and Terre Haute, Indiana to Federal Prison Industries Incorporated, U.S. Department of Justice.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hitt, William D.; And Others

Existing education and training (E&T) programs at the Terre Haute Penitentiary, Indiana, and the Milan Federal Correctional Institution, Michigan, were described and evaluated. Needs, objectives, inmate classification and placement, staff, and other aspects were covered. Reports, staff and inmate interviews, study of instructional materials, and…

Teaching the Internet to Library Staff and Users: 10 Ready-To-Go Workshops That Work. Neal-Schuman NetGuide Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hollands, William D.

This guide features 10 customizable, ready-to-run workshops for librarians wishing to establish or refine ongoing Internet training for staff members or patrons. Each workshop in the book includes an introduction, an objective, a timed lesson plan, tips, a sample script, and reproducible handouts. In order to provide for the variety of settings…

[Effect of using an instrument for continuous evaluation of nursing quality in terms of employment satisfaction and of their affective implications].

PubMed

Maes, Blandine; Fontanaud, Nelly; Pronost, Anne-Marie

2010-09-01

Medical staff are directly concerned by improving the quality of care. The goal of this study is to assess qualitatively the effects of the application of a Global Assessment Instrument for the Quality of Care on thirty nurses divided in two groups: an experimental group--who participated in the IGE-QSI--and another "witness" group--who participated in another project. The theory developed with the research involves the affective implication and satisfaction at work. Affective implication is the emotional attachment of the employee vis-a-vis the hospital. Satisfaction at work is a positive answer of the worker to their professional environment. The results of the research show that satisfaction in the workplace could be the result of professional experience and maturity. Hence, there could be a link between personal values and attitude that could encourage the implication of the staff in management. Responsibilities, recognition and the feeling of belonging to a group are part of the positive incentives and help develop management objectives.

Creating trauma-informed correctional care: a balance of goals and environment

PubMed Central

Miller, Niki A.; Najavits, Lisa M.

2012-01-01

Background Rates of posttraumatic stress disorder and exposure to violence among incarcerated males and females in the US are exponentially higher than rates among the general population; yet, abrupt detoxification from substances, the pervasive authoritative presence and sensory and environmental trauma triggers can pose a threat to individual and institutional stability during incarceration. Objective The authors explore the unique challenges and promises of trauma-informed correctional care and suggest strategies for administrative support, staff development, programming, and relevant clinical approaches. Method A review of literature includes a comparison of gendered responses, implications for men's facilities, and the compatibility of trauma recovery goals and forensic programming goals. Results Trauma-informed care demonstrates promise in increasing offender responsivity to evidence-based cognitive behavioral programming that reduces criminal risk factors and in supporting integrated programming for offenders with substance abuse and co-occurring disorders. Conclusions Incorporating trauma recovery principles into correctional environments requires an understanding of criminal justice priorities, workforce development, and specific approaches to screening, assessment, and programming that unify the goals of clinical and security staff. PMID:22893828

An institutional staff training and self-management program for developing multiple self-care skills in severely/profoundly retarded individuals.

PubMed Central

Kissel, R C; Whitman, T L; Reid, D H

1983-01-01

Although considerable attention has been given to the development of institutional staff training and management programs, the generalized effects of such programs on staff and resident behavior have seldom been examined. This study evaluated a program for teaching institutional staff behavioral training and self-management skills during self-care teaching sessions with severely and profoundly retarded residents. Following baseline observations in three self-care situations (toothbrushing, haircombing, handwashing), four direct care staff were sequentially taught to use verbal instruction, physical guidance, and contingent reinforcement in the toothbrushing program. During maintenance, staff were simultaneously taught to record, graph, and evaluate resident and their own behavior in the toothbrushing sessions. Staff were taught use of the training and self-management skills through a sequence of written instructions, videotaped and live modeling, rehearsal, and videotaped feedback. Observer presence and experimenter supervision were gradually decreased during the maintenance condition. Results indicated that during training and maintenance staff: (a) learned to use the training skills appropriately and consistently in the example situation (toothbrushing); (b) applied the skills in the generalization situations (haircombing and handwashing); and thereafter (c) maintained consistent and appropriate use of the skills with infrequent supervision. In addition, important changes in retarded residents' independent self-care responding occurred as staff training skills developed. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for future research and continued development of effective staff training and management programs. PMID:6654771

Rooftop greenhouses in educational centers: A sustainability assessment of urban agriculture in compact cities.

PubMed

Nadal, Ana; Pons, Oriol; Cuerva, Eva; Rieradevall, Joan; Josa, Alejandro

2018-06-01

Today, urban agriculture is one of the most widely used sustainability strategies to improve the metabolism of a city. Schools can play an important role in the implementation of sustainability master plans, due their socio-educational activities and their cohesive links with families; all key elements in the development of urban agriculture. Thus, the main objective of this research is to develop a procedure, in compact cities, to assess the potential installation of rooftop greenhouses (RTGs) in schools. The generation of a dynamic assessment tool capable of identifying and prioritizing schools with a high potential for RTGs and their eventual implementation would also represent a significant factor in the environmental, social, and nutritional education of younger generations. The methodology has four-stages (Pre-selection criteria; Selection of necessities; Sustainability analysis; and Sensitivity analysis and selection of the best alternative) in which economic, environmental, social and governance aspects all are considered. It makes use of Multi-Attribute Utility Theory and Multi-Criteria Decision Making, through the Integrated Value Model for Sustainability Assessments and the participation of two panels of multidisciplinary specialists, for the preparation of a unified sustainability index that guarantees the objectivity of the selection process. This methodology has been applied and validated in a case study of 11 schools in Barcelona (Spain). The social perspective of the proposed methodology favored the school in the case-study with the most staff and the largest parent-teacher association (social and governance indicators) that obtained the highest sustainability index (S11); at a considerable distance (45%) from the worst case (S3) with fewer school staff and parental support. Finally, objective decisions may be taken with the assistance of this appropriate, adaptable, and reliable Multi-Criteria Decision-Making tool on the vertical integration and implementation of urban agriculture in schools, in support of the goals of sustainable development and the circular economy. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Seamless service: maintaining momentum.

PubMed

Grinstead, N; Timoney, R

1994-01-01

Describes the process used by the Mater Infirmorum Hospital in Belfast in 1992-1994 to achieve high quality care (Seamless Service), motivate staff to deliver and measure performance. Aims of the project include focusing the organization on the customer, improving teamwork and motivation at all levels. After comprehensive data collection from GPs, patients and staff management forums developed a full TQM strategy to gain support and maintain momentum including innovative staff events (every staff member was given the opportunity to attend) where multilevel, multidisciplinary workshops enabled staff to design customer care standards, develop teams and lead customer-driven change.

Use of a hand-held computer observational tool to improve communication for care planning and psychosocial well-being

PubMed Central

Corazzini, Kirsten; Rapp, Carla Gene; McConnell, Eleanor S.; Anderson, Ruth A.

2013-01-01

Staff development nurses in long-term care are challenged to implement training programs that foster quality unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) care and improve the transfer of their observations to licensed nursing staff for care planning. This study describes the outcomes of a program where UAP recorded behavioral problems of residents to inform care. Findings suggest staff development nurses who aim to improve UAP reporting without simultaneously targeting licensed nursing staff behaviors may worsen nursing staff relationships. PMID:19182546

New York State Public Health System Response to Hurricane Sandy: An Analysis of Survey Feedback.

PubMed

Shipp Hilts, Asante; Mack, Stephanie; Li, Yunshu; Eidson, Millicent; Nguyen, Trang; Birkhead, Guthrie S

2016-06-01

The objective was to provide a broad spectrum of New York State and local public health staff the opportunity to contribute anonymous feedback on their own and their agencies' preparedness and response to Hurricane Sandy, perceived challenges, and recommendations for preparedness improvement. In 2015, 2 years after Hurricane Sandy, public health staff who worked on Hurricane Sandy response were identified and were provided a link to the anonymous survey. Quantitative analyses were used for survey ratings and qualitative content analyses were used for open-ended questions. Surveys were completed by 129 local health department (LHD) staff in 3 counties heavily impacted by Sandy (Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester) and 69 staff in the New York State Department of Health who supported the LHDs. Staff agreed that their Hurricane Sandy responsibilities were clearly defined and that they had access to adequate information to perform their jobs. Challenges were reported in the operational, communication, service interruptions, and staff categories, with LHD staff also reporting challenges with shelters. New York local and state public health staff indicated that they were prepared for Hurricane Sandy. However, their feedback identified specific challenges and recommendations that can be addressed to implement improved preparedness and response strategies. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:454-462).

The Role of Staff Development in the Improvement of Reading Instruction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winn, Deanna D.; Mitchell, Judith P.

More is known about the effective teaching of reading than is reflected in classroom practice. The critical link in the chain from research findings to classroom practices is staff development. A staff development model was designed, based upon the notions that change is a gradual and difficult process for teachers; that teachers vary widely in…

Advancing the IS Curricula: The Identification of Important Communication Skills Needed by IS Staff during Systems Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Ruth A.; Luse, Donna W.

2004-01-01

Although research indicates communication is important among information systems (IS) staff, users, and managers to ensure successful development projects, the ineffective communication skills of IS staff are often cited as a possible cause of failed IS projects. To develop effective systems, communication between IS users and systems developers…

Fostering Humane Care of Dying Persons in Long-Term Care. Guidebook for Staff Development Instructors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Sarah A.; Daley, Barbara

This guide is intended for staff development instructors responsible for inservice education on the topic of fostering humane care for dying persons in long-term care. The introduction discusses the guide's development based on input from administrators, staff, and families of residents in long-term care facilities and focus group interviews in…

Strategy-Based Development of Teacher Educators' ICT Competence through a Co-operative Staff Development Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lavonen, Jari; Lattu, Matti; Juuti, Kalle; Meisalo, Veijo

2006-01-01

An ICT strategy and an implementation plan for teacher education were created in a co-operative process. Visions and expectations of staff members and students were registered by questionnaires and by making notes during sessions in which the strategy was created. Thereafter, an implementation document, where the staff development programme and…

Library Staff Development Workshops in an Urban University. A Project Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Jamie L.; Meeker, Robert B.

This set of materials reports the needs assessment and implementation of a library staff development project funded by a Chicago State University grant. Because of the limited opportunity provided for all library personnel to improve their job skills, a proposal for a staff development program was submitted to the university granting office. A…

The Native Comic Book Project: Native Youth Making Comics and Healthy Decisions

PubMed Central

Montgomery, Michelle; Manuelito, Brenda; Nass, Carrie; Chock, Tami; Buchwald, Dedra

2015-01-01

Background American Indians and Alaska Natives have traditionally used stories and drawings to positively influence the well-being of their communities. Objectives The objective of this study was to describe the development of a curriculum that trains Native youth leaders to plan, write, and design original comic books to enhance healthy decision making. Methods Project staff developed the Native Comic Book Project by adapting Dr. Michael Bitz’s Comic Book Project to incorporate Native comic book art, Native storytelling, and decision-making skills. After conducting five train-the-trainer sessions for Native youth, staff were invited by youth participants to implement the full curriculum as a pilot test at one tribal community site in the Pacific Northwest. Implementation was accompanied by surveys and weekly participant observations and was followed by an interactive meeting to assess youth engagement, determine project acceptability, and solicit suggestions for curriculum changes. Results Six youths aged 12 to 15 (average age = 14) participated in the Native Comic Book Project. Youth participants stated that they liked the project and gained knowledge of the harmful effects of commercial tobacco use but wanted better integration of comic book creation, decision making, and Native storytelling themes. Conclusion Previous health-related comic book projects did not recruit youth as active producers of content. This curriculum shows promise as a culturally appropriate intervention to help Native youth adopt healthy decision-making skills and healthy behaviors by creating their own comic books. PMID:22259070

Patient safety in transitional care of the elderly: effects of a quasi-experimental interorganisational educational intervention

PubMed Central

Storm, Marianne; Schulz, Jörn; Aase, Karina

2018-01-01

Objective The study objective was to assess the effects of an interorganisational educational intervention called the ‘Meeting Point’ on patient safety culture among staff in hospital and nursing home wards. Design The study employs a quasi-experimental, non-randomised design with a hospital and nursing home intervention group and a hospital and nursing home control group. The study uses one preintervention and two postintervention survey measurements. The intervention group participated in an educational programme ‘The Meeting Point’ including interorganisational staff meetings combining educational sessions with a discussion platform focusing on quality and safety in transitional care of the elderly. Results The results show a stable development over time for the patient safety culture factor ‘Handoff and transitions’, and small improvements for ‘Overall perceptions of patient safety culture’ and ‘Organisational learning - continuous improvement’ for the hospital intervention group. No similar development was reported in the nursing home intervention group, which is most likely explained by ongoing organisational changes. Qualitative data show the existence of ongoing initiatives in the hospital to improve transitional care, but not all were connected to the ‘Meeting Point’. Conclusion The ‘Meeting Point’ has the potential to be a useful measure for healthcare professionals when aiming to improve patient safety culture in transitional care. Further refinement of the key components and testing with a more robust study design will be beneficial. PMID:29391363

Is the amount of exposure to aggressive challenging behaviour related to staff work-related well-being in intellectual disability services? Evidence from a clustered research design.

PubMed

Flynn, Samantha; Hastings, Richard P; Gillespie, David; McNamara, Rachel; Randell, Elizabeth

2018-04-17

Previous research has demonstrated an association between aggressive challenging behaviour (CB) and reductions in work-related well-being for intellectual disability (ID) support staff. Much of this research has used subjective measures of CB. To examine whether exposure to aggressive CB is associated with reduced work-related well-being in staff working in ID residential settings across the UK. A cross-sectional analysis was undertaken as part of a randomised trial; 186 staff from 100 settings completed questionnaires on their CB self-efficacy, empathy, positive work motivation, and burnout. Objective measures of aggressive CB in the preceding 16 weeks were collected from each setting. There was little association between staff exposure to aggressive CB and work-related well-being. Clustering effects were found for emotional exhaustion and positive work motivation, suggesting these variables are more likely to be influenced by the environment in which staff work. The level of clustering may be key to understanding how to support staff working in ID residential settings, and should be explored further. Longitudinal data, and studies including a comparison of staff working in ID services without aggressive CB exposure are needed to fully understand any association between aggressive CB and staff well-being. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Clowning as a supportive measure in paediatrics - a survey of clowns, parents and nursing staff

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Hospital clowns, also known as clown doctors, can help paediatric patients with the stress of a hospitalization and to circumvent the accompanying feelings of fear, helplessness and sadness, thus supporting the healing process. The objectives of the present study were to clarify the structural and procedural conditions of paediatric clowning in Germany and to document the evaluations of hospital clowns, parents and hospital staff. Methods A nationwide online survey of hospital clowns currently active in paediatric departments and an accompanying field evaluation in Hamburg hospitals with surveys of parents and hospital staff were conducted. In addition to items developed specifically for the study regarding general conditions, procedures, assessments of effects and attitudes, the Work Satisfaction Scale was used. The sample included n = 87 hospital clowns, 37 parents and 43 hospital staff members. Results The online survey showed that the hospital clowns are well-trained, motivated and generally satisfied with their work. By their own estimate, they primarily boost morale and promote imagination in the patients. However, hospital clowns also desire better interdisciplinary collaboration and financial security as well as more recognition of their work. The Hamburg field study confirmed the positive results of the clown survey. According to the data, a clown intervention boosts morale and reduces stress in the patients. Moreover, there are practically no side effects. Both parents and hospital staff stated that the patients as well as they themselves benefited from the intervention. Conclusions The results match those of previous studies and give a very positive picture of hospital clowning, so that its routine use and expansion thereof can be recommended. Furthermore, the intervention should be subject to the rules of evidence-based medicine like other medical treatments. PMID:24112744

Clowning as a supportive measure in paediatrics - a survey of clowns, parents and nursing staff.

PubMed

Barkmann, Claus; Siem, Anna-Katharina; Wessolowski, Nino; Schulte-Markwort, Michael

2013-10-10

Hospital clowns, also known as clown doctors, can help paediatric patients with the stress of a hospitalization and to circumvent the accompanying feelings of fear, helplessness and sadness, thus supporting the healing process. The objectives of the present study were to clarify the structural and procedural conditions of paediatric clowning in Germany and to document the evaluations of hospital clowns, parents and hospital staff. A nationwide online survey of hospital clowns currently active in paediatric departments and an accompanying field evaluation in Hamburg hospitals with surveys of parents and hospital staff were conducted. In addition to items developed specifically for the study regarding general conditions, procedures, assessments of effects and attitudes, the Work Satisfaction Scale was used. The sample included n = 87 hospital clowns, 37 parents and 43 hospital staff members. The online survey showed that the hospital clowns are well-trained, motivated and generally satisfied with their work. By their own estimate, they primarily boost morale and promote imagination in the patients. However, hospital clowns also desire better interdisciplinary collaboration and financial security as well as more recognition of their work. The Hamburg field study confirmed the positive results of the clown survey. According to the data, a clown intervention boosts morale and reduces stress in the patients. Moreover, there are practically no side effects. Both parents and hospital staff stated that the patients as well as they themselves benefited from the intervention. The results match those of previous studies and give a very positive picture of hospital clowning, so that its routine use and expansion thereof can be recommended. Furthermore, the intervention should be subject to the rules of evidence-based medicine like other medical treatments.

Lean Participative Process Improvement: Outcomes and Obstacles in Trauma Orthopaedics

PubMed Central

New, Steve; Hadi, Mohammed; Pickering, Sharon; Robertson, Eleanor; Morgan, Lauren; Griffin, Damian; Collins, Gary; Rivero-Arias, Oliver; Catchpole, Ken; McCulloch, Peter

2016-01-01

Objectives To examine the effectiveness of a “systems” approach using Lean methodology to improve surgical care, as part of a programme of studies investigating possible synergy between improvement approaches. Setting A controlled before-after study using the orthopaedic trauma theatre of a UK Trust hospital as the active site and an elective orthopaedic theatre in the same Trust as control. Participants All staff involved in surgical procedures in both theatres. Interventions A one-day “lean” training course delivered by an experienced specialist team was followed by support and assistance in developing a 6 month improvement project. Clinical staff selected the subjects for improvement and designed the improvements. Outcome Measures We compared technical and non-technical team performance in theatre using WHO checklist compliance evaluation, “glitch count” and Oxford NOTECHS II in a sample of directly observed operations, and patient outcome (length of stay, complications and readmissions) for all patients. We collected observational data for 3 months and clinical data for 6 months before and after the intervention period. We compared changes in measures using 2-way analysis of variance. Results We studied 576 cases before and 465 after intervention, observing the operation in 38 and 41 cases respectively. We found no significant changes in team performance or patient outcome measures. The intervention theatre staff focused their efforts on improving first patient arrival time, which improved by 20 minutes after intervention. Conclusions This version of “lean” system improvement did not improve measured safety processes or outcomes. The study highlighted an important tension between promoting staff ownership and providing direction, which needs to be managed in “lean” projects. Space and time for staff to conduct improvement activities are important for success. PMID:27124012

Fulfillment of Work–Life Balance From the Organizational Perspective: A Case Study

PubMed Central

Mazerolle, Stephanie M.; Goodman, Ashley

2013-01-01

Context: Researchers studying work–life balance have examined policy development and implementation to create a family-friendly work environment from an individualistic perspective rather than from a cohort of employees working under the same supervisor. Objective: To investigate what factors influence work–life balance within the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I clinical setting from the perspective of an athletic training staff. Design: Qualitative study. Setting: Web-based management system. Patients or Other Participants: Eight athletic trainers (5 men, 3 women; age = 38 ± 7 years) in the NCAA Division I setting. Data Collection and Analysis: Participants responded to a series of questions by journaling their thoughts and experiences. We included data-source triangulation, multiple-analyst triangulation, and peer review to establish data credibility. We analyzed the data via a grounded theory approach. Results: Three themes emerged from the data. Family-oriented and supportive work environment was described as a workplace that fosters and encourages work–life balance through professionally and personally shared goals. Nonwork outlets included activities, such as exercise and personal hobbies, that provide time away from the role of the athletic trainer. Individualistic strategies reflected that although the athletic training staff must work together and support one another, each staff member must have his or her own personal strategies to manage personal and professional responsibilities. Conclusions: The foundation for a successful work environment in the NCAA Division I clinical setting potentially can center on the management style of the supervisor, especially one who promotes teamwork among his or her staff members. Although a family-friendly work environment is necessary for work–life balance, each member of the athletic training staff must have personal strategies in place to fully achieve a balance. PMID:24067152

Pentalum SpiDAR Deployment at SWiFT FY17.

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

Westergaard, Carsten; Pol, Suhas; Pereira, Tassia

2016-12-01

The Texas Tech University ( TTU ) research group is actively studying the wake development of wind turbines, as part of developing innovative wake control strategies to improve the performance of wind farms. Recently, the team received a set of five new gro und lidars to perform field measurements at the Sandia National Laboratories SWiFT site. This document describes tests details including configurations, timeframe, hardware, and the required collaboration from the Sandia team. This test plan will facili tate the coordination between both TTU and the Sandia team in terms of site accessibility, staff training, and data sharing to meetmore » the specific objectives of the tests.« less

Emerging Sealing Technologies Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

Under this Cooperative Agreement, the objective was to investigate several emerging sealing technologies of interest to the Mechanical Components Branch of National Aeronautics and Space Administration Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field (NASA GRC). The majority of the work conducted was to support the development of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells for application to aeronautic auxiliary power units, though technical investigations of interest to other groups and projects were also conducted. In general, accomplishments and results were periodically reported to the NASA Technical Monitor, the NASA GRC Seal Team staff, and NASA GRC project management. Several technical reports, journal articles, and presentations were given internally to NASA GRC and to the external public.

Getting the most out of your practice--the Practice Health Atlas and business modelling opportunities.

PubMed

Del Fante, Peter; Allan, Don; Babidge, Elizabeth

2006-01-01

The Practice Health Atlas (PHA) is a decision support tool for general practice, designed by the Adelaide Western Division of General Practice (AWDGP). This article describes the features of the PHA and its potential role in enhancing health care. In developing the PHA, the AWDGP utilises a range of software tools and consults with a practice to understand its clinical data management approach. The PHA comprises three sections: epidemiology, business and clinical modelling systems, access to services. The objectives include developing a professional culture around quality health data and synthesis of aggregated de-identified general practice data at both practice and divisional level (and beyond) to assist with local health needs assessment, planning, and funding. Evaluation occurs through group feedback sessions and from the general practitioners and staff. It has demonstrated its potential to fulfill the objectives in outcome areas such as data quality and management, team based care, pro-active practice population health care, and business systems development, thereby contributing to improved patient health outcomes.

Understanding the perspectives of health service staff on the Friends and Family Test.

PubMed

Leggat, Sandra G

2016-06-01

Objectives The present study was designed to determine what staff consider when asked to respond to the Friends and Family Test question. Methods Over 300 health service staff responded to an online questionnaire exploring whether they would recommend treatment at their organisation to friends and family (Friends and Family Test). Results Staff identified staff attitudes and behaviours, the busyness of the health service and quality of care as themes that affected their recommendation. A considerable number of staff also identified factors largely outside the control of the health service as influencing their response. Conclusions Majority of respondents based their perceptions on personal expectations, with smaller numbers citing personal experience and hearsay. Staff would need to see changes both in the quality of care and management practice to amend their recommendation on the Friends and Family Test. What is known about the topic? The Friends and Family Test is seen as a useful tool to gather the opinions of patients and staff on the patient experience, yet there has been little validation of this question. What does this paper add? The present study suggests that, as currently worded, the question does not reliably report staff perceptions regarding patient experience. The study illustrates that the relationship with the organisation and perceptions of effective management are linked to staff responses. What are the implications for practitioners? The Family and Friends Test question may need to be more clearly focused to gather the desired information. Improvement on this indicator is only likely to be seen when management teams are meeting the expectations of staff for good management practice.

The Use of Communication Apps by Medical Staff in the Australian Health Care System: Survey Study on Prevalence and Use

PubMed Central

Wickramasinghe, Nilmini; Claydon-Platt, Damian; Balakrishnan, Vikram; Smart, Philip

2018-01-01

Background The use of communication apps on mobile phones offers an efficient, unobtrusive, and portable mode of communication for medical staff. The potential enhancements in patient care and education appear significant, with clinical details able to be shared quickly within multidisciplinary teams, supporting rapid integration of disparate information, and more efficient patient care. However, sharing patient data in this way also raises legal and ethical issues. No data is currently available demonstrating how widespread the use of these apps are, doctor’s attitudes towards them, or what guides clinician choice of app. Objective The objective of this study was to quantify and qualify the use of communication apps among medical staff in clinical situations, their role in patient care, and knowledge and attitudes towards safety, key benefits, potential disadvantages, and policy implications. Methods Medical staff in hospitals across Victoria (Australia) were invited to participate in an anonymous 33-question survey. The survey collected data on respondent’s demographics, their use of communication apps in clinical settings, attitudes towards communication apps, perceptions of data “safety,” and why one communication app was chosen over others. Results Communication apps in Victorian hospitals are in widespread use from students to consultants, with WhatsApp being the primary app used. The median number of messages shared per day was 12, encompassing a range of patient information. All respondents viewed these apps positively in quickly communicating patient information in a clinical setting; however, all had concerns about the privacy implications arising from sharing patient information in this way. In total, 67% (60/90) considered patient data “moderately safe” on these apps, and 50% (46/90) were concerned the use of these apps was inconsistent with current legislation and policy. Apps were more likely to be used if they were fast, easy to use, had an easy login process, and were already in widespread use. Conclusions Communication app use by medical personnel in Victorian hospitals is pervasive. These apps contribute to enhanced communication between medical staff, but their use raises compliance issues, most notably with Australian privacy legislation. Development of privacy-compliant apps such as MedX needs to prioritize a user-friendly interface and market the product as a privacy-compliant comparator to apps previously adapted to health care settings. PMID:29426813

Attitudes, risk of infection and behaviours in the operating room (the ARIBO Project): a prospective, cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Birgand, Gabriel; Azevedo, Christine; Toupet, Gaelle; Pissard-Gibollet, Roger; Grandbastien, Bruno; Fleury, Eric; Lucet, Jean-Christophe

2014-01-02

Inappropriate staff behaviours can lead to environmental contamination in the operating room (OR) and subsequent surgical site infection (SSI). This study will focus on the continued assessment of OR staff behaviours using a motion tracking system and their impact on the SSI risk during surgical procedures. This multicentre prospective cross-sectional study will include 10 ORs of cardiac and orthopaedic surgery in 12 healthcare facilities (HCFs). The staff behaviour will be assessed by an objective, continued and prolonged quantification of movements within the OR. A motion tracking system including eight optical cameras (VICON-Bonita) will record the movements of reflective markers placed on the surgical caps/hoods of each person entering the room. Different configurations of markers positioning will be used to distinguish between the staff category. Doors opening will be observed by means of wireless inertial sensors fixed on the doors and synchronised with the motion tracking system. We will collect information on the OR staff, surgical procedures and surgical environment characteristics. The behavioural data obtained will be compared (1) to the 'best behaviour rules' in the OR, pre-established using a Delphi method and (2) to surrogates of the infectious risk represented by microbiological air counts, particle counts, and a bacteriological sample of the wound at closing. Statistics will be performed using univariate and multivariate analysis to adjust on the aerolic and architectural characteristics of the OR. A multilevel model will allow including surgical specialty and HCFs effects. Through this study, we will develop an original approach using high technology tools associated to data processing techniques to evaluate 'automatically' the behavioural dynamics of the OR staff and their impact on the SSI risk. Approbation of the Institutional Review Board of Paris North Hospitals, Paris 7 University, AP-HP (no 11-113, 6 April 2012). The findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, and national and international conference presentations.

Attitudes, risk of infection and behaviours in the operating room (the ARIBO Project): a prospective, cross-sectional study

PubMed Central

Birgand, Gabriel; Azevedo, Christine; Toupet, Gaelle; Pissard-Gibollet, Roger; Grandbastien, Bruno; Fleury, Eric; Lucet, Jean-Christophe

2014-01-01

Introduction Inappropriate staff behaviours can lead to environmental contamination in the operating room (OR) and subsequent surgical site infection (SSI). This study will focus on the continued assessment of OR staff behaviours using a motion tracking system and their impact on the SSI risk during surgical procedures. Methods and analysis This multicentre prospective cross-sectional study will include 10 ORs of cardiac and orthopaedic surgery in 12 healthcare facilities (HCFs). The staff behaviour will be assessed by an objective, continued and prolonged quantification of movements within the OR. A motion tracking system including eight optical cameras (VICON-Bonita) will record the movements of reflective markers placed on the surgical caps/hoods of each person entering the room. Different configurations of markers positioning will be used to distinguish between the staff category. Doors opening will be observed by means of wireless inertial sensors fixed on the doors and synchronised with the motion tracking system. We will collect information on the OR staff, surgical procedures and surgical environment characteristics. The behavioural data obtained will be compared (1) to the ‘best behaviour rules’ in the OR, pre-established using a Delphi method and (2) to surrogates of the infectious risk represented by microbiological air counts, particle counts, and a bacteriological sample of the wound at closing. Statistics will be performed using univariate and multivariate analysis to adjust on the aerolic and architectural characteristics of the OR. A multilevel model will allow including surgical specialty and HCFs effects. Through this study, we will develop an original approach using high technology tools associated to data processing techniques to evaluate ‘automatically’ the behavioural dynamics of the OR staff and their impact on the SSI risk. Ethics and dissemination Approbation of the Institutional Review Board of Paris North Hospitals, Paris 7 University, AP-HP (no 11-113, 6 April 2012). The findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, and national and international conference presentations. PMID:24384903

Energizing Staff Development Using Film Clips: Memorable Movie Moments that Promote Reflection, Conversation, and Action

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olsen, Walter R.; Sommers, William A.

2005-01-01

Video and DVD clips give participants an opportunity to explore values and ideas, learn about one another, and, in the process, build a stronger learning community. "Energizing Staff Development Using Film Clips" is a collection of film and television clips that staff developers can use to encourage discussion and reflection on pertinent, common…

What's So Hard about Staff Development? A Study in Face-to-Face Interaction. Occasional Paper No. 14.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anang, Arlene; Florio-Ruane, Susan

Staff development carried out within a conference format is multidimensional, ambiguous, potentially face-threatening, and complex. It is dependent upon the interactional work that takes place during face-to-face negotiations. The skills and knowledge of the staff developer cannot be shared with a teacher in a vacuum, but are dependent upon the…

Peer coaching: the next step in staff development.

PubMed

Waddell, Donna L; Dunn, Nancy

2005-01-01

A common problem in continuing nursing education and staff development is the transfer of learning to clinical practice. Peer coaching offers a solution to this problem. Initiated by educators, peer coaching has been researched in educational settings and found to be effective in facilitating the transfer of newly acquired knowledge and skill into classroom teaching strategies. This article describes the background, components, process, characteristics, and benefits of peer coaching. A specific example of using peer coaching to teach clinical breast examination skills is used to illustrate the application of peer coaching to the staff development of healthcare professionals. Peer coaching is the next step in nursing staff development.

A Structure and Scheme for the Evaluation of Innovative Programs. The EPIC Brief, Issue No. 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Objective evaluation of school programs is a process in which a school staff collects information used to provide feedback as to whether or not a given set of objectives has been met. The Evaluative Programs for Innovativ e Curriculums (EPIC) four-step scheme of objective evaluation is based on a three-dimensional structure of variables…

Home Management and Human Service Competencies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Regional Learning Service of Central New York, Syracuse.

Faculty representatives from five postsecondary institutions having human service/human ecology programs and two members of the Regional Learning Service staff comprised a task force whose objectives were to identify competencies acquired through home management which relate to undergraduate course objectives, to recommend ways to assess these,…

Instructors' Evaluation as an Instrument to Improve Performance and Determine Competence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laei, Soosan; Abdi, Ali; Karamaerouz, Mohamad Javad; Shirkhani, Nassim

2014-01-01

Experts in human resources management have suggested common objectives for evaluating performance of all organizations, including motivation and improvement of staff performance, identification of competence and skills, identification of educational needs and developmental contexts, etc. Achievement to these objectives is -a responsibility of…

Assessment of an intervention to train teaching hospital care providers in quality management

PubMed Central

Francois, P; Vinck, D; Labarere, J; Reverdy, T; Peyrin, J

2005-01-01

Background: Successful implementation of continuous quality improvement (CQI) programs in hospitals remains rare in all countries, making it necessary to experiment with implementation methods while considering the cultural factors of resistance to change. Objective: To assess the impact of an educational intervention on involvement of clinical department staff in the quality process. Setting: Twelve voluntary clinical departments (six experimental and six controls) in a French 2000-bed university hospital comprising 40 clinical departments. Intervention: Three day training seminar to a group of 12–20 staff members from each department. Design: Quasi-experimental post-test only design study with control group conducted 12 months after the intervention with a questionnaire completed in a face-to-face interview. Subjects: 98 trained staff and 100 untrained staff from the six experimental departments and 100 staff from the six control departments. Principal measurements: Declared knowledge of the CQI methods and participation in quality management activities. Results: 286 people (96%) were involved in the study. More of the trained staff knew the CQI methods (62.4%) than staff in the control departments (16.5%) (adjusted odds ratio (ORa) = 10.6 (95% CI 4.97 to 22.62)). More trained staff also participated in quality improvement work groups than control department staff (76.3% v 14.0%; ORa = 27.4 (95% CI 11.6 to 64.4)). In the experimental departments the untrained staff's knowledge of CQI methods and their participation in work groups did not differ from that of control department staff. Conclusions: A continuing education intervention can involve care providers in CQI. Dissemination of knowledge from trained personnel to other staff members remains limited. PMID:16076785

Prospective Trial of House Staff Time to Response and Intervention in a Surgical Intensive Care Unit: Pager vs. Smartphone.

PubMed

Tatum, James M; White, Terris; Kang, Christopher; Ley, Eric J; Melo, Nicolas; Bloom, Matthew; Alban, Rodrigo F

The objective of the study was to characterize house staff time to response and intervention when notified of a patient care issue by pager vs. smartphone. We hypothesized that smartphones would reduce house staff time to response and intervention. Prospective study of all electronic communications was conducted between nurses and house staff between September 2015 and October 2015. The 4-week study period was randomly divided into two 2-week study periods where all electronic communications between intensive care unit nurses and intensive care unit house staff were exclusively by smartphone or by pager, respectively. Time of communication initiation, time of house staff response, and time from response to clinical intervention for each communication were recorded. Outcomes are time from nurse contact to house staff response and intervention. Single-center surgical intensive care unit of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, an academic tertiary care and level I trauma center. All electronic communications occurring between nurses and house staff in the study unit during the study period were considered. During the study period, 205 nurse-house staff electronic communications occurred, 100 in the phone group and 105 in the pager group. House staff response to communication time was significantly shorter in the phone group (0.5 [interquartile range = 1.7] vs. 2 [3]min, p < 0.001). Time to house staff intervention after response was also significantly more rapid in the phone group (0.8 [1.7] vs. 1 [2]min, p = 0.003). Dedicated clinical smartphones significantly decrease time to house staff response after electronic nursing communications compared with pagers. Copyright © 2017 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Creating a Toolkit to Reduce Disparities in Patient Engagement.

PubMed

Keddem, Shimrit; Agha, Aneeza Z; Long, Judith A; Werner, Rachel M; Shea, Judy A

2017-09-01

Patient engagement has become a major focus of health care improvement efforts nationally. Although evidence suggests patient engagement can be beneficial to patients, it has not been consistently defined, operationalized, or translated into practice. Our objective was to develop a toolkit to help providers increase patient engagement and reduce disparities in patient engagement. We used qualitative interviews and observations with staff at primary care sites nationally to identify patient engagement practices and resources used to engage patients. We then used a modified Delphi process, that included a series of conference calls and surveys, where stakeholders reduced lists of engagement practices based on perceived feasibility and importance to develop a toolkit for patient engagement. Sites were selected for interviews and site visits based on the concentration of minority patients served and performance on a measure of patient engagement, with the goal of highlighting practices at sites that successfully serve minority patients. We created a toolkit consisting of patient engagement practices and resources. No identified practice or resource specifically targeted patient engagement of minorities or addressed disparities. However, high-performing, high-minority-serving sites tended to describe more staff training opportunities and staff feedback mechanisms. In addition, low-performing and high-minority-serving sites more often reported barriers to implementation of patient engagement practices. Stakeholders agreed on feasible and important engagement practices. Implementation of this toolkit will be tracked to better understand patient engagement and its effect on patient-centered care and related disparities in care.

What are Hospice Providers in the Carolinas Doing to Reach African Americans in Their Service Area?

PubMed Central

Payne, Richard; Kuchibhatla, Maragatha N.

2016-01-01

Abstract Background: Experts and national organizations recommend that hospices work to increase service to African Americans, a group historically underrepresented in hospice. Objective: The study objective was to describe strategies among hospices in North and South Carolina to increase service to African Americans and identify hospice characteristics associated with these efforts. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional survey using investigator-developed scales to measure frequency of community education/outreach, directed marketing, efforts to recruit African American staff, cultural sensitivity training, and goals to increase service to African Americans. We used nonparametric Wilcoxon tests to compare mean scale scores by sample characteristics. Results: Of 118 eligible hospices, 79 (67%) completed the survey. Over 80% were at least somewhat concerned about the low proportion of African Americans they served, and 78.5% had set goals to increase service to African Americans. Most were engaged in community education/outreach, with 92.4% reporting outreach to churches, 76.0% to social services organizations, 40.5% to businesses, 35.4% to civic groups, and over half to health care providers; 48.0% reported directed marketing via newspaper and 40.5% via radio. The vast majority reported efforts to recruit African American staff, most often registered nurses (63.75%). Nearly 90% offered cultural sensitivity training to staff. The frequency of strategies to increase service to African Americans did not vary by hospice characteristics, such as profit status, size, or vertical integration, but was greater among hospices that had set goals to increase service to African Americans. Conclusions: Many hospices are engaged in efforts to increase service to African Americans. Future research should determine which strategies are most effective. PMID:26840854

Rehabilitation in Madagascar: Challenges in implementing the World Health Organization Disability Action Plan.

PubMed

Khan, Fary; Amatya, Bhasker; Mannan, Hasheem; Burkle, Frederick M; Galea, Mary P

2015-09-01

To provide an update on rehabilitation in Madagascar by using local knowledge to outline the potential barriers and facilitators for implementation of the World Health Organization (WHO) Disability Action Plan (DAP). A 14-day extensive workshop programme (September-October 2014) was held at the University Hospital Antananarivo and Antsirabe, with the Department of Health Madagascar, by rehabilitation staff from Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia. Attendees were rehabilitation professionals (n=29) from 3 main rehabilitation facilities in Madagascar, who identified various challenges faced in service provision, education and attitudes/approaches to people with disabilities. Their responses and suggested barriers/facilitators were recorded following consensus agreement, using objectives listed in the DAP. The barriers and facilitators outlined by participants in implementing the DAP objectives include: engagement of health professionals and institutions using a multi-sectoral approach, new partnerships, strategic collaboration, provision of technical assistance, future policy directions, and research and development. Other challenges for many basic policies included: access to rehabilitation services, geographical coverage, shortage of skilled work-force, limited info-technology systems; lack of care-models and facility/staff accreditation standards; limited health services infrastructure and "disconnect" between acute and community-based rehabilitation. The DAP summary actions were useful planning tools to improve access, strengthen rehabilitation services and community-based rehabilitation, and collate data for outcome research.

Designing Inquiry Starters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kluger-Bell, B.

2010-12-01

The term "Inquiry Starter" comes from the Institute for Inquiry's model for teaching and learning science through inquiry. It refers to the first phase of an inquiry activity where learners engage in actions that stimulate their curiosity and generate questions for further investigation. In the Professional Development Program, staff and participants have designed a wide variety of inquiry activities with a number of variations on the inquiry starter. This has provided a laboratory for examining inquiry starter design. In this paper, I describe and examine in detail the elements of this design and how the design of those elements is related to achieving learning objectives. There are a number of important common objectives in all inquiry starters. For example, all starters must define a domain for investigation and engage the learner's curiosity in that domain. There are also critical differences in learning objectives depending on the content area being studied, the learners' background knowledge and skills, and many other factors. In this paper I examine designs for both of these types of objectives.

Ethical and technical considerations for the creation of cell lines in the head & neck and tissue harvesting for research and drug development (Part I): Techniques of tissue harvesting and propagation

PubMed Central

Upile, Tahwinder; Jerjes, Waseem; Kafas, Panagiotis; Singh, Sandeep U; Sudhoff, Holger; Mahil, Jaspal; Sandison, Ann; Hopper, Colin

2009-01-01

Background Although much has been published for the development of cell lines, these were lab based and developed for scientific technical staff. Objective of review We present a simple and successful protocol for the development of cell lines and tissue harvesting for the clinical scientist. We also discuss the ethical implications of tissue retention and present a generic consent form. Conclusion The advantages of hospital-based cell line creation are numerous. We can be more certain that cell lines are developed from the particular tissues of interest and accurate anatomical and appropriate clinico-pathological control tissues are also harvested. We can also be certain of less cell line cross contamination. PMID:19344501

Seamless service: research and action.

PubMed

Grinstead, N; Timoney, R

1994-01-01

Describes the process used by the Mater Infirmorum Hospital in Belfast in 1992-1994 to achieve high quality care (Seamless Service), and motivate staff to deliver and measure performance. Aims of the project include focusing the organization on the customer, improving teamwork and motivation at all levels. After comprehensive data collection from GPs, patients and staff forums developed a full TQM strategy to gain support and maintain momentum including innovative staff events (every staff member was given the opportunity to attend) where multilevel, multidisciplinary workshops enabled staff to design customer care standards, develop teams and lead customer-driven change.

How nursing home residents develop relationships with peers and staff: a grounded theory study.

PubMed

Roberts, Tonya; Bowers, Barbara

2015-01-01

Social support and social relationships have been repeatedly identified as essential to nursing home resident quality of life. However, little is known about ways residents develop relationships with peers or staff. This study was conducted to explore the ways resident develop relationships with peers and staff in nursing homes. Fifteen cognitively intact nursing home residents from two facilities were interviewed for this grounded theory study. Sampling, interviewing, and analysis occurred in a cyclical process with results at each stage of the study informing decisions about data collection and analysis in the next. Unstructured interviews and field observations were conducted. Data were analyzed with open, axial, and selective coding. Residents developed relationships with peers and staff largely as an unintended consequence of trying to have a life in the nursing home. Having a life was a two-step process. First, life motivations (Being Self and Creating a Positive Atmosphere) influenced resident preferences for daily activities and interaction goals and subsequently their strategies for achieving and establishing both. Second, the strategies residents used for achieving their required daily activities (Passing Time and Getting Needs Met) and interaction goals then influenced the nature of interaction and the subsequent peer or staff response to these interactions. Residents defined relationships as friendly or unfriendly depending on whether peers or staff responded positively or negatively. There was considerable overlap in the ways peer and staff relationships developed and the results highlight the role of peer and staff responsiveness in relationship development. The results provide possible explanations for the success of interventions in the literature designed to improve staff responsiveness to residents. The results suggest that adapting these kinds of interventions for use with peers may also be successful. The conceptual model also presents a number of opportunities for developing interventions for residents. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Putting the Staff in Staff Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oromaner, Mark

In spring 1993, Hudson County Community College (HCCC) in Jersey City, New Jersey, created a separate office to establish an ongoing staff development program for all employees. The program is designed to provide further education for employees, orientation to HCCC and its community, training, and recognition for superior performance for support…

Implementing Computer-Based Training for Library Staff.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bayne, Pauline S.; And Others

1994-01-01

Describes a computer-based training program for library staff developed at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, that used HyperCard stacks on Macintosh computers. Highlights include staff involvement; evaluation of modules; trainee participation and feedback; staff recognition; administrative support; implementation plan; supervisory…

Promoting professional development through poster presentations.

PubMed

Durkin, Gregory

2011-01-01

Poster presentations are commonplace at regional and national nursing conferences, although the development of a poster remains an intimidating task for many staff nurses. The author describes the staff development department's role in implementing in-house poster presentation sessions. Nursing staff are provided support and assistance in presenting posters to their colleagues at yearly sessions. The result has been increased comfort and experience with poster creation, participation in professional development activities, and dissemination of nursing practice innovation.

Non-prescription medicines: a process for standards development and testing in community pharmacy.

PubMed

Benrimoj, Shalom Charlie I; Gilbert, Andrew; Quintrell, Neil; Neto, Abilio C de Almeida

2007-08-01

The objective of the study was to develop and test standards of practice for handling non-prescription medicines. In consultation with pharmacy registering authorities, key professional and consumer groups and selected community pharmacists, standards of practice were developed in the areas of Resource Management; Professional Practice; Pharmacy Design and Environment; and Rights and Needs of Customers. These standards defined and described minimum professional activities required in the provision of non-prescription medicines at a consistent and measurable level of practice. Seven standards were described and further defined by 20 criteria, including practice indicators. The Standards were tested in 40 community pharmacies in two States and after further adaptation, endorsed by all Australian pharmacy registering authorities and major Australian pharmacy and consumer organisations. The consultation process effectively engaged practicing pharmacists in developing standards to enable community pharmacists meet their legislative and professional responsibilities. Community pharmacies were audited against a set of standards of practice for handling non-prescription medicines developed in this project. Pharmacies were audited on the Standards at baseline, mid-intervention and post-intervention. Behavior of community pharmacists and their staff in relation to these standards was measured by conducting pseudo-patron visits to participating pharmacies. The testing process demonstrated a significant improvement in the quality of service delivered by staff in community pharmacies in the management of requests involving non-prescription medicines. The use of pseudo-patron visits, as a training tool with immediate feedback, was an acceptable and effective method of achieving changes in practice. Feedback from staff in the pharmacies regarding the pseudo-patron visits was very positive. Results demonstrated the methodology employed was effective in increasing overall compliance with the Standards from a rate of 47.4% to 70.0% (P < 0.01). This project led to a recommendation for the development and execution of a national implementation strategy.

[Development and effect of a web-based child health care program for the staff at child daycare centers].

PubMed

Kim, Ji Soo

2010-04-01

The purpose of the study is to develop a web-based program on child health care, and to identify the effect of the program on knowledge of, attitudes towards child health care, and health care practice in staff of daycare centers. The program was developed through the processes of needs analysis, contents construction, design, development, and evaluation. After the program was developed, it was revised through feedback from 30 experts. To identify the effect of developed program, onegroup pretest-posttest design study was conducted with 64 staff members from 12 daycare centers in Korea. The program was developed based on users' needs and consisted of five parts: health promotion, disease and symptoms management, oral health, injury and safety, sheets and forms. This study showed that the total score of staff who used the program was significantly higher in terms of knowledge, attitudes, and their health care practice compared with pretest score (p<.05). These results suggest that this Web-based program can contribute to the child health promotion as well as can provide the staff with the insightful child health information. Therefore, it is expected that this program will be applied to staff of other child care settings for children's health.

REPORT OF ON-SITE INSPECTION WORKSHOP-16

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

Sweeney, J J

2009-07-07

The central issue addressed by this workshop was the task of making the on-site inspection (OSI) part of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty verification system operationally ready at entry into force of the Treaty. It is recognized, and this was emphasized by the 2008 OSI Integrated Field Exercise (IFE), that it is not possible to develop every part of the OSI regime simultaneously. Therefore, it is necessary to prioritize the approach to OSI readiness. The reviews of the IFE have pointed to many elements of OSI readiness that still need development. The objective of this workshop was to provide priorities formore » the path forward for Working Group B to consider. Several critical areas have been identified that are related to the development of OSI readiness: (1) Technology development: Priorities are radionuclide and noble gas sampling and analysis, visual observation, multispectral/infrared imaging methods, active seismic methods and the recognition of the importance of signatures. (2) Organizational development: Priorities are health and safety, the Operations Support Centre, the Equipment Storage and Maintenance Facility, information technology data flow and communications. (3) Resources: The expertise to develop key parts of the OSI regime is not available within the current OSI Division staff. To develop these aspects of the regime will require more staff or supplements to the staff with cost-free experts or other means. Aspects of the system that could benefit from more staff include radionuclide and noble gas detection methods, data flow and communications, visual observation, multispectral/infrared methods and health and safety. As the path forward, participants of this workshop recognized a need to optimize the development of OSI priorities. The outcome of this workshop is to suggest for consideration an operational approach to OSI readiness that utilizes results of an evaluation of the relative effectiveness of OSI elements versus their relative maturity. By integrating such an assessment with considerations of integrated operational capabilities and the anticipated level of inspection team self-sufficiency and measurable milestone criteria, a set of priorities for OSI development can be developed. Once these priorities have been established, the Policy Making Organs can decide upon the milestones, strategic plan and action plan to serve as guidance for implementation by the Provisional Technical Secretariat. The suggested operational approach is as follows: (1) Assess the relative effectiveness (importance) of OSI elements versus their relative maturity; (2) Determine the anticipated level of self-sufficiency; (3) Define measurable milestone criteria; and (4) Result: Milestones for OSI readiness.« less

Research, Development, and Validation of a School Leader's Resource Guide for the Facilitation of Social Media Use by School Staff

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gooch, Deanna L.

2012-01-01

Many school leaders do not understand their rights and responsibilities to facilitate social media use by their staff in P-12 education. This dissertation was designed to research, develop, and validate a resource guide school leaders can use to facilitate social media use by school staff. "Research, Development, and Validation of a School…

Project Pride Evaluation Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jennewein, Marilyn; And Others

Project PRIDE (Probe, Research, Inquire, Discover, and Evaluate) is evaluated in this report to provide data to be used as a learning tool for project staff and student participants. Major objectives of the project are to provide an inter-disciplinary, objective approach to the study of the American heritage, and to incorporate methods and…

'Poppets and parcels': the links between staff experience of work and acutely ill older peoples' experience of hospital care.

PubMed

Maben, Jill; Adams, Mary; Peccei, Riccardo; Murrells, Trevor; Robert, Glenn

2012-06-01

Few empirical studies have directly examined the relationship between staff experiences of providing healthcare and patient experience. Present concerns over the care of older people in UK acute hospitals - and the reported attitudes of staff in such settings - highlight an important area of study. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES. To examine the links between staff experience of work and patient experience of care in a 'Medicine for Older People' (MfOP) service in England. A mixed methods case study undertaken over 8 months incorporating a 149-item staff survey (66/192 - 34% response rate), a 48-item patient survey (26/111 - 23%), 18 staff interviews, 18 patient and carer interviews and 41 hours of non-participant observation. Variation in patient experience is significantly influenced by staff work experiences. A high-demand/low-control work environment, poor staffing, ward leadership and co-worker relationships can each add to the inherent difficulties staff face when caring for acutely ill older people. Staff seek to alleviate the impact of such difficulties by finding personal satisfaction from caring for 'the poppets'; those patients they enjoy caring for and for whom they feel able to 'make a difference'. Other patients - noting dehumanising aspects of their care - felt like 'parcels'. Patients are aware of being seen by staff as 'difficult' or 'demanding' and seek to manage their relationships with nursing staff accordingly. The work experiences of staff in a MfOP service impacted directly on patient care experience. Poor ward and patient care climates often lead staff to seek job satisfaction through caring for 'poppets', leaving less favoured - and often more complex patients - to receive less personalised care. Implications for practice. Investment in staff well-being and ward climate is essential for the consistent delivery of high-quality care for older people in acute settings. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Appreciating Staff.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rollins, Chris

1998-01-01

Suggests positive ways to deal with camp staff: reduce precamp jitters and first-session doubts, personalize paycheck envelopes, schedule breaks and parties, rotate staff, permit use of facilities, keep in touch off-season, develop an interstaff "buddy" system, post a thank-you board, and celebrate staff accomplishments. Sidebars offer…

Development by a Large Integrated Health Care System of an Objective Methodology for Evaluation of Medical Oncology Service Sites.

PubMed

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

2012-03-01

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

Patient and visitor violence towards staff on medical and psychiatric wards in India.

PubMed

Raveesh, B N; Lepping, Peter; Lanka, Sri V K; Turner, Jim; Krishna, Murali

2015-02-01

Patient and visitor violence (PVV) towards staff is common across health settings. It has negative effects on staff and treatment provision. Little data is available from the developing world. To examine the prevalence of PVV in India and make comparisons with the existing data. We administered an abbreviated version of the Survey of Violence Experienced by Staff (SOVES-A) in English in Mysore on medical and psychiatric wards. 249 staff participated. 16% of staff in psychiatric wards were subjected to some form of PVV in the past 4 weeks which is lower than in the developed world. 57% of staff on medical wards experienced PVV which is similar to the developed world. Patients and Visitors were almost equal sources of this violence. Verbal abuse was more common than threats and physical assaults. Training in aggression management may be a protective factor. PVV is a significant problem in India, especially on medical wards. Aggression management training may be a way to reduce the prevalence of PVV. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Job burnout and related influencing factors in community medical staff in Nanchong, China].

PubMed

Zhu, T; Zhang, S S; Chen, D Y; Yang, H; Zheng, T; Zheng, L M; Li, J

2016-12-20

Objective: To investigate job burnout and related influencing factors in community medical staff in Nanchong, China. Methods: From June to July, 2015, cluster random sampling was performed to select 181 medical staff members in Nanchong Community Health Service Center as study subjects. The Chinese Maslach Burnout Inventory (CMBI) was used to measure the level of job burnout. Results: The overall detection rate of job burnout in community medical staff in Nanchong was 95.0%, and among these staff members with job burnout, 119 (65.7%) had mild job burnout, 44 (24.3%) had moderate job burnout, and 9 (5.0%) had severe job burnout. There were significant differences in the scores of emotional exhaustion and reduced sense of personal accomplishmentbetween the medical staff members with different ages ( F =5.820 and 3.180, both P <0.05) . There was a significant difference in the score of emotional exhaustion between the medical staff members with different working years ( F =2.909, P <0.05) . There was also a significant difference in the score of reduced sense of personal accomplishment between the medical staff members with different types of work ( F =5.797, P <0.05) , and the nurses had the lowest score. Conclusion: The medical staff members in Nanchong have a high incidence rate of job burnout, with the feature of reduced sense of personal accomplishment. An old age, long working years, and nursing occupation are major risk factors for job burnout.

Effects of a Tobacco-Free Work Site Policy on Employee Tobacco Attitudes and Behaviors, Travis County, Texas, 2010-2012.

PubMed

Seidel, Sarah E; Metzger, Kristi; Guerra, Andrea; Patton-Levine, Jessie; Singh, Sandeepkumar; Wilson, William T; Huang, Philip

2017-12-14

The adoption of tobacco-free policies in behavioral health settings is an important step in reducing staff tobacco use as well as the high rates of tobacco use among people with mental illness and behavioral disorders. Studies have demonstrated the importance of staff support when implementing tobacco-free workplace policies, but there is limited research examining tobacco use prevalence among staff and staff attitude before and after policy adoption. Integral Care, a local authority for behavioral health and developmental disabilities in Austin, Texas, and Austin Public Health embarked on a comprehensive planning process before implementing a 100% tobacco-free campus policy. The objectives were 1) assess staff tobacco use and attitudes toward a tobacco-free policy, 2) communicate policy to staff, 3) provide staff education and training, and 4) provide cessation resources. Integral Care and Austin Public Health conducted a web-based employee survey 6 months before and 6 and 12 months after implementation of the policy to measure tobacco use prevalence and attitudes among employees. Employees had significant improvements in tobacco use prevalence and attitudes toward the tobacco-free policy from pre-implementation to post-implementation. Tobacco use prevalence among staff decreased from 27.6% to 13.8%, and support for the policy increased from 60.6% to 80.3% at 12 months post-implementation. Adoption of 100% tobacco-free campus policies in behavioral health settings can result in significant reductions in staff tobacco use. Leadership should provide staff with education, training, and cessation support before adoption of tobacco-free work site policies to ensure success.

Evaluating the implementation of a multicomponent asthma education program for Head Start staff.

PubMed

Ruvalcaba, Elizabeth; Chung, Shang-En; Rand, Cynthia; Riekert, Kristin A; Eakin, Michelle

2018-03-15

Asthma disproportionately affects minority groups, low income populations, and young children under 5. Head Start (HS) programs predominantly serve this high-risk population, yet staff are not trained on asthma management. The objective of this study was to assess a 5-year, multicomponent HS staff asthma education program in Baltimore City HS programs. All HS programs were offered annual staff asthma education by a medical research team that included didactic lectures and hands-on training. Attendees received continuing education credits. HS staff were anonymously surveyed on asthma knowledge and skills and asthma medication management practices in Year 1 (preimplementation) and Year 5. There was an estimated response rate of 94% for Year 1 and 82% for Year 5. Compared to staff in Year 1, Year 5 staff were significantly more likely to report they had very good knowledge and skills related to asthma [odds ratio (OR) 1.63; p < 0.05] and were engaged in asthma care activities (OR 2.02; p < 0.05). Self-reported presence of asthma action plans for all children with asthma was 82% at Year 1 and increased to 89% in Year 5 (p = 0.064). Year 5 HS staff reported higher self-assessed knowledge and skills, self-reports of asthma medication management practices, and self-reports of asthma activities compared to Year 1 staff. HS serves high-risk children with asthma, and a multicomponent program can adequately prepare staff to manage asthma in the child care setting. Our results indicate the feasibility of providing efficacious health skill education into child care provider training to reduce asthma knowledge gaps.

The utility of CPD for older adult mental health nurses.

PubMed

Bush, Tony; Meadows-Smith, Donna; Snowdon-Carr, Vanessa; Rao, V Bapuji; Collishaw, Helen

To investigate how mental health nurses working with older adults perceive the benefits and realities of developing the outcomes of current continuing professional development training into actual clinical practice. A structured questionnaire was used with a convenience sample of nursing staff. Qualitative analysis was performed using a grounded theory approach in order to identify emergent themes, concepts and categories of data. Four randomly selected nurses were subjected to a voluntary semistructured interview using the questionnaire as a basis for information gathering. The main reason for attending courses was developing skills. Of those attending courses, 42 per cent of qualified and 35 per cent of unqualified staff had a personal development plan (PDP) or individual performance review (IPR). Significantly, all unqualified staff who had not been on a course had no PDP or IPR. Learning was described as applicable to practice by 85 per cent of unqualified and 70 per cent of qualified staff. However, 28 per cent of unqualified staff and 20 per cent of qualified staff felt their practice had not changed as a result of their learning. CPD can be a positive experience, providing nurses with the opportunity to direct their professional development.

Developing and Implementing a Combined Chemistry and Informatics Curriculum for Undergraduate and Graduate Students in the Czech Republic

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jirat, Jiri; Cech, Petr; Znamenacek, Jiri; Simek, Miroslav; Skuta, Ctibor; Vanek, Tomas; Dibuszova, Eva; Nic, Miloslav; Svozil, Daniel

2013-01-01

Experience developing multidisciplinary bachelor's and master's curricula involving intertwined chemistry, informatics, and librarianship-editorship skills is described. The bachelor's curriculum was created in close cooperation of academic staff, library staff, and the publishing house staff (Institute of Chemical Technology Prague: a sole…

Engaging Students and Staff with Educational Development through Appreciative Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kadi-Hanifi, Karima; Dagman, Ozlem; Peters, John; Snell, Ellen; Tutton, Caroline; Wright, Trevor

2014-01-01

Appreciative inquiry (AI) offers a constructive, strengths-based framework for engaging students and staff in the enhancement of academic programmes of study. This paper explores the basis of AI, its potential for educational development and the many agendas it might help address. Students and academic staff involved in an AI project, focused on…

45 CFR 235.64 - FFP rates, and activities and costs matchable as training expenditures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

..., travel and per diem for: (1) Staff development personnel (including support staff) assigned full time to training functions and; (2) Staff development personnel assigned part time to training functions to the... of less than four consecutive work weeks, or part-time training programs; and (4) Stipends, travel...

45 CFR 235.64 - FFP rates, and activities and costs matchable as training expenditures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

..., travel and per diem for: (1) Staff development personnel (including support staff) assigned full time to training functions and; (2) Staff development personnel assigned part time to training functions to the... of less than four consecutive work weeks, or part-time training programs; and (4) Stipends, travel...

45 CFR 235.64 - FFP rates, and activities and costs matchable as training expenditures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

..., travel and per diem for: (1) Staff development personnel (including support staff) assigned full time to training functions and; (2) Staff development personnel assigned part time to training functions to the... of less than four consecutive work weeks, or part-time training programs; and (4) Stipends, travel...

Handbook for Staff Development in Residential Schools for Deaf Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naiman, Doris W.; Mashikian, Hagop S.

The handbook is intended to aid residential schools for deaf children in establishing comprehensive staff development programs. Stressed is the importance of involving all staff members including administrators, teachers, and dormitory counselors in the provision of an integrated 24-hour-a-day learning environment. The handbook is said to be…

Staff Development Needs in Pakistan Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ullah, Muhammad Hameed; Khan, Muhammad Naeem Ullah; Murtaza, Ali; Ud Din, Muhammad Naseer

2011-01-01

Staff development is very significant for the achievement of overall goals of higher education in Pakistan. The success of innovations depends largely upon the skills of instructors; but in Pakistan, the people with a simple masters degree (without any pedagogical training) are inducted as teaching staff at the university level, so it is time to…

Professional Development Status of Teaching Staff in a Ugandan Public University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kasule, George Wilson; Wesselink, Renate; Mulder, Martin

2016-01-01

A study was conducted to determine general professional development activities perceived to be important in enhancing university teaching staff's job performance, and the extent to which teaching staff participate in these activities in Uganda. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with faculty deans and department heads (n = 20),…

Whole-system approaches to improving the health and wellbeing of healthcare workers: A systematic review.

PubMed

Brand, Sarah L; Thompson Coon, Jo; Fleming, Lora E; Carroll, Lauren; Bethel, Alison; Wyatt, Katrina

2017-01-01

Healthcare professionals throughout the developed world report higher levels of sickness absence, dissatisfaction, distress, and "burnout" at work than staff in other sectors. There is a growing call for the 'triple aim' of healthcare delivery (improving patient experience and outcomes and reducing costs; to include a fourth aim: improving healthcare staff experience of healthcare delivery. A systematic review commissioned by the United Kingdom's (UK) Department of Health reviewed a large number of international healthy workplace interventions and recommended five whole-system changes to improve healthcare staff health and wellbeing: identification and response to local need, engagement of staff at all levels, and the involvement, visible leadership from, and up-skilling of, management and board-level staff. This systematic review aims to identify whole-system healthy workplace interventions in healthcare settings that incorporate (combinations of) these recommendations and determine whether they improve staff health and wellbeing. A comprehensive and systematic search of medical, education, exercise science, and social science databases was undertaken. Studies were included if they reported the results of interventions that included all healthcare staff within a healthcare setting (e.g. whole hospital; whole unit, e.g. ward) in collective activities to improve physical or mental health or promote healthy behaviours. Eleven studies were identified which incorporated at least one of the whole-system recommendations. Interventions that incorporated recommendations to address local need and engage the whole workforce fell in to four broad types: 1) pre-determined (one-size-fits-all) and no choice of activities (two studies); or 2) pre-determined and some choice of activities (one study); 3) A wide choice of a range of activities and some adaptation to local needs (five studies); or, 3) a participatory approach to creating programmes responsive and adaptive to local staff needs that have extensive choice of activities to participate in (three studies). Only five of the interventions included substantial involvement and engagement of leadership and efforts aimed at up-skilling the leadership of staff to support staff health and wellbeing. Incorporation of more of the recommendations did not appear to be related to effectiveness. The heterogeneity of study designs, populations and outcomes excluded a meta-analysis. All studies were deemed by their authors to be at least partly effective. Two studies reported statistically significant improvement in objectively measured physical health (BMI) and eight in subjective mental health. Six studies reported statistically significant positive changes in subjectively assessed health behaviours. This systematic review identified 11 studies which incorporate at least one of the Boorman recommendations and provides evidence that whole-system healthy workplace interventions can improve health and wellbeing and promote healthier behaviours in healthcare staff.

78 FR 59968 - Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-30

... definition of a sacred object. Lineal descendants or representatives of any Indian tribe or Native Hawaiian... the definition of sacred object under 25 U.S.C. 3001. This notice is published as part of the National... sacred object is a bowl, identified by staff at the Arizona State Museum as Tusayan White Ware, and...

Web-based training course for evaluating radiological dose assessment in NRC's license termination process.

PubMed

Lepoire, D; Richmond, P; Cheng, J-J; Kamboj, S; Arnish, J; Chen, S Y; Barr, C; McKenney, C

2008-08-01

As part of the requirement for terminating the licenses of nuclear power plants or other nuclear facilities, license termination plans or decommissioning plans are submitted by the licensee to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for review and approval. Decommissioning plans generally refer to the decommissioning of nonreactor facilities, while license termination plans specifically refer to the decommissioning of nuclear reactor facilities. To provide a uniform and consistent review of dose modeling aspects of these plans and to address NRC-wide knowledge management issues, the NRC, in 2006, commissioned Argonne National Laboratory to develop a Web-based training course on reviewing radiological dose assessments for license termination. The course, which had first been developed in 2005 to target specific aspects of the review processes for license termination plans and decommissioning plans, evolved from a live classroom course into a Web-based training course in 2006. The objective of the Web-based training course is to train NRC staff members (who have various relevant job functions and are located at headquarters, regional offices, and site locations) to conduct an effective review of dose modeling in accordance with the latest NRC guidance, including NUREG-1757, Volumes 1 and 2. The exact size of the staff population who will receive the training has not yet been accurately determined but will depend on various factors such as the decommissioning activities at the NRC. This Web-based training course is designed to give NRC staff members modern, flexible access to training. To this end, the course is divided into 16 modules: 9 core modules that deal with basic topics, and 7 advanced modules that deal with complex issues or job-specific topics. The core and advanced modules are tailored to various NRC staff members with different job functions. The Web-based system uses the commercially available software Articulate, which incorporates audio, video, and animation in slide presentations and has glossary, document search, and Internet connectivity features. The training course has been implemented on an NRC system that allows staff members to register, select courses, track records, and self-administer quizzes.

Attitudes Toward Practice Guidelines Among ICU Personnel: A Cross-Sectional Anonymous Survey

PubMed Central

Quiros, Dave; Lin, Susan; Larson, Elaine L

2007-01-01

Objectives To assess attitudes of ICU staff members toward practice guidelines in general and toward a specific guideline, CDC's Guideline for Hand Hygiene in Healthcare Settings; to correlate these attitudes with staff and hospital characteristics; and to examine the impact of staff attitudes toward the Hand Hygiene Guideline on self reported implementation of the Guideline. Methods A cross-sectional survey of staff in 70 ICUs in 39 U.S. hospitals, members of The National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance (NNIS) System. A survey, “Attitudes Regarding Practice Guidelines”, was administered anonymously to all willing staff during a site visit at each hospital; 1,359 ICU personnel: 1,003 nurses (74%), 228 physicians (17%), and 128 others (10%) responded. Results Significantly more positive attitudes toward practice guidelines were found among staff in pediatric as compared with adult ICUs (p<0.001). Nurses and other staff when compared with physicians had more positive attitudes toward guidelines in general but not toward the specific Hand Hygiene Guideline. Those with more positive attitudes were significantly more likely to report that they had implemented recommendations of the Guideline (p<0.001) and used an alcohol product for hand hygiene (p=0.002). Conclusions The majority of staff members were familiar with the CDC Hand Hygiene Guideline. Staff attitudes toward practice guidelines varied by type of ICU and by profession, and more positive attitudes were associated with significantly better self-reported guideline implementation. Because differences in staff attitudes might hinder or facilitate their acceptance and adoption of evidence-based practice guidelines, these results may have important implications for the education and/or socialization of ICU staff. PMID:17628198

Staff experiences of an early warning indicator for unstable patients in Australia.

PubMed

Green, Anna; Williams, Allison; Allison, William

2006-01-01

The objective of this study is to explore nursing and medical staff's perceptions of a clinical marker referral tool implemented to assist in the early identification of unstable patients in the general surgical and medical ward environment. A descriptive, exploratory survey design was undertaken 6 months after the implementation of a clinical marker referral tool. The target population for the survey was all ward nursing, junior medical staff and intensive care unit (ICU) registrars in a metropolitan tertiary referral hospital in Australia. The survey consisted of open-ended and closed-ended questions, as well as statements asking participants to explore their perceptions, attitudes and perceived understanding of the clinical marker referral tool. The surveys were sent to all targeted staff in a personally addressed envelope via the internal mail system. Overall, nursing and medical staff (n = 178) responses were positive to the clinical marker project/tool, offering clear guidelines for staff to respond to the patient's clinical condition and contact the medical staff and the ICU liaison team as appropriate. Furthermore, comments were made in relation to the ICU liaison team acting as a 'support' and 'prompt back-up' for nursing staff when needed. However, ward medical staff had reservations with the clinical markers chosen and with ward nurses being able to contact the ICU registrar after hours. Additionally, the ICU registrars commented on an increase to their workload in having to review unstable patients after hours. These results suggest that the ward nurses required additional support and guidance in caring for the unstable patient in the ward which may improve patient outcomes. Further research investigating the less-favourable responses of the ward medical staff and ICU medical staff is warranted.

The impact of intermediate care services on job satisfaction, skills and career development opportunities.

PubMed

Nancarrow, Susan

2007-07-01

The purpose of this study was to examine, in depth, the impact of intermediate care services on staff job satisfaction, skills development and career development opportunities. Recruitment and retention difficulties present a major barrier to the effective delivery of intermediate care services in the UK. The limited existing literature is contradictory, but points to the possibility of staff deskilling and suggests that intermediate care is poorly understood and may be seen by other practitioners as being of lower status than hospital work. These factors have the potential to reduce staff morale and limit the possibilities of recruiting staff. The research is based on interviews with 26 staff from case studies of two intermediate care services in South Yorkshire. Participants reported high levels of job satisfaction, which was because of the enabling philosophy of care, increased autonomy, the setting of care and the actual teams within which the workers were employed. For most disciplines, intermediate care facilitated the application of existing skills in a different way; enhancing some skills, while restricting the use of others. Barriers to career development opportunities were attributed to the relative recency of intermediate care services, small size of the services and lack of clear career structures. Career development opportunities in intermediate care could be improved through staff rotations through acute, community and intermediate care to increase their awareness of the roles of intermediate care staff. The non-hierarchical management structures limits management career development opportunities, instead, there is a need to enhance professional growth opportunities through the use of consultant posts and specialization within intermediate care. This study provides insight into the impact of an increasingly popular model of care on the roles and job satisfaction of workers and highlights the importance of this learning for recruitment and retention of staff.

Influencing Variables and Moderators of Transfer of Learning to the Workplace within the Area of Staff Development in Higher Education: Research Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Rijdt, Catherine; Stes, Ann; van der Vleuten, Cees; Dochy, Filip

2013-01-01

The goal of staff development in higher education is a change in teacher practices to positively influence student learning. In other words, the goal of staff development is the transfer of learning to the workplace. Research illuminates that this transfer of learning to the workplace is a complex issue. To make an accurate assessment of staff…

A Case Analysis of a Model Program for the Leadership Development of Women Faculty and Staff Seeking to Advance Their Careers in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calizo, Lee Scherer Hawthorne

2011-01-01

The purpose of this case study was to explore a model of leadership development for women faculty and staff in higher education. This study is significant because it explored the only identified campus-based program open to both faculty and staff. The campus-based Women's Institute for Leadership Development (WILD) program at the University of…

Assessing the Impact of a Program Designed to Develop Sustainability Leadership amongst Staff Members in Higher Education Institutes: A Case Study from a Community of Practice Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alkaher, Iris; Avissar, Ilana

2018-01-01

This study focuses on the impact of a sustainability leadership development program (SLDP) designed to develop staff members as leaders who encourage sustainability practices within institutions of higher education (IHE). Using the framework of community of practice (CoP), we explored the program's contribution by interviewing 16 staff members who…

Consumer Directed Care in Australia: early perceptions and experiences of staff, clients and carers.

PubMed

Gill, Liz; McCaffrey, Nikki; Cameron, Ian D; Ratcliffe, Julie; Kaambwa, Billingsley; Corlis, Megan; Fiebig, Jeff; Gresham, Meredith

2017-03-01

The study aimed to identify the shared issues and challenges being experienced by staff, their clients and informal carers, with the introduction of Consumer Directed Care (CDC). Secondary analysis was undertaken of data that had been initially collected, via semi-structured in-depth interviews, to inform the development of a discrete choice experiment. The raw staff and client/carer data were re-examined using an iterative inductive process. The analysis focused on locating the shared themes and differences between the participant groups based on their CDC experience. The data were also assessed for difficulties or barriers that impacted on the service. Four broad shared themes were derived: culture, role change, operational systems and resourcing, but with a range of diverse and sometimes conflicting sub-themes between the different participant groups. Differences can be linked to participant role in the service chain, with discordance emerging between what has been traditionally offered and what might be possible. This investigation occurred during the period in which services were transitioning from a traditional aged care service model to a new model of service provision requiring considerable industry change. We conclude that existing industry regulation, culture and practice supports an established service model in Australia that arguably makes translation of the objectives of CDC difficult. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Implementing Information and Communication Technology to Support Community Aged Care Service Integration: Lessons from an Australian Aged Care Provider

PubMed Central

Georgiou, Andrew; Tariq, Amina; Prgomet, Mirela; Warland, Andrew; Armour, Pauline; Westbrook, Johanna I

2017-01-01

Introduction: There is limited evidence of the benefits of information and communication technology (ICT) to support integrated aged care services. Objectives: We undertook a case study to describe carelink+, a centralised client service management ICT system implemented by a large aged and community care service provider, Uniting. We sought to explicate the care-related information exchange processes associated with carelink+ and identify lessons for organisations attempting to use ICT to support service integration. Methods: Our case study included seventeen interviews and eleven observation sessions with a purposive sample of staff within the organisation. Inductive analysis was used to develop a model of ICT-supported information exchange. Results: Management staff described the integrated care model designed to underpin carelink+. Frontline staff described complex information exchange processes supporting coordination of client services. Mismatches between the data quality and the functions carelink+ was designed to support necessitated the evolution of new work processes associated with the system. Conclusions: There is value in explicitly modelling the work processes that emerge as a consequence of ICT. Continuous evaluation of the match between ICT and work processes will help aged care organisations to achieve higher levels of ICT maturity that support their efforts to provide integrated care to clients. PMID:29042851

‘Saying it without words’: a qualitative study of oncology staff's experiences with speaking up about safety concerns

PubMed Central

Schwappach, D L B; Gehring, K

2014-01-01

Objectives To explore the experiences of oncology staff with communicating safety concerns and to examine situational factors and motivations surrounding the decision whether and how to speak up using semistructured interviews. Setting 7 oncology departments of six hospitals in Switzerland. Participants Diverse sample of 32 experienced oncology healthcare professionals. Results Nurses and doctors commonly experience situations which raise their concerns and require questioning, clarifying and correcting. Participants often used non-verbal communication to signal safety concerns. Speaking-up behaviour was strongly related to a clinical safety issue. Most episodes of ‘silence’ were connected to hygiene, isolation and invasive procedures. In contrast, there seemed to exist a strong culture to communicate questions, doubts and concerns relating to medication. Nearly all interviewees were concerned with ‘how’ to say it and in particular those of lower hierarchical status reflected on deliberate ‘voicing tactics’. Conclusions Our results indicate a widely accepted culture to discuss any concerns relating to medication safety while other issues are more difficult to voice. Clinicians devote considerable efforts to evaluate the situation and sensitively decide whether and how to speak up. Our results can serve as a starting point to develop a shared understanding of risks and appropriate communication of safety concerns among staff in oncology. PMID:24838725

Realizing what's essential: a case study on integrating electronic journal management into a print-centric technicalservices department

PubMed Central

Dollar, Daniel M.; Gallagher, John; Glover, Janis; Marone, Regina Kenny; Crooker, Cynthia

2007-01-01

Objective: To support migration from print to electronic resources, the Cushing/Whitney Medical Library at Yale University reorganized its Technical Services Department to focus on managing electronic resources. Methods: The library hired consultants to help plan the changes and to present recommendations for integrating electronic resource management into every position. The library task force decided to focus initial efforts on the periodical collection. To free staff time to devote to electronic journals, most of the print subscriptions were switched to online only and new workflows were developed for e-journals. Results: Staff learned new responsibilities such as activating e-journals, maintaining accurate holdings information in the online public access catalog and e-journals database (“electronic shelf reading”), updating the link resolver knowledgebase, and troubleshooting. All of the serials team members now spend significant amounts of time managing e-journals. Conclusions: The serials staff now spends its time managing the materials most important to the library's clientele (e-journals and databases). The team's proactive approach to maintenance work and rapid response to reported problems should improve patrons' experiences using e-journals. The library is taking advantage of new technologies such as an electronic resource management system, and library workflows and procedures will continue to evolve as technology changes. PMID:17443247

Evaluation of a Staff Training Programme using Positive Psychology coaching with film and theatre elements in care homes: views and attitudes of residents, staff and relatives.

PubMed

Guzmán, Azucena; Wenborn, Jennifer; Ledgerd, Ritchard; Orrell, Martin

2017-03-01

There is a recognised need to improve staff training in care homes. The aim of this study was to conduct a qualitative evaluation of the Ladder to the Moon Culture Change Studio Engagement Programme (CCSEP), a staff training programme aimed at enhancing staff-resident communication. Focus groups were conducted with residents able to provide consent; staff and relatives and managers were interviewed in two care homes. A theoretical framework was developed to interpret the impact of CCSEP using Framework Analysis. Residents noted that the programme appeared to result in staff interacting more with them, as well as enjoying working together as a team. Staff reported an improved sense of teamwork, developing more positive attitudes towards residents, as well as their concerns about using theatrical techniques in the care setting. Relatives identified care home organisational aspects as being barriers to implementation, and some regarded CCSEP simply as 'entertainment' rather than 'creative care'. This study provides an insight into the potential of this staff training programme to improve staff-resident interactions. However, participants' varying views of CCSEP highlight the need to brief staff, residents and relatives before implementation so as to enable full understanding of the aim. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Vocational Staff Workshops Project: April 26, 1991-May 30, 1992.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGillicuddy (Shirley) & Associates, Sierra Madre, CA.

The Vocational Staff Workshops Project was initiated in 1984 by the California Community College Association of Occupational Education (CCCAOE) to provide staff development activities for vocational education instructors, administrators, and support services staff. In 1991-92, the project was implemented by Orange Coast College, which…

Emotional intelligence in nurse management and nurse job satisfaction and retention: a scoping review protocol.

PubMed

Phillips, Jacqueline; Harris, Janet

2017-11-01

The objective of this review is to map what is known about emotional intelligence (EI) in relation to staff job satisfaction and retention in nursing, and the tools that are used to measure EI in this context. The primary question of this review is: What is known about nurse managers' EI as it relates to staff job satisfaction and retention in nursing?Sub-question 1: What tools are being used to measure nurse managers' EI and what theoretical frameworks are they based on?Sub-question 2: What gaps exist in the research related to nurse managers' EI as it relates to staff job satisfaction and retention in nursing?

Context Matters: Team and Organizational Factors Associated with Reach of Evidence-Based Psychotherapies for PTSD in the Veterans Health Administration.

PubMed

Sayer, Nina A; Rosen, Craig S; Bernardy, Nancy C; Cook, Joan M; Orazem, Robert J; Chard, Kathleen M; Mohr, David C; Kehle-Forbes, Shannon M; Eftekhari, Afsoon; Crowley, Jill; Ruzek, Josef I; Smith, Brandy N; Schnurr, Paula P

2017-11-01

Evidence-based psychotherapies for PTSD are often underused. The objective of this mixed-method study was to identify organizational and clinic factors that promote high levels of reach of evidence-based psychotherapies for PTSD 10 years into their dissemination throughout the Veterans Health Administration. We conducted 96 individual interviews with staff from ten outpatient PTSD teams at nine sites that differed in reach of evidence-based psychotherapies for PTSD. Major themes associated with reach included clinic mission, clinic leader and staff engagement, clinic operations, staff perceptions, and the practice environment. Strategies to improve reach of evidence-based psychotherapies should attend to organizational and team-level factors.

Direct coal liquefaction baseline design and system analysis. Quarterly report, January--March 1991

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

Not Available

1991-04-01

The primary objective of the study is to develop a computer model for a base line direct coal liquefaction design based on two stage direct coupled catalytic reactors. This primary objective is to be accomplished by completing the following: a base line design based on previous DOE/PETC results from Wilsonville pilot plant and other engineering evaluations; a cost estimate and economic analysis; a computer model incorporating the above two steps over a wide range of capacities and selected process alternatives; a comprehensive training program for DOE/PETC Staff to understand and use the computer model; a thorough documentation of all underlyingmore » assumptions for baseline economics; and a user manual and training material which will facilitate updating of the model in the future.« less

Direct coal liquefaction baseline design and system analysis

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

Not Available

1991-04-01

The primary objective of the study is to develop a computer model for a base line direct coal liquefaction design based on two stage direct coupled catalytic reactors. This primary objective is to be accomplished by completing the following: a base line design based on previous DOE/PETC results from Wilsonville pilot plant and other engineering evaluations; a cost estimate and economic analysis; a computer model incorporating the above two steps over a wide range of capacities and selected process alternatives; a comprehensive training program for DOE/PETC Staff to understand and use the computer model; a thorough documentation of all underlyingmore » assumptions for baseline economics; and a user manual and training material which will facilitate updating of the model in the future.« less

“We’ll Get to You When We Get to You”: Exploring Potential Contributions of Health Care Staff Behaviors to Patient Perceptions of Discrimination and Satisfaction

PubMed Central

Cherrington, Andrea L.; Andreae, Lynn; Prince, Candice; Holt, Cheryl L.; Halanych, Jewell H.

2015-01-01

Objectives. We qualitatively assessed patients’ perceptions of discrimination and patient satisfaction in the health care setting specific to interactions with nonphysician health care staff. Methods. We conducted 12 focus-group interviews with African American and European American participants, stratified by race and gender, from June to November 2008. We used a topic guide to facilitate discussion and identify factors contributing to perceived discrimination and analyzed transcripts for relevant themes using a codebook. Results. We enrolled 92 participants: 55 African Americans and 37 European Americans, all of whom reported perceived discrimination and lower patient satisfaction as a result of interactions with nonphysician health care staff. Perceived discrimination was associated with 2 main characteristics: insurance or socioeconomic status and race. Both verbal and nonverbal communication style on the part of nonphysician health care staff were related to individuals’ perceptions of how they were treated. Conclusions. The behaviors of nonphysician health care staff in the clinical setting can potentially contribute to patients’ perceptions of discrimination and lowered patient satisfaction. Future interventions to reduce health care discrimination should include a focus on staff cultural competence and customer service skills. PMID:26270291

The Impact of School Climate and School Identification on Academic Achievement: Multilevel Modeling with Student and Teacher Data

PubMed Central

Maxwell, Sophie; Reynolds, Katherine J.; Lee, Eunro; Subasic, Emina; Bromhead, David

2017-01-01

School climate is a leading factor in explaining student learning and achievement. Less work has explored the impact of both staff and student perceptions of school climate raising interesting questions about whether staff school climate experiences can add “value” to students' achievement. In the current research, multiple sources were integrated into a multilevel model, including staff self-reports, student self-reports, objective school records of academic achievement, and socio-economic demographics. Achievement was assessed using a national literacy and numeracy tests (N = 760 staff and 2,257 students from 17 secondary schools). In addition, guided by the “social identity approach,” school identification is investigated as a possible psychological mechanism to explain the relationship between school climate and achievement. In line with predictions, results show that students' perceptions of school climate significantly explain writing and numeracy achievement and this effect is mediated by students' psychological identification with the school. Furthermore, staff perceptions of school climate explain students' achievement on numeracy, writing and reading tests (while accounting for students' responses). However, staff's school identification did not play a significant role. Implications of these findings for organizational, social, and educational research are discussed. PMID:29259564

The Impact of School Climate and School Identification on Academic Achievement: Multilevel Modeling with Student and Teacher Data.

PubMed

Maxwell, Sophie; Reynolds, Katherine J; Lee, Eunro; Subasic, Emina; Bromhead, David

2017-01-01

School climate is a leading factor in explaining student learning and achievement. Less work has explored the impact of both staff and student perceptions of school climate raising interesting questions about whether staff school climate experiences can add "value" to students' achievement. In the current research, multiple sources were integrated into a multilevel model, including staff self-reports, student self-reports, objective school records of academic achievement, and socio-economic demographics. Achievement was assessed using a national literacy and numeracy tests ( N = 760 staff and 2,257 students from 17 secondary schools). In addition, guided by the "social identity approach," school identification is investigated as a possible psychological mechanism to explain the relationship between school climate and achievement. In line with predictions, results show that students' perceptions of school climate significantly explain writing and numeracy achievement and this effect is mediated by students' psychological identification with the school. Furthermore, staff perceptions of school climate explain students' achievement on numeracy, writing and reading tests (while accounting for students' responses). However, staff's school identification did not play a significant role. Implications of these findings for organizational, social, and educational research are discussed.

The Effect of Organizational Development on Teachers' Perceptions of Working Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howard, Pierce; Arlin, Marshall

Twenty-six principals from schools in North Carolina participated in five days of leadership training. They then participated in a 2-week staff development workshop within their own schools but met together again for leadership analysis after the end of each day's staff session. A faculty environment survey was administered to all staff before and…

Identification of Domains for Malaysian University Staff Happiness Index Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yassin, Sulaiman Md.

2014-01-01

Without any doubt happiness among staff in any organization is pertinent to ensure continued growth and development. However, not many studies were carried out to determine the domains that will be able to measure the level of happiness among staff in universities. Thus, the aim of this study is to elicit the domains that explain the overall…

The World Bank Rural Development Field Staff Distance Learning and Training Strategy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mortera-Gutierrez, Fernando

The Rural Development Distance Learning and Training Strategy targets locally recruited field staff of the World Bank Rural Sector. Field staff at the bank's mission offices worldwide are heterogeneous in terms of culture, ethnicity, race, gender, social class, and religion. However, they have the following in common: they follow the Bank's work…

Future and Changing Roles of Staff in Distance Education: A Study to Identify Training and Professional Development Needs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Jennifer

2018-01-01

The roles of distance education teaching staff are changing, necessitating role clarity and the development of appropriate competency frameworks. This article investigates the perceptions of the teaching and research staff at the University of South Africa, regarding the current and future roles of distance educators, their own competencies in…

Level of Discipline among University Academic Staff as a Correlate of University Development in Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uhoman, Anyi Mary

2017-01-01

This study entitled "Level of Discipline Among University Academic Staff as a Correlate of University Development in Nigeria" adopted the correlation design with a population of 2,301 academic staff purposively selected from four Universities in the North-Central Geo-Political zone of Nigeria. The Stratified Random Sampling Method was…

Student Leadership Development in Australian and New Zealand Secondary Girls' Schools: A Staff Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Archard, Nicole

2012-01-01

This paper reports on a qualitative study regarding the phenomenon of student leadership development as reported by staff members in girls' schools located in Australia and New Zealand. Electronic survey was used as the method of data collection, facilitating both closed and open-ended responses. Using staff responses, the understanding and type…

Colorado Distance Learning Resources: Instructional and Staff Development Programming Available to Colorado School Districts. 1992-93 School Year.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feder, Eric

Colorado educators interested in expanding curricular offerings in their elementary and secondary schools and providing staff development programs to their teachers and staff have many tools at their disposal. One of the most popular is the use of distance education and other telecommunications technologies to provide courses and individual…

Reframing Professional Development for South African Schools: An Appreciative Inquiry Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steyn, G. M.

2012-01-01

Often research on the professional development (PD) of staff is framed within a problem-based context that focuses on the PD-related problems experienced by staff. This study pursued a different approach by using the appreciative inquiry (AI) theoretical perspective to study the positive experiences of staff in respect of PD and their desire to…

Developing a Staff Physical Activity Program at Your School: Implementing the Lesser-Used Component of the CSPAP Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Langley, Katherine; Kulinna, Pamela Hodges

2018-01-01

The purpose of this article is to explore staff physical activity programs in the school setting, describe a viable option for a staff walking program in an elementary school, and determine elementary school staff members' participation and perceptions in one such program. Previous research has shown that placing a focus on staff involvement and…

LISPA (Library and Information Center Staff Planning Advisor): A Microcomputer-Based System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Devadason, F. J.; Vespry, H. A.

1996-01-01

Describes LISPA (Library and Information Center Staff Planning Advisor), a set of programs based on Ranganathan's staff plan model. LISPA particularly aids in planning for library staff requirements, both professional and paraprofessional, in developing countries where automated systems for other library operations are not yet available.…

Some fuzzy techniques for staff selection process: A survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Md Saad, R.; Ahmad, M. Z.; Abu, M. S.; Jusoh, M. S.

2013-04-01

With high level of business competition, it is vital to have flexible staff that are able to adapt themselves with work circumstances. However, staff selection process is not an easy task to be solved, even when it is tackled in a simplified version containing only a single criterion and a homogeneous skill. When multiple criteria and various skills are involved, the problem becomes much more complicated. In adddition, there are some information that could not be measured precisely. This is patently obvious when dealing with opinions, thoughts, feelings, believes, etc. One possible tool to handle this issue is by using fuzzy set theory. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to review the existing fuzzy techniques for solving staff selection process. It classifies several existing research methods and identifies areas where there is a gap and need further research. Finally, this paper concludes by suggesting new ideas for future research based on the gaps identified.

A survey of 100 community colleges on student substance use, programming, and collaborations.

PubMed

Chiauzzi, Emil; Donovan, Elizabeth; Black, Ryan; Cooney, Elizabeth; Buechner, Allison; Wood, Mollie

2011-01-01

The objective was to survey community college personnel about student substance use, and infrastructure (staff and funding), programs, and collaborations dedicated to substance use prevention. The sample included 100 administrators, faculty, and health services staff at 100 community colleges. Participants completed a Web-based survey. Participants reported a number of alcohol and other drug (AOD) related concerns. Despite limited staff and funding dedicated to AOD, institutions are implementing a number of programs, although many are not implementing some of the programs popular at traditional 4-year colleges. They are also collaborating with a number of on- and off-campus groups. The availability of staff and funding dedicated to AOD, and the presence of residence halls, is associated with health programming and substance abuse collaborations. Results suggest that there is a need for increased research to understand the most effective AOD prevention strategies for community colleges.

Planning For Retirement: Using Income Replacement Ratios in Setting Retirement Income Objectives.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palmer, Bruce A.

1993-01-01

This paper presents a method for higher education faculty and staff to assess pension plan objectives by determining a retirement income replacement ratio to maintain the salary-based preretirement standard of living. The paper describes the RETIRE Project which researches income replacement using the federal government's annual "Consumer…

Development of a written music-recognition system using Java and open source technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loibner, Gernot; Schwarzl, Andreas; Kovač, Matthias; Paulus, Dietmar; Pölzleitner, Wolfgang

2005-10-01

We report on the development of a software system to recognize and interpret printed music. The overall goal is to scan printed music sheets, analyze and recognize the notes, timing, and written text, and derive the all necessary information to use the computers MIDI sound system to play the music. This function is primarily useful for musicians who want to digitize printed music for editing purposes. There exist a number of commercial systems that offer such a functionality. However, on testing these systems, we were astonished on how weak they behave in their pattern recognition parts. Although we submitted very clear and rather flawless scanning input, none of these systems was able to e.g. recognize all notes, staff lines, and systems. They all require a high degree of interaction, post-processing, and editing to get a decent digital version of the hard copy material. In this paper we focus on the pattern recognition area. In a first approach we tested more or less standard methods of adaptive thresholding, blob detection, line detection, and corner detection to find the notes, staff lines, and candidate objects subject to OCR. Many of the objects on this type of material can be learned in a training phase. None of the commercial systems we saw offers the option to train special characters or unusual signatures. A second goal in this project is to use a modern software engineering platform. We were interested in how well Java and open source technologies are suitable for pattern recognition and machine vision. The scanning of music served as a case-study.

Applied Operations Research: Operator's Assistant

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cole, Stuart K.

2015-01-01

NASA operates high value critical equipment (HVCE) that requires trouble shooting, periodic maintenance and continued monitoring by Operations staff. The complexity HVCE and information required to maintain and trouble shoot HVCE to assure continued mission success as paper is voluminous. Training on new HVCE is commensurate with the need for equipment maintenance. LaRC Research Directorate has undertaken a proactive research to support Operations staff by initiation of the development and prototyping an electronic computer based portable maintenance aid (Operator's Assistant). This research established a goal with multiple objectives and a working prototype was developed. The research identified affordable solutions; constraints; demonstrated use of commercial off the shelf software; use of the US Coast Guard maintenance solution; NASA Procedure Representation Language; and the identification of computer system strategies; where these demonstrations and capabilities support the Operator, and maintenance. The results revealed validation against measures of effectiveness and overall proved a substantial training and capability sustainment tool. The research indicated that the OA could be deployed operationally at the LaRC Compressor Station with an expectation of satisfactorily results and to obtain additional lessons learned prior to deployment at other LaRC Research Directorate Facilities. The research revealed projected cost and time savings.

Developing patient-centered teams: The role of sharing stories about patients and patient care.

PubMed

Bennett, Ariana H; Hassinger, Jane A; Martin, Lisa A; Harris, Lisa H; Gold, Marji

2015-09-01

Research indicates that health care teams are good for staff, patients, and organizations. The characteristics that make teams effective include shared objectives, mutual respect, clarity of roles, communication, trust, and collaboration. We were interested in examining how teams develop these positive characteristics. This paper explores the role of sharing stories about patients in developing patient-centered teams. Data for this paper came from 1 primary care clinic as part of a larger Providers Share Workshop study conducted by the University of Michigan. Each workshop included 5 facilitated group sessions in which staff met to talk about their work. This paper analyzes qualitative data from the workshops. Through an iterative process, research team members identified major themes, developed a coding scheme, and coded transcripts for qualitative data analysis. One of the most powerful ways group members connected was through sharing stories about their patients. Sharing clinical cases and stories helped participants bond around their shared mission of patient-centered care, build supportive relationships, enhance compassion for patients, communicate and resolve conflict, better understand workflows and job roles, develop trust, and increase morale. These attributes highlighted by participants correspond to those documented in the literature as important elements of teambuilding and key indicators of team effectiveness. The sharing of stories about patients seems to be a promising tool for positive team development in a primary care clinical setting and should be investigated further. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Teaching undergraduate students in rural general practice: an evaluation of a new rural campus in England.

PubMed

Bartlett, Maggie; Pritchard, Katie; Lewis, Leo; Hays, Richard B; Mckinley, Robert K

2016-01-01

One approach to facilitating student interactions with patient pathways at Keele University School of Medicine, England, is the placement of medical students for 25% of their clinical placement time in general practices. The largest component is a 15-week 'student attachment' in primary care during the final year, which required the development of a new network of teaching practices in a rural district of England about 90 km (60 mi) from the main campus in North Staffordshire. The new accommodation and education hub was established in 2011-2012 to enable students to become immersed in those communities and learn about medical practice within a rural and remote context. Objectives were to evaluate the rural teaching from the perspectives of four groups: patients, general practice tutors, community hospital staff and students. Learning outcomes (as measured by objective structured clinical examinations) of students learning in rural practices in the final year were compared with those in other practices. Data were gathered from a variety of sources. Students' scores in cohort-wide clinical assessment were compared with those in other locations. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with general practice tutors and community hospital staff. Serial focus groups explored the perceptions of the students, and questionnaires were used to gather the views of patients. Patients reported positive experiences of students in their consultations, with 97% expressing willingness to see students. The majority of patients considered that teaching in general practice was a good thing. They also expressed altruistic ideas about facilitating learning. The tutors were enthusiastic and perceived that teaching had positive impacts on their practices despite negative effects on their workload. The community hospital staff welcomed students and expressed altruistic ideas about helping them learn. There was no significant difference between the rurally placed students' objective structured clinical examination performance and that of their peers in other locations. Some students had difficulty with the isolation from peers and academic activities, and travel was a problem despite their accommodation close to the practices. Students valued the learning opportunities offered by the rural practice placements. The general practice tutors, patients and community hospital staff found teaching to be a positive experience overall and perceived a value to the health system and broader community in students learning locally for substantial periods of time. The evaluation has identified some student concerns about transport times and costs, social isolation, and access to resources and administrative tasks, and these are being addressed.

Pre- and post-test evaluation of a project to facilitate research development in practice in a hospital setting.

PubMed

Clifford, C; Murray, S

2001-12-01

This paper describes a project designed to facilitate the use of research in nursing practice in one acute hospital. A university team worked in collaboration with staff from the hospital to develop and evaluate the impact of development work designed to enhance knowledge and use of research in practice. A research utilization questionnaire was administered as a pre-test (stage 1); a development phase was implemented (stage 2) and a post-test survey (stage 3) was administered to evaluate the impact of the development work. In stage 1, the total population of nursing and midwifery staff in the hospital (n=473) were targeted and 235 returned the questionnaire, giving a response rate of 50%. Data from the pre-test and focus group discussions with staff were used to plan stage 2 of the project. The development stage involved an educational strand in which open learning research materials were made available to staff, who were also offered tutorial support in their learning. A second strand supported the development of clinical research projects and funds were identified for clinical staff to apply for project development awards to enable them to develop skills in research and development activity under the supervision of a research fellow. Stage 3 involved a post-test survey of staff who had completed the questionnaire in stage 1 (n=81). There were no significant differences in findings between the pre-test and post-test. Qualitative data from those involved in the clinical projects in stage 2 indicated factors impacting on the feasibility of undertaking research in practice.

Recommendations for intensive care unit and hospital preparations for an influenza epidemic or mass disaster: summary report of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine's Task Force for intensive care unit triage during an influenza epidemic or mass disaster.

PubMed

Sprung, Charles L; Zimmerman, Janice L; Christian, Michael D; Joynt, Gavin M; Hick, John L; Taylor, Bruce; Richards, Guy A; Sandrock, Christian; Cohen, Robert; Adini, Bruria

2010-03-01

To provide recommendations and standard operating procedures for intensive care units and hospital preparedness for an influenza pandemic. Based on a literature review and expert opinion, a Delphi process was used to define the essential topics. Key recommendations include: Hospitals should increase their ICU beds to the maximal extent by expanding ICU capacity and expanding ICUs into other areas. Hospitals should have appropriate beds and monitors for these expansion areas. Establish a management system with control groups at facility, local, regional and/or national levels to exercise authority over resources. Establish a system of communication, coordination and collaboration between the ICU and key interface departments. A plan to access, coordinate and increase labor resources is required with a central inventory of all clinical and non-clinical staff. Delegate duties not within the usual scope of workers' practice. Ensure that adequate essential medical equipment, pharmaceuticals and supplies are available. Protect patients and staff with infection control practices and supporting occupational health policies. Maintain staff confidence with reassurance plans for legal protection and assistance. Have objective, ethical, transparent triage criteria that are applied equitably and publically disclosed. ICU triage of patients should be based on the likelihood for patients to benefit most or a 'first come, first served' basis. Develop protocols for safe performance of high-risk procedures. Train and educate staff. Mortality, although inevitable during a severe influenza outbreak or disaster, can be reduced by adequate preparation.

Motivation and job satisfaction among medical and nursing staff in a Cyprus public general hospital

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background The objective of this study was to investigate how medical and nursing staff of the Nicosia General Hospital is affected by specific motivation factors, and the association between job satisfaction and motivation. Furthermore, to determine the motivational drive of socio-demographic and job related factors in terms of improving work performance. Methods A previously developed and validated instrument addressing four work-related motivators (job attributes, remuneration, co-workers and achievements) was used. Two categories of health care professionals, medical doctors and dentists (N = 67) and nurses (N = 219) participated and motivation and job satisfaction was compared across socio-demographic and occupational variables. Results The survey revealed that achievements was ranked first among the four main motivators, followed by remuneration, co-workers and job attributes. The factor remuneration revealed statistically significant differences according to gender, and hospital sector, with female doctors and nurses and accident and emergency (A+E) outpatient doctors reporting greater mean scores (p < 0.005). The medical staff showed statistically significantly lower job satisfaction compared to the nursing staff. Surgical sector nurses and those >55 years of age reported higher job satisfaction when compared to the other groups. Conclusions The results are in agreement with the literature which focuses attention to management approaches employing both monetary and non-monetary incentives to motivate health care professionals. Health care professionals tend to be motivated more by intrinsic factors, implying that this should be a target for effective employee motivation. Strategies based on the survey's results to enhance employee motivation are suggested. PMID:21080954

Places and people: the perceptions of men who have sex with men concerning STI testing: a qualitative study

PubMed Central

Datta, Jessica; Reid, David; Hughes, Gwenda; Mercer, Catherine H; Wayal, Sonali; Weatherburn, Peter

2018-01-01

Objectives To explore the experiences and views of men who have sex with men (MSM) on attending clinical sexual health services and their preferences regarding service characteristics in the context of the disproportionate burden of STIs experienced by this group. The wider study aim was to develop a risk assessment tool for use in sexual health clinics. Methods Qualitative study comprising eight focus group discussions with 61 MSM in four English cities. Topics included: experience of attending sexual health services, perceptions of norms of attendance among MSM, knowledge of, and attitudes towards, STIs and views on ‘being researched.’ Discussions were audio-recorded and transcribed and a thematic data analysis conducted. Results Attending sexual health services for STI testing was described as embarrassing by some and some clinic procedures were thought to compromise confidentiality. Young men seeking STI testing were particularly sensitive to feelings of awkwardness and self-consciousness. Black and ethnic minority men were concerned about being exposed in their communities. The personal qualities of staff were seen as key features of sexual health services. Participants wanted staff to be friendly, professional, discreet, knowledgeable and non-judgemental. Conclusions A range of opinion on the type of STI service men preferred was expressed with some favouring generic sexual and reproductive health clinics and others favouring specialist community-based services. There was consensus on the qualities they would like to see in healthcare staff. The knowledge, conduct and demeanour of staff could exacerbate or ameliorate unease associated with attending for STI testing. PMID:28778980

'It is Time to Prepare the Next patient' Real-Time Prediction of Procedure Duration in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomies.

PubMed

Guédon, Annetje C P; Paalvast, M; Meeuwsen, F C; Tax, D M J; van Dijke, A P; Wauben, L S G L; van der Elst, M; Dankelman, J; van den Dobbelsteen, J J

2016-12-01

Operating Room (OR) scheduling is crucial to allow efficient use of ORs. Currently, the predicted durations of surgical procedures are unreliable and the OR schedulers have to follow the progress of the procedures in order to update the daily planning accordingly. The OR schedulers often acquire the needed information through verbal communication with the OR staff, which causes undesired interruptions of the surgical process. The aim of this study was to develop a system that predicts in real-time the remaining procedure duration and to test this prediction system for reliability and usability in an OR. The prediction system was based on the activation pattern of one single piece of equipment, the electrosurgical device. The prediction system was tested during 21 laparoscopic cholecystectomies, in which the activation of the electrosurgical device was recorded and processed in real-time using pattern recognition methods. The remaining surgical procedure duration was estimated and the optimal timing to prepare the next patient for surgery was communicated to the OR staff. The mean absolute error was smaller for the prediction system (14 min) than for the OR staff (19 min). The OR staff doubted whether the prediction system could take all relevant factors into account but were positive about its potential to shorten waiting times for patients. The prediction system is a promising tool to automatically and objectively predict the remaining procedure duration, and thereby achieve optimal OR scheduling and streamline the patient flow from the nursing department to the OR.

Building capacity for change: evaluation of an organisation-wide leadership development program.

PubMed

Schultz, Tim; Shoobridge, Jodie; Harvey, Gill; Carter, Libby; Kitson, Alison

2018-05-23

Objective. This study evaluated Leading 4 Change, a change leadership development program designed to support healthcare middle managers through a period of significant organisational change and enhance workplace resilience. Methods. A mixed methods evaluation was conducted within the program's framework of a quality improvement activity. Quantitative measures were participant responses (n=160) to online questionnaires, which were compared before and after the program, using an uncontrolled pre-post study design. Four questionnaires were used: Resilience @ Work, General Self-Efficacy, the 11-item Learning Organization Survey and organisational climate. Differences between the pre- and post-program periods were compared using linear mixed-effects models, incorporating repeated measures between 'pre' and 'post' periods. Qualitative data were obtained by interviewing four participants on three occasions during the program, and through text responses provided by participants during a presentation session after the program finished. Both interview data and textual data were subjected to thematic analysis. Results. Integration of data from quantitative and qualitative analyses generated three main findings: (1) participants were satisfied and engaged with the program, which met their learning objectives; (2) the program led to increased workplace resilience, in particular the ability to manage stress and self-efficacy for individuals; and (3) organisational learning perceptions were unchanged. Conclusion. Although conducted during a period of intense internal and external pressure, Leading 4 Change led to demonstrable effects. It effectively engaged middle managers across a health system. However, there was no evidence that the effect of the program extended beyond individual participants to their perceptions of their work environment as a learning organisation. What is known about the topic? Although much has been written about change management and change leadership within healthcare, the failure to manage the 'people' element and engage employees hampers the success of that change. However, how to engage employees and enhance their resilience and self-efficacy (self-belief to proactively manage) during change has been little explored. Further, the concept of a learning organisation has been developed in private, non-healthcare fields and there is little known about it in other areas, such as healthcare, particularly during change. What does this paper add? The paper describes the evaluation of a 16-week change leadership development program (Leading 4 Change) for middle managers of a public health system undergoing significant reform. It assesses how the program engaged employees, and how and to what extent their workplace resilience, self-efficacy and perceptions of their workplace as a learning organisation changed after the program. Based on the present study, individual development of staff does not necessarily translate directly to better staff perceptions of organisational outcomes. What are the implications for practitioners? Despite being clearly engaged with Leading 4 Change, quantitative and qualitative measures suggested mixed effects of the program on participants. Participants' self-rated workplace resilience, ability to manage stress and self-efficacy increased after the program. However, there was no evidence that the effect of the program improved staff perceptions of their work as a learning organisation. For complex public sector healthcare organisations to become learning organisations, other organisational factors, in addition to staff development and training, require consideration.

Leadership and teamwork in medical emergencies: performance of nursing students and registered nurses in simulated patient scenarios.

PubMed

Endacott, Ruth; Bogossian, Fiona E; Cooper, Simon J; Forbes, Helen; Kain, Victoria J; Young, Susan C; Porter, Joanne E

2015-01-01

To examine nursing students' and registered nurses' teamwork skills whilst managing simulated deteriorating patients. Studies continue to show the lack of timely recognition of patient deterioration. Management of deteriorating patients can be influenced by education and experience. Mixed methods study conducted in two universities and a rural hospital in Victoria, and one university in Queensland, Australia. Three simulation scenarios (chest pain, hypovolaemic shock and respiratory distress) were completed in teams of three by 97 nursing students and 44 registered nurses, equating to a total of 32 student and 15 registered nurse teams. Data were obtained from (1) Objective Structured Clinical Examination rating to assess performance; (2) Team Emergency Assessment Measure scores to assess teamwork; (3) simulation video footage; (4) reflective interview during participants' review of video footage. Qualitative thematic analysis of video and interview data was undertaken. Objective structured clinical examination performance was similar across registered nurses and students (mean 54% and 49%); however, Team Emergency Assessment Measure scores differed significantly between the two groups (57% vs 38%, t = 6·841, p < 0·01). In both groups, there was a correlation between technical (Objective Structured Clinical Examination) and nontechnical (Team Emergency Assessment Measure) scores for the respiratory distress scenario (student teams: r = 0·530, p = 0·004, registered nurse teams r = 0·903, p < 0·01) and hypovolaemia scenario (student teams: r = 0·534, p = 0·02, registered nurse teams: r = 0·535, p = 0·049). Themes generated from the analysis of the combined quantitative and qualitative data were as follows: (1) leadership and followership behaviours; (2) help-seeking behaviours; (3) reliance on previous experience; (4) fixation on a single detail; and (5) team support. There is scope to improve leadership, team work and task management skills for registered nurses and nursing students. Simulation appears to be beneficial in enabling less experienced staff to assess their teamwork skills. There is a need to encourage less experienced staff to become leaders and for all staff to develop improved teamwork skills for medical emergencies. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Rational-Emotive Staff Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forman, Susan G.; Forman, Bruce D.

1980-01-01

The application of Rational-Emotive Therapy principles and techniques in in-service education for school personnel is discussed. Teacher and counselor participation in a staff development program is described. (Author)

Development of a Supervisory Skills Course for Hospital Pharmacy Workplaces

PubMed Central

Woloschuk, Donna M M; Raymond, Colette B

2010-01-01

Background and Objective: Many Canadian hospital pharmacies are experiencing difficulties recruiting supervisory personnel. It was expected that, through a “learning-by-doing” course, pharmacy staff would learn to apply basic skills in the day-to-day supervision of pharmacy operations and human resources and to apply the principles of supervisory documentation. Methods: A supervisory skills course targeted to pharmacy staff members was developed and implemented by the pharmacy department of a large urban health region. The course was initially offered to practising pharmacy technicians. The course design emphasized a constructivist framework incorporating authentic learning and reflective practice during seminars, with experiential and self-directed learning in the workplace. Preceptors assisted learners to achieve the course goals. Learners and preceptors provided feedback about hours spent (as the course progressed) and about their satisfaction with the course itself (at the end of the course). Learners and preceptors completed a post-program evaluation 2 months after completing the course to help in the assessment of the transfer of learning (lasting impact) associated with the course. Overall performance in the course was assessed on a pass/fail basis. Results: Eighteen pharmacy technicians were admitted to the program, but one withdrew because of a job change. All learners successfully completed the course. Two months after the course, learners and preceptors described enhanced organization, time management, leadership, communication, and conflict-resolution skills on the part of learners, as well as their increased confidence, maturity, and ability to supervise staff. Learners’ evaluations revealed a broadened perspective of pharmacy. The preceptors valued the enhancement of learners’ skills and their increased enthusiasm. At the time of writing, 6 of the participants had secured supervisory positions. Conclusion: Creating formal instruction that engages pharmacy staff to pursue management positions is challenging. Instructional design grounded in constructivist theory and incorporating authentic learning experiences and reflection resulted in high learner satisfaction with learning outcomes. PMID:22478992

Pathways to Program Success: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) of Communities Putting Prevention to Work Case Study Programs

PubMed Central

Kane, Heather; Hinnant, Laurie; Day, Kristine; Council, Mary; Tzeng, Janice; Soler, Robin; Chambard, Megan; Roussel, Amy; Heirendt, Wendy

2016-01-01

Objective To examine the elements of capacity, a measure of organizational resources supporting program implementation that result in successful completion of public health program objectives in a public health initiative serving 50 communities. Design We used crisp set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) to analyze case study and quantitative data collected during the evaluation of the Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) program. Setting CPPW awardee program staff and partners implemented evidence-based public health improvements in counties, cities, and organizations (eg, worksites, schools). Participants Data came from case studies of 22 CPPW awardee programs that implemented evidence-based, community-and organizational-level public health improvements. Intervention Program staff implemented a range of evidence-based public health improvements related to tobacco control and obesity prevention. Main Outcome Measure The outcome measure was completion of approximately 60% of work plan objectives. Results Analysis of the capacity conditions revealed 2 combinations for completing most work plan objectives: (1) having experience implementing public health improvements in combination with having a history of collaboration with partners; and (2) not having experience implementing public health improvements in combination with having leadership support. Conclusion Awardees have varying levels of capacity. The combinations identified in this analysis provide important insights into how awardees with different combinations of elements of capacity achieved most of their work plan objectives. Even when awardees lack some elements of capacity, they can build it through strategies such as hiring staff and engaging new partners with expertise. In some instances, lacking 1 or more elements of capacity did not prevent an awardee from successfully completing objectives. Implications for Policy & Practice These findings can help funders and practitioners recognize and assemble different aspects of capacity to achieve more successful programs; awardees can draw on extant organizational strengths to compensate when other aspects of capacity are absent. PMID:27598714

How does the purchasing staff of an accident insurance organization seek information about treatment effectiveness?

PubMed Central

Dwairy, Mai N.; Kendall, Nicholas

2002-01-01

Objectives: The objective is to study how the staff who purchase health care services for a large national government accident-compensation system seek information on treatment effectiveness, how they assess the quality of that information, whether they question the information sources they choose, and how familiar they are with the key concepts of evidence-based health care (EBHC). Method: Staff (22 out of 34) of the health purchasing division of the New Zealand Accident Compensation Corporation (NZ ACC) were interviewed using eight preformatted questions to which they could provide open and multiple answers. Responses were subsequently codified into typologies for quantitative analysis. Results: Most respondents report that they assess the effectiveness of a treatment by accessing published information (nonhuman sources), by consulting others (human sources), or by both means. They assess the quality of information mostly by consulting others, and the second-highest proportion of responses state that they do not know how to evaluate the quality of information. No clear preference emerges with respect to the types of information needed to determine the effectiveness of treatments. The majority of the staff believes they can access information needed to determine treatment effectiveness through the Internet or information databases such as MEDLINE. Although most said they understand the key concepts of EBHC, only five out of twenty-two were able to accurately describe them. Conclusions: The findings suggest that there is a low level of awareness among the staff of the NZ ACC regarding the use of evidence and understanding of the key concepts of EBHC. Many surveyed staff members lack the skills or training to directly question information about effectiveness of a treatment. They have little idea of the information required to determine the effectiveness of a treatment, and the majority appears to lack the skills to evaluate the health care literature. PMID:11999181

The Communication Accretion Spiral: A Communication Process for Promoting and Sustaining Meaningful Partnerships between Families and Early Childhood Service Staff

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elliott, Roslyn

2005-01-01

Findings of an investigation of parents' perceptions of early childhood service quality identified limitations in staff-parent communication which inhibit the development of a shared parent and staff approach to children's care and education. These findings have informed the development of an accretion model of communication for crossing the…

The Association between Attitude towards the Implementation of Staff Development Training and the Practice of Knowledge Sharing among Lecturers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kassim, Abd. Latif; Raman, Arumugam; Don, Yahya; Daud, Yaakob; Omar, Mohd Sofian

2015-01-01

This study was aimed to identify the association of teachers' attitude towards the implementation of Staff Development Training with Knowledge Sharing Practices among the lecturers of the Teacher Training Institution (TTI). In addition, this study was also to examine the differences in attitudes towards the implementation of Staff Development…

Does Improving Joint Attention in Low-Quality Child-Care Enhance Language Development?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rudd, Loretta C.; Cain, David W.; Saxon, Terrill F.

2008-01-01

This study examined effects of professional development for child-care staff on language acquisition of children ages 14-36 months. Child-care staff from 44 child-care centres agreed to participate in the study. Child-care staff from one-half of the child-care centres were randomly assigned to a one-time, four-hour workshop followed by three…

Transcultural nursing. A source guide.

PubMed

Mahon, P Y

1997-01-01

The concept of transcultural nursing is relatively new to the nursing literature. It had been less than 30 years since Madeleine Leininger first began to develop a theory of transcultural nursing as part of a doctoral study in anthropology. Much has changed in that time, and nursing staff development and inservice educators need to provide educational offerings within a multicultural context in a timely manner. Cultural diversity is the standard in the mid-1990s, and those nursing staff development programs that are sensitive to this fact produce employees with advantages over those from settings that do not prepare staff for practice in a constantly changing world. This annotated bibliography about transcultural nursing details key references for staff development and inservice programs. It is not intended as an exhaustive review but rather focuses on the most relevant, timely, and useful of the ever increasing number of publications concerning this important subject. Six major books and four of the most pertinent recent journal articles are included. Conclusions and implications for nursing staff educators are offered.

The Burn-Out Syndrome in the Day Care Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maslach, Christina; Pines, Ayala

1977-01-01

Results of a study of personal job-stress factors among day care center personnel focus on impact of staff-child ratio, working hours, time out, staff meetings and program structure. Recommended institutional changes for prevention of staff "burn-out" involve reduction in amount of direct staff-child contact, development of social-professional…

Guidelines for Support Staff Experiencing Aggression in Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goolam-Babee, Hajira; Poggenpoel, Marie; Myburgh, Chris P.H.

2005-01-01

The aim of this article is to discuss guidelines for support staff experiencing aggression in schools and to develop an approach for the support staff to deal with aggression to facilitate their mental health. The researchers explored the experience of aggression of the support staff in a chosen school by conducting phenomenological, unstructured…

Staff Concerns in Schools Planning for and Implementing School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tyre, Ashli D.; Feuerborn, Laura L.; Woods, Leslie

2018-01-01

Understanding staff concerns about a systemic change effort allows leadership teams to better anticipate and address staff needs for professional development and support. In this study, staff concerns in nine schools planning for or implementing School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) were explored using the…

Reaching Out: Challenges and Opportunities of Recruiting a Diverse Staff of Resident Assistants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Healea, C. Daryl; Hale, Patrick J.

2016-01-01

Recruiting a diverse staff of resident assistants at an institution of American higher education involves both challenges and opportunities. This study employed the theoretical framework of multicultural organizational development to explore how diversity was cultivated in a resident assistant staff and why that staff exhibited a particular form…

An Initial Evaluation of Direct Care Staff Resilience Workshops in Intellectual Disabilities Services

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ingham, Barry; Riley, Jenny; Nevin, Helen; Evans, Gemma; Gair, Elodie

2013-01-01

The emotional responses to challenging behaviour of direct care staff who support people with intellectual disabilities is thought to be an important mediating factor within the stress experienced by staff and a potential maintaining factor in challenging behaviour. A brief workshop to improve direct care staff resilience was developed and…

Staff Perceptions of External versus Internal Teaching and Staff Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Rohan G.; And Others

1984-01-01

A survey of University of New England academic staff was conducted to determine their perceptions of external teaching as part of a larger study to ascertain staff attitudes toward their effectiveness as teachers. Responses related to demands, enjoyment, and benefits of external and internal teaching, and student characteristics are discussed.…

A Systematic Review of Clinician and Staff Views on the Acceptability of Incorporating Remote Monitoring Technology into Primary Care

PubMed Central

Freeman, Michele; Kaye, Jeffrey; Vuckovic, Nancy; Buckley, David I.

2014-01-01

Abstract Objective: Remote monitoring technology (RMT) may enhance healthcare quality and reduce costs. RMT adoption depends on perceptions of the end-user (e.g., patients, caregivers, healthcare providers). We conducted a systematic review exploring the acceptability and feasibility of RMT use in routine adult patient care, from the perspectives of primary care clinicians, administrators, and clinic staff. Materials and Methods: We searched the databases of Medline, IEEE Xplore, and Compendex for original articles published from January 1996 through February 2013. We manually screened bibliographies of pertinent studies and consulted experts to identify English-language studies meeting our inclusion criteria. Results: Of 939 citations identified, 15 studies reported in 16 publications met inclusion criteria. Studies were heterogeneous by country, type of RMT used, patient and provider characteristics, and method of implementation and evaluation. Clinicians, staff, and administrators generally held positive views about RMTs. Concerns emerged regarding clinical relevance of RMT data, changing clinical roles and patterns of care (e.g., reduced quality of care from fewer patient visits, overtreatment), insufficient staffing or time to monitor and discuss RMT data, data incompatibility with a clinic's electronic health record (EHR), and unclear legal liability regarding response protocols. Conclusions: This small body of heterogeneous literature suggests that for RMTs to be adopted in primary care, researchers and developers must ensure clinical relevance, support adequate infrastructure, streamline data transmission into EHR systems, attend to changing care patterns and professional roles, and clarify response protocols. There is a critical need to engage end-users in the development and implementation of RMT. PMID:24731239

Process Evaluation of a Community Garden at an Urban Outpatient Clinic.

PubMed

Milliron, Brandy-Joe; Vitolins, Mara Z; Gamble, Elizabeth; Jones, Robert; Chenault, Margaret C; Tooze, Janet A

2017-08-01

In addition to expediting patient recovery, community gardens that are associated with medical facilities can provide fresh produce to patients and their families, serve as a platform for clinic-based nutrition education, and help patients develop new skills and insights that can lead to positive health behavior change. While community gardening is undergoing resurgence, there is a strong need for evaluation studies that employ valid and reliable measures. The objective of this study was to conduct a process evaluation of a community garden program at an urban medical clinic to estimate the prevalence of patient awareness and participation, food security, barriers to participation, and personal characteristics; garden volunteer satisfaction; and clinic staff perspectives in using the garden for patient education/treatment. Clinic patients (n = 411) completed a community garden participation screener and a random sample completed a longer evaluation survey (n = 152); garden volunteers and medical staff completed additional surveys. Among patients, 39% had heard of and 18% had received vegetables from the garden; the greatest barrier for participation was lack of awareness. Volunteers reported learning about gardening, feeling more involved in the neighborhood, and environmental concern; and medical staff endorsed the garden for patient education/treatment. Comprehensive process evaluations can be utilized to quantify benefits of community gardens in medical centers as well as to point out areas for further development, such as increasing patient awareness. As garden programming at medical centers is formalized, future research should include systematic evaluations to determine whether this unique component of the healthcare environment helps improve patient outcomes.

Anaphylaxis in the allergist's office: preparing your office and staff for medical emergencies.

PubMed

Wallace, Dana V

2013-01-01

All allergists who administer subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) experience anaphylaxis in their offices and must devote proper planning, preparation, and practice to ensure that all staff members recognize the early signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis and can respond appropriately. Educating staff and patients, preparing an anaphylaxis emergency cart, developing and following selection criteria for SCIT and high-risk procedures, and customizing an "Action Plan for Anaphylaxis Management" create the foundation for mounting an adequate response to anaphylaxis. Strategies to prevent near-fatal and fatal reactions include (1) avoiding, when possible, the administration of SCIT to patients on beta-blockers; (2) using a preinjection questionnaire to review changes in the patient's medical condition, e.g., episodes of asthma since the previous injection; (3) using standardized forms and procedures for SCIT; (4) one might also consider an objective measure of airway function (e.g., peak flow measurement) for the asthmatic patient before allergy injections; (5) insisting on a 30-minute waiting time after SCIT; and (6) giving consideration to prescribing a dual-pack epinephrine autoinjector to all SCIT patients. Treatment of anaphylaxis should start with epinephrine administered intramuscularly at the first sign of anaphylaxis. Oxygen and i.v. fluids may be needed for moderate-to-severe anaphylaxis or anaphylaxis that is quickly developing or unresponsive to the first injection of epinephrine. Emergency medical services should be called for all patients who are experiencing moderate-to-severe (grade 2 or higher) anaphylaxis, if they require more than 1 dose of epinephrine and/or i.v. fluids, or if they do not immediately respond to treatment.

Sense of competence in dementia care staff (SCIDS) scale: development, reliability, and validity.

PubMed

Schepers, Astrid Kristine; Orrell, Martin; Shanahan, Niamh; Spector, Aimee

2012-07-01

Sense of competence in dementia care staff (SCIDS) may be associated with more positive attitudes to dementia among care staff and better outcomes for those being cared for. There is a need for a reliable and valid measure of sense of competence specific to dementia care staff. This study describes the development and evaluation of a measure to assess "sense of competence" in dementia care staff and reports on its psychometric properties. The systematic measure development process involved care staff and experts. For item selection and assessment of psychometric properties, a pilot study (N = 37) and a large-scale study (N = 211) with a test-retest reliability (N = 58) sub-study were undertaken. The final measure consists of 17 items across four subscales with acceptable to good internal consistency and moderate to substantial test-retest reliability. As predicted, the measure was positively associated with work experience, job satisfaction, and person-centered approaches to dementia care, giving a first indication for its validity. The SCIDS scale provides a useful and user-friendly means of measuring sense of competence in care staff. It has been developed using a robust process and has adequate psychometric properties. Further exploration of the construct and the scale's validity is warranted. It may be useful to assess the impact of training and perceived abilities and skills in dementia care.

Hospital nurse staffing models and patient and staff-related outcomes.

PubMed

Butler, Michelle; Collins, Rita; Drennan, Jonathan; Halligan, Phil; O'Mathúna, Dónal P; Schultz, Timothy J; Sheridan, Ann; Vilis, Eileen

2011-07-06

Nurse staffing interventions have been introduced across countries in recent years in response to changing patient requirements, developments in patient care, and shortages of qualified nursing staff. These include changes in skill mix, grade mix or qualification mix, staffing levels, nursing shifts or nurses' work patterns. Nurse staffing has been closely linked to patient outcomes, organisational outcomes such as costs, and staff-related outcomes. Our aim was to explore the effect of hospital nurse staffing models on patient and staff-related outcomes. We searched the following databases from inception through to May 2009: Cochrane/EPOC resources (DARE, CENTRAL, the EPOC Specialised Register), PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL Plus, CAB Health, Virginia Henderson International Nursing Library, the Joanna Briggs Institute database, the British Library, international theses databases, as well as generic search engines. Randomised control trials, controlled clinical trials, controlled before and after studies and interrupted time series analyses of interventions relating to hospital nurse staffing models. Participants were patients and nursing staff working in hospital settings. We included any objective measure of patient or staff-related outcome. Seven reviewers working in pairs independently extracted data from each potentially relevant study and assessed risk of bias. We identified 6,202 studies that were potentially relevant to our review. Following detailed examination of each study, we included 15 studies in the review. Despite the number of studies conducted on this topic, the quality of evidence overall was very limited. We found no evidence that the addition of specialist nurses to nursing staff reduces patient death rates, attendance at the emergency department, or readmission rates, but it is likely to result in shorter patient hospital stays, and reductions in pressure ulcers. The evidence in relation to the impact of replacing Registered Nurses with unqualified nursing assistants on patient outcomes is very limited. However, it is suggested that specialist support staff, such as dietary assistants, may have an important impact on patient outcomes. Self-scheduling and primary nursing may reduce staff turnover. The introduction of team midwifery (versus standard care) may reduce medical procedures in labour and result in a shorter length of stay without compromising maternal or perinatal safety. We found no eligible studies of educational interventions, grade mix interventions, or staffing levels and therefore we are unable to draw conclusions in relation to these interventions. The findings suggest interventions relating to hospital nurse staffing models may improve some patient outcomes, particularly the addition of specialist nursing and specialist support roles to the nursing workforce. Interventions relating to hospital nurse staffing models may also improve staff-related outcomes, particularly the introduction of primary nursing and self-scheduling. However, these findings should be treated with extreme caution due to the limited evidence available from the research conducted to date.

Global change and conservation triage on National Wildlife Refuges

USGS Publications Warehouse

Johnson, Fred A.; Eaton, Mitchell; McMahon, Gerard; Raye Nilius,; Mike Bryant,; Dave Case,; Martin, Julien; Wood, Nathan J.; Laura Taylor,

2015-01-01

National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) in the United States play an important role in the adaptation of social-ecological systems to climate change, land-use change, and other global-change processes. Coastal refuges are already experiencing threats from sea-level rise and other change processes that are largely beyond their ability to influence, while at the same time facing tighter budgets and reduced staff. We engaged in workshops with NWR managers along the U.S. Atlantic coast to understand the problems they face from global-change processes and began a multidisciplinary collaboration to use decision science to help address them. We are applying a values-focused approach to base management decisions on the resource objectives of land managers, as well as those of stakeholders who may benefit from the goods and services produced by a refuge. Two insights that emerged from our workshops were a conspicuous mismatch between the scale at which management can influence outcomes and the scale of environmental processes, and the need to consider objectives related to ecosystem goods and services that traditionally have not been explicitly considered by refuges (e.g., protection from storm surge). The broadening of objectives complicates the decision-making process, but also provides opportunities for collaboration with stakeholders who may have agendas different from those of the refuge, as well as an opportunity for addressing problems across scales. From a practical perspective, we recognized the need to (1) efficiently allocate limited staff time and budgets for short-term management of existing programs and resources under the current refuge design and (2) develop long-term priorities for acquiring or protecting new land/habitat to supplement or replace the existing refuge footprint and thus sustain refuge values as the system evolves over time. Structuring the decision-making problem in this manner facilitated a better understanding of the issues of scale and suggested that a long-term solution will require a significant reassessment of objectives to better reflect the comprehensive values of refuges to society. We discuss some future considerations to integrate these two problems into a single framework by developing novel optimization approaches for dynamic problems that account for uncertainty in future conditions.

Communicating about death and dying: Developing training for staff working in services for people with intellectual disabilities.

PubMed

Tuffrey-Wijne, Irene; Rose, Tracey; Grant, Robert; Wijne, Astrid

2017-11-01

Many people with intellectual disabilities are affected by death, yet conversations about death are often avoided by staff working with them. This study aimed to assess staff training needs and to develop, trial and evaluate a training course on communicating about death and dying. (i) Semi-structured interviews with 20 staff in residential/supported living services to establish training needs; (ii) three-one-day courses were attended by 114 staff and evaluated through questionnaires. The course consisted of World Café sessions, presentations and feedback by people with intellectual disabilities, and an expert teaching session. Staff fear, cultural influences and inexperience with death-related conversations were major communication barriers. Evaluation of the course was overwhelmingly positive. Intellectual disabilities services must have clear staff training strategies around death, dying and communication. More work is needed to assess the resource implications and impact on practice of different training methods and other support strategies. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.