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.

A cloud-based home health care information sharing system to connect patients with home healthcare staff -A case report of a study in a mountainous region.

PubMed

Nomoto, Shinichi; Utsumi, Momoe; Sasayama, Satoshi; Dekigai, Hiroshi

2017-01-01

We have developed a cloud system, the e-Renraku Notebook (e-RN) for sharing of home care information based on the concept of "patient-centricity". In order to assess the likelihood that our system will enhance the communication and sharing of information between home healthcare staff members and home-care patients, we selected patients who were residing in mountainous regions for inclusion in our study. We herein report the findings.Eighteen staff members from 7 medical facilities and 9 patients participated in the present study.The e-RN was developed for two reasons: to allow patients to independently report their health status and to have staff members view and respond to the information received. The patients and staff members were given iPads with the pre-installed applications and the information being exchanged was reviewed over a 54-day period.Information was mainly input by the patients (61.6%), followed by the nurses who performed home visits (19.9%). The amount of information input by patients requiring high-level nursing care and their corresponding staff member was significantly greater than that input by patients who required low-level of nursing care.This patient-centric system in which patients can independently report and share information with a member of the healthcare staff provides a sense of security. It also allows staff members to understand the patient's health status before making a home visit, thereby giving them a sense of security and confidence. It was also noteworthy that elderly patients requiring high-level nursing care and their staff counterpart input information in the system significantly more frequently than patients who required low-level care.

Implications of a Non-Unified Command System and the Need for a Unified Command System in Zambia

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-12

vein, it is indicated that the concept of Chief of General Staff would have been advantageous in the development of the Defence Forces had it been well...process. For example, British failures during the Crimean War caused the British to look towards the German General Staff system in effect during the...economic and social development . Nevertheless, any meaningful economic and social development needs to be well protected and anchored upon an effective

Assessment of data quality of and staff satisfaction with an electronic health record system in a developing country (Uganda): a qualitative and quantitative comparative study.

PubMed

Ndira, S P; Rosenberger, K D; Wetter, T

2008-01-01

To assess if electronic health record systems in developing countries can improve on timeliness, availability and accuracy of routine health reports and staff satisfaction after introducing the electronic system, compared to the paper-based alternative. The research was conducted with hospital staff of Tororo District Hospital in Uganda. A comparative intervention study with qualitative and quantitative methods was used to compare the paper-based (pre-test) to the electronic system (post-test) focusing on accuracy, availability and timeliness of monthly routine reports about mothers visiting the hospital; and staff satisfaction with the electronic system as outcome measures. Timeliness: pre-test 13 of 19 months delivered to the district timely, delivery dates for six months could not be established; post-test 100%. pre-test 79% of reports were present at the district health office; post-test 100%. Accuracy: pre-test 73.2% of selected reports could be independently confirmed as correct; post-test 71.2%. Difficulties were encountered in finding enough mothers through direct follow up to inquire on accuracy of information recorded about them. Staff interviews showed that the electronic system is appreciated by the majority of the hospital staff. Remaining obstacles include staff workload, power shortages, network breakdowns and parallel data entry (paper-based and electronic). While timeliness and availability improved, improvement of accuracy could not be established. Better approaches to ascertaining accuracy have to be devised, e.g. evaluation of intended use. For success, organizational, managerial and social challenges must be addressed beyond technical aspects.

A Fire Safety Certification System for Board and Care Operators and Staff. SBIR Phase I: Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Bonnie L.

This report describes the development and pilot testing of a fire safety certification system for board and care operators and staff who serve clients with developmental disabilities. During Phase 1, training materials were developed, including a trainer's manual, a participant's coursebook a videotape, an audiotape, and a pre-/post test which was…

The First Generation of the Implementation of Teachers Teaching Teachers, An Indiana Staff Development Model.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swan, Edward T.; And Others

This study evaluated the success of Teachers Teaching Teachers, an Indiana staff development model in its first implementation. The project consisted of a cadre of teachers from one school system who trained teachers from four other school systems. Participants were evaluated on nine Likert-type pre- and post-measures at each of the four training…

Nursing care system development for patients with cleft lip-palate and craniofacial deformities in operating room Srinagarind Hospital.

PubMed

Riratanapong, Saowaluck; Sroihin, Waranya; Kotepat, Kingkan; Volrathongchai, Kanittha

2013-09-01

For a successful surgical outcome for patients with cleft lip/palate (CLP), the attending nurses must continuously develop their potential, knowledge, capacity and skills. The goal is to meet international standards of patient safety and efficiency. To assess and improve the nursing care system for patients with CLP and craniofacial deformities at the operating room (OR), Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen University. Data were collected for two months (between March 1, 2011 and April 30, 2011). Part I was an enquiry regarding the attitude of OR staff on serving patients with CLP; and, Part 2.1) patient and caregiver satisfaction with service from the OR staff and 2.2) patient and caregiver satisfaction with the OR transfer service. The authors interviewed 28 staff in OR unit 2 of the OR nursing division and 30 patients with CLP and his/her caregiver. The respective validity according to the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.87 and 0.93. The OR staff attitude visa-vis service provision for patients with CLP service was middling. Patient and caregiver satisfaction with both OR staff and the transfer service was very satisfactory. Active development of the nursing care system for patients with CLP and craniofacial deformities in the operating room, Srinagarind Hospital improved staff motivation with respect to serving patients with CLP. The operating theater staff was able to co-ordinate the multidisciplinary team through the provision of surgical service for patients with CLP.

Telecommunications Staff Development for California's English-Language Arts Framework.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grubb, Mel; Gonzales, Phillip C.

1990-01-01

The Los Angles County Office of Education developed the Educational Communications Network (ETN) to help implement English curriculum reform mandated by the California State Board of Education in 1987. ETN has become an electronic staff development distribution system using satellite-transmitted live and interactive inservice programing. (MLH)

Culture Shock!! "Lesson" the Blow.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duffin, Ken

1996-01-01

Designing, developing, and implementing an electronic document management system involves preparation. Areas to consider when facilitating technological change include staff input and business and customer needs and wants. Further discussion addresses value assessment of document type, providing a pilot system for staff experiment and practice,…

Preparing Your Staff for Emergencies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maurer-Starks, Suanne

2003-01-01

Camps should have emergency protocols in place and involve appropriate personnel in their development. Staff should be certified in first aid and CPR, a recordkeeping system should be established, and mock emergencies should be practiced during staff orientation. It may also be advisable to involve campers in practice situations. First aid/CPR…

Development of a competency based training programme to support multidisciplinary working in a combined biochemistry/haematology laboratory

PubMed Central

Woods, R; Longmire, W; Galloway, M; Smellie, W

2000-01-01

The aim of this study was to develop a competency based training programme to support multidisciplinary working in a combined biochemistry and haematology laboratory. The training programme was developed to document that staff were trained in the full range of laboratory tests that they were expected to perform. This programme subsequently formed the basis for the annual performance review of all staff. All staff successfully completed the first phase of the programme. This allowed laboratory staff to work unsupervised at night as part of a partial shift system. All staff are now working towards achieving a level of competence equivalent to the training level required for state registration by the Council for Professions Supplementary to Medicine. External evaluation of the training programme has included accreditation by the Council for Professions Supplementary to Medicine and reinspection by Clinical Pathology Accreditation (UK) Ltd. The development of a competency based training system has facilitated the introduction of multidisciplinary working in the laboratory. In addition, it enables the documentation of all staff to ensure that they are fully trained and are keeping up to date, because the continuing professional development programme in use in our laboratory has been linked to this training scheme. This approach to documentation of training facilitated a recent reinspection by Clinical Pathology Accreditation (UK) Ltd. Key Words: Keyword: multidisciplinary working • competency based training PMID:10889827

An On-Line Information Management System for Resources for Staff Development for the Professional Development Center Network.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Monroe, Eula Ewing

The Professional Development Center Network (PDC), a consortium of twenty public school districts, parochial schools, and Western Kentucky University, seeks to identify and secure resources to assist in the design and delivery of activities appropriate to the educational development of individual staff members through the online Information…

Evaluating the Long-Term Impact of Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Linn, Genie Bingham; Gill, Peggy; Sherman, Ross; Vaughn, Vance; Mixon, Jason

2010-01-01

The requirement in the USA of the No Child Left Behind Act (2002) that every classroom has a highly qualified teacher, coupled with the current high-stakes testing environment, creates the need for all principals to be knowledgeable about quality staff development systems. One aspect of effective staff development is whether teachers adopt the…

Development and Evaluation of Disaster Information Management System Using Digital Pens and Tabletop User Interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukada, Hidemi; Kobayashi, Kazue; Satou, Kenji; Kawana, Hideyuki; Masuda, Tomohiro

Most traditional disaster information systems are necessary to post expert staff with high computer literacy to operate the system quickly and correctly in the tense situation when a disaster occurs. However, in the current disaster response system of local governments, it is not easy for local governments to post such expert staff because they are struggling with staff cuts due to administrative and fiscal reform. In this research, we propose a disaster information management system that can be easily operated, even under the disorderly conditions of a disaster, by municipal personnel in charge of disaster management. This system achieves usability enabling easy input of damage information, even by local government staff with no expertise, by using a digital pen and tabletop user interface. Evaluation was conducted by prospective users using a prototype, and the evaluation results are satisfactory with regard to the function and operationality of the proposed system.

Using Financial Incentives to Motivate Staff: A Program that Works.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calhoun, A. Brian; Lestina, Ray

1986-01-01

Explains Triton College's incentive/bonus system used to promote the involvement and retention of Employee Development Institute staff. The six-step system involves determining departmental profit, establishing minimum profit figures and bonus base, calculating the bonus pool, determining individual bonus shares, adding special programing bonuses,…

Effects of Decentralized Execution on the German Army During the Marne Campaign of 1914

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-12-12

larger segment of society, established a deliberate development system for those officers, and encouraged promotion through merit. The evolution of the...Staff organized under a country-oriented system . The different departments within the General Staff focused on surrounding countries that could become

Data Element Dictionary: Staff. Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, James S.

This document is intended to serve as a guide for institutions in the development of data bases to support the implementation of planning and management systems. This publication serves to identify and describe those staff-related data elements: (1) required to support current National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS)…

Helping Spanish SMEs Staff to Develop Their Competence in Writing Business Letters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foz-Gil, Carmen; Gonzalez-Pueyo, Isabel

2009-01-01

This paper reports on the development of a website tool aimed at helping Spanish small and medium enterprises (SMEs) staff to write their commercial correspondence in English. It describes the steps involved in the tool system design process, making an emphasis on the methodological criteria and rational that guided us to develop the site. In…

Assessment of a Model for the Evaluation of Professional Non-Instruction Staff in Elementary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hlavaty, Erica A.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to help improve the evaluation system for school counselors and school psychologists, or non-instructional, certified staff (NICS). A mixed methodology approach was used to describe the existing evaluation system used to evaluate NICS; to develop a new system of evaluation based on recent research; and to determine…

EX.MAIN. Expert System Model for Maintenance and Staff Training.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Masturzi, Elio R.

EX.MAIN, a model for maintenance and staff training which combines knowledge based expert systems and computer based training, was developed jointly by the Department of Production Engineering of the University of Naples and CIRCUMVESUVIANA, the largest private railroad in Italy. It is a global model in the maintenance field which contains both…

Experts on Super Innovators: Understanding Staff Adoption of Learning Management Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sinclair, Jane; Aho, Anne-Maria

2018-01-01

Learning management systems (LMSs) are widely used in higher education and offer a gateway to innovative, technology-enhanced teaching and learning. However, many university staff still choose not to adopt them or do not explore the more creative functionality. Previous research has developed models of technology adoption which map observed…

76 FR 76166 - Draft Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff; the Content of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-06

...The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of the draft guidance document entitled ``Draft Guidance for Industry and FDA Staff: The Content of Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) and Premarket Approval (PMA) Applications for Artificial Pancreas Device Systems.'' This draft guidance document provides industry and the Agency staff with guidelines for developing premarket submissions for artificial pancreas device systems, in particular, the Control-to-Range (CTR) and Control-to-Target (CTT) device systems. This draft guidance is not final nor is it in effect at this time.

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

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.

Geographic information system development in the CARETS project

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mitchell, William B.; Fegeas, Robin G.; Fitzpatrick, Katherine A.; Hallam, Cheryl A.

1977-01-01

Experience in the development of a geographic information system to support the CARETS project has confirmed the considerable advantages that may accrue by paralleling the system development with a rational and balanced system production effort which permits the integration of the education and training of users with interim deliverable products to them. Those advantages include support for a long-term staff plan that recognizes substantial staff changes through system development and implementation, a fiscal plan that provides continuity in resources necessary for total system development, and a feedback system which allows the user to communicate his experiences in using the system. Thus far balance between system development and system production has not been achieved because of continuing large-scale spatial data processing requirements coupled with strong and insistent demands from users for immediately deliverable products from the system. That imbalance has refocussed staffing and fiscal plans from long-term system development to short- and near-term production requirements, continuously extends total system development time, and increases the possibility that later system development may reduce the usefulness of current interim products.

Investigating staff knowledge of safeguarding and pressure ulcers in care homes.

PubMed

Ousey, K; Kaye, V; McCormick, K; Stephenson, J

2016-01-01

To investigate whether nursing/care home staff regard pressure ulceration as a safeguarding issue; and to explore reporting mechanisms for pressure ulcers (PUs) in nursing/care homes. Within one clinical commissioning group, 65 staff members from 50 homes completed a questionnaire assessing their experiences of avoidable and unavoidable PUs, grading systems, and systems in place for referral to safeguarding teams. Understanding of safeguarding was assessed in depth by interviews with 11 staff members. Staff observed an average of 2.72 PUs in their workplaces over the previous 12 months, judging 45.6% to be avoidable. Only a minority of respondents reported knowledge of a grading system (mostly the EPUAP/NPUAP system). Most respondents would refer PUs to the safeguarding team: the existence of a grading system, or guidance, appeared to increase that likelihood. Safeguarding was considered a priority in most homes; interviewees were familiar with the term safeguarding, but some confusion over its meaning was apparent. Quality of written documentation and verbal communication received before residents returned from hospital was highlighted. However, respondents expressed concern over lack of information regarding skin integrity. Most staff had received education regarding ulcer prevention or wound management during training, but none reported post-registration training or formal education programmes; reliance was placed on advice of district nurses or tissue viability specialists. Staff within nursing/care homes understand the fundamentals of managing skin integrity and the importance of reporting skin damage; however, national education programmes are needed to develop knowledge and skills to promote patient health-related quality of life, and to reduce the health-care costs of pressure damage. Further research to investigate understanding, knowledge and skills of nursing/care home staff concerning pressure ulcer development and safeguarding will become increasingly necessary, as levels of the older population who may require assisted living continue to rise.

Using a Staff Needs Planning System To Increase Organization, To Increase Quality of Client Services, and To Reduce Overtime.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stang, David

A staff-needs planning system was developed and tested in a Department of Social Services' Family and Children's Services Unit in a medium-sized county where caseworkers used no established strategy or planning method to facilitate accomplishment of all the job requirements. The goal of the study was to implement a planning system based on each…

Predicting medical staff intention to use an online reporting system with modified unified theory of acceptance and use of technology.

PubMed

Chang, I-Chiu; Hsu, Hui-Mei

2012-01-01

Barriers to report incident events using an online information system (IS) may be different from those of a paper-based reporting system. The nationwide online Patient-Safety Reporting System (PSRS) contains a value judgment behind use of the system, similar to the Value of Perceived Consequence (VPC), which is seldom discussed in ISs applications of other disciplines. This study developed a more adequate research framework by integrating the VPC construct into the well-known Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model as a theoretical base to explore the predictors of medical staff's intention to use online PSRS. The results showed that management support was an important factor to influence medical staff's intention of using PSRS. The effects of factors such as performance expectancy, perceived positive, and perceived negative consequence on medical staff's intention of using PSRS were moderated by gender, age, experience, and occupation. The results proved that the modified UTAUT model is significant and useful in predicting medical staff's intention of using the nationwide online PSRS.

Economic grand rounds: Variation in staffing and activities in psychiatric inpatient units.

PubMed

Cromwell, Jerry; Maier, Jan

2006-06-01

In 1999 the Balanced Budget Refinement Act mandated the development of a per diem prospective payment for all psychiatric inpatients. To assist Medicare in developing a per diem patient-based payment system, this study surveyed a representative sample of psychiatric inpatient units in 40 facilities for one week in 2001 through 2003 to determine how units are staffed and how staff members spend their time caring for patients. On general adult units, psychiatric staff averaged ten hours per patient per 24-hour day, roughly 55 percent of staff time was involved in psychiatric care, medical-related nursing and personal care accounted for 10 percent of staff time, and milieu time took up 34 percent of staff time. Small general adult and geriatric units required 50 percent more staff time per patient than large units. More research is needed to determine how recent changes in the method of payment affect these facilities.

A collaborative approach to team building between staff and students in long-term care.

PubMed

Freiburger, O A

1996-01-01

Nursing staff and student interactions were not facilitating a system of care that reflected a team effort. Nursing staff and students were involved in efforts to resolve issues that influenced their professional relationships through use of a problem-solving approach. Team-building strategies were implemented, relationships improved, and collaboration increased between nursing staff members and students. Results of this project have implications for the socialization of nursing students and the development of professional relationships in clinical settings.

Wisconsin Technical College System Board Equity Staff Development Workshops and Services--Phase IV. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baldus, Lorayne

A staff development program on gender equity was conducted for personnel in Wisconsin's technical colleges using the train-the-trainer method. The training took two approaches: a class for college personnel and career challenge training for project directors of single parent and displaced homemaker grants. The inservice class resulted in increased…

Engaging Frontline Leaders and Staff in Real-Time Improvement.

PubMed

Phillips, Jennifer; Hebish, Linda J; Mann, Sharon; Ching, Joan M; Blackmore, C Craig

2016-04-01

The relationship of staff satisfaction and engagement to organizational success, along with the integral influence of frontline managers on this dimension, is well established in health care and other industries. To specifically address staff engagement, Virginia Mason Medical Center, an integrated, single-hospital health system, developed an approach that involved leaders, through the daily use of standard work for leaders, as well as staff, through a Lean-inspired staff idea system. Kaizen Promotion Office (KPO) staff members established three guiding principles: (1) Staff engagement begins with leader engagement; (2) Integrate daily improve- ment (kaizen) as a habitual way of life not as an add-on; and (3) Create an environment in which staff feel psycho- logically safe and valued. Two design elements--Standard Work for Leaders (SWL) and Everyday Lean Ideas (ELIs) were implemented. For the emergency department (ED), an early adopter of the staff engagement work, the challenge was to apply the guiding principles to improve staff engagement while improving quality and patient and staff satisfaction, even as patient volumes were increasing. Daily huddles for the KPO staff members and weekly leader rounds are used to elicit staff ideas and foster ELIs in real time. Overall progress to date has been tracked in terms of staff satisfaction surveys, voluntary staff turnover, adoption of SWL, and testing and implementation of staff ideas. For example, voluntary turnover of ED staff decreased from 14.6% in 2011 to 7.5% in 2012, and 2.0% in 2013. Organizationwide, at least 800 staff ideas are in motion at any given time, with finished ones posted in an idea supermarket website. A leadership and staff engagement approach that focuses on SWL and on capturing staff ideas for daily problem solving and improvement can contribute to organization success and improve the quality of health care delivery.

MO-DE-BRA-04: Hands-On Fluoroscopy Safety Training with Real-Time Patient and Staff Dosimetry

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

Vanderhoek, M; Bevins, N

Purpose: Fluoroscopically guided interventions (FGI) are routinely performed across many different hospital departments. However, many involved staff members have minimal training regarding safe and optimal use of fluoroscopy systems. We developed and taught a hands-on fluoroscopy safety class incorporating real-time patient and staff dosimetry in order to promote safer and more optimal use of fluoroscopy during FGI. Methods: The hands-on fluoroscopy safety class is taught in an FGI suite, unique to each department. A patient equivalent phantom is set on the patient table with an ion chamber positioned at the x-ray beam entrance to the phantom. This provides a surrogatemore » measure of patient entrance dose. Multiple solid state dosimeters (RaySafe i2 dosimetry systemTM) are deployed at different distances from the phantom (0.1, 1, 3 meters), which provide surrogate measures of staff dose. Instructors direct participating clinical staff to operate the fluoroscopy system as they view live fluoroscopic images, patient entrance dose, and staff doses in real-time. During class, instructors work with clinical staff to investigate how patient entrance dose, staff doses, and image quality are affected by different parameters, including pulse rate, magnification, collimation, beam angulation, imaging mode, system geometry, distance, and shielding. Results: Real-time dose visualization enables clinical staff to directly see and learn how to optimize their use of their own fluoroscopy system to minimize patient and staff dose, yet maintain sufficient image quality for FGI. As a direct result of the class, multiple hospital departments have implemented changes to their imaging protocols, including reduction of the default fluoroscopy pulse rate and increased use of collimation and lower dose fluoroscopy modes. Conclusion: Hands-on fluoroscopy safety training substantially benefits from real-time patient and staff dosimetry incorporated into the class. Real-time dose display helps clinical staff visualize, internalize, and ultimately utilize the safety techniques learned during the training. RaySafe/Unfors/Fluke lent us a portable version of their RaySafe i2 Dosimetry System for 6 months.« less

After the Gold Rush.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pappas, Alceste T.

1982-01-01

During retrenchment, college chief executive officers are urged to: define their activities, develop realistic budgeting, learn to measure outcomes meaningfully, review the tenure system, use nonacademic staff evaluation, investigate staff productivity, and focus on physical plant efficiency. Available from Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co., 345 Park…

Developing effective warning systems: Ongoing research at Ruapehu volcano, New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leonard, Graham S.; Johnston, David M.; Paton, Douglas; Christianson, Amy; Becker, Julia; Keys, Harry

2008-05-01

PurposeThis paper examines the unique challenges to volcanic risk management associated with having a ski area on an active volcano. Using a series of simulated eruption/lahar events at Ruapehu volcano, New Zealand, as a context, a model of risk management that integrates warning system design and technology, risk perceptions and the human response is explored. Principal resultsDespite increases in the observed audibility and comprehension of the warning message, recall of public education content, and people's awareness of volcanic risk, a persistent minority of the public continued to demonstrate only moderate awareness of the correct actions to take during a warning and failed to respond effectively. A relationship between level of staff competence and correct public response allowed the level of public response to be used to identify residual risk and additional staff training needs. The quality of staff awareness, action and decision-making has emerged as a critical factor, from detailed staff and public interviews and from exercise observations. Staff actions are especially important for mobilising correct public response at Ruapehu ski areas due to the transient nature of the visitor population. Introduction of education material and staff training strategies that included the development of emergency decision-making competencies improved knowledge of correct actions, and increased the proportion of people moving out of harm's way during blind tests. Major conclusionsWarning effectiveness is a function of more than good hazard knowledge and the generation and notification of an early warning message. For warning systems to be effective, these factors must be complemented by accurate knowledge of risk and risk management actions. By combining the Ruapehu findings with those of other warning system studies in New Zealand, and internationally, a practical five-step model for effective early warning systems is discussed. These steps must be based upon sound and regularly updated underpinning science and be tied to formal effectiveness evaluation, which is fed back into system improvements. The model presented emphasises human considerations, the development of which arguably require even more effort than the hardware components of early warning systems.

A smartphone-based system for the automated management of point-of-care test results in hospitals.

PubMed

Jang, Dasom; Shin, Soo-Yong; Seo, Dong-Woo; Joo, Segyeong; Huh, Soo-Jin

2015-04-01

Managing test results is an important issue in hospitals because of the increasing use of point-of-care testing (POCT). Here, we propose a smartphone-based system for automatically managing POCT test results. We developed the system to provide convenience to the medical staffs. The system recognizes the patient identification or prescription number of the test by reading barcodes and provides a countdown to indicate when the results will be ready. When the countdown in finished, a picture of the test result is transferred to the electronic medical record server using the Health Level 7 protocol. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) kits were selected in this research because HIV is a life-threatening infectious virus, especially for the medical staff who treat undiagnosed patients. The performance of the system was verified from a survey of the users. The performance of the system was tested at the emergency room (ER) for 10 months using commercially available POCT kits for detecting HIV. The survey showed that, in total, 80% and 0% of users reported positive or negative feedback, respectively. The staff also reported that the system reduced total processing time by approximately 32 min, in addition to reducing workload. The developed automated management system was successfully tested at an ER for 10 months. The survey results show that the system is effective and that medical staff members who used the system are satisfied with using the system at the ER.

Going from "paper and pen" to ICT systems: Perspectives on managing the change process.

PubMed

Andersson Marchesoni, Maria; Axelsson, Karin; Fältholm, Ylva; Lindberg, Inger

2017-03-01

Lack of participation from staff when developing information and communication technologies (ICT) has been shown to lead to negative consequences and might be one explanation for failure. Management during development processes has rarely been empirically studied, especially when introducing ICT systems in a municipality context. To describe and interpret experiences of the management during change processes where ICT was introduced among staff and managers in elderly care. A qualitative interpretive method was chosen for this study and content analysis for analyzing the interviews. "Clear focus-unclear process" demonstrated that focus on ICT solutions was clear but the process of introducing the ICT was not. "First-line managers receiving a system of support" gave a picture of the first-line manager as not playing an active part in the projects. First-line managers and staff described "Low power to influence" when realizing that for some reasons, they had not contributed in the change projects. "Low confirmation" represented the previous and present feelings of staff not being listened to. Lastly, "Reciprocal understanding" pictures how first-line managers and staff, although having some expectations on each other, understood each other's positions. Empowerment could be useful in creating an organization where critical awareness and reflection over daily practice becomes a routine.

Controller's role in monitoring prospective payment system.

PubMed

Margrif, F D

1986-05-01

The challenge for hospital controllers in overseeing the prospective payment system (PPS) lies not in acquiring technical expertise but in working with the chief executive officer to coordinate organizational change. Specifically, the controller should assist in creating a prospective payment committee (PPC)--an interdisciplinary group of executives, middle managers, and medical staff. The PPC's duties, among others, include educating staff about the PPS, development of a productivity reporting system, and review of the responsibility accounting structure.

Development of a staff recall system for mass casualty incidents using cell phone text messaging.

PubMed

Epstein, Richard H; Ekbatani, Ali; Kaplan, Javier; Shechter, Ronen; Grunwald, Zvi

2010-03-01

After a mass casualty incident (MCI), rapid mobilization of hospital personnel is required because of an expected surge of victims. Risk assessment of our department's manual phone tree recall system revealed multiple weaknesses that would limit an effective response. Because cell phone use is widespread within the department, we developed and tested a staff recall system, based in our anesthesia information management system (AIMS), using Short Message Service (SMS) text messaging. We sent test text messages to anesthesia staff members' cell phone numbers, determined the distance from their home to the hospital, and stored this information in our AIMS. Latency testing for the time from transmission of SMS test messages from the server to return of an e-mail reply was determined at 2 different times on 2 different dates, 1 of which was a busy holiday weekend, using volunteers within the department. Two unannounced simulated disaster recall drills were conducted, with text messages sent asking for the anticipated time to return to the hospital. A timeline of available staff on site was determined. Reasons for failure to respond to the disaster notification message were tabulated. Latency data were fit by a log-normal distribution with an average of 82 seconds from message transmission to e-mail reply. Replies to the simulated disaster alert were received from approximately 50% of staff, with 16 projecting that they would have been able to be back at the hospital within 30 minutes on both dates. There would have been 21 and 23 staff in-house at 30 minutes, and 32 and 37 staff in-house at 60 minutes on the first and second test date, respectively, including in-house staff. Of the nonresponders to the alert, 48% indicated that their cell phone was not with them or was turned off, whereas 22% missed the message. Our SMS staff recall system is likely to be able to rapidly mobilize sufficient numbers of anesthesia personnel in response to an MCI, but actual performance cannot be predicted with confidence. Using our AIMS as the source for contact information and from which to send messages was simple, inexpensive, and easy to implement. Updating contact information, periodic testing, and analysis of responses to simulated disaster alerts are essential for the effective functioning of such a system. However, maintenance of alternative methods of communication is recommended, because there may be more significant message transmission delays and failures during an actual MCI, and not all staff will receive the text message in a timely fashion.

Building Geographic Information System Capacity in Local Health Departments: Lessons From a North Carolina Project

PubMed Central

Miranda, Marie Lynn; Silva, Jennifer M.; Overstreet Galeano, M. Alicia; Brown, Jeffrey P.; Campbell, Douglas S.; Coley, Evelyn; Cowan, Christopher S.; Harvell, Dianne; Lassiter, Jenny; Parks, Jerry L.; Sandelé, Wanda

2005-01-01

State government, university, and local health department (LHD) partners collaborated to build the geographic information system (GIS) capacity of 5 LHDs in North Carolina. Project elements included procuring hardware and software, conducting individualized and group training, developing data layers, guiding the project development process, coordinating participation in technical conferences, providing ongoing project consultation, and evaluating project milestones. The project provided health department personnel with the skills and resources required to use sophisticated information management systems, particularly those that address spatial dimensions of public health practice. This capacity-building project helped LHDs incorporate GIS technology into daily operations, resulting in improved time and cost efficiency. Keys to success included (1) methods training rooted in problems specific to the LHD, (2) required project identification by LHD staff with associated timelines for development, (3) ongoing technical support as staff returned to home offices after training, (4) subgrants to LHDs to ease hardware and software resource constraints, (5) networks of relationships among LHDs and other professional GIS users, and (6) senior LHD leadership who supported the professional development activities being undertaken by staff. PMID:16257950

User requirements for a patient scheduling system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zimmerman, W.

1979-01-01

A rehabilitation institute's needs and wants from a scheduling system were established by (1) studying the existing scheduling system and the variables that affect patient scheduling, (2) conducting a human-factors study to establish the human interfaces that affect patients' meeting prescribed therapy schedules, and (3) developing and administering a questionnaire to the staff which pertains to the various interface problems in order to identify staff requirements to minimize scheduling problems and other factors that may limit the effectiveness of any new scheduling system.

Perinatal staff perceptions of safety and quality in their service.

PubMed

Sinni, Suzanne V; Wallace, Euan M; Cross, Wendy M

2014-11-28

Ensuring safe and appropriate service delivery is central to a high quality maternity service. With this in mind, over recent years much attention has been given to the development of evidence-based clinical guidelines, staff education and risk reporting systems. Less attention has been given to assessing staff perceptions of a service's safety and quality and what factors may influence that. In this study we set out to assess staff perceptions of safety and quality of a maternity service and to explore potential influences on service safety. The study was undertaken within a new low risk metropolitan maternity service in Victoria, Australia with a staffing profile comprising midwives (including students), neonatal nurses, specialist obstetricians, junior medical staff and clerical staff. In depth open-ended interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire were conducted with 23 staff involved in the delivery of perinatal care, including doctors, midwives, nurses, nursing and midwifery students, and clerical staff. Data were analyzed using naturalistic interpretive inquiry to identify emergent themes. Staff unanimously reported that there were robust systems and processes in place to maintain safety and quality. Three major themes were apparent: (1) clinical governance, (2) dominance of midwives, (3) inter-professional relationships. Overall, there was a strong sense that, at least in this midwifery-led service, midwives had the greatest opportunity to be an influence, both positively and negatively, on the safe delivery of perinatal care. The importance of understanding team dynamics, particularly mutual respect, trust and staff cohesion, were identified as key issues for potential future service improvement. Senior staff, particularly midwives and neonatal nurses, play central roles in shaping team behaviors and attitudes that may affect the safety and quality of service delivery. We suggest that strategies targeting senior staff to enhance their performance in their roles, particularly in the training and teamwork role-modeling of the transitory junior workforce, are important for the development and maintenance of a high quality and safe maternity service.

Developing an Internet-based Communication System for Residency Training Programs

PubMed Central

Fortin, Auguste H; Luzzi, Kristina; Galaty, Leslie; Wong, Jeffrey G; Huot, Stephen J

2002-01-01

Administrative communication is increasingly challenging for residency programs as the number of training sites expands. The Internet provides a cost-effective opportunity to address these needs. Using the World Wide Web, we developed a single, reliable, accurate, and accessible source of administrative information for residents, faculty, and staff in a multisite internal medicine residency at reduced costs. Evaluation of the effectiveness of the website was determined by tracking website use, materials and personnel costs, and resident, staff, and faculty satisfaction. Office supply and personnel costs were reduced by 89% and personnel effort by 85%. All users were highly satisfied with the web communication tool and all reported increased knowledge of program information and a greater sense of “connectedness.” We conclude that an internet-based communication system that provides a single, reliable, accurate, and accessible source of information for residents, faculty, and staff can be developed with minimum resources and reduced costs. PMID:11972724

Task Management for Firefighters: A Practical Approach to Task Management.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Stephen S.

1979-01-01

A project management system for organizing requests from multiple departments and controlling the workload of the development/maintenance computer staff is described. Practical solutions to deciding project priorities, determining time estimates, creating positive peer pressure among programing staff, and formalizing information requests are…

32 CFR 505.8 - Training requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... managers, computer systems development personnel, computer systems operations personnel, statisticians... Act requires all heads of Army Staff agencies, field operating agencies, direct reporting units, Major... in the design, development, operation, and maintenance of any Privacy Act system of records and to...

32 CFR 505.8 - Training requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... managers, computer systems development personnel, computer systems operations personnel, statisticians... Act requires all heads of Army Staff agencies, field operating agencies, direct reporting units, Major... in the design, development, operation, and maintenance of any Privacy Act system of records and to...

32 CFR 505.8 - Training requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... managers, computer systems development personnel, computer systems operations personnel, statisticians... Act requires all heads of Army Staff agencies, field operating agencies, direct reporting units, Major... in the design, development, operation, and maintenance of any Privacy Act system of records and to...

32 CFR 505.8 - Training requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... managers, computer systems development personnel, computer systems operations personnel, statisticians... Act requires all heads of Army Staff agencies, field operating agencies, direct reporting units, Major... in the design, development, operation, and maintenance of any Privacy Act system of records and to...

[Knowledge management system for laboratory work and clinical decision support].

PubMed

Inada, Masanori; Sato, Mayumi; Yoneyama, Akiko

2011-05-01

This paper discusses a knowledge management system for clinical laboratories. In the clinical laboratory of Toranomon Hospital, we receive about 20 questions relevant to laboratory tests per day from medical doctors or co-medical staff. These questions mostly involve the essence to appropriately accomplish laboratory tests. We have to answer them carefully and suitably because an incorrect answer may cause a medical accident. Up to now, no method has been in place to achieve a rapid response and standardized answers. For this reason, the laboratory staff have responded to various questions based on their individual knowledge. We began to develop a knowledge management system to promote the knowledge of staff working for the laboratory. This system is a type of knowledge base for assisting the work, such as inquiry management, laboratory consultation, process management, and clinical support. It consists of several functions: guiding laboratory test information, managing inquiries from medical staff, reporting results of patient consultation, distributing laboratory staffs notes, and recording guidelines for laboratory medicine. The laboratory test information guide has 2,000 records of medical test information registered in the database with flexible retrieval. The inquiry management tool provides a methos to record all questions, answer easily, and retrieve cases. It helps staff to respond appropriately in a short period of time. The consulting report system treats patients' claims regarding medical tests. The laboratory staffs notes enter a file management system so they can be accessed to aid in clinical support. Knowledge sharing using this function can achieve the transition from individual to organizational learning. Storing guidelines for laboratory medicine will support EBM. Finally, it is expected that this system will support intellectual activity concerning laboratory work and contribute to the practice of knowledge management for clinical work support.

The Army Study System. A Staff Study by The Director of Special Studies Office of the Chief of Staff, U. S. Army

DTIC Science & Technology

1964-05-01

knights of France won the day, changed the course of history and initiated a new technique of battle in which the heavily armored horse - man rapidly...Director for RDT&E funds and the Director for the Budget Programs within the RDTVE appropriation. A`s such, he develops the rmy Research . iud Develop

Nurse-computer performance. Considerations for the nurse administrator.

PubMed

Mills, M E; Staggers, N

1994-11-01

Regulatory reporting requirements and economic pressures to create a unified healthcare database are leading to the development of a fully computerized patient record. Nursing staff members will be responsible increasingly for using this technology, yet little is known about the interaction effect of staff characteristics and computer screen design on on-line accuracy and speed. In examining these issues, new considerations are raised for nurse administrators interested in facilitating staff use of clinical information systems.

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

A study examining the impact of 12-hour shifts on critical care staff.

PubMed

Richardson, Annette; Turnock, Christopher; Harris, Liz; Finley, Alison; Carson, Sarah

2007-11-01

Twelve-hour shifts contribute to flexible patterns of work, but the effects on delivery of direct care and staff fatigue are important topics for deeper examination. To examine the impact and implications of 12-hour shifts on critical care staff. A staged dual approach using two focus groups (n = 16) and questionnaires (n = 147) with critical care staff from three critical care units. Positive effects were found with planning and prioritizing care, improved relationships with patients/relatives, good-quality time off work and ease of travelling to work. Less favourable effects were with caring for patients in isolation cubicles and the impact on staff motivation and tiredness. Acceptable patterns of work were suggested for 'numbers of consecutive shifts' and 'rest periods between shifts'. Most participants believed 12-hour shifts should continue. The challenge is to ensure existing systems and practices develop to improve on the less positive effects of working 12-hour shifts. This study provides nurse managers with important and relevant staff views on the impact of working 12-hour shifts. In particular to those working within a critical care environment and suggests the challenge is to ensure existing systems and practices develop to improve on the less encouraging effects of working 12-hour shifts. It adds an understanding of the senior nurse's view on the positive and negative effects of managing and organizing staff off duty to safely run a department with 12-hour shifts.

Harvard Community Health Plan's Mental Health Redesign Project: a managerial and clinical partnership.

PubMed

Abrams, H S

1993-01-01

Harvard Community Health Plan, founded in 1969 as a staff model HMO, is currently a staff and group model HMO with 521,000 members, 19 health centers and 12 independently owned group practices with 26 locations. In 1987, the Plan initiated a review of its mental health benefit and program because its costs were rising, member and clinician dissatisfaction was increasing and many believed the problem was the nature and scope of the benefit. After two years of study, surveys, interviews, cost and utilization analysis, the Plan identified its professional staff as its key asset but recognized many problem areas, including problems with access, variation from site to site, inconsistent service delivery, lack of consistent utilization management and the need for greater diversity along the spectrum of care available to members. From 1989 to 1990, more than 200 clinicians and support staff were engaged in the process of developing a variety of components to the "mental health redesign program." Three simultaneous efforts included developing a method of categorizing patients, restructuring the delivery system and redesigning the benefit. A Mental Health Patient Assessment Tool was created which assists clinicians in performing comprehensive evaluations, administers the benefit, measures progress and supports outcomes research. Delivery system changes included the implementation of self-referral, access standards, intake triage functions by non-clinical staff, program development and an outpatient utilization management function.

Building better systems of care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: findings from the Kanyini health systems assessment.

PubMed

Peiris, David; Brown, Alex; Howard, Michael; Rickards, Bernadette A; Tonkin, Andrew; Ring, Ian; Hayman, Noel; Cass, Alan

2012-10-28

Australian federal and jurisdictional governments are implementing ambitious policy initiatives intended to improve health care access and outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. In this qualitative study we explored Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS) staff views on factors needed to improve chronic care systems and assessed their relevance to the new policy environment. Two theories informed the study: (1) 'candidacy', which explores "the ways in which people's eligibility for care is jointly negotiated between individuals and health services"; and (2) kanyini or 'holding', a Central Australian philosophy which describes the principle and obligations of nurturing and protecting others. A structured health systems assessment, locally adapted from Chronic Care Model domains, was administered via group interviews with 37 health staff in six AMSs and one government Indigenous-led health service. Data were thematically analysed. Staff emphasised AMS health care was different to private general practices. Consistent with kanyini, community governance and leadership, community representation among staff, and commitment to community development were important organisational features to retain and nurture both staff and patients. This was undermined, however, by constant fear of government funding for AMSs being withheld. Staff resourcing, information systems and high-level leadership were perceived to be key drivers of health care quality. On-site specialist services, managed by AMS staff, were considered an enabling strategy to increase specialist access. Candidacy theory suggests the above factors influence whether a service is 'tractable' and 'navigable' to its users. Staff also described entrenched patient discrimination in hospitals and the need to expend considerable effort to reinstate care. This suggests that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are still constructed as 'non-ideal users' and are denied from being 'held' by hospital staff. Some new policy initiatives (workforce capacity strengthening, improving chronic care delivery systems and increasing specialist access) have potential to address barriers highlighted in this study. Few of these initiatives, however, capitalise on the unique mechanisms by which AMSs 'hold' their users and enhance their candidacy to health care. Kanyini and candidacy are promising and complementary theories for conceptualising health care access and provide a potential framework for improving systems of care.

History of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Joint Chiefs of Staff and National Policy 1955-1956. Volume VI.

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-01-01

allocation of responsibility among the military services for de- veloping and operating the new weapons systems. This turned out to be a con- tentious...the choices made regarding the allocation of resources and the deployments and strategies to be pursued. The Joint Chiefs of Staff developed their...decisions or preparing recommendations on such specific matters as force levels and budget allocations , clearly took his principal guidance from the

Strengthening capacity for AIDS vaccine research: analysis of the Pfizer Global Health Fellows Program and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Industry partnerships can help leverage resources to advance HIV/AIDS vaccine research, service delivery, and policy advocacy goals. This often involves capacity building for international and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs). International volunteering is increasingly being used as a capacity building strategy, yet little is known about how corporate volunteers help to improve performance of NGOs in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Methods This case study helps to extend our understanding by analyzing how the Pfizer Global Health Fellows (GHF) program helped develop capacity of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), looking specifically at Fellowship activities in South Africa, Kenya, and Uganda. From 2005–2009, 8 Pfizer GHF worked with IAVI and local research centers to strengthen capacity to conduct and monitor vaccine trials to meet international standards and expand trial activities. Data collection for the case study included review of Fellow job descriptions, online journals, evaluation reports, and interviews with Fellows and IAVI staff. Qualitative methods were used to analyze factors which influenced the process and outcomes of capacity strengthening. Results Fellows filled critical short-term expert staffing needs at IAVI as well as providing technical assistance and staff development activities. Capacity building included assistance in establishing operating procedures for the start-up period of research centers; training staff in Good Clinical Practice (GCP); developing monitoring capacity (staff and systems) to assure that centers are audit-ready at all times; and strategic planning for data management systems. Factors key to the success of volunteering partnerships included similarities in mission between the corporate and NGO partners, expertise and experience of Fellows, and attitudes of partner organization staff. Conclusion By developing standard operating procedures, ensuring that monitoring and regulatory compliance systems were in place, training African investigators and community members, and engaging in other systems strengthening activities, the GHF program helped IAVI to accelerate vaccine development activities in the field, and to develop the organization’s capacity to manage change in the future. Our study suggests that a program of sustained corporate volunteering over several years may increase organizational learning and trust, leading to stronger capacity to advance and achieve NGO goals. PMID:24088300

Strengthening capacity for AIDS vaccine research: analysis of the Pfizer Global Health Fellows program and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative.

PubMed

Vian, Taryn; Koseki, Sayaka; Feeley, Frank G; Beard, Jennifer

2013-10-02

Industry partnerships can help leverage resources to advance HIV/AIDS vaccine research, service delivery, and policy advocacy goals. This often involves capacity building for international and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs). International volunteering is increasingly being used as a capacity building strategy, yet little is known about how corporate volunteers help to improve performance of NGOs in the fight against HIV/AIDS. This case study helps to extend our understanding by analyzing how the Pfizer Global Health Fellows (GHF) program helped develop capacity of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), looking specifically at Fellowship activities in South Africa, Kenya, and Uganda. From 2005-2009, 8 Pfizer GHF worked with IAVI and local research centers to strengthen capacity to conduct and monitor vaccine trials to meet international standards and expand trial activities. Data collection for the case study included review of Fellow job descriptions, online journals, evaluation reports, and interviews with Fellows and IAVI staff. Qualitative methods were used to analyze factors which influenced the process and outcomes of capacity strengthening. Fellows filled critical short-term expert staffing needs at IAVI as well as providing technical assistance and staff development activities. Capacity building included assistance in establishing operating procedures for the start-up period of research centers; training staff in Good Clinical Practice (GCP); developing monitoring capacity (staff and systems) to assure that centers are audit-ready at all times; and strategic planning for data management systems. Factors key to the success of volunteering partnerships included similarities in mission between the corporate and NGO partners, expertise and experience of Fellows, and attitudes of partner organization staff. By developing standard operating procedures, ensuring that monitoring and regulatory compliance systems were in place, training African investigators and community members, and engaging in other systems strengthening activities, the GHF program helped IAVI to accelerate vaccine development activities in the field, and to develop the organization's capacity to manage change in the future. Our study suggests that a program of sustained corporate volunteering over several years may increase organizational learning and trust, leading to stronger capacity to advance and achieve NGO goals.

Exploring Factors Affecting Emergency Medical Services Staffs' Decision about Transporting Medical Patients to Medical Facilities.

PubMed

Ebrahimian, Abbasali; Seyedin, Hesam; Jamshidi-Orak, Roohangiz; Masoumi, Gholamreza

2014-01-01

Transfer of patients in medical emergency situations is one of the most important missions of emergency medical service (EMS) staffs. So this study was performed to explore affecting factors in EMS staffs' decision during transporting of patients in medical situations to medical facilities. The participants in this qualitative study consisted of 18 EMS staffs working in prehospital care facilities in Tehran, Iran. Data were gathered through semistructured interviews. The data were analyzed using a content analysis approach. The data analysis revealed the following theme: "degree of perceived risk in EMS staffs and their patients." This theme consisted of two main categories: (1) patient's condition' and (2) the context of the EMS mission'. The patent's condition category emerged from "physical health statuses," "socioeconomic statuses," and "cultural background" subcategories. The context of the EMS mission also emerged from two subcategories of "characteristics of the mission" and EMS staffs characteristics'. EMS system managers can consider adequate technical, informational, financial, educational, and emotional supports to facilitate the decision making of their staffs. Also, development of an effective and user-friendly checklist and scoring system was recommended for quick and easy recognition of patients' needs for transportation in a prehospital situation.

Pharmacy staff training and development: upside-down thinking in a changing profession.

PubMed

Sawyer, W T; Hughes, T F; Eckel, F M

1992-04-01

We suggest that the most fundamental change in staff development that must occur is recognition of the need for a professional belief system as the basis for any pharmaceutical care activity. Values derived from fundamental moral ideals and professional beliefs foster the development of attitudes and behaviors. It would be wrong to suggest or imply that such a change need only occur in postbaccalaureate training. The development of personal and professional value systems in existing primary professional training programs is inadequate--we do not yet do enough to develop people before they enter practice. Nevertheless, to say that this failure of the professional education system precludes us from taking action within professional departments is unwise. The primary skills that must be developed during the next decade involve the ability of the practitioner to competently make informed, patient-specific decisions necessary for effective pharmaceutical care. Such decisions are made not only on the basis of a practitioner's knowledge but on the basis of his or her beliefs and values as well. The practitioner also must be willing to assume responsibility for the consequences of those decisions. The pharmacist who professes to deliver pharmaceutical care can no longer be shielded by assigning to the physician the ultimate responsibility for the patient's drug-therapy outcomes. Facilitating the development of a value system and attitude that enhance the pharmacist's ability to make such decisions must be a principal focus of staff training and development in the coming years.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Reflecting on the ethical administration of computerized medical records

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collmann, Jeff R.

1995-05-01

This presentation examines the ethical issues raised by computerized image management and communication systems (IMAC), the ethical principals that should guide development of policies, procedures and practices for IMACS systems, and who should be involved in developing a hospital's approach to these issues. The ready access of computerized records creates special hazards of which hospitals must beware. Hospitals must maintain confidentiality of patient's records while making records available to authorized users as efficiently as possible. The general conditions of contemporary health care undermine protecting the confidentiality of patient record. Patients may not provide health care institutions with information about themselves under conditions of informed consent. The field of information science must design sophisticated systems of computer security that stratify access, create audit trails on data changes and system use, safeguard patient data from corruption, and protect the databases from outside invasion. Radiology professionals must both work with information science experts in their own hospitals to create institutional safeguards and include the adequacy of security measures as a criterion for evaluating PACS systems. New policies and procedures on maintaining computerized patient records must be developed that obligate all members of the health care staff, not just care givers. Patients must be informed about the existence of computerized medical records, the rules and practices that govern their dissemination and given the opportunity to give or withhold consent for their use. Departmental and hospital policies on confidentiality should be reviewed to determine if revisions are necessary to manage computer-based records. Well developed discussions of the ethical principles and administrative policies on confidentiality and informed consent and of the risks posed by computer-based patient records systems should be included in initial and continuing staff system training. Administration should develop ways to monitor staff compliance with confidentiality policies and should assess diligence in maintaining patient record confidentiality as part of staff annual performance evaluations. Ethical management of IMAC systems is the business of all members of the health care team. Computerized patient records management (including IMAC) should be scrutinized as any other clinical medial ethical issue. If hospitals include these processes in their planning for RIS, IMACS, and HIS systems, they should have time to develop institutional expertise on these questions before and as systems are installed rather than only as ethical dilemmas develop during their use.

Preventing work-related stress among staff working in children's cancer Principal Treatment Centres in the UK: a brief survey of staff support systems and practices.

PubMed

Beresford, B; Gibson, F; Bayliss, J; Mukherjee, S

2018-03-01

Growing evidence of the association between health professionals' well-being and patient and organisational outcomes points to the need for effective staff support. This paper reports a brief survey of the UK's children's cancer Principal Treatment Centres (PTCs) regarding staff support systems and practices. A short on-line questionnaire, administered in 2012-2013, collected information about the availability of staff support interventions which seek to prevent work-related stress among different members of the multi-disciplinary team (MDT). It was completed by a member of staff with, where required, assistance from colleagues. All PTCs (n = 19) participated. Debriefs following a patient death was the most frequently reported staff support practice. Support groups were infrequently mentioned. There was wide variability between PTCs, and between professional groups, regarding the number and type of interventions available. Doctors appear to be least likely to have access to support. A few Centres routinely addressed work-related stress in wider staff management strategies. Two Centres had developed a bespoke intervention. Very few Centres were reported to actively raise awareness of support available from their hospital's Occupational Health department. A minority of PTCs had expert input regarding staff support from clinical psychology/liaison psychiatry. © 2016 The Authors. European Journal of Cancer Care Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

UAS noise certification and measurements status report : Tigershark UAS measurements, tracking system development, and certification metrics status

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-09-01

This report documents work done by Volpe staff to support the FAAs development of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) noise certification and noise measurement criteria. The primary elements were the development of a small, lightweight Global Navigation...

Developing the security culture at the SEISMED Reference Centres.

PubMed

Fowler, J

1996-01-01

The paper gives a brief summary of the SEISMED project and the particular role played by the Reference Centres. Details are given of the hardware and application systems in use in the Royal Hospitals (NHS) Trust (RHT), one of the SEISMED Reference Centres. It proposes, without verification, a definition of a Security Culture based on three criteria. These are suggested to be the "Awareness" the "Acceptance" and the "Actions" of the management and staff to improve Information Systems Security throughout the RHT. The way that "Awareness" was increased is shown by the specific initiatives commenced as a result of a CRAMM Risk Analysis and the management and staff training programmes. The specific initiatives mentioned include, an Information Systems Security Policy, a contingency and disaster recovery plan, improvements in the physical protection of equipment and changes to the method of access control. The "Acceptance" by the staff of these measures is considered and the success or failure of "Developing A Security Culture" examined. The role of SEISMED in this process is assessed.

Transforming Schools: Creating a Culture of Continuous Improvement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zmuda, Allison; Kuklis, Robert; Kline, Everett

2004-01-01

How can a school become a place where all members of the staff are learning, growing, and working to increase student achievement? The answer lies in systems thinking and a focus on continuous improvement, two concepts that can transform staff development from something that people merely tolerate to something that they actively pursue to create…

A Database Training Module for Nassau Community College Staff and Faculty.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodman, Harriett Ziskin

A training module developed following the Instructional System Design model was implemented at Nassau Community College (NCC) to teach its administration, faculty, and staff members computer skills that would enable them to use the available computer equipment more efficiently. Using this module, each trainee designed a file to be used for the…

Systematic Exploitation of Marginal Flexibility in Staff Planning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawaetz, Peter

1984-01-01

The Technical University of Denmark has tried to free resources in a stagnant or declining budget for development of new subject areas by planned contraction of ordinary activities, with only moderate success due to low mobility and strong specialization of the scientific staff. A more realistic planning system has been introduced, using…

Evaluation of an Automated Keywording System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malone, Linda C.; And Others

1990-01-01

Discussion of automated indexing techniques focuses on ways to statistically document improvements in the development of an automated keywording system over time. The system developed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff to automate the storage, categorization, and retrieval of information from military exercises is explained, and performance measures are…

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.

[Conduct of survey four months after the start of EMR for home visits to promote cooperation between hospitals and clinics].

PubMed

Nakagawa, Yumiko; Sawada, Sachiko; Tomiyama, Takashi; Ueda, Yuki; Fujii, Kou; Takeshita, Kiyotaka; Kobayashi, Mitsuru; Isono, Osamu

2014-12-01

Electronic medical records(EMR)for home visits were introduced in October 2013 at our institution in order to ensure smooth cooperation between the hospital and clinic by sharing the details of a patient's medical record. A system was developed for remote desktop connections to the EMR terminal server(virtual server)with the use of an SSL-VPN. Mobile terminals and mobile printers were used. Four months after the start of this system, a survey was conducted for 41 home care professionals and other staff(physicians, nurses, and office staff). Home care staff indicated that they had problems with the system, including bad connections and operating conditions, and difficulties responding to problems when they arose. Other staff indicated that they were able to acquire patient information faster than with paper-based records. Future issues include improvements to the user-friendliness of the terminals and improved responses to problems when they occur.

Development of a medical information system that minimizes staff workload and secures system safety at a small medical institution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haneda, Kiyofumi; Koyama, Tadashi

2005-04-01

We developed a secure system that minimizes staff workload and secures safety of a medical information system. In this study, we assess the legal security requirements and risks occurring from the use of digitized data. We then analyze the security measures for ways of reducing these risks. In the analysis, not only safety, but also costs of security measures and ease of operability are taken into consideration. Finally, we assess the effectiveness of security measures by employing our system in small-sized medical institution. As a result of the current study, we developed and implemented several security measures, such as authentications, cryptography, data back-up, and secure sockets layer protocol (SSL) in our system. In conclusion, the cost for the introduction and maintenance of a system is one of the primary difficulties with its employment by a small-sized institution. However, with recent reductions in the price of computers, and certain advantages of small-sized medical institutions, the development of an efficient system configuration has become possible.

Hospital staff experiences of their relationships with adults who self-harm: A meta-synthesis.

PubMed

O'Connor, Sophie; Glover, Lesley

2017-09-01

This review aimed to synthesize qualitative literature exploring inpatient hospital staff experiences of their relationships with people who self-harm. Nine studies were identified from a systematic search of five research databases. Papers included the experiences of physical health and mental health staff working in inpatient settings. The studies employed various qualitative research methods and were appraised using an adapted quality assessment tool (Tong, Sainsbury, & Craig, 2007). A meta-synthesis was conducted using traditional qualitative analysis methods including coding and categorizing data into themes. Three main themes derived from the data. 'The impact of the system' influenced the extent to which staff were 'Fearing the harm from self-harm', or were 'Working alongside the whole person'. A fear-based relationship occurred across mental health and physical health settings despite differences in training; however, 'Working alongside the whole person' primarily emerged from mental health staff experiences. Systemic factors provided either an inhibitory or facilitative influence on the relational process. Staff experiences of their relationship with people who self-harm were highlighted to have an important impact on the delivery and outcome of care. Increasing support for staff with a focus on distress tolerance, managing relational issues, and developing self-awareness within the relationship may lead to a more mutually beneficial experience of care. Equally, structure, clarity, and support within inpatient systems may empower staff to feel more confident in utilizing their existing skills. Working with people who self-harm can be emotionally challenging and how staff cope with this can significantly impact on the engagement of staff and patients. Increasing the skills of staff in managing relational issues and tolerating distress, as well as providing support and reflective practice groups may be useful in managing emotional responses to working with people who self-harm. Refining the supportive, procedural, and environmental structures surrounding the caregiving relationship may help enable better integration of physical and mental health care. © 2016 The British Psychological Society.

Appendix M. Research Utilization and Problem Solving

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jung, Charles

The Research Utilization and Problem Solving (RUPS) Model--an instructional system designed to provide the needed competencies for an entire staff to engage in systems analysis and systems synthesis procedures prior to assessing educational needs and developing curriculum to meet the needs identified--is intended to facilitate the development of…

2005 Precision Strike Winter Roundtable

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-01-26

Lamartin Director Enterprise Development Developmental Test & Evaluation Assessments & Support System Engineering Mr. Schaeffer Director 6 6 Systems and...Joint Concept Development , by Colonel Ed Yarnell, USMC USJFCOM’s Experimentation Strategy, by Captain E. Mark Chicoine, USN Systems and Mission...Strategy Division Chief, J-5 Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate, The Joint Staff 1030 JOINT CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT : Ed Yarnell, USMC Chief, Concepts

Adapting Nepal's polio eradication programme.

PubMed

Paudel, Krishna P; Hampton, Lee M; Gurung, Santosh; Bohara, Rajendra; Rai, Indra K; Anaokar, Sameer; Swift, Rachel D; Cochi, Stephen

2017-03-01

Many countries have weak disease surveillance and immunization systems. The elimination of polio creates an opportunity to use staff and assets from the polio eradication programme to control other vaccine-preventable diseases and improve disease surveillance and immunization systems. In 2003, the active surveillance system of Nepal's polio eradication programme began to report on measles and neonatal tetanus cases. Japanese encephalitis and rubella cases were added to the surveillance system in 2004. Staff from the programme aided the development and implementation of government immunization policies, helped launch vaccination campaigns, and trained government staff in reporting practices and vaccine management. Nepal eliminated indigenous polio in 2000, and controlled outbreaks caused by polio importations between 2005 and 2010. In 2014, the surveillance activities had expanded to 299 sites, with active surveillance for measles, rubella and neonatal tetanus, including weekly visits from 15 surveillance medical officers. Sentinel surveillance for Japanese encephalitis consisted of 132 sites. Since 2002, staff from the eradication programme have helped to introduce six new vaccines and helped to secure funding from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Staff have also assisted in responding to other health events in the country. By expanding the activities of its polio eradication programme, Nepal has improved its surveillance and immunization systems and increased vaccination coverage of other vaccine-preventable diseases. Continued donor support, a close collaboration with the Expanded Programme on Immunization, and the retention of the polio eradication programme's skilled workforce were important for this expansion.

A Quest for Excellence. Appendix

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-06-01

the Joint Staff should be removed to permit the Chairman a staff sufficient to discharge his responsibilities. The Secretary of Defense should direct...better coordinated among DoD agencies and Congress. Guidelines must be developed to remove undesirable duplication of official effort and, when...specifically for commercial overall procurement system, with particular procurement are inconsistent and ineffective, attention given to the removal

Using the Staff Sharing Scheme to Support School Staff in Managing Challenging Behaviour More Effectively

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Daniel; Monsen, Jeremy; Franey, John

2013-01-01

This paper explores how educational psychologists working in a training/consultative way can enable teachers to manage challenging pupil behaviour more effectively. It sets out a rationale which encourages schools to embrace a group based teacher peer-support system as part of regular school development. It then explores the usefulness of the…

Maximizing competence through professional development: increasing disability knowledge among One-Stop Career Center staff.

PubMed

Hall, Allison Cohen; Timmons, Jaimie Ciulla; Boeltzig, Heike; Hamner, Doris; Fesko, Sheila

2006-01-01

The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (USA) mandates that partners in the One-Stop Career Center system be prepared to serve a diverse customer base. Effective service delivery depends in part on a focus on human resources and professional development. This article presents innovative strategies for One-Stop Career Center staff training related to serving customers with disabilities. Findings from case study research conducted in several One-Stops across the country revealed that staff struggled with both knowledge and attitudes around disability issues. To address these concerns, local leaders developed practices that provided opportunities to gain practical skills and put acquired knowledge to use. These included a formalized curriculum focused on disability issues; informal support and consultation from a disability specialist; and exposure and learning through internships for students with disabilities. Implications are offered to stimulate thinking and creativity in local One-Stops regarding the most effective ways to facilitate staff learning and, in turn, improve services for customers with disabilities.

7 CFR 2610.2 - Headquarters organization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Management (AIG/PD&RM) formulates OIG policies and procedures; develops, administers and directs comprehensive programs for the management, budget, financial, personnel, systems improvement, and information... information management systems. The staff maintains OIG's directives system; Departmental Regulations and...

Building better systems of care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: findings from the Kanyini health systems assessment

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Australian federal and jurisdictional governments are implementing ambitious policy initiatives intended to improve health care access and outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. In this qualitative study we explored Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS) staff views on factors needed to improve chronic care systems and assessed their relevance to the new policy environment. Methods Two theories informed the study: (1) ‘candidacy’, which explores “the ways in which people’s eligibility for care is jointly negotiated between individuals and health services”; and (2) kanyini or ‘holding’, a Central Australian philosophy which describes the principle and obligations of nurturing and protecting others. A structured health systems assessment, locally adapted from Chronic Care Model domains, was administered via group interviews with 37 health staff in six AMSs and one government Indigenous-led health service. Data were thematically analysed. Results Staff emphasised AMS health care was different to private general practices. Consistent with kanyini, community governance and leadership, community representation among staff, and commitment to community development were important organisational features to retain and nurture both staff and patients. This was undermined, however, by constant fear of government funding for AMSs being withheld. Staff resourcing, information systems and high-level leadership were perceived to be key drivers of health care quality. On-site specialist services, managed by AMS staff, were considered an enabling strategy to increase specialist access. Candidacy theory suggests the above factors influence whether a service is ‘tractable’ and ‘navigable’ to its users. Staff also described entrenched patient discrimination in hospitals and the need to expend considerable effort to reinstate care. This suggests that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are still constructed as ‘non-ideal users’ and are denied from being ‘held’ by hospital staff. Conclusions Some new policy initiatives (workforce capacity strengthening, improving chronic care delivery systems and increasing specialist access) have potential to address barriers highlighted in this study. Few of these initiatives, however, capitalise on the unique mechanisms by which AMSs ‘hold’ their users and enhance their candidacy to health care. Kanyini and candidacy are promising and complementary theories for conceptualising health care access and provide a potential framework for improving systems of care. PMID:23102409

The Smart Floor: How a Public-Private Partnership co-developed a heterogeneous healthcare technology system.

PubMed

Brodersen, Søsser; Lindegaard, Hanne

2015-01-01

Currently, a wide variety of healthcare technologies are being implemented in private homes, hospitals, nursing homes, etc. with the triple aim of improving people's health, improving the quality of care, and reducing costs related to healthcare services. In this chapter, we discuss how different actors in a public-private partnership co-developed a heterogeneous system around the Smart Floor to ensure that both new healthcare practices and residents' routines were inscribed into the new healthcare technology. We argue that implementing the Smart Floor was not just a question of buying a technology and integrating it during construction-it required co-development with the healthcare staff. The floor is more than a technology placed under the floor surface in a resident's apartment; rather, it is a heterogeneous network of human and non-human actors communicating with each other. In this chapter, we illustrate how the heterogeneous technological system was co-developed and redesigned during knowledge sharing processes with companies, lead-users, and healthcare staff. We also discuss how care practices have changed as a result of the Smart Floor system. In particular, healthcare staff members no longer feel a need to disturb elderly residents with routine in-person checks. Domesticating the technologies for different groups of actors required not only coordinating communication among sensors, the interface, the portable nurse call (smartphones), and alarms, but also accepting the use of surveillance technology.

Building freeways: piloting communication skills in additional languages to health service personnel in Cape Town, South Africa.

PubMed

Claassen, Joel; Jama, Zukile; Manga, Nayna; Lewis, Minnie; Hellenberg, Derek

2017-06-07

This study reflects on the development and teaching of communication skills courses in additional national languages to health care staff within two primary health care facilities in Cape Town, South Africa. These courses were aimed at addressing the language disparities that recent research has identified globally between patients and health care staff. Communication skills courses were offered to staff at two Metropolitan District Health Services clinics to strengthen patient access to health care services. This study reflects on the communicative proficiency in the additional languages that were offered to health care staff. A mixed-method approach was utilised during this case study with quantitative data-gathering through surveys and qualitative analysis of assessment results. The language profiles of the respective communities were assessed through data obtained from the South African National census, while staff language profiles were obtained at the health care centres. Quantitative measuring, by means of a patient survey at the centres, occurred on a randomly chosen day to ascertain the language profile of the patient population. Participating staff performed assessments at different phases of the training courses to determine their skill levels by the end of the course. The performances of the participating staff during the Xhosa and Afrikaans language courses were assessed, and the development of the staff communicative competencies was measured. Health care staff learning the additional languages could develop Basic or Intermediate Xhosa and Afrikaans that enables communication with patients. In multilingual countries such as South Africa, language has been recognised as a health care barrier preventing patients from receiving quality care. Equipping health care staff with communication skills in the additional languages, represents an attempt to bridge a vital barrier in the South African health care system. The study proves that offering communication skills courses in additional languages, begins to equip health care staff to be multilingual, that allows patients to communicate about their illnesses within their mother tongues.

Time to audit.

PubMed

Smyth, L G; Martin, Z; Hall, B; Collins, D; Mealy, K

2012-09-01

Public and political pressures are increasing on doctors and in particular surgeons to demonstrate competence assurance. While surgical audit is an integral part of surgical practice, its implementation and delivery at a national level in Ireland is poorly developed. Limits to successful audit systems relate to lack of funding and administrative support. In Wexford General Hospital, we have a comprehensive audit system which is based on the Lothian Surgical Audit system. We wished to analyse the amount of time required by the Consultant, NCHDs and clerical staff on one surgical team to run a successful audit system. Data were collected over a calendar month. This included time spent coding and typing endoscopy procedures, coding and typing operative procedures, and typing and signing discharge letters. The total amount of time spent to run the audit system for one Consultant surgeon for one calendar month was 5,168 min or 86.1 h. Greater than 50% of this time related to work performed by administrative staff. Only the intern and administrative staff spent more than 5% of their working week attending to work related to the audit. An integrated comprehensive audit system requires a very little time input by Consultant surgeons. Greater than 90% of the workload in running the audit was performed by the junior house doctors and administrative staff. The main financial implications for national audit implementation would relate to software and administrative staff recruitment. Implementation of the European Working Time Directive in Ireland may limit the time available for NCHD's to participate in clinical audit.

The Role of Public Policy in Skills Development of Black Workers in the 21st Century. Upjohn Institute Staff Working Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bartik, Timothy J.; Hollenbeck, Kevin

This paper discusses the role of public policy in the skills development system of the United States. It further examines the implications of that policy for the skill development and career progression of black workers. The paper describes the current "system" for skills development as a two-tiered system composed of (1) the "first…

Development and reliability of an observation method to assess food intake of young children in child care.

PubMed

Ball, Sarah C; Benjamin, Sara E; Ward, Dianne S

2007-04-01

To our knowledge, a direct observation protocol for assessing dietary intake among young children in child care has not been published. This article reviews the development and testing of a diet observation system for child care facilities that occurred during a larger intervention trial. Development of this system was divided into five phases, done in conjunction with a larger intervention study; (a) protocol development, (b) training of field staff, (c) certification of field staff in a laboratory setting, (d) implementation in a child-care setting, and (e) certification of field staff in a child-care setting. During the certification phases, methods were used to assess the accuracy and reliability of all observers at estimating types and amounts of food and beverages commonly served in child care. Tests of agreement show strong agreement among five observers, as well as strong accuracy between the observers and 20 measured portions of foods and beverages with a mean intraclass correlation coefficient value of 0.99. This structured observation system shows promise as a valid and reliable approach for assessing dietary intake of children in child care and makes a valuable contribution to the growing body of literature on the dietary assessment of young children.

From staff-mix to skill-mix and beyond: towards a systemic approach to health workforce management

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Throughout the world, countries are experiencing shortages of health care workers. Policy-makers and system managers have developed a range of methods and initiatives to optimise the available workforce and achieve the right number and mix of personnel needed to provide high-quality care. Our literature review found that such initiatives often focus more on staff types than on staff members' skills and the effective use of those skills. Our review describes evidence about the benefits and pitfalls of current approaches to human resources optimisation in health care. We conclude that in order to use human resources most effectively, health care organisations must consider a more systemic approach - one that accounts for factors beyond narrowly defined human resources management practices and includes organisational and institutional conditions. PMID:20021682

Manager’s Guide to Technology Transition in an Evolutionary Acquisition Environment

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-06-01

program managers, product managers, staffs, and organizations that manage the development , procurement, production, and fielding of systems...rapidly advancing technologies. Technology transitions can occur during the development of systems, or even after a system has been in the field ...Documentation Evolutionary acquisition is an acquisition strategy that defines, develops , produces or acquires, and fields an initial hardware or software

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.

The journey toward shared governance: the lived experience of nurse managers and staff nurses.

PubMed

Ott, Joyce; Ross, Carl

2014-09-01

The purpose of the study was to explore the lived experience of nurse managers and staff nurses in shared governance. Shared governance refers to systems and services aligned in partnership. The information gained by studying the lived experience of nurse managers and staff nurses in shared governance is valuable for providing knowledge of empowerment. A qualitative design was used. Data were collected through a semi-structured interview using five questions with 11 Registered Nurses. Data were analysed through thematic analysis. Four themes emerged from data analysis. Nurse managers identified the journey of patient satisfaction; journey of empowerment; journey of self-management and journey of wellness. Staff nurses identified the journey of development and implementation of best practice; journey to provide quality patient care, journey to a new culture of nursing; and journey of a variety of challenges. This study supports the idea that collaboration between nurse managers and staff nurses develops a journey toward shared governance. Nursing management can use findings to empower nurses to collaborate with nurse managers toward best practice. This adds to current knowledge that partnership of nurse managers and staff nurses, supports and encourages ownership in shared governance. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Improving program documentation quality through the application of continuous improvement processes.

PubMed

Lovlien, Cheryl A; Johansen, Martha; Timm, Sandra; Eversman, Shari; Gusa, Dorothy; Twedell, Diane

2007-01-01

Maintaining the integrity of record keeping and retrievable information related to the provision of continuing education credit creates challenges for a large organization. Accurate educational program documentation is vital to support the knowledge and professional development of nursing staff. Quality review and accurate documentation of programs for nursing staff development occurred at one institution through the use of continuous improvement principles. Integration of the new process into the current system maintains the process of providing quality record keeping.

Accountability Effects of Integrating Technology in Evolving Professional Development Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Denton, Jon J.; Manus, Alice L.

This analysis aimed at determining whether implemented technology systems and staff development with those systems at professional development schools have affected the academic performance of learners. Eight Texas elementary and secondary schools that in 1994-95 enrolled 5,337 students across 5 school districts comprised the sample for the study.…

Task Analysis and Job Descriptions for Robotics/Automated Systems Technicians. Final Report. Volume 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hull, Daniel M.; Lovett, James E.

The Robotics/Automated Systems Technician (RAST) project developed a robotics technician model curriculum for the use of state directors of vocational education and two-year college vocational/technical educators. A baseline management plan was developed to guide the project. To provide awareness, project staff developed a dissemination plan…

Intelligent Mobile Sensor System (IMSS) for drum inspection and monitoring -- Volume 3. Final report, October 1, 1993--April 22, 1995

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

NONE

This manual is intended to be read by people who will use the IMSS system on a regular basis, who will be referred to as IMSS system operators. Portions of this manual are intended to be read by operations staff who need to understand certain aspects of the IMSS system since their staff will be working near the IMSS vehicle and docking station. Sections 1 through 4 provide general information of interest both to operations staff and IMSS system operators. The remainder of this manual provides information of interest mainly to IMSS system operators. This manual is customized for usemore » of the IMSS system at the DOE Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL), specifically in Buildings 628 through 634 at INEL`s Radioactive Waste Management Complex (RWMC). The vast majority of this manual is applicable to any installation site--only a few minor details are specific to INEL. This manual will be complemented by one-on-one training provided to INEL personnel by the IMSS system development team.« less

Towards a balanced performance measurement system in a public health care organization.

PubMed

Yuen, Peter P; Ng, Artie W

2012-01-01

This article attempts to devise an integrated performance measurement framework to assess the Hong Kong Hospital Authority (HA) management system by harnessing previous performance measurement systems. An integrated evaluative framework based on the balanced score card (BSC) was developed and applied using the case study method and longitudinal data to evaluate the HA's performance management system. The authors unveil evolving HA performance indicators (P1). Despite the HA staffs explicit quality emphasis, cost control remains the primary focus in their performance measurements. RESEARCH LHNITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS: Data used in this study are from secondary sources, disclosed mostly by HA staff. This study shows public sector staff often attach too much importance to cost control and easily measurable activities at the expense of quality and other less easily measurable attributes'. A balanced performance measurement system, linked to health targets, with a complementary budgeting process that supports pertinent resource allocation is yet to be implemented in Hong Kong's public hospitals.

Alignment of the system's chief nursing officer: staff or direct line structure?

PubMed

Kerfoot, Karlene M; Luquire, Rosemary

2012-01-01

The role of the system chief nursing officer nationally and internationally has been traditionally structured as a staff model, a direct line model, or a hybrid that includes parts of each model. The choice of structure should be made after a thorough investigation of what outcomes the system wants this position to accomplish, developing the appropriate structure to achieve these outcomes, and then engaging a chief nursing officer with the skills indicated by the type of structure chosen. This article describes these 3 structures and the support infrastructure necessary for each model.

Remote Teacher Observation at the University of Kentucky

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hager, Karen D.; Baird, Constance M.; Spriggs, Amy D.

2012-01-01

Faculty and staff from three university departments (Special Education, Distance Learning Programs, and Distance Learning Networks) collaborated to develop a system for remote observation of student teachers. Colleges across the campus currently use the system. The development process from inception to implementation is described, and the specific…

Clinical services provided by staff pharmacists in a community hospital.

PubMed

Garrelts, J C; Smith, D F

1990-09-01

A program for developing staff pharmacists' clinical skills and documenting pharmacists' clinical interventions in a large community teaching hospital is described. A coordinator hired in 1984 to develop clinical pharmacy services began a didactic and experiential program for baccalaureate-level staff pharmacists. Fourteen educational modules are supplemented by journal and textbook articles and small-group discussions of clinical cases, and the clinical coordinator provides individual training on the patient-care units for each pharmacist. Monitoring of clinical pharmacy services began in June 1987; each intervention provided by a pharmacist is recorded on a specially designed form. A target-drug program is used to document cost avoidance achieved through clinical services. Information collected through these monitoring activities is used to educate the pharmacy staff, shared with the pharmacy and therapeutics committee, and used to monitor prescribing patterns of individual physicians. The data are used in the hospital's productivity-monitoring system. All pharmacists who were on staff in 1984 have completed the educational modules, and all new employees are in the process. Since monitoring began, the number of clinical interventions has averaged 2098 per month. Cost avoidance has averaged $9306 per month. Over a five-year period, the development of staff pharmacists' clinical services raised the level of professional practice, produced substantial cost avoidance, and increased the number of pharmacist interventions in medication use.

Rapid Assessment Response (RAR) study: drug use, health and systemic risks--Emthonjeni Correctional Centre, Pretoria, South Africa.

PubMed

Dos Santos, Monika M L; Trautmann, Franz; Wolvaardt, Gustaaf; Palakatsela, Romeo

2014-04-03

Correctional centre populations are one of the populations most at risk of contracting HIV infection for many reasons, such as unprotected sex, violence, rape and tattooing with contaminated equipment. Specific data on drug users in correctional centres is not available for the majority of countries, including South Africa. The study aimed to identify the attitudes and knowledge of key informant (KI) offender and correctional centre staff regarding drug use, health and systemic-related problems so as to facilitate the long-term planning of activities in the field of drug-use prevention and systems strengthening in correctional centres, including suggestions for the development of appropriate intervention and rehabilitation programmes. A Rapid Assessment Response (RAR) methodology was adopted which included observation, mapping of service providers (SP), KI interviews (staff and offenders) and focus groups (FGs). The study was implemented in Emthonjeni Youth Correctional Centre, Pretoria, South Africa. Fifteen KI staff participants were interviewed and 45 KI offenders. Drug use is fairly prevalent in the centre, with tobacco most commonly smoked, followed by cannabis and heroin. The banning of tobacco has also led to black-market features such as transactional sex, violence, gangsterism and smuggling in order to obtain mainly prohibited tobacco products, as well as illicit substances. HIV, health and systemic-related risk reduction within the Correctional Service sector needs to focus on measures such as improvement of staff capacity and security measures, deregulation of tobacco products and the development and implementation of comprehensive health promotion programmes.

Develop an Indoor Air Quality Program in Your School

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Effective cleaning and maintenance procedures are critical to protecting building systems and building occupants. Student, teacher and staff health and productivity can suffer when school building systems fail to operate as designed

Challenges to counseling customers at the pharmacy counter--why do they exist?

PubMed

Kaae, Susanne; Traulsen, Janine Morgall; Nørgaard, Lotte Stig

2012-01-01

Challenges to engage pharmacy customers in medicine dialogues at the counter have been identified comprising a new and extended clinical role for pharmacists in the health care system. This article seeks to expand understanding of factors involved in successful interaction at the pharmacy counter between customers and pharmacy staff to develop their relationship further. Practical challenges to customer encounters experienced by community pharmacists are discussed using theory from the field of mainly inter-relational communication and particular studies on pharmacy communication. Preconceived expectation of customers, the type of question asked by pharmacy staff, and differences in perception of illness and medicines between staff and customers are discussed. Both staff and customer influence the outcome of attempts by pharmacy staff to engage customers in dialogue about their medicine use through a complex mechanism of interaction. It is recommended that practitioners and researchers begin to distinguish, both theoretically and practically, between the content of a conversation and the underlying relationship when exploring and further developing the therapeutic relationship between pharmacy personnel and customers. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A tracking and verification system implemented in a clinical environment for partial HIPAA compliance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Bing; Documet, Jorge; Liu, Brent; King, Nelson; Shrestha, Rasu; Wang, Kevin; Huang, H. K.; Grant, Edward G.

2006-03-01

The paper describes the methodology for the clinical design and implementation of a Location Tracking and Verification System (LTVS) that has distinct benefits for the Imaging Department at the Healthcare Consultation Center II (HCCII), an outpatient imaging facility located on the USC Health Science Campus. A novel system for tracking and verification of patients and staff in a clinical environment using wireless and facial biometric technology to monitor and automatically identify patients and staff was developed in order to streamline patient workflow, protect against erroneous examinations and create a security zone to prevent and audit unauthorized access to patient healthcare data under the HIPAA mandate. This paper describes the system design and integration methodology based on initial clinical workflow studies within a clinical environment. An outpatient center was chosen as an initial first step for the development and implementation of this system.

The impact of individual factors on healthcare staff's computer use in psychiatric hospitals.

PubMed

Koivunen, Marita; Välimäki, Maritta; Koskinen, Anita; Staggers, Nancy; Katajisto, Jouko

2009-04-01

The study examines whether individual factors of healthcare staff are associated with computer use in psychiatric hospitals. In addition, factors inhibiting staff's optimal use of computers were explored. Computer applications have developed the content of clinical practice and changed patterns of professional working. Healthcare staff need new capacities to work in clinical practice, including the basic computers skills. Computer use amongst healthcare staff has widely been studied in general, but cogent information is still lacking in psychiatric care. Staff's computer use was assessed using a structured questionnaire (The Staggers Nursing Computer Experience Questionnaire). The study population was healthcare staff working in two psychiatric hospitals in Finland (n = 470, response rate = 59%). The data were analysed with descriptive statistics and manova with main effects and two-way interaction effects of six individual factors. Nurses who had more experience of computer use or of the implementation processes of computer systems were more motivated to use computers than those who had less experience of these issues. Males and administrative personnel who were younger had also participated more often than women in implementation processes of computer systems. The most significant factor inhibiting the use of computers was lack of interest in them. In psychiatric hospitals, more direct attention should focus on staff's capacities to use computers and to increase their understanding of the benefits in clinical care, especially for women and ageing staff working in psychiatric hospitals. To avoid exclusion amongst healthcare personnel in information society and to ensure that they have capacities to guide patients on how to use computers or to evaluate the quality of health information on the web, staff's capacities and motivation to use computers in mental health and psychiatric nursing should be ensured.

Framework for establishing records control in hospitals as an ISO 9001 requirement.

PubMed

Al-Qatawneh, Lina

2017-02-13

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the process followed to control records in a Jordanian private community hospital as an ISO 9001:2008 standard requirement. Design/methodology/approach Under the hospital quality council's supervision, the quality management and development office staff were responsible for designing, planning and implementing the quality management system (QMS) using the ISO 9001:2008 standard. A policy for records control was established. An action plan for establishing the records control was developed and implemented. On completion, a coding system for records was specified to be used by hospital staff. Finally, an internal audit was performed to verify conformity to the ISO 9001:2008 standard requirements. Findings Successful certification by a neutral body ascertained that the hospital's QMS conformed to the ISO 9001:2008 requirements. A framework was developed that describes the records controlling process, which can be used by staff in any healthcare organization wanting to achieve ISO 9001:2008 accreditation. Originality/value Given the increased interest among healthcare organizations to achieve the ISO 9001 certification, the proposed framework for establishing records control is developed and is expected to be a valuable management tool to improve and sustain healthcare quality.

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…

Designing and implementing a trust-wide quality assurance programme.

PubMed

Coope, Sally-Ann

2018-04-02

Derbyshire Community Health Services (DCHS) NHS Foundation Trust provides a wide range of community-based health services. After the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found gaps in the trust's assurance process, its board decided to develop a method of continuous quality improvements that could be used as a basis for the trust's quality assurance system. The trust adapted and built on an acute model so it was suitable for community services. The final assurance system, Quality Always, has four elements: the clinical assessment and accreditation scheme; leadership development; 'champions' within clinical teams to support and promote the scheme; and dashboards to record and monitor progress. A system to recognise and reward achievement was essential for success. Quality Always has resulted in better care quality, an improved CQC rating, a sense of achievement among staff, the development of support networks, learning (especially among support staff) and good practice being shared.

Progress in the blood supply of Afghanistan.

PubMed

Riley, William J; McCullough, Terri Konstenius; Rhamani, Ahmad Masoud; McCullough, Jeffrey

2017-07-01

The blood supply system in Afghanistan was badly damaged by years of conflict. In 2009, the Afghanistan National Blood Safety and Transfusion Service (ANBSTS) was established. For 6 years, we collaborated to assist with policy and infrastructure development; blood bank operations; blood collection, testing, and component production; transfusion practices; and training of technicians, nurses, midwives, and physicians. Policies were established, infrastructure was strengthened, and capable staff was acquired and trained. Standard operating procedures were developed, testing was improved, and quality systems were established. Thirty trainings were held for blood center staff. Four additional formal trainings were held for 39 physicians, 36 nurses and/or midwives, and 38 laboratory technicians. During 5 years of this project, blood collection increased by 40%. The ANBSTS has made impressive progress developing infrastructure, personnel, procedures, quality systems, and training programs and increasing blood collection. Knowledge of transfusion medicine was improved through structured training. © 2017 AABB.

Maximizing potential: innovative collaborative strategies between one-stops and mental health systems of care.

PubMed

Boeltzig, Heike; Timmons, Jaimie Ciulla; Marrone, Joe

2008-01-01

Barriers to seamless service delivery between workforce development and mental health systems of care have kept both entities from maximizing their potential in regards to employment for job seekers with mental illness who are capable of work and seeking employment. Using a multiple case study design, this study examined the nature of collaboration between workforce development and mental health systems to understand the policies and practices in place to assist individuals with mental illness to find and keep work. The paper presents innovative strategies that involved staff from both workforce development and mental health agencies. Findings from this research identified the following collaborative strategies: (a) the creation of liaison positions and collaborative teams; (b) staff training on mental health and workforce issues; and (c) multi-level involvement of individuals with mental illness. Implications for workforce professionals are offered as a way to stimulate implementation of such strategies.

Developing a Comprehensive Reward System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Votruba, James C.

1979-01-01

Providing incentives for teachers of adults is an important means of attracting, retaining, and stimulating staff. Developing a variety of extrinsic and intrinsic rewards and incentives and instituting them effectively are important administrative functions. (SK)

Assessing the Student-Instructional Setting Interface Using an Eco-Behavioral Observation System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hendrickson, Jo M.

1992-01-01

An eco-behavioral observation system was developed for use with students with behavior disorders or emotional disturbances. Discussed are the ecosystem definition, the student-instructional setting interface, and the assessment procedure, including evaluation of the quality of academic responding, program evaluation, staff development, and…

Educational Needs of Finnish Polytechnic Librarians.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Viiri, Marjariitta

The polytechnics are the newest part of the Finnish system of higher education. The whole polytechnic system is being developed on the basis of systematic monitoring and evaluation of its activities. Staff development and library and information services were both targets selected for evaluation in this study carried out to identify the…

Strategies to Increase After-School Program Staff Skills to Promote Healthy Eating and Physical Activity.

PubMed

Weaver, R Glenn; Beets, Michael W; Beighle, Aaron; Webster, Collin; Huberty, Jennifer; Moore, Justin B

2016-01-01

Standards targeting children's healthy eating and physical activity (HEPA) in after-school programs call for staff to display or refrain from HEPA-promoting or -discouraging behaviors that are linked to children's HEPA. This study evaluated strategies to align staff behaviors with HEPA Standards. Staff at four after-school programs serving approximately 500 children participated in professional development training from January 2012 to May 2013. Site leaders also attended workshops and received technical support during the same time frame. Changes in staff behaviors were evaluated using the System for Observing Staff Promotion of Activity and Nutrition in a pre- (fall 2011) multiple-post (spring 2012, fall 2012, and spring 2013), no-control group study design. A total of 8,949 scans were completed across the four measurement periods. Of the 19 behaviors measured, 14 changed in the appropriate direction. For example, staff engaging in physical activity with children increased from 27% to 40% of scans and staff eating unhealthy foods decreased from 56% to 14% of days. Ongoing training and technical assistance can have a measureable impact on staff behaviors linked to child-level HEPA outcomes. Future research should explore the feasibility of disseminating ongoing trainings to after-school program staff on a large scale. © 2015 Society for Public Health Education.

Stress and burnout in forensic mental health nursing: a literature review.

PubMed

Dickinson, Tommy; Wright, Karen M

Forensic mental health nurses who work with patients who have severe and enduring mental health needs have been identified as at risk of suffering from occupational stress, and even developing burnout syndrome. Therefore, this article reviews the available literature on stress and burnout in inpatient forensic mental health nursing to identify the stressors and to highlight recommendations. From the review, the main stressors placed on forensic nurses are identified as interprofessional conflicts, workload, and lack of involvement in decision-making. Recommendations to reduce stress and burnout for nurses within this specialty are highlighted. These are identified as follows: staff should have easy access to support systems including clinical supervision; managers should foster an open and honest culture to enable staff members to express their feelings openly or in confidence and learn how to deal with their frustrations; and staff should be encouraged to rotate wards to increase personal and professional development and reduce boredom and apathy. Furthermore, staff should be provided with, and encouraged to undertake, continuing professional development which may include psychosocial interventions training.

Significance of informal (on-the-job) learning and leadership development in health systems: lessons from a district finance team in South Africa

PubMed Central

Choonara, S; Goudge, J; Nxumalo, N; Eyles, J

2017-01-01

Background The district health system (DHS) has a critical role to play in the delivery of primary healthcare (PHC). Effective district management, particularly leadership is considered to be crucial element of the DHS. Internationally, the debate around developing leadership competencies such as motivation or empowerment of staff, managing relationships, being solution driven as well as fostering teamwork are argued to be possible through approaches such as formal and informal training. Despite growing multidisciplinary evidence in fields such as engineering, computer sciences and health sciences there remains little empirical evidence of these approaches, especially the informal approach. Findings are based on a broader doctoral thesis which explored district financial management; although the core focus of this paper draws attention to the significance of informal learning and its practical value in developing leadership competencies. Methods A qualitative case study was conducted in one district in the Gauteng province, South Africa. Purposive and snowballing techniques yielded a sample of 18 participants, primarily based at a district level. Primary data collected through in-depth interviews and observations (participant and non-participant) were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings Results indicate the sorts of complexities, particularly financial management challenges which staff face and draws attention to the use of two informal learning strategies—learning from others (how to communicate, delegate) and fostering team-based learning. Such strategies played a role in developing a cadre of leaders at a district level who displayed essential competencies such as motivating staff, and problem solving. Conclusions It is crucial for health systems, especially those in financially constrained settings to find cost-effective ways to develop leadership competencies such as being solution driven or motivating and empowering staff. This study illustrates that it is possible to develop such competencies through creating and nurturing a learning environment (on-the-job training) which could be incorporated into everyday practice. PMID:28588998

Significance of informal (on-the-job) learning and leadership development in health systems: lessons from a district finance team in South Africa.

PubMed

Choonara, S; Goudge, J; Nxumalo, N; Eyles, J

2017-01-01

The district health system (DHS) has a critical role to play in the delivery of primary healthcare (PHC). Effective district management, particularly leadership is considered to be crucial element of the DHS. Internationally, the debate around developing leadership competencies such as motivation or empowerment of staff, managing relationships, being solution driven as well as fostering teamwork are argued to be possible through approaches such as formal and informal training. Despite growing multidisciplinary evidence in fields such as engineering, computer sciences and health sciences there remains little empirical evidence of these approaches, especially the informal approach. Findings are based on a broader doctoral thesis which explored district financial management; although the core focus of this paper draws attention to the significance of informal learning and its practical value in developing leadership competencies. A qualitative case study was conducted in one district in the Gauteng province, South Africa. Purposive and snowballing techniques yielded a sample of 18 participants, primarily based at a district level. Primary data collected through in-depth interviews and observations (participant and non-participant) were analysed using thematic analysis. Results indicate the sorts of complexities, particularly financial management challenges which staff face and draws attention to the use of two informal learning strategies-learning from others (how to communicate, delegate) and fostering team-based learning. Such strategies played a role in developing a cadre of leaders at a district level who displayed essential competencies such as motivating staff, and problem solving. It is crucial for health systems, especially those in financially constrained settings to find cost-effective ways to develop leadership competencies such as being solution driven or motivating and empowering staff. This study illustrates that it is possible to develop such competencies through creating and nurturing a learning environment (on-the-job training) which could be incorporated into everyday practice.

Shared governance in a clinic system.

PubMed

Meyers, Michelle M; Costanzo, Cindy

2015-01-01

Shared governance in health care empowers nurses to share in the decision-making process, which results in decentralized management and collective accountability. Share governance practices have been present in hospitals since the late 1970s. However, shared governance in ambulatory care clinics has not been well established. The subjects of this quality project included staff and administrative nurses in a clinic system. The stakeholder committee chose what model of shared governance to implement and educated clinic staff. The Index of Professional Nursing Governance measured a shared governance score pre- and postimplementation of the Clinic Nursing Council. The Clinic Nursing Council met bimonthly for 3 months during this project to discuss issues and make decisions related to nursing staff. The Index of Professional Nursing Governance scores indicated traditional governance pre- and postimplementation of the Clinic Nursing Council, which is to be expected. The stakeholder committee was beneficial to the initial implementation process and facilitated staff nurse involvement. Shared governance is an evolutionary process that develops empowered nurses and nurse leaders.

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…

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.

Accounting Systems for School Districts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atwood, E. Barrett, Jr.

1983-01-01

Advises careful analysis and improvement of existing school district accounting systems prior to investment in new ones. Emphasizes the importance of attracting and maintaining quality financial staffs, developing an accounting policies and procedures manual, and designing a good core accounting system before purchasing computer hardware and…

Medical Staff Involvement in Nursing Homes: Development of a Conceptual Model and Research Agenda

PubMed Central

Shield, Renée; Rosenthal, Marsha; Wetle, Terrie; Tyler, Denise; Clark, Melissa; Intrator, Orna

2013-01-01

Medical staff (physicians, nurse practitioners, physicians’ assistants) involvement in nursing homes (NH) is limited by professional guidelines, government policies, regulations, and reimbursements, creating bureaucratic burden. The conceptual NH Medical Staff Involvement Model, based on our mixed methods research, applies the Donabedian structure-process-outcomes framework to the NH identifying measures for a coordinated research agenda. Quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews conducted with medical directors, administrators and directors of nursing, other experts, residents and family members and Minimum Data Set, the Online Certification and Reporting System and Medicare Part B claims data related to NH structure, process and outcomes were analyzed. NH control of medical staff, or structure, affects medical staff involvement in care processes and is associated with better outcomes (e.g. symptom management, appropriate transitions, satisfaction). The Model identifies measures clarifying the impact of NH medical staff involvement on care processes and resident outcomes and has strong potential to inform regulatory policies. PMID:24652944

Developing a theoretical model and questionnaire survey instrument to measure the success of electronic health records in residential aged care

PubMed Central

Yu, Ping; Qian, Siyu

2018-01-01

Electronic health records (EHR) are introduced into healthcare organizations worldwide to improve patient safety, healthcare quality and efficiency. A rigorous evaluation of this technology is important to reduce potential negative effects on patient and staff, to provide decision makers with accurate information for system improvement and to ensure return on investment. Therefore, this study develops a theoretical model and questionnaire survey instrument to assess the success of organizational EHR in routine use from the viewpoint of nursing staff in residential aged care homes. The proposed research model incorporates six variables in the reformulated DeLone and McLean information systems success model: system quality, information quality, service quality, use, user satisfaction and net benefits. Two variables training and self-efficacy were also incorporated into the model. A questionnaire survey instrument was designed to measure the eight variables in the model. After a pilot test, the measurement scale was used to collect data from 243 nursing staff members in 10 residential aged care homes belonging to three management groups in Australia. Partial least squares path modeling was conducted to validate the model. The validated EHR systems success model predicts the impact of the four antecedent variables—training, self-efficacy, system quality and information quality—on the net benefits, the indicator of EHR systems success, through the intermittent variables use and user satisfaction. A 24-item measurement scale was developed to quantitatively evaluate the performance of an EHR system. The parsimonious EHR systems success model and the measurement scale can be used to benchmark EHR systems success across organizations and units and over time. PMID:29315323

Developing a theoretical model and questionnaire survey instrument to measure the success of electronic health records in residential aged care.

PubMed

Yu, Ping; Qian, Siyu

2018-01-01

Electronic health records (EHR) are introduced into healthcare organizations worldwide to improve patient safety, healthcare quality and efficiency. A rigorous evaluation of this technology is important to reduce potential negative effects on patient and staff, to provide decision makers with accurate information for system improvement and to ensure return on investment. Therefore, this study develops a theoretical model and questionnaire survey instrument to assess the success of organizational EHR in routine use from the viewpoint of nursing staff in residential aged care homes. The proposed research model incorporates six variables in the reformulated DeLone and McLean information systems success model: system quality, information quality, service quality, use, user satisfaction and net benefits. Two variables training and self-efficacy were also incorporated into the model. A questionnaire survey instrument was designed to measure the eight variables in the model. After a pilot test, the measurement scale was used to collect data from 243 nursing staff members in 10 residential aged care homes belonging to three management groups in Australia. Partial least squares path modeling was conducted to validate the model. The validated EHR systems success model predicts the impact of the four antecedent variables-training, self-efficacy, system quality and information quality-on the net benefits, the indicator of EHR systems success, through the intermittent variables use and user satisfaction. A 24-item measurement scale was developed to quantitatively evaluate the performance of an EHR system. The parsimonious EHR systems success model and the measurement scale can be used to benchmark EHR systems success across organizations and units and over time.

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)

Effectiveness of facilitated introduction of a standard operating procedure into routine processes in the operating theatre: a controlled interrupted time series.

PubMed

Morgan, Lauren; New, Steve; Robertson, Eleanor; Collins, Gary; Rivero-Arias, Oliver; Catchpole, Ken; Pickering, Sharon P; Hadi, Mohammed; Griffin, Damian; McCulloch, Peter

2015-02-01

Standard operating procedures (SOPs) should improve safety in the operating theatre, but controlled studies evaluating the effect of staff-led implementation are needed. In a controlled interrupted time series, we evaluated three team process measures (compliance with WHO surgical safety checklist, non-technical skills and technical performance) and three clinical outcome measures (length of hospital stay, complications and readmissions) before and after a 3-month staff-led development of SOPs. Process measures were evaluated by direct observation, using Oxford Non-Technical Skills II for non-technical skills and the 'glitch count' for technical performance. All staff in two orthopaedic operating theatres were trained in the principles of SOPs and then assisted to develop standardised procedures. Staff in a control operating theatre underwent the same observations but received no training. The change in difference between active and control groups was compared before and after the intervention using repeated measures analysis of variance. We observed 50 operations before and 55 after the intervention and analysed clinical data on 1022 and 861 operations, respectively. The staff chose to structure their efforts around revising the 'whiteboard' which documented and prompted tasks, rather than directly addressing specific task problems. Although staff preferred and sustained the new system, we found no significant differences in process or outcome measures before/after intervention in the active versus the control group. There was a secular trend towards worse outcomes in the postintervention period, seen in both active and control theatres. SOPs when developed and introduced by frontline staff do not necessarily improve operative processes or outcomes. The inherent tension in improvement work between giving staff ownership of improvement and maintaining control of direction needs to be managed, to ensure staff are engaged but invest energy in appropriate change. 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.

Violence against physicians and nurses in a hospital: How does it happen? A mixed-methods study.

PubMed

Shafran-Tikva, Sigal; Chinitz, David; Stern, Zvi; Feder-Bubis, Paula

2017-10-31

Violence against medical personnel is unexpected in hospitals which are devoted to healing, and yet, it is frequent and of concern in the health system. Little is known about the factors that lead to hospital violence, and even less is known about the interactions among these factors. The aim of the study was to identify and describe the perceptions of staff and patients regarding the factors that lead to violence on the part of patients and those accompanying them. A mixed-methods study in a large, general, university tertiary hospital. A self-administered survey yielding 678 completed questionnaires, comprising 34% nurses and 66% physicians (93% response rate). Eighteen in-depth interviews were conducted separately with both victims and perpetrators of violent episodes, and four focus-groups (N = 20) were undertaken separately with physicians, staff nurses, head-nurses, and security personnel. Violence erupts as a result of interacting factors encompassing staff behavior, patient behavior, hospital setting, professional roles, and waiting times. Patients and staff reported similar perceptions and emotions regarding the episodes of violence in which they were involved. Of 4,047 statements elicited in the staff survey regarding the eruption of violence, 39% referred to staff behavior; 26 % to patient/visitor behavior; 17% to organizational conditions, and 10% to waiting times. In addition, 35% of the staff respondents reported that their own behavior contributed to the creation of the most severe violent episode in which they were involved, and 48% stated that staff behavior contributed to violent episodes. Half of the reasons stated by physicians and nurses for violence eruption were related to patient dissatisfaction with the quality of service, the degree of staff professionalism, or an unacceptable comment of a staff member. In addition, data from the focus groups pointed to lack of understanding of the hospital system on the part of patients, together with poor communication between patients and providers and expectations gaps. Our various and triangulated data sources show that staff and patients share conditions of overload, pressure, fatigue, and frustration. Staff also expressed lack of coping tools to prevent violence. Self-conscious awareness regarding potential interacting factors can be used to develop interventions aimed at prevention of and better coping with hospital violence for both health systems' users and providers.

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…

Enabling Student Learning. Systems and Strategies. Staff and Educational Development Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wisker, Gina, Ed.; Brown, Sally, Ed.

The 16 chapters of this book explore, from a British perspective, a range of strategies, both institutional and individual, developed to foster an environment conducive to learning for university students. Section 1 concentrates on systems and structures to assist student learning while Section 2 offers applications at both the undergraduate and…

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

SCALE TSUNAMI Analysis of Critical Experiments for Validation of 233U Systems

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

Mueller, Don; Rearden, Bradley T

2009-01-01

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) staff used the SCALE TSUNAMI tools to provide a demonstration evaluation of critical experiments considered for use in validation of current and anticipated operations involving {sup 233}U at the Radiochemical Development Facility (RDF). This work was reported in ORNL/TM-2008/196 issued in January 2009. This paper presents the analysis of two representative safety analysis models provided by RDF staff.

Support to the Safe Motherhood Programme in Nepal: an integrated approach.

PubMed

Barker, Carol E; Bird, Cherry E; Pradhan, Ajit; Shakya, Ganga

2007-11-01

Evidence gathered from 1997 to 2006 indicates progress in reducing maternal mortality in Nepal, but public health services are still constrained by resource and staff shortages, especially in rural areas. The five-year Support to the Safe Motherhood Programme builds on the experience of the Nepal Safer Motherhood Project (1997-2004). It is working with the Government of Nepal to build capacity to institute a minimum package of essential maternity services, linking evidence-based policy development with health system strengthening. It has supported long-term planning, working towards skilled attendance at every birth, safe blood supplies, staff training, building management capacity, improving monitoring systems and use of process indicators, promoting dialogue between women and providers on quality of care, and increasing equity and access at district level. An incentives scheme finances transport costs to a health facility for all pregnant women and incentives to health workers attending deliveries, with free services and subsidies to facilities in the poorest 25 districts. Despite bureaucracy, frequent transfer of key government staff and political instability, there has been progress in policy development, and public health sector expenditure has increased. For the future, a human resources strategy with career paths that encourage skilled staff to stay in the government service is key.

Automated Developmental Disabilities Out-Patient Treatment Review System (ADDOPTRS)—Development and Automation of a Microcomputer Based Case Management System

PubMed Central

Fisch, Clifford B.; Fisch, Martin L.

1979-01-01

The Stanley S. Lamm Institute for Developmental Disabilities of The Long Island College Hospital, in conjunction with Micro-Med Systems has developed a low cost micro-computer based information system (ADDOP TRS) which monitors quality of care in outpatient settings rendering services to the developmentally disabled population. The process of conversion from paper record keeping systems to direct key-to-disk data capture at the point of service delivery is described. Data elements of the information system including identifying patient information, coded and English-grammar entry procedures for tracking elements of service as well as their delivery status are described. Project evaluation criteria are defined including improved quality of care, improved productivity for clerical and professional staff and enhanced decision making capability. These criteria are achieved in a cost effective manner as a function of more efficient information flow. Administrative applications including staff/budgeting procedures, submissions for third party reimbursement and case reporting to utilization review committees are considered.

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…

Design and development of a solar powered mobile laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiao, L.; Simon, A.; Barrera, H.; Acharya, V.; Repke, W.

2016-08-01

This paper describes the design and development of a solar powered mobile laboratory (SPML) system. The SPML provides a mobile platform that schools, universities, and communities can use to give students and staff access to laboratory environments where dedicated laboratories are not available. The lab includes equipment like 3D printers, computers, and soldering stations. The primary power source of the system is solar PV which allows the laboratory to be operated in places where the grid power is not readily available or not sufficient to power all the equipment. The main system components include PV panels, junction box, battery, charge controller, and inverter. Not only is it used to teach students and staff how to use the lab equipment, but it is also a great tool to educate the public about solar PV technologies.

Cancer and birth defects surveillance system for communities around the Savannah River Site: Phase 2 -- Birth defects. Technical progress report, year 01

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

Dunbar, J.B.

The Savannah River Region Health Information System Birth Defects Registry (SRRHIS-BDR) began on September 30, 1994. As with the SRRHIS Cancer Registry, surveillance of the 12 Georgia counties was subcontracted to Emory University School of Public Health. Collaborative efforts between the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and Emory University staffs have been characterized by warm relationships and commitment to developing a state of the art registry. As a result of early planning efforts, the authors were able to actually activate the data collection. As of the end of September 1995, partial data from the 1994 birth cohort and up-to-datemore » data for the 1995 birth cohort had been collected on the South Carolina side. The Georgia Staff started later and have not yet caught up to the 1994 level. South Carolina was able to start earlier because they were fortunate to quickly recruit an abstractor. Also, by the end of the first year, an innovative automated data entry system for laptop computers was developed by the computer staff to facilitate and improve data collection.« less

Underlying risk factors for prescribing errors in long-term aged care: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Tariq, Amina; Georgiou, Andrew; Raban, Magdalena; Baysari, Melissa Therese; Westbrook, Johanna

2016-09-01

To identify system-related risk factors perceived to contribute to prescribing errors in Australian long-term care settings, that is, residential aged care facilities (RACFs). The study used qualitative methods to explore factors that contribute to unsafe prescribing in RACFs. Data were collected at three RACFs in metropolitan Sydney, Australia between May and November 2011. Participants included RACF managers, doctors, pharmacists and RACF staff actively involved in prescribing-related processes. Methods included non-participant observations (74 h), in-depth semistructured interviews (n=25) and artefact analysis. Detailed process activity models were developed for observed prescribing episodes supplemented by triangulated analysis using content analysis methods. System-related factors perceived to increase the risk of prescribing errors in RACFs were classified into three overarching themes: communication systems, team coordination and staff management. Factors associated with communication systems included limited point-of-care access to information, inadequate handovers, information storage across different media (paper, electronic and memory), poor legibility of charts, information double handling, multiple faxing of medication charts and reliance on manual chart reviews. Team factors included lack of established lines of responsibility, inadequate team communication and limited participation of doctors in multidisciplinary initiatives like medication advisory committee meetings. Factors related to staff management and workload included doctors' time constraints and their accessibility, lack of trained RACF staff and high RACF staff turnover. The study highlights several system-related factors including laborious methods for exchanging medication information, which often act together to contribute to prescribing errors. Multiple interventions (eg, technology systems, team communication protocols) are required to support the collaborative nature of RACF prescribing. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Skills, systems and supports: An Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service (Apunipima) approach to building health promotion evaluation capacity of staff.

PubMed

Nichols, Nina; McFarlane, Kathryn; Gibson, Priscilla; Millard, Fiona; Packer, Andrew; McDonald, Malcolm

2018-04-01

Building the health promotion evaluation capacity of a workforce requires more than a focus on individual skills and confidence. We must also consider the organisational systems and supports that enable staff to embed learnings into practice. This paper describes the processes used to build health promotion evaluation capacity of staff in an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service (ACCHS). To build health promotion evaluation capacity three approaches were used: (i) workshops and mentoring; (ii) strengthening systems to support program reporting; and (iii) recruitment of staff with skills and experience. Pre- and post-questionnaires determined levels of individual skills and confidence, updated systems were assessed for adequacy to support new health promotion practices and surveys captured the usefulness of workshops and mentoring. There was increased participant skills and confidence. Participants completed program impact evaluation reports and results were successfully presented at national conferences. The health promotion team was then able to update in-house systems to support new health promotion practices. Ongoing collaboration with experienced in-house researchers provided basic research training and professional mentoring. Building health promotion evaluation capacity of staff in an ACCHS can be achieved by providing individual skill development, strengthening organisational systems and utilising professional support. SO WHAT?: Health promotion practitioners have an ongoing professional obligation to improve the quality of routine practice and embrace new initiatives. This report outlines a process of building evaluation capacity that promotes quality reporting of program impacts and outcomes, reflects on ways to enhance program strengths, and communicates these findings internally and to outside professional bodies. This is particularly significant for ACCHSs responsible for addressing the high burden of preventable disease in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations. © 2017 Australian Health Promotion Association.

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.…

Advancing the application of systems thinking in health: South African examples of a leadership of sensemaking for primary health care.

PubMed

Gilson, Lucy; Elloker, Soraya; Olckers, Patti; Lehmann, Uta

2014-06-16

New forms of leadership are required to bring about the fundamental health system changes demanded by primary health care (PHC). Using theory about complex adaptive systems and policy implementation, this paper considers how actors' sensemaking and the exercise of discretionary power currently combine to challenge PHC re-orientation in the South African health system; and provides examples of leadership practices that promote sensemaking and power use in support of PHC. The paper draws on observational, interview, and reflective data collected as part of the District Innovation and Action Learning for Health Systems Development (DIALHS) project being implemented in Cape Town, South Africa. Undertaken collaboratively between health managers and researchers, the project is implemented through cycles of action-learning, including systematic reflection and synthesis. It includes a particular focus on how local health managers can better support front line facility managers in strengthening PHC. The results illuminate how the collective understandings of staff working at the primary level - of their working environment and changes within it - act as a barrier to centrally-led initiatives to strengthen PHC. Staff often fail to take ownership of such initiatives and experience them as disempowering. Local area managers, located between the centre and the service frontline, have a vital role to play in providing a leadership of sensemaking to mediate these challenges. Founded on personal values, such leadership entails, for example, efforts to nurture PHC-aligned values and mind-sets among staff; build relationships and support the development of shared meanings about change; instil a culture of collective inquiry and mutual accountability; and role-model management practices, including using language to signal meaning. PHC will only become a lived reality within the South African health system when frontline staff are able to make sense of policy intentions and incorporate them into their everyday routines and practices. This requires a leadership of sensemaking that enables front line staff to exercise their collective discretionary power in strengthening PHC. We hope this theoretically-framed analysis of one set of experiences stimulates wider thinking about the leadership needed to sustain primary health care in other settings.

Advancing the application of systems thinking in health: South African examples of a leadership of sensemaking for primary health care

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background New forms of leadership are required to bring about the fundamental health system changes demanded by primary health care (PHC). Using theory about complex adaptive systems and policy implementation, this paper considers how actors’ sensemaking and the exercise of discretionary power currently combine to challenge PHC re-orientation in the South African health system; and provides examples of leadership practices that promote sensemaking and power use in support of PHC. Methods The paper draws on observational, interview, and reflective data collected as part of the District Innovation and Action Learning for Health Systems Development (DIALHS) project being implemented in Cape Town, South Africa. Undertaken collaboratively between health managers and researchers, the project is implemented through cycles of action-learning, including systematic reflection and synthesis. It includes a particular focus on how local health managers can better support front line facility managers in strengthening PHC. Results The results illuminate how the collective understandings of staff working at the primary level - of their working environment and changes within it – act as a barrier to centrally-led initiatives to strengthen PHC. Staff often fail to take ownership of such initiatives and experience them as disempowering. Local area managers, located between the centre and the service frontline, have a vital role to play in providing a leadership of sensemaking to mediate these challenges. Founded on personal values, such leadership entails, for example, efforts to nurture PHC-aligned values and mind-sets among staff; build relationships and support the development of shared meanings about change; instil a culture of collective inquiry and mutual accountability; and role-model management practices, including using language to signal meaning. Conclusions PHC will only become a lived reality within the South African health system when frontline staff are able to make sense of policy intentions and incorporate them into their everyday routines and practices. This requires a leadership of sensemaking that enables front line staff to exercise their collective discretionary power in strengthening PHC. We hope this theoretically-framed analysis of one set of experiences stimulates wider thinking about the leadership needed to sustain primary health care in other settings. PMID:24935658

Design and Implementation of Surrounding Transaction Plotting and Management System Based on Google Map API

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Y. B.; Hua, Y. X.; Zhao, J. X.; Guo, S. M.

2013-11-01

With China's rapid economic development and comprehensive national strength growing, Border work has become a long-term and important task in China's diplomatic work. How to implement rapid plotting, real-time sharing and mapping surrounding affairs has taken great significance for government policy makers and diplomatic staff. However, at present the already exists Boundary information system are mainly have problems of Geospatial data update is heavily workload, plotting tools are in a state of serious lack of, Geographic events are difficult to share, this phenomenon has seriously hampered the smooth development of the border task. The development and progress of Geographic information system technology especially the development of Web GIS offers the possibility to solve the above problems, this paper adopts four layers of B/S architecture, with the support of Google maps service, uses the free API which is offered by Google maps and its features of openness, ease of use, sharing characteristics, highresolution images to design and implement the surrounding transaction plotting and management system based on the web development technology of ASP.NET, C#, Ajax. The system can provide decision support for government policy makers as well as diplomatic staff's real-time plotting and sharing of surrounding information. The practice has proved that the system has good usability and strong real-time.

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

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.

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…

Interactive Video Listening Comprehension in Foreign Language Instruction: Development and Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fischer, Robert

The report details development, at Southwest Texas State University and later at Pennsylvania State University, of a computer authoring system ("Libra") enabling foreign language faculty to develop multimedia lessons focusing on listening comprehension. Staff at Southwest Texas State University first developed a Macintosh version of the…

Development and implementation of a radiation therapy incident learning system compatible with local workflow and a national taxonomy.

PubMed

Montgomery, Logan; Fava, Palma; Freeman, Carolyn R; Hijal, Tarek; Maietta, Ciro; Parker, William; Kildea, John

2018-01-01

Collaborative incident learning initiatives in radiation therapy promise to improve and standardize the quality of care provided by participating institutions. However, the software interfaces provided with such initiatives must accommodate all participants and thus are not optimized for the workflows of individual radiation therapy centers. This article describes the development and implementation of a radiation therapy incident learning system that is optimized for a clinical workflow and uses the taxonomy of the Canadian National System for Incident Reporting - Radiation Treatment (NSIR-RT). The described incident learning system is a novel version of an open-source software called the Safety and Incident Learning System (SaILS). A needs assessment was conducted prior to development to ensure SaILS (a) was intuitive and efficient (b) met changing staff needs and (c) accommodated revisions to NSIR-RT. The core functionality of SaILS includes incident reporting, investigations, tracking, and data visualization. Postlaunch modifications of SaILS were informed by discussion and a survey of radiation therapy staff. There were 240 incidents detected and reported using SaILS in 2016 and the number of incidents per month tended to increase throughout the year. An increase in incident reporting occurred after switching to fully online incident reporting from an initial hybrid paper-electronic system. Incident templating functionality and a connection with our center's oncology information system were incorporated into the investigation interface to minimize repetitive data entry. A taskable actions feature was also incorporated to document outcomes of incident reports and has since been utilized for 36% of reported incidents. Use of SaILS and the NSIR-RT taxonomy has improved the structure of, and staff engagement with, incident learning in our center. Software and workflow modifications informed by staff feedback improved the utility of SaILS and yielded an efficient and transparent solution to categorize incidents with the NSIR-RT taxonomy. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Development of a passive sampler for gaseous mercury

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gustin, M. S.; Lyman, S. N.; Kilner, P.; Prestbo, E.

2011-10-01

Here we describe work toward development of the components of a cost effective passive sampling system for gaseous Hg that could be broadly deployed by nontechnical staff. The passive sampling system included an external shield to reduce turbulence and exposure to precipitation and dust, a diffusive housing that directly protects the collection surface during deployment and handling, and a collection surface. A protocol for cleaning and deploying the sampler and an analytical method were developed. Our final design consisted of a polycarbonate external shield enclosing a custom diffusive housing made from expanded PTFE tubing. Two collection surfaces were investigated, gold sputter-coated quartz plates and silver wires. Research showed the former would require extensive quality control for use, while the latter had interferences with other atmosphere constituents. Although the gold surface exhibited the best performance over space and time, gradual passivation would limit reuse. For both surfaces lack of contamination during shipping, deployment and storage indicated that the handling protocols developed worked well with nontechnical staff. We suggest that the basis for this passive sampling system is sound, but further exploration and development of a reliable collection surface is needed.

The Computerized Reference Department: Buying the Future.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kriz, Harry M.; Kok, Victoria T.

1985-01-01

Basis for systematic computerization of academic research library's reference, collection development, and collection management functions emphasizes productivity enhancement for librarians and support staff. Use of microcomputer and university's mainframe computer to develop applications of database management systems, electronic spreadsheets,…

Increasing your HCAHPS scores with Extreme Customer Service.

PubMed

Clouarte, Joe

2016-10-01

Providing great customer service is extremely critical in the healthcare setting, especially when it comes to HCAHBPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Health care Providers and Systems) scores, the author says. While there are several service training programs within healthcare, they often require six to eight minutes of interaction with patients or guests. This works well for clinical staff, he says, but when it comes to non-clinical staff, including security officers, many times they only have fifteen or thirty seconds to create positive patient or guest experience. In this article he describes Extreme Customer Service © a program he has developed to fill that customer gap for non-clinical 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.

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.

WISH: a Wireless Mobile Multimedia Information System in Healthcare using RFID.

PubMed

Yu, Weider D; Ray, Pradeep; Motoc, Tiberiu

2008-05-01

It is important to improve the efficiency of healthcare-related operations and the associated costs. Healthcare organizations are constantly under increased pressure to streamline operations and provide enhanced services to their patients. Wireless mobile computing technology has the potential to provide the desired benefits and would be a critical part of today's healthcare information system. In this paper, a system is presented to better facilitate the functions of physicians and medical staff in healthcare by using modern wireless mobile technology, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tools, and multimedia streaming. The paper includes a case study of the development of such a system in the context of healthcare in the United States. The results of the study show how wireless mobile multimedia systems can be developed for the improvement of the quality and efficiency in healthcare for other nations as well. Our testing data show a time reduction of more than 50% in the daily activities of hospital staff.

Central Heating Plant site characterization report, Marine Corps Combat Development Command, Quantico, Virginia

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

Not Available

1990-08-01

This report presents the methodology and results of a characterization of the operation and maintenance (O M) environment at the US Marine Corps (USMC) Quantico, Virginia, Central Heating Plant (CHP). This characterization is part of a program intended to provide the O M staff with a computerized artificial intelligence (AI) decision support system that will assist the plant staff in more efficient operation of their plant. 3 refs., 12 figs.

Comprehensive System of Personnel Development: A Writer's Handbook. Project on Cooperative Manpower Planning in Special Education. Revised.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schofer, Richard C.; And Others

A handbook to assist states in fulfilling requirements of Public Law 94-142 to provide a Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD) for special education staff is presented. The handbook is intended to help writers develop, review, update, and implement the CSPD, which is one section of the state plan submitted to the federal government.…

How primary health care staff working in rural and remote areas access skill development and expertise to support health promotion practice.

PubMed

McFarlane, Kathryn A; Judd, Jenni; Wapau, Hylda; Nichols, Nina; Watt, Kerrianne; Devine, Sue

2018-05-01

Health promotion is a key component of comprehensive primary health care. Health promotion approaches complement healthcare management by enabling individuals to increase control over their health. Many primary healthcare staff have a role to play in health promotion practice, but their ability to integrate health promotion into practice is influenced by their previous training and experience. For primary healthcare staff working in rural and remote locations, access to professional development can be limited by what is locally available and prohibitive in terms of cost for travel and accommodation. This study provides insight into how staff at a large north Queensland Aboriginal community controlled health service access skill development and health promotion expertise to support their work. A qualitative exploratory study was conducted. Small group and individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with staff at Apunipima Cape York Health Council (n=9). A purposive sampling method was used to recruit participants from a number of primary healthcare teams that were more likely to be involved in health promotion work. Both on-the-ground staff and managers were interviewed. All participants were asked how they access skill development and expertise in health promotion practice and what approaches they prefer for ongoing health promotion support. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. All participants valued access to skill development, advice and support that would assist their health promotion practice. Skill development and expertise in health promotion was accessed from a variety of sources: conferences, workshops, mentoring or shared learning from internal and external colleagues, and access to online information and resources. With limited funds and limited access to professional development locally, participants fostered external and internal organisational relationships to seek in-kind advice and support. Irrespective of where the advice came from, it needed to be applicable to work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander remote communities. To improve health outcomes in rural and remote communities, the focus on health promotion and prevention approaches must be strengthened. Primary healthcare staff require ongoing access to health promotion skill development and expertise to increase their capacity to deliver comprehensive primary health care. Practice-based evidence from staff working in the field provides a greater understanding of how skill development and advice are accessed. Many of these strategies can be formalised through organisational plans and systems, which would ensure that a skilled health promotion workforce is sustained.

Use of Data for Fiscal Management of State Part C Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greer, Maureen; Kilpatrick, Jamie; McCullough, Katy; Reid, Kellen

2015-01-01

"Use of Data for Fiscal Management of State Part C Systems" is designed to increase the knowledge and skills of lead agency staff regarding the use of data for appropriate fiscal management of Part C. This document addresses budget development and management. This document has three sections: (1) Budget Development and Management; (2)…

Design and Development of an Identity Management System: The Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elhindi, Mohamed A.

2010-01-01

Historically, managing access to information systems (ISs) required direct interaction with a limited number of users. Increasingly, managing access involves handling an increased numbers of internal and external students, faculty, and staff as well as partners such as workforce development centers, the U.S. Department of Education, and the…

Comprehensive System of Personnel Development in Physical Education (CSPD-PE). Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bundschuh, Ernest L.

A 3-year project was undertaken to assist states in facilitating the development of a needs assessment management system in special education with a specific focus on the needs of physical educators serving handicapped students. During the first year the project staff met with state education agency personnel responsible for the Comprehensive…

America's Youth Are at Risk: Developing Models for Action in the Nation's Public Libraries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flum, Judith G.; Weisner, Stan

1993-01-01

Discussion of public library support systems for at-risk teens focuses on the Bay Area Library and Information System (BALIS) that was developed to improve library services to at-risk teenagers in the San Francisco Bay area. Highlights include needs assessment; staff training; intervention models; and project evaluation. (10 references) (LRW)

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…

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…

75 FR 20850 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-21

... in the efforts to make system changes. Grantees will complete systems web-based data entry on goals... grantee and key staff-partner interview 249 2 1.60 797 guide EBHV grantee systems web-based data entry... prevent child maltreatment. An evaluation study will address four domains: (1) Systems change to develop...

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...

Management Information System Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foley, Walter J.; Harr, Gordon G.

The Management Information System (MIS) described in this report represents a plan to utilize modern management techniques to facilitate the goal of a learner-responsive school system. The MIS component is being developed to meet the need for the coordination of the resources of staff, facilities, and time with the long range planning and…

The Virtual Extension Annual Conference: Addressing Contemporary Professional Development Needs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Franz, Nancy K.; Brekke, Robin; Coates, Deb; Kress, Cathann; Hlas, Julie

2014-01-01

Extension systems are experimenting with new models for conducting professional development to enhance staff competence and other returns on professional development investments. The ISUEO virtual annual conference provides a successful flipped classroom model of asynchronous and synchronous learning events for conducting an Extension annual…

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

NONE

This report supplements the final safety evaluation report (FSER) for the System 80+ standard design. The FSER was issued by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff as NUREG-1462 in August 1994 to document the NRC staff`s review of the System 80+ design. The System 80+ design was submitted by Asea Brown Boveri-Combustion Engineering (ABB-CE), in accordance with the procedures of Subpart B to Part 52 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations. This supplement documents the NRC staff`s review of the changes to the System 80+ design documentation since the issuance of the FSER. ABB-CE made thesemore » changes as a result of its review of the System 80+ design details. The NRC staff concludes that the changes to the System 80+ design documentation are acceptable, and that ABB-CE`s application for design certification meets the requirements of Subpart B to 10 CFR Part 52 that are applicable and technically relevant to the System 80+ design.« less

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 emergent relevance of care staff decision-making and situation awareness to mobility care in nursing homes: an ethnographic study.

PubMed

Taylor, Janice; Sims, Jane; Haines, Terry P

2014-12-01

To explore mobility care as provided by care staff in nursing homes. Care staff regularly assist residents with their mobility. Nurses are increasingly reliant on such staff to provide safe and quality mobility care. However, the nature of care staff decision-making when providing assistance has not been fully addressed in the literature. A focused ethnography. The study was conducted in four nursing homes in Melbourne, Australia. Non-participant observations of residents and staff in 2011. Focus groups with 18 nurses, care and lifestyle staff were conducted at three facilities in 2012. Thematic analysis was employed for focus groups and content analysis for observation data. Cognitive Continuum Theory and the notion of 'situation awareness' assisted data interpretation. Decision-making during mobility care emerged as a major theme. Using Cognitive Continuum Theory as a guide, nursing home staff's decision-making was described as ranging from system-aided, through resident- and peer-aided, to reflective and intuitive. Staff seemed aware of the need for resident-aided decision-making consistent with person-centred care. Habitual mobility care based on shared mental models occurred. It was noted that levels of situation awareness may vary among staff. Care staff may benefit from support via collaborative and reflective practice to develop decision-making skills, situation awareness and person-centred mobility care. Further research is required to explore the connection between staff's skills in mobility care and their decision-making competence as well as how these factors link to quality mobility care. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

32 CFR 1605.13 - Staff of State Headquarters for Selective Service.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 6 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Staff of State Headquarters for Selective... SERVICE SYSTEM SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM ORGANIZATION State Administration § 1605.13 Staff of State... staff of each State Headquarters for Selective Service shall consist of as many officers, either...

78 FR 34093 - California Independent System Operator Corporation; Notice of FERC Staff Attendance

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-06

... Independent System Operator Corporation; Notice of FERC Staff Attendance The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) hereby gives notice that on the following date members of its staff will participate... teleconferences and meetings are open to all market participants and staff's attendance is part of the Commission...

77 FR 41402 - California Independent System Operator Corporation; Notice of FERC Staff Attendance

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-13

...] California Independent System Operator Corporation; Notice of FERC Staff Attendance The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) hereby gives notice that on the following date members of its staff will... by the CAISO, the teleconferences and meetings are open to all market participants and staff's...

32 CFR 1605.8 - Staff of Region Headquarters for Selective Service.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 6 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Staff of Region Headquarters for Selective... SERVICE SYSTEM SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM ORGANIZATION Region Administration § 1605.8 Staff of Region..., the staff of each region for Selective Service shall consist of as many officers, either military or...

Postings and transfers in the Ghanaian health system: a study of health workforce governance.

PubMed

Kwamie, Aku; Asiamah, Miriam; Schaaf, Marta; Agyepong, Irene Akua

2017-09-15

Decision-making on postings and transfers - that is, the geographic deployment of the health workforce - is a key element of health workforce governance. When poorly managed, postings and transfers result in maldistribution, absenteeism, and low morale. At stake is managing the balance between organisational (i.e., health system) and individual (i.e., staff preference) needs. The negotiation of this potential convergence or divergence of interests provides a window on practices of postings and transfers, and on the micro-practices of governance in health systems more generally. This article explores the policies and processes, and the interplay between formal and informal rules and norms which underpin postings and transfers practice in two rural districts in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight district managers and 87 frontline staff from the district health administration, district hospital, polyclinic, health centres and community outreach compounds across two districts. Interviews sought to understand how the postings and transfers process works in practice, factors in frontline staff and district manager decision-making, personal experiences in being posted, and study leave as a common strategy for obtaining transfers. Differential negotiation-spaces at regional and district level exist and inform postings and transfers in practice. This is in contrast to the formal cascaded rules set to govern decision-making authority for postings and transfers. Many frontline staff lack policy clarity of postings and transfers processes and thus 'test' the system through informal staff lobbying, compounding staff perception of the postings and transfers process as being unfair. District managers are also challenged with limited decision-space embedded in broader policy contexts of systemic hierarchy and resource dependence. This underscores the negotiation process as ongoing, rather than static. These findings point to tensions between individual and organisational goals. This article contributes to a burgeoning literature on postings and transfers as a distinct dynamic which bridges the interactions between health systems governance and health workforce development. Importantly, this article helps to expand the notion of health systems governance beyond 'good' governance towards understanding governance as a process of negotiation.

A Process Manual: Staff Development in American-Sponsored Overseas Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Carrel M.; Schaffer, Raymond, Jr.

This manual is written for those responsible for staff development in American-sponsored overseas schools (ASOS). Program management for staff development planning is divided into seven categories: (1) mission statement preparation; (2) needs assessment survey; (3) goal statements preparation; (4) staff objectives preparation; (5) activities…

12 CFR 790.2 - Central and regional office organization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... development, maintenance, operation, and support of information systems which directly support the Agency's... operating fees from federal credit unions, for maintaining NCUA's accounting system and accounting records... for the information and use of agency staff, credit union officials, state credit union supervisory...

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.

Evaluating the Productive Ward at an acute NHS trust: experiences and implications of releasing time to care.

PubMed

Wright, Stella; McSherry, Wilfred

2014-07-01

To demonstrate how a national programme aimed to increase the amount of direct time nurses spend with patients', impacts on both staff and patient experience. The Productive Ward is an improvement programme developed by the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement (2007, http://www.institute.nhs.uk/quality_and_value/productivity_series/productive_ward.html) which aims to enable nurses to work more efficiently by reviewing process and practice, thus releasing more time to spend on direct patient care. However, there is little empirical published research around the programme, particularly concerning impact, sustainability and the patient perspective. This manuscript presents the findings from qualitative interviews involving both staff and patients. Semi-structured one-to-one interviews were conducted with patients (n = 8) and staff (n = 5) on five case study wards. Seven focus groups were held according to staff grade (n = 29). Despite initial scepticism, most staff embraced the opportunity and demonstrated genuine enthusiasm and energy for the programme. Patients were generally complimentary about their experience as an inpatient, reporting that staff made them feel safe, comfortable and cared for. Findings showed that the aims of the programme were partially met. The implementation of Productive Ward was associated with significant changes to the ward environment and improvements for staff. The programme equipped staff with skills and knowledge which acted as a primer for subsequent interventions. However, there was a lack of evidence to demonstrate that Productive Ward released time for direct patient care in all areas that implemented the programme. Developing robust performance indicators including a system to capture reinvestment of direct care time would enable frontline staff to demonstrate impact of the programme. Additionally, staff will need to ensure that reorganisation and instability across the NHS do not affect sustainability and viability of the Productive Ward in the long term. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A Prospective Examination of Clinician and Supervisor Turnover Within the Context of Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices in a Publicly-Funded Mental Health System.

PubMed

Beidas, Rinad S; Marcus, Steven; Wolk, Courtney Benjamin; Powell, Byron; Aarons, Gregory A; Evans, Arthur C; Hurford, Matthew O; Hadley, Trevor; Adams, Danielle R; Walsh, Lucia M; Babbar, Shaili; Barg, Frances; Mandell, David S

2016-09-01

Staff turnover rates in publicly-funded mental health settings are high. We investigated staff and organizational predictors of turnover in a sample of individuals working in an urban public mental health system that has engaged in a system-level effort to implement evidence-based practices. Additionally, we interviewed staff to understand reasons for turnover. Greater staff burnout predicted increased turnover, more openness toward new practices predicted retention, and more professional recognition predicted increased turnover. Staff reported leaving their organizations because of personal, organizational, and financial reasons; just over half of staff that left their organization stayed in the public mental health sector. Implications include an imperative to focus on turnover, with a particular emphasis on ameliorating staff burnout.

Growing a Training System and Culture for the Ares I Upper Stage Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scott, David W.

2009-01-01

In roughly two years time, Marshall Space Flight Center s (MSFC) Mission Operations Laboratory (MOL) has incubated a personnel training and certification program for about 1000 learners and multiple phases of the Ares I Upper Stage (US) project. Previous MOL-developed training programs focused on about 100 learners with a focus on operations, and had enough full-time training staff to develop courseware and provide training administration. This paper discusses 1) the basics of MOL's training philosophy, 2) how creation of a broad, structured training program unfolded as feedback from more narrowly defined tasks, 3) how training philosophy, development methods, and administration are being simplified and tailored so that many Upper Stage organizations can "grow their own" training yet maintain consistency, accountability, and traceability across the project, 4) interfacing with the production contractor's training system and staff, and 5) reaping training value from existing materials and events.

California Publicly-Owned Utilities (POUs) – LBNL ‘Beyond Widgets’ Project. Task: ambient lighting and occupancy-based plug load control. System Program Manual

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

Robinson, Alastair; Mathew, Paul A.; Regnier, Cynthia

This program manual contains detailed technical information for implementing an incentive program for task-ambient lighting and occupancy-based plug load control. This manual was developed by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, in collaboration with the California Publicly-Owned Utilities (CA POUs) as a partner in the ‘Beyond Widgets’ program funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Building Technologies Office. The primary audience for this manual is the program staff of the various CA POUs. It may also be used by other utility incentive programs to help develop similar programs. It is anticipated that the content of this manual be utilized by the CAmore » POU staff for developing related documents such as the Technical Resource Manual and other filings pertaining to the rollout of an energy systems-based rebate incentive program.« less

Design of an Integrated Division - Level Battle Simulation for Research, Development, and Training. Volume 1

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-08-01

0 Blue staff modules will operate under a manual staff system only. The section begins with the fundamental structure of the design concept. This...engagements, etc. Hard wired elements, like the steel and concrete in a building under construction, represent the underlying structural framework of... structure of this file is illustrated in Figure 4-10. The file will consist of 300 records of approximately 300 bytes or characters each. The records

32 CFR 1605.61 - Staff of area offices for selective service.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 6 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Staff of area offices for selective service... SERVICE SYSTEM SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM ORGANIZATION Area Office Administration § 1605.61 Staff of area... staff of each area office shall consist of as many compensated employees, either military or civilian...

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.

Emergency psychiatric services for individuals with intellectual disabilities: perspectives of hospital staff.

PubMed

Lunsky, Yona; Gracey, Carolyn; Gelfand, Sara

2008-12-01

Strains on the mainstream mental health system can result in inaccessible services that force individuals with intellectual disabilities into the emergency room (ER) when in psychiatric crisis. The purpose of this study was to identify clinical and systemic issues surrounding emergency psychiatry services for people with intellectual disabilities, from the perspective of hospital staff. Focus groups were conducted with emergency psychiatry staff from 6 hospitals in Toronto, Canada. Hospital staff reported a lack of knowledge regarding intellectual disabilities and a shortage of available community resources. Hospital staff argued that caregivers need more community and respite support to feel better equipped to deal with the crisis before it escalates to the ER and that hospital staff feel ill prepared to provide the necessary care when the ER is the last resort. Input from hospital staff pointed to deficiencies in the system that lead caregivers to use the ER when other options have been exhausted. Both staff and caregivers need support and access to appropriate services if the system is to become more effective at serving the psychiatric needs of this complex population.

The Usage Behavior and Intention Stability of Nurses: An Empirical Study of a Nursing Information System.

PubMed

Lin, I-Chun; Lin, Chihung; Hsu, Chien-Lung; Roan, Jinsheng; Yeh, Jehn-Shan; Cheng, Yu-Han

2016-03-01

Many prior studies of technology adoption treat user intention as the single predictor of actual usage behavior. However, as many researchers of behavioral science have pointed out, multiple factors mediate the relationship between user intention and usage behavior. The present article explores the factors that mediate the relationship between intention and actual behavior. We develop a conceptual framework that is based on the Technology Acceptance Model III and behavior theory to further elicit system usage behavior and to confirm "intention stability" and "past experience" as two significant mediating factors in this relationship. The target system was a nursing information system that had been recently adopted by a medical center in central Taiwan. Data were collected using a questionnaire survey conducted in two rounds. Two hundred forty-five valid questionnaires were returned (response rate: 49%). Mediated moderation was analyzed to explore the presence of mediators or moderators between intention and behavior. The results support that intention stability is a mediated moderator and that prior experience is a moderator of the relationship between intention and behavior. These two factors increased by over 13.6% the explanatory power of intention on actual behavior. Furthermore, this study expanded the scope of prior research by confirming intention stability as a moderating variable between intention and behavior. Finally, this study identified the moderating effect of past experience on the intention-behavior relationship, indicating that past experience enhances the predictive power of intention on behavior. The findings of this study may assist hospital managers to better understand the nursing information system usage behaviors of nursing staff and to develop ways to enhance the intention stability of these staff. Managers may improve the familiarity of nursing staff with the system by increasing their system-related practice time. More experience should enhance staff system skills and resolve problems such as the need for extra work hours or overtime because of initial system unfamiliarity. Improved work efficiency should then allow nurses to divert more time from administrative work to patient care and training. This positive circle of support is expected to increase the willingness of nurses to accept and take advantage of the system.

'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.

A Fire Safety Certification System for Board and Care Operators and Staff. SBIR Phase II: Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Bonnie L.

This report describes Phase II of a project which developed a system for delivering fire safety training to board and care providers who serve adults with developmental disabilities. Phase II focused on developing and pilot testing a "train the trainers" workshop for instructors and field testing the provider's workshop. Evaluation of…

Specifications for a Computerized Library Circulation Management Data and On-Line Catalog System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwarz, Philip J.

This manual is intended primarily for libraries that wish to purchase a turnkey automated circulation system and online catalog, but lack the staff, time, and expertise to develop a set of specifications, or the money to hire consultants. Specifications are provided to assist in the selection from several options: (1) development of an in-house…

Collecting data along the continuum of prevention and care: a Continuous Quality Improvement approach.

PubMed

Indyk, Leonard; Indyk, Debbie

2006-01-01

For the past 14 years, a team of applied social scientists and system analysts has worked with a wide variety of Community- Based Organizations (CBO's), other grassroots agencies and networks, and Medical Center departments to support resource, program, staff and data development and evaluation for hospital- and community-based programs and agencies serving HIV at-risk and affected populations. A by-product of this work has been the development, elaboration and refinement of an approach to Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) which is appropriate for diverse community-based providers and agencies. A key component of our CQI system involves the installation of a sophisticated relational database management and reporting system (DBMS) which is used to collect, analyze, and report data in an iterative process to provide feedback among the evaluators, agency administration and staff. The database system is designed for two purposes: (1) to support the agency's administrative internal and external reporting requirements; (2) to support the development of practice driven health services and early intervention research. The body of work has fostered a unique opportunity for the development of exploratory service-driven research which serves both administrative and research needs.

Developing person-centred analysis of harm in a paediatric hospital: a quality improvement report.

PubMed

Lachman, Peter; Linkson, Lynette; Evans, Trish; Clausen, Henning; Hothi, Daljit

2015-05-01

The provision of safe care is complex and difficult to achieve. Awareness of what happens in real time is one of the ways to develop a safe system within a culture of safety. At Great Ormond Street Hospital, we developed and tested a tool specifically designed for patients and families to report harm, with the aim of raising awareness and opportunities for staff to continually improve and provide safe care. Over a 10-month period, we developed processes to report harm. We used the Model for Improvement and multiple Plan, Do, Study, Act cycles for testing. We measured changes using culture surveys as well as analysis of the reports. The tool was tested in different formats and moved from a provider centric to a person-centred tool analysed in real time. An independent person working with the families was best placed to support reporting. Immediate feedback to families was managed by senior staff, and provided the opportunity for clarification, transparency and apologies. Feedback to staff provided learning opportunities. Improvements in culture climate and staff reporting were noted in the short term. The integration of patient involvement in safety monitoring systems is essential to achieve safety. The high number of newly identified 'near-misses' and 'critical incidents' by families demonstrated an underestimation of potentially harmful events. This testing and introduction of a self-reporting, real-time bedside tool has led to active engagement with families and patients and raised situation awareness. We believe that this will lead to improved and safer care in the longer term. 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.

Experiences of Latinos with limited English proficiency with patient registration systems and their interactions with clinic front office staff: an exploratory study to inform community-based translational research in North Carolina.

PubMed

Calo, William A; Cubillos, Laura; Breen, James; Hall, Megan; Rojas, Krycya Flores; Mooneyham, Rachel; Schaal, Jennifer; Hardy, Christina Yongue; Dave, Gaurav; Jolles, Mónica Pérez; Garcia, Nacire; Reuland, Daniel S

2015-12-23

Health services research of Latinos with limited English proficiency (LEP) have largely focused on studying disparities related to patient-provider communication. Less is known about their non-provider interactions such as those with patient registration systems and clinic front office staff; these interactions precede the encounter with providers and may shape how comfortable patients feel about their overall health services experience. This study explored Latino patients with LEP experiences with, and expectations for, interactions with patient registration systems and front office staff. We conducted 20 in-depth interviews with Latinos with LEP (≥ 18 years of age) who seek health services in the Piedmont Triad region, North Carolina. We analyzed participants' quotes and identified themes by using a constant comparison method. This research was conducted by a community-academic partnership; partners were engaged in study design, instrument development, recruitment, data analysis, and manuscript writing. Qualitative analysis allowed us to identify the following recurring themes: 1) inconsistent registration of multiple surnames may contribute to patient misidentification errors and delays in receiving health care; 2) lack of Spanish language services in front office medical settings negatively affect care coordination and satisfaction with health care; and 3) perceived discrimination generates patients' mistrust in front office staff and discomfort with services. Latino patients in North Carolina experience health services barriers unique to their LEP background. Participants identified ways in which the lack of cultural and linguistic competence of front office staff negatively affect their experiences seeking health services. Healthcare organizations need to support their staff to encourage patient-centered principles.

What determines successful implementation of inpatient information technology systems?

PubMed

Spetz, Joanne; Burgess, James F; Phibbs, Ciaran S

2012-03-01

To identify the factors and strategies that were associated with successful implementation of hospital-based information technology (IT) systems in US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals, and how these might apply to other hospitals. Qualitative analysis of 118 interviews conducted at 7 VA hospitals. The study focused on the inpatient setting, where nurses are the main patient-care providers; thus, the research emphasized the impact of Computerized Patient Record System and Bar Code Medication Administration on nurses. Hospitals were selected to represent a range of IT implementation dates, facility sizes, and geography. The subjects included nurses, pharmacists, physicians, IT staff, and managers. Interviews were guided by a semi-structured interview protocol, and a thematic analysis was conducted, with initial codes drawn from the content of the interview guides. Additional themes were proposed as the coding was conducted. Five broad themes arose as factors which affected the process and success of implementation: (1) organizational stability and implementation team leadership, (2) implementation timelines, (3) equipment availability and reliability, (4) staff training, and (5) changes in work flow Overall IT implementation success in the VA depended on: (1) whether there was support for change from both leaders and staff, (2) development of a gradual and flexible implementation approach, (3) allocation of adequate resources for equipment and infrastructure, hands-on support, and deployment of additional staff, and (4) how the implementation team planned for setbacks, and continued the process to achieve success. Problems that developed in the early stages of implementation tended to become persistent, and poor implementation can lead to patient harm.

Implementing a fax referral program for quitline smoking cessation services in urban health centers: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Cantrell, Jennifer; Shelley, Donna

2009-12-17

Fax referral services that connect smokers to state quitlines have been implemented in 49 U.S. states and territories and promoted as a simple solution to improving smoker assistance in medical practice. This study is an in-depth examination of the systems-level changes needed to implement and sustain a fax referral program in primary care. The study involved implementation of a fax referral system paired with a chart stamp prompting providers to identify smoking patients, provide advice to quit and refer interested smokers to a state-based fax quitline. Three focus groups (n = 26) and eight key informant interviews were conducted with staff and physicians at two clinics after the intervention. We used the Chronic Care Model as a framework to analyze the data, examining how well the systems changes were implemented and the impact of these changes on care processes, and to develop recommendations for improvement. Physicians and staff described numerous benefits of the fax referral program for providers and patients but pointed out significant barriers to full implementation, including the time-consuming process of referring patients to the Quitline, substantial patient resistance, and limitations in information and care delivery systems for referring and tracking smokers. Respondents identified several strategies for improving integration, including simplification of the referral form, enhanced teamwork, formal assignment of responsibility for referrals, ongoing staff training and patient education. Improvements in Quitline feedback were needed to compensate for clinics' limited internal information systems for tracking smokers. Establishing sustainable linkages to quitline services in clinical sites requires knowledge of existing patterns of care and tailored organizational changes to ensure new systems are prioritized, easily integrated into current office routines, formally assigned to specific staff members, and supported by internal systems that ensure adequate tracking and follow up of smokers. Ongoing staff training and patient self-management techniques are also needed to ease the introduction of new programs and increase their acceptability to smokers.

Hospitals prepare plans, drill staff to ensure that potential Ebola patients are identified, isolated, and managed safely.

PubMed

2014-12-01

Hospitals around the country have stepped up their efforts to train staff and implement procedures to ensure the safe identification and management of any patients with signs of Ebola virus disease (EVD). Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA, held an "Ebola preparedness exercise" to give staff an opportunity to walk through the hospital's protocol for handling a simulated patient with EVD. The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Medical Center has held similar exercises, and is now holding twice-weekly meetings of its leadership team to make sure that all new developments in the Ebola outbreak are communicated. UCLA Medical Center has prepared PPE kits based on the practices developed at Emory University Hospital, which has thus far had the most experience in this country in caring for patients with EVD. The UCLA Health System has adjusted its medical record system so that a red flag is placed on the electronic medical record [EMR] of any patient who has recently traveled to a high-risk area. UAB Medical Center has incorporated what had been a paper-and-pencil screening tool for EVD into its electronic medical record. Training on PPE as well as EVD screening is being provided to first-responders and 911 call center dispatchers in the UAB system.

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…

A prospective examination of clinician and supervisor turnover within the context of implementation of evidence-based practices in a publicly-funded mental health system

PubMed Central

Marcus, Steven; Wolk, Courtney Benjamin; Powell, Byron; Aarons, Gregory A.; Evans, Arthur C.; Hurford, Matthew O.; Hadley, Trevor; Adams, Danielle R.; Walsh, Lucia M.; Babbar, Shaili; Barg, Frances; Mandell, David S.

2015-01-01

Staff turnover rates in publicly-funded mental health settings are high. We investigated staff and organizational predictors of turnover in a sample of individuals working in an urban public mental health system that has engaged in a system-level effort to implement evidence-based practices. Additionally, we interviewed staff to understand reasons for turnover. Greater staff burnout predicted increased turnover, more openness toward new practices predicted retention, and more professional recognition predicted increased turnover. Staff reported leaving their organizations because of personal, organizational, and financial reasons; just over half of staff that left their organization stayed in the public mental health sector. Implications include an imperative to focus on turnover, with a particular emphasis on ameliorating staff burnout. PMID:26179469

Physician efficiency and reimbursement: a case study.

PubMed

Cantrell, L E; Flick, J A

1986-01-01

Joint ventures between hospitals and doctors are being widely developed and reported as the most promising mechanism for building alliances, providing financial rewards, and accessing new markets. However, joint ventures cannot be structured to involve an entire medical staff directly. Likewise, they cannot motivate a medical staff to change medical practice patterns in order to improve a hospital's reimbursement efficiency. This article describes a system of physician economic efficiency criteria that is being used by one hospital in making medical staff reappointment decisions and has the effect of placing all physicians at risk individually for the hospital's reimbursement performance. Although somewhat controversial, this economic efficiency program has proven a remarkably effective tool for change.

Anaesthesia and hospital links: strengthening healthcare through South-North hospital partnerships.

PubMed

Parry, E H O; Percy, D B

2007-12-01

Health services can respond to the needs of the poorest people in developing countries if those who work in the front line of health care are supported and motivated and if development needs in services and training programmes can be filled. This can be achieved when a Health Link between a southern hospital and/or training school and its northern counterpart is designed to build a disciplined and long-term programme of staff development including the needs of anaesthetic services, which meets the needs identified by the southern partner. Development of anaesthetic practice is best carried out in the context of an institution-wide Health Link where not only the staff and systems involved in anaesthesia but all the essential 'back office' or support services are also supported and developed.

Open Access: A User Information System. Professional Paper Series, #6.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gleason, Bernard W.

Focusing on the need for information systems that provide faculty, staff, and students with open access to all necessary information resources, this paper begins by discussing the issues involved in developing such systems. A review of the traditional environment looks at the traditional centralized resources versus the current trend toward…

Categories of Electronic Publications in a College Information System. AIR 1992 Annual Forum Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Allan

This paper identifies and describes the categories of electronic publications (EPs) in a document-based communication and information system called JIMMY, developed by Queen Margaret College (Edinburgh, Scotland) for use by students and staff in general arts and paramedical courses. The use of computer-mediated communication systems like bulletin…

Developing the mental health awareness of prison staff in England and Wales.

PubMed

Walsh, Elizabeth; Freshwater, Dawn

2009-10-01

In 2010, the prison population in England and Wales could reach a high of 91,500, according to a recent population projection. HM Prison Service (U.K.) reports that in 2004 to 2005, there were 33,144 prison officers employed to care for the prisoners in the prison system. This article focuses on the mental health of this prisoner population and the training needs of staff caring for them. It reports the experience of a national project, funded by the Department of Health, in which the project team developed and piloted mental health awareness training for prison officers on the residential units and for staff who work with prisoners and lack a mental health background. Key findings from the posttraining evaluation are highlighted. Participant feedback demonstrates the value placed on this type of training by those working in the prison setting.

UK guidance on the management of personal dosimetry systems for healthcare staff working at multiple organizations.

PubMed

Rogers, Andy; Chapple, Claire-Louise; Murray, Maria; Platton, David; Saunderson, John

2017-11-01

There has been concern expressed by the UK regulator, the Health & Safety Executive, regarding the management of occupation dose for healthcare radiation workers who work across multiple organizations. In response to this concern, the British Institute of Radiology led a working group of relevant professional bodies to develop guidance in this area. The guidance addresses issues of general system management that would apply to all personal dosimetry systems, regardless of whether or not the workers within that system work across organizational boundaries, along with exploring efficient strategies to comply with legislation where those workers do indeed work across organizational boundaries. For those specific instances, the guidance discusses both system requirements to enable organizations to co-operate (Ionising Radiation Regulations 1999 Regulation 15), as well as specific instances of staff exposure. This is broken down into three categories-low, medium and high risk. A suggested approach to each is given to guide employers and their radiation advisers in adopting sensible strategies for the monitoring of their staff and the subsequent sharing of dosimetry data to ensure overall compliance with both dose limits and optimization requirements.

Developing and implementing an integrated delirium prevention system of care: a theory driven, participatory research study

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Delirium is a common complication for older people in hospital. Evidence suggests that delirium incidence in hospital may be reduced by about a third through a multi-component intervention targeted at known modifiable risk factors. We describe the research design and conceptual framework underpinning it that informed the development of a novel delirium prevention system of care for acute hospital wards. Particular focus of the study was on developing an implementation process aimed at embedding practice change within routine care delivery. Methods We adopted a participatory action research approach involving staff, volunteers, and patient and carer representatives in three northern NHS Trusts in England. We employed Normalization Process Theory to explore knowledge and ward practices on delirium and delirium prevention. We established a Development Team in each Trust comprising senior and frontline staff from selected wards, and others with a potential role or interest in delirium prevention. Data collection included facilitated workshops, relevant documents/records, qualitative one-to-one interviews and focus groups with multiple stakeholders and observation of ward practices. We used grounded theory strategies in analysing and synthesising data. Results Awareness of delirium was variable among staff with no attention on delirium prevention at any level; delirium prevention was typically neither understood nor perceived as meaningful. The busy, chaotic and challenging ward life rhythm focused primarily on diagnostics, clinical observations and treatment. Ward practices pertinent to delirium prevention were undertaken inconsistently. Staff welcomed the possibility of volunteers being engaged in delirium prevention work, but existing systems for volunteer support were viewed as a barrier. Our evolving conception of an integrated model of delirium prevention presented major implementation challenges flowing from minimal understanding of delirium prevention and securing engagement of volunteers alongside practice change. The resulting Prevention of Delirium (POD) Programme combines a multi-component delirium prevention and implementation process, incorporating systems and mechanisms to introduce and embed delirium prevention into routine ward practices. Conclusions Although our substantive interest was in delirium prevention, the conceptual and methodological strategies pursued have implications for implementing and sustaining practice and service improvements more broadly. Study registration ISRCTN65924234 PMID:24004917

State-building and human resources for health in fragile and conflict-affected states: exploring the linkages.

PubMed

Witter, Sophie; Falisse, Jean-Benoit; Bertone, Maria Paola; Alonso-Garbayo, Alvaro; Martins, João S; Salehi, Ahmad Shah; Pavignani, Enrico; Martineau, Tim

2015-05-15

Human resources for health are self-evidently critical to running a health service and system. There is, however, a wider set of social issues which is more rarely considered. One area which is hinted at in literature, particularly on fragile and conflict-affected states, but rarely examined in detail, is the contribution which health staff may or do play in relation to the wider state-building processes. This article aims to explore that relationship, developing a conceptual framework to understand what linkages might exist and looking for empirical evidence in the literature to support, refute or adapt those linkages. An open call for contributions to the article was launched through an online community. The group then developed a conceptual framework and explored a variety of literatures (political, economic, historical, public administration, conflict and health-related) to find theoretical and empirical evidence related to the linkages outlined in the framework. Three country case reports were also developed for Afghanistan, Burundi and Timor-Leste, using secondary sources and the knowledge of the group. We find that the empirical evidence for most of the linkages is not strong, which is not surprising, given the complexity of the relationships. Nevertheless, some of the posited relationships are plausible, especially between development of health cadres and a strengthened public administration, which in the long run underlies a number of state-building features. The reintegration of factional health staff post-conflict is also plausibly linked to reconciliation and peace-building. The role of medical staff as part of national elites may also be important. The concept of state-building itself is highly contested, with a rich vein of scepticism about the wisdom or feasibility of this as an external project. While recognizing the inherently political nature of these processes, systems and sub-systems, it remains the case that state-building does occur over time, driven by a combination of internal and external forces and that understanding the role played in it by the health system and health staff, particularly after conflicts and in fragile settings, is an area worth further investigation. This review and framework contribute to that debate.

Developing and implementing an integrated delirium prevention system of care: a theory driven, participatory research study.

PubMed

Godfrey, Mary; Smith, Jane; Green, John; Cheater, Francine; Inouye, Sharon K; Young, John B

2013-09-03

Delirium is a common complication for older people in hospital. Evidence suggests that delirium incidence in hospital may be reduced by about a third through a multi-component intervention targeted at known modifiable risk factors. We describe the research design and conceptual framework underpinning it that informed the development of a novel delirium prevention system of care for acute hospital wards. Particular focus of the study was on developing an implementation process aimed at embedding practice change within routine care delivery. We adopted a participatory action research approach involving staff, volunteers, and patient and carer representatives in three northern NHS Trusts in England. We employed Normalization Process Theory to explore knowledge and ward practices on delirium and delirium prevention. We established a Development Team in each Trust comprising senior and frontline staff from selected wards, and others with a potential role or interest in delirium prevention. Data collection included facilitated workshops, relevant documents/records, qualitative one-to-one interviews and focus groups with multiple stakeholders and observation of ward practices. We used grounded theory strategies in analysing and synthesising data. Awareness of delirium was variable among staff with no attention on delirium prevention at any level; delirium prevention was typically neither understood nor perceived as meaningful. The busy, chaotic and challenging ward life rhythm focused primarily on diagnostics, clinical observations and treatment. Ward practices pertinent to delirium prevention were undertaken inconsistently. Staff welcomed the possibility of volunteers being engaged in delirium prevention work, but existing systems for volunteer support were viewed as a barrier. Our evolving conception of an integrated model of delirium prevention presented major implementation challenges flowing from minimal understanding of delirium prevention and securing engagement of volunteers alongside practice change. The resulting Prevention of Delirium (POD) Programme combines a multi-component delirium prevention and implementation process, incorporating systems and mechanisms to introduce and embed delirium prevention into routine ward practices. Although our substantive interest was in delirium prevention, the conceptual and methodological strategies pursued have implications for implementing and sustaining practice and service improvements more broadly. ISRCTN65924234.

Facilitating critical thinking.

PubMed

Hansten, R I; Washburn, M J

2000-01-01

Supporting staff to think effectively is essential to improve clinical systems, decrease errors and sentinel events, and engage staff involvement to refine patient care systems in readiness for new care-delivery models that truly reflect the valued role of the RN. The authors explore practical methods, based on current research and national consulting experience, to facilitate the development of mature critical thinking skills. Assessment tools, a sample agenda for formal presentations, and teaching strategies using behavioral examples that make the important and necessary link of theory to reality are discussed in the form of a critical thinking test as well as a conceptual model for application in problem solving.

Research Staff | Concentrating Solar Power | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Research Staff Research Staff Photo of Mark Mehos Mark Mehos Group Manager, Thermal Systems R&D Mark joined NREL in 1986 and manages the Thermal Systems R&D group at NREL, which includes the for the International Energy Agency's SolarPACES "Solar Thermal Electric Power Systems" task

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

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.…

School Leadership: A Blueprint for Change.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomson, Scott D., Ed.

The new age of education shows an increasing focus on human development through family involvement, community learning resources, community social service, staff development, involvement, technology, learning climate, and motivation/reward systems. Integration of these areas calls for skills that are not traditionally taught to school leaders.…

Highway Safety Information System guidebook for the California state data files. Volume I : SAS file formats

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1996-06-01

This manual has been developed to provide information and guidance to engineering staffs involved with project develop and design of highways. It identifies those standards, specifications, guides, and references approved for use in carrying out the ...

Professional Development. New Opportunities for Partnering, CAUSE94. Track VII.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

CAUSE, Boulder, CO.

Eight papers are presented from the 1994 CAUSE conference track on professional development for information professionals in higher education institutions. The papers include: (1) "New Opportunities in Training for Information Systems Professionals," which discusses staff training at Miami-Dade Community College (Florida) (Desiree…

Implementing Teacher Evaluation: Lattice of Leadership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Derrington, Mary Lynne

2016-01-01

This case study describes how all leaders in one elementary school focused their collective work implementing a dramatically changed, state-mandated teacher-evaluation system. The article describes how multiple leaders created new professional development structures based on staff feedback and adapted exiting professional development structures to…

Chargemaster maintenance: think 'spring cleaning' all year round.

PubMed

Barton, Shawn; Lancaster, Dani; Bieker, Mike

2008-11-01

Steps toward maintaining a standardized chargemaster include: Building a corporate chargemaster maintenance team. Developing a core research function. Designating hospital liaisons. Publishing timely reports on facility compliance. Using system codes to identify charges. Selecting chargemaster maintenance software. Developing a standard chargemaster data repository. Educating 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.

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.

Interprofessional trust in emergency department - as experienced by nurses in charge and doctors on call.

PubMed

Friberg, Klara; Husebø, Sissel Eikeland; Olsen, Øystein Evjen; Saetre Hansen, Britt

2016-11-01

The aim of this study was to describe that which characterises interprofessional trust in a Norwegian emergency department, as expressed by nurses in charge and doctors on call. Interprofessional trust requires knowledge of and skills in interprofessional collaboration. It also requires established trust in fellow collaborators, as well as in the work environment and in the more comprehensive system in which the work is conducted. Nurses in charge and doctors on call who collaborate in the context of an emergency department do so under changing conditions in terms of staff composition and work load. The study was designed in a qualitative, inductive and sequential manner. Data were collected from September-November 2013 through four focus group interviews and was analysed by means of qualitative content analysis. The data revealed two themes that were characteristic of interprofessional trust: 'having relational knowledge' and 'being part of a context'. Together, the themes can be understood as equally important to contextual collaboration. A model of interprofessional trust between an individual level and system level was developed from the results. The study indicates that interprofessional trust is a changeable phenomenon that has great impact on the possibility for development at an individual level and at a more abstract system level. Interprofessional trust can be improved by focusing on trust-building activities between staff at the individual level and between staff and organisation at the system level. Supportive activities such as continuous interprofessional education are suggested as valuable to the development and maintenance of trust. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

An Educational System for the Seventies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shelly (E.F.) and Co., New York, NY.

An Educational System for the Seventies (ES '70) is a research and demonstration program representing a broad scope of activity that cuts across every aspect of education. Four main categories of activities comprise the substance of the current effort: staff development, instructional managment and career guidance, school management, and…

Student Tracking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donovan, Kevin

1996-01-01

This report explains how student tracking systems work and why they are important. It is designed for British funding bodies, further education (FE) colleges, college staff, and software developers to introduce and support systems of student tracking. Chapter 1 provides background information on tracking and the FE sector. Chapter 2 discusses the…

Innovation from the Sea: A Net Assessment of the Development of U.S. Navy Unmanned Aerial System Policy

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-10

the Faculty of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree MASTER OF MILITARY ART...6. AUTHOR( S ) LCDR Daniel M. Marzluff 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME( S ) AND...ADDRESS(ES) U.S. Army Command and General Staff College ATTN: ATZL-SWD-GD Fort Leavenworth, KS 66027-2301 8. PERFORMING ORG REPORT NUMBER 9

Six hospitals describe decentralization, cost containment, and downsizing.

PubMed

Lineweaver, L A; Battle, C E; Schilling, R M; Nall, C M

1999-01-01

Decentralization, cost containment, and downsizing continue in full force as healthcare organizations continue to adapt to constant economic change. Hospitals are forced to take a second and third look at how health care is managed in order to survive. Six Northwest Florida hospitals were surveyed in an effort to explore current changes within the healthcare delivery system. This article provides both managers and staff with an overview of recent healthcare changes in an area of the country with implications for staff development.

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

PubMed

Scholz, Stefan; Ngoli, Baltazar; Flessa, Steffen

2015-05-01

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

Organisational capacity and its relationship to research use in six Australian health policy agencies

PubMed Central

Makkar, Steve R.; Haynes, Abby; Williamson, Anna; Redman, Sally

2018-01-01

There are calls for policymakers to make greater use of research when formulating policies. Therefore, it is important that policy organisations have a range of tools and systems to support their staff in using research in their work. The aim of the present study was to measure the extent to which a range of tools and systems to support research use were available within six Australian agencies with a role in health policy, and examine whether this was related to the extent of engagement with, and use of research in policymaking by their staff. The presence of relevant systems and tools was assessed via a structured interview called ORACLe which is conducted with a senior executive from the agency. To measure research use, four policymakers from each agency undertook a structured interview called SAGE, which assesses and scores the extent to which policymakers engaged with (i.e., searched for, appraised, and generated) research, and used research in the development of a specific policy document. The results showed that all agencies had at least a moderate range of tools and systems in place, in particular policy development processes; resources to access and use research (such as journals, databases, libraries, and access to research experts); processes to generate new research; and mechanisms to establish relationships with researchers. Agencies were less likely, however, to provide research training for staff and leaders, or to have evidence-based processes for evaluating existing policies. For the majority of agencies, the availability of tools and systems was related to the extent to which policymakers engaged with, and used research when developing policy documents. However, some agencies did not display this relationship, suggesting that other factors, namely the organisation’s culture towards research use, must also be considered. PMID:29513669

Organisational capacity and its relationship to research use in six Australian health policy agencies.

PubMed

Makkar, Steve R; Haynes, Abby; Williamson, Anna; Redman, Sally

2018-01-01

There are calls for policymakers to make greater use of research when formulating policies. Therefore, it is important that policy organisations have a range of tools and systems to support their staff in using research in their work. The aim of the present study was to measure the extent to which a range of tools and systems to support research use were available within six Australian agencies with a role in health policy, and examine whether this was related to the extent of engagement with, and use of research in policymaking by their staff. The presence of relevant systems and tools was assessed via a structured interview called ORACLe which is conducted with a senior executive from the agency. To measure research use, four policymakers from each agency undertook a structured interview called SAGE, which assesses and scores the extent to which policymakers engaged with (i.e., searched for, appraised, and generated) research, and used research in the development of a specific policy document. The results showed that all agencies had at least a moderate range of tools and systems in place, in particular policy development processes; resources to access and use research (such as journals, databases, libraries, and access to research experts); processes to generate new research; and mechanisms to establish relationships with researchers. Agencies were less likely, however, to provide research training for staff and leaders, or to have evidence-based processes for evaluating existing policies. For the majority of agencies, the availability of tools and systems was related to the extent to which policymakers engaged with, and used research when developing policy documents. However, some agencies did not display this relationship, suggesting that other factors, namely the organisation's culture towards research use, must also be considered.

The Development of Education and Training Systems in the Field of Nanotechnology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poteralska, Beata; Zielinska, Joanna; Mazurkiewicz, Adam

2007-01-01

The paper presents the dynamic development of nanotechnologies in the world and--on this basis--the educational demand for scientists, engineers and didactic staff. Proposed and created forms of education and development related to nanotechnology in theoretical and practical aspect are shown as well. The potential and educational possibilities…

Program (Re)design Model: A Sustainable, System-Level Approach to Faculty Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fowler, Debra; Macik, Maria L.; Sandoval, Carolyn L.; Bakenhus, Chelsea; MacWillie, Sherri

2016-01-01

Traditional professional development related to teaching is offered on a short-term basis and at the individual level. Recent experiences and research studies have led to an organizational level model in which the educational developer forms a sustained partnership with administrators, faculty, staff, and students in a department, offering…

77 FR 26991 - Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Issues

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-08

... rather than active systems to limit and retard releases to the environment. Development of 10 CFR Part 61...-operated sites. Over the last several years there have been a number of developments that have called into... 10 CFR Part 61 was promulgated. These developments will need to be considered if the staff undertakes...

A Case Study of Technical Assistance to Demonstration Programs for Young Handicapped Children. Part II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Behr, Shirley K.; And Others

A project to provide technical assistance to staffs of two demonstration programs for preschool handicapped children and their families is described. The focus was technical assistance developed and exercised by the Technical Assistance Development System (TADS), which assisted in the development of the Handicapped Children's Early Education…

Public-private partnerships to build human capacity in low income countries: findings from the Pfizer program

PubMed Central

Vian, Taryn; Richards, Sarah C; McCoy, Kelly; Connelly, Patrick; Feeley, Frank

2007-01-01

Background The ability of health organizations in developing countries to expand access to quality services depends in large part on organizational and human capacity. Capacity building includes professional development of staff, as well as efforts to create working environments conducive to high levels of performance. The current study evaluated an approach to public-private partnership where corporate volunteers give technical assistance to improve organizational and staff performance. From 2003 to 2005, the Pfizer Global Health Fellows program sent 72 employees to work with organizations in 19 countries. This evaluation was designed to assess program impact. Methods The researchers administered a survey to 60 Fellows and 48 Pfizer Supervisors. In addition, the team conducted over 100 interviews with partner organization staff and other key informants during site visits in Uganda, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa and India, the five countries where 60% of Fellows were placed. Results Over three-quarters of Fellowships appear to have imparted skills or enhanced operations of NGOs in HIV/AIDS and other health programs. Overall, 79% of Fellows reported meeting all or most technical assistance goals. Partner organization staff reported that the Fellows provided training to clinical and research personnel; strengthened laboratory, pharmacy, financial control, and human resource management systems; and helped expand Partner organization networks. Local staff also reported the Program changed their work habits and attitudes. The evaluation identified problems in defining goals of Fellowships and matching Organizations with Fellows. Capacity building success also appears related to size and sophistication of partner organization. Conclusion Public expectations have grown regarding the role corporations should play in improving health systems in developing countries. Corporate philanthropy programs based on "donations" of personnel can help build the organizational and human capacity of frontline agencies delivering health services. More attention is needed to measure and compare outcomes of international volunteering programs, and to identify appropriate strategies for expansion. PMID:17335578

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 ...

A web-based remote radiation treatment planning system using the remote desktop function of a computer operating system: a preliminary report.

PubMed

Suzuki, Keishiro; Hirasawa, Yukinori; Yaegashi, Yuji; Miyamoto, Hideki; Shirato, Hiroki

2009-01-01

We developed a web-based, remote radiation treatment planning system which allowed staff at an affiliated hospital to obtain support from a fully staffed central institution. Network security was based on a firewall and a virtual private network (VPN). Client computers were installed at a cancer centre, at a university hospital and at a staff home. We remotely operated the treatment planning computer using the Remote Desktop function built in to the Windows operating system. Except for the initial setup of the VPN router, no special knowledge was needed to operate the remote radiation treatment planning system. There was a time lag that seemed to depend on the volume of data traffic on the Internet, but it did not affect smooth operation. The initial cost and running cost of the system were reasonable.

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.

Early Childhood Education Learning System for Three-and Four-Year-Old Migrant Children, McAllen, Texas. Evaluation Report, 1968-1969.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Southwest Educational Development Lab., Austin, TX.

This document reports on a program seen as an integral part of a total educational development plan for migrant children. The Early Childhood Education Learning System is an instructional program which includes staff development and parent-school-community involvement. Focus is on the special learning problems of Mexican-American children and the…

A Quality Improvement Customer Service Process and CSS [Customer Service System]. Burlington County College Employee Development Series, Volumes I & II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burlington County Coll., Pemberton, NJ.

Prepared for use by staff in development workshops at Burlington County College (BCC), in New Jersey, this handbook offers college-wide guidelines for improving the quality of service provided to internal and external customers, and reviews key elements of BCC's Customer Service System (CSS), a computerized method of recording and following-up on…

Dr. John H. Hopps Jr. Research Scholars Program

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-20

Program staff, alumni and existing participants. Over the course of the last five months, SageFox has successfully obtained IRB approval for all...and awards. Progress made in development of the HoppsNet system included design and implementation of a relational database in MySQL , development of

Linking Law to Learning: Instructional Strategies Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoffman, Alan, Ed.; Moon, Jeannette B., Ed.

Designed to assist secondary teachers and school systems in classroom instruction, in staff development workshops, and in curriculum design, this manual contains classroom and resource materials that have proven useful in teaching legal education. Although developed specifically for educators in Georgia, the activities can easily be used by…

CURMIS. Curriculum Management Information System (and) Prospectus of a Design to Assist a High School Staff in the Evaluation of Its Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sapone, Carmelo V.

CURMIS (Curriculum Management Information System) is a conceptual system, the framework of which is designed to identify and reveal relationships among complex related interacting phenomena. This paper is a description of the system which will centralize and make conveniently available information needed for developing and monitoring instructional…

"Wish we would have known that!" Communication Breakdown Impedes Person-Centered Care.

PubMed

Kolanowski, Ann; Van Haitsma, Kimberly; Penrod, Janice; Hill, Nikki; Yevchak, Andrea

2015-06-01

To understand how nursing home staff obtain information needed for implementing person-centered care (PCC) to residents with dementia who exhibit behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), and how they communicate this information to other staff. Barriers to PCC and information exchange were also explored. Participants were 59 staff from two nursing homes. Focus group methodology captured discussions in eight 1-hr sessions. Sessions were audiotaped and transcribed. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis to provide a comprehensive summary of real world context of implementing PCC. To deliver PCC staff identified a need for access to psychosocial/medical history of the resident and knowledge of strategies families used for managing BPSD in the past. However, resident information is not routinely shared with all staff and written documentation systems for communicating resident-specific information do not support the time-pressured work pattern of certified nursing assistants (CNAs). Word-of-mouth was considered more reliable and expedient than educational sessions. CNAs described themselves as visual learners who prefer educational programs addressing individual resident emergent behaviors and programs that are scheduled at dedicated times. To improve PCC the flow of information exchange requires: inclusion of all staff, particularly CNAs; systems of communication that consider the time and resource constraints of nursing homes; development of educational programs for BPSD that are responsive to staff learning styles; administrative investment in nursing leadership to effect these changes; and reimbursement approaches to encourage culture change investments. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

System-Level Action Required for Wide-Scale Improvement in Quality of Primary Health Care: Synthesis of Feedback from an Interactive Process to Promote Dissemination and Use of Aggregated Quality of Care Data.

PubMed

Bailie, Jodie; Laycock, Alison; Matthews, Veronica; Bailie, Ross

2016-01-01

There is an enduring gap between recommended practice and care that is actually delivered; and there is wide variation between primary health care (PHC) centers in delivery of care. Where aspects of care are not being done well across a range of PHC centers, this is likely due to inadequacies in the broader system. This paper aims to describe stakeholders' perceptions of the barriers and enablers to addressing gaps in Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander chronic illness care and child health, and to identify key drivers for improvement. This paper draws on data collected as part of a large-scale continuous quality improvement project in Australian Indigenous PHC settings. We undertook a qualitative assessment of stakeholder feedback on the main barriers and enablers to addressing gaps in care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and in chronic illness care. Themes on barriers and enablers were further analyzed to develop a "driver diagram," an improvement tool used to locate barriers and enablers within causal pathways (as primary and secondary drivers), enabling them to be targeted by tailored interventions. We identified 5 primary drivers and 11 secondary drivers of high-quality care, and associated strategies that have potential for wide-scale implementation to address barriers and enablers for improving care. Perceived barriers to addressing gaps in care included both health system and staff attributes. Primary drivers were: staff capability to deliver high-quality care; availability and use of clinical information systems and decision support tools; embedding of quality improvement processes and data-driven decision-making; appropriate and effective recruitment and retention of staff; and community capacity, engagement and mobilization for health. Suggested strategies included mechanisms for increasing clinical supervision and support, staff retention, reorientation of service delivery, use of information systems and community health literacy. The findings identify areas of focus for development of barrier-driven, tailored interventions to improve health outcomes. They reinforce the importance of system-level action to improve health center performance and health outcomes, and of developing strategies to address system-wide challenges that can be adapted to local contexts.

A multi-method approach to curriculum development for in-service training in China's newly established health emergency response offices.

PubMed

Wang, Yadong; Li, Xiangrui; Yuan, Yiwen; Patel, Mahomed S

2014-01-01

To describe an innovative approach for developing and implementing an in-service curriculum in China for staff of the newly established health emergency response offices (HEROs), and that is generalisable to other settings. The multi-method training needs assessment included reviews of the competency domains needed to implement the International Health Regulations (2005) as well as China's policies and emergency regulations. The review, iterative interviews and workshops with experts in government, academia, the military, and with HERO staff were reviewed critically by an expert technical advisory panel. Over 1600 participants contributed to curriculum development. Of the 18 competency domains identified as essential for HERO staff, nine were developed into priority in-service training modules to be conducted over 2.5 weeks. Experts from academia and experienced practitioners prepared and delivered each module through lectures followed by interactive problem-solving exercises and desktop simulations to help trainees apply, experiment with, and consolidate newly acquired knowledge and skills. This study adds to the emerging literature on China's enduring efforts to strengthen its emergency response capabilities since the outbreak of SARS in 2003. The multi-method approach to curriculum development in partnership with senior policy-makers, researchers, and experienced practitioners can be applied in other settings to ensure training is responsive and customized to local needs, resources and priorities. Ongoing curriculum development should reflect international standards and be coupled with the development of appropriate performance support systems at the workplace for motivating staff to apply their newly acquired knowledge and skills effectively and creatively.

An evaluation of substance misuse treatment providers used by an employee assistance program.

PubMed

Miller, N A

1992-05-01

Structural measures of access, continuity, and quality of substance misuse treatment services were compared in 30 fee-for-service (FFS) facilities and nine health maintenance organizations (HMOs). Probit models related effects of the provider system (FFS or HMO) and the system's structural characteristics to 243 employees' access to and outcomes from treatment. Access was decreased in Independent Practice Association (IPA)/network HMOs and in all facilities which did not employ an addictionologist or provide coordinated treatment services. When bivariate correlations were examined, both use of copayments and imposing limits to the levels of treatment covered were negatively related to access, while a facility's provision of ongoing professional development was positively associated with access. These correlations did not remain significant in the multivariate probits. Receiving treatment in a staff model HMO and facing limits to the levels of treatment covered were negatively associated with attaining sufficient progress, while receiving treatment in a facility which provided ongoing professional development was positively related to progress: these effects did not remain significant in multivariate analyses. Implications for employee assistance program (EAP) staff in their role as case managers and for EAP staff and employers in their shared role as purchasers of treatment are discussed.

NATIONAL EXPOSURE RESEARCH LABORATORY (NERL) INTEGRATED INFORMATOIN AND QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN TRAINING

EPA Science Inventory

The success of the NERL quality system relies on participation by all managers and staff. This training was developed for the purpose of communicating the basic features of the quality system in a convenient and efficient manner. The total time to complete a review of all five ...

The Microcomputer in the Library: VI. Implementation and Future Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leggate, Peter; Dyer, Hilary

1986-01-01

This sixth article in a series discusses planning for the installation and implementation of automated systems in the library, workstation design and location, scheduling of software implementation, security, data input, staff and reader training, job design, impact of automation on library procedures, evaluation of system performance, and future…

77 FR 33000 - Solicitation for a Cooperative Agreement: Resources for NIC's Web Site on Data Collection and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-04

... examples of policy and procedure governing information management; information on effective practices in developing or acquiring automated information management systems; and an overview of current information... agencies do not have staff dedicated to data collection and analysis, information system management, or...

Leadership Motivation and Mentoring Can Improve Efficiency of a Classroom Teacher and Workers in Institutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Onjoro, Veronica; Arogo, Rebecca Bwari; Embeywa, Henry Etende

2015-01-01

Motivational strategies guarantee quality assurance in the educational system. Motivational strategies like staff training and development, promotion, salary, remuneration, working conditions, status and participatory decision making, acted as a barrier towards achieving quality assurance in the educational system. The study adopted the…

Rehabilitation Associate Training for Employed Staff. Token Systems (RA-10).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Michael J.

This learning module, which is intended for use in in-service training for vocational rehabilitation counselors, provides information and practice for developing token economies. The following topics are discussed: tokens and the rationale for using them; advantages of token economies; procedures for using a token system (specifying behaviors that…

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…

Fostering outcomes through education: a systems approach to collaboration and creativity.

PubMed

Smith, Elaine L

2014-04-01

Across the country, integrated health care systems continue to emerge and expand. Large multifacility organizations can present both challenges and opportunities for nursing professional development and continuing education activities. This article will explore how one large multifacility system is addressing the varied learning needs of nursing staff across the enterprise. Copyright 2014, SLACK Incorporated.

Using a novel technology for disaster staff notification.

PubMed

Morris, Stephen C; Pelley, Janice K; Mitchell, Steven H

Notification of backup staff and determining their ability to augment frontline staff is a major component of any disaster plan. However, the communication and organization of this effort has many challenges. These include communication system overload, the disaster setting, disrupted transportation, and staffing impacts on normal operations. An optimal disaster notification system must have the ability to be modified to include all hazards and the unique environment in which the plan is being made. This article highlights a unique disaster staff notification system using a novel technology, an outside administrator, and a multilayer system of redundant communication.

Rewarding overproductivity: an incentive or disincentive for staff?

PubMed

Olsen, A G

1991-04-01

A rapidly growing home care agency implemented a productivity system designed to reward its staff for "overproductive" visits rather than rely on temporary staff. While the system was positively received, it actually became more of a disincentive than a motivator.

Implementing evidence-based practice in community mental health agencies: a multiple stakeholder analysis.

PubMed

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

2009-11-01

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. 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. 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. 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.

A real-time Excel-based scheduling solution for nursing staff reallocation.

PubMed

Tuominen, Outi Anneli; Lundgren-Laine, Heljä; Kauppila, Wiveka; Hupli, Maija; Salanterä, Sanna

2016-09-30

Aim This article describes the development and testing of an Excel-based scheduling solution for the flexible allocation and reallocation of nurses to cover sudden, unplanned absences among permanent nursing staff. Method A quasi-experimental, one group, pre- and post-test study design was used ( Box 1 ) with total sampling. Participants (n=17) were selected purposefully by including all ward managers (n=8) and assistant ward managers (n=9) from one university hospital department. The number of sudden absences among the nursing staff was identified during two 4-week data collection periods (pre- and post-test). Results During the use of the paper-based scheduling system, 121 absences were identified; during the use of the Excel-based system, 106 were identified. The main reasons for the use of flexible 'floating' nurses were sick leave (n=66) and workload (n=31). Other reasons (n=29) included patient transfer to another hospital, scheduling errors and the start or end of employment. Conclusion The Excel-based scheduling solution offered better support in obtaining substitute labour inside the organisation, with smaller employment costs. It also reduced the number of tasks ward managers had to carry out during the process of reallocating staff.

Involving staff pharmacists in management decisions.

PubMed

Robinson, L A; Vanderveen, T W

1977-03-01

Various administrative techniques used to bring staff pharmacists in a decentralized, satellite pharmacy system into the managerial decision-making process are discussed. These techniques include a staff pharmacist on-call procedure to discourage absenteeism, and the concept of a head pharmacist to serve as a link with departmental administration. The head pharmacist works in the satelite pharmacy, is responsible for its daily operation and is the spokesman for the satellite. Active roles for the head pharmacist in the selection and evaluation of technicians are outlines. Management skills are developed in head pharmacists through a program of special classes and discussion groups. It is concluded that this program has improved the credibility of administrative decisions and has tapped an underused source of ideas and talent.

Conducting a Surgical Site Infection Prevention Tracer.

PubMed

Padgette, Polly; Wood, Brittain

2018-05-01

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are the most common health care-associated infections in patients. Approximately half of SSIs are preventable when using evidence-based strategies; however, deviations from evidence-based practice can occur over time. Infection preventionists and perioperative staff members can help prevent these deviations by observing staff member practices using tracer methodology. Tracer methodology uses clinical information to follow patient care, treatment, or services provided throughout the care delivery system. The goal of tracer methodology for SSI prevention is to validate that organizational processes are promoting safer patient care. Using tracers, perioperative and infection prevention staff members can develop strategies to eliminate deviations from evidence-based practice, thereby helping to prevent SSIs and improve patient outcomes. © AORN, Inc, 2018.

Patient Safety: Moving the Bar in Prison Health Care Standards

PubMed Central

Greifinger, Robert B.; Mellow, Jeff

2010-01-01

Improvements in community health care quality through error reduction have been slow to transfer to correctional settings. We convened a panel of correctional experts, which recommended 60 patient safety standards focusing on such issues as creating safety cultures at organizational, supervisory, and staff levels through changes to policy and training and by ensuring staff competency, reducing medication errors, encouraging the seamless transfer of information between and within practice settings, and developing mechanisms to detect errors or near misses and to shift the emphasis from blaming staff to fixing systems. To our knowledge, this is the first published set of standards focusing on patient safety in prisons, adapted from the emerging literature on quality improvement in the community. PMID:20864714

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.

An American System of Staff Appraisal. Coombe Lodge Case Study. Information Bank Number 1017.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Latcham, J.

Prepared for staff in the British further education system, this report describes and explains the formal staff assessment model used at Richland College, Texas. Introductory material describes the college, its student body, and its organization and structure. Next, the four components of the teacher evaluation system used in the Dallas Community…

Social capital and transaction cost on co-creating IT value towards inter-organizational EMR exchange.

PubMed

Chang, Hsin Hsin; Hung, Chung-Jye; Huang, Ching Ying; Wong, Kit Hong; Tsai, Yi Ju

2017-01-01

This study adopts social capital theory and transaction cost theory to explore the feasibility of an inter-organizational cross-hospital electronic medical records (EMR) exchange system, and the factors that affect its adoption. The concept of value co-creation is also used to assess such a system, and its influence on the performance of participating medical institutes. This research collected 330 valid paper-based questionnaires from the medical staff of various institutes. The results showed that social interaction ties and shared vision positively affected medical institutes' willingness to adopt the EMR exchange system, while asset specificity and uncertainty increased the related transaction costs. With a greater willingness to invest in relation-specific assets and to meet the related transaction costs, this behavior lead to an increase in medical IT value, as well as better results for the related medical institutes, medical staff, and patients. Therefore, this study suggests that such institutes encourage their medical staff to participate in seminars or reunions in order to develop their professional and social networks, and set up clear schedules and desire for expected effects when introducing the cross-hospital EMR exchange system. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Train the Trainer. Final Report. Fiscal Year 1997-1998.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

TIU Adult Education and Job Training Center, Lewistown, PA.

A project designed an operational system and develop a skilled pool of trainers, in conjunction with Pennsylvania's Regional Professional Development Centers (PDCs), to deliver high-quality, uniform training modules in needed content areas to adult basic and literacy education (ABLE) staff throughout Pennsylvania. Procedures for identifying,…

Developing and Implementing a Counselor Evaluation Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bell, Priscilla J.; Acker, Kathleen E.

In the past several years, Tacoma Community College (TCC) has devoted increasing attention to evaluating faculty and staff performance. In recognition of the benefits of a growth-oriented evaluation process over a summative evaluation, the counselors and the Dean for Student Services at TCC developed a comprehensive evaluation system for…

Planning, Conducting, and Documenting Data Analysis for Program Improvement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winer, Abby; Taylor, Cornelia; Derrington, Taletha; Lucas, Anne

2015-01-01

This 2015 document was developed to help technical assistance (TA) providers and state staff define and limit the scope of data analysis for program improvement efforts, including the State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP); develop a plan for data analysis; document alternative hypotheses and additional analyses as they are generated; and…

E-Learning Development in Higher Education: Maximising Efficiency--Maintaining Quality.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Deborah; Sims, Rod

Many tertiary institutions in Australia provide support to develop online teaching and learning resources, an environment characterized by demands from students for quality face-to-face and distance education, staff concern over workloads, institutional budgeting constraints and an imperative to use management systems. There also remains a…

Summary and Evaluation of the Regional Educational Diagnostic Treatment Center 1966-1969.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bureau of Elementary and Secondary Education (DHEW/OE), Washington, DC.

A diagnostic treatment center for learning disabilities and emotional problems was developed to serve six school systems. Evaluation by the multidisciplinary staff covered behavior, family background, health, and intellectual, perceptual motor, emotional, and educational functioning. Treatment plans, developed by the team which subsequently met…

75 FR 16108 - Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Notification of a Public Teleconference and Public Meeting...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-31

... Information System (IRIS) is an electronic database containing descriptive and quantitative toxicological... Office of Research and Development (ORD). In 2001, ORD developed a draft IRIS Toxicological Assessment..., the National Research Council (NRC) was requested to provide a scientific consultation on key...

75 FR 9638 - Surface Transportation Project Delivery Pilot Program; Caltrans Audit Report

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-03

... practice on a case- by-case basis. The FHWA recommends that Caltrans develop a departmentwide, holistic corrective action management approach and system that will develop and implement an internal process review... the Pilot Program. During the on-site audit, Caltrans staff and management continued to express...

Staff acceptance of video monitoring for coordination: a video system to support perioperative situation awareness.

PubMed

Kim, Young Ju; Xiao, Yan; Hu, Peter; Dutton, Richard

2009-08-01

To understand staff acceptance of a remote video monitoring system for operating room (OR) coordination. Improved real-time remote visual access to OR may enhance situational awareness but also raises privacy concerns for patients and staff. Survey. A system was implemented in a six-room surgical suite to display OR monitoring video at an access restricted control desk area. Image quality was manipulated to improve staff acceptance. Two months after installation, interviews and a survey were conducted on staff acceptance of video monitoring. About half of all OR personnel responded (n = 63). Overall levels of concerns were low, with 53% rated no concerns and 42% little concern. Top two reported uses of the video were to see if cases are finished and to see if a room is ready. Viewing the video monitoring system as useful did not reduce levels of concern. Staff in supervisory positions perceived less concern about the system's impact on privacy than did those supervised (p < 0.03). Concerns for patient privacy correlated with concerns for staff privacy and performance monitoring. Technical means such as manipulating image quality helped staff acceptance. Manipulation of image quality resulted overall acceptance of monitoring video, with residual levels of concerns. OR nurses may express staff privacy concern in the form of concerns over patient privacy. This study provided suggestions for technological and implementation strategies of video monitoring for coordination use in OR. Deployment of communication technology and integration of clinical information will likely raise concerns over staff privacy and performance monitoring. The potential gain of increased information access may be offset by negative impact of a sense of loss of autonomy.

Improving precise positioning of surgical robotic instruments by a three-side-view presentation system on telesurgery.

PubMed

Hori, Kenta; Kuroda, Tomohiro; Oyama, Hiroshi; Ozaki, Yasuhiko; Nakamura, Takehiko; Takahashi, Takashi

2005-12-01

For faultless collaboration among the surgeon, surgical staffs, and surgical robots in telesurgery, communication must include environmental information of the remote operating room, such as behavior of robots and staffs, vital information of a patient, named supporting information, in addition to view of surgical field. "Surgical Cockpit System, " which is a telesurgery support system that has been developed by the authors, is mainly focused on supporting information exchange between remote sites. Live video presentation is important technology for Surgical Cockpit System. Visualization method to give precise location/posture of surgical instruments is indispensable for accurate control and faultless operation. In this paper, the authors propose three-side-view presentation method for precise location/posture control of surgical instruments in telesurgery. The experimental results show that the proposed method improved accurate positioning of a telemanipulator.

[Multiprofessional family-system training programme in psychiatry--effects on team cooperation and staff strain].

PubMed

Zwack, Julika; Schweitzer, Jochen

2008-01-01

How does the interdisciplinary cooperation of psychiatric staff members change after a multiprofessional family systems training programme? Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 49 staff members. Quantitative questionnaires were used to assess burnout (Maslach Burnout Inventory, MBI) and team climate (Team-Klima-Inventar, TKI). The multiprofessional training intensifies interdisciplinary cooperation. It results in an increased appreciation of the nurses involved and in a redistribution of therapeutic tasks between nurses, psychologists and physicians. Staff burnout decreased during the research period, while task orientation and participative security within teams increased. The multiprofessional family systems training appears suitable to improve quality of patient care and interdisciplinary cooperation and to reduce staff burnout.

MASCAL: RFID Tracking of Patients, Staff and Equipment to Enhance Hospital Response to Mass Casualty Events

PubMed Central

Fry, Emory A.; Lenert, Leslie A.

2005-01-01

Most medical facilities practice managing the large numbers of seriously injured patients expected during catastrophic events. As the demands on the healthcare team increase, however, the challenges faced by managers escalate, workflow bottlenecks develop and system capacity decreases. This paper describes MASCAL, an integrated software–hardware system designed to enhance management of resources at a hospital during a mass casualty situation. MASCAL uses active 802.11b asset tags to track patients, equipment and staff during the response to a disaster. The system integrates tag position information with data from personnel databases, medical information systems, registration applications and the US Navy’s TACMEDCS triage application in a custom visual disaster management environment. MASCAL includes interfaces for a hospital command center, local area managers (emergency room, operating suites, radiology, etc.) and registration personnel. MASCAL is an operational system undergoing functional evaluation at the Naval Medical Center, San Diego, CA. PMID:16779042

Failing to fail: clinicians' experience of assessing underperforming dental students.

PubMed

Bush, H M; Schreiber, R S; Oliver, S J

2013-11-01

Anecdotal evidence within a UK dental school indicated that staff's grading did not always match their evaluation of students' clinical proficiency. The invalid assessment of underperforming students, which has considerable ramifications, has been reported internationally for students of nursing and medicine, but a database search revealed no accounts for dental education. To develop an understanding of clinicians' approaches to assessing underperforming dental students. Seventeen clinical staff were interviewed (eleven females, six males). Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. A grounded theory methodology was used, with simultaneous data collection and analysis. The main analytical technique was constant comparison. Participants' shared basic problem was Assessing undergraduate students, expressed as how they evaluated and used the assessment system or perceived others to do so. The core category, which explains what clinical staff do to manage their difficulties with assessment, was identified as Failing to Fail and has three subcategories: Evaluating the Assessment System, Shielding the Student and Protecting Myself. This study has substantiated the complexity of failing to fail and confirmed that some causes are shared across healthcare professions, although insufficient staff discussion, the avoidance of confrontation and the impact of negative student attitude are not reported elsewhere or are minor findings. It is recommended that clinical staff receive additional training in assessment and that they are made more aware of their learning needs, their attitudes and beliefs. Increased discussion between staff about assessment and about students known to be in difficulty is essential. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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.

Materials Research Capabilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stofan, Andrew J.

1986-01-01

Lewis Research Center, in partnership with U.S. industry and academia, has long been a major force in developing advanced aerospace propulsion and power systems. One key aspect that made many of these systems possible has been the availability of high-performance, reliable, and long-life materials. To assure a continuing flow of new materials and processing concepts, basic understanding to guide such innovation, and technological support for development of major NASA systems, Lewis has supported a strong in-house materials research activity. Our researchers have discovered new alloys, polymers, metallic composites, ceramics, coatings, processing techniques, etc., which are now also in use by U.S. industry. This brochure highlights selected past accomplishments of our materials research and technology staff. It also provides many examples of the facilities available with which we can conduct materials research. The nation is now beginning to consider integrating technology for high-performance supersonic/hypersonic aircraft, nuclear space power systems, a space station, and new research areas such as materials processing in space. As we proceed, I am confident that our materials research staff will continue to provide important contributions which will help our nation maintain a strong technology position in these areas of growing world competition. Lewis Research Center, in partnership with U.S. industry and academia, has long been a major force in developing advanced aerospace propulsion and power systems. One key aspect that made many of these systems possible has been the availability of high-performance, reliable, and long-life materials. To assure a continuing flow of new materials and processing concepts, basic understanding to guide such innovation, and technological support for development of major NASA systems, Lewis has supported a strong in-house materials research activity. Our researchers have discovered new alloys, polymers, metallic composites, ceramics, coatings, processing techniques, etc., which are now also in use by U.S. industry. This brochure highlights selected past accomplishments of our materials research and technology staff. It also provides many examples of the facilities available with which we can conduct materials research. The nation is now beginning to consider integrating technology for high-performance supersonic/hypersonic aircraft, nuclear space power systems, a space station, and new research areas such as materials processing in space.

Improving care in care homes: a qualitative evaluation of the Croydon care home support team.

PubMed

Lawrence, Vanessa; Banerjee, Sube

2010-05-01

The Croydon care home support team (CHST) was developed in response to reports of patient abuse within long-term care. It presents a novel strategy for improving standards of care within care homes. A qualitative methodology was used to assess the perceived impact of the CHST. In-depth interviews were conducted with 14 care home managers and 24 members of care home staff across 14 care homes. Grounded theory principles guided the collection and analysis of the data. Reports of improved communication between staff, improved staff development and confidence, and improved quality of care point towards the effectiveness of the CHST model. The collaborative approach of the CHST was considered pivotal to its success and presented as an effective method of engaging care home managers and staff. The CHST adopted a systemic approach that placed an equal emphasis on the social, mental health and nursing needs of residents and aimed to address the whole culture of care within the individual homes. The data demonstrate the potential for specialist multi-disciplinary teams to raise standards of care across long-term care settings. Increased awareness of safeguarding issues, improved staff morale and communication and ongoing opportunities for discussion and problem solving promised to sustain improvements. Such services could be instrumental in meeting the government priority of preventing abuse among vulnerable adults.

Developing a self-learning training program for RIS computer skills.

PubMed

Stike, R; Olivi, P

2000-01-01

The demonstration of competency by healthcare professionals remains a priority for hospital administrators, as well as for the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). Unfortunately, staff members who have to complete competency exercises often describe the process as a burden. Ineffective training processes may be the culprit. Our teaching hospital developed a training program for the radiology information system (RIS) computer system used by an imaging department of more than 200 staff members. The emphasis of our training program was on the design phase and the contribution of subject-matter experts (SMEs) to the content and testing of training materials, which included a computer-assisted, self-learning manual (SLM) and a pocket guide. The first step in the design process was to identify subject matter experts (SMEs) within the imaging department. Seven SMEs were shadowed by the IT educator. The role of the SME was to demonstrate current practices with RIS, to state principles involved and to serve as a reference for questions during training development. The steps that followed planning and design were: training delivery, evaluation and ongoing training. These steps were implemented in a series of workshops, which included soliciting feedback about the training program. Feedback was used to revise the SLM. The RIS SLM training project was a huge success for everyone involved. The average score for the core-skills test was higher than 90 percent. Seventy-five percent of the current staff was trained in the first phase, including radiology students. Our yearly cost savings using SLM workshops instead of on-the-job training will be about $35,000. We attribute the success of this project to a detailed timeline, SME contributions, the pilot testing phase, and the positive attitude of the imaging staff.

TRADITIONAL CANISTER-BASED OPEN WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM VERSUS CLOSED SYSTEM: HAZARDOUS EXPOSURE PREVENTION AND OPERATING THEATRE STAFF SATISFACTION.

PubMed

Horn, M; Patel, N; MacLellan, D M; Millard, N

2016-06-01

Exposure to blood and body fluids is a major concern to health care professionals working in operating rooms (ORs). Thus, it is essential that hospitals use fluid waste management systems that minimise risk to staff, while maximising efficiency. The current study compared the utility of a 'closed' system with a traditional canister-based 'open' system in the OR in a private hospital setting. A total of 30 arthroscopy, urology, and orthopaedic cases were observed. The closed system was used in five, four, and six cases, respectively and the open system was used in nine, two, and four cases, respectively. The average number of opportunities for staff to be exposed to hazardous fluids were fewer for the closed system when compared to the open during arthroscopy and urology procedures. The open system required nearly 3.5 times as much staff time for set-up, maintenance during procedures, and post-procedure disposal of waste. Theatre staff expressed greater satisfaction with the closed system than with the open. In conclusion, compared with the open system, the closed system offers a less hazardous and more efficient method of disposing of fluid waste generated in the OR.

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)

Text processing for technical reports (direct computer-assisted origination, editing, and output of text)

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

De Volpi, A.; Fenrick, M. R.; Stanford, G. S.

1980-10-01

Documentation often is a primary residual of research and development. Because of this important role and because of the large amount of time consumed in generating technical reports, particularly those containing formulas and graphics, an existing data-processing computer system has been adapted so as to provide text-processing of technical documents. Emphasis has been on accuracy, turnaround time, and time savings for staff and secretaries, for the types of reports normally produced in the reactor development program. The computer-assisted text-processing system, called TXT, has been implemented to benefit primarily the originator of technical reports. The system is of particular value tomore » professional staff, such as scientists and engineers, who have responsibility for generating much correspondence or lengthy, complex reports or manuscripts - especially if prompt turnaround and high accuracy are required. It can produce text that contains special Greek or mathematical symbols. Written in FORTRAN and MACRO, the program TXT operates on a PDP-11 minicomputer under the RSX-11M multitask multiuser monitor. Peripheral hardware includes videoterminals, electrostatic printers, and magnetic disks. Either data- or word-processing tasks may be performed at the terminals. The repertoire of operations has been restricted so as to minimize user training and memory burden. Spectarial staff may be readily trained to make corrections from annotated copy. Some examples of camera-ready copy are provided.« less

Linking departmental priorities to knowledge management: the experiences of Santa Cruz County's Human Services Department.

PubMed

Lindberg, Arley

2012-01-01

Federal welfare reform, local service collaborations, and the evolution of statewide information systems inspired agency interest in evidence-informed practice and knowledge sharing systems. Four agency leaders, including the Director, Deputy Director, Director of Planning and Evaluation, and Staff Development Program Manager championed the development of a learning organization based on knowledge management throughout the agency. Internal department restructuring helped to strengthen the Planning and Evaluation, Staff Development, and Personnel units, which have become central to supporting knowledge sharing activities. The Four Pillars of Knowledge framework was designed to capture agency directions in relationship to future knowledge management goals. Featuring People, Practice, Technology and Budget, the framework links the agency's services, mission and goals to the process of becoming a learning organization. Built through an iterative process, the framework was created by observing existing activities in each department rather than being designed from the top down. Knowledge management can help the department to fulfill its mission despite reduced resources. Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Implementation strategies influence the structure, process and outcome of quality systems: an empirical study of hospital departments in Sweden.

PubMed

Kunkel, S; Rosenqvist, U; Westerling, R

2009-02-01

To analyse whether the organisation of quality systems (structure, process, and outcome) is related to how these systems were implemented (implementation prerequisites, cooperation between managers and staff, and source of initiative). A questionnaire was developed, piloted and distributed to 600 hospital departments. Questions were included to reflect implementation prerequisites (adequate resources, competence, problem-solving capacity and high expectations), cooperative implementation, source of initiative (manager, staff and purchaser), structure (resources and administration), process (culture and cooperation) and outcome (goal evaluation and competence development). The adjusted response rate was 75%. Construct validity and reliability was assessed by confirmatory factor analysis, and Cronbach alpha scores were calculated. The relationships among the variables were analysed with structural equation modelling with LISREL. Implementation prerequisites were highly related to structure (0.51) and process (0.33). Cooperative implementation was associated with process (0.26) and outcome (0.34). High manager initiative was related to structure (0.19) and process (0.17). The numbers in parentheses can be interpreted as correlations. Construct validity was good, and reliability was excellent for all factors (Cronbach alpha>0.78). The model was a good representation of reality (model fit p value = 0.082). The implementation of organisationally demanding quality systems may require managers to direct and lead the process while assuring that their staff get opportunities to contribute to the planning and designing of the new system. This would correspond to a cooperative implementation strategy rather than to top-down or bottom-up strategies. The results of this study could be used to adjust implementation processes.

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).

User’s manual to update the National Wildlife Refuge System Water Quality Information System (WQIS)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chojnacki, Kimberly A.; Vishy, Chad J.; Hinck, Jo Ellen; Finger, Susan E.; Higgins, Michael J.; Kilbride, Kevin

2013-01-01

National Wildlife Refuges may have impaired water quality resulting from historic and current land uses, upstream sources, and aerial pollutant deposition. National Wildlife Refuge staff have limited time available to identify and evaluate potential water quality issues. As a result, water quality–related issues may not be resolved until a problem has already arisen. The National Wildlife Refuge System Water Quality Information System (WQIS) is a relational database developed for use by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff to identify existing water quality issues on refuges in the United States. The WQIS database relies on a geospatial overlay analysis of data layers for ownership, streams and water quality. The WQIS provides summary statistics of 303(d) impaired waters and total maximum daily loads for the National Wildlife Refuge System at the national, regional, and refuge level. The WQIS allows U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff to be proactive in addressing water quality issues by identifying and understanding the current extent and nature of 303(d) impaired waters and subsequent total maximum daily loads. Water quality data are updated bi-annually, making it necessary to refresh the WQIS to maintain up-to-date information. This manual outlines the steps necessary to update the data and reports in the WQIS.

The development of ORACLe: a measure of an organisation's capacity to engage in evidence-informed health policy.

PubMed

Makkar, Steve R; Turner, Tari; Williamson, Anna; Louviere, Jordan; Redman, Sally; Haynes, Abby; Green, Sally; Brennan, Sue

2016-01-14

Evidence-informed policymaking is more likely if organisations have cultures that promote research use and invest in resources that facilitate staff engagement with research. Measures of organisations' research use culture and capacity are needed to assess current capacity, identify opportunities for improvement, and examine the impact of capacity-building interventions. The aim of the current study was to develop a comprehensive system to measure and score organisations' capacity to engage with and use research in policymaking, which we entitled ORACLe (Organisational Research Access, Culture, and Leadership). We used a multifaceted approach to develop ORACLe. Firstly, we reviewed the available literature to identify key domains of organisational tools and systems that may facilitate research use by staff. We interviewed senior health policymakers to verify the relevance and applicability of these domains. This information was used to generate an interview schedule that focused on seven key domains of organisational capacity. The interview was pilot-tested within four Australian policy agencies. A discrete choice experiment (DCE) was then undertaken using an expert sample to establish the relative importance of these domains. This data was used to produce a scoring system for ORACLe. The ORACLe interview was developed, comprised of 23 questions addressing seven domains of organisational capacity and tools that support research use, including (1) documented processes for policymaking; (2) leadership training; (3) staff training; (4) research resources (e.g. database access); and systems to (5) generate new research, (6) undertake evaluations, and (7) strengthen relationships with researchers. From the DCE data, a conditional logit model was estimated to calculate total scores that took into account the relative importance of the seven domains. The model indicated that our expert sample placed the greatest importance on domains (2), (3) and (4). We utilised qualitative and quantitative methods to develop a system to assess and score organisations' capacity to engage with and apply research to policy. Our measure assesses a broad range of capacity domains and identifies the relative importance of these capacities. ORACLe data can be used by organisations keen to increase their use of evidence to identify areas for further development.

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

Manpower information and the community mental health system.

PubMed

Kamis-Gould, E; Staines, G L

1986-10-01

The lack of knowledge about basic manpower issues in the community mental health system led the authors to devise five questions that address manpower issues of general interest to community mental health system managers. The questions concern the ratio of staff to population, the types of professionals on staff and their demographic characteristics, the amount of time staff spend on various activities, the cost of the work force, and the outcomes of services. The authors discuss how these questions have been considered in the literature, and they illustrate with analyses of data from a survey of staff of New Jersey's mental health agencies how the issues of number, type, and cost of staff can be explored. The authors believe that basic manpower information can contribute directly to the decisions of managers of mental health service systems.

Employee Resistance to Computer Technology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ewert, Alan

1984-01-01

The introduction of computers to the work place may cause employee stress. Aggressive, protective, and avoidance behaviors are forms of staff resistance. The development of good training programs will enhance productivity. Suggestions for evaluating computer systems are offered. (DF)

Research notes : best practices for traffic impact studies.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-11-01

Traffic Impact Studies (TISs) are used by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and staff of other transportation agencies to forecast future system effects from proposed development projects and to predict the useful life of a transportatio...

76 FR 34068 - Advisory Commission on Accessible Instructional Materials in Postsecondary Education for Students...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-10

..., which will--(I) Assess the barriers and systemic issues that may affect, and technical solutions... staff; and (II) make recommendations related to the development of a comprehensive approach to improve...

76 FR 14385 - Advisory Commission on Accessible Instructional Materials in Postsecondary Education for Students...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-16

..., which will--(I) assess the barriers and systemic issues that may affect, and technical solutions... staff; and (II) make recommendations related to the development of a comprehensive approach to improve...

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…

A remote patient monitoring system using a Java-enabled 3G mobile phone.

PubMed

Zhang, Pu; Kogure, Yuichi; Matsuoka, Hiroki; Akutagawa, Masatake; Kinouchi, Yohsuke; Zhang, Qinyu

2007-01-01

Telemedicine systems have become an important supporting for the medical staffs. As the development of the mobile phones, it is possible to apply the mobile phones to be a part of telemedicine systems. We developed an innovative Remote Patient Monitoring System using a Java-enabled 3G mobile phone. By using this system, doctors can monitor the vital biosignals of patients in ICU/CCU, such as ECG, RESP, SpO2, EtCO2 and so on by using the real-time waveform and data monitoring and list trend data monitoring functions of installed Java jiglet application on the mobile phone. Futhermore, doctors can check the patients' information by using the patient information checking function. The 3G mobile phone used has the ability to implement the application as the same time as being used to mak a voice call. Therefore, the doctor can get more and more information both from the browsing the screen of the mobile phone and the communicating with the medical staffs who are beside the patients and the monitors. The system can be conducted to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy, efficiency, and safety of telediagnosis.

A process evaluation of a Psychomotor Dance Therapy Intervention (DANCIN) for behavior change in dementia: attitudes and beliefs of participating residents and staff.

PubMed

Guzmán, Azucena; Robinson, Lisa; Rochester, Lynn; James, Ian A; Hughes, Julian C

2017-02-01

In a previous paper, we presented results from a 12-week study of a Psychomotor DANCe Therapy INtervention (DANCIN) based on Danzón Latin Ballroom that involves motor, emotional-affective, and cognitive domains, using a multiple-baseline single-case design in three care homes. This paper reports the results of a complementary process evaluation to elicit the attitudes and beliefs of home care staff, participating residents, and family members with the aim of refining the content of DANCIN in dementia care. An external researcher collected bespoke questionnaires from ten participating residents, 32 care home staff, and three participants' family members who provided impromptu feedback in one of the care homes. The Behavior Change Technique Taxonomy v1 (BCTTv1) provided a methodological tool for identifying active components of the DANCIN approach warranting further exploration, development, and implementation. Ten residents found DANCIN beneficial in terms of mood and socialization in the care home. Overall, 78% of the staff thought DANCIN led to improvements in residents' mood; 75% agreed that there were improvements in behavior; 56% reported increased job satisfaction; 78% of staff were enthusiastic about receiving further training. Based on participants' responses, four BCTTv1 labels-Social support (emotional), Focus on past success and verbal persuasion to boost self-efficacy, Restructuring the social environment and Habit formation-were identified to describe the intervention. Residents and staff recommended including additional musical genres and extending the session length. Discussions of implementing a supervision system to sustain DANCIN regularly regardless of management or staff turnover were suggested. Care home residents with mild to moderate dementia wanted to continue DANCIN as part of their routine care and staff and family members were largely supportive of this approach. This study argues in favor of further dissemination of DANCIN in care homes. We provide recommendations for the future development of DANCIN based on the views of key stakeholder groups.

Health worker perspectives on barriers to delivery of routine tuberculosis diagnostic evaluation services in Uganda: a qualitative study to guide clinic-based interventions.

PubMed

Cattamanchi, Adithya; Miller, Cecily R; Tapley, Asa; Haguma, Priscilla; Ochom, Emmanuel; Ackerman, Sara; Davis, J Lucian; Katamba, Achilles; Handley, Margaret A

2015-01-22

Studies of the quality of tuberculosis (TB) diagnostic evaluation of patients in high burden countries have generally shown poor adherence to international or national guidelines. Health worker perspectives on barriers to improving TB diagnostic evaluation are critical for developing clinic-level interventions to improve guideline implementation. We conducted structured, in-depth interviews with staff at six district-level health centers in Uganda to elicit their perceptions regarding barriers to TB evaluation. Interviews were transcribed, coded with a standardized framework, and analyzed to identify emergent themes. We used thematic analysis to develop a logic model depicting health system and contextual barriers to recommended TB evaluation practices. To identify possible clinic-level interventions to improve TB evaluation, we categorized findings into predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors as described by the PRECEDE model, focusing on potentially modifiable behaviors at the clinic-level. We interviewed 22 health center staff between February 2010 and November 2011. Participants identified key health system barriers hindering TB evaluation, including: stock-outs of drugs/supplies, inadequate space and infrastructure, lack of training, high workload, low staff motivation, and poor coordination of health center services. Contextual barrier challenges to TB evaluation were also reported, including the time and costs borne by patients to seek and complete TB evaluation, poor health literacy, and stigma against patients with TB. These contextual barriers interacted with health system barriers to contribute to sub-standard TB evaluation. Examples of intervention strategies that could address these barriers and are related to PRECEDE model components include: assigned mentors/peer coaching for new staff (targets predisposing factor of low motivation and need for support to conduct job duties); facilitated workshops to implement same day microscopy (targets enabling factor of patient barriers to completing TB evaluation), and recognition/incentives for good TB screening practices (targets low motivation and self-efficacy). Our findings suggest that health system and contextual barriers work together to impede TB diagnosis at health centers and, if not addressed, could hinder TB case detection efforts. Qualitative research that improves understanding of the barriers facing TB providers is critical to developing targeted interventions to improve TB care.

29 CFR 37.54 - What are a Governor's obligations to develop and maintain a Methods of Administration?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... system for reviewing recipients' job training plans, contracts, assurances, and other similar agreements...: (i) A system for determining whether a grant applicant, if financially assisted, and/or a training... communication and training to ensure that EO Officers and members of the recipients' staffs who have been...

Interactions Between Family and Day Care Systems. Final Technical Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Romero, Det; And Others

This research report studied the relationship between families and day care centers as systems. Three levels of subjects were investigated: 23 day care centers in Lansing, Michigan, day care staffs and families of children enrolled. Three questionnaires were developed to obtain data on demographic and attitudinal variables. A director's…

An Evaluation of Semi-Automated, Collaborative Marking and Feedback Systems: Academic Staff Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burrows, Steven; Shortis, Mark

2011-01-01

Online marking and feedback systems are critical for providing timely and accurate feedback to students and maintaining the integrity of results in large class teaching. Previous investigations have involved much in-house development and more consideration is needed for deploying or customising off the shelf solutions. Furthermore, keeping up to…

Attitudes and opinions of nursing and medical staff regarding the supply and storage of medicinal products before and after the installation of a drawer-based automated stock-control system.

PubMed

Ardern-Jones, Joanne; Hughes, Donald K; Rowe, Philip H; Mottram, David R; Green, Christopher F

2009-04-01

This study assessed the attitudes of Emergency Department (ED) staff regarding the introduction of an automated stock-control system. The objectives were to determine attitudes to stock control and replenishment, speed of access to the system, ease of use and the potential for future uses of the system. The study was carried out in the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (COCH) ED, which is attended by over 65,000 patients each year. All 68 ED staff were sent pre-piloted, semi-structured questionnaires and reminders, before and after automation of medicines stock control. Pre-implementation, 35 staff (66.1% of respondents) reported that problems occurred with access to medicine storage keys 'very frequently' or 'frequently'. Twenty-eight (52.8%) respondents 'agreed' or 'strongly agreed' that medicines were quickly accessed, which rose to 41 (77%) post-automation (P < 0.001). Improvement was reported in stock replenishment and storage of stock injections and oral medicines, but there were mixed opinions regarding storage of bulk fluids and refrigerated items. Twenty-seven (51.9%) staff reported access to the system within 1 min and 17 (32.7%) staff reported access within 1-2 min. The majority of staff found the system 'easy' or 'very easy' to use and there was a non-significant relationship between previous use of information technology and acceptance of the system. From a staff satisfaction perspective, automation improved medicines storage, security and stock control, and addressed the problem of searching for keys to storage areas. Concerns over familiarity with computers, queuing, speed of access and an improved audit trail do not appear to have been issues, when compared with the previous manual storage of medicines.

Understanding inequities in home health care outcomes: staff views on agency and system factors.

PubMed

Davitt, Joan K; Bourjolly, Joretha; Frasso, Rosemary

2015-01-01

Results regarding staff perspectives on contributing factors to racial/ethnic disparities in home health care outcomes are discussed. Focus group interviews were conducted with home health care staff (N = 23) who represented various agencies from three Northeastern states. Participants identified agency and system factors that contribute to disparities, including: (a) administrative staff bias/discretion, (b) communication challenges, (c) patient/staff cultural discordance, (d) cost control, and (e) poor access to community resources. Participants reported that bias can influence staff at all levels and is expressed via poor coverage of predominantly minority service areas, resulting in reduced intensity and continuity of service for minority patients. Copyright 2015, SLACK Incorporated.

The organization of successful participative management in a health sciences library.

PubMed Central

Wood, M B

1977-01-01

The University of Washington Health Sciences Library, Seattle, and its participative management process are described in detail. The evolution of the management system is reviewed by interrelating the various phases of the library's growth, its service complexities, and its communication needs. Staff development results of this participative management mode are discussed. Reference is made to the use of group dynamics concepts. The current organizational design, which integrates the participative subunit with the simple line management structure, is considered effective by both the library staff and its director. PMID:843648

Defense Department Cyber Efforts: More Detailed Guidance Needed to Ensure Military Services Develop Appropriate Cyberspace Capabilities

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-05-01

communications and on computer networks—its Global Information Grid—which are potentially jeopardized by the millions of denial-of-service attacks, hacking ...Director,a National Security Agency Chief of Staff Joint Operations Center Defense Information Systems Agency Command Center J1 J2 J3 J4 J5 J6 J7 J8...DC Joint Staff • J39, Operations, Pentagon, Washington, DC • J5 , Strategic Plans and Policy, Pentagon, Washington, DC U.S. Strategic Command • J882

[Stress management in large-scale establishments].

PubMed

Fukasawa, Kenji

2002-07-01

Due to a recent dramatic change in industrial structures in Japan, the role of large-scale enterprises is changing. Mass production used to be the major income sources of companies, but nowadays it has changed to high value-added products, including, software development. As a consequence of highly competitive inter-corporate development, there are various sources of job stress which induce health problems in employees, especially those concerned with development or management. To simply to obey the law or offer medical care are not enough to achieve management of these problems. Occupational health staff need to act according to the disease type and provide care with support from the Supervisor and Personnel Division. And for the training, development and consultation system, occupational health staff must work with the Personnel Division and Safety Division, and be approved by management supervisors.

Research Staff | Energy Systems Integration Facility | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Research Staff Research Staff NREL's Energy Systems Integration directorate includes the Power investments in advanced energy research, and the security and resilience team under the DOE's multi-lab effort to modernize the nation's electrical grid. juan.torres@nrel.gov | 303-275-3094 ESI Research

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…

Directorate of Management - Special Staff - Joint Staff - Leadership - The

Science.gov Websites

Space Management, Publications Management, Administrative Services, Joint Staff Information Data Systems J-4 J-5 J-6 J-7 J-8 Personal Staff Inspector General Judge Advocate General Officer Management Public Affairs Executive Support Services Legislative Liaison Special Staff Directorate of Management

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.

Improving health services to displaced persons in Aceh, Indonesia: a balanced scorecard.

PubMed

Chan, Grace J; Parco, Kristin B; Sihombing, Melva E; Tredwell, Susan P; O'Rourke, Edward J

2010-09-01

After the Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004, the International Organization for Migration constructed temporary health clinics to provide medical services to survivors living in temporary accommodation centres throughout Aceh, Indonesia. Limited resources, inadequate supervision, staff turnover and lack of a health information system made it challenging to provide quality primary health services. A balanced scorecard was developed and implemented in collaboration with local health clinic staff and district health officials. Performance targets were identified. Staff collected data from clinics and accommodation centres to develop 30 simple performance measures. These measures were monitored periodically and discussed at meetings with stakeholders to guide the development of health interventions. Two years after the tsunami, 34 000 displaced persons continued to receive services from temporary health clinics in two districts of Aceh province. From March to December 2007, the scorecard was implemented in seven temporary health clinics. Interventions stimulated and tracked by the scorecard showed measurable improvements in preventive medicine, child health, capacity building of clinic staff and availability of essential drugs. By enhancing communication, the scorecard also led to qualitative benefits. The balanced scorecard is a practical tool to focus attention and resources to facilitate improvement in disaster rehabilitation settings where health information infrastructure is poor. Introducing a mechanism for rapid improvement fostered communication between nongovernmental organizations, district health officials, clinic health workers and displaced persons.

Professional Development of Russian HEIs' Management and Faculty in CDIO Standards Application

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chuchalin, Alexander; Malmqvist, Johan; Tayurskaya, Marina

2016-01-01

The paper presents the approach to complex training of managers and faculty staff for system modernisation of Russian engineering education. As a methodological basis of design and implementation of the faculty development programme, the CDIO (Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate) Approach was chosen due to compliance of its concept to the purposes…

Observer Training Manual for the Changing Teacher Practice Study. Revised Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnes, Susan

This observer training manual was developed as a central component of a research effort, Changing Teacher Practice (CTP), which was designed to increase the frequency of effective teaching behaviors and staff development strategies in an ongoing school system. The observations focused on two major aspects of classroom teaching--instruction and…

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…

Striking a Balance: Supporting Teaching Excellence Award Applications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Layton, Catherine; Brown, Christine

2011-01-01

Students and peers who nominate academic staff for teaching excellence awards unwittingly invite them to reflect on their work, and explain their practices to other academics. What is an effective system of academic support for these applicants and should academic developers be doing it at all? Is it possible that academic developers and academic…

Managing Academic Staff in Changing University Systems: International Trends and Comparisons.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farnham, David, Ed.

This collection of 17 essays focuses on how faculty are employed, rewarded, and managed at universities in developed and developing nations. The essays, which include an introduction, 10 essays discussing European practices, two that focus on Canada and the United States, three which focus on Australia, Japan, and Malaysia, and a concluding…

Schooling as a Knowledge System: Lessons from Cramim Experimental School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, David

2010-01-01

This article describes an experiment utilizing a research and development strategy to design and implement an innovative school for the future. The development of Cramim Elementary School was a joint effort of researchers from Tel-Aviv University and the staff of the school. The design stage involved constructing a new theoretical framework that…

Political and Pedagogical Dimensions in Holocaust Education: Teacher Seminars and Staff Development in Greece

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balodimas-Bartolomei, Angelyn

2016-01-01

The present study examines Holocaust education and professional teacher development in Greece. It briefly reviews the history of Greek Jewry and the stance and significance of Holocaust education within the Greek education system from historical, political, and pedagogical dimensions. The study also compares various approaches, themes, and…

The Adoption and Diffusion of Web Technologies into Mainstream Teaching.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hansen, Steve; Salter, Graeme

2001-01-01

Discusses various adoption and diffusion frameworks and methodologies to enhance the use of Web technologies by teaching staff. Explains the use of adopter-based models for product development; discusses the innovation-decision process; and describes PlatformWeb, a Web information system that was developed to help integrate a universities'…

Developing a national computerised absence monitoring and management system to reduce nursing student attrition: evaluation of staff and student perspectives.

PubMed

Currie, Kay; McCallum, Jacqueline; Murray, John; Scott, Janine; Strachan, Evelyn; Yates, Lynda; Wright, Marty

2014-05-01

Reducing avoidable nursing student attrition is an international challenge. A pattern of falling attendance is recognised as a frequent precursor to withdrawal from nursing programmes. To address concerns regarding nursing student attrition, the Scottish Government implemented a pilot project for a centralised Computerised Absence Management and Monitoring System (CAMMS). The CAMMS adopted an 'assertive outreach' approach, contacting students every two weeks via colour coded letters to tell them whether their attendance was 'excellent', 'good, but potentially causing concern'; or 'warning; attendance concerns/contact academic staff for support'. This article reports key findings from an evaluation of CAMMS. To explore the perceived impact of CAMMS on student support and attrition, from the perspectives of academic and administrative staff and students. Mixed methods evaluation design. Three large geographically dispersed Schools of Nursing in Scotland. 83 students; 20 academic staff; and 3 lead administrators. On-line cohort survey of academic staff and students; structured interviews with lead administrators. Findings reflected a spectrum of negative and positive views of CAMMS. Students who are attending regularly seem pleased that their commitment is recognised. Lecturers who teach larger groups report greater difficulty getting to know students individually and acknowledge the benefit of identifying potential attendance concerns at an early stage. Conversely, some students who received a 'warning' letter were frequently annoyed or irritated, rather than feeling supported. Increased staff workload resulted in negative perceptions and a consequent reluctance to use CAMMS. However, students who were causing concern reported subsequent improvement in attendance. CAMMS has the potential to identify 'at-risk' students at an early stage; however, the system should have flexibility to tailor automatically generated letters in response to individual circumstances, to avoid student frustration. Further research on the longer term impact of CAMMS on attrition rates is warranted. © 2013.

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

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…

Factors Underlying the Need for In-Service Development Programs in Student Personnel Work.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Truitt, John W.

Definitions, objectives, and concepts of in-service development programs in student personnel work are discussed. A structured, in-service development program p"ovides: (1) continuity for constantly changing staff; (2) enhances orientation and upgrading of new staff; (3) increases staff morale through shared responsibility; (4) encourages…

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

ILLiad: Customer-Focused Interlibrary Loan Automation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kriz, Harry M.; Glover, M. Jason; Ford, Kevin C.

1998-01-01

Describes ILLiad (Interlibrary Loan Internet Accessible Database), software that examines the current state of interlibrary loan borrowing requests at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Topics include system requirements, user procedures, staff procedures, copyright clearance, OCLC, and future developments. (LRW)

29 CFR 29.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... standards; related instruction through appropriate curriculum and delivery systems; and that the... and systematic form of instruction designed to provide the apprentice with the knowledge of the... assistance means guidance provided by Registration Agency staff in the development, revision, amendment, or...

ORD BBS USER'S MANUAL - VERSION 2.0

EPA Science Inventory

The Office of Research and Development's Electronic Bulletin Board System (BBS or ''Board") is designed to facilitate the exchange of technical information and ORD products among EPA Headquarters, laboratory and Regional staff and contractors; States; other Federal agencies, univ...

Wheat Allergy

MedlinePlus

... and toddlers, who have immature immune and digestive systems. Most children outgrow wheat allergy by 16, but adults can develop it, often as a cross-sensitivity to grass pollen. By Mayo Clinic Staff . Mayo Clinic Footer Legal Conditions and Terms Any use of this site ...

TRAVEL WITH COMMANDER QUALICIA

EPA Science Inventory

Commander Qualicia is a cartoon character created for an on-line training course that describes the quality system for the National Exposure Research Laboratory. In the training, which was developed by the QA staff and graphics/IT support contractors, Commander Qualicia and the ...

76 FR 36907 - Advisory Commission on Accessible Instructional Materials in Postsecondary Education for Students...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-23

... comprehensive study, which will--(I) ``Assess the barriers and systemic issues that may affect, and technical... faculty and staff; and (II) make recommendations related to the development of a comprehensive approach to...

Creating a table of authorization to empower staff.

PubMed

Freed, D H

1997-11-01

Empowering frontline managers to make and accept accountability for decisions poses a significant challenge, especially for integrated delivery systems (IDSs) where multiple organizational layers and complex management structures can create confusion about roles and responsibilities. Without a clear set of guidelines for independent action, attempts to achieve staff empowerment are likely to fail. To achieve its empowerment goals, Overlook Hospital in Summit, New Jersey, a part of the Atlantic Health System, a New Jersey-based IDS, developed the "Table of Authorization for the Commitment or Expenditure of the System's Physical or Financial Resources." This management tool clarifies the degree to which frontline managers may make decisions and initiate actions without the need for senior management or board approval. The table provides an effective means of promoting a uniform basis for decision making across the system and encourages improved customer service vital in competitive markets.

A new bed-exiting alarm system for welfare facility residents.

PubMed

Ogawa, Hidekuni; Yonezawa, Yoshiharu; Maki, Hiromichi; Caldwell, W

2009-01-01

A newly developed alarm system detects welfare facility residents leaving their beds, and does not respond to the care staff, who wear shoes or slippers. It employs a stainless steel tape electrode, several linear integrated circuits and a low-power 8-bit single chip microcomputer. The electrode, which is used as a bed-exiting detection sensor, is attached to the floor mat to record changes in the always-present AC (alternating current) voltage induced on the patient's body by electrostatic coupling from the standard 100 volt, 60 Hz AC utility power wiring in the room walls and ceiling. The resident's body movements, before trying to get out of bed and after leaving the bed, are detected by the microcomputer from changes in the induced AC voltage. The microcomputer alerts the care staff station, via a power line communication system or PHS (personal handy phone System).

Factors Influencing Laboratory Information System Effectiveness Through Strategic Planning in Shiraz Teaching Hospitals.

PubMed

Bahador, Fateme; Sharifian, Roxana; Farhadi, Payam; Jafari, Abdosaleh; Nematolahi, Mohtram; Shokrpour, Nasrin

This study aimed to develop and test a research model that examined 7effective factors on the effectiveness of laboratory information system (LIS) through strategic planning. This research was carried out on total laboratory staff, information technology staff, and laboratory managers in Shiraz (a city in the south of Iran) teaching hospitals by structural equation modeling approach in 2015. The results revealed that there was no significant positive relationship between decisions based on cost-benefit analysis and LIS functionality with LIS effectiveness, but there was a significant positive relationship between other factors and LIS effectiveness. As expected, high levels of strategic information system planning result in increasing LIS effectiveness. The results also showed that the relationship between cost-benefit analysis, LIS functionality, end-user involvement, and information technology-business alignment with strategic information system planning was significant and positive.

Training for Public Administration and Management in Developing Countries. A Review. World Bank Staff Working Papers Number 584. Management and Development Series Number 11.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paul, Samuel

Public administration and management training (PAMT) in developing countries has expanded and diversified in the past three decades. Five preconditions have been identified as necessary to ensure the effectiveness of that training: training policies and management of institutions, the educational system, the stock of educated personnel, personnel…

Physical activity opportunities in afterschool programs.

PubMed

Weaver, R Glenn; Beets, Michael W; Huberty, Jennifer; Freedman, Darcy; Turner-Mcgrievy, Gabrielle; Ward, Diane

2015-05-01

Afterschool programs (ASPs) have potential to provide children moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). The availability and types (e.g., free play or organized activities) of physical activity opportunities, their structure (e.g., presence of lines, elimination games), and staff behaviors (e.g., encouragement, engaged) can influence children's MVPA. This study explored these factors in 20 ASPs serving over 1,700 elementary-age children. The occurrence, types, and structure of physical activity opportunities, and staff behaviors were collected via the SOSPAN (System for Observing Staff Promotion of Physical Activity and Nutrition). A total of 4,660 SOSPAN scans were completed across 63 complete program days (1,733 during physical activity opportunities). Physical activity opportunities were observed on 60 program days across all 20 sites, with 73% of those opportunities classified as free play. ASPs scheduled an average of 66.3 minutes (range 15-150 minutes) of physical activity opportunities daily. Games played included basketball, tag, soccer, and football. Staff rarely engaged in physical activity promotion behaviors, and the structure of organized games discouraged MVPA. For example, staff verbally promoted physical activity in just 6.1% of scans, while organized games were more likely to involve lines and elimination. Professional development training may enhance staffs' physical activity promotion and the structure of activity opportunities. © 2015 Society for Public Health Education.

Staff-related access deficit and antenatal care coverage across the NUTS level 1 regions of Turkey.

PubMed

Yardim, Mahmut S

2010-01-01

At the heart of each health system, the workforce is central to advancing health. The World Health Organization has identified a threshold in workforce density below which high coverage of essential interventions, including those necessary to meet the health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), is very unlikely. The International Labor Organization (ILO) has launched a similar indicator -staff related access deficit- using Thailand's health care professional density as a benchmark. The aim of this study is to assess the staff-related access deficit of the population across the 12 NUTS 1 level regions of Turkey. The main hypothesis is that staff-related access deficit has a correlation with and predicts the gap in antenatal care coverage (percentage of women unable to access to antenatal care) across different regions. Staff-related access deficit, as a threshold indicator, seems to have a linear relationship with the antenatal care coverage gap. The known inequalities in the distribution of the health care workforce among different regions of Turkey were put forward once more in this study using the SRA indicator. The staff-related access deficit indicator can be easily used to monitor the status of distributional inequalities of the health care workforce at different sub-national levels in the future.

[Health behaviour and health status of nursing staff--a review of the literature].

PubMed

Tracogna, U; Klewer, J; Kugler, J

2002-07-01

Presently around 1.1 million nurses are employed in the German health care system. Due to increased workload and staff reduction, studies on the health behaviour and health condition of nursing staff are increasingly important. Hence we reviewed the literature on health behaviour and health condition of nursing staff. Articles available in Medline and Embase from 1978 to 2000 were included, focussing on smoking, alcohol consumption, substance abuse, eating habits, body-mass index, dental health status, risk behaviour in traffic, workload, burnout syndrome, sports and recreation, job satisfaction, subjective health status, subjective complaints, vaccinations and quality of life. Health behaviour was divided in unhealthy and healthy behaviour. It became obvious that most of the studies focussed on investigation of unhealthy behaviour, such as smoking, alcohol consumption, substance abuse and poor eating habits. Health promotion was mainly seen as avoiding these unhealthy habits. Only in current studies definitions of health promoting behaviour were developed as a part of a comprehensive life-style.

Linking data to decision-making: applying qualitative data analysis methods and software to identify mechanisms for using outcomes data.

PubMed

Patel, Vaishali N; Riley, Anne W

2007-10-01

A multiple case study was conducted to examine how staff in child out-of-home care programs used data from an Outcomes Management System (OMS) and other sources to inform decision-making. Data collection consisted of thirty-seven semi-structured interviews with clinicians, managers, and directors from two treatment foster care programs and two residential treatment centers, and individuals involved with developing the OMS; and observations of clinical and quality management meetings. Case study and grounded theory methodology guided analyses. The application of qualitative data analysis software is described. Results show that although staff rarely used data from the OMS, they did rely on other sources of systematically collected information to inform clinical, quality management, and program decisions. Analyses of how staff used these data suggest that improving the utility of OMS will involve encouraging staff to participate in data-based decision-making, and designing and implementing OMS in a manner that reflects how decision-making processes operate.

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…

Nursing shortages: let's be flexible.

PubMed

Sullivan, Christine; Reading, Sonya

2002-10-01

The following paper is a report outlining a significant work pattern change in an acute cardiac ward at a large Brisbane-based private hospital. The nursing staff expressed the desire for more flexible rostering and the opportunity to work 12-hour shifts. After agreement was reached between the hospital, the union and the Industrial Relations Board, guidelines were put in place and a Flexible Rostering System was proposed and trialed. An 80% consensus of staff was required both to proceed with the trial and to implement any permanent changes. Initially, the trial was conducted for three months and extended to six months. The shifts trialed were between four and 12 hours in length with varied starting and finishing times. The Flexible Rostering System was evaluated using feedback from staff surveys and the results of a staff vote. In addition, patient feedback, incident reports, financial and managerial evaluation of staff costs, hours per patient day utilised, sick leave, and the use of permanent staff for voluntary extra shifts were also monitored. The outcome of the trial was positive with over 80% of staff voting to implement the Flexible Rostering System permanently. A significant reduction in sick leave of 41% and improved retention of skilled registered nursing staff was noted. There was no increase in the number of incident reports or patient complaints. Both patients and nurses commented on the improved continuity of care. Salaries and wages were within budget. Staff surveys showed positive feedback such as increased morale, increased flexibility with rosters, decreased fatigue levels, improved patient assessment on night duty and an increase in number of days off. In conclusion, the Flexible Rostering System has been accepted as a positive change for staff and is cost effective for the hospital. In light of nursing shortages, the outcome of this trial cannot be ignored.

12 CFR Supplement I to Part 226 - Official Staff Interpretations

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Official Staff Interpretations I Supplement I to Part 226 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM (CONTINUED) BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM TRUTH IN LENDING (REGULATION Z) Supplement I to Part 226—Official Staff Interpretations...

12 CFR Supplement I to Part 205 - Official Staff Interpretations

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Official Staff Interpretations I Supplement I to Part 205 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM ELECTRONIC FUND TRANSFERS (REGULATION E) Pt. 205, Supp. I Supplement I to Part 205—Official Staff...

Optimising the performance of an outpatient setting.

PubMed

Sendi, Pedram; Al, Maiwenn J; Battegay, Manuel; Al Maiwenn, J

2004-01-24

An outpatient setting typically includes experienced and novice resident physicians who are supervised by senior staff physicians. The performance of this kind of outpatient setting, for a given mix of experienced and novice resident physicians, is determined by the number of senior staff physicians available for supervision. The optimum mix of human resources may be determined using discrete-event simulation. An outpatient setting represents a system where concurrency and resource sharing are important. These concepts can be modelled by means of timed Coloured Petri Nets (CPN), which is a discrete-event simulation formalism. We determined the optimum mix of resources (i.e. the number of senior staff physicians needed for a given number of experienced and novice resident physicians) to guarantee efficient overall system performance. In an outpatient setting with 10 resident physicians, two staff physicians are required to guarantee a minimum level of system performance (42-52 patients are seen per 5-hour period). However, with 3 senior staff physicians system performance can be improved substantially (49-56 patients per 5-hour period). An additional fourth staff physician does not substantially enhance system performance (50-57 patients per 5-hour period). Coloured Petri Nets provide a flexible environment in which to simulate an outpatient setting and assess the impact of any staffing changes on overall system performance, to promote informed resource allocation decisions.

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.

Nurse managers' decision-making in daily unit operation in peri-operative settings: a cross-sectional descriptive study.

PubMed

Siirala, Eriikka; Peltonen, Laura-Maria; Lundgrén-Laine, Heljä; Salanterä, Sanna; Junttila, Kristiina

2016-09-01

To describe the tactical and the operational decisions made by nurse managers when managing the daily unit operation in peri-operative settings. Management is challenging as situations change rapidly and decisions are constantly made. Understanding decision-making in this complex environment helps to develop decision support systems to support nurse managers' operative and tactical decision-making. Descriptive cross-sectional design. Data were collected from 20 nurse managers with the think-aloud method during the busiest working hours and analysed using thematic content analysis. Nurse managers made over 700 decisions; either ad hoc (n = 289), near future (n = 268) or long-term (n = 187) by nature. Decisions were often made simultaneously with many interruptions. Ad hoc decisions covered staff allocation, ensuring adequate staff, rescheduling surgical procedures, confirmation tangible resources and following-up the daily unit operation. Decisions in the near future were: planning of surgical procedures and tangible resources, and planning staff allocation. Long-term decisions were: human recourses, nursing development, supplies and equipment, and finances in the unit. Decision-making was vulnerable to interruptions, which sometimes complicated the managing tasks. The results can be used when planning decision support systems and when defining the nurse managers' tasks in peri-operative settings. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Design and development of a nutritional assessment application for smartphones and tablets with Android OS.

PubMed

Carnero Gregorio, Miguel; Blanco Ramos, Montserrat; Obeso Carillo, Gerardo Andrés; García Fontán, Eva; Álvarez González, Miguel Ángel; Cañizares Carretero, Miguel Ángel

2014-10-03

To design and develop a nutritional application for smartphones and tablets with Android operating system for using to in- and outpatients that need a nutritional assessment. To check the validity of the results of such software. The application was compiled for version 2.1 of the Android operating system from Google. A cohort of 30 patients was included for evaluating the reliability of the application. The calculations were performed by staff of the Nutrition Unit of the Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Vigo, manually and through e-Nutrimet software on a smartphone and a tablet. Concordance was absolute between results of different methods obtained using e-Nutrimet on a smartphone and a tablet (Fleiss index κ= 1). The same level of concordance was obtained by comparing handmade and e-Nutrimet made results. The degree of correlation is good, and it would be extended to all healthcare staff who wants to determine whether a patient has malnutrition, or not. The nutritional assessment software e-Nutrimet does not replace healthcare staff in any case, but could be an important aid in assessing patients who may be in risk of malnutrition, saving time of evaluation. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

[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.

Implementation of standardized nomenclature in the electronic medical record.

PubMed

Klehr, Joan; Hafner, Jennifer; Spelz, Leah Mylrea; Steen, Sara; Weaver, Kathy

2009-01-01

To describe a customized electronic medical record documentation system which provides an electronic health record, Epic, which was implemented in December 2006 using standardized taxonomies for nursing documentation. Descriptive data is provided regarding the development, implementation, and evaluation processes for the electronic medical record system. Nurses used standardized nursing nomenclature including NANDA-I diagnoses, Nursing Interventions Classification, and Nursing Outcomes Classification in a measurable and user-friendly format using the care plan activity. Key factors in the success of the project included close collaboration among staff nurses and information technology staff, ongoing support and encouragement from the vice president/chief nursing officer, the ready availability of expert resources, and nursing ownership of the project. Use of this evidence-based documentation enhanced institutional leadership in clinical documentation.

M/A-COM linkabit eastern operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mills, D. L.; Avramovic, Z.

1983-03-01

This first Quarterly Project Report on LINKABIT's contribution to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Internet Program covers the period from 22 December 1982 through 21 March 1983. LINKABIT's support of the Internet Program is concentrated in the areas of protocol design, implementation, testing, and evaluation. In addition, LINKABIT staff are providing integration and support services for certain computer systems to be installed at DARPA sites in Washington, D.C., and Stuttgart, West Germany. During the period covered by this report, LINKABIT organized the project activities and established staff responsibilities. Several computers and peripheral devices were made available from Government sources for use in protocol development and network testing. Considerable time was devoted to installing this equipment, integrating the software, and testing it with the Internet system.

Skill mix in the health care workforce: reviewing the evidence.

PubMed Central

Buchan, James; Dal Poz, Mario R.

2002-01-01

This paper discusses the reasons for skill mix among health workers being important for health systems. It examines the evidence base (identifying its limitations), summarizes the main findings from a literature review, and highlights the evidence on skill mix that is available to inform health system managers, health professionals, health policy-makers and other stakeholders. Many published studies are merely descriptive accounts or have methodological weaknesses. With few exceptions, the published analytical studies were undertaken in the USA, and the findings may not be relevant to other health systems. The results from even the most rigorous of studies cannot necessarily be applied to a different setting. This reflects the basis on which skill mix should be examined--identifying the care needs of a specific patient population and using these to determine the required skills of staff. It is therefore not possible to prescribe in detail a "universal" ideal mix of health personnel. With these limitations in mind, the paper examines two main areas in which investigating current evidence can make a significant contribution to a better understanding of skill mix. For the mix of nursing staff, the evidence suggests that increased use of less qualified staff will not be effective in all situations, although in some cases increased use of care assistants has led to greater organizational effectiveness. Evidence on the doctor-nurse overlap indicates that there is unrealized scope in many systems for extending the use of nursing staff. The effectiveness of different skill mixes across other groups of health workers and professions, and the associated issue of developing new roles remain relatively unexplored. PMID:12163922

A four-year, systems-wide intervention promoting interprofessional collaboration

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background A four-year action research study was conducted across the Australian Capital Territory health system to strengthen interprofessional collaboration (IPC) though multiple intervention activities. Methods We developed 272 substantial IPC intervention activities involving 2,407 face-to-face encounters with health system personnel. Staff attitudes toward IPC were surveyed yearly using Heinemann et al's Attitudes toward Health Care Teams and Parsell and Bligh's Readiness for Interprofessional Learning scales (RIPLS). At study's end staff assessed whether project goals were achieved. Results Of the improvement projects, 76 exhibited progress, and 57 made considerable gains in IPC. Educational workshops and feedback sessions were well received and stimulated interprofessional activities. Over time staff scores on Heinemann's Quality of Interprofessional Care subscale did not change significantly and scores on the Doctor Centrality subscale increased, contrary to predictions. Scores on the RIPLS subscales of Teamwork & Collaboration and Professional Identity did not alter. On average for the assessment items 33% of staff agreed that goals had been achieved, 10% disagreed, and 57% checked neutral. There was most agreement that the study had resulted in increased sharing of knowledge between professions and improved quality of patient care, and least agreement that between-professional rivalries had lessened and communication and trust between professions improved. Conclusions Our longitudinal interventional study of IPC involving multiple activities supporting increased IPC achieved many project-specific goals. However, improvements in attitudes over time were not demonstrated and neutral assessments predominated, highlighting the difficulties faced by studies targeting change at the systems level and over extended periods. PMID:22520869

Integrated Training System for Air Force On-the-Job Training: Specification Development. Final Technical Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carson, Stuart B.; And Others.

The Air Force conducted this study for two purposes: (1) to define the system of Air Force On-the-Job Training (OJT); and (2) to prepare a set of functional specifications for an integrated, base-level OJT evaluation and management system with linkages to the Major Commands and Air Staff. The study was conducted in four phases. During the first…

Regulatory guidance on soil cover systems

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

Kane, J.D.

1991-12-31

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in September 1991, completed revisions to 14 sections of the Standard Review Plan (SRP) for the Review of a License Application for a Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility. The major purposes of the SRP are to ensure the quality and uniformity of the NRC staff`s safety reviews, and to present a well-defined base from which to evaluate the acceptability of information and data provided in the Safety Analysis Report (SAR) portion of the license application. SRP 3.2, entitled, Design Considerations for Normal and Abnormal/Accident Conditions, was one of the sections that was revised bymore » the NRC staff. This revision was completed to provide additional regulatory guidance on the important considerations that need to be addressed for the proper design and construction of soil cover systems that are to be placed over the LLW. The cover system over the waste is acknowledged to be one of the most important engineered barriers for the long-term stable performance of the disposal facility. The guidance in revised SRP 3.2 summarizes the previous efforts and recommendations of the US Army Corps of Engineers (COE), and a peer review panel on the placement of soil cover systems. NRC published these efforts in NUREG/CR-5432. The discussions in this paper highlight selected recommendations on soil cover issues that the NRC staff considers important for ensuring the safe, long-term performance of the soil cover systems. The development phases to be discussed include: (1) cover design; (2) cover material selection; (3) laboratory and field testing; (4) field placement control and acceptance; and (5) penetrations through the constructed covers.« less

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…

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…

Understanding the role of technology in health information systems.

PubMed

Lewis, Don; Hodge, Nicola; Gamage, Duminda; Whittaker, Maxine

2012-04-01

Innovations in, and the use of emerging information and communications technology (ICT) has rapidly increased in all development contexts, including healthcare. It is believed that the use of appropriate technologies can increase the quality and reach of both information and communication. However, decisions on what ICT to adopt have often been made without evidence of their effectiveness; or information on implications; or extensive knowledge on how to maximise benefits from their use. While it has been stated that 'healthcare ICT innovation can only succeed if design is deeply informed by practice', the large number of 'failed' ICT projects within health indicates the limited application of such an approach. There is a large and growing body of work exploring health ICT issues in the developed world, and some specifically focusing on the developing country context emerging from Africa and India; but not for the Pacific Region. Health systems in the Pacific, while diverse in many ways, are also faced with many common problems including competing demands in the face of limited resources, staff numbers, staff capacity and infrastructure. Senior health managers in the region are commonly asked to commit money, effort and scarce manpower to supporting new technologies on proposals from donor agencies or commercial companies, as well as from senior staff within their system. The first decision they must make is if the investment is both plausible and reasonable; they must also secondly decide how the investment should be made. The objective of this article is three-fold: firstly, to provide a common 'language' for categorising and discussing health information systems, particularly those in developing countries; secondly, to summarise the potential benefits and opportunities offered by the use of ICT in health; and thirdly, to discuss the critical factors countries. Overall, this article aims to illuminate the potential role of information and communication technologies in health, specifically for Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs).

State Systems Improvement Self-Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mid-South Regional Resource Center (MSRRC), 2008

2008-01-01

This document was developed by the Mid-South Regional Resource Center (MSRRC) and is designed to be used as an assessment of State systems by State Part B and Part C staff and their stakeholders. It provides a detailed process for State Education Agencies (SEA) and Lead Agencies (LA) to follow that will guide improvement efforts relative to the…

Management Information System for Vocational Education. MISVE Technical Description. Research and Development Series No. 127E.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hulse, Ira; And Others

One of six documents describing the Management Information System for Vocational Education (MISVE), this document is intended for MISVE managers and electronic data processing (EDP) operations staff who would be responsible for the implementation and maintenance of the MISVE on the computer. (MISVE was designed to provide users with an advanced…

An Invitation To Shape the Future: A Multi-Year Plan for Pennsylvania's Mental Retardation Service System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pennsylvania State Dept. of Public Welfare, Harrisburg. Office of Mental Retardation.

This paper presents a five-year plan for the improvement of Pennsylvania's system of services for people with mental retardation and their families. It was developed over an 18-month period by 70 people, including people with disabilities, family members, advocates, providers of service, legislative staff, and county and state government…

A Proposal of a Color Music Notation System on a Single Melody for Music Beginners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuo, Yi-Ting; Chuang, Ming-Chuen

2013-01-01

Music teachers often encounter obstructions in teaching beginners in music reading. Conventional notational symbols require beginners to spend significant amount of time in memorizing, which discourages learning at early stage. This article proposes a newly-developed color music notation system that may improve the recognition of the staff and the…

Policy to Performance: State ABE Transition Systems Report. Transitioning Adults to Opportunity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alamprese, Judith A.

2012-01-01

The U.S. Department of Education's Policy to Performance project was funded in 2009 to build the capacity of state adult basic education (ABE) staff to develop and implement policies and practices that would support an ABE transition system. Policy to Performance states were selected though a competitive process. State adult education directors…

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

INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP ON ARSENIC REMOVAL FROM DRINKING WATER

EPA Science Inventory

In 2005, EPA's Office of Water and Office of Research and Development collaborated to present eleven arsenic training events. The workshops provided in-depth treatment technology training to help those affected; state drinking water staff, design engineers, system owners and cert...

Pointing the Way.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cowan, William M.

1984-01-01

Complying with regulations that require tactile signs to assist disabled persons is not as onerous as it seems. An intelligently developed signage system will reduce the amount of staff time needed to assist disabled people, most of whom prefer to find their own way. (TE)

Ohio School Design Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ohio School Facilities Commission, Columbus.

This manual presents guidance to facility designers, school administrators, staff, and students for the development of school facilities being constructed under Ohio's Classroom Facilities Assistance Program. It provides critical analysis of individual spaces and material/system components necessary for the construction of elementary and secondary…

National Guard Bureau Joint Staff

Science.gov Websites

, Publications Management, Administrative Services, Joint Staff Information Data Systems, Property Book -7 J-8 Personal Staff Inspector General Judge Advocate General Officer Management Public Affairs Executive Support Services Legislative Liaison Special Staff Directorate of Management Office of the Provost

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.

Technical assistance from state health departments for communities engaged in policy, systems, and environmental change: the ACHIEVE Program.

PubMed

Hefelfinger, Jenny; Patty, Alice; Ussery, Ann; Young, Walter

2013-10-24

This study assessed the value of technical assistance provided by state health department expert advisors and by the staff of the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) to community groups that participated in the Action Communities for Health, Innovation, and Environmental Change (ACHIEVE) Program, a CDC-funded health promotion program. We analyzed quantitative and qualitative data reported by community project coordinators to assess the nature and value of technical assistance provided by expert advisors and NACDD staff and the usefulness of ACHIEVE resources in the development and implementation of community action plans. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze and categorize phrases in text data provided by community coordinators. Open coding placed conceptual labels on text phrases. Frequency distributions of the quantitative data are described and discussed. The most valuable technical assistance and program support resources were those determined to be in the interpersonal domain (ie, interactions with state expert advisors, NACDD staff, and peer-to-peer support). The most valuable technical assistance events were action institutes, coaches' meetings, webinars, and technical assistance conference calls. This analysis suggests that ACHIEVE communities valued the management and training assistance provided by expert advisors and NACDD staff. State health department expert advisors provided technical guidance and support, including such skills or knowledge-based services as best-practice strategies, review and discussion of community assessment data, sustainability planning, and identification of possible funding opportunities. NACDD staff led development and implementation of technical assistance events.

Performance measures for a dialysis setting.

PubMed

Gu, Xiuzhu; Itoh, Kenji

2018-03-01

This study from Japan extracted performance measures for dialysis unit management and investigated their characteristics from professional views. Two surveys were conducted using self-administered questionnaires, in which dialysis managers/staff were asked to rate the usefulness of 44 performance indicators. A total of 255 managers and 2,097 staff responded. Eight performance measures were elicited from dialysis manager and staff responses: these were safety, operational efficiency, quality of working life, financial effectiveness, employee development, mortality, patient/employee satisfaction and patient-centred health care. These performance measures were almost compatible with those extracted in overall healthcare settings in a previous study. Internal reliability, content and construct validity of the performance measures for the dialysis setting were ensured to some extent. As a general trend, both dialysis managers and staff perceived performance measures as highly useful, especially for safety, mortality, operational efficiency and patient/employee satisfaction, but showed relatively low concerns for patient-centred health care and employee development. However, dialysis managers' usefulness perceptions were significantly higher than staff. Important guidelines for designing a holistic hospital/clinic management system were yielded. Performance measures must be balanced for outcomes and performance shaping factors (PSF); a common set of performance measures could be applied to all the healthcare settings, although performance indicators of each measure should be composed based on the application field and setting; in addition, sound causal relationships between PSF and outcome measures/indicators should be explored for further improvement. © 2017 European Dialysis and Transplant Nurses Association/European Renal Care Association.

Psychosocial care for seriously injured children and their families: a qualitative study among emergency department nurses and physicians.

PubMed

Alisic, Eva; Conroy, Rowena; Magyar, Joanne; Babl, Franz E; O'Donnell, Meaghan L

2014-09-01

Approximately one in five children who sustain a serious injury develops persistent stress symptoms. Emergency Department nurses and physicians have a pivotal role in psychosocial care for seriously injured children. However, little is known about staff's views on this role. Our aim was to investigate Emergency Department staff's views on psychosocial care for seriously injured children. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 nurses and physicians working in an Australian Paediatric Emergency Department. We used purposive sampling to obtain a variety of views. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and major themes were derived in line with the summative analysis method. We also mapped participants' strategies for child and family support on the eight principles of Psychological First Aid (PFA). Five overarching themes emerged: (1) staff find psychosocial issues important but focus on physical care; (2) staff are aware of individual differences but have contrasting views on vulnerability; (3) parents have a central role; (4) staff use a variety of psychosocial strategies to support children, based on instinct and experience but not training; and (5) staff have individually different wishes regarding staff- and self-care. Staff elaborated most on strategies related to the PFA elements 'contact and engagement', 'stabilization', 'connection with social supports' and least on 'informing about coping'. The strong notion of individual differences in views suggests a need for training in psychosocial care for injured children and their families. In addition, further research on paediatric traumatic stress and psychosocial care in the ED will help to overcome the current paucity of the literature. Finally, a system of peer support may accommodate wishes regarding staff care. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Different usage of the same oncology information system in two hospitals in Sydney--lessons go beyond the initial introduction.

PubMed

Yu, Ping; Gandhidasan, Senthilkumar; Miller, Alexis A

2010-06-01

The experience of clinicians at two public hospitals in Sydney, Australia, with the introduction and use of an oncology information system (OIS) was examined to extract lessons to guide the introduction of clinical information systems in public hospitals. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 of 15 radiation oncologists employed at the two hospitals. The personnel involved in the decision making process for the introduction of the system were contacted and their decision making process revisited. The transcribed data were analyzed using NVIVO software. Themes emerged included implementation strategies and practices, the radiation oncologists' current use and satisfaction with the OIS, project management and the impact of the OIS on clinical practice. The hospitals had contrasting experiences in their introduction and use of the OIS. Hospital A used the OIS in all aspects of clinical documentation. Its implementation was associated with strong advocacy by the Head of Department, input by a designated project manager, and use and development of the system by all staff, with timely training and support. With no vision of developing a paperless information system, Hospital B used the OIS only for booking and patient tracking. A departmental policy that data entry for the OIS was centrally undertaken by administrative staff distanced clinicians from the system. All the clinicians considered that the OIS should continuously evolve to meet changing clinical needs and departmental quality improvement initiatives. This case study indicates that critical factors for the successful introduction of clinical information systems into hospital environment were an initial clear vision to be paperless, strong clinical leadership and management at the departmental level, committed project management, and involvement of all staff, with appropriate training. Clinician engagement is essential for post-adoption evolution of clinical information systems. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Head Start Staff Reactions to a Novel Tobacco Intervention: A Qualitative Analysis.

PubMed

Keske, Robyn R; Barker, Kathryn M; Geller, Alan C; Hamasaka, Laura; Sparks, Michael; Moody-Thomas, Sarah; Jolicoeur, Denise; Rees, Vaughan W

2016-11-01

As tobacco use becomes increasingly concentrated in communities of low socio-economic position (SEP), scalable cessation interventions are needed. Head Start programs offer one setting in which a family-focused intervention can be implemented in low SEP communities. We assessed the experiences of Head Start (HS) staff who received training in a pilot motivational interviewing (MI) tobacco intervention, to improve future feasibility. Focus group interviews were conducted with HS staff to assess their reactions to MI training and their use of MI in their work with families. Transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis and a 4-step approach informed by grounded theory. HS staff reported advantages of MI beyond its use as a tobacco intervention, despite systematic barriers to broad implementation. Facilitators of MI use included enhanced engagement with families, and opportunities for professional development. Barriers to MI use included limited institutional support and low priority for a tobacco intervention among families with pressing social and financial concerns. HS Staff voiced support for broader training in MI interventions in HS programs. System-wide standards to ensure adequate training and support for an MI tobacco intervention were identified as priorities.

Resident Front Office Experience: A Systems-Based Practice Activity

PubMed Central

Sutkin, Gary; Aronoff, Christine K.

2008-01-01

Purpose: We set out to create and evaluate a systems-based practice experience designed to introduce residents to front office responsibilities and stimulate suggestions for front office improvements. Methods: On two occasions in 2002 and 2006, each resident in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department was trained by a front office staff member for one day. The residents completed pre- and post-experience surveys, answered open-ended questions about their experience, and volunteered suggestions for improving the front office staff, and were evaluated by their precepting staff member. Results: All but two of 23 particpating residents participated enthusiastically. These residents perceived experiencing the staff as vital to the success of the practice, reported an increased sense of appreciation for the training of staff personnel, and were evaluated favorably. Conclusion: This program gave our residents an appreciation for the training and responsibilities of pivotal office staff and an opportunity to suggest improvements. This program also satisfied ACGME resident education requirements regarding systems-based practice. PMID:20165536

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…

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.

ORNL superconducting technology program for electric energy systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hawsey, R. A.

1993-02-01

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Superconducting Technology Program is conducted as part of a national effort by the US Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of Conservation and Renewable Energy to develop the technology base needed by US industry for commercial development of electric power applications of high-temperature superconductivity. The two major elements of this program are wire development and systems development. This document describes the major research and development activities for this program together with related accomplishments. The technical progress reported was summarized from information prepared for the FY-92 Peer Review of Projects, which was conducted by DOE's Office of Program Analysis, Office of Energy Research. This ORNL program is highly leveraged by the staff and other resources of US industry and universities. Interlaboratory teams are also in place on a number of industry-driven projects. Patent disclosures, working group meetings, staff exchanges, and joint publications and presentations ensure that there is technology transfer to US industry. Working together, the collaborative teams are making tremendous progress in solving the scientific and technical issues necessary for the commercialization of long lengths of practical high-temperature superconductor wire and wire products.

[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.

32 CFR 1602.5 - Area office staff.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 6 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Area office staff. 1602.5 Section 1602.5....5 Area office staff. The compensated employees, civilian and military, of the Selective Service System employed in an area office will be referred to as the area office staff. ...

32 CFR 1602.5 - Area office staff.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 32 National Defense 6 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Area office staff. 1602.5 Section 1602.5....5 Area office staff. The compensated employees, civilian and military, of the Selective Service System employed in an area office will be referred to as the area office staff. ...

32 CFR 1602.5 - Area office staff.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 32 National Defense 6 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Area office staff. 1602.5 Section 1602.5....5 Area office staff. The compensated employees, civilian and military, of the Selective Service System employed in an area office will be referred to as the area office staff. ...

32 CFR 1602.5 - Area office staff.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 32 National Defense 6 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Area office staff. 1602.5 Section 1602.5....5 Area office staff. The compensated employees, civilian and military, of the Selective Service System employed in an area office will be referred to as the area office staff. ...

32 CFR 1602.5 - Area office staff.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 32 National Defense 6 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Area office staff. 1602.5 Section 1602.5....5 Area office staff. The compensated employees, civilian and military, of the Selective Service System employed in an area office will be referred to as the area office staff. ...

Professional Development Needs of American International Schools Overseas: An Opportunity for Service.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ortloff, Warren G.; Escobar-Ortloff, Luz Marina

This paper discusses U.S. international schools overseas, addressing the typical American international schools' staff development needs and looking at past and present involvement of U.S. universities in support of these schools. The two major types of overseas schools are those operated by the Department of Defense Dependent Schools system and…

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.

Critical Success Factors for the North Carolina Community College System. A Background Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Kathryn Baker

In response to legislative mandate, the North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges developed a list of Critical Success Factors (CSF) to help define statewide measures of accountability for all community colleges. Developed by staff members of the State Board with input from the state's community college presidents, the CSFs emphasize…

Staff Study on Cost and Training Effectiveness of Proposed Training Systems. TAEG Report 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naval Training Equipment Center, Orlando, FL. Training Analysis and Evaluation Group.

A study began the development and initial testing of a method for predicting cost and training effectiveness of proposed training programs. A prototype Training Effectiveness and Cost Effectiveness Prediction (TECEP) model was developed and tested. The model was a method for optimization of training media allocation on the basis of fixed training…

[Design and development of an online system of parasite's images for training and evaluation].

PubMed

Yuan-Chun, Mao; Sui, Xu; Jie, Wang; Hua-Yun, Zhou; Jun, Cao

2017-08-08

To design and develop an online training and evaluation system for parasitic pathogen recognition. The system was based on a Parasitic Diseases Specimen Image Digitization Construction Database by using MYSQL 5.0 as the system of database development software, and PHP 5 as the interface development language. It was mainly used for online training and evaluation of parasitic pathology diagnostic techniques. The system interface was designed simple, flexible, and easy to operate for medical staff. It enabled full day and 24 hours accessible to online training study and evaluation. Thus, the system broke the time and space constraints of the traditional training models. The system provides a shared platform for the professional training of parasitic diseases, and a reference for other training tasks.

Implementation and Evaluation of Self-Scheduling in a Hospital System.

PubMed

Wright, Christina; McCartt, Peggy; Raines, Diane; Oermann, Marilyn H

Inflexible work schedules affect job satisfaction and influence nurse turnover. Job satisfaction is a significant predictor of nurse retention. Acute care hospitals report that job satisfaction is influenced by autonomy and educational opportunity. This project discusses implementation of computer-based self-scheduling in a hospital system and its impact. It is important for staff development educators to be aware that self-scheduling may play a key role in autonomy, professional development, turnover, and hospital costs.

A Study to Develop Alternative Approaches for Implementing Product Line Management in the South Texas Veterans Health Care System

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-05-01

Transformation of the Veterans Healthcare System." Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, D.C., March, 1996. 88 Kotler , Philip . "Managing...time lines are developed so management and staff can begin thinking about business from a different perspective (Manning 1987,29). Philip Lathrop...organized around product lines will the full effects of this approach be known. 86 WORKS CITED Benz, Philip D., and Janet Burnham. "Case Study

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

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…

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…

Situation-Dependent Medical Device Risk Estimation: Design and Evaluation of an Equipment Management Center For Vendor-Independent Integrated Operating Rooms.

PubMed

Maktabi, Marianne; Neumuth, Thomas

2017-12-22

The complexity of surgical interventions and the number of technologies involved are constantly rising. Hospital staff has to learn how to handle new medical devices efficiently. However, if medical device-related incidents occur, the patient treatment is delayed. Patient safety could therefore be supported by an optimized assistance system that helps improve the management of technical equipment by nonmedical hospital staff. We developed a system for the optimal monitoring of networked medical device activity and maintenance requirements, which works in conjunction with a vendor-independent integrated operating room and an accurate surgical intervention Time And Resource Management System. An integrated situation-dependent risk assessment system gives the medical engineers optimal awareness of the medical devices in the operating room. A qualitative and quantitative survey among ten medical engineers from three different hospitals was performed to evaluate the approach. A series of 25 questions was used to evaluate various aspects of our system as well as the system currently used. Moreover, the respondents were asked to perform five tasks related to system supervision and incident handling. Our system received a very positive feedback. The evaluation studies showed that the integration of information, the structured presentation of information, and the assistance modules provide valuable support to medical engineers. An automated operating room monitoring system with an integrated risk assessment and Time And Resource Management System module is a new way to assist the staff being outside of a vendor-independent integrated operating room, who are nevertheless involved in processes in the operating room.

Infusing Training into the Documentation and Culture of Ares I Upper Stage Design and Manufacturing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scott, David W.

2009-01-01

In roughly two years time, Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) Mission Operations Laboratory (MOL) has incubated a personnel training and certification program for about 1000 learners and multiple phases of the Ares I Upper Stage (US) project. Previous MOL-developed training programs focused on about 100 learners with a focus on operations, and had enough full-time training staff to develop courseware and provide training administration. This paper discusses 1) how creation of a broad, structured training program unfolded as feedback from more narrowly defined tasks, 2) how training philosophy, development methods, and administration are being simplified and tailored so that many Upper Stage organizations can grow their own training yet maintain consistency, accountability, and traceability across the project, and 3) possibilities for interfacing with the production contractor's training system and staff.

[Is It Time to Implement a 12-Hour Shift for Nurses in Taiwan?

PubMed

Lin, Yi-Fung; Chang, Shiow-Ru; Wang, Li-Ting

2017-04-01

The twelve-hour shift system, first introduced in the U.S. in 1967 to address a nursing shortage, is now the main system of shift rotation used in numerous countries. In recent years, several hospitals in Taiwan have implemented the 12-hour shift model as one initiative to improve the problems of overtime and high turnover rate among nursing staff. Under this model, nurses work only three to four days per week for 12-hour shifts per day. Despite the increase in numbers of days off, there is growing concern that long shift hours may harm both the safety of patients and the well being of the nurses. The aim of the present article is to explain the application of the 12-hour shift system and to review the potential impacts of this model. Benefits of the 12-hour shift system include improving quality of life for nursing staff, reducing the turnover rate, and increasing job satisfaction. Primary concerns regarding this system include patient safety, nurse fatigue, and the potential negative effects on the sleep quality of nurses. These findings may be referenced by policymakers considering the development / implementation of flexible work schedules in Taiwan. The government must set a ceiling on work hours allowed per week and impose limits on overtime in order to prevent burnout in nursing staff.

78 FR 11701 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-19

... agencies will also have to provide training to staff members using the Electronic Form 19b-4 Filing System... will spend approximately 20 hours training all staff members who will use EFFS to submit Security-Based... training new compliance staff members and updating the training of existing compliance staff members to use...

76 FR 76157 - California Independent System, Operator Corporation; Notice of FERC Staff Attendance

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-06

..., Operator Corporation; Notice of FERC Staff Attendance The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) hereby gives notice that on the following dates members of its staff will participate in teleconferences... teleconferences and meetings are open to all market participants, and staff's attendance is part of the Commission...

76 FR 29235 - California Independent System Operator Corporation; Notice of FERC Staff Attendance

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-20

... Staff Attendance The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) hereby gives notice that on the following dates members of its staff will participate in teleconferences and meetings to be conducted by the... to all market participants, and staff's attendance is part of the Commission's ongoing outreach...

76 FR 65191 - California Independent System Operator Corporation; Notice of FERC Staff Attendance

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-20

...; Notice of FERC Staff Attendance The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) hereby gives notice that on the following dates members of its staff will participate in teleconferences and meetings to be... staff's attendance is part of the Commission's ongoing outreach efforts. The teleconferences and...

Distributed virtual environment for emergency medical training

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stytz, Martin R.; Banks, Sheila B.; Garcia, Brian W.; Godsell-Stytz, Gayl M.

1997-07-01

In many professions where individuals must work in a team in a high stress environment to accomplish a time-critical task, individual and team performance can benefit from joint training using distributed virtual environments (DVEs). One professional field that lacks but needs a high-fidelity team training environment is the field of emergency medicine. Currently, emergency department (ED) medical personnel train by using words to create a metal picture of a situation for the physician and staff, who then cooperate to solve the problems portrayed by the word picture. The need in emergency medicine for realistic virtual team training is critical because ED staff typically encounter rarely occurring but life threatening situations only once in their careers and because ED teams currently have no realistic environment in which to practice their team skills. The resulting lack of experience and teamwork makes diagnosis and treatment more difficult. Virtual environment based training has the potential to redress these shortfalls. The objective of our research is to develop a state-of-the-art virtual environment for emergency medicine team training. The virtual emergency room (VER) allows ED physicians and medical staff to realistically prepare for emergency medical situations by performing triage, diagnosis, and treatment on virtual patients within an environment that provides them with the tools they require and the team environment they need to realistically perform these three tasks. There are several issues that must be addressed before this vision is realized. The key issues deal with distribution of computations; the doctor and staff interface to the virtual patient and ED equipment; the accurate simulation of individual patient organs' response to injury, medication, and treatment; and an accurate modeling of the symptoms and appearance of the patient while maintaining a real-time interaction capability. Our ongoing work addresses all of these issues. In this paper we report on our prototype VER system and its distributed system architecture for an emergency department distributed virtual environment for emergency medical staff training. The virtual environment enables emergency department physicians and staff to develop their diagnostic and treatment skills using the virtual tools they need to perform diagnostic and treatment tasks. Virtual human imagery, and real-time virtual human response are used to create the virtual patient and present a scenario. Patient vital signs are available to the emergency department team as they manage the virtual case. The work reported here consists of the system architectures we developed for the distributed components of the virtual emergency room. The architectures we describe consist of the network level architecture as well as the software architecture for each actor within the virtual emergency room. We describe the role of distributed interactive simulation and other enabling technologies within the virtual emergency room project.

Values in Further Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Halliday, John, Ed.

This book explores educational values in the British further education system. Following an introductory discussion of educational values by the editor, John Halliday, the book contains 21 short essays organized in the areas of cultural values, curriculum, and management and staff development. The following are included: "Democratic…

'BeAWARE': supporting non-clinical staff within general practice to promptly identify patients presenting with warning signs of heart attack or stroke.

PubMed

Poulter, Christopher; Stewart, Michelle; Fitzpatrick, Cliona; Keech, Wendy; Stavreski, Bill; Grenfell, Robert

2014-06-01

General practice requires systems to deal with patients presenting with urgent needs. BeAWARE was developed to support non-clinical staff to promptly identify patients with symptoms of heart attack or stroke. Data were collected from May 2012 to December 2012 on participants completing the BeAWARE learning module, including pre- and post-assessments on knowledge, confidence and intended action. From May 2012 to December 2012, 1865 participants completed the module. There were significant increases in recall of heart attack and stroke symptoms among non-clinical participants, including chest tightness (23.4-48.7%, P DISCUSSION: BeAWARE fulfils a practice gap in patient safety by improving non-clinical staff's knowledge, confidence and intended action in response to patients presenting with heart attack or stroke warning signs.

E-assessment of prior learning: a pilot study of interactive assessment of staff with no formal education who are working in Swedish elderly care

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The current paper presents a pilot study of interactive assessment using information and communication technology (ICT) to evaluate the knowledge, skills and abilities of staff with no formal education who are working in Swedish elderly care. Methods Theoretical and practical assessment methods were developed and used with simulated patients and computer-based tests to identify strengths and areas for personal development among staff with no formal education. Results Of the 157 staff with no formal education, 87 began the practical and/or theoretical assessments, and 63 completed both assessments. Several of the staff passed the practical assessments, except the morning hygiene assessment, where several failed. Other areas for staff development, i.e. where several failed (>50%), were the theoretical assessment of the learning objectives: Health, Oral care, Ergonomics, hygiene, esthetic, environmental, Rehabilitation, Assistive technology, Basic healthcare and Laws and organization. None of the staff passed all assessments. Number of years working in elderly care and staff age were not statistically significantly related to the total score of grades on the various learning objectives. Conclusion The interactive assessments were useful in assessing staff members’ practical and theoretical knowledge, skills, and abilities and in identifying areas in need of development. It is important that personnel who lack formal qualifications be clearly identified and given a chance to develop their competence through training, both theoretical and practical. The interactive e-assessment approach analyzed in the present pilot study could serve as a starting point. PMID:24742168

Provider Agency Practices as a Source of Social Work EBP.

PubMed

Blakely, Thomas J; Dziadosz, Gregory M

2016-01-01

Through this article the authors propose that agency service provider systems may be a source of evidence-based practices (EBP). One agency's design and implementation of a program entitled Community Treatment and Rehabilitation is presented as an example. The elements of this program conform to the creation of EBPs. It was formulated with consideration of clients' values and judgments through their participation at every step in the assessment and treatment process. Staff clinicians were trained in established EBP interventions, such as cognitive therapy, embedded in a system of ordered assessment, treatment, and outcome evaluation. A controlled research design was used to gather outcome data to inform clinicians' decisions about interventions that were then systematically applied with clients. The delivery system was organized for clinical supervisors to guide staff clinical practices so that all were operating on the same set of guidelines allowing for similar outcomes to occur with similar interventions. This method of developing EBPs makes them available for application immediately and successfully eliminates the delay between development and implementation that usually occurs with other sources of EBPs.

Knowledge Management Initiatives Used to Maintain Regulatory Expertise in Transportation and Storage of Radioactive Materials - 12177

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

Lindsay, Haile; Garcia-Santos, Norma; Saverot, Pierre

2012-07-01

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) was established in 1974 with the mission to license and regulate the civilian use of nuclear materials for commercial, industrial, academic, and medical uses in order to protect public health and safety, and the environment, and promote the common defense and security. Currently, approximately half (∼49%) of the workforce at the NRC has been with the Agency for less than six years. As part of the Agency's mission, the NRC has partial responsibility for the oversight of the transportation and storage of radioactive materials. The NRC has experienced a significant level of expertise leavingmore » the Agency due to staff attrition. Factors that contribute to this attrition include retirement of the experienced nuclear workforce and mobility of staff within or outside the Agency. Several knowledge management (KM) initiatives have been implemented within the Agency, with one of them including the formation of a Division of Spent Fuel Storage and Transportation (SFST) KM team. The team, which was formed in the fall of 2008, facilitates capturing, transferring, and documenting regulatory knowledge for staff to effectively perform their safety oversight of transportation and storage of radioactive materials, regulated under Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 71 and Part 72. In terms of KM, the SFST goal is to share critical information among the staff to reduce the impact from staff's mobility and attrition. KM strategies in place to achieve this goal are: (1) development of communities of practice (CoP) (SFST Qualification Journal and the Packaging and Storing Radioactive Material) in the on-line NRC Knowledge Center (NKC); (2) implementation of a SFST seminar program where the seminars are recorded and placed in the Agency's repository, Agency-wide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS); (3) meeting of technical discipline group programs to share knowledge within specialty areas; (4) development of written guidance to capture 'administrative and technical' knowledge (e.g., office instructions (OIs), generic communications (e.g., bulletins, generic letters, regulatory issue summary), standard review plans (SRPs), interim staff guidance (ISGs)); (5) use of mentoring strategies for experienced staff to train new staff members; (6) use of Microsoft SharePoint portals in capturing, transferring, and documenting knowledge for staff across the Division from Division management and administrative assistants to the project managers, inspectors, and technical reviewers; and (7) development and implementation of a Division KM Plan. A discussion and description of the successes and challenges of implementing these KM strategies at the NRC/SFST will be provided. (authors)« less

Associations between degrees of task delegation and job satisfaction of general practitioners and their staff: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Riisgaard, Helle; Søndergaard, Jens; Munch, Maria; Le, Jette V; Ledderer, Loni; Pedersen, Line B; Nexøe, Jørgen

2017-01-17

In recent years, the healthcare system in the western world has undergone a structural development caused by changes in demography and pattern of disease. In order to maintain the healthcare system cost-effective, new tasks are placed in general practice urging the general practitioners to rethink the working structure without compromising the quality of care. However, there is a substantial variation in the degree to which general practitioners delegate tasks to their staff, and it is not known how these various degrees of task delegation influence the job satisfaction of general practitioners and their staff. We performed a cross-sectional study based on two electronic questionnaires, one for general practitioners and one for their staff. Both questionnaires were divided into two parts, a part exploring the degree of task delegation regarding management of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in general practice and a part concerning the general job satisfaction and motivation to work. We found a significant association between perceived "maximal degree" of task delegation in management of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and the staff's overall job satisfaction. The odds ratio of the staff's satisfaction with the working environment displayed a tendency that there is also an association with "maximal degree" of task delegation. In the analysis of the general practitioners, the odds ratios of the results indicate that there is a tendency that "maximal degree" of task delegation is associated with overall job satisfaction, satisfaction with the challenges in work, and satisfaction with the working environment. We conclude that a high degree of task delegation is significantly associated with overall job satisfaction of the staff, and that there is a tendency that a high degree of task delegation is associated with the general practitioners' and the staff's satisfaction with the working environment as well as with general practitioners' overall job satisfaction and satisfaction with challenges in work. To qualify future delegation processes within general practice, further research could explore the reasons for our findings.

Hospital staff views of prescribing and discharge communication before and after electronic prescribing system implementation.

PubMed

Mills, Pamela Ruth; Weidmann, Anita Elaine; Stewart, Derek

2017-12-01

Background Electronic prescribing system implementation is recommended to improve patient safety and general practitioner's discharge information communication. There is a paucity of information about hospital staff perspectives before and after system implementation. Objective To explore hospital staff views regarding prescribing and discharge communication systems before and after hospital electronic prescribing and medicines administration (HEPMA) system implementation. Setting A 560 bed United Kingdom district general hospital. Methods Semi-structured face-to-face qualitative interviews with a purposive sample of hospital staff involved in the prescribing and discharge communication process. Interviews transcribed verbatim and coded using the Framework Approach. Behavioural aspects mapped to Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) to highlight associated behavioural change determinants. Main outcome measure Staff perceptions before and after implementation. Results Nineteen hospital staff (consultant doctors, junior doctors, pharmacists and advanced nurse practitioners) participated before and after implementation. Pre-implementation main themes were inpatient chart and discharge letter design and discharge communication process with issues of illegible and inaccurate information. Improved safety was anticipated after implementation. Post-implementation themes were improved inpatient chart clarity and discharge letter quality. TDF domains relevant to staff behavioural determinants preimplementation were knowledge (task or environment); skills (competence); social/professional roles and identity; beliefs about capabilities; environmental context and resources (including incidents). An additional two were relevant post-implementation: social influences and behavioural regulation (including self-monitoring). Participants described challenges and patient safety concerns pre-implementation which were mostly resolved post-implementation. Conclusion HEPMA implementation produced perceptions of patient safety improvement. TDF use enabled behaviour change analysis due to implementation, for example, staff adoption of behaviours to ensure general practitioners receive good quality discharge information.

Role of the Hospital Library Within the Hospital System *†

PubMed Central

Lorenzi, Nancy M.

1969-01-01

The results of a survey of hospital administrators, attending staff and house staff physicians, librarians, library committee chairmen, and nursing staff in five Northeastern Ohio hospitals concerning the status of the hospital library within the total hospital system are related. Results indicate that hospital libraries operate in the “fringe” area of the hospital system. A concentric-circle figure indicates the present position of the majority of hospital libraries surveyed. The future relationship of the library within the hospital system has also been represented by a concentric-circle figure. PMID:5778727

Access and Success for People of Color in Washington Community and Technical Colleges: Progress Report. Research Report Number 09-2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, 2009

2009-01-01

In September 2006, the State Board approved a new System Direction to guide the two-year-college system for the next ten years. One of three primary goals for the system is to increase educational attainment for the economic development of the state and the economic well-being of Washingtonians. Since 2000, State Board staff has provided periodic…

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.

Policy choices in dementia care-An exploratory analysis of the Alberta continuing care system (ACCS) using system dynamics.

PubMed

Cepoiu-Martin, Monica; Bischak, Diane P

2018-02-01

The increase in the incidence of dementia in the aging population and the decrease in the availability of informal caregivers put pressure on continuing care systems to care for a growing number of people with disabilities. Policy changes in the continuing care system need to address this shift in the population structure. One of the most effective tools for assessing policies in complex systems is system dynamics. Nevertheless, this method is underused in continuing care capacity planning. A system dynamics model of the Alberta Continuing Care System was developed using stylized data. Sensitivity analyses and policy evaluations were conducted to demonstrate the use of system dynamics modelling in this area of public health planning. We focused our policy exploration on introducing staff/resident benchmarks in both supportive living and long-term care (LTC). The sensitivity analyses presented in this paper help identify leverage points in the system that need to be acknowledged when policy decisions are made. Our policy explorations showed that the deficits of staff increase dramatically when benchmarks are introduced, as expected, but at the end of the simulation period, the difference in deficits of both nurses and health care aids are similar between the 2 scenarios tested. Modifying the benchmarks in LTC only versus in both supportive living and LTC has similar effects on staff deficits in long term, under the assumptions of this particular model. The continuing care system dynamics model can be used to test various policy scenarios, allowing decision makers to visualize the effect of a certain policy choice on different system variables and to compare different policy options. Our exploration illustrates the use of system dynamics models for policy making in complex health care systems. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A quality-based payment strategy for nursing home care in Minnesota.

PubMed

Kane, Robert L; Arling, Greg; Mueller, Christine; Held, Robert; Cooke, Valerie

2007-02-01

This article describes a pay-for-performance system developed for Minnesota nursing homes. In effect, nursing homes can retain a greater proportion of the difference between their costs and the average costs on the basis of their quality scores. The quality score is a derived and weighted composite measure currently composed of five elements: staff retention (25 points), staff turnover (15 points), use of pool staff (10 points), nursing home quality indicators (40 points), and survey deficiencies (10 points). Information on residents' quality of life and satisfaction, derived from interviews with a random sample of residents in each Minnesota nursing home, is now available for inclusion in the quality measure. The new payment system was designed to create a business case for quality when used in addition to a nursing home report card that uses the same quality elements to inform potential consumers about the quality of nursing homes. Although the nursing home industry has announced general support for the new approach, it has lobbied the legislature to delay its implementation, claiming concerns about operational details.

Assessing Service Delivery Systems for Assitive Technology in Brazil using HEART Study quality indicators.

PubMed

Maximo, Tulio; Clift, Laurence

2015-01-01

recently in Brazil, there have been investments and improvements in the service delivery system for assistive technology provision. However, there is little documentation of this process, or evidence that users are being involved appropriately. to understand how a ssistive technology service provision currently functions in Belo Horizonte city, Brazil, in order to provide context-specific interventions and recommendations to improve services. Qualitative research design, including visits to key institutions and semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders. Interview questions were divided with two purposes: 1) Exploratory, aiming to understand present service functioning; 2) Evaluative, aiming to assess staff difficulties in applying best existing best practices. Assistive Technology services in Belo Horizonte fall under the 'medical model' definition of service delivery developed by AAATE. It was also found that staff lack training and knowledge support to assess user requirements and involve them during the decision process. Additionally, there is no follow up stage after the device is delivered. The study clearly defines the service provision function and the staff difficulties at Belo Horizonte city, providing information for further studies.

Discrete event simulation as a tool in optimization of a professional complex adaptive system.

PubMed

Nielsen, Anders Lassen; Hilwig, Helmer; Kissoon, Niranjan; Teelucksingh, Surujpal

2008-01-01

Similar urgent needs for improvement of health care systems exist in the developed and developing world. The culture and the organization of an emergency department in developing countries can best be described as a professional complex adaptive system, where each agent (employee) are ignorant of the behavior of the system as a whole; no one understands the entire system. Each agent's action is based on the state of the system at the moment (i.e. lack of medicine, unavailable laboratory investigation, lack of beds and lack of staff in certain functions). An important question is how one can improve the emergency service within the given constraints. The use of simulation signals is one new approach in studying issues amenable to improvement. Discrete event simulation was used to simulate part of the patient flow in an emergency department. A simple model was built using a prototyping approach. The simulation showed that a minor rotation among the nurses could reduce the mean number of visitors that had to be refereed to alternative flows within the hospital from 87 to 37 on a daily basis with a mean utilization of the staff between 95.8% (the nurses) and 87.4% (the doctors). We conclude that even faced with resource constraints and lack of accessible data discrete event simulation is a tool that can be used successfully to study the consequences of changes in very complex and self organizing professional complex adaptive systems.

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.

Improving health services to displaced persons in Aceh, Indonesia: a balanced scorecard

PubMed Central

Parco, Kristin B; Sihombing, Melva E; Tredwell, Susan P; O'Rourke, Edward J

2010-01-01

Abstract Problem After the Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004, the International Organization for Migration constructed temporary health clinics to provide medical services to survivors living in temporary accommodation centres throughout Aceh, Indonesia. Limited resources, inadequate supervision, staff turnover and lack of a health information system made it challenging to provide quality primary health services. Approach A balanced scorecard was developed and implemented in collaboration with local health clinic staff and district health officials. Performance targets were identified. Staff collected data from clinics and accommodation centres to develop 30 simple performance measures. These measures were monitored periodically and discussed at meetings with stakeholders to guide the development of health interventions. Local setting Two years after the tsunami, 34 000 displaced persons continued to receive services from temporary health clinics in two districts of Aceh province. From March to December 2007, the scorecard was implemented in seven temporary health clinics. Relevant changes Interventions stimulated and tracked by the scorecard showed measurable improvements in preventive medicine, child health, capacity building of clinic staff and availability of essential drugs. By enhancing communication, the scorecard also led to qualitative benefits. Lessons learnt The balanced scorecard is a practical tool to focus attention and resources to facilitate improvement in disaster rehabilitation settings where health information infrastructure is poor. Introducing a mechanism for rapid improvement fostered communication between nongovernmental organizations, district health officials, clinic health workers and displaced persons. PMID:20865077

Information Dominance in Military Decision Making.

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-06-04

This study considers how ABCS (Army Battle Command System) capabilities achieve information dominance and how they influence the military decision...making process. The work examines how ABCS enables commanders and staffs to achieve information dominance at the brigade and battalion levels. Further...future digitized systems that will gain information dominance for the future commander. It promotes the continued development information dominance technologies

Determination of Periodicity of Certification Electrical Personal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sidorov, Aleksandr I.; Khanzhina, Olga A.

2016-10-01

The article presents the data on electrical injuries to staff caused by violation of labour protection rules. Proposed and justified system of certification of electrotechnical personnel, taking into account the education (higher, secondary professional, primary professional group for electrical, the result of the previous test knowledge of electrical safety, floors appraise. The results of the knowledge test using the developed system.

Education of MIS Users: One Hospital's Experience

PubMed Central

Jacobs, Patt

1982-01-01

Dr. Stanley Jacobs has identified at least five factors which impact the amount of effort required to implement a hospital based computer system. One of these factors is clearly the users of the system. This paper focuses upon the implementation process at St. Vincent Hospital and Medical Center (SVH&MC) highlighting the user education program developed by the hospital DP staff.

Creating a University System for the 21st Century. Report of the State Board of Higher Education's Committee on Employee Compensation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

North Dakota University System, 2010

2010-01-01

This report examines measures associated with NDUS (North Dakota University System) faculty and staff compensation and highlights some positive indicators and some areas of concern, as well as suggestions for changes. The information in this report will enable the State Board of Higher Education to develop appropriate recommendations for…

The Application of Computer Technology to the Development of a Native American Planning and Information System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKinley, Kenneth H.; Self, Burl E., Jr.

A study was conducted to determine the feasibility of using the computer-based Synagraphic Mapping Program (SYMAP) and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) in formulating an efficient and accurate information system which Creek Nation tribal staff could implement and use in planning for more effective and precise delivery of…

An Analysis of Staff Development and Its Effects on Classroom Practice. The South Bay Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKibbin, Michael D.; Joyce, Bruce R.

The effects of training on twenty-one teachers in a Teacher Corps school were examined according to the type of training chosen, the preference exhibited by the teacher for certain types of delivery systems, and the level of transfer to classroom practice which were applicable to the different systems. This four-year study of inservice teacher…

Kentucky Principal Perceptions of the State's New Teacher Evaluation System: A Survey Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dodson, Richard L.

2015-01-01

This research examines how public school principals in Kentucky perceive their new teacher evaluation system and the proficiency exam they must take and pass in order to evaluate their staff. An online survey was developed and 308 out of an estimated 1,100 working school principals across Kentucky responded, yielding a response rate of 28%.…

Logistics Force Planner Assistant (Log Planner)

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-09-01

elements. The system is implemented on a MS-DOS based microcomputer, using the "Knowledge Pro’ software tool., 20 DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY OF... service support structure. 3. A microcomputer-based knowledge system was developed and successfully demonstrated. Four modules of information are...combat service support (CSS) units planning process to Army Staff logistics planners. Personnel newly assigned to logistics planning need an

Examining the Utility of the Schoolwide Expectations Survey for Specific Settings (SESSS): A Data-Informed Approach to Developing Expectation Matrices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Royer, David James

2017-01-01

To best support all students' academic, behavioral, and social needs, an integrated systems approach is necessary. In such systems, all faculty and staff ideally recognize student success is a shared responsibility and collaborate in a data-informed process to define common student behavioral expectations to facilitate success academically,…

A systems analysis of ward rounds in plastic surgery at a single center

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Introduction: Ward rounds permeate health care delivery worldwide and form an important daily activity within all hospitals. In this study, the daily morning ward round in plastic surgery was examined from a teleological and systems point of view. Methods: Data were gathered from the following sources to inform the systems analysis: patient interviews, staff interviews, direct observations of the ward round on multiple occasions, and through process mapping. Results: To better understand the ward and its layout, a schematic of it was developed. Following observations of the ward round and the way in which decisions are made on it, an IDEF0 map was developed. Three patients were invited to take part in the study. Three members of staff were interviewed. The overarching themes from the interviews related to aspects of communication which this paper details. Conclusions: This small-scale study demonstrates how the ward round as a process can be assessed, including product quality, process quality, the measurement and management of capacity, the role of standardization, the role and significance of bottlenecks, the key information flows, including the role of feedback, and the motivation and incentives of system participants and ideas for improvement generated. PMID:29177228

SmartStaff: A Support Concept for Staff Planning

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-11-01

facilitated time management and decreased the ambiguities of the plans presented. However, the quality of the final plan did not improve. Team decision making, Team Planning, Group Support Systems, Task Group Staff

Usability Laboratory Test of a Novel Mobile Homecare Application with Experienced Home Help Service Staff

PubMed Central

Scandurra, I; Hägglund, M; Koch, S; Lind, M

2008-01-01

Using participatory design, we developed and deployed a mobile Virtual Health Record (VHR) on a personal digital assistant (PDA) together with experienced homecare staff. To assess transferability to a second setting and usability when used by novice users with limited system education the application was tested in a usability lab. Eight participants from another homecare district performed tasks related to daily homecare work using the VHR. Test protocols were analyzed with regard to effectiveness, potential usability problems and user satisfaction. Usability problems having impact on system performance and contextual factors affecting system transferability were uncovered. Questionnaires revealed that the participants frequently used computers, but never PDAs. Surprisingly there were only minor differences in input efficiency between novice and experienced users. The participants were overall satisfied with the application. However, transfer to another district can not be performed, unless by means of careful field observations of contextual differences. PMID:19415140

Managing nursing assistants with a web-based system: an empirical investigation of the mixed-staff strategy.

PubMed

Lin, I-Chun; Hou, Ying-Hui; Huang, Hui-Ling; Chu, Tsui-Ping; Chang, Ray-E

2010-06-01

Under the global shortage of Registered Nurses (RNs), some hospitals have integrated nursing assistants (NAs) into their teams to help to provide maximum quality care for acute patients, while keeping the hospital's staff-related costs down. However, the RNs may have to shoulder an increased burden of assigning and overseeing NAs. A web-based Nursing Assistants Management System (NAMS) was developed and evaluated for a case hospital in Taiwan to compare the processes of assigning and managing NAs before and after the NAMS intervention. The results showed that NAMS saved 80% of the time needed for manual operation and there were no more complains about NAs being slow in dealing with patients after the system intervention. The satisfaction levels of all NA managers and RNs were acceptable. Based on the research findings, the implication and limitations of this study were discussed.

78 FR 24443 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-25

... agencies will also have to provide training to staff members using the Electronic Form 19b-4 Filing System... will spend approximately 20 hours training all staff members who will use EFFS to submit Security-Based... training new compliance staff members and updating the training of existing compliance staff members to use...

12 CFR Appendix D to Part 230 - Issuance of Staff Interpretations

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Issuance of Staff Interpretations D Appendix D... RESERVE SYSTEM TRUTH IN SAVINGS (REGULATION DD) Pt. 230, App. D Appendix D to Part 230—Issuance of Staff... official staff interpretations of this part. These interpretations provide the protections afforded under...

5 CFR 534.304 - Basic pay for staff positions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Basic pay for staff positions. 534.304... UNDER OTHER SYSTEMS Basic Pay for Employees of Temporary Organizations § 534.304 Basic pay for staff positions. (a)(1) Rates of basic pay for staff or other non-executive level positions of temporary...

5 CFR 534.304 - Basic pay for staff positions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Basic pay for staff positions. 534.304... UNDER OTHER SYSTEMS Basic Pay for Employees of Temporary Organizations § 534.304 Basic pay for staff positions. (a)(1) Rates of basic pay for staff or other non-executive level positions of temporary...

5 CFR 534.304 - Basic pay for staff positions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Basic pay for staff positions. 534.304... UNDER OTHER SYSTEMS Basic Pay for Employees of Temporary Organizations § 534.304 Basic pay for staff positions. (a)(1) Rates of basic pay for staff or other non-executive level positions of temporary...

5 CFR 534.304 - Basic pay for staff positions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Basic pay for staff positions. 534.304... UNDER OTHER SYSTEMS Basic Pay for Employees of Temporary Organizations § 534.304 Basic pay for staff positions. (a)(1) Rates of basic pay for staff or other non-executive level positions of temporary...

5 CFR 534.304 - Basic pay for staff positions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Basic pay for staff positions. 534.304... UNDER OTHER SYSTEMS Basic Pay for Employees of Temporary Organizations § 534.304 Basic pay for staff positions. (a)(1) Rates of basic pay for staff or other non-executive level positions of temporary...

76 FR 55380 - California Independent System Operator Corporation; Notice of FERC Staff Attendance

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-07

...; Notice of FERC Staff Attendance The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) hereby gives notice that on the following dates members of its staff will participate in teleconferences and meetings to be.... Sponsored by the CAISO, the teleconferences and meetings are open to all market participants, and staff's...

12 CFR Appendix D to Part 230 - Issuance of Staff Interpretations

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Issuance of Staff Interpretations D Appendix D... RESERVE SYSTEM TRUTH IN SAVINGS (REGULATION DD) Pt. 230, App. D Appendix D to Part 230—Issuance of Staff... official staff interpretations of this part. These interpretations provide the protections afforded under...

Analysis of Productivity Improvement Act for Clinical Staff Working in the Health System: A Qualitative Study

PubMed Central

Vali, Leila; Tabatabaee, Seyed Saeed; Kalhor, Rohollah; Amini, Saeed; Kiaei, Mohammad Zakaria

2016-01-01

Introduction: The productivity of healthcare staff is one of the main issues for health managers. This study explores the concept of executive regulation of Productivity Improvement Act of clinical staff in health. Methods: In this study phenomenological methodology has been employed. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and focus group composed of 10 hospital experts and experts in human resources department working in headquarter of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences and 16 nursing managers working in public and private hospitals of Mashhad using purposive sampling. Findings were analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven step method. Results: The strengths of this Act included increasing spirit of hope in nurses, paying attention to quality of nursing care and decreasing problems related to the work plan development. Some of the weaknesses of Productivity Improvement Act included lack of required executive mechanisms, lack of considering nursing productivity indicator, increasing non-public hospitals problems, discrimination between employees, and removal of resting on night shifts. Suggestions were introduced to strengthen the Act such as increased organizational posts, use of a coefficient for wage in unusual work shifts and consideration of a performance indicator. Conclusion: The results may be used as a proper tool for long term management planning at organization level. Finally, if high quality care by health system staff is expected, in the first step, we should take care of them through proper policy making and focusing on occupational characteristics of the target group so that it does not result in discrimination among the staff. PMID:26383203

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.

Test result communication in primary care: a survey of current practice

PubMed Central

Litchfield, Ian; Bentham, Louise; Lilford, Richard; McManus, Richard J; Hill, Ann; Greenfield, Sheila

2015-01-01

Background The number of blood tests ordered in primary care continues to increase and the timely and appropriate communication of results remains essential. However, the testing and result communication process includes a number of participants in a variety of settings and is both complicated to manage and vulnerable to human error. In the UK, guidelines for the process are absent and research in this area is surprisingly scarce; so before we can begin to address potential areas of weakness there is a need to more precisely understand the strengths and weaknesses of current systems used by general practices and testing facilities. Methods We conducted a telephone survey of practices across England to determine the methods of managing the testing and result communication process. In order to gain insight into the perspectives from staff at a large hospital laboratory we conducted paired interviews with senior managers, which we used to inform a service blueprint demonstrating the interaction between practices and laboratories and identifying potential sources of delay and failure. Results Staff at 80% of practices reported that the default method for communicating normal results required patients to telephone the practice and 40% of practices required that patients also call for abnormal results. Over 80% had no fail-safe system for ensuring that results had been returned to the practice from laboratories; practices would otherwise only be aware that results were missing or delayed when patients requested results. Persistent sources of missing results were identified by laboratory staff and included sample handling, misidentification of samples and the inefficient system for collating and resending misdirected results. Conclusions The success of the current system relies on patients both to retrieve results and in so doing alert staff to missing and delayed results. Practices appear slow to adopt available technological solutions despite their potential for reducing the impact of recurring errors in the handling of samples and the reporting of results. Our findings will inform our continuing work with patients and staff to develop, implement and evaluate improvements to existing systems of managing the testing and result communication process. PMID:26243888

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.

Retaining IT Staff through Effective Institutional Planning and Management.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eleey, Michael

1999-01-01

Recommends a systems approach to ensure a positive working environment for campus information technology professionals to help reduce personnel turnover in this critical area. Guidelines include appropriate compensation, reasonable and effective matching of job scope and resources, problem prevention, and balanced professional development. (DB)

A Drug-Free Success Story.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Macready, Harold

1990-01-01

Roosevelt Vocational School (Florida), which prepares special needs students for employment, won President's Drug Free Schools Award. Its program teaches drug prevention and emphasizes the importance of being drug free to job safety. Components include the Chemical Abuse Reduced through Education information and referral system, staff development,…

Alternatives to Accountability: Stool Pigeon Versus Servant and Soulmate.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Reilly, Robert P.; Gorth, William P.

The visible claims of the current accountability movement are examined critically, and an alternative philosophy and a developing system are offered. Areas examined include the psychological implications of accountability philosophies for teaching staff, certain educational measurement problems, and the availability or adequacy of operating…

Distance Learning. Transforming Libraries Number 6.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, William G.

1998-01-01

This report explores the diverse ways that libraries are currently supporting distance learning, both in its traditional and newer Internet-based forms. Based on interviews with administrators and staff, the following "Reports from the Field" reflect developments in public institutions: "UNET (University of Maine System Network)…

Technology for Career Information Delivery. Conference Proceedings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kimmel, Karen S., Ed.; Blank, Joan C., Ed.

These proceedings contain 27 papers developed for a conference at which information was provided on currently available and future technological alternatives for delivery of career information. The presentations by staff of State Occupational Information Coordinating Committees, Career Information Delivery Systems, and hardware vendors are grouped…

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.

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

[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.

12 CFR 265.8 - Functions delegated to the Staff Director of the Division of International Finance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Functions delegated to the Staff Director of the Division of International Finance. 265.8 Section 265.8 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM (CONTINUED) BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM RULES REGARDING DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY § 265.8 Functions delegated to the Staff Director...

Effects of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on Nigerian Educational System: A Case Study of Kogi State University, Anyigba

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baba, Pauline A.; Odiba, Isaac A.

2015-01-01

This research paper examines the effects of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on Nigerian educational system with a focus on Kogi State University (KSU), Anyigba. The study employed the survey method, choosing 40 academic staff, five library staff, 5 management staff and 250 students randomly from the seven (7) faculties at KSU. A…

Poster - 26: Electronic Waiting Room Management for a busy Cancer Centre

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

Kildea, John; Hijal, Tarek

We describe an electronic waiting room management system that we have developed and deployed in our cancer centre. Our system connects with our electronic medical records systems, gathers data for a machine learning algorithm to predict future patient waiting times, and is integrated with a mobile phone app. The system has been in operation for over nine months and has led to reduced lines, calmer waiting rooms and overwhelming patient and staff satisfaction.

Pressure Mapping in Elderly Care: A Tool to Increase Pressure Injury Knowledge and Awareness Among Staff.

PubMed

Hultin, Lisa; Olsson, Estrid; Carli, Cheryl; Gunningberg, Lena

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of a pressure mapping system with real-time feedback of pressure points in elderly care, with specific focus on pressure injury (PI) knowledge/attitudes (staff), interface pressure, and PI prevention activities (residents). Descriptive, 1-group pretest/posttest study. A convenience sample of 40 assistant nurses and aides participated in the study; staff members were recruited at daytime, and 1 nighttime meeting was held at the facility. A convenience sample of 12 residents with risk for PI were recruited, 4 from each ward. Inclusion criteria were participants older than 65 years, Modified Norton Scale score 20 or less, and in need of help with turning in order to prevent PI. The study setting was a care facility for the elderly in Uppsala, Sweden. A descriptive, comparative pretest/posttest study design was used. The intervention consisted of the use of a pressure mapping system, combined with theoretical and practical teaching. Theoretical and practical information related to PI prevention and the pressure mapping system was presented to the staff. The staff (n = 40) completed the Pressure Ulcer Knowledge and Assessment Tool (PUKAT) and Attitudes towards Pressure Ulcer (APuP) before and following study intervention. Residents' beds were equipped with a pressure mapping system during 7 consecutive days. Peak pressures and preventive interventions were registered 3 times a day by trained study nurses, assistant nurses, and aides. Staff members' PUKAT scores increased significantly (P = .002), while their attitude scores, which were high pretest, remained unchanged. Peak interface pressures were significantly reduced (P = .016), and more preventive interventions (n = 0.012) were implemented when the staff repositioned residents after feedback from the pressure mapping system. A limited educational intervention, combined with the use of a pressure mapping system, was successful as it improved staff members' knowledge about PI prevention, reduced interface pressure, and increased PI prevention activities. As many of the staff members lacked formal education in PI prevention and management, opportunities for teaching sessions and reflection upon PI prevention should be incorporated into the workplace. More research is needed to evaluate the effect of continuous pressure mapping on the incidence of PI.

Improving investigational drug service operations through development of an innovative computer system.

PubMed

Sweet, Burgunda V; Tamer, Helen R; Siden, Rivka; McCreadie, Scott R; McGregory, Michael E; Benner, Todd; Tankanow, Roberta M

2008-05-15

The development of a computerized system for protocol management, dispensing, inventory accountability, and billing by the investigational drug service (IDS) of a university health system is described. After an unsuccessful search for a commercial system that would accommodate the variation among investigational protocols and meet regulatory requirements, the IDS worked with the health-system pharmacy's information technology staff and informatics pharmacists to develop its own system. The informatics pharmacists observed work-flow and information capture in the IDS and identified opportunities for improved efficiency with an automated system. An iterative build-test-design process was used to provide the flexibility needed for individual protocols. The intent was to design a system that would support most IDS processes, using components that would allow automated backup and redundancies. A browser-based system was chosen to allow remote access. Servers, bar-code scanners, and printers were integrated into the final system design. Initial implementation involved 10 investigational protocols chosen on the basis of dispensing volume and complexity of study design. Other protocols were added over a two-year period; all studies whose drugs were dispensed from the IDS were added, followed by those for which the drugs were dispensed from decentralized pharmacy areas. The IDS briefly used temporary staff to free pharmacist and technician time for system implementation. Decentralized pharmacy areas that rarely dispense investigational drugs continue to use manual processes, with subsequent data transcription into the system. Through the university's technology transfer division, the system was licensed by an external company for sale to other IDSs. The WebIDS system has improved daily operations, enhanced safety and efficiency, and helped meet regulatory requirements for investigational drugs.

Health service resilience in Yobe state, Nigeria in the context of the Boko Haram insurgency: a systems dynamics analysis using group model building.

PubMed

Ager, Alastair K; Lembani, Martina; Mohammed, Abdulaziz; Mohammed Ashir, Garba; Abdulwahab, Ahmad; de Pinho, Helen; Delobelle, Peter; Zarowsky, Christina

2015-01-01

Yobe State has faced severe disruption of its health service as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency. A systems dynamics analysis was conducted to identify key pathways of threat to provision and emerging pathways of response and adaptation. Structured interviews were conducted with 39 stakeholders from three local government areas selected to represent the diversity of conflict experience across the state: Damaturu, Fune and Nguru, and with four officers of the PRRINN-MNCH program providing technical assistance for primary care development in the state. A group model building session was convened with 11 senior stakeholders, which used participatory scripts to review thematic analysis of interviews and develop a preliminary systems model linking identified variables. Population migration and transport restrictions have substantially impacted access to health provision. The human resource for health capability of the state has been severely diminished through the outward migration of (especially non-indigenous) health workers and the suspension of programmes providing external technical assistance. The political will of the Yobe State government to strengthen health provision - through lifting a moratorium on recruitment and providing incentives for retention and support of staff - has supported a recovery of health systems functioning. Policies of free-drug provision and decentralized drug supply appear to have been protective of the operation of the health system. Community resources and cohesion have been significant assets in combatting the impacts of the insurgency on service utilization and quality. Staff commitment and motivation - particularly amongst staff indigenous to the state - has protected health care quality and enabled flexibility of human resource deployment. A systems analysis using participatory group model building provided a mechanism to identify key pathways of threat and adaptation with regard to health service functioning. Generalizable systems characteristics supportive of resilience are suggested, and linked to wider discussion of the role of factors such as diversity, self-regulation and integration.

Realistic option for the Work Injury Rehabilitation System in China.

PubMed

Li, Zhong

2008-01-01

This paper aims to describe the current Work Injury Rehabilitation (WIR) System in China with its background, basic principles and the attempts to explore and build up different types of WIR system in different areas in China in accordance with the existing situation. Seven points taken as the focus of perfecting and building up new WIR have been presented: the study and formulation of an overall development plan for the WIR system in China, improving WIR policy, establishing a system of standards for WIR, improving the administration system for WIR, developing a WIR service system, strengthening the training of professional staff for WIR, conducting scientific study and international cooperation for WIR. These points may serve as guidelines for future development of the WIR system in China.

Medical Ultrasound Technology Research and Development at the University of Washington Center for Industrial and Medical Ultrasound

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-10-02

provide a world-class, advanced research center for bioengineering development and graduate education in high-intensity, focused ultrasound ( HIFU ). This...convenient, and robust. These technological enhancements have enabled the development of HIFU arrays and image-guided ultrasound systems for greater... Ultrasound (CIMU). The many disparate facilities and technical capabilities available to CIMU staff and students were integrated and enhanced to

A Development Model for Foreign Police

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-13

automated fingerprint identification system. And lastly, it sought to provide training to Malian and other regional police on countering money laundering and...A DEVELOPMENT MODEL FOR FOREIGN POLICE A thesis presented to the Faculty of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in...13-06-2014 2. REPORT TYPE Master’s Thesis 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) AUG 2013 – JUNE 2014 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE A DEVELOPMENT MODEL FOR

Developing a Lecturer Workshop for Using Tablets in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Louw, Arno

2015-01-01

This paper is about a framework as heuristic to design and develop a workshop for academic teaching staff to use tablets for teaching and learning in the classroom at the University of Johannesburg (UJ). Theories of Cultural-Historical Activity and Engeström's activity systems are also incorporated, as are a critique and a critical analysis of the…

A Bridge Too Far or a Bridge to the Future? A Case Study in Online Assessment at Charles Sturt University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buchan, Janet F.; Swann, Michael

2007-01-01

The in house development of an online assessment tool, OASIS, has provided a unique opportunity to research the use of online assessment in teaching and learning across the university. The developing relationship between IT staff, educational designers and academics serves as a model for integrated and evolving management systems which demonstrate…

Effects of Staff Training and Development on Professional Abilities of University Teachers in Distance Learning Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khan, Shahinshah Babar; Chishti, Saeed-ul-Hasan

2012-01-01

Quality education may be termed as the primary way that leads to development of nations and can play an exclusive role in maintaining the standards of education. It is understood that using conventional teaching methods, desired products cannot be achieved; making the need for modern approaches to be evolved for sound qualitative work. The target…

Are youth sport talent identification and development systems necessary and healthy?

PubMed

Rongen, Fieke; McKenna, Jim; Cobley, Stephen; Till, Kevin

2018-05-22

Talent identification and development systems (TIDS) are commonly used in professional sport to convert youth athletes into sporting stars of the future. Acknowledging that only a few athletes can "make it," the necessity and healthiness of TIDS have recently been questioned based on their increased professionalism, high training, and competition volumes, but limited effectiveness. In this short communication, we suggest that the key issues associated with TIDS are not due to their overall concept, but with how they are designed and implemented. It is recommended that researchers and practitioners determine the worth and value of TIDS by also evaluating the positive health of the athlete rather than solely focusing on performance outcomes. To achieve this, TIDS staff should shape and develop their values, expectations, and day-to-day routines to achieve positive health outcomes focusing on personal development and an athlete-centered culture. In business, this has been termed the concept of "Deliberately Developmental Organisation." TIDS can deploy the factors (e.g., high-quality staff, expert support services, quality facilities, and learning routines) characteristic of such organizations, to concurrently ensure positive impacts and minimize predictable negative outcomes without losing focus on a drive for sporting performance.