WorldWideScience

Sample records for lesson performance checklist

  1. Distributed System Design Checklist

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hall, Brendan; Driscoll, Kevin

    2014-01-01

    This report describes a design checklist targeted to fault-tolerant distributed electronic systems. Many of the questions and discussions in this checklist may be generally applicable to the development of any safety-critical system. However, the primary focus of this report covers the issues relating to distributed electronic system design. The questions that comprise this design checklist were created with the intent to stimulate system designers' thought processes in a way that hopefully helps them to establish a broader perspective from which they can assess the system's dependability and fault-tolerance mechanisms. While best effort was expended to make this checklist as comprehensive as possible, it is not (and cannot be) complete. Instead, we expect that this list of questions and the associated rationale for the questions will continue to evolve as lessons are learned and further knowledge is established. In this regard, it is our intent to post the questions of this checklist on a suitable public web-forum, such as the NASA DASHLink AFCS repository. From there, we hope that it can be updated, extended, and maintained after our initial research has been completed.

  2. Relationship Between Operating Room Teamwork, Contextual Factors, and Safety Checklist Performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singer, Sara J; Molina, George; Li, Zhonghe; Jiang, Wei; Nurudeen, Suliat; Kite, Julia G; Edmondson, Lizabeth; Foster, Richard; Haynes, Alex B; Berry, William R

    2016-10-01

    Studies show that using surgical safety checklists (SSCs) reduces complications. Many believe SSCs accomplish this by enhancing teamwork, but evidence is limited. Our study sought to relate teamwork to checklist performance, understand how they relate, and determine conditions that affect this relationship. Using 2 validated tools for observing and coaching operating room teams, we evaluated the association between checklist performance with surgeon buy-in and 4 domains of surgical teamwork: clinical leadership, communication, coordination, and respect. Hospital staff in 10 South Carolina hospitals observed 207 procedures between April 2011 and January 2013. We calculated levels of checklist performance, buy-in, and measures of teamwork, and evaluated their relationship, controlling for patient and case characteristics. Few teams completed most or all SSC items. Teams more often completed items considered procedural "checks" than conversation "prompts." Surgeon buy-in, clinical leadership, communication, a summary measure of teamwork overall, and observers' teamwork ratings positively related to overall checklist completion (multivariable model estimates from 0.04, p < 0.05 for communication to 0.17, p < 0.01 for surgeon buy-in). All measures of teamwork and surgeon buy-in related positively to completing more conversation prompts; none related significantly to procedural checks (estimates from 0.10, p < 0.01 for communication to 0.27, p < 0.001 for surgeon buy-in). Patient age was significantly associated with completing the checklist and prompts (p < 0.05); only case duration was positively associated with performing more checks (p < 0.10). Surgeon buy-in and surgical teamwork characterized by shared clinical leadership, open communication, active coordination, and mutual respect were critical in prompting case-related conversations, but not in completing procedural checks. Findings highlight the importance of surgeon engagement and high-quality, consistent

  3. Validation of a checklist to assess ward round performance in internal medicine

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nørgaard, Kirsten; Ringsted, Charlotte; Dolmans, Diana

    2004-01-01

    and construct validity of the task-specific checklist. METHODS: To determine content validity, a questionnaire was mailed to 295 internists. They were requested to give their opinion on the relevance of each item included on the checklist and to indicate the comprehensiveness of the checklist. To determine...... construct validity, an observer assessed 4 groups of doctors during performance of a complete ward round (n = 32). The nurse who accompanied the doctor on rounds made a global assessment of the performance. RESULTS: The response rate to the questionnaire was 80.7%. The respondents found that all 10 items......BACKGROUND: Ward rounds are an essential responsibility for doctors in hospital settings. Tools for guiding and assessing trainees' performance of ward rounds are needed. A checklist was developed for that purpose for use with trainees in internal medicine. OBJECTIVE: To assess the content...

  4. Practitioner-informed improvements to early childhood intervention performance checklists and practice guides

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carl J. Dunst

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Results from four early childhood practitioner field tests of performance checklists and early intervention practice guides are reported. Findings from the first field test were used to make changes and improvements in the checklists and practice guides evaluated in the second and third field tests, and findings from the latter two field tests were used to improve the checklist and practice guide evaluated in the fourth field test. Results indicated that changes made in response to practitioners’ suggestions and feedback were associated with (1 progressive increases in the practitioners’ social validity judgments of the checklists, practice guides, and checklist-practice guide correspondence, and (2 progressive decreases in the number of practitioner suggestions and feedback for improving the early intervention materials. The field-test research demonstrates the importance of practitioner input, suggestions, and feedback for improving the usefulness of early childhood intervention practices.

  5. The use of a checklist improves anaesthesiologists' technical and non-technical performance for simulated malignant hyperthermia management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hardy, Jean-Baptiste; Gouin, Antoine; Damm, Cédric; Compère, Vincent; Veber, Benoît; Dureuil, Bertrand

    2018-02-01

    Anaesthesiologists may occasionally manage life-threatening operating room (OR) emergencies. Managing OR emergencies implies real-time analysis of often complicated situations, prompt medical knowledge retrieval, coordinated teamwork and effective decision making in stressful settings. Checklists are recommended to improve performance and reduce the risk of medical errors. This study aimed to assess the usefulness of the French Society of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care's (SFAR) "Malignant Hyperthermia" (MH) checklist on a simulated episode of MH crisis and management thereof by registered anesthesiologists. Twenty-four anaesthesiologists were allocated to 2 groups (checklist and control). Their technical performance in adherence with the SFAR guidelines was assessed by a 30-point score and their non-technical performance was assessed by the Anaesthetists' Non-Technical Skills (ANTS) score. Every task completion was assessed independently. Data are shown as median (first-third quartiles). Anaesthesiologists in the checklist group had higher technical performance scores (24/30 (21.5-25) vs 18/30 (15.5-19.5), P=0.002) and ANTS scores (56.5/60 (47.5-58) vs 48.5/60 (41-50.5), P=0.024). They administered the complete initial dose of dantrolene (2mg/kg) more quickly (15.7 minutes [13.9-18.3] vs 22.4 minutes [18.6-25]) than the control group (P=0.017). However, anaesthesiologists deemed the usability of the checklist to be perfectible. Registered anaesthesiologists' use of the MH checklist during a simulation session widely improved their adherence to guidelines and non-technical skills. This study strongly suggests the benefit of checklist tools for emergency management. Notwithstanding, better awareness and training for anaesthesiologists could further improve the use of this tool. Copyright © 2017 Société française d'anesthésie et de réanimation (Sfar). Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  6. The Effect of an Electronic Checklist on Critical Care Provider Workload, Errors, and Performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thongprayoon, Charat; Harrison, Andrew M; O'Horo, John C; Berrios, Ronaldo A Sevilla; Pickering, Brian W; Herasevich, Vitaly

    2016-03-01

    The strategy used to improve effective checklist use in intensive care unit (ICU) setting is essential for checklist success. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that an electronic checklist could reduce ICU provider workload, errors, and time to checklist completion, as compared to a paper checklist. This was a simulation-based study conducted at an academic tertiary hospital. All participants completed checklists for 6 ICU patients: 3 using an electronic checklist and 3 using an identical paper checklist. In both scenarios, participants had full access to the existing electronic medical record system. The outcomes measured were workload (defined using the National Aeronautics and Space Association task load index [NASA-TLX]), the number of checklist errors, and time to checklist completion. Two independent clinician reviewers, blinded to participant results, served as the reference standard for checklist error calculation. Twenty-one ICU providers participated in this study. This resulted in the generation of 63 simulated electronic checklists and 63 simulated paper checklists. The median NASA-TLX score was 39 for the electronic checklist and 50 for the paper checklist (P = .005). The median number of checklist errors for the electronic checklist was 5, while the median number of checklist errors for the paper checklist was 8 (P = .003). The time to checklist completion was not significantly different between the 2 checklist formats (P = .76). The electronic checklist significantly reduced provider workload and errors without any measurable difference in the amount of time required for checklist completion. This demonstrates that electronic checklists are feasible and desirable in the ICU setting. © The Author(s) 2014.

  7. Internationally Standardized Reporting (Checklist) on the Sustainable Development Performance of Uranium Mining and Processing Sites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harris, Frank

    2014-01-01

    The Internationally Standardized Reporting Checklist on the Sustainable Development Performance of Uranium Mining and Processing Sites: • A mutual and beneficial work between a core group of uranium miners and nuclear utilities; • An approach based on an long term experience, international policies and sustainable development principles; • A process to optimize the reporting mechanism, tools and efforts; • 11 sections focused on the main sustainable development subject matters known at an operational and headquarter level. The WNA will make available the sustainable development checklist for member utilities and uranium suppliers. Utilities and suppliers are encouraged to use the checklist for sustainable development verification.

  8. Towards a lessons learned system for critical software

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andrade, J.; Ares, J.; Garcia, R.; Pazos, J.; Rodriguez, S.; Rodriguez-Paton, A.; Silva, A.

    2007-01-01

    Failure can be a major driver for the advance of any engineering discipline and Software Engineering is no exception. But failures are useful only if lessons are learned from them. In this article we aim to make a strong defence of, and set the requirements for, lessons learned systems for safety-critical software. We also present a prototype lessons learned system that includes many of the features discussed here. We emphasize that, apart from individual organizations, lessons learned systems should target industrial sectors and even the Software Engineering community. We would like to encourage the Software Engineering community to use this kind of systems as another tool in the toolbox, which complements or enhances other approaches like, for example, standards and checklists

  9. Towards a lessons learned system for critical software

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Andrade, J. [University of A Coruna. Campus de Elvina, s/n. 15071, A Coruna (Spain)]. E-mail: jag@udc.es; Ares, J. [University of A Coruna. Campus de Elvina, s/n. 15071, A Coruna (Spain)]. E-mail: juanar@udc.es; Garcia, R. [University of A Coruna. Campus de Elvina, s/n. 15071, A Coruna (Spain)]. E-mail: rafael@udc.es; Pazos, J. [Technical University of Madrid. Campus de Montegancedo, s/n. 28660, Boadilla del Monte, Madrid (Spain)]. E-mail: jpazos@fi.upm.es; Rodriguez, S. [University of A Coruna. Campus de Elvina, s/n. 15071, A Coruna (Spain)]. E-mail: santi@udc.es; Rodriguez-Paton, A. [Technical University of Madrid. Campus de Montegancedo, s/n. 28660, Boadilla del Monte, Madrid (Spain)]. E-mail: arpaton@fi.upm.es; Silva, A. [Technical University of Madrid. Campus de Montegancedo, s/n. 28660, Boadilla del Monte, Madrid (Spain)]. E-mail: asilva@fi.upm.es

    2007-07-15

    Failure can be a major driver for the advance of any engineering discipline and Software Engineering is no exception. But failures are useful only if lessons are learned from them. In this article we aim to make a strong defence of, and set the requirements for, lessons learned systems for safety-critical software. We also present a prototype lessons learned system that includes many of the features discussed here. We emphasize that, apart from individual organizations, lessons learned systems should target industrial sectors and even the Software Engineering community. We would like to encourage the Software Engineering community to use this kind of systems as another tool in the toolbox, which complements or enhances other approaches like, for example, standards and checklists.

  10. Evaluating the Performance Diagnostic Checklist-Human Services to Assess Incorrect Error-Correction Procedures by Preschool Paraprofessionals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bowe, Melissa; Sellers, Tyra P.

    2018-01-01

    The Performance Diagnostic Checklist-Human Services (PDC-HS) has been used to assess variables contributing to undesirable staff performance. In this study, three preschool teachers completed the PDC-HS to identify the factors contributing to four paraprofessionals' inaccurate implementation of error-correction procedures during discrete trial…

  11. Educational system based on the TAPP checklist improves the performance of novices: a multicenter randomized trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poudel, Saseem; Kurashima, Yo; Tanaka, Kimitaka; Kawase, Hiroshi; Ito, Yoichi M; Nakamura, Fumitaka; Shichinohe, Toshiaki; Hirano, Satoshi

    2018-05-01

    Despite recent developments in surgical education, obstacles including inadequate budget, limited human resources, and a scarcity of time have limited its widespread adoption. To provide systematic training for laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair, we had previously developed and validated a checklist to evaluate the recorded performance of transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) repair. We had also developed an educational system that included didactic materials based on the TAPP checklist and incorporated remote evaluation and feedback system. The aim of this study was to evaluate the educational impact of the TAPP education system on novice surgeons. Residents and surgeons from participating hospitals, who had performed 0 or 1 TAPP procedure, were randomly assigned to the intervention group (IG), who trained using this new educational tool, and the control group (CG), who trained using the conventional system. Their surgical videos were rated by blinded raters. All participants performed their first case prior to randomization. The primary outcome was improvement of TAPP checklist score from the first to the third case. Eighteen participants from 9 institutes were recruited for this study. Seven participants in the IG and 5 participants in the CG were included in the final analysis. The participants in the IG demonstrated significant improvement in their TAPP performance (p = 0.044) from their first case to their third case, whereas their counterparts in the CG failed to make any significant progress during the same period (p = 0.581). The new TAPP educational system was effective in improving the TAPP performance of novice surgeons.

  12. An Evaluation of the Performance Diagnostic Checklist-Human Services to Assess an Employee Performance Problem in a Center-Based Autism Treatment Facility

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ditzian, Kyle; Wilder, David A.; King, Allison; Tanz, Jeanine

    2015-01-01

    The Performance Diagnostic Checklist-Human Services (PDC-HS) is an informant-based tool designed to assess the environmental variables that contribute to poor employee performance in human services settings. We administered the PDC-HS to 3 supervisors to assess the variables that contributed to poor performance by 4 staff members when securing…

  13. A Self-assessment Checklist for Undergraduate Students’ Argumentative Writing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vahid Nimehchisalem

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available With a growing emphasis on students’ ability to assess their own written works in teaching English as a Second Language (ESL writing courses, self-assessment checklists are today regarded as useful tools. These checklists can help learners diagnose their own weaknesses and improve their writing performance. This necessitates development of checklists that guide the learners in assessing their own writing. In this study, a self-assessment checklist was developed for undergraduate students in an ESL context to help them with their argumentative essays. This paper presents the related literature and theories, based on which the checklist was developed. The checklist is described and its potential theoretical and practical implications in ESL writing classes are discussed. Further research is necessary to refine the checklist through focus group studies with lecturers and students.

  14. Benchmarking of World Health Organization surgical safety checklist

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Messahel, Farouk M.; AlQahtani, Ali S.

    2009-01-01

    To compare the quality of our services with the World Health Organization (WHO) surgical safety recommendations as a reference, to improve our services if they fall short of that of the WHO, and to publish our additional standards, so that they may be included in future revision of WHO checklist. We conducted this study on 15th July 2008 at the Armed Forces Hospital, Wadi Al-Dawasir, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We compared each WHO safety standard item with its corresponding standard in our checklist. There were 4 possibilities for the comparison: that our performance meet, was less than or exceeded the quality-of-care measures in the WHO checklist, or that there are additional safety measures in either checklist that need to be considered by each party. Since its introduction in 1997, our checklist was applied to 11828 patients and resulted in error-free outcomes. Benchmarking proved that our surgical safety performance does not only match the standards of the WHO surgical safety checklist, but also exceeds it in other safety areas (for example measures to prevent perioperative hypothermia and venous thromboembolism). Benchmarking is a continuous quality improvement process aimed at providing the best available at the time in healthcare, and we recommend its adoption by healthcare providers. The WHO surgical safety checklist is a bold step in the right direction towards safer surgical outcomes. Feedback from other medical establishments should be encouraged. (author)

  15. World Nuclear Association (WNA) internationally standardized reporting (checklist) on the sustainable development performance of uranium mining and processing sites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harris, F.

    2014-01-01

    The World Nuclear Association (WNA) has developed internationally standardized reporting (‘Checklist’) for uranium mining and processing sites. This reporting is to achieve widespread utilities/miners agreement on a list of topics/indicators for common use in demonstrating miners’ adherence to strong sustainable development performance. Nuclear utilities are often required to evaluate the sustainable development performance of their suppliers as part of a utility operational management system. In the present case, nuclear utilities are buyers of uranium supplies from uranium miners and such purchases are often achieved through the utility uranium or fuel supply management function. This Checklist is an evaluation tool which has been created to collect information from uranium miners’ available annual reports, data series, and measurable indicators on a wide range of sustainable development topics to verify that best practices in this field are implemented throughout uranium mining and processing sites. The Checklist has been developed to align with the WNA’s policy document Sustaining Global Best Practices in Uranium Mining and Processing: Principles for Managing Radiation, Health and Safety, and Waste and the Environment which encompasses all applicable aspects of sustainable development to uranium mining and processing. The eleven sections of the Checklist are: 1. Adherence to Sustainable Development; 2. Health, Safety and Environmental Protection; 3. Compliance; 4. Social Responsibility and Stakeholder Engagement; 5. Management of Hazardous Materials; 6. Quality Management Systems; 7. Accidents and Emergencies; 8. Transport of Hazardous Materials; 9. Systematic Approach to Training; 10. Security of Sealed Radioactive Sources and Nuclear Substances; 11. Decommissioning and Site Closure. The Checklist benefits from many years of nuclear utility experience in verifying the sustainable development performance of uranium mining and processing sites. This

  16. Does the Role Checklist Measure Occupational Participation?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tore Bonsaksen

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Background: Among the Model of Human Occupation (MOHO assessments, the Role Checklist is one of the most established. In spite of its widespread use, no studies have examined role examples and their association with the three embedded levels of doing, as established in the MOHO theory. Method: A cross-sectional survey of 293 respondents from the US, the UK, Japan, Switzerland, Sweden, and Norway produced 7,182 role examples. The respondents completed Part I of the Role Checklist and provided examples of each internalized role they performed. Responses were classified as occupational skill, occupational performance, or occupational participation. Results: Thirty-three percent of the examples were classified as examples of occupational participation, whereas 65% were classified as examples of occupational performance. Four roles linked mostly with occupational participation, another four roles linked mostly with occupational performance, and the two remaining roles were mixed between occupational participation and occupational performance. Discussion: The Role Checklist assesses a person’s involvement in internalized roles at the level of both occupational participation and occupational performance. There are differences among countries with regard to how roles are perceived and exemplified, and different roles relate differently to the occupational performance and occupational participation levels of doing. There are related implications for occupational therapists.

  17. A survey to identify barriers of implementing an antibiotic checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Daalen, F V; Geerlings, S E; Prins, J M; Hulscher, M E J L

    2016-04-01

    A checklist is an effective implementation tool, but addressing barriers that might impact on the effectiveness of its use is crucial. In this paper, we explore barriers to the uptake of an antibiotic checklist that aims to improve antibiotic use in daily hospital care. We performed an online questionnaire survey among medical specialists and residents with various professional backgrounds from nine Dutch hospitals. The questionnaire consisted of 23 statements on anticipated barriers hindering the uptake of the checklist. Furthermore, it gave the possibility to add comments. We included 219 completed questionnaires (122 medical specialists and 97 residents) in our descriptive analysis. The top six anticipated barriers included: (1) lack of expectation of improvement of antibiotic use, (2) lack of expected patients' satisfaction by checklist use, (3) lack of feasibility of the checklist, (4) negative previous experiences with other checklists, (5) the complexity of the antibiotic checklist and (6) lack of nurses' expectation of checklist use. Remarkably, 553 comments were made, mostly (436) about the content of the checklist. These insights can be used to improve the specific content of the checklist and to develop an implementation strategy that addresses the identified barriers.

  18. Development of short Indonesian lesson plan to improve teacher performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yulianto, B.; Kamidjan; Ahmadi, A.; Asteria, P. V.

    2018-01-01

    The developmental research was motivated by the results of preliminary study through interviews, which revealed almost all of the teachers did not create lesson plan themselves. As a result of this load, the performance of the real learning in the classroom becomes inadequate. Moreover, when lesson plan was not made by teachers themselves, the learning process becomes ineffective. Therefore, this study designed to develop a prototype of the short lesson plan, in particular, Indonesian language teaching, and to investigate its effectiveness. The participants in the study were teachers who were trained through lesson study group to design short model’s lesson plan. Questionnaires and open-ended questions were used, and the quantitative and qualitative data obtained were analyzed accordingly. The analysis of the quantitative data, aided with SPSS, were frequency, percentage, and means, whereas the qualitative data were analyzed descriptively. The results showed that the teachers liked the model, and they were willing to design their own lesson plan. The observation data revealed that the classroom learning process became more interactive, and classroom atmosphere was more engaging and natural because the teachers did not stick to the lesson plan made by other teachers.

  19. Surgical checklists: the human factor.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    O Connor, Paul

    2013-05-14

    BACKGROUND: Surgical checklists has been shown to improve patient safety and teamwork in the operating theatre. However, despite the known benefits of the use of checklists in surgery, in some cases the practical implementation has been found to be less than universal. A questionnaire methodology was used to quantitatively evaluate the attitudes of theatre staff towards a modified version of the World Health Organisation (WHO) surgical checklist with relation to: beliefs about levels of compliance and support, impact on patient safety and teamwork, and barriers to the use of the checklist. METHODS: Using the theory of planned behaviour as a framework, 14 semi-structured interviews were conducted with theatre personnel regarding their attitudes towards, and levels of compliance with, a checklist. Based upon the interviews, a 27-item questionnaire was developed and distribute to all theatre personnel in an Irish hospital. RESULTS: Responses were obtained from 107 theatre staff (42.6% response rate). Particularly for nurses, the overall attitudes towards the effect of the checklist on safety and teamworking were positive. However, there was a lack of rigour with which the checklist was being applied. Nurses were significantly more sensitive to the barriers to the use of the checklist than anaesthetists or surgeons. Moreover, anaesthetists were not as positively disposed to the surgical checklist as surgeons and nurse. This finding was attributed to the tendency for the checklist to be completed during a period of high workload for the anaesthetists, resulting in a lack of engagement with the process. CONCLUSION: In order to improve the rigour with which the surgical checklist is applied, there is a need for: the involvement of all members of the theatre team in the checklist process, demonstrated support for the checklist from senior personnel, on-going education and training, and barriers to the implementation of the checklist to be addressed.

  20. Field Audit Checklist Tool (FACT)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Download EPA's The Field Audit Checklist Tool (FACT). FACT is intended to help auditors perform field audits, to easily view monitoring plan, quality assurance and emissions data and provides access to data collected under MATS.

  1. 40 CFR Figure E-2 to Subpart E of... - Product Manufacturing Checklist

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... Testing Physical (Design) and Performance Characteristics of Reference Methods and Class I and Class II... 40 Protection of Environment 5 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Product Manufacturing Checklist E...—Product Manufacturing Checklist PRODUCT MANUFACTURING CHECKLIST AuditeeAuditor signatureDate Compliance...

  2. Implementing a pediatric surgical safety checklist in the OR and beyond.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norton, Elizabeth K; Rangel, Shawn J

    2010-07-01

    An international study about implementation of the World Health Organization Surgical Safety Checklist showed that use of the checklist reduced complication and death rates in adult surgical patients. Clinicians at Children's Hospital Boston, Massachusetts, modified the Surgical Safety Checklist for pediatric populations. We pilot tested the Pediatric Surgical Safety Checklist and created a large checklist poster for each OR to allow the entire surgical team to view the checklist simultaneously and to promote shared responsibility for conducting the time out. Results of the pilot test showed improvements in teamwork, communication, and adherence to process measures. Parallel efforts were made in other areas of the hospital where invasive procedures are performed. Compliance with the checklist at our facility has been good, and team members have expressed satisfaction with the flow and content of the checklist. Copyright (c) 2010 AORN, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. ICT AND TEACHERS' PERFORMANCE IN TERMS OF LESSON ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    PROF. BARTH EKWEME

    Delivery Questionnaire (ICTTPLIDO) Developed by the researcher. The reliability estimate of ... teachers' performance in lesson preparation and delivery through the use of Information and ... information to accomplish the task, and evaluating ...

  4. Checklists for quality assurance and audit in nuclear medicine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Williams, E.D.; Harding, L.K.; McKillop, J.H.

    1989-01-01

    A series of checklists are given which aim to provide some guidance to staff in determining whether their working procedures in nuclear medicine are likely to produce a good service and avoid mistakes. The checklists relate to the special equipment used in nuclear medicine departments, radiopharmaceuticals, nuclear medicine staff, services to medical and other hospital staff and finally the service to patients. The checklists are relevant to an average nuclear medicine department performing less than 2000 imaging studies per year. (U.K.)

  5. Development and Preliminary Validation of Refugee Trauma History Checklist (RTHC—A Brief Checklist for Survey Studies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erika Sigvardsdotter

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available A high proportion of refugees have been subjected to potentially traumatic experiences (PTEs, including torture. PTEs, and torture in particular, are powerful predictors of mental ill health. This paper reports the development and preliminary validation of a brief refugee trauma checklist applicable for survey studies. Methods: A pool of 232 items was generated based on pre-existing instruments. Conceptualization, item selection and item refinement was conducted based on existing literature and in collaboration with experts. Ten cognitive interviews using a Think Aloud Protocol (TAP were performed in a clinical setting, and field testing of the proposed checklist was performed in a total sample of n = 137 asylum seekers from Syria. Results: The proposed refugee trauma history checklist (RTHC consists of 2 × 8 items, concerning PTEs that occurred before and during the respondents’ flight, respectively. Results show low item non-response and adequate psychometric properties Conclusion: RTHC is a usable tool for providing self-report data on refugee trauma history surveys of community samples. The core set of included events can be augmented and slight modifications can be applied to RTHC for use also in other refugee populations and settings.

  6. Development and Preliminary Validation of Refugee Trauma History Checklist (RTHC)-A Brief Checklist for Survey Studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sigvardsdotter, Erika; Nilsson, Henrik; Malm, Andreas; Tinghög, Petter; Gottvall, Maria; Vaez, Marjan; Saboonchi, Fredrik

    2017-10-04

    A high proportion of refugees have been subjected to potentially traumatic experiences (PTEs), including torture. PTEs, and torture in particular, are powerful predictors of mental ill health. This paper reports the development and preliminary validation of a brief refugee trauma checklist applicable for survey studies. A pool of 232 items was generated based on pre-existing instruments. Conceptualization, item selection and item refinement was conducted based on existing literature and in collaboration with experts. Ten cognitive interviews using a Think Aloud Protocol (TAP) were performed in a clinical setting, and field testing of the proposed checklist was performed in a total sample of n = 137 asylum seekers from Syria. The proposed refugee trauma history checklist (RTHC) consists of 2 × 8 items, concerning PTEs that occurred before and during the respondents' flight, respectively. Results show low item non-response and adequate psychometric properties Conclusion: RTHC is a usable tool for providing self-report data on refugee trauma history surveys of community samples. The core set of included events can be augmented and slight modifications can be applied to RTHC for use also in other refugee populations and settings.

  7. Delphi Method Validation of a Procedural Performance Checklist for Insertion of an Ultrasound-Guided Internal Jugular Central Line.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hartman, Nicholas; Wittler, Mary; Askew, Kim; Manthey, David

    2016-01-01

    Placement of ultrasound-guided central lines is a critical skill for physicians in several specialties. Improving the quality of care delivered surrounding this procedure demands rigorous measurement of competency, and validated tools to assess performance are essential. Using the iterative, modified Delphi technique and experts in multiple disciplines across the United States, the study team created a 30-item checklist designed to assess competency in the placement of ultrasound-guided internal jugular central lines. Cronbach α was .94, indicating an excellent degree of internal consistency. Further validation of this checklist will require its implementation in simulated and clinical environments. © The Author(s) 2014.

  8. A cluster randomized trial for the implementation of an antibiotic checklist based on validated quality indicators: the AB-checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Daalen, Frederike V; Prins, Jan M; Opmeer, Brent C; Boermeester, Marja A; Visser, Caroline E; van Hest, Reinier M; Hulscher, Marlies E J L; Geerlings, Suzanne E

    2015-03-19

    Recently we developed and validated generic quality indicators that define 'appropriate antibiotic use' in hospitalized adults treated for a (suspected) bacterial infection. Previous studies have shown that with appropriate antibiotic use a reduction of 13% of length of hospital stay can be achieved. Our main objective in this project is to provide hospitals with an antibiotic checklist based on these quality indicators, and to evaluate the introduction of this checklist in terms of (cost-) effectiveness. The checklist applies to hospitalized adults with a suspected bacterial infection for whom antibiotic therapy is initiated, at first via the intravenous route. A stepped wedge study design will be used, comparing outcomes before and after introduction of the checklist in nine hospitals in the Netherlands. At least 810 patients will be included in both the control and the intervention group. The primary endpoint is length of hospital stay. Secondary endpoints are appropriate antibiotic use measured by the quality indicators, admission to and duration of intensive care unit stay, readmission within 30 days, mortality, total antibiotic use, and costs associated with implementation and hospital stay. Differences in numerical endpoints between the two periods will be evaluated with mixed linear models; for dichotomous outcomes generalized estimating equation models will be used. A process evaluation will be performed to evaluate the professionals' compliance with use of the checklist. The key question for the economic evaluation is whether the benefits of the checklist, which include reduced antibiotic use, reduced length of stay and associated costs, justify the costs associated with implementation activities as well as daily use of the checklist. If (cost-) effective, the AB-checklist will provide physicians with a tool to support appropriate antibiotic use in adult hospitalized patients who start with intravenous antibiotics. Dutch trial registry: NTR4872.

  9. A Self-Assessment Checklist for Undergraduate Students' Argumentative Writing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nimehchisalem, Vahid; Chye, David Yoong Soon; Jaswant Singh, Sheena Kaur A/P; Zainuddin, Siti Zaidah; Norouzi, Sara; Khalid, Sheren

    2014-01-01

    With a growing emphasis on students' ability to assess their own written works in teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) writing courses, self-assessment checklists are today regarded as useful tools. These checklists can help learners diagnose their own weaknesses and improve their writing performance. This necessitates development of…

  10. Checklists for external validity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dyrvig, Anne-Kirstine; Kidholm, Kristian; Gerke, Oke

    2014-01-01

    to an implementation setting. In this paper, currently available checklists on external validity are identified, assessed and used as a basis for proposing a new improved instrument. METHOD: A systematic literature review was carried out in Pubmed, Embase and Cinahl on English-language papers without time restrictions....... The retrieved checklist items were assessed for (i) the methodology used in primary literature, justifying inclusion of each item; and (ii) the number of times each item appeared in checklists. RESULTS: Fifteen papers were identified, presenting a total of 21 checklists for external validity, yielding a total...... of 38 checklist items. Empirical support was considered the most valid methodology for item inclusion. Assessment of methodological justification showed that none of the items were supported empirically. Other kinds of literature justified the inclusion of 22 of the items, and 17 items were included...

  11. A survey to identify barriers of implementing an antibiotic checklist

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Daalen, F. V.; Geerlings, S. E.; Prins, J. M.; Hulscher, M. E. J. L.

    2016-01-01

    A checklist is an effective implementation tool, but addressing barriers that might impact on the effectiveness of its use is crucial. In this paper, we explore barriers to the uptake of an antibiotic checklist that aims to improve antibiotic use in daily hospital care. We performed an online

  12. Rapid Benefit Indicator (RBI) Checklist Tool - Quick Start ...

    Science.gov (United States)

    The Rapid Benefits Indicators (RBI) approach consists of five steps and is outlined in Assessing the Benefits of Wetland Restoration – A Rapid Benefits Indicators Approach for Decision Makers. This checklist tool is intended to be used to record information as you answer the questions in that guide. When performing a Rapid Benefits Indicator (RBI) assessment on wetlands restoration site(s) results can be recorded and reviewed using this VBA enabled MS Excel Checklist Tool.

  13. A meta-model for computer executable dynamic clinical safety checklists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nan, Shan; Van Gorp, Pieter; Lu, Xudong; Kaymak, Uzay; Korsten, Hendrikus; Vdovjak, Richard; Duan, Huilong

    2017-12-12

    Safety checklist is a type of cognitive tool enforcing short term memory of medical workers with the purpose of reducing medical errors caused by overlook and ignorance. To facilitate the daily use of safety checklists, computerized systems embedded in the clinical workflow and adapted to patient-context are increasingly developed. However, the current hard-coded approach of implementing checklists in these systems increase the cognitive efforts of clinical experts and coding efforts for informaticists. This is due to the lack of a formal representation format that is both understandable by clinical experts and executable by computer programs. We developed a dynamic checklist meta-model with a three-step approach. Dynamic checklist modeling requirements were extracted by performing a domain analysis. Then, existing modeling approaches and tools were investigated with the purpose of reusing these languages. Finally, the meta-model was developed by eliciting domain concepts and their hierarchies. The feasibility of using the meta-model was validated by two case studies. The meta-model was mapped to specific modeling languages according to the requirements of hospitals. Using the proposed meta-model, a comprehensive coronary artery bypass graft peri-operative checklist set and a percutaneous coronary intervention peri-operative checklist set have been developed in a Dutch hospital and a Chinese hospital, respectively. The result shows that it is feasible to use the meta-model to facilitate the modeling and execution of dynamic checklists. We proposed a novel meta-model for the dynamic checklist with the purpose of facilitating creating dynamic checklists. The meta-model is a framework of reusing existing modeling languages and tools to model dynamic checklists. The feasibility of using the meta-model is validated by implementing a use case in the system.

  14. Effect of teaching and checklist implementation on accuracy of medication history recording at hospital admission.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lea, Marianne; Barstad, Ingeborg; Mathiesen, Liv; Mowe, Morten; Molden, Espen

    2016-02-01

    Medication discrepancies at hospital admission is an extensive problem and knowledge is limited regarding improvement strategies. To investigate the effect of teaching and checklist implementation on accuracy of medication history recording during hospitalization. Patients admitted to an internal medicine ward were prospectively included in two consecutive periods. Between the periods, non-mandatory teaching lessons were provided and a checklist assisting medication history recording implemented. Discrepancies between the recorded medications at admission and the patient's actual drug use, as revealed by pharmacist-conducted medication reconciliation, were compared between the periods. The primary endpoint was difference between the periods in proportion of patients with minimum one discrepancy. Difference in median number of discrepancies was included as a secondary endpoint. 56 and 119 patients were included in period 1 (P1) and period 2 (P2), respectively. There was no significant difference in proportion of patients with minimum one discrepancy in P2 (68.9 %) versus P1 (76.8 %, p = 0.36), but a tendency of lower median number of discrepancies was observed in P2 than P1, i.e. 1 and 2, respectively (p = 0.087). More powerful strategies than non-mandatory teaching activities and checklist implementation are required to achieve sufficient improvements in medication history recording during hospitalization.

  15. Utilizing Lesson Study in Improving Year 12 Students' Learning and Performance in Mathematics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jessie Siew Yin Chong

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available This study investigated the use of Lesson Study to improve Year 12 students' performance in conditional probability through Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL lessons. In total, 66 students comprised of three Year 12 classes of similar abilities, and their three respective teachers from a government junior college participated in the study. The instruments used to collect the relevant data in this study were teachers' reflective journals and students' achievement tests. The collected data were then analyzed and interpreted quantitatively using the SPSS. The analysis of the students' pre- and post-tests concluded that as the lesson plans were gradually refined and enhanced, their performance in solving conditional probability questions steadily improved.

  16. PATIENT SAFETY IN SURGERY: THE QUALITY OF IMPLEMENTATION OF PATIENT SAFETY CHECKLISTS IN A REGIONAL HOSPITAL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. Karyadinata

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. Patient safety and the avoidance of inhospital adverse events is a key focus of clinical practice and medical audit. A large of proportion of medical errors affect surgical patients in the peri-operative setting. Safety checklists have been adopted by the medical profession from the aviation industry as a cheap and reliable method of avoiding errors which arise from complex or stressful situations. Current evidence suggests that the use of periooperative checklists has led to a decrease in surgical morbidity and hospital costs. Aim. To assess the quality of implementation of a modified patient safety checklist in a UK district general hospital. Methods. An observational tool was designed to assess in real time the peri-operative performance of the surgical safety checklist in patients undergoing general surgical, urological or orthopaedic procedures. Initiation of the checklist, duration of performance and staff participation were audited in real time. Results. 338 cases were monitored. Nurses were most active in initiating the safety checklist. The checklist was performed successfully in less than a minute in most cases. 11-24% of staff (according to professional group present in the operating room did not participate in the checklist. Critical safety checks (patient identity and procedure name were performed in all cases across all specialties. Variations were noted in checking other categories, such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT prophylaxis or patient warming. Conclusions. There is still a potential for improving the practice and culture of surgical patient safety activities. Staff training and designation of patient safety leadership roles is needed in increasing compliance and implementation of patient safety mechanism, such as peri-operative checklists. There is significant data to advocate the need to implement patient safety surgical checklists internationally

  17. A Feminist Family Therapist Behavior Checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaney, Sita E.; Piercy, Fred P.

    1988-01-01

    Developed Feminist Family Therapist Behavior Checklist to identify feminist family therapy skills. Used checklist to rate family therapy sessions of 60 therapists in variety of settings. Checklist discriminated between self-reported feminists and nonfeminists, between men and women, and between expert categorizations of feminist and nonfeminist…

  18. Checklist and Decision Support in Nutritional Care for Burned Patients

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-10-01

    able to construct a checklist of a clinical and physiologic model and then a computerised decision support system that will perform two functions: the...the provision of nutritional therapy, and assessment of use by nursing and physician staff KEYWORDS Nutrition, severe burn, decision support... clinical testing. Checklist and Decision Support in Nutritional Care for Burned Patients Proposal Number: 12340011 W81XWH-12-2-0074 PI: Steven E

  19. A comparison of global rating scale and checklist scores in the validation of an evaluation tool to assess performance in the resuscitation of critically ill patients during simulated emergencies (abbreviated as "CRM simulator study IB").

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, John; Neilipovitz, David; Cardinal, Pierre; Chiu, Michelle

    2009-01-01

    Crisis resource management (CRM) skills are a set of nonmedical skills required to manage medical emergencies. There is currently no gold standard for evaluation of CRM performance. A prior study examined the use of a global rating scale (GRS) to evaluate CRM performance. This current study compared the use of a GRS and a checklist as formal rating instruments to evaluate CRM performance during simulated emergencies. First-year and third-year residents participated in two simulator scenarios each. Three raters then evaluated resident performance in CRM using edited video recordings using both a GRS and a checklist. The Ottawa GRS provides a seven-point anchored ordinal scale for performance in five categories of CRM, and an overall performance score. The Ottawa CRM checklist provides 12 items in the five categories of CRM, with a maximum cumulative score of 30 points. Construct validity was measured on the basis of content validity, response process, internal structure, and response to other variables. T-test analysis of Ottawa GRS scores was conducted to examine response to the variable of level of training. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) scores were used to measure inter-rater reliability for both scenarios. Thirty-two first-year and 28 third-year residents participated in the study. Third-year residents produced higher mean scores for overall CRM performance than first-year residents (P CRM checklist (P CRM checklist. Users indicated a strong preference for the Ottawa GRS given ease of scoring, presence of an overall score, and the potential for formative evaluation. Construct validity seems to be present when using both the Ottawa GRS and CRM checklist to evaluate CRM performance during simulated emergencies. Data also indicate the presence of moderate inter-rater reliability when using both the Ottawa GRS and CRM checklist.

  20. ACER Checklists for School Beginners: Manual.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rowe, Helga A. H.

    This assessment package consists of a checklist for teachers, a checklist for parents, a class record sheet, and a manual designed to be used by teachers to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of individual children soon after their entry into school or during their last term in preschool or kindergarten classes. The Checklist for Teachers…

  1. Checklist for clinical readiness published

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scientists from NCI, together with collaborators from outside academic centers, have developed a checklist of criteria to evaluate the readiness of complex molecular tests that will guide decisions made during clinical trials. The checklist focuses on tes

  2. Derivation of a Performance Checklist for Ultrasound-Guided Arthrocentesis Using the Modified Delphi Method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kunz, Derek; Pariyadath, Manoj; Wittler, Mary; Askew, Kim; Manthey, David; Hartman, Nicholas

    2017-06-01

    Arthrocentesis is an important skill for physicians in multiple specialties. Recent studies indicate a superior safety and performance profile for this procedure using ultrasound guidance for needle placement, and improving quality of care requires a valid measurement of competency using this modality. We endeavored to create a validated tool to assess the performance of this procedure using the modified Delphi technique and experts in multiple disciplines across the United States. We derived a 22-item checklist designed to assess competency for the completion of ultrasound-guided arthrocentesis, which demonstrated a Cronbach's alpha of 0.89, indicating an excellent degree of internal consistency. Although we were able to demonstrate content validity for this tool, further validity evidence should be acquired after the tool is used and studied in clinical and simulated contexts. © 2017 by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.

  3. Process improvement in cardiac surgery: development and implementation of a reoperation for bleeding checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loor, Gabriel; Vivacqua, Alessandro; Sabik, Joseph F; Li, Liang; Hixson, Eric D; Blackstone, Eugene H; Koch, Colleen G

    2013-11-01

    High-performing health care organizations differentiate themselves by focusing on continuous process improvement initiatives aimed at enhancing patient outcomes. Reoperation for bleeding is an event associated with considerable morbidity risk. Hence, our primary objective was to develop and implement a formal operative checklist to reduce technical reasons for postoperative bleeding. From January 1, 2011, through June 30, 2012, 5812 cardiac surgical procedures were performed at Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland, OH). A multidisciplinary team developed a simple, easy-to-perform hemostasis checklist based on the most common sites of bleeding. An extensive educational in-service was performed before limited, then universal, checklist implementation. Geometric charts were used to track the number of cases between consecutive reoperations for bleeding. We compared these before (phase 0) and after the first limited implementation phase (phase 1) and the universal implementation phase (phase 2) of the checklist. The average number of cases between consecutive reoperations for bleeding increased from 32 in phase 0 to 53 in both phase 1 (P = .002) and phase 2 (P = .01). A substantial reduction in reoperation for bleeding cases followed implementation of a formalized hemostasis checklist. Our findings underscore the important influence of memory aids that focus attention on surgical techniques to improve patient outcomes in a complex, operative work environment. Copyright © 2013 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Checklist of Serengeti Ecosystem Grasses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Emma Victoria; Elia Ntandu, John; Ficinski, Paweł; Vorontsova, Maria

    2016-01-01

    We present the first taxonomic checklist of the Poaceae species of the Serengeti, Tanzania. A review of the literature and herbarium specimens recorded 200 species of grasses, in line with similar studies in other parts of East Africa. The checklist is supported by a total of 939 herbarium collections. Full georeferenced collection data is made available alongside a summary checklist in pdf format. More than a quarter of the species are known from a single collection highlighting the need for further research, especially concerning the rare species and their distribution.

  5. Checklist of Serengeti Ecosystem Grasses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ficinski, Paweł; Vorontsova, Maria

    2016-01-01

    Abstract We present the first taxonomic checklist of the Poaceae species of the Serengeti, Tanzania. A review of the literature and herbarium specimens recorded 200 species of grasses, in line with similar studies in other parts of East Africa. The checklist is supported by a total of 939 herbarium collections. Full georeferenced collection data is made available alongside a summary checklist in pdf format. More than a quarter of the species are known from a single collection highlighting the need for further research, especially concerning the rare species and their distribution. PMID:27226761

  6. Face and Convergent Validity of Persian Version of Rapid Office Strain Assessment (ROSA Checklist

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Afrouz Armal

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective: The aim of this work was the translation, cultural adaptation and validation of the Persian version of the Rapid Office Stress Assessment (ROSA checklist. Material & Methods: This methodological study was conducted according of IQOLA method. 100 office worker were selected in order to carry out a psychometric evaluation of the ROSA checklist by performing validity (face and convergent analyses. The convergent validity was evaluated using RULA checklist. Results: Upon major changes made to the ROSA checklist during the translation/cultural adaptation process, face validity of the Persian version was obtained. Spearman correlation coefficient between total score of ROSA check list and RULA checklist was significant (r=0.76, p<0.0001. Conclusion: The results indicated that the translated version of the ROSA checklist is acceptable in terms of face validity, convergent validity in target society, and hence provides a useful instrument for assessing Iranian office workers

  7. 資訊檢索指導員評鑑量表之探討 A Study of Evaluation Checklist on the Performance of Information Intermediaries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shih-hsion Huang

    1998-09-01

    Full Text Available 無The main purpose of this study is to induce important factors of a good performance of information intermediaries by developing the evaluation checklist. By employing the Delphi Method, first step is to collect Delphi panel's (people who are/were in charge of reference and information services in university libraries opinions by open questionnaire. Upon them, a constructive questionnaire is developed and sent out to experts to rank on the degree of importance of evaluation items. A final consensus among the experts is gotten in the second round of Delphi process. An evaluation checklist of information intermediaries is established based on the study result. According the result of the study, the final evaluation checklist comprised seven parts with 191 items totally. That can be a reference to related fields and following researches.

  8. The Surgical Safety Checklist and Teamwork Coaching Tools: a study of inter-rater reliability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Lyen C; Conley, Dante; Lipsitz, Stu; Wright, Christopher C; Diller, Thomas W; Edmondson, Lizabeth; Berry, William R; Singer, Sara J

    2014-08-01

    To assess the inter-rater reliability (IRR) of two novel observation tools for measuring surgical safety checklist performance and teamwork. Data surgical safety checklists can promote adherence to standards of care and improve teamwork in the operating room. Their use has been associated with reductions in mortality and other postoperative complications. However, checklist effectiveness depends on how well they are performed. Authors from the Safe Surgery 2015 initiative developed a pair of novel observation tools through literature review, expert consultation and end-user testing. In one South Carolina hospital participating in the initiative, two observers jointly attended 50 surgical cases and independently rated surgical teams using both tools. We used descriptive statistics to measure checklist performance and teamwork at the hospital. We assessed IRR by measuring percent agreement, Cohen's κ, and weighted κ scores. The overall percent agreement and κ between the two observers was 93% and 0.74 (95% CI 0.66 to 0.79), respectively, for the Checklist Coaching Tool and 86% and 0.84 (95% CI 0.77 to 0.90) for the Surgical Teamwork Tool. Percent agreement for individual sections of both tools was 79% or higher. Additionally, κ scores for six of eight sections on the Checklist Coaching Tool and for two of five domains on the Surgical Teamwork Tool achieved the desired 0.7 threshold. However, teamwork scores were high and variation was limited. There were no significant changes in the percent agreement or κ scores between the first 10 and last 10 cases observed. Both tools demonstrated substantial IRR and required limited training to use. These instruments may be used to observe checklist performance and teamwork in the operating room. However, further refinement and calibration of observer expectations, particularly in rating teamwork, could improve the utility of the tools. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already

  9. Developing an English Language Textbook Evaluation Checklist

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mukundan, Jayakaran; Hajimohammadi, Reza; Nimehchisalem, Vahid

    2011-01-01

    The paper describes the considerations that were taken into account in the development of a tentative English language textbook evaluation checklist. A brief review of the related literature precedes the crucial issues that should be considered in developing checklists. In the light of the previous evaluation checklists the developers created a…

  10. Improving the preoperative care of patients with femoral neck fractures through the development and implementation of a checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agha, Riaz; Edison, Eric; Fowler, Alexander

    2014-01-01

    The incidence of femoral neck fractures (FNFs) is expected to rise with life expectancy. It is important to improve the safety of these patients whilst under the care of orthopaedic teams. This study aimed to increase the performance of vital preoperative tasks in patients admitted for femoral neck fracture operations by producing and implementing a checklist as an aide memoir. The checklist was designed primarily for use by senior house officers (SHOs) admitting patients from the emergency department. A list of 12 preoperative tasks was identified. A baseline audit of 10 random patients showed that the mean proportion of the 12 tasks completed was 53% (range 25% - 83%). A survey of 14 nurses and surgeons found that the majority of respondents agreed that there was a problem with the performance of most of the tasks. The tasks were incorporated into a checklist which was refined in three plan-do-study-act cycles and introduced into the femoral neck fracture pathway. In the week following the introduction of the checklist, 77% of the checklist tasks were completed, 24% more than at the baseline audit (53%). In week 3, the completion of checklist tasks rose to 88% and to 95% in week 4. In conclusion, a simple checklist can markedly improve the performance and recording of preoperative tasks by SHOs. We recommend the wider adoption of the new checklist to be produced as a sticker for patients' medical records. Further study is required to ascertain the effect of the checklist on clinical outcomes.

  11. Lessons learned bulletin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1994-05-01

    During the past four years, the Department of Energy -- Savannah River Operations Office and the Westinghouse Savannah River Company (WSRC) Environmental Restoration (ER) Program completed various activities ranging from waste site investigations to closure and post closure projects. Critiques for lessons learned regarding project activities are performed at the completion of each project milestone, and this critique interval allows for frequent recognition of lessons learned. In addition to project related lessons learned, ER also performs lessons learned critiques. T'he Savannah River Site (SRS) also obtains lessons learned information from general industry, commercial nuclear industry, naval nuclear programs, and other DOE sites within the complex. Procedures are approved to administer the lessons learned program, and a database is available to catalog applicable lessons learned regarding environmental remediation, restoration, and administrative activities. ER will continue to use this database as a source of information available to SRS personnel

  12. Flying Lessons for Clinicians: Developing System 2 Practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gregoire, Jerome N; Alfes, Celeste M; Reimer, Andrew P; Terhaar, Mary F

    There is a long history of adopting lessons learned from aviation to improve health care practice. Two of the major practices that have successfully transferred include using a checklist and simulation. Training and simulation technology is currently underdeveloped for nurses and health care providers entering critical care transport. This article describes a pedagogical approach adopted from aviation to develop a new simulation platform and program of research to develop the science of critical care transport nursing education. Copyright © 2017 Air Medical Journal Associates. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Inter-rater reliability of an observation-based ergonomics assessment checklist for office workers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pereira, Michelle Jessica; Straker, Leon Melville; Comans, Tracy Anne; Johnston, Venerina

    2016-12-01

    To establish the inter-rater reliability of an observation-based ergonomics assessment checklist for computer workers. A 37-item (38-item if a laptop was part of the workstation) comprehensive observational ergonomics assessment checklist comparable to government guidelines and up to date with empirical evidence was developed. Two trained practitioners assessed full-time office workers performing their usual computer-based work and evaluated the suitability of workstations used. Practitioners assessed each participant consecutively. The order of assessors was randomised, and the second assessor was blinded to the findings of the first. Unadjusted kappa coefficients between the raters were obtained for the overall checklist and subsections that were formed from question-items relevant to specific workstation equipment. Twenty-seven office workers were recruited. The inter-rater reliability between two trained practitioners achieved moderate to good reliability for all except one checklist component. This checklist has mostly moderate to good reliability between two trained practitioners. Practitioner Summary: This reliable ergonomics assessment checklist for computer workers was designed using accessible government guidelines and supplemented with up-to-date evidence. Employers in Queensland (Australia) can fulfil legislative requirements by using this reliable checklist to identify and subsequently address potential risk factors for work-related injury to provide a safe working environment.

  14. Checklists change communication about key elements of patient care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Newkirk, Michelle; Pamplin, Jeremy C; Kuwamoto, Roderick; Allen, David A; Chung, Kevin K

    2012-08-01

    Combat casualty care is distributed across professions and echelons of care. Communication within it is fragmented, inconsistent, and prone to failure. Daily checklists used during intensive care unit (ICU) rounds have been shown to improve compliance with evidence-based practices, enhance communication, promote consistency of care, and improve outcomes. Checklists are criticized because it is difficult to establish a causal link between them and their effect on outcomes. We investigated how checklists used during ICU rounds affect communication. We conducted this project in two military ICUs (burn and surgical/trauma). Checklists contained up to 21 questions grouped according to patient population. We recorded which checklist items were discussed during rounds before and after implementation of a "must address" checklist and compared the frequency of discussing items before checklist prompting. Patient discussions addressed more checklist items before prompting at the end of the 2-week evaluation compared with the 2-week preimplementation period (surgical trauma ICU, 36% vs. 77%, p communication patterns. Improved communication facilitated by checklists may be one mechanism behind their effectiveness. Checklists are powerful tools that can rapidly alter patient care delivery. Implementing checklists could facilitate the rapid dissemination of clinical practice changes, improve communication between echelons of care and between individuals involved in patient care, and reduce missed information.

  15. An Evaluation of the Performance Diagnostic Checklist-Human Services (PDC-HS) Across Domains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilder, David A; Lipschultz, Joshua; Gehrman, Chana

    2018-06-01

    The Performance Diagnostic Checklist-Human Services (PDC-HS) is an informant-based tool designed to assess the environmental variables that contribute to poor employee performance in human service settings. Although the PDC-HS has been shown to effectively identify variables contributing to problematic performance, interventions based on only two of the four PDC-HS domains have been evaluated to date. In addition, the extent to which PDC-HS-indicated interventions are more effective than nonindicated interventions for two domains remains unclear. In the current study, we administered the PDC-HS to supervisors to assess the variables contributing to infrequent teaching of verbal operants and use of a timer by therapists at a center-based autism treatment program. Each of the four PDC-HS domains was identified as contributing to poor performance for at least one therapist. We then evaluated PDC-HS-indicated interventions for each domain. In addition, to assess the predictive validity of the tool, we evaluated various nonindicated interventions prior to implementing a PDC-HS-indicated intervention for two of the four domains. Results suggest that the PDC-HS-indicated interventions were effective across all four domains and were more effective than the nonindicated interventions for the two domains for which they were evaluated. Results are discussed in terms of the utility of the PDC-HS to identify appropriate interventions to manage therapist performance in human service settings.

  16. A Time-Out Checklist for Pediatric Regional Anesthetics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clebone, Anna; Burian, Barbara K.; Polaner, David M.

    2017-01-01

    Although pediatric regional anesthesia has a demonstrated record of safety, adverse events, especially those related to block performance issues, still may occur. To reduce the frequency of those events, we developed a Regional Anesthesia Time-Out Checklist using expert opinion and the Delphi method.

  17. ICT and Teachers' Performance in Terms of Lesson Preparation and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This paper is a report of a study carried out to examine how information and Communication Technology (ICT) and teachers' performance in terms of lesson preparation and delivery in primary schools in Ogoja Education Zone of Cross River State, Nigeria. To achieve the purpose of the study, one research question was ...

  18. A checklist for endonasal transsphenoidal anterior skull base surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laws, Edward R; Wong, Judith M; Smith, Timothy R; de Los Reyes, Kenneth; Aglio, Linda S; Thorne, Alison J; Cote, David J; Esposito, Felice; Cappabianca, Paolo; Gawande, Atul

    2016-06-01

    OBJECT Approximately 250 million surgical procedures are performed annually worldwide, and data suggest that major complications occur in 3%-17% of them. Many of these complications can be classified as avoidable, and previous studies have demonstrated that preoperative checklists improve operating room teamwork and decrease complication rates. Although the authors' institution has instituted a general preoperative "time-out" designed to streamline communication, flatten vertical authority gradients, and decrease procedural errors, there is no specific checklist for transnasal transsphenoidal anterior skull base surgery, with or without endoscopy. Such minimally invasive cranial surgery uses a completely different conceptual approach, set-up, instrumentation, and operative procedure. Therefore, it can be associated with different types of complications as compared with open cranial surgery. The authors hypothesized that a detailed, procedure-specific, preoperative checklist would be useful to reduce errors, improve outcomes, decrease delays, and maximize both teambuilding and operational efficiency. Thus, the object of this study was to develop such a checklist for endonasal transsphenoidal anterior skull base surgery. METHODS An expert panel was convened that consisted of all members of the typical surgical team for transsphenoidal endoscopic cases: neurosurgeons, anesthesiologists, circulating nurses, scrub technicians, surgical operations managers, and technical assistants. Beginning with a general checklist, procedure-specific items were added and categorized into 4 pauses: Anesthesia Pause, Surgical Pause, Equipment Pause, and Closure Pause. RESULTS The final endonasal transsphenoidal anterior skull base surgery checklist is composed of the following 4 pauses. The Anesthesia Pause consists of patient identification, diagnosis, pertinent laboratory studies, medications, surgical preparation, patient positioning, intravenous/arterial access, fluid management

  19. The Use of the Performance Diagnostic Checklist-Human Services to Assess and Improve the Job Performance of Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Madison; Wilder, David A

    2018-06-01

    The Performance Diagnostic Checklist-Human Services (PDC-HS) is an informant-based tool designed to identify the variables responsible for performance problems. To date, the PDC-HS has not been examined with individuals with intellectual disabilities. In the current study, two supervisors with intellectual disabilities completed the PDC-HS to assess the productivity of two supervisees with disabilities who performed a pricing task in a thrift store. The PDC-HS suggested that performance deficits were due to a lack of training; a PDC-HS-indicated intervention was effective to increase accurate pricing. • The PDC-HS is an informant-based tool designed to identify the variables responsible for employee performance problems in human service settings. • The PDC-HS can be completed by some individuals with intellectual disabilities in a supervisory position to identify the variables responsible for problematic job performance among their supervisees. • A PDC-HS indicated intervention was demonstrated to be effective to improve the job performance of individuals with disabilities. • The PDC-HS may be a useful tool to support performance improvement and job maintenance among individuals with intellectual disabilities.

  20. Medical students review of formative OSCE scores, checklists, and videos improves with student-faculty debriefing meetings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bernard, Aaron W; Ceccolini, Gabbriel; Feinn, Richard; Rockfeld, Jennifer; Rosenberg, Ilene; Thomas, Listy; Cassese, Todd

    2017-01-01

    Performance feedback is considered essential to clinical skills development. Formative objective structured clinical exams (F-OSCEs) often include immediate feedback by standardized patients. Students can also be provided access to performance metrics including scores, checklists, and video recordings after the F-OSCE to supplement this feedback. How often students choose to review this data and how review impacts future performance has not been documented. We suspect student review of F-OSCE performance data is variable. We hypothesize that students who review this data have better performance on subsequent F-OSCEs compared to those who do not. We also suspect that frequency of data review can be improved with faculty involvement in the form of student-faculty debriefing meetings. Simulation recording software tracks and time stamps student review of performance data. We investigated a cohort of first- and second-year medical students from the 2015-16 academic year. Basic descriptive statistics were used to characterize frequency of data review and a linear mixed-model analysis was used to determine relationships between data review and future F-OSCE performance. Students reviewed scores (64%), checklists (42%), and videos (28%) in decreasing frequency. Frequency of review of all metric and modalities improved when student-faculty debriefing meetings were conducted (p<.001). Among 92 first-year students, checklist review was associated with an improved performance on subsequent F-OSCEs (p = 0.038) by 1.07 percentage points on a scale of 0-100. Among 86 second year students, no review modality was associated with improved performance on subsequent F-OSCEs. Medical students review F-OSCE checklists and video recordings less than 50% of the time when not prompted. Student-faculty debriefing meetings increased student data reviews. First-year student's review of checklists on F-OSCEs was associated with increases in performance on subsequent F-OSCEs, however this

  1. A Checklist to Improve Patient Safety in Interventional Radiology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koetser, Inge C. J.; Vries, Eefje N. de; Delden, Otto M. van; Smorenburg, Susanne M.; Boermeester, Marja A.; Lienden, Krijn P. van

    2013-01-01

    To develop a specific RADiological Patient Safety System (RADPASS) checklist for interventional radiology and to assess the effect of this checklist on health care processes of radiological interventions. On the basis of available literature and expert opinion, a prototype checklist was developed. The checklist was adapted on the basis of observation of daily practice in a tertiary referral centre and evaluation by users. To assess the effect of RADPASS, in a series of radiological interventions, all deviations from optimal care were registered before and after implementation of the checklist. In addition, the checklist and its use were evaluated by interviewing all users. The RADPASS checklist has two parts: A (Planning and Preparation) and B (Procedure). The latter part comprises checks just before starting a procedure (B1) and checks concerning the postprocedural care immediately after completion of the procedure (B2). Two cohorts of, respectively, 94 and 101 radiological interventions were observed; the mean percentage of deviations of the optimal process per intervention decreased from 24 % before implementation to 5 % after implementation (p < 0.001). Postponements and cancellations of interventions decreased from 10 % before implementation to 0 % after implementation. Most users agreed that the checklist was user-friendly and increased patient safety awareness and efficiency. The first validated patient safety checklist for interventional radiology was developed. The use of the RADPASS checklist reduced deviations from the optimal process by three quarters and was associated with less procedure postponements.

  2. An embedded checklist in the Anesthesia Information Management System improves pre-anaesthetic induction setup: a randomised controlled trial in a simulation setting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wetmore, Douglas; Goldberg, Andrew; Gandhi, Nishant; Spivack, John; McCormick, Patrick; DeMaria, Samuel

    2016-10-01

    Anaesthesiologists work in a high stress, high consequence environment in which missed steps in preparation may lead to medical errors and potential patient harm. The pre-anaesthetic induction period has been identified as a time in which medical errors can occur. The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation has developed a Pre-Anesthetic Induction Patient Safety (PIPS) checklist. We conducted this study to test the effectiveness of this checklist, when embedded in our institutional Anesthesia Information Management System (AIMS), on resident performance in a simulated environment. Using a randomised, controlled, observer-blinded design, we compared performance of anaesthesiology residents in a simulated operating room under production pressure using a checklist in completing a thorough pre-anaesthetic induction evaluation and setup with that of residents with no checklist. The checklist was embedded in the simulated operating room's electronic medical record. Data for 38 anaesthesiology residents shows a statistically significant difference in performance in pre-anaesthetic setup and evaluation as scored by blinded raters (maximum score 22 points), with the checklist group performing better by 7.8 points (p<0.01). The effects of gender and year of residency on total score were not significant. Simulation duration (time to anaesthetic agent administration) was increased significantly by the use of the checklist. Required use of a pre-induction checklist improves anaesthesiology resident performance in a simulated environment. The PIPS checklist as an integrated part of a departmental AIMS warrant further investigation as a quality measure. 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/

  3. Adopting a surgical safety checklist could save money and improve the quality of care in U.S. hospitals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Semel, Marcus E; Resch, Stephen; Haynes, Alex B; Funk, Luke M; Bader, Angela; Berry, William R; Weiser, Thomas G; Gawande, Atul A

    2010-09-01

    Use of the World Health Organization's Surgical Safety Checklist has been associated with a significant reduction in major postoperative complications after inpatient surgery. We hypothesized that implementing the checklist in the United States would generate cost savings for hospitals. We performed a decision analysis comparing implementation of the checklist to existing practice in U.S. hospitals. In a hospital with a baseline major complication rate after surgery of at least 3 percent, the checklist generates cost savings once it prevents at least five major complications. Using the checklist would both save money and improve the quality of care in hospitals throughout the United States.

  4. DEVELOPMENT OF A PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT CHECKLIST FOR ATHLETES WHO SUSTAINED A LOWER EXTREMITY INJURY IN PREPARATION FOR RETURN TO SPORT: A DELPHI STUDY

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haines, Sara; Baker, Tricia

    2013-01-01

    Purpose/Background: To develop a consensus on the critical constructs necessary to be included in a physical performance assessment checklist (PPAC) to assess an athlete's ability for return to sport following a lower extremity injury. Methods: The study used a 3‐round Delphi method to finalize the PPAI originally developed by a panel of experts. Fourteen Delphi representative sample participants were randomly derived from the authors of peer‐reviewed publications of lower extremity injuries. Nine participants completed all 3 rounds. Results: Throughout the 3 rounds, the 10 initial constructs were modified and revised to produce the finalized PPAC consisting of 12 constructs necessary to consider for an athlete's return to sport after a lower extremity injury. Conclusions: This instrument can be used as a checklist to advocate for prospective batteries of physical performance tests to incorporate the elements identified by this study. Level of Evidence: 5 PMID:23439809

  5. Validating Obstetric Emergency Checklists using Simulation: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bajaj, Komal; Rivera-Chiauzzi, Enid Y; Lee, Colleen; Shepard, Cynthia; Bernstein, Peter S; Moore-Murray, Tanya; Smith, Heather; Nathan, Lisa; Walker, Katie; Chazotte, Cynthia; Goffman, Dena

    2016-10-01

    Background The World Health Organization's Surgical Safety Checklist has demonstrated significant reduction in surgical morbidity. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists District II Safe Motherhood Initiative (SMI) safety bundles include eclampsia and postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) checklists. Objective To determine whether use of the SMI checklists during simulated obstetric emergencies improved completion of critical actions and to elicit feedback to facilitate checklist revision. Study Design During this randomized controlled trial, teams were assigned to use a checklist during one of two emergencies: eclampsia and PPH. Raters scored teams on critical step completion. Feedback was elicited through structured debriefing. Results In total, 30 teams completed 60 scenarios. For eclampsia, trends toward higher completion were noted for blood pressure and airway management. For PPH, trends toward higher completion rates were noted for PPH stage assessment and fundal massage. Feedback resulted in substantial checklist revision. Participants were enthusiastic about using checklists in a clinical emergency. Conclusion Despite trends toward higher rates of completion of critical tasks, teams using checklists did not approach 100% task completion. Teams were interested in the application of checklists and provided feedback necessary to substantially revise the checklists. Intensive implementation planning and training in use of the revised checklists will result in improved patient outcomes. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

  6. Lessons from the domestic Ebola response: Improving health care system resilience to high consequence infectious diseases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meyer, Diane; Kirk Sell, Tara; Schoch-Spana, Monica; Shearer, Matthew P; Chandler, Hannah; Thomas, Erin; Rose, Dale A; Carbone, Eric G; Toner, Eric

    2018-05-01

    The domestic response to the West Africa Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic from 2014-2016 provides a unique opportunity to distill lessons learned about health sector planning and operations from those individuals directly involved. This research project aimed to identify and integrate these lessons into an actionable checklist that can improve health sector resilience to future high-consequence infectious disease (HCID) events. Interviews (N = 73) were completed with individuals involved in the domestic EVD response in 4 cities (Atlanta, Dallas, New York, and Omaha), and included individuals who worked in academia, emergency management, government, health care, law, media, and public health during the response. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed qualitatively. Two focus groups were then conducted to expand on themes identified in the interviews. Using these themes, an evidence-informed checklist was developed and vetted for completeness and feasibility by an expert advisory group. Salient themes identified included health care facility issues-specifically identifying assessment and treatment hospitals, isolation and treatment unit layout, waste management, community relations, patient identification, patient isolation, limitations on treatment, laboratories, and research considerations-and health care workforce issues-specifically psychosocial impact, unit staffing, staff training, and proper personal protective equipment. The experiences of those involved in the domestic Ebola response provide critical lessons that can help strengthen resilience of health care systems and improve future responses to HCID events. Copyright © 2018 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Surgical Safety in Pediatrics: practical application of the Pediatric Surgical Safety Checklist

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Paula de Oliveira Pires

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: to assess the practical application of the Pediatric Surgical Safety Checklist on the preoperative period and to verify family satisfaction regarding the use of the material. Method: exploratory study that aimed to analyze the use of the checklist by children who underwent surgical interventions. The sample was constituted by 60 children (from preschoolers to teens and 60 family members. The variables related to demographic characterization, filling out the checklist, and family satisfaction, being evaluated through inferential and descriptive statistical analysis. Results: most children (71.7% were male, with a median age of 7.5 years. We identified the achievement of 65.3% of the checklist items, 30.0% were not filled due to non-performance of the team and 4.7% for children and family reasons. In the association analysis, we found that the removal of accessories item (p = 0.008 was the most checked by older children. Regarding satisfaction, the family members evaluated the material as great (63.3% and good (36.7% and believed that there was a reduction of the child's anxiety (83.3%. Conclusion: the use of the checklist in clinical practice can change health services regarding safety culture and promote customer satisfaction.

  8. Intranet Effectiveness: A Public Relations Paper-and-Pencil Checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murgolo-Poore, Marie E.; Pitt, Leyland F.; Ewing, Michael T.

    2002-01-01

    Describes a process directed at developing a simple paper-and-pencil checklist to assess Intranet effectiveness. Discusses the checklist purification procedure, and attempts to establish reliability and validity for the list. Concludes by identifying managerial applications of the checklist, recognizing the limitations of the approach, and…

  9. Implementation of Pre-Operative Checklist: An Effort to Reduce ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Implementation of Pre-Operative Checklist: An Effort to Reduce Delays in. Surgery and ... insight to develop a pre-operative checklist to ensure that patients were prepared for surgery and to minimize disruptions ... documentation audit was conducted in May 2014, showing 59% compliance in completing the checklist. Since.

  10. Patient Safety in Interventional Radiology: A CIRSE IR Checklist.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    2012-02-01

    Interventional radiology (IR) is an invasive speciality with the potential for complications as with other invasive specialities. The World Health Organization (WHO) produced a surgical safety checklist to decrease the morbidity and mortality associated with surgery. The Cardiovascular and Interventional Society of Europe (CIRSE) set up a task force to produce a checklist for IR. Use of the checklist will, we hope, reduce the incidence of complications after IR procedures. It has been modified from the WHO surgical safety checklist and the RAD PASS from Holland.

  11. Heuristic Evaluation on Mobile Interfaces: A New Checklist

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rosa Yáñez Gómez

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The rapid evolution and adoption of mobile devices raise new usability challenges, given their limitations (in screen size, battery life, etc. as well as the specific requirements of this new interaction. Traditional evaluation techniques need to be adapted in order for these requirements to be met. Heuristic evaluation (HE, an Inspection Method based on evaluation conducted by experts over a real system or prototype, is based on checklists which are desktop-centred and do not adequately detect mobile-specific usability issues. In this paper, we propose a compilation of heuristic evaluation checklists taken from the existing bibliography but readapted to new mobile interfaces. Selecting and rearranging these heuristic guidelines offer a tool which works well not just for evaluation but also as a best-practices checklist. The result is a comprehensive checklist which is experimentally evaluated as a design tool. This experimental evaluation involved two software engineers without any specific knowledge about usability, a group of ten users who compared the usability of a first prototype designed without our heuristics, and a second one after applying the proposed checklist. The results of this experiment show the usefulness of the proposed checklist for avoiding usability gaps even with nontrained developers.

  12. Heuristic Evaluation on Mobile Interfaces: A New Checklist

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yáñez Gómez, Rosa; Cascado Caballero, Daniel; Sevillano, José-Luis

    2014-01-01

    The rapid evolution and adoption of mobile devices raise new usability challenges, given their limitations (in screen size, battery life, etc.) as well as the specific requirements of this new interaction. Traditional evaluation techniques need to be adapted in order for these requirements to be met. Heuristic evaluation (HE), an Inspection Method based on evaluation conducted by experts over a real system or prototype, is based on checklists which are desktop-centred and do not adequately detect mobile-specific usability issues. In this paper, we propose a compilation of heuristic evaluation checklists taken from the existing bibliography but readapted to new mobile interfaces. Selecting and rearranging these heuristic guidelines offer a tool which works well not just for evaluation but also as a best-practices checklist. The result is a comprehensive checklist which is experimentally evaluated as a design tool. This experimental evaluation involved two software engineers without any specific knowledge about usability, a group of ten users who compared the usability of a first prototype designed without our heuristics, and a second one after applying the proposed checklist. The results of this experiment show the usefulness of the proposed checklist for avoiding usability gaps even with nontrained developers. PMID:25295300

  13. Endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery: implementation of an operative and perioperative checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christian, Eisha; Harris, Brianna; Wrobel, Bozena; Zada, Gabriel

    2014-01-01

    Endoscopic endonasal surgery relies heavily on specialized operative instrumentation and optimization of endocrinological and other critical adjunctive intraoperative factors. Several studies and worldwide initiatives have previously established that intraoperative and perioperative surgical checklists can minimize the incidence of and prevent adverse events. The aim of this article was to outline some of the most common considerations in the perioperative and intraoperative preparation for endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery. The authors implemented and prospectively evaluated a customized checklist at their institution in 25 endoscopic endonasal operations for a variety of sellar and skull base pathological entities. Although no major errors were detected, near misses pertaining primarily to missing components of surgical equipment or instruments were identified in 9 cases (36%). The considerations in the checklist provided in this article can serve as a basic template for further customization by centers performing endoscopic endonasal surgery, where their application may reduce the incidence of adverse or preventable errors associated with surgical treatment of sellar and skull base lesions.

  14. Music lessons improve auditory perceptual and cognitive performance in deaf children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rochette, Françoise; Moussard, Aline; Bigand, Emmanuel

    2014-01-01

    Despite advanced technologies in auditory rehabilitation of profound deafness, deaf children often exhibit delayed cognitive and linguistic development and auditory training remains a crucial element of their education. In the present cross-sectional study, we assess whether music would be a relevant tool for deaf children rehabilitation. In normal-hearing children, music lessons have been shown to improve cognitive and linguistic-related abilities, such as phonetic discrimination and reading. We compared auditory perception, auditory cognition, and phonetic discrimination between 14 profoundly deaf children who completed weekly music lessons for a period of 1.5-4 years and 14 deaf children who did not receive musical instruction. Children were assessed on perceptual and cognitive auditory tasks using environmental sounds: discrimination, identification, auditory scene analysis, auditory working memory. Transfer to the linguistic domain was tested with a phonetic discrimination task. Musically trained children showed better performance in auditory scene analysis, auditory working memory and phonetic discrimination tasks, and multiple regressions showed that success on these tasks was at least partly driven by music lessons. We propose that musical education contributes to development of general processes such as auditory attention and perception, which, in turn, facilitate auditory-related cognitive and linguistic processes.

  15. Music lessons improve auditory perceptual and cognitive performance in deaf children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Françoise eROCHETTE

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Despite advanced technologies in auditory rehabilitation of profound deafness, deaf children often exhibit delayed cognitive and linguistic development and auditory training remains a crucial element of their education. In the present cross-sectional study, we assess whether music would be a relevant tool for deaf children rehabilitation. In normal-hearing children, music lessons have been shown to improve cognitive and linguistic-related abilities, such as phonetic discrimination and reading. We compared auditory perception, auditory cognition, and phonetic discrimination between 14 profoundly deaf children who completed weekly music lessons for a period of 1.5 to 4 years and 14 deaf children who did not receive musical instruction. Children were assessed on perceptual and cognitive auditory tasks using environmental sounds: discrimination, identification, auditory scene analysis, auditory working memory. Transfer to the linguistic domain was tested with a phonetic discrimination task. Musically-trained children showed better performance in auditory scene analysis, auditory working memory and phonetic discrimination tasks, and multiple regressions showed that success on these tasks was at least partly driven by music lessons. We propose that musical education contributes to development of general processes such as auditory attention and perception, which, in turn, facilitate auditory-related cognitive and linguistic processes.

  16. A challenge-response endoscopic sinus surgery specific checklist as an add-on to standard surgical checklist: an evaluation of potential safety and quality improvement issues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sommer, Doron D; Arbab-Tafti, Sadaf; Farrokhyar, Forough; Tewfik, Marc; Vescan, Allan; Witterick, Ian J; Rotenberg, Brian; Chandra, Rakesh; Weitzel, Erik K; Wright, Erin; Ramakrishna, Jayant

    2018-02-27

    The goal of this study was to develop and evaluate the impact of an aviation-style challenge and response sinus surgery-specific checklist on potential safety and equipment issues during sinus surgery at a tertiary academic health center. The secondary goal was to assess the potential impact of use of the checklist on surgical times during, before, and after surgery. This initiative is designed to be utilized in conjunction with the "standard" World Health Organization (WHO) surgical checklist. Although endoscopic sinus surgery is generally considered a safe procedure, avoidable complications and potential safety concerns continue to occur. The WHO surgical checklist does not directly address certain surgery-specific issues, which may be of particular relevance for endoscopic sinus surgery. This prospective observational pilot study monitored compliance with and compared the occurrence of safety and equipment issues before and after implementation of the checklist. Forty-seven consecutive endoscopic surgeries were audited; the first 8 without the checklist and the following 39 with the checklist. The checklist was compiled by evaluating the patient journey, utilizing the available literature, expert consensus, and finally reevaluation with audit type cases. The final checklist was developed with all relevant stakeholders involved in a Delphi method. Implementing this specific surgical checklist in 39 cases at our institution, allowed us to identify and rectify 35 separate instances of potentially unsafe, improper or inefficient preoperative setup. These incidents included issues with labeling of topical vasoconstrictor or injectable anesthetics (3, 7.7%) and availability, function and/or position of video monitors (2, 5.1%), endoscope (6, 15.4%), microdebrider (6, 15.4%), bipolar cautery (6, 15.4%), and suctions (12, 30.8%). The design and integration of this checklist for endoscopic sinus surgery, has helped improve efficiency and patient safety in the operating

  17. Guidance for Modifying the Definition of Diseases: A Checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doust, Jenny; Vandvik, Per O; Qaseem, Amir; Mustafa, Reem A; Horvath, Andrea R; Frances, Allen; Al-Ansary, Lubna; Bossuyt, Patrick; Ward, Robyn L; Kopp, Ina; Gollogly, Laragh; Schunemann, Holger; Glasziou, Paul

    2017-07-01

    No guidelines exist currently for guideline panels and others considering changes to disease definitions. Panels frequently widen disease definitions, increasing the proportion of the population labeled as unwell and potentially causing harm to patients. We set out to develop a checklist of issues, with guidance, for panels to consider prior to modifying a disease definition. We assembled a multidisciplinary, multicontinent working group of 13 members, including members from the Guidelines International Network, Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation working group, and the World Health Organisation. We used a 5-step process to develop the checklist: (1) a literature review of issues, (2) a draft outline document, (3) a Delphi process of feedback on the list of issues, (4) a 1-day face-to-face meeting, and (5) further refinement of the checklist. The literature review identified 12 potential issues. From these, the group developed an 8-item checklist that consisted of definition changes, number of people affected, trigger, prognostic ability, disease definition precision and accuracy, potential benefits, potential harms, and the balance between potential harms and benefits. The checklist is accompanied by an explanation of each item and the types of evidence to assess each one. We used a panel's recent consideration of a proposed change in the definition of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) to illustrate use of the checklist. We propose that the checklist be piloted and validated by groups developing new guidelines. We anticipate that the use of the checklist will be a first step to guidance and better documentation of definition changes prior to introducing modified disease definitions.

  18. [Director Checklist and Child Care Checklist: Examinations for the Position of Center Director and the Position of Child Care Provider (with User Guides).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scheig Associates, Inc., Gig Harbor, WA.

    The two separate evaluation instruments combined here are designed to help companies identify applicants for the positions of director and child care provider who have the greatest probability of being outstanding performers on the job. Each instrument contains three sections. Section 1 is an interest and willingness checklist, which acts as a…

  19. Audit of an automated checklist for quality control of radiotherapy treatment plans

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Breen, Stephen L.; Zhang Beibei

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: To assess the effect of adding an automated checklist to the treatment planning process for head and neck intensity-modulated radiotherapy. Methods: Plans produced within our treatment planning system were evaluated at the planners' discretion with an automated checklist of more than twenty planning parameters. Plans were rated as accepted or rejected for treatment, during regular review by radiation oncologists and physicists as part of our quality control program. The rates of errors and their types were characterised prior to the implementation of the checklist and with the checklist. Results: Without the checklist, 5.9% of plans were rejected; the use of the checklist reduced the rejection rate to 3.1%. The checklist was used for 64.7% of plans. Pareto analysis of the causes of rejection showed that the checklist reduced the number of causes of rejections from twelve to seven. Conclusions: The use of an automated checklist has reduced the need for reworking of treatment plans. With the use of the checklist, most rejections were due to errors in prescription or inadequate dose distributions. Use of the checklist by planners must be increased to maximise improvements in planning efficiency.

  20. Does the Use of a Checklist Help Medical Students in the Detection of Abnormalities on a Chest Radiograph?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kok, Ellen M; Abed, Abdelrazek; Robben, Simon G F

    2017-12-01

    The interpretation of chest radiographs is a complex task that is prone to diagnostic error, especially for medical students. The aim of this study is to investigate the extent to which medical students benefit from the use of a checklist regarding the detection of abnormalities on a chest radiograph. We developed a checklist based on literature and interviews with experienced thorax radiologists. Forty medical students in the clinical phase assessed 18 chest radiographs during a computer test, either with (n = 20) or without (n = 20) the checklist. We measured performance and asked participants for feedback using a survey. Participants that used a checklist detected more abnormalities on images with multiple abnormalities (M = 50.1%) than participants that could not use a checklist (M = 41.9%), p = 0.04. The post-experimental survey shows that on average, participants considered the checklist helpful (M = 3.25 on a five-point scale), but also time consuming (M = 3.30 on a five-point scale). In conclusion, a checklist can help medical students to detect abnormalities in chest radiographs. Moreover, students tend to appreciate the use of a checklist as a helpful tool during the interpretation of a chest radiograph. Therefore, a checklist is a potentially important tool to improve radiology education in the medical curriculum.

  1. The Effects of Performance Quality Ratings on Perceptions of Instrumental Music Lessons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henninger, Jacqueline C.

    2008-01-01

    This study examines the extent to which the perceptions of observers instructed to rate the quality of students' performances within ensemble rehearsals and applied lessons differ from those not so instructed. Music education majors (N = 52) wrote statements of observation during their viewing of a stimulus tape. All participants were informed of…

  2. Implementation of checklists in health care; learning from high-reliability organisations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lossius Hans

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Checklists are common in some medical fields, including surgery, intensive care and emergency medicine. They can be an effective tool to improve care processes and reduce mortality and morbidity. Despite the seemingly rapid acceptance and dissemination of the checklist, there are few studies describing the actual process of developing and implementing such tools in health care. The aim of this study is to explore the experiences from checklist development and implementation in a group of non-medical, high reliability organisations (HROs. Method A qualitative study based on key informant interviews and field visits followed by a Delphi approach. Eight informants, each with 10-30 years of checklist experience, were recruited from six different HROs. Results The interviews generated 84 assertions and recommendations for checklist implementation. To achieve checklist acceptance and compliance, there must be a predefined need for which a checklist is considered a well suited solution. The end-users ("sharp-end" are the key stakeholders throughout the development and implementation process. Proximity and ownership must be assured through a thorough and wise process. All informants underlined the importance of short, self-developed, and operationally-suited checklists. Simulation is a valuable and widely used method for training, revision, and validation. Conclusion Checklists have been a cornerstone of safety management in HROs for nearly a century, and are becoming increasingly popular in medicine. Acceptance and compliance are crucial for checklist implementation in health care. Experiences from HROs may provide valuable input to checklist implementation in healthcare.

  3. Checklist of accessibility in Web informational environments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christiane Gomes dos Santos

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This research deals with the process of search, navigation and retrieval of information by the person with blindness in web environment, focusing on knowledge of the areas of information recovery and architecture, to understanding the strategies used by these people to access the information on the web. It aims to propose the construction of an accessibility verification instrument, checklist, to be used to analyze the behavior of people with blindness in search actions, navigation and recovery sites and pages. It a research exploratory and descriptive of qualitative nature, with the research methodology, case study - the research to establish a specific study with the simulation of search, navigation and information retrieval using speech synthesis system, NonVisual Desktop Access, in assistive technologies laboratory, to substantiate the construction of the checklist for accessibility verification. It is considered the reliability of performed research and its importance for the evaluation of accessibility in web environment to improve the access of information for people with limited reading in order to be used on websites and pages accessibility check analysis.

  4. WHO safe surgery checklist: Barriers to universal acceptance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Divya Jain

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Development of the Safe Surgery Checklist is an initiative taken by the World Health Organization (WHO with an aim to reduce the complication rates during the surgical process. Despite gross reduction in the infection rate and morbidity following adoption of the checklist, many health-care providers are hesitant in implementing it in their everyday practice. In this article, we would like to highlight the hurdles in adoption of the WHO Surgical Checklist and measures that can be taken to overcome them.

  5. Study on application of safety checklist in preventive maintenance activities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shi Jin; Chen Song; Liu Jingquan

    2013-01-01

    The paper describes the principles and the characteristics of safety checklist as a risk evaluation method. Examples of application of safety checklists to preventive maintenance activities such as criteria comparison and checkup items in place in nuclear power plants are illustrated in details with issues appeared in the checklist establishment. Checklist has a good application in the RCM analysis or in the actual preventive maintenance program for Chashma Nuclear Power Plant indicated by concrete instances. In the light of safety checklist which is used to sustain preventive maintenance as a simple and applicable risk analysis approach, we can get deep knowledge of risks of nuclear power plant to perfect preventive maintenance activities. (authors)

  6. Competency checklists for strabismus surgery and retinopathy of prematurity examination.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McClatchey, Scott K; Lane, R Gary; Kubis, Kenneth C; Boisvert, Chantal

    2012-02-01

    To evaluate two checklist tools that are designed to guide, document, and assess resident training in strabismus surgery and examination of infants at risk for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). A panel of staff surgeons from several teaching institutions evaluated the checklists and provided constructive feedback. All former residents who had been trained via the use of these checklist tools were asked to take self-assessment surveys on competency in strabismus surgery and ROP examination. A Likert 5-point scale was used for all evaluations, with 1 being the lowest rating and 5 the highest rating. Six experts in strabismus and seven in ROP rated the checklists. Their comments were used to revise the checklists, which were sent to the same group for reevaluation. The mean Likert score for the final checklists was 4.9 of 5.0 for both checklists. Of 16 former residents, 9 responded to the self-assessments with a mean overall score of 4.1 (of 5.0) for strabismus surgery and 3.9 for ROP examination. These checklist tools can be used to assess the quality of a resident's training and experience in these specific ophthalmology skills. They are complementary to other curriculum and assessment tools and can serve to organize the educational experience while ensuring a uniformity of training. Published by Mosby, Inc.

  7. Use of the Performance Diagnostic Checklist to Select an Intervention Designed to Increase the Offering of Promotional Stamps at Two Sites of a Restaurant Franchise

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodriguez, Manuel; Wilder, David A.; Therrien, Kelly; Wine, Byron; Miranti, Reylissa; Daratany, Kenneth; Salume, Gloria; Baranovsky, Greg; Rodriquez, Matias

    2006-01-01

    The performance diagnostic checklist (PDC) was administered to examine the variables influencing the offering of promotional stamps by employees at two sites of a restaurant franchise. PDC results suggested that a lack of appropriate antecedents, equipment and processes, and consequences were responsible for the deficits. Based on these results,…

  8. Checklist of earthworms (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae) from Germany.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lehmitz, Ricarda; Römbke, Jörg; Jänsch, Stephan; Krück, Stefanie; Beylich, Anneke; Graefe, Ulfert

    2014-09-23

    A checklist of the German earthworm fauna (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae) is presented, including published data, data from reports, diploma- and PhD- theses as well as unpublished data from museum collections, research institutions and private persons. Overall, 16,000 datasets were analyzed to produce the first German checklist of Lumbricidae. The checklist comprises 46 earthworm species from 15 genera and provides ecological information, zoogeographical distribution type and information on the species distribution in Germany. Only one species, Lumbricus badensis Michaelsen, 1907, is endemic to Germany, whereas 41% are peregrine. As there are 14 species occurring exclusively in the southern or eastern part of Germany, the species numbers in German regions increase from north to south.

  9. Concepts for the Development of a Customizable Checklist for Use by Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fernando, Rohesh J; Shapiro, Fred E; Rosenberg, Noah M; Bader, Angela M; Urman, Richard D

    2015-06-10

    Checklists are tools that are developed to complete tasks by drawing on specific and relevant knowledge and supporting communication at critical times. If checklists were designed specifically for patient use, they could promote patient engagement, potentially leading to improved quality of care. Physicians of all specialties, nurses, patients, patient advocates, and administrators can take an active role in checklist development and dissemination. Our method to investigate concepts in developing a customizable patient checklist included a literature search concerning existing checklists and resources currently available to patients. Literature containing expert opinion regarding checklists, professional organization statements, and patients and providers were consulted. A template for designing a patient checklist was developed incorporating methods from previous literature and resources regarding checklists. This template includes a development, drafting, and validation phase. Sample content for inclusion in potential checklists for patients with diabetes and patients undergoing anesthesia was devised. Developed by physicians with input from patients and other involved health-care providers such as nurses, this relatively novel concept of a patient's checklist creates a role for the patient to ensure their own safety. With increasing attention to high-quality and cost-effective health care, patient satisfaction surveys will be assessed to rate overall health care. Further development of checklists will need to be guided by specific medical conditions and acceptance by patients and providers. Providers can use these checklists as a method to gauge a patient's understanding of an intervention, solidify the patient-doctor relationship, and improve patient safety.

  10. Using Item Analysis to Assess Objectively the Quality of the Calgary-Cambridge OSCE Checklist

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tyrone Donnon

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Background:  The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of item analysis to assess objectively the quality of items on the Calgary-Cambridge Communications OSCE checklist. Methods:  A total of 150 first year medical students were provided with extensive teaching on the use of the Calgary-Cambridge Guidelines for interviewing patients and participated in a final year end 20 minute communication OSCE station.  Grouped into either the upper half (50% or lower half (50% communication skills performance groups, discrimination, difficulty and point biserial values were calculated for each checklist item. Results:  The mean score on the 33 item communication checklist was 24.09 (SD = 4.46 and the internal reliability coefficient was ? = 0.77. Although most of the items were found to have moderate (k = 12, 36% or excellent (k = 10, 30% discrimination values, there were 6 (18% identified as ‘fair’ and 3 (9% as ‘poor’. A post-examination review focused on item analysis findings resulted in an increase in checklist reliability (? = 0.80. Conclusions:  Item analysis has been used with MCQ exams extensively. In this study, it was also found to be an objective and practical approach to use in evaluating the quality of a standardized OSCE checklist.

  11. Validation of the "early detection Primary Care Checklist" in an Italian community help-seeking sample: The "checklist per la Valutazione dell'Esordio Psicotico".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pelizza, Lorenzo; Raballo, Andrea; Semrov, Enrico; Chiri, Luigi Rocco; Azzali, Silvia; Scazza, Ilaria; Garlassi, Sara; Paterlini, Federica; Fontana, Francesca; Favazzo, Rosanna; Pensieri, Luana; Fabiani, Michela; Cioncolini, Leonardo; Pupo, Simona

    2017-07-26

    To establish the concordant validity of the "Checklist per la Valutazione dell'Esordio Psicotico" (CVEP) in an Italian help-seeking population. The CVEP is the Italian adaptation of the "early detection Primary Care Checklist," a 20-item tool specifically designed to assist primary care practitioners in identifying young people in the early stages of psychosis. The checklist was completed by the referring practitioners of 168 young people referred to the "Reggio Emilia At Risk Mental States" Project, an early detection infrastructure developed under the aegis of the Regional Project on Early Detection of Psychosis in the Reggio Emilia Department of Mental Health. The concordant validity of the CVEP was established by comparing screen results with the outcome of the "Comprehensive Assessment of At Risk Mental States" (CAARMS), a gold standard assessment for identifying young people who may be at risk of developing psychosis. The simple checklist as originally conceived had excellent sensitivity (98%), but lower specificity (58%). Using only a CVEP total score of 20 or above as cut-off, the tool showed a slightly lower sensitivity (93%) with a substantial improvement in specificity (87%). Simple cross-tabulations of the individual CVEP item scores against CAARMS outcome to identify the more discriminant item in terms of sensitivity and specificity were carried out. In comparison to other, much longer, screening tools, the CVEP performed well to identify young people in the early stages of psychosis. Therefore, the CVEP is well suited to optimize appropriate referrals to specialist services, building on the skills and knowledge already available in primary care settings. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

  12. Point prevalence of surgical checklist use in Europe

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jammer, I; Ahmad, T; Aldecoa, C

    2015-01-01

    BACKGROUND: The prevalence of use of the World Health Organization surgical checklist is unknown. The clinical effectiveness of this intervention in improving postoperative outcomes is debated. METHODS: We undertook a retrospective analysis of data describing surgical checklist use from a 7 day c...

  13. Barriers and limitations during implementation of the surgical safety checklist of the World Health Organization

    OpenAIRE

    Rosa Amalia Arboleda; Andrés Felipe Ausenón; Jairo Alberto Ayala; Diana Carolina Cabezas; Lina Gissella Calvache; Juan Pablo Caicedo; Jose Andres Calvache

    2014-01-01

    Introduction: The surgical safety checklist of the World Health Organization (WHO) is a tool that checks and evaluates each procedure in the operating room. Despite its demonstrated effectiveness, it has many limitations and barriers to its implementation. The aim of this article was to present the current evidence regarding limitations and barriers to achieve a successful implementation of the surgical safety WHO checklist. Methods: A narrative review was designed. We performed a systematic ...

  14. An Autopsy Checklist: A Monitor of Safety and Risk Management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shkrum, Michael James; Kent, Jessica

    2016-09-01

    Any autopsy has safety and risk management issues, which can arise in the preautopsy, autopsy, and postautopsy phases. The London Health Sciences Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Autopsy Checklist was developed to address these issues. The current study assessed 1 measure of autopsy safety: the effectiveness of the checklist in documenting pathologists' communication of the actual or potential risk of blood-borne infections to support staff. Autopsy checklists for cases done in 2012 and 2013 were reviewed. The frequency of communication, as recorded in checklists, by pathologists to staff of previously diagnosed blood-borne infections (hepatitis B/C and human immunodeficiency virus) or the risk of infection based on lifestyle (eg, intravenous drug abuse) was tabulated. These data were compared with medical histories of the deceased and circumstances of their deaths described in the final autopsy reports. Information about blood-borne infections was recorded less frequently in the checklists compared with the final reports. Of 4 known human immunodeficiency virus cases, there was no checklist documentation in 3. All 11 hand injuries were documented. None of these cases had known infectious risks. The Autopsy Checklist is a standardized means of documenting safety and risk issues arising during the autopsy process, but its effectiveness relies on accurate completion.

  15. Asthma Home Environment Checklist

    Science.gov (United States)

    This checklist guides home care visitors in identifying environmental asthma triggers most commonly found in homes. It includes sections on the building, home interior and room interior and provides low-cost action steps for remediation.

  16. Cerebral Palsy Checklist: Babies & Preschoolers (Birth to age 5)

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Staying Safe Videos for Educators Search English Español Cerebral Palsy Checklist: Babies & Preschoolers KidsHealth / For Parents / Cerebral Palsy Checklist: Babies & Preschoolers What's in this article? Step ...

  17. Checklists in Neurosurgery to Decrease Preventable Medical Errors: A Review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Enchev, Yavor

    2015-01-01

    Neurosurgery represents a zero tolerance environment for medical errors, especially preventable ones like all types of wrong site surgery, complications due to the incorrect positioning of patients for neurosurgical interventions and complications due to failure of the devices required for the specific procedure. Following the excellent and encouraging results of the safety checklists in intensive care medicine and in other surgical areas, the checklist was naturally introduced in neurosurgery. To date, the reported world experience with neurosurgical checklists is limited to 15 series with fewer than 20,000 cases in various neurosurgical areas. The purpose of this review was to study the reported neurosurgical checklists according to the following parameters: year of publication; country of origin; area of neurosurgery; type of neurosurgical procedure-elective or emergency; person in charge of the checklist completion; participants involved in completion; whether they prevented incorrect site surgery; whether they prevented complications due to incorrect positioning of the patients for neurosurgical interventions; whether they prevented complications due to failure of the devices required for the specific procedure; their specific aims; educational preparation and training; the time needed for checklist completion; study duration and phases; number of cases included; barriers to implementation; efforts to implementation; team appreciation; and safety outcomes. Based on this analysis, it could be concluded that neurosurgical checklists represent an efficient, reliable, cost-effective and time-saving tool for increasing patient safety and elevating the neurosurgeons’ self-confidence. Every neurosurgical department must develop its own neurosurgical checklist or adopt and modify an existing one according to its specific features and needs in an attempt to establish or develop its safety culture. The world, continental, regional and national neurosurgical societies

  18. WHO Safety Surgical Checklist implementation evaluation in public hospitals in the Brazilian Federal District

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heiko T. Santana

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Summary: The World Health Organization (WHO created the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist to prevent adverse events in operating rooms. The aim of this study was to analyze WHO checklist implementation in three operating rooms of public hospitals in the Brazilian Federal District. A prospective cross-sectional study was performed with pre- (Period I and post (Period II-checklist intervention evaluations. A total of 1141 patients and 1052 patients were studied in Periods I and II for a total of 2193 patients. Period I took place from December 2012 to March 2013, and Period II took place from April 2013 to August 2014. Regarding the pre-operatory items, most surgeries were classified as clean-contaminated in both phases, and team attire improved from 19.2% to 71.0% in Period II. Regarding checklist adherence in Period II, “Patient identification” significantly improved in the stage “Before induction of anesthesia”. “Allergy verification”, “Airway obstruction verification”, and “Risk of blood loss assessment” had low adherence in all three hospitals. The items in the stage “Before surgical incision” showed greater than 90.0% adherence with the exception of “Anticipated critical events: Anesthesia team review” (86.7% and “Essential imaging display” (80.0%. Low adherence was noted in “Instrument counts” and “Equipment problems” in the stage “Before patient leaves operating room”. Complications and deaths were low in both periods. Despite the variability in checklist item compliance in the surveyed hospitals, WHO checklist implementation as an intervention tool showed good adherence to the majority of the items on the list. Nevertheless, motivation to use the instrument by the surgical team with the intent of improving surgical patient safety continues to be crucial. Keywords: Surgical checklist, Adverse events, Patient safety, Surgical team, Infection control

  19. Cerebral Palsy Checklist: Teens & Young Adult (13 to 21)

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Staying Safe Videos for Educators Search English Español Cerebral Palsy Checklist: Teens & Young Adults KidsHealth / For Parents / Cerebral Palsy Checklist: Teens & Young Adults What's in this article? ...

  20. Patient safety: lessons learned

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bagian, James P.

    2006-01-01

    The traditional approach to patient safety in health care has ranged from reticence to outward denial of serious flaws. This undermines the otherwise remarkable advances in technology and information that have characterized the specialty of medical practice. In addition, lessons learned in industries outside health care, such as in aviation, provide opportunities for improvements that successfully reduce mishaps and errors while maintaining a standard of excellence. This is precisely the call in medicine prompted by the 1999 Institute of Medicine report ''To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System.'' However, to effect these changes, key components of a successful safety system must include: (1) communication, (2) a shift from a posture of reliance on human infallibility (hence ''shame and blame'') to checklists that recognize the contribution of the system and account for human limitations, and (3) a cultivation of non-punitive open and/or de-identified/anonymous reporting of safety concerns, including close calls, in addition to adverse events. (orig.)

  1. Disclosure Checklists and Auditors’ Judgments of Aggressive Accounting

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Rinsum, M.; Maas, V.S.; Stolker, D.

    2018-01-01

    This study investigates if auditors who feel accountable to management (as opposed to the audit committee) are more susceptible to pro-client bias after using a disclosure checklist. We theorize that the use of a disclosure checklist, even though it is uninformative about the aggressiveness of the

  2. The economic evaluation of an antibiotic checklist as antimicrobial stewardship intervention

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Daalen, F.V. van; Opmeer, B.C.; Prins, J.M.; Geerlings, S.E.; Hulscher, M.E.J.L.

    2017-01-01

    Objectives: An antibiotic checklist was introduced in nine Dutch hospitals to improve appropriate antibiotic use. We estimated the cost-effectiveness of checklist use. Methods: We compared 853 patients treated with an antibiotic before checklist introduction (usual care group) with 1207 patients

  3. Reduction of incidents in the report dosimetry using checklist; Reduccion de incidencias en el informe dosimetrico mediante checklist

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Beltran Vilagrasa, M.; Saez Beltran, J.; Fa Asensio, X.; Seoane Ramallo, A.; Hermida Lopez, M.; Toribio Berruete, J.; Sanchez Hernandez, N.

    2011-07-01

    Treatment of patients with External radiation therapy is complex and composed of different stages where different professionals involved. In order to reduce the number of errors in the technical reports that the dosemeters dosimetry presented for approval to the physical, Physical Service Hospital Universitari Vail d'Hebron in Barcelona includes a checklist of clinical dosimetry. This paper describes this checklist, its effectiveness and acceptance of this by members of the team.

  4. Development of an orthopedic surgery trauma patient handover checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    LeBlanc, Justin; Donnon, Tyrone; Hutchison, Carol; Duffy, Paul

    2014-02-01

    In surgery, preoperative handover of surgical trauma patients is a process that must be made as safe as possible. We sought to determine vital clinical information to be transferred between patient care teams and to develop a standardized handover checklist. We conducted standardized small-group interviews about trauma patient handover. Based on this information, we created a questionnaire to gather perspectives from all Canadian Orthopaedic Association (COA) members about which topics they felt would be most important on a handover checklist. We analyzed the responses to develop a standardized handover checklist. Of the 1106 COA members, 247 responded to the questionnaire. The top 7 topics felt to be most important for achieving patient safety in the handover were comorbidities, diagnosis, readiness for the operating room, stability, associated injuries, history/mechanism of injury and outstanding issues. The expert recommendations were to have handover completed the same way every day, all appropriate radiographs available, adequate time, all appropriate laboratory work and more time to spend with patients with more severe illness. Our main recommendations for safe handover are to use standardized checklists specific to the patient and site needs. We provide an example of a standardized checklist that should be used for preoperative handovers. To our knowledge, this is the first checklist for handover developed by a group of experts in orthopedic surgery, which is both manageable in length and simple to use.

  5. Human factors engineering checklists for application in the SAR process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Overlin, T.K.; Romero, H.A.; Ryan, T.G.

    1995-03-01

    This technical report was produced to assist the preparers and reviewers of the human factors portions of the SAR in completing their assigned tasks regarding analysis and/or review of completed analyses. The checklists, which are the main body of the report, and the subsequent tables, were developed to assist analysts in generating the needed analysis data to complete the human engineering analysis for the SAR. The technical report provides a series of 19 human factors engineering (HFE) checklists which support the safety analyses of the US Department of Energy's (DOE) reactor and nonreactor facilities and activities. The results generated using these checklists and in the preparation of the concluding analyses provide the technical basis for preparing the human factors chapter, and subsequent inputs to other chapters, required by DOE as a part of the safety analysis reports (SARs). This document is divided into four main sections. The first part explains the origin of the checklists, the sources utilized, and other information pertaining to the purpose and scope of the report. The second part, subdivided into 19 sections, is the checklists themselves. The third section is the glossary which defines terms that could either be unfamiliar or have specific meanings within the context of these checklists. The final section is the subject index in which the glossary terms are referenced back to the specific checklist and page the term is encountered

  6. Introducing radiology report checklists among residents: adherence rates when suggesting versus requiring their use and early experience in improving accuracy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Powell, Daniel K; Lin, Eaton; Silberzweig, James E; Kagetsu, Nolan J

    2014-03-01

    To retrospectively compare resident adherence to checklist-style structured reporting for maxillofacial computed tomography (CT) from the emergency department (when required vs. suggested between two programs). To compare radiology resident reporting accuracy before and after introduction of the structured report and assess its ability to decrease the rate of undetected pathology. We introduced a reporting checklist for maxillofacial CT into our dictation software without specific training, requiring it at one program and suggesting it at another. We quantified usage among residents and compared reporting accuracy, before and after counting and categorizing faculty addenda. There was no significant change in resident accuracy in the first few months, with residents acting as their own controls (directly comparing performance with and without the checklist). Adherence to the checklist at program A (where it originated and was required) was 85% of reports compared to 9% of reports at program B (where it was suggested). When using program B as a secondary control, there was no significant difference in resident accuracy with or without using the checklist (comparing different residents using the checklist to those not using the checklist). Our results suggest that there is no automatic value of checklists for improving radiology resident reporting accuracy. They also suggest the importance of focused training, checklist flexibility, and a period of adjustment to a new reporting style. Mandatory checklists were readily adopted by residents but not when simply suggested. Copyright © 2014 AUR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Grading the performance of clinical skills: lessons to be learned from the performing arts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roberts, Deborah

    2011-08-01

    The drift towards competency based nurse interventions has seen a growth in concern regarding the most appropriate methods of assessment of such competencies. Nurse educators and practitioners alike are struggling with the concept of measuring the performance of nursing skills; due to an uneasy relationship between competence, capability, intuition and expertise. Different currencies of value may be ascribed to the assessment of nursing practice, resulting in the use of subjective judgements together with the development of assessment criteria which have different weightings, depending on the values of the assessor. Within the performing arts, students' practice performance is also assessed, with seemingly many similarities between applying value to performance in dance or theatre and nursing. Within performing arts assessment a balancing act is also being played out between academic education and professional training (where complex performances are notoriously hard to evaluate). This paper explores the nature of assessment within the performing arts and makes suggestions regarding their application within the context of nurse education. If nursing is indeed a blend of art and science, then it seems sensible to look to the performing arts to see if lessons could be learned. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Requirements for the design and implementation of checklists for surgical processes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Verdaasdonk, E.G.G.; Stassen, L.P.S.; Widhiasmara, P.P.; Dankelman, J.

    2008-01-01

    Background- The use of checklists is a promising strategy for improving patient safety in all types of surgical processes inside and outside the operating room. This article aims to provide requirements and implementation of checklists for surgical processes. Methods- The literature on checklist use

  9. Accessibility in Public Buildings: Efficiency of Checklist Protocols.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andersson, Jonas E; Skehan, Terry

    2016-01-01

    In Sweden, governmental agencies and bodies are required to implement a higher level of accessibility in their buildings than that stipulated by the National Building and Planning Act (PBL). The Swedish Agency for Participation (MFD, Myndigheten för delaktighet) develops holistic guidelines in order to conceptualize this higher level of accessibility. In conjunction to these guidelines, various checklist protocols have been produced. The present study focuses on the efficiency of such checklist protocols. The study revolved around the use of a checklist protocol in assessments of two buildings in Stockholm: the new head office for the National Authority for Social Insurances (ASI) and the School of Architecture at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH). The study included three groups: Group 1 and Group 2 consisted of 50 real estate managers employed by the ASI, while Group 3 consisted of three participants in a course at the KTH. The results were similar in all of the groups. The use of the checklist protocol generated queries, which related mainly to two factors: (1) the accompanying factsheet consisted of textual explanations with no drawings, photographs or illustrations and (2) the order of the questions in the checklist protocol was difficult to correlate with the two buildings' spatial logic of accessing, egressing and making use of the built space.

  10. Human factors engineering checklists for application in the SAR process

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Overlin, T.K.; Romero, H.A.; Ryan, T.G.

    1995-03-01

    This technical report was produced to assist the preparers and reviewers of the human factors portions of the SAR in completing their assigned tasks regarding analysis and/or review of completed analyses. The checklists, which are the main body of the report, and the subsequent tables, were developed to assist analysts in generating the needed analysis data to complete the human engineering analysis for the SAR. The technical report provides a series of 19 human factors engineering (HFE) checklists which support the safety analyses of the US Department of Energy`s (DOE) reactor and nonreactor facilities and activities. The results generated using these checklists and in the preparation of the concluding analyses provide the technical basis for preparing the human factors chapter, and subsequent inputs to other chapters, required by DOE as a part of the safety analysis reports (SARs). This document is divided into four main sections. The first part explains the origin of the checklists, the sources utilized, and other information pertaining to the purpose and scope of the report. The second part, subdivided into 19 sections, is the checklists themselves. The third section is the glossary which defines terms that could either be unfamiliar or have specific meanings within the context of these checklists. The final section is the subject index in which the glossary terms are referenced back to the specific checklist and page the term is encountered.

  11. Cyanobacteria of Greece: an annotated checklist

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ourailidis, Iordanis; Panou, Manthos; Pappas, Nikos

    2016-01-01

    Abstract Background The checklist of Greek Cyanobacteria was created in the framework of the Greek Taxon Information System (GTIS), an initiative of the LifeWatchGreece Research Infrastructure (ESFRI) that has resumed efforts to compile a complete checklist of species reported from Greece. This list was created from exhaustive search of the scientific literature of the last 60 years. All records of taxa known to occur in Greece were taxonomically updated. New information The checklist of Greek Cyanobacteria comprises 543 species, classified in 130 genera, 41 families, and 8 orders. The orders Synechococcales and Oscillatoriales have the highest number of species (158 and 153 species, respectively), whereas these two orders along with Nostocales and Chroococcales cover 93% of the known Greek cyanobacteria species. It is worth mentioning that 18 species have been initially described from Greek habitats. The marine epilithic Ammatoidea aegea described from Saronikos Gulf is considered endemic to this area. Our bibliographic review shows that Greece hosts a high diversity of cyanobacteria, suggesting that the Mediterranean area is also a hot spot for microbes. PMID:27956851

  12. Cyanobacteria of Greece: an annotated checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gkelis, Spyros; Ourailidis, Iordanis; Panou, Manthos; Pappas, Nikos

    2016-01-01

    The checklist of Greek Cyanobacteria was created in the framework of the Greek Taxon Information System (GTIS), an initiative of the LifeWatchGreece Research Infrastructure (ESFRI) that has resumed efforts to compile a complete checklist of species reported from Greece. This list was created from exhaustive search of the scientific literature of the last 60 years. All records of taxa known to occur in Greece were taxonomically updated. The checklist of Greek Cyanobacteria comprises 543 species, classified in 130 genera, 41 families, and 8 orders. The orders Synechococcales and Oscillatoriales have the highest number of species (158 and 153 species, respectively), whereas these two orders along with Nostocales and Chroococcales cover 93% of the known Greek cyanobacteria species. It is worth mentioning that 18 species have been initially described from Greek habitats. The marine epilithic Ammatoidea aegea described from Saronikos Gulf is considered endemic to this area. Our bibliographic review shows that Greece hosts a high diversity of cyanobacteria, suggesting that the Mediterranean area is also a hot spot for microbes.

  13. Evaluation and Customization of WHO Safety Checklist for Patient Safety in Otorhinolaryngology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dabholkar, Yogesh; Velankar, Haritosh; Suryanarayan, Sneha; Dabholkar, Twinkle Y; Saberwal, Akanksha A; Verma, Bhavika

    2018-03-01

    The WHO has designed a safe surgery checklist to enhance communication and awareness of patient safety during surgery and to minimise complications. WHO recommends that the check-list be evaluated and customised by end users as a tool to promote safe surgery. The aim of present study was to evaluate the impact of WHO safety checklist on patient safety awareness in otorhinolaryngology and to customise it for the speciality. A prospective structured questionnaire based study was done in ENT operating room for duration of 1 month each for cases, before and after implementation of safe surgery checklist. The feedback from respondents (surgeons, nurses and anaesthetists) was used to arrive at a customised checklist for otolaryngology as per WHO guidelines. The checklist significantly improved team member's awareness of patient's identity (from 17 to 86%) and each other's identity and roles (from 46 to 94%) and improved team communication (from 73 to 92%) in operation theatre. There was a significant improvement in preoperative check of equipment and critical events were discussed more frequently. The checklist could be effectively customised to suit otolaryngology needs as per WHO guidelines. The modified checklist needs to be validated by otolaryngology associations. We conclude from our study that the WHO Surgical safety check-list has a favourable impact on patient safety awareness, team-work and communication of operating team and can be customised for otolaryngology setting.

  14. Deep geologic disposal. Lessons learnt from recent performance assessment studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pescatore, C.; Andersson, J.

    1998-01-01

    Performance assessment (PA) studies are part of the decision basis for the siting, operation, and closure of deep repositories of long-lived nuclear wastes. In 1995 the NEA set up the Working Group on Integrated Performance Assessments of Deep Repositories (IPAG) with the goals to analyse existing PA studies, learn about what has been produced to date, and shed light on what could be done in future studies. Ten organisations submitted their most recent PA study for analysis and discussion, including written answers to over 70 questions. Waste management programmes, disposal concepts, geologies, and different types and amounts of waste offered a unique opportunity for exchanging information, assessing progress in PA since 1990, and identifying recent trends. A report was completed whose main lessons are overviewed. (author)

  15. A checklist to assess the quality of reports on spa therapy and balneotherapy trials was developed using the Delphi consensus method: the SPAC checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kamioka, Hiroharu; Kawamura, Yoichi; Tsutani, Kiichiro; Maeda, Masaharu; Hayasaka, Shinya; Okuizum, Hiroyasu; Okada, Shinpei; Honda, Takuya; Iijima, Yuichi

    2013-08-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop a checklist of items that describes and measures the quality of reports of interventional trials assessing spa therapy. The Delphi consensus method was used to select the number of items in the checklist. A total of eight individuals participated, including an epidemiologist, a clinical research methodologist, clinical researchers, a medical journalist, and a health fitness programmer. Participants ranked on a 9-point Likert scale whether an item should be included in the checklist. Three rounds of the Delphi method were conducted to achieve consensus. The final checklist contained 19 items, with items related to title, place of implementation (specificity of spa), care provider influence, and additional measures to minimize the potential bias from withdrawals, loss to follow-up, and low treatment adherence. This checklist is simple and quick to complete, and should help clinicians and researchers critically appraise the medical and healthcare literature, reviewers assess the quality of reports included in systematic reviews, and researchers plan interventional trials of spa therapy. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. ADHD Rating Scale-IV: Checklists, Norms, and Clinical Interpretation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pappas, Danielle

    2006-01-01

    This article reviews the "ADHD Rating Scale-IV: Checklist, norms, and clinical interpretation," is a norm-referenced checklist that measures the symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) according to the diagnostic criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric…

  17. Development and Use of Checklists for Assessment of Medical ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Examiners gave valuable feedback regarding the construction and the use of checklists. Conclusion The use of ... and use to develop experience. We propose using checklists as alternative tools of assessment with many advantages over the conventional method, and to prepare the examination culture to adopt the OSCE ...

  18. Brayton Isotope Power System, Design Integrity Checklist (BIPS-DIC)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Miller, L.G.

    1976-06-10

    A preliminary Failure Modes, Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) for the BIPS Flight System (FS) was published as AiResearch Report 76-311709 dated January 12, 1976. The FMECA presented a thorough review of the conceptual BIPS FS to identify areas of concern and activities necessary to avoid premature failures. In order to assure that the actions recommended by the FMECA are effected in both the FS and the Ground Demonstration System (GDS), a checklist (the BIPS-DIC) was prepared for the probability of occurrence of those failure modes that rated highest in criticality ranking. This checklist was circulated as an attachment to AiResearch Coordination Memo No. BIPS-GDS-A0106 dated January 23, 1976. The Brayton Isotope Power System-Design Integrity Checklist (BIPS-DIC) has been revised and is presented. Additional entries have been added that reference failure modes determined to rank highest in criticality ranking. The checklist will be updated periodically.

  19. Wind power installations in Switzerland - Checklist for investors in large-scale installations; Windkraftanlagen in der Schweiz. Checkliste fuer Investoren von Grossanlagen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ott, W.; Kaufmann, Y.; Steiner, P. [Econcept AG, Zuerich (Switzerland); Gilgen, K.; Sartoris, A. [IRAP-HSR, Institut fuer Raumentwicklung an der Hochschule fuer Technik Rapperswil, Rapperswil (Switzerland)

    2008-07-01

    This report published by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) takes a look at a checklist for investors in large-scale wind-power installations. The authors state that the same questions are often posed in the course of the planning and realisation of wind turbine installations. This document presents a checklist that will help achieve the following goals: Tackling the steps involved in the planning and implementation phases, increasing planning security, systematic implementation in order to reduce risks for investors and to shorten time-scales as well as the reduction of costs. Further, participative processes can be optimised by using comprehensively prepared information in order to reduce the risk of objections during project approval. The structure of the check-list is described and discussed.

  20. Designing and Determining Psychometric Properties of the Elder Neglect Checklist

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Majideh Heravi-Karimooi

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: The purpose of this study was to design and determine the psychometric properties of a checklist for assessing domestic elder neglect. Methods & Materials: This study was conducted in four phases. In the first phase, the meaning of domestic elder neglect explored using the qualitative method of phenomenology. In the second phase, a checklist was created, based on the results obtained in the first phase, in conjunction with the inductions from the expert panel. In the third and fourth phases, the psychometric properties including face validity, content validity, construct validity, convergent validity, internal consistency, and Inter- rater reliability were measured. 110 elderly people participated in the this study. Results: The initial 26 item checklist designed using the results of first and second phases of study, reduced to 11 items and 2 factors including the health and care needs neglect, and neglect in providing healthy environment in the process of determining the face and content validity. Acceptable convergent validity was identified in the elder neglect checklist and care neglect scale of the domestic elder abuse questionnaire (r=0.862. The results of known groups' comparisons showed that this checklist could successfully discriminate between subgroups of elderly people in the index of re-hospitalization. The internal consistency (Kuder-Richardson Formula 20 was 0.824. Inter- rater reliability of the checklist was 0.850. Conclusion: The elder neglect checklist with 11 items appears to be a promising tool, providing reliable and valid data helping to detect neglect among elders in different settings such as clinical settings, homes and research environments by health care providers and researchers.

  1. Use of the WHO surgical safety checklist in trauma and orthopaedic patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sewell, Mathew; Adebibe, Miriam; Jayakumar, Prakash; Jowett, Charlie; Kong, Kin; Vemulapalli, Krishna; Levack, Brian

    2011-06-01

    The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends routine use of a surgical safety checklist prior to all surgical operations. The aim of this study was to prospectively audit checklist use in orthopaedic patients before and after implementation of an educational programme designed to increase use and correlate this with early complications, mortality and staff perceptions. Data was collected on 480 patients before the educational program and 485 patients after. Pre-training checklist use was 7.9%. The rates of early complications and mortality were 8.5% and 1.9%, respectively. Forty-seven percent thought the checklist improved team communication. Following an educational program, checklist use significantly increased to 96.9% (RR12.2; 95% CI 9.0-16.6). The rate of early complications and mortality was 7.6% (RR 0.89; 95% CI 0.58-1.37) and 1.6% (RR 0.88; 95% CI 0.34-2.26), respectively. Seventy-seven percent thought the checklist improved team communication. Checklist use was not associated with a significant reduction in early complications and mortality in patients undergoing orthopaedic surgery. Education programs can significantly increase accurate use and staff perceptions following implementation.

  2. Changes in safety climate and teamwork in the operating room after implementation of a revised WHO checklist: a prospective interventional study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erestam, Sofia; Haglind, Eva; Bock, David; Andersson, Annette Erichsen; Angenete, Eva

    2017-01-01

    Inter-professional teamwork in the operating room is important for patient safety. The World Health Organization (WHO) checklist was introduced to improve intraoperative teamwork. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety climate in a Swedish operating room setting before and after an intervention, using a revised version of the WHO checklist to improve teamwork. This study is a single center prospective interventional study. Participants were personnel working in operating room teams including surgeons, anesthesiologists, scrub nurses, nurse anaesthetists and nurse assistants. The study started with pre-interventional observations of the WHO checklist use followed by education on safety climate, the WHO checklist, and non-technical skills in the operating room. Thereafter a revised version of the WHO checklist was introduced. Post-interventional observations regarding the performance of the WHO checklist were carried out. The Safety Attitude Questionnaire was used to assess safety climate at baseline and post-intervention. At baseline we discovered a need for improved teamwork and communication. The participants considered teamwork to be important for patient safety, but had different perceptions of good teamwork between professions. The intervention, a revised version of the WHO checklist, did not affect teamwork climate. Adherence to the revision of the checklist was insufficient, dominated by a lack of structure. There was no significant change in teamwork climate by use of the revised WHO checklist, which may be due to insufficient implementation, as a lack of adherence to the WHO checklist was detected. We found deficiencies in teamwork and communication. Further studies exploring how to improve safety climate are needed. NCT02329691.

  3. Environmental Restoration Program pollution prevention checklist guide for the feasibility study project phase

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1993-09-01

    Feasibility studies (FS) determine what remedial alternatives are presented to regulators for site cleanup. A key consideration in this process is the waste to be generated. Minimizing the volume and toxicity of this waste will ultimately contribute to the selection of the best remedial option. The purpose of this checklist guide is to assist the user in incorporating pollution prevention/waste minimization (PP/WM) in all FS phase projects of the Environmental Restoration (ER) Program. This guide will help users document PP/WM activities for technology transfer and reporting requirements. Automated computer screens will be created from the checklist data to assist users with implementing and evaluating waste reduction. Users can then establish numerical performance measures to measure progress in planning, training, self-assessments, field implementation, documentation, and technology transfer. Cost savings result as users train and assess themselves and perform preliminary waste assessments

  4. The development of a checklist to enhance methodological quality in intervention programs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Salvador Chacón-Moscoso

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available The methodological quality of primary studies is an important issue when performing meta-analyses or systematic reviews. Nevertheless, there are no clear criteria for how methodological quality should be analyzed. Controversies emerge when considering the various theoretical and empirical definitions, especially in relation to three interrelated problems: the lack of representativeness, utility, and feasibility. In this article, we (a systematize and summarize the available literature about methodological quality in primary studies; (b propose a specific, parsimonious, 12-item checklist to empirically define the methodological quality of primary studies based on a content validity study; and (c present an inter-coder reliability study for the resulting 12 items. This paper provides a precise and rigorous description of the development of this checklist, highlighting the clearly specified criteria for the inclusion of items and a substantial inter-coder agreement in the different items. Rather than simply proposing another checklist, however, it then argues that the list constitutes an assessment tool with respect to the representativeness, utility, and feasibility of the most frequent methodological quality items in the literature, one that provides practitioners and researchers with clear criteria for choosing items that may be adequate to their needs. We propose individual methodological features as indicators of quality, arguing that these need to be taken into account when designing, implementing, or evaluating an intervention program. This enhances methodological quality of intervention programs and fosters the cumulative knowledge based on meta-analyses of these interventions. Future development of the checklist is discussed.

  5. Designing a database for performance assessment: Lessons learned from WIPP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martell, M.A.; Schenker, A.

    1997-01-01

    The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Compliance Certification Application (CCA) Performance Assessment (PA) used a relational database that was originally designed only to supply the input parameters required for implementation of the PA codes. Reviewers used the database as a point of entry to audit quality assurance measures for control, traceability, and retrievability of input information used for analysis, and output/work products. During these audits it became apparent that modifications to the architecture and scope of the database would benefit the EPA regulator and other stakeholders when reviewing the recertification application. This paper contains a discussion of the WPP PA CCA database and lessons learned for designing a database

  6. An updated checklist of Echinoderms from Indian waters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samuel, Vijay Kumar Deepak; Krishnan, Pandian; Sreeraj, Chemmencheri Ramakrishnan; Chamundeeswari, Kanagaraj; Parthiban, Chermapandi; Sekar, Veeramuthu; Patro, Shesdev; Saravanan, Raju; Abhilash, Kottarathil Rajendran; Ramachandran, Purvaja; Ramesh, Ramachandran

    2017-11-27

    Species checklists enlist the species available within the defined geographical region and thus serve as essential input for developing conservation and management strategies. The fields of conservation biology and ecology confront the challenge of inflated biodiversity, attributed to non-recognition of taxonomic inconsistencies such as synonyms, alternate representation, emendations etc. Critical review of the checklists and distributional records of Phylum Echinodermata from Indian waters and subsequent validation of species names with World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) database, revealed that the current literature included 236 incorrect entries comprising of 162 synonyms, 15 emendations, 5 nomina dubia, 1 nomen nudum, 40 species under alternate representation, 9 species with author misnomer, 1 subspecies and 1 unaccepted. The 226 species found to be mixed with valid names and a revised checklist was prepared. The revised and updated checklist holds 741 species of echinoderms comprising of 182 asteroids (24.56%), 70 crinoids (9.45%), 138 echinoids (18.62%), 179 holothuroids (24.16%) and 172 ophiuroids (23.21%), placed under 28 orders and 107 families. This paper discusses the cause for taxonomic inflation and argues that such taxonomic inconsistencies alter our interpretations of a species including its inaccurate distribution and, could possibly impede the country's conservation and management efforts.

  7. Checklist for Staff Technology Training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Mary Alice

    1997-01-01

    Presents a planning checklist for staff technology training. Includes forming a committee and developing proposals, contacting pertinent people, handling publicity, sending invitations, distributing schedules/registration information, arranging for equipment, purchasing prizes, conducting preliminary checks on equipment and software, ordering…

  8. The Hriday Card: A checklist for heart failure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sandeep Seth

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Use of a simple checklist can drastically lower the likelihood of heart failure patient readmission and improve quality of life. The Hriday Card is a simple 4 page booklet which combines patient education material teaching the patient about heart failure, how to tackle daily emergencies, how to look after their fluid balance with appropriate use of diuretics. It also contains medication and daily weight charts for the patient and a heart failure checklist for the heart failure nurse or doctor which covers points like vaccination, presence of LBBB or Atrial fibrillation and use or lack of use of ACE inhibitors and beta blockers and many other points related to heart failure. This checklist can be filled in less than a minute. It is a simple tool to enhance heart failure care and medication adherence.

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2013-01-01

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

  10. Standardization of Safety Checklists for Sport Fields in Schools

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Arghami

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Nowadays in all human societies, sport is considered as a human-training matter, which often occurs in sport fields. Many people, including students in schools, occasionally deal with these fields. Therefore, a standard tool is required to frequently inspection of sport fields. The aim of this study was to standardize checklists for sport fields in schools. .Material and Method: This study is a kind of tool and technique evaluation was done in Zanjan in 2013. The studied population included indoor and outdoor sport fields in governmental boys’ high schools in Zanjan city. The checklists’ items selected based on existing regulations, standards and relevant studies. Standardization of all tools was done applying the face and content validity and reliability tests. .Result: The primary checklist for outdoor sport fields in high schools, which considered by the expert panel, consisted of 75 items. Based on CVI (2 to 3.9 and CVR (.5 to .78, modifications were done and 6 more items were added. And the same process for the primary checklist for outdoor sports fields (85 items was repeated. Based on CVI (2 to 3.9 and CVR (.5 to .78, items increased to 92.  .Conclusion: The safety checklist for sport fields in schools are matched with the properties of them. The safety checklist developed in this study has an acceptable reliability and validity for useful applying in sport field inspections.

  11. 32 CFR Appendix G to Part 505 - Management Control Evaluation Checklist

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... CIVIL AUTHORITIES AND PUBLIC RELATIONS ARMY PRIVACY ACT PROGRAM Pt. 505, App. G Appendix G to Part 505—Management Control Evaluation Checklist (a) Function. The function covered by this checklist is DA Privacy...

  12. Can music lessons increase the performance of preschool children in IQ tests?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaviani, Hossein; Mirbaha, Hilda; Pournaseh, Mehrangiz; Sagan, Olivia

    2014-02-01

    The impact of music on human cognition has a distinguished history as a research topic in psychology. The focus of the present study was on investigating the effects of music instruction on the cognitive development of preschool children. From a sample of 154 preschool children of Tehran kindergartens, 60 children aged between 5 and 6 were randomly assigned to two groups, one receiving music lessons and the other (matched for sex, age and mother's educational level) not taking part in any music classes. Children were tested before the start of the course of music lessons and at its end with 4 subtests of the Tehran-Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (TSB). The experimental group participated in twelve 75-min weekly music lessons. Statistical analysis showed significant IQ increase in participants receiving music lessons, specifically on the TSB verbal reasoning and short-term memory subtests. The numerical and visual/abstract reasoning abilities did not differ for the two groups after lessons. These data support studies that found similar skills enhancements in preschool children, despite vast differences in the setting in which the instruction occurred. These findings appear to be consistent with some neuroimaging and neurological observations which are discussed in the paper.

  13. Rotary mode core sampling approved checklist: 241-TX-113

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fowler, K.D.

    1998-01-01

    The safety assessment for rotary mode core sampling was developed using certain bounding assumptions, however, those assumptions were not verified for each of the existing or potential flammable gas tanks. Therefore, a Flammable Gas/Rotary Mode Core Sampling Approved Checklist has been completed for tank 241-TX-113 prior to sampling operations. This transmittal documents the dispositions of the checklist items from the safety assessment

  14. Rotary mode core sampling approved checklist: 241-TX-116

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    FOWLER, K.D.

    1999-01-01

    The safety assessment for rotary mode core sampling was developed using certain bounding assumptions, however, those assumptions were not verified for each of the existing or potential flammable gas tanks. Therefore, a Flammable Gas/Rotary Mode Core Sampling Approved Checklist has been completed for tank 241-TX-116 prior to sampling operations. This transmittal documents the dispositions of the checklist items from the safety assessment

  15. Maximising harm reduction in early specialty training for general practice: validation of a safety checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bowie, Paul; McKay, John; Kelly, Moya

    2012-06-21

    Making health care safer is a key policy priority worldwide. In specialty training, medical educators may unintentionally impact on patient safety e.g. through failures of supervision; providing limited feedback on performance; and letting poorly developed behaviours continue unchecked. Doctors-in-training are also known to be susceptible to medical error. Ensuring that all essential educational issues are addressed during training is problematic given the scale of the tasks to be undertaken. Human error and the reliability of local systems may increase the risk of safety-critical topics being inadequately covered. However adherence to a checklist reminder may improve the reliability of task delivery and maximise harm reduction. We aimed to prioritise the most safety-critical issues to be addressed in the first 12-weeks of specialty training in the general practice environment and validate a related checklist reminder. We used mixed methods with different groups of GP educators (n=127) and specialty trainees (n=9) in two Scottish regions to prioritise, develop and validate checklist content. Generation and refinement of checklist themes and items were undertaken on an iterative basis using a range of methods including small group work in dedicated workshops; a modified-Delphi process; and telephone interviews. The relevance of potential checklist items was rated using a 4-point scale content validity index to inform final inclusion. 14 themes (e.g. prescribing safely; dealing with medical emergency; implications of poor record keeping; and effective & safe communication) and 47 related items (e.g. how to safety-net face-to-face or over the telephone; knowledge of practice systems for results handling; recognition of harm in children) were judged to be essential safety-critical educational issues to be covered. The mean content validity index ratio was 0.98. A checklist was developed and validated for educational supervisors to assist in the reliable delivery of

  16. An environment for representing and using medical checklists on mobile devices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Losiouk, Eleonora; Lanzola, Giordano; Visetti, Enrico; Quaglini, Silvana

    2015-01-01

    Checklists have been recently introduced in the medical practice playing the role of summarized guidelines, streamlined for rapid consultations. However, there are still some barriers preventing their widespread diffusion. Those concern the representation, dissemination and update of their underlying knowledge, as well as the means currently adopted for their actual use, that is still mostly paper-based. In this paper we propose a new platform for the implementation and use of checklists. First, an editor supports domain experts in porting the checklist from the traditional paper-based format into an electronic one. Then, an application allows the distribution and usage of checklists on portable devices such as smartphones and tablets, exploiting their additional features in comparison with those made available by Personal Computers. The platform will be illustrated through some examples designed to support volunteers and paramedic staff in dealing with emergency situations.

  17. Checklists: An under-used tool for the inventory and monitoring of plants and animals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Droege, S.; Cyr, A.; Larivee, J.

    1998-01-01

    Checklists are widely used to catalog field observations of plants and animals. We used 25 years of bird checklist data from the Etudes des Populations d'Oiseaux du Quebec program to examine the ability of checklists to produce reliable conservation, management, and ecological information. We found that checklists can provide reliable information on changes in bird populations, phenology, and geographic and climate abundance patterns at local, regional, and continental scales. Professional and amateur conservation groups that need to develop extensive monitoring programs should take advantage of the fact that checklists, unlike other time-consuming and expensive techniques, can be used to detect large-scale changes in an entire community of species.

  18. A 'paperless' wall-mounted surgical safety checklist with migrated leadership can improve compliance and team engagement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ong, Aaron Pin Chien; Devcich, Daniel A; Hannam, Jacqueline; Lee, Tracey; Merry, Alan F; Mitchell, Simon J

    2016-12-01

    Outcome benefits of using the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist rely on compliance with checklist administration. To evaluate engagement of operating room (OR) subteams (anaesthesia, surgery and nursing), and compliance with administering checklist domains (Sign In, Time Out and Sign Out) and checklist items, after introducing a wall-mounted paperless checklist with migration of process leadership (Sign In, Time Out and Sign Out led by anaesthesia, surgery and nursing, respectively). This was a pre-post observational study in which 261 checklist domains in 111 operations were observed 2 months after changing the checklist administration paradigm. Compliance with administration of the checklist domains and individual checklist items was recorded, as was the number of OR subteams engaged. Comparison was made with 2013 data from the same OR suite prior to the paradigm change. Data are presented as 2013 versus the present study. The Sign In, Time Out and Sign Out domains were administered in 96% vs 98% (p=0.69), 99% vs 99% (p=1.00) and 22% vs 84% (pImprovements in team engagement and compliance with administering checklist items followed introduction of migrated leadership of checklist administration and a wall-mounted checklist. This paradigm change was relatively simple and inexpensive. 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/.

  19. Surgical checklist application and its impact on patient safety in pediatric surgery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S N Oak

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Surgical care is an essential component of health care of children worldwide. Incidences of congenital anomalies, trauma, cancers and acquired diseases continue to rise and along with that the impact of surgical intervention on public health system also increases. It then becomes essential that the surgical teams make the procedures safe and error proof. The World Health Organization (WHO has instituted the surgical checklist as a global initiative to improve surgical safety. Aims: To assess the acceptance, application and adherence to the WHO Safe Surgery Checklist in Pediatric Surgery Practice at a university teaching hospital. Materials and Methods: In a prospective study, spanning 2 years, the checklist was implemented for all patients who underwent operative procedures under general anesthesia. The checklist identified three phases of an operation, each corresponding to a specific period in the normal flow of work: Before the induction of anesthesia ("sign in", before the skin incision ("time out" and before the patient leaves the operating room ("sign out". In each phase, an anesthesiologist,-"checklist coordinator," confirmed that the anesthesia, surgery and nursing teams have completed the listed tasks before proceeding with the operation and exit. The checklist was used for 3000 consecutive patients. Results: No major perioperative errors were noted. In 54 (1.8% patients, children had the same names and identical surgical procedure posted on the same operation list. The patient identification tag was missing in four (0.1% patients. Mention of the side of procedures was missing in 108 (3.6% cases. In 0.1% (3 of patients there was mix up of the mention of side of operation in the case papers and consent forms. In 78 (2.6% patients, the consent form was not signed by parents/guardians or the side of the procedure was not quoted. Antibiotic orders were missing in five (0.2% patients. In 12 (0.4% cases, immobilization of the

  20. Is Communication Improved With the Implementation of an Obstetrical Version of the World Health Organization Safe Surgery Checklist?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Govindappagari, Shravya; Guardado, Amanda; Goffman, Dena; Bernstein, Jeffrey; Lee, Colleen; Schonfeld, Sara; Angert, Robert; McGowan, Andrea; Bernstein, Peter S

    2016-09-08

    Communication failures are consistently seen as a root cause of preventable adverse outcomes in obstetrics. We assessed whether use of an Obstetric Safe Surgery Checklist for cesarean deliveries (CDs), based on the WHO Safe Surgery Checklist, can improve communication; reduce team member confusion about urgency of the case; and decrease documentation discrepancies among nursing, obstetric, anesthesia, and pediatric staff. Retrospective review of 600 CDs on our 2 labor and delivery suites before and after the introduction of 2 consecutive versions of our obstetric safe surgery checklist (100 cases in each cohort) was undertaken. The first version was released in 2010, and after modifications based on initial findings, our current version was released in 2014. One hundred consecutive CDs were identified from each of the 3 periods at each hospital, and charts for those patients and newborns were abstracted. Notes by obstetricians, nurses, anesthesiologists, and pediatricians were reviewed. We compared the rates of agreement in the documentation of the indication for the CD between the different members of the team. Chi-square analyses were performed. Complete agreement among the 4 specialties in the documented indication for CD before introduction of our initial safe surgery checklist was noted in 59% (n = 118) of cases. After initial checklist introduction, agreement decreased to 43% (n = 86; P = 0.002). We then modified our checklist to include indication for CD and level of urgency and changed our policy to include pediatric staff participation in the timeout. Agreement in a subsequent chart review increased to 80% (n = 160), significantly better than in our initial analysis (P < 0.001) and our interim review (P < 0.001). The greatest improvement in agreement was observed between obstetricians and pediatricians. Implementation of a safe surgery checklist can improve communication at CDs, but care should be taken when implementing checklists because they can have

  1. Barriers and limitations during implementation of the surgical safety checklist of the World Health Organization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rosa Amalia Arboleda

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: The surgical safety checklist of the World Health Organization (WHO is a tool that checks and evaluates each procedure in the operating room. Despite its demonstrated effectiveness, it has many limitations and barriers to its implementation. The aim of this article was to present the current evidence regarding limitations and barriers to achieve a successful implementation of the surgical safety WHO checklist. Methods: A narrative review was designed. We performed a systematic literature search in PubMed/MEDLINE. Articles that describe or present as primary or secondary endpoints barriers or limitations during the implementation of the checklist WHO were selected. Observational or experimental articles were included from the date of the official launch of the WHO list. To describe the data a summary table was designed. Detailed results were organized qualitatively extracting the most prevalent limitations. Results: 17 studies were included in the final review process. The main findings were: 1 a large number of constraints reported in the literature that hinder the implementation process, 2 limitations were grouped into 9 categories according to their similarities and 3 the most frequently reported category was “knowledge”. Discussion: There are several factors that limit the proper implementation of the surgical safety checklist WHO. Among these, cultural factors, knowledge, indifference and / or relevance, communication, filling completeness, among others. Effective implementation strategies would reach its successful implementation.

  2. Safe surgery: validation of pre and postoperative checklists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alpendre, Francine Taporosky; Cruz, Elaine Drehmer de Almeida; Dyniewicz, Ana Maria; Mantovani, Maria de Fátima; Silva, Ana Elisa Bauer de Camargo E; Santos, Gabriela de Souza Dos

    2017-07-10

    to develop, evaluate and validate a surgical safety checklist for patients in the pre and postoperative periods in surgical hospitalization units. methodological research carried out in a large public teaching hospital in the South of Brazil, with application of the principles of the Safe Surgery Saves Lives Programme of the World Health Organization. The checklist was applied to 16 nurses of 8 surgical units and submitted for validation by a group of eight experts using the Delphi method online. the instrument was validated and it was achieved a mean score ≥1, level of agreement ≥75% and Cronbach's alpha >0.90. The final version included 97 safety indicators organized into six categories: identification, preoperative, immediate postoperative, immediate postoperative, other surgical complications, and hospital discharge. the Surgical Safety Checklist in the Pre and Postoperative periods is another strategy to promote patient safety, as it allows the monitoring of predictive signs and symptoms of surgical complications and the early detection of adverse events. elaborar, avaliar e validar um checklist de segurança cirúrgica para os períodos pré e pós-operatório de unidades de internação cirúrgica. pesquisa metodológica, realizada em hospital de ensino público de grande porte do Sul do Brasil, com aplicação dos fundamentos do Programa Cirurgias Seguras Salvam Vidas da Organização Mundial da Saúde. O checklist foi aplicado a 16 enfermeiros de oito unidades cirúrgicas, e submetido à validação por meio da técnica Delphi on-line com oito especialistas. o instrumento foi validado, obtendo-se ranking médio ≥1, grau de concordância ≥75% e Alfa de Cronbach >0,90. A versão final contemplou 97 indicadores de segurança organizados em seis categorias: identificação, pré-operatório, pós-operatório imediato, pós-operatório mediato, outras complicações cirúrgicas, e alta hospitalar. o Checklist de Segurança Cirúrgica Pré e P

  3. Environmental Restoration Program pollution prevention checklist guide for the surveillance and maintenance project phase

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1993-09-01

    DOE Order 5820.2 mandates that a surveillance and maintenance program be established in all shut-down facilities to ensure adequate containment of contamination, provide physical safety and security, and reduce potential public and environmental hazards. A key consideration in this process is the prevention of any waste to be generated from these activities. The purpose of this checklist guide is to assist the user with incorporating pollution prevention/waste minimization (PP/WM) in all Surveillance and Maintenance (S ampersand M) phase projects of the Environmental Restoration (ER) Program. This guide will help users document their PP/WM activities for technology transfer and reporting requirements. Automated computer screens will be created from the checklist data to assist users with implementing and evaluating waste reduction. Users can then establish numerical performance measures to measure progress in planning, training, self-assessments, field implementation, documentation, and technology transfer. Cost savings result as users train and assess themselves and perform preliminary waste assessments

  4. Kommenteret checkliste over Danmarks bier – Del 3

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Madsen, Henning Bang; Calabuig, Isabel

    2010-01-01

    This paper presents Part 3 of a checklist for the taxa of bees occurring in Denmark, dealing with the families Melittidae and Megachilidae, and covering 53 species. The remaining two families (Halictidae and Apidae) will be dealt with in future papers. The following two species are hereby recorded...... as belonging to the Danish bee fauna: Melitta tricincta Kirby, 1802 and Hoplosmia spinulosa (Kirby, 1802). Megachile pyrenaea Pérez, 1890 and Osmia bicolor (Schrank, 1781) are excluded from the Danish checklist. Species that have the potential to occur in Denmark are discussed briefly....

  5. Evidence synthesis for decision making 7: a reviewer's checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ades, A E; Caldwell, Deborah M; Reken, Stefanie; Welton, Nicky J; Sutton, Alex J; Dias, Sofia

    2013-07-01

    This checklist is for the review of evidence syntheses for treatment efficacy used in decision making based on either efficacy or cost-effectiveness. It is intended to be used for pairwise meta-analysis, indirect comparisons, and network meta-analysis, without distinction. It does not generate a quality rating and is not prescriptive. Instead, it focuses on a series of questions aimed at revealing the assumptions that the authors of the synthesis are expecting readers to accept, the adequacy of the arguments authors advance in support of their position, and the need for further analyses or sensitivity analyses. The checklist is intended primarily for those who review evidence syntheses, including indirect comparisons and network meta-analyses, in the context of decision making but will also be of value to those submitting syntheses for review, whether to decision-making bodies or journals. The checklist has 4 main headings: A) definition of the decision problem, B) methods of analysis and presentation of results, C) issues specific to network synthesis, and D) embedding the synthesis in a probabilistic cost-effectiveness model. The headings and implicit advice follow directly from the other tutorials in this series. A simple table is provided that could serve as a pro forma checklist.

  6. Adapting Features from the SIOP Component: Lesson Delivery to English Lessons in a Colombian Public School

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rativa Murillo Hollman Alejandro

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Despite some school efforts to offer students the best second language learning, English language lessons are often taught with an overuse of the mother tongue. Hence, an action research project was conducted in order to discover how to adapt some features of the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP component: Lesson delivery, for the teaching of English in sixth grade at a public school in Bogotá, Colombia. Data collection included observation checklists, field notes, surveys and artifacts. The findings demonstrated that the overuse of Spanish–the students’ mother tongue–was reduced when in addition to implementing the lesson delivery component, the teacher developed vocabulary activities. Finally, it was suggested that teachers have SIOP training for teaching content andto focus more on students needs.A pesar de algunos esfuerzos para ofrecer a los estudiantes un mejor aprendizaje de una segunda lengua, a menudo se recurre al uso excesivo de la lengua materna en las clases de inglés. Con el objetivo de hallar la forma de adaptar algunas características del componente del protocolo deobservación SIOP para la instrucción ‘Sheltered’: Desarrollo de clase, para la enseñanza de inglés en grado séptimo, se realiz�� un proyecto de investigación acción en un colegio público en Bogotá, Colombia. En la recolección de datos se emplearon formatos de observación, notas de campo,cuestionarios y evidencias documentales. Los resultados demostraron que el uso excesivo de español –la lengua materna de los estudiantes– se redujo porque además de la implementación del componente Desarrollo de clase, se llevaron a cabo actividades de vocabulario. Con esta investigación se sugiere que los profesores adquieran conocimientos acerca del citado modelo para la enseñanza de contenidos, y que se enfoquen más en las necesidades de los estudiantes.

  7. Checklists Change Communication About Key Elements of Patient Care

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-01

    resulted in decreased duration of use as well as related urinary tract infections .8 In addition to improving patient care, checklists have been shown to...central-line- associated bloodstream infection rates decline after bundles and checklists. Pediatrics . 2011;127:436Y444. 6. Dubose JJ, Inaba K...mechanical ventilation bun- dles, and lead to decreased infection rates.4Y7 They have also been applied to the use of indwelling Foley catheters and

  8. Helpful Entry Level Skills Checklist--Revised Manual [and] Helpful Entry Level Skill Checklist--Revised Edition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Child Development Centers of the Bluegrass, Lexington, KY.

    The Helpful Entry Level Skills Checklist was designed to assist preschool teachers in selecting functional skills that children (including children with disabilities) may need to make a successful transition into the public schools. These skills, for the most part, deal with attending, compliance, ability to follow directions, turn taking, ability…

  9. [Adherence to the use of the surgical checklist for patient safety].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maziero, Eliane Cristina Sanches; de Camargo Silva, Ana Elisa Bauer; de Fátima Mantovani, Maria; de Almeida Cruz, Elaine Drehmer

    2015-12-01

    Evaluate adherence to the checklist of the Programa Cirurgias Seguras (safe surgery programme) at a teaching hospital. Evaluative study conducted at a teaching hospital in the south of Brazil in 2012. Data were collected by means of non-participant observation in 20 hip and knee replacement surgeries and an instrument that was created for research based on the checklist and used by the institution. In the observed procedures (n=20) there was significant adhesion (pbreak and materials count. The results showed that the items on the checklist were verified nonverbally and there was no significant adherence to the instrument.

  10. Cancer Care Ontario and integrated cancer programs: portrait of a performance management system and lessons learned.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Siu Mee; Thompson, Leslee J

    2006-01-01

    A performance management system has been implemented by Cancer Care Ontario (CCO). This system allows for the monitoring and management of 11 integrated cancer programs (ICPs) across the Province of Ontario. The system comprises of four elements: reporting frequency, reporting requirements, review meetings and accountability and continuous improvement activities. CCO and the ICPs have recently completed quarterly performance review exercises for the last two quarters of the fiscal year 2004-2005. The purpose of this paper is to address some of the key lessons learned. The paper provides an outline of the CCO performance management system. These lessons included: data must be valid and reliable; performance management requires commitments from both parties in the performance review exercises; streamlining performance reporting is beneficial; technology infrastructure which allows for cohesive management of data is vital for a sustainable performance management system; performance indicators need to stand up to scrutiny by both parties; and providing comparative data across the province is valuable. Critical success factors which would help to ensure a successful performance management system include: corporate engagement from various parts of an organization in the review exercises; desire to focus on performance improvement and avoidance of blaming; and strong data management systems. The performance management system is a practical and sustainable system that allows for performance improvement of cancer care services. It can be a vital tool to enhance accountability within the health care system. The paper demonstrates that the performance management system supports accountability in the cancer care system for Ontario, and reflects the principles of the provincial governments commitment to continuous improvement of healthcare.

  11. Lessons learned related to packaging and transportation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wallen, C.

    1995-01-01

    The use of lessons learned as a tool for learning from past experiences is well established, especially by many organizations within the nuclear industry. Every person has, at some time, used the principles of lessons learned to adopt good work practices based on their own experiences or the experiences of others. Lessons learned can also help to avoid the recurrence of adverse practices, which is often an area that most lessons-learned programs tend to focus on. This paper will discuss how lessons learned relate to packaging and transportation issues and events experienced at Department of Energy (DOE) facilities. It will also discuss the role performed by the Office of Nuclear and Facility Safety's Office of Operating Experience Analysis and Feedback in disseminating lessons learned and operating experience feedback to the DOE complex. The central concept of lessons learned is that any organization should be able to learn from its own experiences and events. In addition, organizations should implement methodologies to scan external environments for lessons learned, to analyze and determine the relevance of lessons learned, and to bring about the necessary changes learned from these experiences. With increased concerns toward facility safety, the importance of utilizing the lessons-learned principles and the establishment of lessons-learned programs can not be overstated

  12. Audit of lymphadenectomy in lung cancer resections using a specimen collection kit and checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osarogiagbon, Raymond U; Sareen, Srishti; Eke, Ransome; Yu, Xinhua; McHugh, Laura M; Kernstine, Kemp H; Putnam, Joe B; Robbins, Edward T

    2015-02-01

    Audits of operative summaries and pathology reports reveal wide discordance in identifying the extent of lymphadenectomy performed (the communication gap). We tested the ability of a prelabeled lymph node specimen collection kit and checklist to narrow the communication gap between operating surgeons, pathologists, and auditors of surgeons' operation notes. We conducted a prospective single cohort study of lung cancer resections performed with a lymph node collection kit from November 2010 to January 2013. We used the kappa statistic to compare surgeon claims on a checklist of lymph node stations harvested intraoperatively with pathology reports and an independent audit of surgeons' operative summaries. Lymph node collection procedures were classified into four groups based on the anatomic origin of resected lymph nodes: mediastinal lymph node dissection, systematic sampling, random sampling, and no sampling. From the pathology reports, 73% of 160 resections had a mediastinal lymph node dissection or systematic sampling procedure, 27% had random sampling. The concordance with surgeon claims was 80% (kappa statistic 0.69, 95% confidence interval: 0.60 to 0.79). Concordance between independent audits of the operation notes and either the pathology report (kappa 0.14, 95% confidence interval: 0.04 to 0.23) or surgeon claims (kappa 0.09, 95% confidence interval: 0.03 to 0.22) was poor. A prelabeled specimen collection kit and checklist significantly narrowed the communication gap between surgeons and pathologists in identifying the extent of lymphadenectomy. Audit of surgeons' operation notes did not accurately reflect the procedure performed, bringing its value for quality improvement work into question. Copyright © 2015 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Barriers to implementing the World Health Organization's Trauma Care Checklist: A Canadian single-center experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nolan, Brodie; Zakirova, Rimma; Bridge, Jennifer; Nathens, Avery B

    2014-11-01

    Management of trauma patients is difficult because of their complexity and acuity. In an effort to improve patient care and reduce morbidity and mortality, the World Health Organization developed a trauma care checklist. Local stakeholder input led to a modified 16-item version that was subsequently piloted. Our study highlights the barriers and challenges associated with implementing this checklist at our hospital. The checklist was piloted over a 6-month period at St. Michael's Hospital, a Level 1 trauma center in Toronto, Canada. At the end of the pilot phase, individual, semistructured interviews were held with trauma team leaders and nursing staff regarding their experiences with the checklist. Axial coding was used to create a typology of attitudes and barriers toward the checklist, and then, vertical coding was used to further explore each identified barrier. Checklist compliance was assessed for the first 7 months. Checklist compliance throughout the pilot phase was 78%. Eight key barriers to implementing the checklist were identified as follows: perceived lack of time for the use of the checklist in critically ill patients, unclear roles, no memory trigger, no one to enforce completion, not understanding its importance or purpose, difficulty finding physicians at the end of resuscitation, staff/trainee changes, and professional hierarchy. The World Health Organization Trauma Care Checklist was a well-received tool; however, consideration of barriers to the implementation and staff adoption must be done for successful integration, with special attention to its use in critically ill patients. Therapeutic/care management, level V.

  14. Safe pediatric surgery: development and validation of preoperative interventions checklist

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Paula de Oliveira Pires

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVES: this study was aimed at developing and validating a checklist of preoperative pediatric interventions related to the safety of surgical patients. METHOD: methodological study concerning the construction and validation of an instrument with safe preoperative care indicators. The checklist was subject to validation through the Delphi technique, establishing a consensus level of 80%. RESULTS: five professional specialists in the area conducted the validation and a consensus on the content and the construct was reached after two applications of the Delphi technique. CONCLUSION: the "Safe Pediatric Surgery Checklist", simulating the preoperative trajectory of children, is an instrument capable of contributing to the preparation and promotion of safe surgery, as it identifies the presence or absence of measures required to promote patient safety.

  15. Cockroaches (Blattaria) of Ecuador-checklist and history of research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vidlička, Lubomír

    2013-01-09

    Cockroaches are an understudied group and the total number of described taxa increases every year. The last checklist of Ecuador species was published in 1926. The main aim of this study was to complete a new checklist of cockroach species recorded in Ecuador supplemented with a research history of cockroaches (Blattaria) on the territory of continental Ecuador. In addition, the checklist contains comments on Ecuadorian faunistic records, including the Galápagos Islands. A total of 114 species (105 in continental Ecuador and 18 in Galápagos Islands) belonging to 6 families and 44 genera are listed. Forty species (38.1 %) occur solely in continental Ecuador and five (27.8 %) are endemic on Galápagos Islands. The results indicate that further research on the cockroach fauna of Ecuador as well as determination of museum collections from this territory is needed.

  16. Development, validation and testing of a nursing home to emergency room transfer checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsai, Hsiu-Hsin; Tsai, Yun-Fang

    2018-01-01

    To develop and test the feasibility of an instrument to support patients' nursing home to emergency room transfer. Transfers from a nursing home care facility to an acute care facility such as a hospital emergency room are common. However, the prevalence of an information gap for transferring residents' health data to acute care facility is high. An evidence-based transfer instrument, which could fill this gap, is lacking. Development of a nursing home to emergency room transfer checklist, validation of items using the Delphi method and testing the feasibility and benefits of using the nursing home to emergency room transfer checklist. Items were developed based on qualitative data from previous research. Delphi validation, retrospective chart review (baseline data) and a 6-month prospective study design were applied to test the feasibility of using the checklist. Variables for testing the feasibility of the checklist included residents' 30-day readmission rate and length of hospital stay. Development of the nursing home to emergency room transfer checklist resulted in four main parts: (i) demographic data of the nursing home resident; (ii) critical data for nursing home to emergency room transfer; (iii) contact information and (iv) critical data for emergency room to nursing home transfer. Two rounds of Delphi validation resulted in a mean score (standard deviation) ranging from 4.39 (1.13)-4.98 (.15). Time required to complete the checklist was 3-5 min. Use of the nursing home to emergency room transfer checklist resulted in a 30-day readmission rate of 13.4%, which was lower than the baseline rate of 15.9%. The nursing home to emergency room transfer checklist was developed for transferring nursing home residents to an emergency room. The instrument was found to be an effective tool for this process. Use of the nursing home to emergency room transfer checklist for nursing home transfers could fill the information gap that exists when transferring older adults

  17. [Improving patient safety: Usefulness of safety checklists in a neonatal unit].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arriaga Redondo, María; Sanz López, Ester; Rodríguez Sánchez de la Blanca, Ana; Marsinyach Ros, Itziar; Collados Gómez, Laura; Díaz Redondo, Alicia; Sánchez Luna, Manuel

    2017-10-01

    Due to the complexity and characteristics of their patients, neonatal units are risk areas for the development of adverse events (AE). For this reason, there is a need to introduce and implement some tools and strategies that will help to improve the safety of the neonatal patient. Safety check-lists have shown to be a useful tool in other health areas but they are not sufficiently developed in Neonatal Units. A quasi-experimental prospective study was conducted on the design and implementation of the use of a checklist and evaluation of its usefulness for detecting incidents. The satisfaction of the health professionals on using the checklist tool was also assessed. The compliance rate in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) was 56.5%, with 4.03 incidents per patient being detected. One incident was detected for every 5.3 checklists used. The most frequent detected incidents were those related to medication, followed by inadequate alarm thresholds, adjustments of the monitors, and medication pumps. The large majority (75%) of the NICU health professionals considered the checklist useful or very useful, and 68.75% considered that its use had managed to avoid an AE. The overall satisfaction was 83.33% for the professionals with less than 5 years working experience, and 44.4% of the professionals with more than 5 years of experience were pleased or very pleased. The checklists have shown to be a useful tool for the detection of incidents, especially in NICU, with a positive assessment from the health professionals of the unit. Copyright © 2016 Asociación Española de Pediatría. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  18. Checklists in the operating room: Help or hurdle? A qualitative study on health workers' experiences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heltne Jon-Kenneth

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Checklists have been used extensively as a cognitive aid in aviation; now, they are being introduced in many areas of medicine. Although few would dispute the positive effects of checklists, little is known about the process of introducing this tool into the health care environment. In 2008, a pre-induction checklist was implemented in our anaesthetic department; in this study, we explored the nurses' and physicians' acceptance and experiences with this checklist. Method Focus group interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of checklist users (nurses and physicians from the Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care in a tertiary teaching hospital. The interviews were analysed qualitatively using systematic text condensation. Results Users reported that checklist use could divert attention away from the patient and that it influenced workflow and doctor-nurse cooperation. They described senior consultants as both sceptical and supportive; a head physician with a positive attitude was considered crucial for successful implementation. The checklist improved confidence in unfamiliar contexts and was used in some situations for which it was not intended. It also revealed insufficient equipment standardisation. Conclusion Our findings suggest several issues and actions that may be important to consider during checklist use and implementation.

  19. Annotated checklist and database for vascular plants of the Jemez Mountains

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Foxx, T. S.; Pierce, L.; Tierney, G. D.; Hansen, L. A.

    1998-03-01

    Studies done in the last 40 years have provided information to construct a checklist of the Jemez Mountains. The present database and checklist builds on the basic list compiled by Teralene Foxx and Gail Tierney in the early 1980s. The checklist is annotated with taxonomic information, geographic and biological information, economic uses, wildlife cover, revegetation potential, and ethnographic uses. There are nearly 1000 species that have been noted for the Jemez Mountains. This list is cross-referenced with the US Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service PLANTS database species names and acronyms. All information will soon be available on a Web Page.

  20. Motor skills and school performance in children with daily physical education in school--a 9-year intervention study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ericsson, I; Karlsson, M K

    2014-04-01

    The aim was to study long-term effects on motor skills and school performance of increased physical education (PE). All pupils born 1990-1992 from one school were included in a longitudinal study over nine years. An intervention group (n = 129) achieved daily PE (5 × 45 min/week) and if needed one extra lesson of adapted motor training. The control group (n = 91) had PE two lessons/week. Motor skills were evaluated by the Motor Skills Development as Ground for Learning observation checklist and school achievements by marks in Swedish, English, Mathematics, and PE and proportion of pupils who qualified for upper secondary school. In school year 9 there were motor skills deficits in 7% of pupils in the intervention group compared to 47% in the control group (P motor skills deficit than among pupils with motor skills deficits (P motor skills training during the compulsory school years is a feasible way to improve not only motor skills but also school performance and the proportion of pupils who qualify for upper secondary school. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  1. Implementation of a mandatory checklist of protocols and objectives improves compliance with a wide range of evidence-based intensive care unit practices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Byrnes, Matthew C; Schuerer, Douglas J E; Schallom, Marilyn E; Sona, Carrie S; Mazuski, John E; Taylor, Beth E; McKenzie, Wendi; Thomas, James M; Emerson, Jeffrey S; Nemeth, Jennifer L; Bailey, Ruth A; Boyle, Walter A; Buchman, Timothy G; Coopersmith, Craig M

    2009-10-01

    To determine a) if a checklist covering a diverse group of intensive care unit protocols and objectives would improve clinician consideration of these domains and b) if improved consideration would change practice patterns. Pre- and post observational study. A 24-bed surgical/burn/trauma intensive care unit in a teaching hospital. A total of 1399 patients admitted between June 2006 and May 2007. The first component of the study evaluated whether mandating verbal review of a checklist covering 14 intensive care unit best practices altered verbal consideration of these domains. Evaluation was performed using real-time bedside audits on morning rounds. The second component evaluated whether the checklist altered implementation of these domains by changing practice patterns. Evaluation was performed by analyzing data from the Project IMPACT database after patients left the intensive care unit. Verbal consideration of evaluable domains improved from 90.9% (530/583) to 99.7% (669/671, p < .0001) after verbal review of the checklist was mandated. Bedside consideration improved on the use of deep venous thrombosis prophylaxis (p < .05), stress ulcer prophylaxis (p < .01), oral care for ventilated patients (p < 0.01), electrolyte repletion (p < .01), initiation of physical therapy (p < .05), and documentation of restraint orders (p < .0001). Mandatory verbal review of the checklist resulted in a greater than two-fold increase in transferring patients out of the intensive care unit on telemetry (16% vs. 35%, p < .0001) and initiation of physical therapy (28% vs. 42%, p < .0001) compared with baseline practice. A mandatory verbal review of a checklist covering a wide range of objectives and goals at each patient's bedside is an effective method to improve both consideration and implementation of intensive care unit best practices. A bedside checklist is a simple, cost-effective method to prevent errors of omission in basic domains of intensive care unit management that might

  2. Promoting Health and Safety in San Francisco's Chinatown Restaurants: Findings and Lessons Learned from a Pilot Observational Checklist

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaydos, Megan; Bhatia, Rajiv; Morales, Alvaro; Lee, Pam Tau; Liu, Shaw San; Chang, Charlotte; Salvatore, Alicia L.; Krause, Niklas; Minkler, Meredith

    2011-01-01

    Noncompliance with labor and occupational health and safety laws contributes to economic and health inequities. Environmental health agencies are well positioned to monitor workplace conditions in many industries and support enhanced enforcement by responsible regulatory agencies. In collaboration with university and community partners, the San Francisco Department of Public Health used an observational checklist to assess preventable occupational injury hazards and compliance with employee notification requirements in 106 restaurants in San Francisco's Chinatown. Sixty-five percent of restaurants had not posted required minimum wage, paid sick leave, or workers' compensation notifications; 82% of restaurants lacked fully stocked first-aid kits; 52% lacked antislip mats; 37% lacked adequate ventilation; and 28% lacked adequate lighting. Supported by a larger community-based participatory research process, this pilot project helped to spur additional innovative health department collaborations to promote healthier workplaces. PMID:21836739

  3. Skeletal survey quality in non-accidental injury – A single site evaluation of the effects of imaging checklists

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weldon, J.; Price, R.

    2016-01-01

    Aims: Evidence suggests ongoing practice variability in the quality of skeletal survey examinations for non-accidental injury. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects on examination quality following the implementation of imaging checklists. Method: A retrospective evaluation of skeletal survey examinations was carried out on studies performed between January 2007 and November 2014 at a large District General Hospital Trust. Longitudinal assessment was undertaken over three periods, before and following the introduction of two versions of imaging checklists, following modifications. Examinations were assessed and scored using three measures for completeness and quality employing a modified established scoring system against a professional body national standards document. Results: A total of 121 examinations met the inclusion criteria, all quality assessment measures showed improvements between each period. Examination completeness increased from median of 13 projections, to 20 throughout the three periods. Mann Whitney u Tests showed significant differences between each period. The mean combined anatomy score reduced from 3.11 to 1.10 throughout the three periods. Independent t Tests and Mann Whitney u Tests showed a significant decrease throughout the study period. Total percentage examination quality increased from median 44–83% throughout the three periods. Independent t Tests also showed significant differences between each period. Conclusion: The use of imaging checklists to improve quality and to support the optimal acquisition of the non-accidental injury skeletal survey shows encouraging results. However, further work is needed to optimise content and the use of checklists in practice. - Highlights: • Skeletal survey examinations for non-accidental practices have been shown to vary in content and in quality. • Checklists have demonstrated improvements in compliance to guidelines across health disciplines and in various settings.

  4. Does rating the operation videos with a checklist score improve the effect of E-learning for bariatric surgical training? Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De La Garza, Javier Rodrigo; Kowalewski, Karl-Friedrich; Friedrich, Mirco; Schmidt, Mona Wanda; Bruckner, Thomas; Kenngott, Hannes Götz; Fischer, Lars; Müller-Stich, Beat-Peter; Nickel, Felix

    2017-03-21

    Laparoscopic training has become an important part of surgical education. Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) is the most common bariatric procedure performed. Surgeons must be well trained prior to operating on a patient. Multimodality training is vital for bariatric surgery. E-learning with videos is a standard approach for training. The present study investigates whether scoring the operation videos with performance checklists improves learning effects and transfer to a simulated operation. This is a monocentric, two-arm, randomized controlled trial. The trainees are medical students from the University of Heidelberg in their clinical years with no prior laparoscopic experience. After a laparoscopic basic virtual reality (VR) training, 80 students are randomized into one of two arms in a 1:1 ratio to the checklist group (group A) and control group without a checklist (group B). After all students are given an introduction of the training center, VR trainer and laparoscopic instruments, they start with E-learning while watching explanations and videos of RYGB. Only group A will perform ratings with a modified Bariatric Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skill (BOSATS) scale checklist for all videos watched. Group B watches the same videos without rating. Both groups will then perform an RYGB in the VR trainer as a primary endpoint and small bowel suturing as an additional test in the box trainer for evaluation. This study aims to assess if E-learning and rating bariatric surgical videos with a modified BOSATS checklist will improve the learning curve for medical students in an RYGB VR performance. This study may help in future laparoscopic and bariatric training courses. German Clinical Trials Register, DRKS00010493 . Registered on 20 May 2016.

  5. Adherence to the use of the surgical checklist for patient safety

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eliane Cristina Sanches Maziero

    Full Text Available Objective: Evaluate adherence to the checklist of the Programa Cirurgias Seguras (safe surgery programme at a teaching hospital. Methods: Evaluative study conducted at a teaching hospital in the south of Brazil in 2012. Data were collected by means of non-participant observation in 20 hip and knee replacement surgeries and an instrument that was created for research based on the checklist and used by the institution. Results: In the observed procedures (n = 20 there was significant adhesion (p<0.05 to the instrument in relation to the verification of documentation, fasting, hair removal in the surgical site, absence of nail varnish and accessories, identification of the patient and surgical site on admission to the surgical unit, availability of blood and functionality of materials. However, there was no significant adherence to the checklist in the operating room in relation to patient identification, procedure and laterality, team introduction, surgical break and materials count. Conclusion: The results showed that the items on the checklist were verified nonverbally and there was no significant adherence to the instrument.

  6. Implementing US Department of Energy lessons learned programs. Volume 2

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1995-08-01

    The DOE Lessons Learned Handbook is a two-volume publication developed to supplement the DOE Lessons Learned Standard (DOE-STD-7501-95) with information that will organizations in developing or improving their lessons learned programs. Volume 1 includes greater detail than the Standard in areas such as identification and documentation of lessons learned; it also contains sections on specific processes such as training and performance measurement. Volume 2 (this document) contains examples of program documents developed by existing lessons learned programs as well as communications material, functional categories, transmittal documents, sources of professional and industry lessons learned, and frequently asked questions about the Lessons Learned List Service.

  7. An annotated checklist of the chondrichthyans of Papua New Guinea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, William T; Ko'ou, Alfred

    2018-04-19

    An annotated checklist of the chondrichthyan fishes (sharks, rays, and chimaeras) of Papua New Guinean waters is herein presented. The checklist is the result of a large biodiversity study on the chondrichthyan fauna of Papua New Guinea between 2013 and 2017. The chondrichthyan fauna of Papua New Guinea has historically been very poorly known due to a lack of baseline information and limited deepwater exploration. A total of 131 species, comprising 36 families and 68 genera, were recorded. The most speciose families are the Carcharhinidae with 29 species and the Dasyatidae with 23 species. Verified voucher material from various biological collections around the world are provided, with a total of 687 lots recorded comprising 574 whole specimens, 128 sets of jaws and 21 sawfish rostra. This represents the first detailed, verified checklist of chondrichthyans from Papua New Guinean waters.

  8. Core elements of physiotherapy in cerebral palsy children: proposal for a trial checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meghi, P; Rossetti, L; Corrado, C; Maran, E; Arosio, N; Ferrari, A

    2012-03-01

    Currently international literature describes physiotherapy in cerebral palsy (CP) children only in generic terms (traditional / standard / background / routine). The aim of this study is to create a checklist capable of describing the different modalities employed in physiotherapeutic treatment by means of a non-bias, common, universal, standardised language. A preliminary checklist was outlined by a group of physiotherapists specialised in child rehabilitation. For its experimentation, several physiotherapists from various paediatric units from all over Italy with different methodological approaches and backgrounds, were involved. Using the interpretative model, proposed by Ferrari et al., and through collective analysis and discussion of clinical videos, the core elements were progressively selected and codified. A reliability study was then carried out by eight expert physiotherapists using an inter-rate agreement model. The checklist analyses therapeutic proposals of CP rehabilitation through the description of settings, exercises and facilitations and consists of items and variables which codify all possible physiotherapeutic interventions. It is accompanied by written explanations, demonstrative videos, caregiver interviews and descriptions of applied environmental adaptations. All checklist items obtained a high level of agreement (according to Cohen's kappa coefficient), revealing that the checklist is clearly and easily interpretable. The checklist should facilitate interaction and communication between specialists and families, and lead to comparable research studies and scientific advances. The main value is to be able to correlate therapeutic results with core elements of adopted physiotherapy.

  9. Women's Studies Collections: A Checklist Evaluation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bolton, Brooke A.

    2009-01-01

    A checklist evaluation on thirty-seven Women's Studies programs conducted using the individual institutions' online public access catalogs (OPACs) is presented. Although Women's Studies collections are very difficult to build, an evaluation of existing programs shows that collections, for the most part, have managed substantial coverage of the…

  10. Checklist for Reviewing EPA Quality Management Plans

    Science.gov (United States)

    This checklist will be used to review the Quality Management Plans (QMPs) that are submitted to the Quality Staff of the Office of Environmental Information (OEI) for Agency review under EPA Order 5360.1 A2.

  11. Guidelines 2.0: systematic development of a comprehensive checklist for a successful guideline enterprise

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schünemann, Holger J.; Wiercioch, Wojtek; Etxeandia, Itziar; Falavigna, Maicon; Santesso, Nancy; Mustafa, Reem; Ventresca, Matthew; Brignardello-Petersen, Romina; Laisaar, Kaja-Triin; Kowalski, Sérgio; Baldeh, Tejan; Zhang, Yuan; Raid, Ulla; Neumann, Ignacio; Norris, Susan L.; Thornton, Judith; Harbour, Robin; Treweek, Shaun; Guyatt, Gordon; Alonso-Coello, Pablo; Reinap, Marge; Brožek, Jan; Oxman, Andrew; Akl, Elie A.

    2014-01-01

    Background: Although several tools to evaluate the credibility of health care guidelines exist, guidance on practical steps for developing guidelines is lacking. We systematically compiled a comprehensive checklist of items linked to relevant resources and tools that guideline developers could consider, without the expectation that every guideline would address each item. Methods: We searched data sources, including manuals of international guideline developers, literature on guidelines for guidelines (with a focus on methodology reports from international and national agencies, and professional societies) and recent articles providing systematic guidance. We reviewed these sources in duplicate, extracted items for the checklist using a sensitive approach and developed overarching topics relevant to guidelines. In an iterative process, we reviewed items for duplication and omissions and involved experts in guideline development for revisions and suggestions for items to be added. Results: We developed a checklist with 18 topics and 146 items and a webpage to facilitate its use by guideline developers. The topics and included items cover all stages of the guideline enterprise, from the planning and formulation of guidelines, to their implementation and evaluation. The final checklist includes links to training materials as well as resources with suggested methodology for applying the items. Interpretation: The checklist will serve as a resource for guideline developers. Consideration of items on the checklist will support the development, implementation and evaluation of guidelines. We will use crowdsourcing to revise the checklist and keep it up to date. PMID:24344144

  12. Lessons Learned from an External Review of the Savannah River Site Saltstone Performance Assessment Program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cook, J.R.

    2006-01-01

    The Savannah River National Laboratory is actively working on a total revision of the Saltstone Performance Assessment. 'Lessons Learned' from the review are being applied to this effort. Examples of the areas in which significant new work is being done are development of a methodology to do probabilistic uncertainty analyses, employing quantitative analytical tools to represent long-term chemical degradation of both concrete and the Saltstone wasteform, and then using those tools to come to a better understanding of how changes in the vault and Saltstone will affect the performance of the overall disposal system over long periods of time. (authors)

  13. [Construction of a tool to measure perceptions about the use of the World Health Organization Safe Surgery Checklist Program].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diego, Luis Antonio Dos Santos; Salman, Fabiane Cardia; Silva, João Henrique; Brandão, Julio Cezar; Filho, Getúlio de Oliveira; Carneiro, Antonio Fernando; Bagatini, Airton; Moraes, José Mariano de

    2016-01-01

    The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended greater attention to patient safety, particularly regarding preventable adverse events. The Safe Surgery Saves Lives (CSSV) program was released recommending the application of a surgical checklist for items on the safety of procedures. The checklist implementation reduced the hospital mortality rate in the first 30 days. In Brazil, we found no studies of anesthesiologists' adherence to the practice of the checklist. The main objective was to develop a tool to measure the attitude of anesthesiologists and residents regarding the use of checklist in the perioperative period. This was a cross-sectional study performed during the 59(th) CBA in BH/MG, whose participants were enrolled physicians who responded to the questionnaire with quantitative epidemiological approach. From the sample of 459 participants who answered the questionnaire, 55% were male, 44.2% under 10 years of practice, and 15.5% with over 30 years of medical school completion. Seven items with 78% reliability coefficient were selected. There was a statistically significant difference between the groups of anesthesiologists who reported using the instrument in less or more than 70% of patients, indicating that the attitude questionnaire discriminates between these two groups of professionals. The seven items questionnaire showed adequate internal consistency and a well-defined factor structure, and can be used as a tool to measure the anesthesiologists' perceptions about the checklist usefulness and applicability. Copyright © 2015 Sociedade Brasileira de Anestesiologia. Publicado por Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

  14. Construction of a tool to measure perceptions about the use of the World Health Organization Safe Surgery Checklist Program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diego, Luis Antonio Dos Santos; Salman, Fabiane Cardia; Silva, João Henrique; Brandão, Julio Cezar; de Oliveira Filho, Getúlio; Carneiro, Antonio Fernando; Bagatini, Airton; de Moraes, José Mariano

    2016-01-01

    The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended greater attention to patient safety, particularly regarding preventable adverse events. The Safe Surgery Saves Lives (CSSV) program was released recommending the application of a surgical checklist for items on the safety of procedures. The checklist implementation reduced the hospital mortality rate in the first 30 days. In Brazil, we found no studies of anesthesiologists' adherence to the practice of the checklist. The main objective was to develop a tool to measure the attitude of anesthesiologists and residents regarding the use of checklist in the perioperative period. This was a cross-sectional study performed during the 59th CBA in BH/MG, whose participants were enrolled physicians who responded to the questionnaire with quantitative epidemiological approach. From the sample of 459 participants who answered the questionnaire, 55% were male, 44.2% under 10 years of practice, and 15.5% with over 30 years of medical school completion. Seven items with 78% reliability coefficient were selected. There was a statistically significant difference between the groups of anesthesiologists who reported using the instrument in less or more than 70% of patients, indicating that the attitude questionnaire discriminates between these two groups of professionals. The seven items questionnaire showed adequate internal consistency and a well-defined factor structure, and can be used as a tool to measure the anesthesiologists' perceptions about the checklist usefulness and applicability. Copyright © 2015 Sociedade Brasileira de Anestesiologia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

  15. Construction of a tool to measure perceptions about the use of the World Health Organization Safe Surgery Checklist Program

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luis Antonio dos Santos Diego

    Full Text Available Abstract Background: The World Health Organization (WHO has recommended greater attention to patient safety, particularly regarding preventable adverse events. The Safe Surgery Saves Lives (CSSV program was released recommending the application of a surgical checklist for items on the safety of procedures. The checklist implementation reduced the hospital mortality rate in the first 30 days. In Brazil, we found no studies of anesthesiologists’ adherence to the practice of the checklist. Objective: The main objective was to develop a tool to measure the attitude of anesthesiologists and residents regarding the use of checklist in the perioperative period. Method: This was a cross-sectional study performed during the 59th CBA in BH/MG, whose participants were enrolled physicians who responded to the questionnaire with quantitative epidemiological approach. Results: From the sample of 459 participants who answered the questionnaire, 55% were male, 44.2% under 10 years of practice, and 15.5% with over 30 years of medical school completion. Seven items with 78% reliability coefficient were selected. There was a statistically significant difference between the groups of anesthesiologists who reported using the instrument in less or more than 70% of patients, indicating that the attitude questionnaire discriminates between these two groups of professionals. Conclusions: The seven items questionnaire showed adequate internal consistency and a well-defined factor structure, and can be used as a tool to measure the anesthesiologists’ perceptions about the checklist usefulness and applicability.

  16. Construct validity and reliability of a checklist for volleyball serve analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cicero Luciano Alves Costa

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available This study aims to investigate the construct validity and reliability of the checklist for qualitative analysis of the overhand serve in Volleyball. Fifty-five male subjects aged 13-17 years participated in the study. The overhand serve was analyzed using the checklist proposed by Meira Junior (2003, which analyzes the pattern of serve movement in four phases: (I initial position, (II ball lifting, (III ball attacking, and (IV finalization. Construct validity was analyzed using confirmatory factorial analysis and reliability through the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. The construct validity was supported by confirmatory factor analysis with the RMSEA results (0.037 [confidence interval 90% = 0.020-0.040], CFI (0.970 and TLI (0.950 indicating good fit of the model. In relation to reliability, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.661, being this value considered acceptable. Among the items on the checklist, ball lifting and attacking showed higher factor loadings, 0.69 and 0.99, respectively. In summary, the checklist for the qualitative analysis of the overhand serve of Meira Junior (2003 can be considered a valid and reliable instrument for use in research in the field of Sports Sciences.

  17. Broad-scale citizen science data from checklists: prospects and challenges for macroecology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wesley Hochachka

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available "Checklists" of organisms --- records of the species seen in a specific area during a relatively short time period --- are routinely collected by hobbyists for some taxa of organisms, most notably birds.  Gathering and curating these checklists creates a data resource that we believe is underutilized by macroecologists and biogeographers.  In this paper, we describe what we perceive to be the strengths of these data as well as caveats for their use.  While our comments apply widely to data of this type, we focus on data from eBird, a program that collects checklist data on birds around the world, although principally in the Western Hemisphere.

  18. Impact of workflow on the use of the Surgical Safety Checklist: a qualitative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gillespie, Brigid M; Marshall, Andrea P; Gardiner, Therese; Lavin, Joanne; Withers, Teresa K

    2016-11-01

    Regardless of the benefits associated of the Surgical Safety Checklist, adherence across its three phases remains inconsistent. The aim of this study was to systematically identify issues around workflow that impact on surgical teams' ability to use the Surgical Safety Checklist in a large tertiary facility in Queensland, Australia. Observational audit of 10 surgical teams and 33 semi-structured interviews with 70 participants from nursing, medicine and the community were conducted. Data were collected during 2014-2015. Inductive and deductive approaches were used to analyse field observations and interview transcripts. The domain, impact of workflow on checklist utilization, was identified. Within this domain, seven categories illustrated the causal conditions which determined the ways in which workflow influenced checklist use. These categories included: 'busy doing the task'; 'clashing task priorities'; 'being pressured, running out of time'; 'adapting processes to work patterns'; 'doubling up on work'; 'a domino effect, leading to delays' and 'reality of the workflow'. One of the greatest systemic challenges to checklist use in surgery is workflow. Process changes in the way that surgical safety checklists are used need to incorporate the temporal demands of the workflow. Any changes made must ensure the process is reliable, is easily embedded into existing work routines and is not disruptive. © 2016 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

  19. 32 CFR Appendix B to Part 327 - Internal Management Control Review Checklist

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 32 National Defense 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Internal Management Control Review Checklist B... B to Part 327—Internal Management Control Review Checklist (a) Task: Personnel and/or Organization... See footnote 2 to this Appendix B. (1) I attest that the above listed internal controls provide...

  20. Three Mile Island: a preliminary checklist

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Drazan, J.G.

    1981-01-01

    This checklist aims to be as complete as possible for articles found in the periodical literature and for separately published monographs. It excludes newspaper accounts and state and federal documents. The bibliography contains 17 monographs arranged by author, followed by 149 authored journal articles and 119 unauthored articles arranged alphabetically by title

  1. Evaluating Checklist Use in Companion Animal Wellness Visits in a Veterinary Teaching Hospital: A Preliminary Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nappier, Michael T; Corrigan, Virginia K; Bartl-Wilson, Lara E; Freeman, Mark; Werre, Stephen; Tempel, Eric

    2017-01-01

    The number of companion animal wellness visits in private practice has been decreasing, and one important factor cited is the lack of effective communication between veterinarians and pet owners regarding the importance of preventive care. Checklists have been widely used in many fields and are especially useful in areas where a complex task must be completed with multiple small steps, or when cognitive fatigue is evident. The use of checklists in veterinary medical education has not yet been thoroughly evaluated as a potential strategy to improve communication with pet owners regarding preventive care. The authors explored whether the use of a checklist based on the American Animal Hospital Association/American Veterinary Medical Association canine and feline preventive care guidelines would benefit senior veterinary students in accomplishing more complete canine and feline wellness visits. A group of students using provided checklists was compared to a control group of students who did not use checklists on the basis of their medical record notes from the visits. The students using the checklists were routinely more complete in several areas of a wellness visit vs. those who did not use the checklists. However, neither group of students routinely discussed follow-up care recommendations such as frequency or timing of follow-up visits. The study authors recommend considering checklist use for teaching and implementing wellness in companion animal primary care veterinary clinical teaching settings.

  2. Cross-cultural adaptation of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist 5 (PCL-5 and Life Events Checklist 5 (LEC-5 for the Brazilian context

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eduardo de Paula Lima

    Full Text Available Abstract Objective: To describe the process of cross-cultural adaptation of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist 5 (PCL-5 and the Life Events Checklist 5 (LEC-5 for the Brazilian sociolinguistic context. Method: The adaptation process sought to establish conceptual, semantic, and operational equivalence between the original items of the questionnaire and their translated versions, following standardized protocols. Initially, two researchers translated the original version of the scale into Brazilian Portuguese. Next, a native English speaker performed the back-translation. Quantitative and qualitative criteria were used to evaluate the intelligibility of items. Five specialists compared the original and translated versions and assessed the degree of equivalence between them in terms of semantic, idiomatic, cultural and conceptual aspects. The degree of agreement between the specialists was measured using the content validity coefficient (CVC. Finally, 28 volunteers from the target population were interviewed in order to assess their level of comprehension of the items. Results: CVCs for items from both scales were satisfactory for all criteria. The mean comprehension scores were above the cutoff point established. Overall, the results showed that the adapted versions' items had adequate rates of equivalence in terms of concepts and semantics. Conclusions: The translation and adaptation processes were successful for both scales, resulting in versions that are not only equivalent to the originals, but are also intelligible for the population at large.

  3. A Checklist of Legal Considerations for Museums.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weil, Stephen E.

    1980-01-01

    A checklist for museum compliance with federal, state, and local laws covers administrative organization, general endowment and restricted funds, trustees, staffing and employment practices, volunteers, acquisition and disposition, exhibition programs, visitors and membership, auxiliary activities, building, and miscellaneous regulations. (MSE)

  4. External cephalic version for singleton breech presentation: proposal of a practical check-list for obstetricians.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Indraccolo, U; Graziani, C; Di Iorio, R; Corona, G; Bonito, M; Indraccolo, S R

    2015-07-01

    External cephalic version (ECV) for breech presentation is not routinely performed by obstetricians in many clinical settings. The aim of this work is to assess to what extent the factors involved in performing ECV are relevant for the success and safety of ECV, in order to propose a practical check-list for assessing the feasibility of ECV. Review of 214 references. Factors involved in the success and risks of ECV (feasibility of ECV) were extracted and were scored in a semi-quantitative way according to textual information, type of publication, year of publication, number of cases. Simple conjoint analysis was used to describe the relevance found for each factor. Parity has the pivotal role in ECV feasibility (relevance 16.6%), followed by tocolysis (10.8%), gestational age (10.6%), amniotic fluid volume (4.7%), breech variety (1.9%), and placenta location (1.7%). Other factors with estimated relevance around 0 (regional anesthesia, station, estimated fetal weight, fetal position, obesity/BMI, fetal birth weight, duration of manoeuvre/number of attempts) have some role in the feasibility of ECV. Yet other factors, with negative values of estimated relevance, have even less importance. From a logical interpretation of the relevance of each factor assessed, ECV should be proposed with utmost prudence if a stringent check-list is followed. Such a check-list should take into account: parity, tocolytic therapy, gestational age, amniotic fluid volume, breech variety, placenta location, regional anesthesia, breech engagement, fetal well-being, uterine relaxation, fetal size, fetal position, fetal head grasping capability and fetal turning capability.

  5. Pocket Checklists of Indonesian timber trees

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Prawira, Soewanda A.; Tantra, I.G.M.; Whitmore, T.C.

    1984-01-01

    Indonesia as yet does not have a comprehensive account of the forest trees which reach timber size (35 cm dbh = 14 inch or 105 cm gbh = 42 inch). A project has been started in August 1983 by the Botany Section of the Forest Research Institute in Bogor, Indonesia, to prepare pocket checklists of the

  6. Use of electronic medical record-enhanced checklist and electronic dashboard to decrease CLABSIs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pageler, Natalie M; Longhurst, Christopher A; Wood, Matthew; Cornfield, David N; Suermondt, Jaap; Sharek, Paul J; Franzon, Deborah

    2014-03-01

    We hypothesized that a checklist enhanced by the electronic medical record and a unit-wide dashboard would improve compliance with an evidence-based, pediatric-specific catheter care bundle and decrease central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI). We performed a cohort study with historical controls that included all patients with a central venous catheter in a 24-bed PICU in an academic children's hospital. Postintervention CLABSI rates, compliance with bundle elements, and staff perceptions of communication were evaluated and compared with preintervention data. CLABSI rates decreased from 2.6 CLABSIs per 1000 line-days before intervention to 0.7 CLABSIs per 1000 line-days after intervention. Analysis of specific bundle elements demonstrated increased daily documentation of line necessity from 30% to 73% (P < .001), increased compliance with dressing changes from 87% to 90% (P = .003), increased compliance with cap changes from 87% to 93% (P < .001), increased compliance with port needle changes from 69% to 95% (P < .001), but decreased compliance with insertion bundle documentation from 67% to 62% (P = .001). Changes in the care plan were made during review of the electronic medical record checklist on 39% of patient rounds episodes. Use of an electronic medical record-enhanced CLABSI prevention checklist coupled with a unit-wide real-time display of adherence was associated with increased compliance with evidence-based catheter care and sustained decrease in CLABSI rates. These data underscore the potential for computerized interventions to promote compliance with proven best practices and prevent patient harm.

  7. The development of a self-administered dementia checklist: the examination of concurrent validity and discriminant validity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miyamae, Fumiko; Ura, Chiaki; Sakuma, Naoko; Niikawa, Hirotoshi; Inagaki, Hiroki; Ijuin, Mutsuo; Okamura, Tsuyoshi; Sugiyama, Mika; Awata, Shuichi

    2016-01-01

    The present study aims to develop a self-administered dementia checklist to enable community-residing older adults to realize their declining functions and start using necessary services. A previous study confirmed the factorial validity and internal reliability of the checklist. The present study examined its concurrent validity and discriminant validity. The authors conducted a 3-step study (a self-administered survey including the checklist, interviews by nurses, and interviews by doctors and psychologists) of 7,682 community-residing individuals who were over 65 years of age. The authors calculated Spearman's correlation coefficients between the scores of the checklist and the results of a psychological test to examine the concurrent validity. They also compared the average total scores of the checklist between groups with different Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scores to examine discriminant validity and conducted a receiver operating characteristic analysis to examine the discriminative power for dementia. The authors analyzed the data of 131 respondents who completed all 3 steps. The checklist scores were significantly correlated with the respondents' Mini-Mental State Examination and Frontal Assessment Battery scores. The checklist also significantly discriminated the patients with dementia (CDR = 1+) from those without dementia (CDR = 0 or 0.5). The optimal cut-off point for the two groups was 17/18 (sensitivity, 72.0%; specificity, 69.2%; positive predictive value, 69.2%; negative predictive value, 72.0%). This study confirmed the concurrent validity and discriminant validity of the self-administered dementia checklist. However, due to its insufficient discriminative power as a screening tool for older people with declining cognitive functions, the checklist is only recommended as an educational and public awareness tool.

  8. Physically active academic lessons in elementary children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bartholomew, John B; Jowers, Esbelle M

    2011-06-01

    Although schools are an ideal location to conduct interventions that target children, the emphasis on standardized testing makes it difficult to implement interventions that do not directly support academic instruction. In response, physically active academic lessons have been developed as a strategy to increase physical activity while also addressing core educational goals. Texas I-CAN! is one incarnation of this approach. We will review the on-going research on the impact of these active lessons on: teacher implementation, child step count, child attention control, and academic performance. The collected studies support the impact of physically active academic lessons on each area of interest. If these data can be replicated, it suggests that teachers might find these lessons of benefit to their primary role as educators, which should ease dissemination of these and other physically active lessons in elementary schools. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Five years' experience with a customized electronic checklist for radiation therapy planning quality assurance in a multicampus institution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berry, Sean L; Tierney, Kevin P; Elguindi, Sharif; Mechalakos, James G

    2017-12-24

    An electronic checklist has been designed with the intention of reducing errors while minimizing user effort in completing the checklist. We analyze the clinical use and evolution of the checklist over the past 5 years and review data in an incident learning system (ILS) to investigate whether it has contributed to an improvement in patient safety. The checklist is written as a standalone HTML application using VBScript. User selection of pertinent demographic details limits the display of checklist items only to those necessary for the particular clinical scenario. Ten common clinical scenarios were used to illustrate the difference between the maximum possible number of checklist items available in the code versus the number displayed to the user at any one time. An ILS database of errors and near misses was reviewed to evaluate whether the checklist influenced the occurrence of reported events. Over 5 years, the number of checklist items available in the code nearly doubled, whereas the number displayed to the user at any one time stayed constant. Events reported in our ILS related to the beam energy used with pacemakers, projection of anatomy on digitally reconstructed radiographs, orthogonality of setup fields, and field extension beyond match lines, did not recur after the items were added to the checklist. Other events related to bolus documentation and breakpoints continued to be reported. Our checklist is adaptable to the introduction of new technologies, transitions between planning systems, and to errors and near misses recorded in the ILS. The electronic format allows us to restrict user display to a small, relevant, subset of possible checklist items, limiting the planner effort needed to review and complete the checklist. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  10. Check-list for the assessment of functional impairment in children with congenital aural atresia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montino, Silvia; Agostinelli, Anna; Trevisi, Patrizia; Martini, Alessandro; Ghiselli, Sara

    2017-11-01

    Congenital Aural Atresia (CAA) is a deformity of the external ear and it is commonly associated with malformations of middle and inner ear and, in some cases, with other facial deformities. Very few assessment measures exist for evaluating the functional impairment in children with CAA. Purpose of this study is to introduce and describe an assessment Checklist, (nominated FOS Checklist) that covers feeding abilities (F), oralmotor skills (O), communication/language development (S) in children with CAA. FOS wants to offer a range of assessment providing a profile of the child in comparison to hearing peers and it aims to make clinicians able to identify additional problems and areas of difficulties as well as specific abilities and skills. Secondary, we want to investigate the presence of correlations between disorders and side of CAA. a new Checklist (FOS Checklist) was administered to 68 children with CAA. Feeding abilities are age-adequate in 94,3% of all patients. 54,4% of all patients are in need for further assessment of their oral-motor skills; delays in language development were found in 44,1% of cases. Orofacial development delays have been observed in 57.2% of subjects among the bilateral CAA group, in 53.9% among the right CAA group and in 53.4% among the left CAA group. Patients referred for further language evaluation were 42,9% in the bilateral CAA group, 33.3% in the right CAA group and 33.3% in the left CAA group. According to the χ 2 analysis, referral for further assessment is independent from side of aural atresia. Subjects with bilateral CAA are more likely to be referred for further assessment, both for oral motor aspects and for speech perception and language development. However, there is not a significant statistical difference between the performances of children with bilateral or unilateral CAA. FOS Checklist is simple, reliable and time effective and can be used in everyday clinical practice. FOS enable clinicians to identify additional

  11. Stability of the Pregnancy Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder Symptoms Checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Broekhoven, Kiki E M; Karreman, Annemiek; Hartman, Esther E; Pop, Victor J M

    2018-02-01

    Because stability over time is central to the definition of personality disorder, aim of the current study was to determine the stability of the Pregnancy Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) Symptoms Checklist (N = 199 women). Strong positive correlations between assessments at 32 weeks of pregnancy and 2 and 3-3.5 years after childbirth were found (r between .62-.72), and the group mean score did not change over time. The Pregnancy OCPD Symptoms Checklist assesses stable, trait-like symptoms of OCPD.

  12. Calibration of communication skills items in OSCE checklists according to the MAAS-Global.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Setyonugroho, Winny; Kropmans, Thomas; Kennedy, Kieran M; Stewart, Brian; van Dalen, Jan

    2016-01-01

    Communication skills (CS) are commonly assessed using 'communication items' in Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) station checklists. Our aim is to calibrate the communication component of OSCE station checklists according to the MAAS-Global which is a valid and reliable standard to assess CS in undergraduate medical education. Three raters independently compared 280 checklists from 4 disciplines contributing to the undergraduate year 4 OSCE against the 17 items of the MAAS-Global standard. G-theory was used to analyze the reliability of this calibration procedure. G-Kappa was 0.8. For two raters G-Kappa is 0.72 and it fell to 0.57 for one rater. 46% of the checklist items corresponded to section three of the MAAS-Global (i.e. medical content of the consultation), whilst 12% corresponded to section two (i.e. general CS), and 8.2% to section one (i.e. CS for each separate phase of the consultation). 34% of the items were not considered to be CS. A G-Kappa of 0.8 confirms a reliable and valid procedure for calibrating OSCE CS checklist items using the MAAS-Global. We strongly suggest that such a procedure is more widely employed to arrive at a stable (valid and reliable) judgment of the communication component in existing checklists for medical students' communication behaviours. It is possible to measure the 'true' caliber of CS in OSCE stations. Students' results are thereby comparable between and across stations, students and institutions. A reliable calibration procedure requires only two raters. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

  13. Impact of Checklist Use on Wellness and Post-Elective Surgery Appointments in a Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruch-Gallie, Rebecca; Weir, Heather; Kogan, Lori R

    Cognitive functioning is often compromised with increasing levels of stress and fatigue, both of which are often experienced by veterinarians. Many high-stress fields have implemented checklists to reduce human error. The use of these checklists has been shown to improve the quality of medical care, including adherence to evidence-based best practices and improvement of patient safety. Although it has been recognized that veterinary medicine would likely demonstrate similar benefits, there have been no published studies to date evaluating the use of checklists for improving quality of care in veterinary medicine. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the impact of checklists during wellness and post-elective surgery appointments conducted by fourth-year veterinary students within their Community Practice rotation at a US veterinary teaching hospital. Students were randomly assigned to one of two groups: those who were specifically asked to use the provided checklists during appointments, and those who were not asked to use the checklists but had them available. Two individuals blinded to the study reviewed the tapes of all appointments in each study group to determine the amount and type of medical information offered by veterinary students. Students who were specifically asked to use the checklists provided significantly more information to owners, with the exception of keeping the incision clean. Results indicate the use of checklists helps students provide more complete information to their clients, thereby potentially enhancing animal care.

  14. Evaluating Checklist Use in Companion Animal Wellness Visits in a Veterinary Teaching Hospital: A Preliminary Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael T. Nappier

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The number of companion animal wellness visits in private practice has been decreasing, and one important factor cited is the lack of effective communication between veterinarians and pet owners regarding the importance of preventive care. Checklists have been widely used in many fields and are especially useful in areas where a complex task must be completed with multiple small steps, or when cognitive fatigue is evident. The use of checklists in veterinary medical education has not yet been thoroughly evaluated as a potential strategy to improve communication with pet owners regarding preventive care. The authors explored whether the use of a checklist based on the American Animal Hospital Association/American Veterinary Medical Association canine and feline preventive care guidelines would benefit senior veterinary students in accomplishing more complete canine and feline wellness visits. A group of students using provided checklists was compared to a control group of students who did not use checklists on the basis of their medical record notes from the visits. The students using the checklists were routinely more complete in several areas of a wellness visit vs. those who did not use the checklists. However, neither group of students routinely discussed follow-up care recommendations such as frequency or timing of follow-up visits. The study authors recommend considering checklist use for teaching and implementing wellness in companion animal primary care veterinary clinical teaching settings.

  15. Cone penetrometer demonstration standard startup review checklist

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    KRIEG, S.A.

    1998-01-01

    Startup readiness for the Cone Penetrometer Demonstration in AX Tank Farm will be verified through the application of a Standard Startup Review Checklist. This is a listing of those items essential to demonstrating readiness to start the Cone Penetrometer Demonstration in AX Tank Farm

  16. Risk-sensitive events during laparoscopic cholecystectomy : The influence of the integrated operating room and a preoperative checklist tool

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Buzink, S.N.; Van Lier, L.; De Hingh, I.H.J.T.; Jakimowicz, J.J.

    2010-01-01

    Background - Awareness of the relative high rate of adverse events in laparoscopic surgery created a need to safeguard quality and safety of performance better. Technological innovations, such as integrated operating room (OR) systems and checklists, have the potential to improve patient safety, OR

  17. Improving the safety of patient transfer from AMU using a written checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hindmarsh, D; Lees, L

    2012-01-01

    Unsafe patient transfers are one of the top reasons for incident reporting in hospitals. Criteria guiding safe transfer have been issued by the NHS Litigation Authority. To meet this standard, a "transfer check list" was redesigned for all patients leaving the Acute Medical Unit (AMU) in the Heartlands Hospital. Following the introduction of the checklist two full audit cycles were conducted. The first cycle highlighted an extremely poor uptake of the checklist. After interventions to educate nursing staff and raise awareness of the issues at the regular staff meetings, re-audit demonstrated significant improvement in completion rate. Subsequent monitoring indicates continued improvement, with compliance up to 95% for completion of the transfer checklist on AMU. Incident reporting relating to transfer has also decreased significantly.

  18. Psychometric Properties and Norms of the German ABC-Community and PAS-ADD Checklist

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeilinger, Elisabeth L.; Weber, Germain; Haveman, Meindert J.

    2011-01-01

    Aim: The aim of the present study was to standardize and generate psychometric evidence of the German language versions of two well-established English language mental health instruments: the "Aberrant Behavior Checklist-Community" (ABC-C) and the "Psychiatric Assessment Schedule for Adults with Developmental Disabilities" (PAS-ADD) Checklist. New…

  19. Grief and culture: a checklist

    OpenAIRE

    Walter, Tony

    2010-01-01

    All groups have a culture. This article is intended to help the bereavement practitioner better understand the support needs of clients from other cultures. It sets out and explains a simple checklist of questions designed to explore cultural practices and attitudes to grief and bereavement. The questions cover the obligations mourners feel towards the dead and towards society; who should be mourned; what should be done with the dead; what should be done with emotions; the inclusion or exclus...

  20. Content Validation and Semantic Evaluation of a Check-List Elaborated for the Prevention of Gluten Cross-Contamination in Food Services

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Priscila Farage

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Conditions associated to the consumption of gluten have emerged as a major health care concern and the treatment consists on a lifelong gluten-free diet. Providing safe food for these individuals includes adapting to safety procedures within the food chain and preventing gluten cross-contamination in gluten-free food. However, a gluten cross-contamination prevention protocol or check-list has not yet been validated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to perform the content validation and semantic evaluation of a check-list elaborated for the prevention of gluten cross-contamination in food services. The preliminary version of the check-list was elaborated based on the Brazilian resolution for food safety Collegiate Board Resolution 216 (RDC 216 and Collegiate Board Resolution 275 (RDC 275, the standard 22000 from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 22000 and the Canadian Celiac Association Gluten-Free Certification Program documents. Seven experts with experience in the area participated in the check-list validation and semantic evaluation. The criteria used for the approval of the items, as to their importance for the prevention of gluten cross-contamination and clarity of the wording, was the achievement of a minimal of 80% of agreement between the experts (W-values ≥ 0.8. Moreover, items should have a mean ≥4 in the evaluation of importance (Likert scale from 1 to 5 and clarity (Likert scale from 0 to 5 in order to be maintained in the instrument. The final version of the check-list was composed of 84 items, divided into 12 sections. After being redesigned and re-evaluated, the items were considered important and comprehensive by the experts (both with W-values ≥ 0.89. The check-list developed was validated with respect to content and approved in the semantic evaluation.

  1. Content Validation and Semantic Evaluation of a Check-List Elaborated for the Prevention of Gluten Cross-Contamination in Food Services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farage, Priscila; Puppin Zandonadi, Renata; Cortez Ginani, Verônica; Gandolfi, Lenora; Pratesi, Riccardo; de Medeiros Nóbrega, Yanna Karla

    2017-01-06

    Conditions associated to the consumption of gluten have emerged as a major health care concern and the treatment consists on a lifelong gluten-free diet. Providing safe food for these individuals includes adapting to safety procedures within the food chain and preventing gluten cross-contamination in gluten-free food. However, a gluten cross-contamination prevention protocol or check-list has not yet been validated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to perform the content validation and semantic evaluation of a check-list elaborated for the prevention of gluten cross-contamination in food services. The preliminary version of the check-list was elaborated based on the Brazilian resolution for food safety Collegiate Board Resolution 216 (RDC 216) and Collegiate Board Resolution 275 (RDC 275), the standard 22000 from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 22000) and the Canadian Celiac Association Gluten-Free Certification Program documents. Seven experts with experience in the area participated in the check-list validation and semantic evaluation. The criteria used for the approval of the items, as to their importance for the prevention of gluten cross-contamination and clarity of the wording, was the achievement of a minimal of 80% of agreement between the experts (W-values ≥ 0.8). Moreover, items should have a mean ≥4 in the evaluation of importance (Likert scale from 1 to 5) and clarity (Likert scale from 0 to 5) in order to be maintained in the instrument. The final version of the check-list was composed of 84 items, divided into 12 sections. After being redesigned and re-evaluated, the items were considered important and comprehensive by the experts (both with W-values ≥ 0.89). The check-list developed was validated with respect to content and approved in the semantic evaluation.

  2. Is this health campaign really social marketing? A checklist to help you decide.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chau, Josephine Y; McGill, Bronwyn; Thomas, Margaret M; Carroll, Tom E; Bellew, William; Bauman, Adrian; Grunseit, Anne C

    2018-04-01

    Social marketing (SM) campaigns can be a powerful disease prevention and health promotion strategy but health-related campaigns may simply focus on the "promotions" communication activities and exclude other key characteristics of the SM approach. This paper describes the application of a checklist for identifying which lifestyle-related chronic disease prevention campaigns reported as SM actually represent key SM principles and practice. A checklist of SM criteria was developed, reviewed and refined by SM and mass media campaign experts. Papers identified in searches for "social marketing" and "mass media" for obesity, diet and physical activity campaigns in the health literature were classified using the checklist. Using the checklist, 66.6% of papers identified in the "SM" search and 39% of papers identified from the "mass media" search were classified as SM campaigns. Inter-rater agreement for classification using the abstract only was 92.1%. Health-related campaigns that self-identify as "social marketing" or "mass media" may not include the key characteristics of a SM approach. Published literature can provide useful guidance for developing and evaluating health-related SM campaigns, but health promotion professionals need to be able to identify what actually comprises SM in practice. SO WHAT?: SM could be a valuable strategy in comprehensive health promotion interventions, but it is often difficult for non-experts to identify published campaigns that represent a true SM approach. This paper describes the application of a checklist to assist policy makers and practitioners in appraising evidence from campaigns reflecting actual SM in practice. The checklist could also guide reporting on SM campaigns. © 2017 Australian Health Promotion Association.

  3. Interdisciplinary development and implementation of communication checklist for postoperative management of pediatric airway patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Sang W; Maturo, Stephen; Dwyer, Danielle; Monash, Bradley; Yager, Phoebe H; Zanger, Kerstin; Hartnick, Christopher J

    2012-01-01

    The authors describe their multidisciplinary experience in applying the Institute of Health Improvement methodology to develop a protocol and checklist to reduce communication error during transfer of care for postoperative pediatric surgical airway patients. Preliminary outcome data following implementation of the protocol and checklist are also presented. Prospective study from July 1, 2009, to February 1, 2011. Tertiary care center. Subjects. One hundred twenty-six pediatric airway patients who required coordinated care between Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Massachusetts General Hospital. Two sentinel events involving airway emergencies demonstrated a critical need for a standardized, comprehensive instrument that would ensure safe transfer of care. After development and implementation of the protocol and checklist, an initial pilot period on the first set of 9 pediatric airway patients was reassessed. Subsequent prospective 11-month follow-up data of 93 pediatric airway patients were collected and analyzed. A multidisciplinary pediatric team developed and implemented a formalized, postoperative checklist and transfer protocol. After implementation of the checklist and transfer protocol, prospective analysis showed no adverse events from miscommunication during transfer of care over the subsequent 11-month period involving 93 pediatric airway patients. There has been very little written in the quality and safety patient literature about coordinating effective transfer of care between the pediatric surgical and medical subspecialty realms. After design and implementation of a simple, electronically based transfer-of-care checklist and protocol, the number of postsurgical pediatric airway information transfer and communication errors decreased significantly.

  4. Environmental restoration program pollution prevention checklist guide for the evaluation of alternatives project phase

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1993-09-01

    Evaluation of alternative studies determine what decontamination and decommissioning (D ampersand D) alternatives are presented to regulators for facility and site cleanup. A key consideration in this process is the waste to be generated. Minimizing the volume and toxicity of this waste will ultimately contribute to the selection of the best clean-up option. The purpose of this checklist guide is to assist the user with incorporating pollution prevention/waste minimization (PP/WM) in all Evaluation of Alternatives (EV) phase projects of the Environmental Restoration (ER) Program. This guide will assist users with documenting PP/WM activities for technology transfer and reporting requirements. Automated computer screens will be created from the checklist data to help users implement and evaluate waste reduction. Users can then establish numerical performance measures to measure progress in planning, training, self-assessments, field implementation, documentation, and technology transfer. Cost savings result as users train and assess themselves, eliminating expensive process waste assessments and audit teams

  5. Fragile X checklists: A meta-analysis and development of a simplified universal clinical checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lubala, Toni Kasole; Lumaka, Aimé; Kanteng, Gray; Mutesa, Léon; Mukuku, Olivier; Wembonyama, Stanislas; Hagerman, Randi; Luboya, Oscar Numbi; Lukusa Tshilobo, Prosper

    2018-04-06

    Clinical checklists available have been developed to assess the risk of a positive Fragile X syndrome but they include relatively small sample sizes. Therefore, we carried out a meta-analysis that included statistical pooling of study results to obtain accurate figures on the prevalence of clinical predictors of Fragile X syndrome among patients with intellectual disability, thereby helping health professionals to improve their referrals for Fragile X testing. All published studies consisting of cytogenetic and/or molecular screening for fragile X syndrome among patients with intellectual disability, were eligible for the meta-analysis. All patients enrolled in clinical checklists trials of Fragile X syndrome were eligible for this review, with no exclusion based on ethnicity or age. Odds ratio values, with 95% confidence intervals as well as Cronbach coefficient alpha, was reported to assess the frequency of clinical characteristics in subjects with intellectual disability with and without the fragile X mutation to determine the most discriminating. The following features were strongly associated with Fragile X syndrome: skin soft and velvety on the palms with redundancy of skin on the dorsum of hand [OR: 16.85 (95% CI 10.4-27.3; α:0.97)], large testes [OR: 7.14 (95% CI 5.53-9.22; α: 0.80)], large and prominent ears [OR: 18.62 (95% CI 14.38-24.1; α: 0.98)], pale blue eyes [OR: 8.97 (95% CI 4.75-16.97; α: 0.83)], family history of intellectual disability [OR: 3.43 (95% CI 2.76-4.27; α: 0.81)] as well as autistic-like behavior [OR: 3.08 (95% CI 2.48-3.83; α: 0.77)], Flat feet [OR: 11.53 (95% CI 6.79-19.56; α:0.91)], plantar crease [OR: 3.74 (95% CI 2.67-5.24; α: 0.70)]. We noted a weaker positive association between transverse palmar crease [OR: 2.68 (95% CI 1.70-4.18; α: 0.51)], elongated face [OR: 3.69 (95% CI 2.84-4.81; α: 0.63)]; hyperextensible metacarpo-phalangeal joints [OR: 2.68 (95% CI 2.15-3.34; α: 0.57)] and the Fragile X syndrome. This study

  6. Use of Electronic Medical Record–Enhanced Checklist and Electronic Dashboard to Decrease CLABSIs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Longhurst, Christopher A.; Wood, Matthew; Cornfield, David N.; Suermondt, Jaap; Sharek, Paul J.; Franzon, Deborah

    2014-01-01

    OBJECTIVES: We hypothesized that a checklist enhanced by the electronic medical record and a unit-wide dashboard would improve compliance with an evidence-based, pediatric-specific catheter care bundle and decrease central line–associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI). METHODS: We performed a cohort study with historical controls that included all patients with a central venous catheter in a 24-bed PICU in an academic children’s hospital. Postintervention CLABSI rates, compliance with bundle elements, and staff perceptions of communication were evaluated and compared with preintervention data. RESULTS: CLABSI rates decreased from 2.6 CLABSIs per 1000 line-days before intervention to 0.7 CLABSIs per 1000 line-days after intervention. Analysis of specific bundle elements demonstrated increased daily documentation of line necessity from 30% to 73% (P < .001), increased compliance with dressing changes from 87% to 90% (P = .003), increased compliance with cap changes from 87% to 93% (P < .001), increased compliance with port needle changes from 69% to 95% (P < .001), but decreased compliance with insertion bundle documentation from 67% to 62% (P = .001). Changes in the care plan were made during review of the electronic medical record checklist on 39% of patient rounds episodes. CONCLUSIONS: Use of an electronic medical record–enhanced CLABSI prevention checklist coupled with a unit-wide real-time display of adherence was associated with increased compliance with evidence-based catheter care and sustained decrease in CLABSI rates. These data underscore the potential for computerized interventions to promote compliance with proven best practices and prevent patient harm. PMID:24567021

  7. Ergonomics in the arctic - a study and checklist for heavy machinery in open pit mining.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reiman, Arto; Sormunen, Erja; Morris, Drew

    2016-11-22

    Heavy mining vehicle operators at arctic mines have a high risk of discomfort, musculoskeletal disorders and occupational accidents. There is a need for tailored approaches and safety management tools that take into account the specific characteristics of arctic work environments. The aim of this study was to develop a holistic evaluation tool for heavy mining vehicles and operator well-being in arctic mine environments. Data collection was based on design science principles and included literature review, expert observations and participatory ergonomic sessions. As a result of this study, a systemic checklist was developed and tested by eight individuals in a 350-employee mining environment. The checklist includes sections for evaluating vehicle specific ergonomic and safety aspects from a technological point of view and for checking if the work has been arranged so that it can be performed safely and fluently from an employee's point of view.

  8. Ethical checklist for dental practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rinchuse, D J; Rinchuse, D J; Deluzio, C

    1995-01-01

    A checklist for verification of unethical business practices, originally formulated by Drs. Blanchard and Peale, is adapted to dental practice. A scenario is used as a model to demonstrate the applicability of this instrument to dental practice. The instrument asks three questions in regards to an ethical dilemma: 1) Is it legal? 2) Is it fair? 3) How does it make you feel? The paper concludes the giving of gifts to general dentists by dental specialists for the referral of patients is unethical.

  9. Vacuum performances and lessons for 2012

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baglin, V.; Bregliozzi, G.; Jimenez, J.M.; Lanza, G.

    2012-01-01

    During the LHC run 2011, a tremendous progress has been made towards the machine operation with design parameters. In the same time, the run confirmed the sensitivity of the beam vacuum system to the machine parameters. As expected, a successful scrubbing period allowed mitigating the effects of the electron cloud giving room to an entire filling of the ring with 50 ns beams. In parallel issues such as the impact of the beam screen regulation, pressures spikes and local outgassing were observed during the year. On-line mitigations and immediate compensatory measures implemented during the winter technical stop are reviewed together with their efficiencies. All unexpected pressure behaviours observed during 2011 are understood. The expected limitations while waiting for LS1 consolidation or when running with 25 ns beams are addressed. Lessons for 2012 are discussed. (authors)

  10. Do safety checklists improve teamwork and communication in the operating room? A systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Russ, Stephanie; Rout, Shantanu; Sevdalis, Nick; Moorthy, Krishna; Darzi, Ara; Vincent, Charles

    2013-12-01

    The aim of this systematic review was to assess the impact of surgical safety checklists on the quality of teamwork and communication in the operating room (OR). Safety checklists have been shown to impact positively on patient morbidity and mortality following surgery, but it is unclear whether this clinical improvement is related to an improvement in OR teamwork and communication. A systematic search strategy of MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Database for Systematic Reviews was undertaken to obtain relevant articles. After de-duplication and the addition of limits, 315 articles were screened for inclusion by 2 researchers and all articles meeting a set of prespecified inclusion criteria were retained. Information regarding the type of checklist, study design, assessment tools used, outcomes, and study limitations was extracted. Twenty articles formed the basis of this systematic review. All articles described an empirical study relating to a case-specific safety checklist for surgery as the primary intervention, with some measure of change/improvement in teamwork and/or communication relating to its use. The methods for assessing teamwork and communication varied greatly, including surveys, observations, interviews, and 360° assessments. The evidence suggests that safety checklists improve the perceived quality of OR teamwork and communication and reduce observable errors relating to poor team skills. This is likely to function through establishing an open platform for communication at the start of a procedure: encouraging the sharing of critical case-related information, promoting team coordination and decision making, flagging knowledge gaps, and enhancing team cohesion. However, the evidence would also suggest that when used suboptimally or when individuals have not bought in to the process, checklists may conversely have a negative impact on the function of the team. Safety checklists are beneficial for OR teamwork and

  11. Developing an audit checklist to assess outdoor falls risk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curl, Angela; Thompson, Catharine Ward; Aspinall, Peter; Ormerod, Marcus

    2016-06-01

    Falls by older people (aged 65+) are linked to disability and a decrease in mobility, presenting a challenge to active ageing. As such, older fallers represent a vulnerable road user group. Despite this there is little research into the causes and prevention of outdoor falls. This paper develops an understanding of environmental factors causing falls or fear of falling using a walk-along interview approach with recent fallers to explore how older people navigate the outdoor environment and which aspects of it they perceived facilitate or hinder their ability to go outdoors and fear of falling. While there are a number of audit checklists focused on assessing the indoor environment for risk or fear of falls, nothing exists for the outdoor environment. Many existing street audit tools are focused on general environmental qualities and have not been designed with an older population in mind. We present a checklist that assesses aspects of the environment most likely to encourage or hinder those who are at risk of falling outdoors, developed through accounting for the experiences and navigational strategies of elderly individuals. The audit checklist can assist occupational therapists and urban planners, designers and managers in working to reduce the occurrence of outdoor falls among this vulnerable user group.

  12. Checklist/Guide to Selecting a Small Computer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bennett, Wilma E.

    This 322-point checklist was designed to help executives make an intelligent choice when selecting a small computer for a business. For ease of use the questions have been divided into ten categories: Display Features, Keyboard Features, Printer Features, Controller Features, Software, Word Processing, Service, Training, Miscellaneous, and Costs.…

  13. A Quantitative Analysis of the Behavioral Checklist of the Movement ABC Motor Test

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruiz, Luis Miguel; Gomez, Marta; Graupera, Jose Luis; Gutierrez, Melchor; Linaza, Jose Luis

    2007-01-01

    The fifth section of the Henderson and Sugden's Movement ABC Checklist is part of the general Checklist that accompanies The Movement ABC Battery. The authors maintain that the analysis of this section must be mainly qualitative instead of quantitative. The main objective of this study was to employ a quantitative analysis of this behavioural…

  14. A.B.A. Checklist: Birds of Continental United States and Canada

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keith, G.S.; Balch, L.G.; Gibson, D.D.; McCaskie, R.G.; Robbins, C.S.; Small, A.; Sykes, P.W.; Tucker, J.A.

    1982-01-01

    The 'Summary' in this edition of the A BA Checklist has been greatly expanded to include all properly documented records for each accidental species. These records are published, except for a very few recent ones which are in press or in preparation. Emphasis is on records supported by specimens or photographs, but sight records are also included. To make these accounts more useful to researchers, a reference has been given for each record. All records, except those identified as '(photo)' or '(specimen)', or by some other type of objective evidence, are sight records. Because of the interest shown in this section of the Checklist, coverage has not been confined to accidental species (defined as those which have occurred fewer than ten times in the ABA Checklist area during the twentieth century). Accounts are also given for selected rare visitors and native species. Two of the primary references are abbreviated in the accounts: Audubon Field Notes-AFN, and American Birds-AB.

  15. Checklist of copepods (Crustacea: Calanoida, Cyclopoida,Harpacticoida) from Wyoming, USA, with new state records

    Science.gov (United States)

    Presentation of a comprehensive checklist of the copepod fauna of Wyoming, USA with 41 species of copepods; based on museum specimens, literature reviews, and active surveillance. Of these species 19 were previously unknown from the state. This checklist includes species in the families Centropagida...

  16. Implementation of an antibiotic checklist increased appropriate antibiotic use in the hospital on Aruba

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Daalen, Frederike Vera; Lagerburg, Anouk; de Kort, Jaclyn; Sànchez Rivas, Elena; Geerlings, Suzanne Eugenie

    2017-01-01

    No interventions have yet been implemented to improve antibiotic use on Aruba. In the Netherlands, the introduction of an antibiotic checklist resulted in more appropriate antibiotic use in nine hospitals. The aim of this study was to introduce the antibiotic checklist on Aruba, test its

  17. Advisory Circular checklist and status of other FAA publications

    Science.gov (United States)

    1997-08-15

    This 1997 circular transmits the revised checklist of the Federal Aviation : Administration's (FAA) Advisory Circulars (AC's). It also lists certain other : FAA publications sold by the Superintendent of Documents.

  18. The COSMIN checklist for assessing the methodological quality of studies on measurement properties of health status measurement instruments: an international Delphi study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mokkink, Lidwine B; Terwee, Caroline B; Patrick, Donald L; Alonso, Jordi; Stratford, Paul W; Knol, Dirk L; Bouter, Lex M; de Vet, Henrica C W

    2010-05-01

    Aim of the COSMIN study (COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments) was to develop a consensus-based checklist to evaluate the methodological quality of studies on measurement properties. We present the COSMIN checklist and the agreement of the panel on the items of the checklist. A four-round Delphi study was performed with international experts (psychologists, epidemiologists, statisticians and clinicians). Of the 91 invited experts, 57 agreed to participate (63%). Panel members were asked to rate their (dis)agreement with each proposal on a five-point scale. Consensus was considered to be reached when at least 67% of the panel members indicated 'agree' or 'strongly agree'. Consensus was reached on the inclusion of the following measurement properties: internal consistency, reliability, measurement error, content validity (including face validity), construct validity (including structural validity, hypotheses testing and cross-cultural validity), criterion validity, responsiveness, and interpretability. The latter was not considered a measurement property. The panel also reached consensus on how these properties should be assessed. The resulting COSMIN checklist could be useful when selecting a measurement instrument, peer-reviewing a manuscript, designing or reporting a study on measurement properties, or for educational purposes.

  19. Checklist of the birds of Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire, South Caribbean

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Prins, T.G.; Reuter, J.H.; Debrot, A.O.; Wattel, J.; Nijman, V.

    2009-01-01

    We present an updated checklist of the birds of the islands of Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire, and the islets of Klein Curaçao and Klein Bonaire, southern Caribbean, and compare this with earlier checklists (K.H. Voous, Stud. Fauna Curaçao Carib. Isl. 7: 1-260, 1957; Ardea 53: 205-234, 1965; Birds of

  20. [ICF-Checklist to Evaluate Inclusion of Elderlies with Intellectual Disability - Psychometric Properties].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Queri, Silvia; Eggart, Michael; Wendel, Maren; Peter, Ulrike

    2017-11-28

    Background An instrument should have been developed to measure participation as one possible criterion to evaluate inclusion of elderly people with intellectual disability. The ICF was utilized, because participation is one part of health related functioning, respectively disability. Furthermore ICF includes environmental factors (contextual factors) and attaches them an essentially influence on health related functioning, in particular on participation. Thus ICF Checklist additionally identifies environmental barriers for elimination. Methodology A linking process with VINELAND-II yielded 138 ICF items for the Checklist. The sample consists of 50 persons with a light or moderate intellectual disability. Two-thirds are female and the average age is 68. They were directly asked about their perceived quality of life. Additionally, proxy interviews were carried out with responsible staff members concerning necessary support and behavioral deviances. The ICF Checklist was administered twice, once (t2) the current staff member should rate health related functioning at the given time and in addition, a staff member who knows the person at least 10 years before (t1) should rate the former functioning. Content validity was investigated with factor analysis and criterion validity with correlational analysis related to supports need, behavioral deviances and perceived quality of life. Quantitative analysis was validated by qualitative content analysis of patient documentation. Results Factor analysis shows logical variable clusters across the extracted factors but neither interpretable factors. The Checklist is reliable, valid related to the chosen criterions and shows the expected age-related shifts. Qualitative analysis corresponds with quantitative data. Consequences/Conclusion ICF Checklist is appropriate to manage and evaluate patient-centered care. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  1. Assessing privacy risks in population health publications using a checklist-based approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Keefe, Christine M; Ickowicz, Adrien; Churches, Tim; Westcott, Mark; O'Sullivan, Maree; Khan, Atikur

    2017-11-10

    Recent growth in the number of population health researchers accessing detailed datasets, either on their own computers or through virtual data centers, has the potential to increase privacy risks. In response, a checklist for identifying and reducing privacy risks in population health analysis outputs has been proposed for use by researchers themselves. In this study we explore the usability and reliability of such an approach by investigating whether different users identify the same privacy risks on applying the checklist to a sample of publications. The checklist was applied to a sample of 100 academic population health publications distributed among 5 readers. Cohen's κ was used to measure interrater agreement. Of the 566 instances of statistical output types found in the 100 publications, the most frequently occurring were counts, summary statistics, plots, and model outputs. Application of the checklist identified 128 outputs (22.6%) with potential privacy concerns. Most of these were associated with the reporting of small counts. Among these identified outputs, the readers found no substantial actual privacy concerns when context was taken into account. Interrater agreement for identifying potential privacy concerns was generally good. This study has demonstrated that a checklist can be a reliable tool to assist researchers with anonymizing analysis outputs in population health research. This further suggests that such an approach may have the potential to be developed into a broadly applicable standard providing consistent confidentiality protection across multiple analyses of the same data. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

  2. Development of an adhesive surgical ward round checklist: a technique to improve patient safety.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Dhillon, P

    2012-02-01

    Checklists have been shown to improve patient outcomes. Checklist use is seen in the pre-operative to post-operative phases of the patient pathway. An adhesive checklist was developed for ward rounds due to the positive impact it could have on improving patient safety. Over an eight day period data were collected from five consultant-led teams that were randomly selected from the surgical department and divided into sticker groups and control groups. Across the board percentage adherence to the Good Surgical Practice Guidelines (GSPG) was markedly higher in the sticker study group, 1186 (91%) in comparison with the control group 718 (55%). There was significant improvement of documentation across all areas measured. An adhesive checklist for ward round note taking is a simple and cost-effective way to improve documentation, communication, hand-over, and patient safety. Successfully implemented in a tertiary level centre in Dublin, Ireland it is easily transferable to other surgical departments globally.

  3. Checklist of the family Simuliidae (Diptera of Finland

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jari Ilmonen

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available A checklist of the family Simuliidae (Diptera is provided for Finland and recognizes 56 species. One new record has been added (Simulium latipes and one name sunken in synonymy (Simulium carpathicum. Furthermore, Simulium tsheburovae is treated as a doubtful record.

  4. The Value of a Checklist for Child Abuse in Out-of-Hours Primary Care: To Screen or Not to Screen.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maartje Cm Schouten

    Full Text Available To assess the diagnostic value of the screening instrument SPUTOVAMO-R2 (checklist, 5 questions for child abuse at Out-of-hours Primary Care locations (OPC, by comparing the test outcome with information from Child Protection Services (CPS. Secondary, to determine whether reducing the length of the checklist compromises diagnostic value.All children (<18 years attending one of the participating OPCs in the region of Utrecht, the Netherlands, in a year time, were included. The checklist is an obligatory field in the electronic patient file. CPS provided data on all checklist positives and a sample of 5500 checklist negatives (dataset. The checklist outcome was compared with a report to CPS in 10 months follow up after the OPC visit.The checklist was filled in for 50671 children; 108 (0.2% checklists were positive. Within the dataset, 61 children were reported to CPS, with emotional neglect as the most frequent type of abuse (32.8%. The positive predictive value (PPV of the checklist for child abuse was 8.3 (95% CI 3.9-15.2. The negative predictive value (NPV was 99.1 (98.8-99.3, with 52 false negatives. When the length of the checklist was reduced to two questions closely related to the medical process (SPUTOVAMO-R3, the PPV was 9.1 (3.7-17.8 and the NPV 99.1 (98.7-99.3. These two questions are on the injury in relation to the history, and the interaction between child and parents.The checklist SPUTOVAMO-R2 has a low detection rate of child abuse within the OPC setting, and a high false positive rate. Therefore, we recommend to use the shortened checklist only as a tool to increase the awareness of child abuse and not as a diagnostic instrument.

  5. Kommenteret checkliste over Danmarks bier – Del 1: Colletidae (Hymenoptera, Apoidea)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Madsen, Henning Bang; Calabuig, Isabel

    2008-01-01

    This paper presents Part 1 of a checklist for the taxa of bees occurring in Denmark, dealing with the family Colletidae, and covering 27 species. The remaining five families will be dealt with in future papers. The following species are hereby recorded as new to the Danish bee fauna: Colletes...... floralis Eversmann, 1852, Hylaeus angustatus (Schenck, 1861) and Hylaeus gracilicornis (Morawitz, 1867). Hylaeus annulatus (Linnaeus, 1758) is excluded from the Danish checklist. Species that have the potential to occur in Denmark are discussed briefly. A systematic overview of the bee families and genera...

  6. 42 CFR Appendix C to Part 130 - Petition Form, Petition Instructions, and Documentation Checklist

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Petition Form, Petition Instructions, and Documentation Checklist C Appendix C to Part 130 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND... C to Part 130—Petition Form, Petition Instructions, and Documentation Checklist ER31MY00.004...

  7. Holistic rubric vs. analytic rubric for measuring clinical performance levels in medical students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yune, So Jung; Lee, Sang Yeoup; Im, Sun Ju; Kam, Bee Sung; Baek, Sun Yong

    2018-06-05

    Task-specific checklists, holistic rubrics, and analytic rubrics are often used for performance assessments. We examined what factors evaluators consider important in holistic scoring of clinical performance assessment, and compared the usefulness of applying holistic and analytic rubrics respectively, and analytic rubrics in addition to task-specific checklists based on traditional standards. We compared the usefulness of a holistic rubric versus an analytic rubric in effectively measuring the clinical skill performances of 126 third-year medical students who participated in a clinical performance assessment conducted by Pusan National University School of Medicine. We conducted a questionnaire survey of 37 evaluators who used all three evaluation methods-holistic rubric, analytic rubric, and task-specific checklist-for each student. The relationship between the scores on the three evaluation methods was analyzed using Pearson's correlation. Inter-rater agreement was analyzed by Kappa index. The effect of holistic and analytic rubric scores on the task-specific checklist score was analyzed using multiple regression analysis. Evaluators perceived accuracy and proficiency to be major factors in objective structured clinical examinations evaluation, and history taking and physical examination to be major factors in clinical performance examinations evaluation. Holistic rubric scores were highly related to the scores of the task-specific checklist and analytic rubric. Relatively low agreement was found in clinical performance examinations compared to objective structured clinical examinations. Meanwhile, the holistic and analytic rubric scores explained 59.1% of the task-specific checklist score in objective structured clinical examinations and 51.6% in clinical performance examinations. The results show the usefulness of holistic and analytic rubrics in clinical performance assessment, which can be used in conjunction with task-specific checklists for more efficient

  8. Checklist for Evaluating SREB-SCORE Learning Objects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), 2007

    2007-01-01

    This checklist is based on "Evaluation Criteria for SREB-SCORE Learning Objects" and is designed to help schools and colleges determine the quality and effectiveness of learning objects. It is suggested that each learning object be rated to the extent to which it meets the criteria and the SREB-SCORE definition of a learning object. A learning…

  9. Beyond the checklist: assessing understanding for HIV vaccine trial participation in South Africa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindegger, Graham; Milford, Cecilia; Slack, Catherine; Quayle, Michael; Xaba, Xolani; Vardas, Eftyhia

    2006-12-15

    Informed consent and understanding are essential ethical requirements for clinical trial participation. Traditional binary measures of understanding may be limited and not be the best measures of level of understanding. This study designed and compared 4 measures of understanding for potential participants being prepared for enrollment in South African HIV vaccine trials, using detailed operational scoring criteria. Assessment of understanding of 7 key trial components was compared via self-report, checklist, vignettes, and narrative measures. Fifty-nine participants, including members of vaccine preparedness groups and 1 HIV vaccine trial, took part. There were significant differences across the measures for understanding of 5 components and for overall understanding. Highest scores were obtained on self-report and checklist measures, and lowest scores were obtained for vignettes and narrative descriptions. The findings suggest that levels of measured understanding are dependent on the tools used. Forced-choice measures like checklists tend to yield higher scores than open-ended measures like narratives or vignettes. Consideration should be given to complementing checklists and self-reports with open-ended measures, particularly for critical trial concepts, where the consequences of misunderstanding are potentially severe.

  10. THE EFFORT TO IMPROVE TEACHERS’PERFORMANCE OF SMA TMI ROUDLATUL QUR’AN IN COMPOSING LESSON PLAN AND EVALUATION INSTRUMENT OF CHARACTER EDUCATION THROUGH WORKSHOP ACADEMIC YEAR 2015/2016

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Budi Raharjo

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract: Difficulties found in Senior High School (SMA TMI Roudlatul Qur’an, teachers were not able to integrate character value into their lesson plan and to identify which behaviour must be success indicators of character education. Out of 18 Character value existed, the measurement of students’success as the better change of their behaviour, some only covering observation and lack of triangulation consideration to more accountable result. Worskhop potentially becomes one of the ways to up grade teachers’performance in determining the instrument of character value education, at the same time, train them the way composing lesson plan which integrates character education. This school action research was aimed to carry out workshop at SMA TMI Roudlatul Qur’an of Metro Municipal City, to improve teachers’performance in composing evaluation instrumen of value character education, to improve teachers’performance in composing integrated character value education.The research took place at SMA TMI Roudlatul Qur’an, located at Mulyojati, Metro Barat, Metro Municipal City. It was done in odd semester, continually to one month. Started in early Academic Year 2015/2016, July to August.The researcher concluded that teachers of SMA TMI Roudlatul Qur’an improved their performance well in composing evaluation instrument of value character education and integrated value character lesson plan through workshop. Facts: Workshop process was considered fair 11 teachers, good by 16 teachers, and very good by 12 teachers. At cycle II, the performance of composing evaluation instrument of character education showed 11 teachers were less sufficient performance, 16 teachers were good performance, and 12 teachers were very good. And the performance of composing integrated character value at cycle II showed 8 moderate teachers, 19 good teachers, and 12 excellent teachers. Key words: Workshop, Lesson Plan, Character Education Evaluation

  11. Using qualitative methods to improve questionnaires for Spanish speakers: assessing face validity of a food behavior checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Banna, Jinan C; Vera Becerra, Luz E; Kaiser, Lucia L; Townsend, Marilyn S

    2010-01-01

    Development of outcome measures relevant to health nutrition behaviors requires a rigorous process of testing and revision. Whereas researchers often report performance of quantitative data collection to assess questionnaire validity and reliability, qualitative testing procedures are often overlooked. This report outlines a procedure for assessing face validity of a Spanish-language dietary assessment tool. Reviewing the literature produced no rigorously validated Spanish-language food behavior assessment tools for the US Department of Agriculture's food assistance and education programs. In response to this need, this study evaluated the face validity of a Spanish-language food behavior checklist adapted from a 16-item English version of a food behavior checklist shown to be valid and reliable for limited-resource English speakers. The English version was translated using rigorous methods involving initial translation by one party and creation of five possible versions. Photos were modified based on client input and new photos were taken as necessary. A sample of low-income, Spanish-speaking women completed cognitive interviews (n=20). Spanish translation experts (n=7) fluent in both languages and familiar with both cultures made minor modifications but essentially approved client preferences. The resulting checklist generated a readability score of 93, indicating low reading difficulty. The Spanish-language checklist has adequate face validity in the target population and is ready for further validation using convergent measures. At the conclusion of testing, this instrument may be used to evaluate nutrition education interventions in California. These qualitative procedures provide a framework for designing evaluation tools for low-literate audiences participating in the US Department of Agriculture food assistance and education programs. Copyright 2010 American Dietetic Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Toward time-based design: Creating an applied time evaluation checklist for urban design research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amir Shakibamanesh

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available The perception of a 3D space, in which movement takes place, is subjectively based on experience. The pedestrians’ perception of subjective duration is one of the related issues that receive little attention in urban design literature. Pedestrians often misperceive the required time to pass a certain distance. A wide range of factors affects one׳s perception of time in urban environments. These factors include individual factors (e.g., gender, age, and psychological state, social and cultural contexts, purpose and motivation for being in the space, and knowledge of the given area. This study aims to create an applied checklist that can be used by urban designers in analyzing the effects of individual experience on subjective duration. This checklist will enable urban designers to perform a phenomenological assessment of time perception and compare this perception in different urban spaces, thereby improving pedestrians’ experiences of time through a purposeful design. A combination of exploratory and descriptive analytical research is used as methodology due to the complexity of time perception.

  13. Compliance with the CONSORT checklist in obstetric anaesthesia randomised controlled trials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halpern, S H; Darani, R; Douglas, M J; Wight, W; Yee, J

    2004-10-01

    The Consolidated Standards for Reporting of Trials (CONSORT) checklist is an evidence-based approach to help improve the quality of reporting randomised controlled trials. The purpose of this study was to determine how closely randomised controlled trials in obstetric anaesthesia adhere to the CONSORT checklist. We retrieved all randomised controlled trials pertaining to the practice of obstetric anaesthesia and summarised in Obstetric Anesthesia Digest between March 2001 and December 2002 and compared the quality of reporting to the CONSORT checklist. The median number of correctly described CONSORT items was 65% (range 36% to 100%). Information pertaining to randomisation, blinding of the assessors, sample size calculation, reliability of measurements and reporting of the analysis were often omitted. It is difficult to determine the value and quality of many obstetric anaesthesia clinical trials because journal editors do not insist that this important information is made available to readers. Both clinicians and clinical researchers would benefit from uniform reporting of randomised trials in a manner that allows rapid data retrieval and easy assessment for relevance and quality.

  14. Checklist of the earthworm fauna of Croatia (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kutuzović, Davorka Hackenberger; Kutuzović, Branimir Hackenberger

    2013-01-01

    A checklist of the Croatian earthworm fauna (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae) is presented, including published records and authors' personal data. This is the first checklist for Croatia only, with comprehensive information for each earthworm species regarding ecological category, habitat, distribution type and distribution in Croatia. The currently known earthworm fauna of Croatia comprises 68 species belonging to 17 genera, with Octodrilus being the species-richest genus (15 species). Chorologically these species can be allocated to 13 different types of distribution. Nineteen species are endemic of which 10 species are endemic to Croatia and 9 species are endemic to Croatia and neighbouring countries (Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, and Montenegro). The endemic earthworms are distributed in the areas of higher altitudes in the Continental and Alpine biogeographic region, mostly covered with forest or autochtonous vegetation.

  15. The Development and Implementation of Cognitive Aids for Critical Events in Pediatric Anesthesia: The Society for Pediatric Anesthesia Critical Events Checklists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clebone, Anna; Burian, Barbara K; Watkins, Scott C; Gálvez, Jorge A; Lockman, Justin L; Heitmiller, Eugenie S

    2017-03-01

    Cognitive aids such as checklists are commonly used in modern operating rooms for routine processes, and the use of such aids may be even more important during critical events. The Quality and Safety Committee of the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia (SPA) has developed a set of critical-event checklists and cognitive aids designed for 3 purposes: (1) as a repository of the latest evidence-based and expert opinion-based information to guide response and management of critical events, (2) as a source of just-in-time information during critical events, and (3) as a method to facilitate a shared understanding of required actions among team members during a critical event. Committee members, who represented children's hospitals from across the nation, used the recent literature and established guidelines (where available) and incorporated the expertise of colleagues at their institutions to develop these checklists, which included relevant factors to consider and steps to take in response to critical events. Human factors principles were incorporated to enhance checklist usability, facilitate error-free accomplishment, and ensure a common approach to checklist layout, formatting, structure, and design.The checklists were made available in multiple formats: a PDF version for easy printing, a mobile application, and at some institutions, a Web-based application using the anesthesia information management system. After the checklists were created, training commenced, and plans for validation were begun. User training is essential for successful implementation and should ideally include explanation of the organization of the checklists; familiarization of users with the layout, structure, and formatting of the checklists; coaching in how to use the checklists in a team environment; reviewing of the items; and simulation of checklist use. Because of the rare and unpredictable nature of critical events, clinical trials that use crisis checklists are difficult to conduct

  16. An Independent Human Factors Analysis and Evaluation of the Emergency Medical Protocol Checklist for the International Space Station

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marshburn, Thomas; Whitmore, Mihriban; Ortiz, Rosie; Segal, Michele; Smart, Kieran; Hughes, Catherine

    2003-01-01

    Emergency medical capabilities aboard the ISS include a Crew Medical Officer (CMO) (not necessarily a physician), and back-up, resuscitation equipment, and a medical checklist. It is essential that CMOs have reliable, usable and informative medical protocols that can be carried out independently in flight. The study evaluates the existing ISS Medical Checklist layout against a checklist updated to reflect a human factors approach to structure and organization. Method: The ISS Medical checklist was divided into non-emergency and emergency sections, and re-organized based on alphabetical and a body systems approach. A desk-top evaluation examined the ability of subjects to navigate to specific medical problems identified as representative of likely non-emergency events. A second evaluation aims to focus on the emergency section of the Medical Checklist, based on the preliminary findings of the first. The final evaluation will use Astronaut CMOs as subjects comparing the original checklist against the updated layout in the task of caring for a "downed crewmember" using a Human Patient Simulator [Medical Education Technologies, Inc.]. Results: Initial results have demonstrated a clear improvement of the re-organized sections to determine the solution to the medical problems. There was no distinct advantage for either alternative, although subjects stated having a preference for the body systems approach. In the second evaluation, subjects will be asked to identify emergency medical conditions, with measures including correct diagnosis, time to completion and solution strategy. The third evaluation will compare the original and fully updated checklists in clinical situations. Conclusions: Initial findings indicate that the ISS Medical Checklist will benefit from a reorganization. The present structure of the checklist has evolved over recent years without systematic testing of crewmember ability to diagnose medical problems. The improvements are expected to enable ISS

  17. Financial Conflicts of Interest Checklist 2010 for clinical research studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rochon, Paula A; Hoey, John; Chan, An-Wen; Ferris, Lorraine E; Lexchin, Joel; Kalkar, Sunila R; Sekeres, Melanie; Wu, Wei; Van Laethem, Marleen; Gruneir, Andrea; Maskalyk, James; Streiner, David L; Gold, Jennifer; Taback, Nathan; Moher, David

    2010-01-01

    A conflict of interest is defined as "a set of conditions in which professional judgment concerning a primary interest (such as a patient's welfare or the validity of research) tends to be unduly influenced by a secondary interest (such as financial gain)" [Thompson DF. Understanding financial conflicts of interest. N Engl J Med 1993;329(8):573-576]. Because financial conflict of interest (fCOI) can occur at different stages of a study, and because it can be difficult for investigators to detect their own bias, particularly retrospectively, we sought to provide funders, journal editors and other stakeholders with a standardized tool that initiates detailed reporting of different aspects of fCOI when the study begins and continues that reporting throughout the study process to publication. We developed a checklist using a 3-phase process of pre-meeting item generation, a stakeholder meeting and post-meeting consolidation. External experts (n = 18), research team members (n = 12) and research staff members (n = 4) rated or reviewed items for some or all of the 7 major iterations. The resulting Financial Conflicts of Interest Checklist 2010 consists of 4 sections covering administrative, study, personal financial, and authorship information, which are divided into 6 modules and contain a total of 15 items and their related sub-items; it also includes a glossary of terms. The modules are designed to be completed by all investigators at different points over the course of the study, and updated information can be appended to the checklist when it is submitted to stakeholder groups for review. We invite comments and suggestions for improvement at http://www.openmedicine.ca/fcoichecklist and ask stakeholder groups to endorse the use of the checklist.

  18. Methods for streamlining intervention fidelity checklists: an example from the chronic disease self-management program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahn, SangNam; Smith, Matthew Lee; Altpeter, Mary; Belza, Basia; Post, Lindsey; Ory, Marcia G

    2014-01-01

    Maintaining intervention fidelity should be part of any programmatic quality assurance (QA) plan and is often a licensure requirement. However, fidelity checklists designed by original program developers are often lengthy, which makes compliance difficult once programs become widely disseminated in the field. As a case example, we used Stanford's original Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) fidelity checklist of 157 items to demonstrate heuristic procedures for generating shorter fidelity checklists. Using an expert consensus approach, we sought feedback from active master trainers registered with the Stanford University Patient Education Research Center about which items were most essential to, and also feasible for, assessing fidelity. We conducted three sequential surveys and one expert group-teleconference call. Three versions of the fidelity checklist were created using different statistical and methodological criteria. In a final group-teleconference call with seven national experts, there was unanimous agreement that all three final versions (e.g., a 34-item version, a 20-item version, and a 12-item version) should be made available because the purpose and resources for administering a checklist might vary from one setting to another. This study highlights the methodology used to generate shorter versions of a fidelity checklist, which has potential to inform future QA efforts for this and other evidence-based programs (EBP) for older adults delivered in community settings. With CDSMP and other EBP, it is important to differentiate between program fidelity as mandated by program developers for licensure, and intervention fidelity tools for providing an "at-a-glance" snapshot of the level of compliance to selected program indicators.

  19. Breathing Life into Engineering: A Lesson Study Life Science Lesson

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lawrence, Maria; Yang, Li-Ling; Briggs, May; Hession, Alicia; Koussa, Anita; Wagoner, Lisa

    2016-01-01

    A fifth grade life science lesson was implemented through a lesson study approach in two fifth grade classrooms. The research lesson was designed by a team of four elementary school teachers with the goal of emphasizing engineering practices consistent with the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS) (Achieve Inc. 2013). The fifth…

  20. A Community Checklist for Health Sector Resilience Informed by Hurricane Sandy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toner, Eric S; McGinty, Meghan; Schoch-Spana, Monica; Rose, Dale A; Watson, Matthew; Echols, Erin; Carbone, Eric G

    This is a checklist of actions for healthcare, public health, nongovernmental organizations, and private entities to use to strengthen the resilience of their community's health sector to disasters. It is informed by the experience of Hurricane Sandy in New York and New Jersey and analyzed in the context of findings from other recent natural disasters in the United States. The health sector is defined very broadly, including-in addition to hospitals, emergency medical services (EMS), and public health agencies-healthcare providers, outpatient clinics, long-term care facilities, home health providers, behavioral health providers, and correctional health services. It also includes community-based organizations that support these entities and represent patients. We define health sector resilience very broadly, including all factors that preserve public health and healthcare delivery under extreme stress and contribute to the rapid restoration of normal or improved health sector functioning after a disaster. We present the key findings organized into 8 themes. We then describe a conceptual map of health sector resilience that ties these themes together. Lastly, we provide a series of recommended actions for improving health sector resilience at the local level. The recommended actions emphasize those items that individuals who experienced Hurricane Sandy deemed to be most important. The recommendations are presented as a checklist that can be used by a variety of interested parties who have some role to play in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery in their own communities. Following a general checklist are supplemental checklists that apply to specific parts of the larger health sector.

  1. Development and validation of a medical chart review checklist for symptom management performance of oncologists in the routine care of patients with advanced cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blum, David; Rosa, Daniel; deWolf-Linder, Susanne; Hayoz, Stefanie; Ribi, Karin; Koeberle, Dieter; Strasser, Florian

    2014-12-01

    Oncologists perform a range of pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions to manage the symptoms of outpatients with advanced cancer. The aim of this study was to develop and test a symptom management performance checklist (SyMPeC) to review medical charts. First, the content of the checklist was determined by consensus of an interprofessional team. The SyMPeC was tested using the data set of the SAKK 96/06 E-MOSAIC (Electronical Monitoring of Symptoms and Syndromes Associated with Cancer) trial, which included six consecutive visits from 247 patients. In a test data set (half of the data) of medical charts, two people extracted and quantified the definitions of the parameters (content validity). To assess the inter-rater reliability, three independent researchers used the SyMPeC on a random sample (10% of the test data set), and Fleiss's kappa was calculated. To test external validity, the interventions retrieved by the SyMPeC chart review were compared with nurse-led assessment of patient-perceived oncologists' palliative interventions. Five categories of symptoms were included: pain, fatigue, anorexia/nausea, dyspnea, and depression/anxiety. Interventions were categorized as symptom specific or symptom unspecific. In the test data set of 123 patients, 402 unspecific and 299 symptom-specific pharmacological interventions were detected. Nonpharmacological interventions (n = 242) were mostly symptom unspecific. Fleiss's kappa for symptom and intervention detections was K = 0.7 and K = 0.86, respectively. In 1003 of 1167 visits (86%), there was a match between SyMPeC and nurse-led assessment. Seventy-nine percent (195 of 247) of patients had no or one mismatch. Chart review by SyMPeC seems reliable to detect symptom management interventions by oncologists in outpatient clinics. Nonpharmacological interventions were less symptom specific. A template for documentation is needed for standardization. Copyright © 2014 American Academy of Hospice and

  2. Reporting Guidelines and Checklists Improve the Reliability and Rigor of Research Reports.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abbott, J Haxby

    2016-03-01

    The Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy (JOSPT) requires the use of robust research reporting guidelines for all research report submissions, including the newly adopted RECORD (REporting of studies Conducted using Observational Routinely-collected health Data) statement. We remind authors submitting research to JOSPT to identify the appropriate guideline and checklist for their study design, and to submit a completely and accurately completed checklist with their manuscript. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2016;46(3):130. doi:10.2519/jospt.2016.0105.

  3. Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program environmental compliance assessment checklists

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Levine, M.B.; Sigmon, C.F.

    1989-09-29

    The purpose of the Environmental Compliance Assessment Program is to assess the compliance of Formerly Utilized Site Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) sites with applicable environmental regulations and Department of Energy (DOE) Orders. The mission is to identify, assess, and decontaminate sites utilized during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s to process and store uranium and thorium ores in support of the Manhattan Engineer District and the Atomic Energy Commission. To conduct the FUSRAP environmental compliance assessment, checklists were developed that outline audit procedures to determine the compliance status of the site. The checklists are divided in four groups to correspond to these regulatory areas: Hazardous Waste Management, PCB Management, Air Emissions, and Water Discharges.

  4. Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program environmental compliance assessment checklists

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Levine, M.B.; Sigmon, C.F.

    1989-01-01

    The purpose of the Environmental Compliance Assessment Program is to assess the compliance of Formerly Utilized Site Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) sites with applicable environmental regulations and Department of Energy (DOE) Orders. The mission is to identify, assess, and decontaminate sites utilized during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s to process and store uranium and thorium ores in support of the Manhattan Engineer District and the Atomic Energy Commission. To conduct the FUSRAP environmental compliance assessment, checklists were developed that outline audit procedures to determine the compliance status of the site. The checklists are divided in four groups to correspond to these regulatory areas: Hazardous Waste Management, PCB Management, Air Emissions, and Water Discharges

  5. A Checklist for Submitting Your Risk Management Plan (RMP)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Important information about 2014 submissions and a checklist to consider in preparing and resubmitting a 5-year update, as required by 40 CFR part 68. Use the RMP*eSubmit software application, which replaced RMP*Submit.

  6. Practical experience and lessons learned through implementation of Appendix VIII performance demonstration requirements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ashwin, P.J.; Becker, F.L.; Latiolais, C.L.; Spanner, J.C.

    1996-01-01

    To provide the US nuclear industry with a uniform implementation of the Performance Demonstration requirements within the 1989 edition of ASME Section XI, Appendix VIII, representatives from all US nuclear utilities formed the Performance Demonstration Initiative (PDI). The PDI recognized the potential benefits that Appendix VIII offered the nuclear industry and initiated a proactive approach to implement the requirements. In doing so it was expected that performance demonstration of ultrasonic examination procedures would allow for improvement in the efficiency and credibility of inservice inspection to be realized. Explicit within the performance demonstration requirements of Appendix VIII is the need for a Performance Demonstration Administrator, a difficult requirement to fulfill. Not only must the administrator exhibit the attributes of understanding the demonstration requirements, but also have solid technical knowledge, integrity and be able to interface with the industry at all levels, from operations to regulatory. For the nuclear industry, the EPRI NDE Center is an obvious choice to fulfill this position. This paper provides a brief background of the PDI, a nuclear industry-wide initiative to implement the performance demonstration requirements of Appendix VIII. Even though the consensus approach adopted by the PDI is discussed, the paper's primary objective is to provide examples of the lessons learned by the Center through the specific requirements of Appendix VIII

  7. Early warning signs checklists for relapse in bipolar depression and mania: utility, reliability and validity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lobban, Fiona; Solis-Trapala, Ivonne; Symes, Wendy; Morriss, Richard

    2011-10-01

    Recognising early warning signs (EWS) of mood changes is a key part of many effective interventions for people with Bipolar Disorder (BD). This study describes the development of valid and reliable checklists required to assess these signs of depression and mania. Checklists of EWS based on previous research and participant feedback were designed for depression and mania and compared with spontaneous reporting of EWS. Psychometric properties and utility were examined in 96 participants with BD. The majority of participants did not spontaneously monitor EWS regularly prior to use of the checklists. The checklists identified most spontaneously generated EWS and led to a ten fold increase in the identification of EWS for depression and an eight fold increase for mania. The scales were generally reliable over time and responses were not associated with current mood. Frequency of monitoring for EWS correlated positively with social and occupational functioning for depression (beta=3.80, p=0.015) and mania (beta=3.92, p=0.008). The study is limited by a small sample size and the fact that raters were not blind to measures of mood and function. EWS checklists are useful and reliable clinical and research tools helping to generate enough EWS for an effective EWS intervention. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. An updated checklist of mosquito species (Diptera: Culicidae) from Madagascar

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tantely, Michaël Luciano; Le Goff, Gilbert; Boyer, Sébastien; Fontenille, Didier

    2016-01-01

    An updated checklist of 235 mosquito species from Madagascar is presented. The number of species has increased considerably compared to previous checklists, particularly the last published in 2003 (178 species). This annotated checklist provides concise information on endemism, taxonomic position, developmental stages, larval habitats, distribution, behavior, and vector-borne diseases potentially transmitted. The 235 species belong to 14 genera: Aedeomyia (3 species), Aedes (35 species), Anopheles (26 species), Coquillettidia (3 species), Culex (at least 50 species), Eretmapodites (4 species), Ficalbia (2 species), Hodgesia (at least one species), Lutzia (one species), Mansonia (2 species), Mimomyia (22 species), Orthopodomyia (8 species), Toxorhynchites (6 species), and Uranotaenia (73 species). Due to non-deciphered species complexes, several species remain undescribed. The main remarkable characteristic of Malagasy mosquito fauna is the high biodiversity with 138 endemic species (59%). Presence and abundance of species, and their association, in a given location could be a bio-indicator of environmental particularities such as urban, rural, forested, deforested, and mountainous habitats. Finally, taking into account that Malagasy culicidian fauna includes 64 species (27%) with a known medical or veterinary interest in the world, knowledge of their biology and host preference summarized in this paper improves understanding of their involvement in pathogen transmission in Madagascar. PMID:27101839

  9. An updated checklist of mosquito species (Diptera: Culicidae from Madagascar

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tantely Michaël Luciano

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available An updated checklist of 235 mosquito species from Madagascar is presented. The number of species has increased considerably compared to previous checklists, particularly the last published in 2003 (178 species. This annotated checklist provides concise information on endemism, taxonomic position, developmental stages, larval habitats, distribution, behavior, and vector-borne diseases potentially transmitted. The 235 species belong to 14 genera: Aedeomyia (3 species, Aedes (35 species, Anopheles (26 species, Coquillettidia (3 species, Culex (at least 50 species, Eretmapodites (4 species, Ficalbia (2 species, Hodgesia (at least one species, Lutzia (one species, Mansonia (2 species, Mimomyia (22 species, Orthopodomyia (8 species, Toxorhynchites (6 species, and Uranotaenia (73 species. Due to non-deciphered species complexes, several species remain undescribed. The main remarkable characteristic of Malagasy mosquito fauna is the high biodiversity with 138 endemic species (59%. Presence and abundance of species, and their association, in a given location could be a bio-indicator of environmental particularities such as urban, rural, forested, deforested, and mountainous habitats. Finally, taking into account that Malagasy culicidian fauna includes 64 species (27% with a known medical or veterinary interest in the world, knowledge of their biology and host preference summarized in this paper improves understanding of their involvement in pathogen transmission in Madagascar.

  10. A model evaluation checklist for process-based environmental models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jackson-Blake, Leah

    2015-04-01

    Mechanistic catchment-scale phosphorus models appear to perform poorly where diffuse sources dominate. The reasons for this were investigated for one commonly-applied model, the INtegrated model of CAtchment Phosphorus (INCA-P). Model output was compared to 18 months of daily water quality monitoring data in a small agricultural catchment in Scotland, and model structure, key model processes and internal model responses were examined. Although the model broadly reproduced dissolved phosphorus dynamics, it struggled with particulates. The reasons for poor performance were explored, together with ways in which improvements could be made. The process of critiquing and assessing model performance was then generalised to provide a broadly-applicable model evaluation checklist, incorporating: (1) Calibration challenges, relating to difficulties in thoroughly searching a high-dimensional parameter space and in selecting appropriate means of evaluating model performance. In this study, for example, model simplification was identified as a necessary improvement to reduce the number of parameters requiring calibration, whilst the traditionally-used Nash Sutcliffe model performance statistic was not able to discriminate between realistic and unrealistic model simulations, and alternative statistics were needed. (2) Data limitations, relating to a lack of (or uncertainty in) input data, data to constrain model parameters, data for model calibration and testing, and data to test internal model processes. In this study, model reliability could be improved by addressing all four kinds of data limitation. For example, there was insufficient surface water monitoring data for model testing against an independent dataset to that used in calibration, whilst additional monitoring of groundwater and effluent phosphorus inputs would help distinguish between alternative plausible model parameterisations. (3) Model structural inadequacies, whereby model structure may inadequately represent

  11. Effect of Surgical Safety Checklist on Mortality of Surgical Patients in the α University Hospitals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. Mohebbifar

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background & Aims: Patient safety is one of the indicators of risk management in clinical governance system. Surgical care is one of the most sophisticated medical care in the hospitals. So it is not surprising that nearly half of the adverse events, 66% were related to surgery. Pre-flight aircraft Inspection model is starting point for designing surgical safety checklist that use for audit procedure. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of the use of surgical safety checklist on surgical patients mortality and complications. Materials and Methods: This is a prospective descriptive study. This study was conducted in 2012 in the North West of Iran. The population consisted of patients who had undergoing surgery in α university of medical science`s hospital which have surgical department. In this study, 1125 patients underwent surgery within 3 months were studied. Data collection tool was designed based on WHO model and Surgcical Care and Outcomes Assessment Program(SCOAP. Data analysis was performed using the SPSS-20 statistical software and logistic regression analysis was used to calculate P values for each comparison. Results: No significant differences between patients in the two periods (before and after There was. All complications rate reduced from 11 percent to 4 percent after the intervention by checklist (p<0.001. In the all hospitals mortality rate was decreased from 3.44% to 1.3% (p <0.003. Overall rate of surgical site infection and unplanned return to the operating room was reduced (p<0.001 and p<0.046. Conclusion: Many people every year due to lack of safety in hospitals, lose their lives. Despite the risks, such as leaving surgery sets in patient body and wrong surgery is due to lack of proper safety programs during surgery. By using safety checklist in all hospitals mortality rate and complications was reduced but this reduction was extremely in α3 hospital (from 5.2% to 1.48%.

  12. First supplement to the lichen checklist of South Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Teuvo Ahti

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Details are given of errors and additions to the recently published checklist of lichens reported from South Africa (Fryday 2015. The overall number of taxa reported from South Africa is increased by one, to 1751.

  13. The Knitting Lesson.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Pamela

    1987-01-01

    Based on Jean-Francois Millet's 1869 painting, "The Knitting Lesson," this lesson's goal is to introduce students in grades seven through nine to genre (everyday life) painting the nineteenth century. The lesson is also designed to show that some aspects of genre may be timeless. (BSR)

  14. Lessons learned from the Fukushima accident to improve the performance of the national nuclear preparedness system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dewi Apriliani

    2013-01-01

    A study of emergency response failure in the early phase of a nuclear accident in Fukushima, Japan has conducted. This study aimed to obtain lesson learned from the problems and constraints that exist at the time of the Fukushima emergency response. This lesson learned will be adjusted to the situation, conditions and problems in nuclear preparedness systems in Indonesia, so that it can obtain the necessary recommendations to improve the performance of SKNN (National Nuclear Emergency Preparedness System). Recommendations include: improvements in coordination and information systems, including early warning systems and dissemination of information; improvements in the preparation of emergency plans/contingency plan, which includes an integrated disaster management; improvement in the development of disaster management practice/field exercise, by extending the scenario and integrate it with nuclear disaster, chemical, biological, and acts of terrorism; and improvement in public education of nuclear emergency preparedness and also improvement in management for dissemination of information to the public and the mass media. These improvements need to be done as part of efforts in preparing a reliable nuclear emergency preparedness in order to support nuclear power plant development plan. (author)

  15. Checklist of the Iranian Ground Beetles (Coleoptera; Carabidae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azadbakhsh, Saeed; Nozari, Jamasb

    2015-09-30

    An up-to-date checklist of the ground beetles of Iran is presented. Altogether 955 species and subspecies in 155 genera belonging to 26 subfamilies of Carabidae are reported; 25 taxa are recorded for Iran for the fist time. New localities are listed and some previous distributional records are discussed.

  16. Patient Safety in Interventional Radiology: A CIRSE IR Checklist

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lee, M. J.; Fanelli, F.; Haage, P.; Hausegger, K.; van Lienden, K. P.

    2012-01-01

    Interventional radiology (IR) is an invasive speciality with the potential for complications as with other invasive specialities. The World Health Organization (WHO) produced a surgical safety checklist to decrease the morbidity and mortality associated with surgery. The Cardiovascular and

  17. Reliability of the Brazilian version of the Physical Activity Checklist Interview in children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adami, Fernando; Cruciani, Fernanda; Douek, Michelle; Sewell, Carolina Dumit; Mariath, Aline Brandão; Hinnig, Patrícia de Fragas; Freaza, Silvia Rafaela Mascarenhas; Bergamaschi, Denise Pimentel

    2011-04-01

    To assess the reliability of the Lista de Atividades Físicas (Brazilian version of the Physical Activity Checklist Interview) in children. The study is part of a cross-cultural adaptation of the Physical Activity Checklist Interview, conducted with 83 school children aged between seven and ten years, enrolled between the 2nd and 5th grades of primary education in the city of São Paulo, Southeastern Brazil, in 2008. The questionnaire was responded by children through individual interviews. It is comprised of a list of 21 moderate to vigorous physical activities performed on the previous day, it is divided into periods (before, during and after school) and it has a section for interview assessment. This questionnaire enables the quantification of time spent in physical and sedentary activities and the total and weighed metabolic costs. Reliability was assessed by comparing two interviews conducted with a mean interval of three hours. For the interview assessment, data from the first interview and those from an external evaluator were compared. Bland-Altman's proposal, the intraclass correlation coefficient and Lin's concordance correlation coefficient were used to assess reliability. The intraclass correlation coefficient lower limits for the outcomes analyzed varied from 0.84 to 0.96. Precision and agreement varied between 0.83 and 0.97 and between 0.99 and 1, respectively. The line estimated from the pairs of values obtained in both interviews indicates high data precision. The interview item showing the poorest result was the ability to estimate time (fair in 27.7% of interviews). Interview assessment items showed intraclass correlation coefficients between 0.60 and 0.70, except for level of cooperation (0.46). The Brazilian version of the Physical Activity Checklist Interview shows high reliability to assess physical and sedentary activity on the previous day in children.

  18. An annotated checklist of the Italian butterflies and skippers (Papilionoidea, Hesperiioidea).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balletto, Emilio; Cassulo, Luigi A; Bonelli, Simona

    2014-08-20

    We present here an updated checklist of the Italian butterflies (Lepidoptera: Hesperioidea and Papilionoidea) organised in the following sections (tables):1. Introduction, providing a broad outline of the paper.2. Checklist proper, summarised in a table, listing, in separate columns:a. Indications of endemicity (sub-endemic, Italian endemic).b. The relevant Annex in the Habitats Directive (legally protected species).c. Threat levels (in Europe: for threatened species only).d. A serial number (whose format is uniform across all Italian animal groups). This number runs throughout all the following tables (see 3, 4).e. Name, author, date of publication.f. Schematic overall indication of each specie's Italian range (N[orth], S[outh], Si[icily], Sa[rdinia]).3. Nomenclature, containing basic nomenclatural details for all listed genera, species and some of the generally or historically recognised subspecies and synonyms.4. Notes, where a variety of other information is provided, on a name by name (family, subfamily, genus, species, subspecies) basis. All remaining doubts as concerns each individual case are clearly stated.                The number of nominal species listed in the previous edition of this checklist, published almost 20 years ago, was 275, whereas it has raised to 290 in the current list. The status of about a dozen of these remains controversial, as discussed in the text. The present checklist is meant to provide an update of the Italian butterfly fauna, taking into account all relevant publications, and tries to explain all nomenclatural changes that had to be introduced, in the appropriate section. Many detailed comments are offered, when necessary or useful, in the notes.

  19. Credible checklists and quality questionnaires a user-centered design method

    CERN Document Server

    Wilson, Chauncey

    2013-01-01

    Credible Checklists and Quality Questionnaires starts off with an examination of the critical but commonly overlooked checklist method. In the second chapter, questionnaires and surveys are discussed. Asking questions sounds simple, but the hard truth is that asking questions (and designing questionnaires) is a difficult task. This chapter discusses being mindful of the choice of words, order of questions and how early questions influence later questions, answer scales and how they impact the user response, questionnaire design, and much more. The final chapter provides examples of some common questionnaires (both free and fee-based) for assessing the usability of products. After reading this book, readers will be able to use these user design tools with greater confidence and certainty.

  20. The history of a lesson

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rasmussen, Mikkel Vedby

    2003-01-01

    and emphasises the need to study the history of lessons rather than the lessons of history. This approach shows that Munich is the end point of a constitutive history that begins in the failure of the Versailles treaty to create a durable European order following the First World War. The Munich lesson is thus......The article investigates the concept of lessons in IR. By means of a constructivist critique of the 'lessons literature', the article analyses one of the most important of IR lessons: that of Munich. Examining how the Munich lesson came about, the article shows the praxeological nature of lessons...... one element of the lesson of Versailles, which is a praxeology that defines how the West is to make peace, and against whom peace must be defended. The lesson of Versailles has been, at least in part, constitutive of the outbreak of the Cold War, and it continues to define the Western conception...

  1. Lesson Learning at JPL

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oberhettinger, David

    2011-01-01

    A lessons learned system is a hallmark of a mature engineering organization A formal lessons learned process can help assure that valuable lessons get written and published, that they are well-written, and that the essential information is "infused" into institutional practice. Requires high-level institutional commitment, and everyone's participation in gathering, disseminating, and using the lessons

  2. Developing core elements and checklist items for global hospital antimicrobial stewardship programmes: a consensus approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pulcini, C; Binda, F; Lamkang, A S; Trett, A; Charani, E; Goff, D A; Harbarth, S; Hinrichsen, S L; Levy-Hara, G; Mendelson, M; Nathwani, D; Gunturu, R; Singh, S; Srinivasan, A; Thamlikitkul, V; Thursky, K; Vlieghe, E; Wertheim, H; Zeng, M; Gandra, S; Laxminarayan, R

    2018-04-03

    With increasing global interest in hospital antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programmes, there is a strong demand for core elements of AMS to be clearly defined on the basis of principles of effectiveness and affordability. To date, efforts to identify such core elements have been limited to Europe, Australia, and North America. The aim of this study was to develop a set of core elements and their related checklist items for AMS programmes that should be present in all hospitals worldwide, regardless of resource availability. A literature review was performed by searching Medline and relevant websites to retrieve a list of core elements and items that could have global relevance. These core elements and items were evaluated by an international group of AMS experts using a structured modified Delphi consensus procedure, using two-phased online in-depth questionnaires. The literature review identified seven core elements and their related 29 checklist items from 48 references. Fifteen experts from 13 countries in six continents participated in the consensus procedure. Ultimately, all seven core elements were retained, as well as 28 of the initial checklist items plus one that was newly suggested, all with ≥80% agreement; 20 elements and items were rephrased. This consensus on core elements for hospital AMS programmes is relevant to both high- and low-to-middle-income countries and could facilitate the development of national AMS stewardship guidelines and adoption by healthcare settings worldwide. Copyright © 2018 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. All rights reserved.

  3. Predicting inpatient violence using the Broset Violence Checklist (BVC).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Almvik, R; Woods, P

    1999-01-01

    This paper reports early analysis of the Broset Violence Checklist. An instrument aiming to assist in the process of the prediction of violence from mentally ill in-patients. Early results appear promising and directions for future research using the instrument are suggested.

  4. Accuracy of "Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers" ("M-CHAT") in Detecting Autism and Other Developmental Disorders in Community Clinics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toh, Teck-Hock; Tan, Vivian Wee-Yen; Lau, Peter Sie-Teck; Kiyu, Andrew

    2018-01-01

    This study determined the accuracy of "Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers" ("M-CHAT") in detecting toddlers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disorders (DD) in community mother and child health clinics. We analysed 19,297 eligible toddlers (15-36 months) who had "M-CHAT" performed in…

  5. Can the surgical checklist reduce the risk of wrong site surgery in orthopaedics? - can the checklist help? Supporting evidence from analysis of a national patient incident reporting system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cleary Kevin

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Surgical procedures are now very common, with estimates ranging from 4% of the general population having an operation per annum in economically-developing countries; this rising to 8% in economically-developed countries. Whilst these surgical procedures typically result in considerable improvements to health outcomes, it is increasingly appreciated that surgery is a high risk industry. Tools developed in the aviation industry are beginning to be used to minimise the risk of errors in surgery. One such tool is the World Health Organization's (WHO surgery checklist. The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA manages the largest database of patient safety incidents (PSIs in the world, already having received over three million reports of episodes of care that could or did result in iatrogenic harm. The aim of this study was to estimate how many incidents of wrong site surgery in orthopaedics that have been reported to the NPSA could have been prevented by the WHO surgical checklist. Methods The National Reporting and Learning Service (NRLS database was searched between 1st January 2008- 31st December 2008 to identify all incidents classified as wrong site surgery in orthopaedics. These incidents were broken down into the different types of wrong site surgery. A Likert-scale from 1-5 was used to assess the preventability of these cases if the checklist was used. Results 133/316 (42% incidents satisfied the inclusion criteria. A large proportion of cases, 183/316 were misclassified. Furthermore, there were fewer cases of actual harm [9% (12/133] versus 'near-misses' [121/133 (91%]. Subsequent analysis revealed a smaller proportion of 'near-misses' being prevented by the checklist than the proportion of incidents that resulted in actual harm; 18/121 [14.9% (95% CI 8.5 - 21.2%] versus 10/12 [83.3% (95%CI 62.2 - 104.4%] respectively. Summatively, the checklist could have been prevented 28/133 [21.1% (95%CI 14.1 - 28.0%] patient safety

  6. School District (K-12) Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist

    Science.gov (United States)

    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009

    2009-01-01

    Local educational agencies (LEAs) play an integral role in protecting the health and safety of their district's staff, students and their families. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have developed this checklist to assist LEAs in developing and/or improving plans to prepare…

  7. Meta-analysis of surgical safety checklist effects on teamwork, communication, morbidity, mortality, and safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lyons, Vanessa E; Popejoy, Lori L

    2014-02-01

    The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of surgical safety checklists on teamwork, communication, morbidity, mortality, and compliance with safety measures through meta-analysis. Four meta-analyses were conducted on 19 studies that met the inclusion criteria. The effect size of checklists on teamwork and communication was 1.180 (p = .003), on morbidity and mortality was 0.123 (p = .003) and 0.088 (p = .001), respectively, and on compliance with safety measures was 0.268 (p teamwork and communication, reduce morbidity and mortality, and improve compliance with safety measures. This meta-analysis is limited in its generalizability based on the limited number of studies and the inclusion of only published research. Future research is needed to examine possible moderating variables for the effects of surgical safety checklists.

  8. Dr. Tulp's Anatomy Lesson by Rembrandt: the third day hypothesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Afek, Arnon; Friedman, Tal; Kugel, Chen; Barshack, Iris; Lurie, Doron J

    2009-07-01

    An autopsy was an important event in 17th century Holland. Autopsies were held in an 'anatomy theater' and performed according to a fixed protocol that often took up to 3 days to complete. Of the five group portraits painted by Rembrandt over the course of his career, two were anatomy lessons given by Dr. Tulp and Dr. Deyman. An examination of Rembrandt's painting Dr. Tulp's Anatomy Lesson (1632) and an X-ray image of the painting, as compared to other paintings of anatomy lessons from the same period, reveal interesting differences, such as positioning, and light and shadow. Not only was the autopsy not performed according to the usual protocol, but in this painting Rembrandt created a unique dramatic scene in his effort to tell a story. We suggest that Dr. Tulp and Rembrandt "modified" the painting of Dr. Tulp's anatomy lesson to emphasize Dr. Tulp's position as the greatest anatomist of his era--"Vesalius of Amsterdam," and as a way of demonstrating God's greatness by highlighting the hand as a symbol of the most glorious of God's creations.

  9. Rapid Benefit Indicator (RBI) Checklist Tool - Quick Start Manual

    Science.gov (United States)

    The Rapid Benefits Indicators (RBI) approach consists of five steps and is outlined in Assessing the Benefits of Wetland Restoration – A Rapid Benefits Indicators Approach for Decision Makers. This checklist tool is intended to be used to record information as you answer the ques...

  10. Checklist of the birds of the Nylsvley nature reserve

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Tarboton, WR

    1977-09-01

    Full Text Available A provisional avifaunal checklist based on observations made during the period September 1974 to July 1976 is presented. Of 325 species recorded, 197 are classified as resident, 64 as migrant, 14 as sporadic, 13 as vagrant while 37 are of uncertain...

  11. An annotated checklist of the orchids of Nepal

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Rokaya, Maan Bahadur; Raskoti, B. B.; Timsina, Binu; Münzbergová, Zuzana

    2013-01-01

    Roč. 31, č. 5 (2013), s. 511-550 ISSN 0107-055X R&D Projects: GA ČR GA526/09/0549 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z6005908 Institutional support: RVO:67985939 ; RVO:67179843 Keywords : orchids * checklist * Nepal Subject RIV: EF - Botanics; EH - Ecology, Behaviour (UEK-B) Impact factor: 0.844, year: 2013

  12. New Danish standardization of the Child Behaviour Checklist

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Henriksen, Jon Røikjær; Nielsen, Peter Fraas; Bilenberg, Niels

    2012-01-01

    In child mental health services, the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) and related materials are internationally renowned psychometric questionnaires for assessment of children aged 6-16 years. The CBCL consists of three versions for different informants: the CBCL for parents, the Teacher's Report...... Form (TRF) and the Youth Self-Report (YSR) for 11-16-year-old children....

  13. Using Checklists to Assess Your Transition to Alternative Fuels: A Technical Reference

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Risch, C. E. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Santini, D. J. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Johnson, L. R. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

    2016-12-01

    The Checklist for Transition to New Alternative Fuel(s) was published in September 2011 by Chuck Risch and Dan Santini. Many improvements, described below, have been incorporated into this current document, Checklists for Assessing the Transitions to New Highway Fuels.2 Further, the original authors and Larry Johnson, co-author of the current report, identified a need for a succinct version of the full report and prepared a brochure based on it to aid busy decisionmakers: Check It Out: Using Checklists to Assess Your Transition to Alternative Fuels.2 These checklists are tools for those stakeholders charged with determining a feasible alternative fuel or fuels for highway transportation systems of the future. The original had four major players whose needs had to be satisfied for a successful transition. The term “activist,” intended to encompass environmental and other special interests, was included in the “customers” category. Activists are customers of the government in the sense that they organize citizens to exert political pressure to regulate the design of vehicles, fuel infrastructure, and roadway networks. Many who evaluate alternative fuels view activists, particularly environmental activists, as a separate category. Further, “activist” has become a pejorative term to many people. Therefore, we have used the word “advocate” or “activist/advocate” instead. Thus, in this update we recognize that environmental and other activists/advocates have been--and will continue to be--a powerful force promoting change in the nature of the fuels that are used in transportation.

  14. An updated checklist of aquatic plants of Myanmar and Thailand

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu Ito

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The flora of Tropical Asia is among the richest in the world, yet the actual diversity is estimated to be much higher than previously reported. Myanmar and Thailand are adjacent countries that together occupy more than the half the area of continental Tropical Asia. This geographic area is diverse ecologically, ranging from cool-temperate to tropical climates, and includes from coast, rainforests and high mountain elevations. An updated checklist of aquatic plants, which includes 78 species in 44 genera from 24 families, are presented based on floristic works. This number includes seven species, that have never been listed in the previous floras and checklists. The species (excluding non-indigenous taxa were categorized by five geographic groups with the exception of to reflect the rich diversity of the countries' floras.

  15. Human-system interface design review guideline -- Reviewer`s checklist: Final report. Revision 1, Volume 2

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1996-06-01

    NUREG-0700, Revision 1, provides human factors engineering (HFE) guidance to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff for its: (1) review of the human system interface (HSI) design submittals prepared by licensees or applications for a license or design certification of commercial nuclear power plants, and (2) performance of HSI reviews that could be undertaken as part of an inspection or other type of regulatory review involving HSI design or incidents involving human performance. The guidance consists of a review process and HFE guidelines. The document describes those aspects of the HSI design review process that are important to the identification and resolution of human engineering discrepancies that could adversely affect plant safety. Guidance is provided that could be used by the staff to review an applicant`s HSI design review process or to guide the development of an HSI design review plan, e.g., as part of an inspection activity. The document also provides detailed HFE guidelines for the assessment of HSI design implementations. NUREG-0700, Revision 1, consists of three stand-alone volumes. Volume 2 is a complete set of the guidelines contained in Volume 1, Part 2, but in a checklist format that can be used by reviewers to assemble sets of individual guidelines for use in specific design reviews. The checklist provides space for reviewers to enter guidelines evaluations and comments.

  16. Awareness and Use of Surgical Checklist among Theatre Users at Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ogunlusi, Johnson Dare; Yusuf, Moruf Babatunde; Ogunsuyi, Popoola Sunday; Wuraola, Obafemi K; Babalola, Waheed O; Oluwadiya, Kehinde Sunday; Ajogbasile, Oduwole Olayemi

    2017-01-01

    Surgical checklist was introduced by the World Health Organization to reduce the number of surgical deaths and complications. During a surgical conference on "safety in surgical practice," it was noticed that the awareness and the use of surgical checklist are poor in Nigerian hospitals. This study was aimed at determining the awareness and use of surgical checklist among the theater users in our hospital, factors militating against its implementation, and make recommendations. This is a prospective study at Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti; questionnaires were distributed to three groups of theater users - surgeons, anesthetists, and perioperative nurses. The responses were collated by the lead researcher, entered into Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, exported, and analyzed with SPSS. Eighty-five questionnaires were distributed, 70 were returned, and 4 were discarded due to poor filling. The studied 66 comprised 40, 12, and 14 surgeons, anesthetists, and perioperative nurses, respectively. Fifty-five (83.3%) of the responders indicated awareness of the checklist but only 12 (21.8%) correctly stated that the main objective is for patients' safety and for safe surgery. Major barriers to its use include lack of training 58.2%, lack of assertiveness of staff 58.2%, and that its delays operation list 47.2%. The study demonstrated high level of awareness of surgical checklist in our hospital; however, this awareness is based on wrong premises as it is not reflected in the true aim of the checklist. Majority of the responders would want to be trained on the use of checklist despite the highlighted barriers.

  17. Nuclear power plant organization and staffing for improved performance: Lessons learned

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1998-11-01

    Experience from well operated nuclear power plants (NPPs) around the world indicates that an organizational structure which efficiently supports plant operation is essential in economically achieving both high level of safety and operational performance. At the same time energy markets are being opened to competition in many Member States. It is in consideration of this new competitive energy market that the overall objective of this document is to provide NPP managers information on lessons learned on improving the organization and staffing of NPP activities. Within this overall objective, specific objectives are to: Identify organisational design and staffing principles, Provide examples of how NPPs implement these principles, Identify typical NPP staffing levels, Factors affecting these levels, and staffing trends among various NPP types. Although it is not expected that any particular utility or NPP manager would consider all of the suggestions provided here to be appropriate, it is anticipated that nearly every NPP manager in IAEA Member States would find some ideas useful in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of NPP activities

  18. Inspiring Creativity in Urban School Leaders: Lessons from the Performing Arts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaimal, Girija; Drescher, Jon; Fairbank, Holly; Gonzaga, Adele; White, George P.

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents an analysis of how guided engagement with the arts can provide leadership lessons for school leaders and administrators. The study was conducted as part of two projects funded by the School Leadership Program (SLP) grants from the U.S. Department of Education. The principal interns and practicing school leaders participated in…

  19. Factors Associated With Community Health Worker Performance Differ by Task in a Multi-Tasked Setting in Rural Zimbabwe.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kambarami, Rukundo A; Mbuya, Mduduzi Nn; Pelletier, David; Fundira, Dadirai; Tavengwa, Naume V; Stoltzfus, Rebecca J

    2016-06-20

    Zimbabwe, like most low-income countries, faces health worker shortages. Community health workers (CHWs) bridge this gap by delivering essential health services and nutrition interventions to communities. However, as workloads increase, CHWs' ability to provide quality services may be compromised. We studied influences upon CHWs' performance related to pregnancy surveillance and nutrition and hygiene education in rural Zimbabwe. In the context of a cluster-randomized trial conducted in 2 rural districts between November 2012 and March 2015, 342 government-employed CHWs identified and referred pregnant women for early antenatal care and delivered household-level behavior change lessons about infant feeding and hygiene to more than 5,000 women. In 2013, we conducted a survey among 322 of the CHWs to assess the association between demographic and work characteristics and task performance. Exploratory factor analyses of the Likert-type survey questions produced 8 distinct and reliable constructs of job satisfaction and motivation, supervision, peer support, and feedback (Cronbach α range, 0.68 to 0.92). Pregnancy surveillance performance was assessed from pregnancy referrals, and nutrition and hygiene education performance was assessed by taking the average summative score (range, 5 to 30) of lesson delivery observations completed by a nurse supervisor using a 6-item Likert-type checklist. Poisson and multiple linear regressions were used to test associations between CHW demographic and work characteristics and performance. CHWs who referred more pregnant women were female, unmarried, under 40 years old, from larger households, and of longer tenure. They also perceived work resources to be adequate and received positive feedback from supervisors and the community, but they were less satisfied with remuneration. CHWs with high scores on behavior change lesson delivery were from smaller households, and they received more supportive supervision but less operational

  20. Single-Blinded Prospective Implementation of a Preoperative Imaging Checklist for Endoscopic Sinus Surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Error, Marc; Ashby, Shaelene; Orlandi, Richard R; Alt, Jeremiah A

    2018-01-01

    Objective To determine if the introduction of a systematic preoperative sinus computed tomography (CT) checklist improves identification of critical anatomic variations in sinus anatomy among patients undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery. Study Design Single-blinded prospective cohort study. Setting Tertiary care hospital. Subjects and Methods Otolaryngology residents were asked to identify critical surgical sinus anatomy on preoperative CT scans before and after introduction of a systematic approach to reviewing sinus CT scans. The percentage of correctly identified structures was documented and compared with a 2-sample t test. Results A total of 57 scans were reviewed: 28 preimplementation and 29 postimplementation. Implementation of the sinus CT checklist improved identification of critical sinus anatomy from 24% to 84% correct ( P identification of sinus anatomic variants, including those not directly included in the systematic review implemented. Conclusion The implementation of a preoperative endoscopic sinus surgery radiographic checklist improves identification of critical anatomic sinus variations in a training population.

  1. Lessons learned from case studies of inhalation exposures of workers to radioactive aerosols

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hoover, M.D.; Fencl, A.F.; Newton, G.J. [and others

    1995-12-01

    Various Department of Energy requirements, rules, and orders mandate that lessons learned be identified, evaluated, shared, and incorporated into current practices. The recently issued, nonmandatory DOE standard for Development of DOE Lessons Learned Program states that a DOE-wide lessons learned program will {open_quotes}help to prevent recurrences of negative experiences, highlight best practices, and spotlight innovative ways to solve problems or perform work more safely, efficiently, and cost effectively.{close_quotes} Additional information about the lessons learned program is contained in the recently issued DOE handbook on Implementing U.S. Department of Energy Lessons Learned Programs and in October 1995 DOE SAfety Notice on Lessons Learned Programs. This report summarizes work in progress at ITRI to identify lessons learned for worker exposures to radioactive aerosols, and describes how this work will be incorporated into the DOE lessons learned program, including a new technical guide for measuring, modeling, and mitigating airborne radioactive particles. Follow-on work is focusing on preparation of {open_quotes}lessons learned{close_quotes} training materials for facility designers, managers, health protection professionals, line supervisors, and workers.

  2. Lessons learned from case studies of inhalation exposures of workers to radioactive aerosols

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoover, M.D.; Fencl, A.F.; Newton, G.J.

    1995-01-01

    Various Department of Energy requirements, rules, and orders mandate that lessons learned be identified, evaluated, shared, and incorporated into current practices. The recently issued, nonmandatory DOE standard for Development of DOE Lessons Learned Program states that a DOE-wide lessons learned program will open-quotes help to prevent recurrences of negative experiences, highlight best practices, and spotlight innovative ways to solve problems or perform work more safely, efficiently, and cost effectively.close quotes Additional information about the lessons learned program is contained in the recently issued DOE handbook on Implementing U.S. Department of Energy Lessons Learned Programs and in October 1995 DOE SAfety Notice on Lessons Learned Programs. This report summarizes work in progress at ITRI to identify lessons learned for worker exposures to radioactive aerosols, and describes how this work will be incorporated into the DOE lessons learned program, including a new technical guide for measuring, modeling, and mitigating airborne radioactive particles. Follow-on work is focusing on preparation of open-quotes lessons learnedclose quotes training materials for facility designers, managers, health protection professionals, line supervisors, and workers

  3. Measurement properties and implementation of a checklist to assess leadership skills during interdisciplinary rounds in the intensive care unit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ten Have, Elsbeth C M; Nap, Raoul E; Tulleken, Jaap E

    2015-01-01

    The implementation of interdisciplinary teams in the intensive care unit (ICU) has focused attention on leadership behavior. A daily recurrent situation in ICUs in which both leadership behavior and interdisciplinary teamwork are integrated concerns the interdisciplinary rounds (IDRs). Although IDRs are recommended to provide optimal interdisciplinary and patient-centered care, there are no checklists available for leading physicians. We tested the measurement properties and implementation of a checklist to assess the quality of leadership skills in interdisciplinary rounds. The measurement properties of the checklist, which included 10 essential quality indicators, were tested for interrater reliability and internal consistency and by factor analysis. The interrater reliability among 3 raters was good (κ, 0.85) and the internal consistency was acceptable (α, 0.74). Factor analysis showed all factor loadings on 1 domain (>0.65). The checklist was further implemented during videotaped IDRs which were led by senior physicians and in which 99 patients were discussed. Implementation of the checklist showed a wide range of "no" and "yes" scores among the senior physicians. These results may underline the need for such a checklist to ensure tasks are synchronized within the team.

  4. Summary of Planned Implementation for the HTGR Lessons Learned Applicable to the NGNP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mckirdy, Ian

    2011-01-01

    This document presents a reconciliation of the lessons learned during a 2010 comprehensive evaluation of pertinent lessons learned from past and present high temperature gas-cooled reactors that apply to the Next Generation Nuclear Plant Project along with current and planned activities. The data used are from the latest Idaho National Laboratory research and development plans, the conceptual design report from General Atomics, and the pebble bed reactor technology readiness study from AREVA. Only those lessons related to the structures, systems, and components of the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP), as documented in the recently updated lessons learned report are addressed. These reconciliations are ordered according to plant area, followed by the affected system, subsystem, or component; lesson learned; and finally an NGNP implementation statement. This report (1) provides cross references to the original lessons learned document, (2) describes the lesson learned, (3) provides the current NGNP implementation status with design data needs associated with the lesson learned, (4) identifies the research and development being performed related to the lesson learned, and (5) summarizes with a status of how the lesson learned has been addressed by the NGNP Project.

  5. Checklist "Open Access Policies": Analysis of the Open Access Policies of Public Universities in Austria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bruno Bauer

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This checklist provides an overview of the Open Access policies implemented at Austrian universities and extramural research institutions. Furthermore, the polices adopted at nine public universities are analyzed and the respective text modules are categorized thematically. The second part of the checklist presents measures for the promotion of Open Access following the implementation of an Open Access policy.

  6. Preparing for Emergencies: A Checklist for People with Neuromuscular Diseases

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Blanket and first aid kit q Shovel q Tire repair kit, booster cables, pump and flares q ... P-527 6/11 TORNADO • FLASH FLOOD • EARTHQUAKE • WINTER STORM Preparing for Emergencies A Checklist for People ...

  7. NDE performance demonstration in the US nuclear power industry - applications, costs, lessons learned, and connection to NDE reliability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ammirato, F.

    1997-01-01

    Periodic inservice inspection (ISI) of nuclear power plant components is performed in the United States to satisfy legal commitments and to provide plant owners with reliable information for managing degradation. Performance demonstration provides credible evidence that ISI will fulfill its objectives. This paper examines the technical requirements for inspection and discusses how these technical needs are used to develop effective performance demonstration applications. NDE reliability is discussed with particular reference to its role in structural integrity assessments and its connection with performance demonstration. It is shown that the role of NDE reliability can range from very small to critical depending on the particular application and must be considered carefully in design of inspection techniques and performance demonstration programs used to qualify the inspection. Finally, the costs, benefits, and problems associated with performance demonstration are reviewed along with lessons learned from more than 15 years of performance demonstration experience in the US. (orig.)

  8. A preliminary checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A preliminary species checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of. Kakamega Forest, Western Kenya, is presented. The species list is based on specimens sampled from 1999 until 2009, which are deposited in the ant collection of the Zoological Research Museum Koenig, Bonn, Germany, and the Natural History ...

  9. Snakes of Sulawesi: checklist, key and additional Biogeographical remarks

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bosch, in den H.A.J.

    1985-01-01

    A checklist with concise synonymy and a key to the snakes of Sulawesi is presented, comprising 63 species in 38 genera; 3 subspecies and 15 species, of which one constitutes a monotypic genus, are considered endemic. There is a strong Indo-Malayan relationship. Sea-snakes and Candoia carinata

  10. Awareness and use of surgical checklist among theatre users at Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Johnson Dare Ogunlusi

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Surgical checklist was introduced by the World Health Organization to reduce the number of surgical deaths and complications. During a surgical conference on “safety in surgical practice,” it was noticed that the awareness and the use of surgical checklist are poor in Nigerian hospitals. This study was aimed at determining the awareness and use of surgical checklist among the theater users in our hospital, factors militating against its implementation, and make recommendations. Methods: This is a prospective study at Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti; questionnaires were distributed to three groups of theater users – surgeons, anesthetists, and perioperative nurses. The responses were collated by the lead researcher, entered into Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, exported, and analyzed with SPSS. Results: Eighty-five questionnaires were distributed, 70 were returned, and 4 were discarded due to poor filling. The studied 66 comprised 40, 12, and 14 surgeons, anesthetists, and perioperative nurses, respectively. Fifty-five (83.3% of the responders indicated awareness of the checklist but only 12 (21.8% correctly stated that the main objective is for patients' safety and for safe surgery. Major barriers to its use include lack of training 58.2%, lack of assertiveness of staff 58.2%, and that its delays operation list 47.2%. Conclusion: The study demonstrated high level of awareness of surgical checklist in our hospital; however, this awareness is based on wrong premises as it is not reflected in the true aim of the checklist. Majority of the responders would want to be trained on the use of checklist despite the highlighted barriers.

  11. Teaching Technology: From Knowing to Feeling Enhancing Emotional and Content Acquisition Performance through Gardner's Multiple Intelligences Theory in Technology and Design Lessons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanchez-Martin, Jesus; Alvarez-Gragera, Garcia J.; Davila-Acedo, Maria Antonia; Mellado, Vicente

    2017-01-01

    Gardner's Multiple Intelligences Theory (MIT) can be a cognitive and emotional improvement if is taken into account in the standard development of the Technology lessons. This work presents a preliminary evaluation of the performance enhancement in two concomitant aspects: contents acquisition and emotional yield. The study was made on up to 150…

  12. Patient safety ward round checklist via an electronic app: implications for harm prevention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keller, C; Arsenault, S; Lamothe, M; Bostan, S R; O'Donnell, R; Harbison, J; Doherty, C P

    2017-11-06

    Patient safety is a value at the core of modern healthcare. Though awareness in the medical community is growing, implementing systematic approaches similar to those used in other high reliability industries is proving difficult. The aim of this research was twofold, to establish a baseline for patient safety practices on routine ward rounds and to test the feasibility of implementing an electronic patient safety checklist application. Two research teams were formed; one auditing a medical team to establish a procedural baseline of "usual care" practice and an intervention team concurrently was enforcing the implementation of the checklist. The checklist was comprised of eight standard clinical practice items. The program was conducted over a 2-week period and 1 month later, a retrospective analysis of patient charts was conducted using a global trigger tool to determine variance between the experimental groups. Finally, feedback from the physician participants was considered. The results demonstrated a statistically significant difference on five variables of a total of 16. The auditing team observed low adherence to patient identification (0.0%), hand decontamination (5.5%), and presence of nurse on ward rounds (6.8%). Physician feedback was generally positive. The baseline audit demonstrated significant practice bias on daily ward rounds which tended to omit several key-proven patient safety practices such as prompting hand decontamination and obtaining up to date reports from nursing staff. Results of the intervention arm demonstrate the feasibility of using the Checklist App on daily ward rounds.

  13. Can the Children's Communication Checklist differentiate within the autistic spectrum?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Verte, S; Geurts, H.M.; Roeyers, H.; Rosseel, Y.; Oosterlaan, J.; Sergeant, J.A.

    2006-01-01

    The study explored whether children with high functioning autism (HFA), Asperger syndrome (AS), and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) can be differentiated on the Children's Communication Checklist (CCC). The study also investigated whether empirically derived

  14. Crisis checklists for in-hospital emergencies: expert consensus, simulation testing and recommendations for a template determined by a multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary learning collaborative.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Subbe, Christian P; Kellett, John; Barach, Paul; Chaloner, Catriona; Cleaver, Hayley; Cooksley, Tim; Korsten, Erik; Croke, Eilish; Davis, Elinor; De Bie, Ashley Jr; Durham, Lesley; Hancock, Chris; Hartin, Jilian; Savijn, Tracy; Welch, John

    2017-05-08

    'Failure to rescue' of hospitalized patients with deteriorating physiology on general wards is caused by a complex array of organisational, technical and cultural failures including a lack of standardized team and individual expected responses and actions. The aim of this study using a learning collaborative method was to develop consensus recomendations on the utility and effectiveness of checklists as training and operational tools to assist in improving the skills of general ward staff on the effective rescue of patients with abnormal physiology. A scoping study of the literature was followed by a multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary international learning collaborative. We sought to achieve a consensus on procedures and clinical simulation technology to determine the requirements, develop and test a safe using a checklist template that is rapidly accessible to assist in emergency management of common events for general ward use. Safety considerations about deteriorating patients were agreed upon and summarized. A consensus was achieved among an international group of experts on currently available checklist formats performing poorly in simulation testing as first responders in general ward clinical crises. The Crisis Checklist Collaborative ratified a consensus template for a general ward checklist that provides a list of issues for first responders to address (i.e. 'Check In'), a list of prompts regarding common omissions (i.e. 'Stop & Think'), and, a list of items required for the safe "handover" of patients that remain on the general ward (i.e. 'Check Out'). Simulation usability assessment of the template demonstrated feasibility for clinical management of deteriorating patients. Emergency checklists custom-designed for general ward patients have the potential to guide the treatment speed and reliability of responses for emergency management of patients with abnormal physiology while minimizing the risk of adverse events. Interventional trials are

  15. Effect of Engaging Trainees by Assessing Peer Performance

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Loumann Krogh, Charlotte; Ringsted, Charlotte; Kromann, Charles B

    2014-01-01

    during training. Outcome measures were in-training performance and performance, both of which were measured two weeks after the course. Trainees' performances were videotaped and assessed by two expert raters using a checklist that included a global rating. Trainees' satisfaction with the training...... was also evaluated. RESULTS: The intervention group obtained a significantly higher overall in-training performance score than the control group: mean checklist score 20.87 (SD 2.51) versus 19.14 (SD 2.65) P = 0.003 and mean global rating 3.25 SD (0.99) versus 2.95 (SD 1.09) P = 0.014. Postcourse...

  16. A compiled checklist of seaweeds of Sudanese Red Sea coast

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nahid Abdel Rahim Osman

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To present an updated and compiled checklist of Sudanese seaweeds as an example for the region for conservational as well as developmental purposes. Methods: The checklist was developed based on both field investigations using line transect method at 4 sites along the Red Sea coast of Sudan and review of available studies done on Sudanese seaweeds. Results: In total 114 macroalgal names were recorded and were found to be distributed in 16 orders, 34 families, and 62 genera. The Rhodophyceae macroalgae contained 8 orders, 17 families, 32 genera and 47 species. The Phaeophyceae macroalgae composed of 4 orders, 5 families, 17 genera, and 28 species. The 39 species of the Chlorophyceae macroalgae belong to 2 classes, 4 orders, 12 families, and 14 genera. The present paper proposed the addition of 11 macroalgal taxa to be included in Sudan seaweeds species list. These include 3 red seaweed species, 1 brown seaweed species and 7 green seaweed species. Conclusions: This list is not yet inclusive and it only represents the macroalgal species common to the intertidal areas of Sudan Red Sea coast. Further investigation may reveal the presence of more species. While significant levels of diversity and endemism were revealed for other groups of organisms in the Red Sea region, similar work still has to be performed for seaweeds. Considering the impact of climate change on communities’ structure and composition and the growing risk of maritime transportation through the Red Sea particularly that may originate from oil tankers as well as that may emanate from oil exploration, baseline data on seaweeds are highly required for management purposes.

  17. Patient safety in thoracic surgery and European Society of Thoracic Surgeons checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Novoa, Nuria M

    2015-04-01

    Improving patient safety seems to be a new interesting clinical subject but, in fact, it is no new. It has to do with one of the oldest ethical principles of our profession: curing and not harming. The important research that has been done in a short period of time has brought in new insight to this complex area that is fast developing. The creation of safety managing systems will allow coordinating efforts from very different, although complementary, areas to create real safety culture and safety climate in every organization. In the surgical settings, teamwork is basic to provide good quality of care. Safety leaders in every team have an important role in establishing priorities, summarizing proposals, coordinating efforts, launching new initiatives and transmitting that safety efforts are worth taken. Preparedness and anticipation are key points for avoiding most of the diverse types of patient harm that can occur. As has been published, a great number of errors can be avoided simply using crosscheck based on specialized checklist that reviews every important detail of the procedure. This strategy has been demonstrated very useful at other high risk industries such as aviation, nuclear or food management. The Safe Surgery Saves Lives program launched in 2002 by the WHO has taught us that improvement is possible using a simple checklist. More complex and detail checklist can be more adequate for more complex procedures and settings. The proposed ESTS checklist reviews different areas of possible error in deeper detail allowing the finest adjustment of the patient before the skin incision. It has been recently released to the general thoracic community and monitors its use and usefulness has to be warrantied.

  18. An annotated checklist of the aquatic Polyphaga (Coleoptera) of Egypt I. Family Hydraenidae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salah, Mohamed; Cueto, Juan Antonio Régil; Valladares, Luis F

    2014-10-16

    Data from previous literature were used to compile a checklist of the Egyptian fauna of Hydraenidae (Coleoptera). The checklist includes data on the type localities, type specimens, descriptors, distributions and previous literature for 15 valid species belonging to 3 genera (Hydraena, Limnebius and Ochthebius). Ochthebius was represented by 13 species, while Hydraena and Limnebius were represented only by a single species for each of them. The present study provides a summary that can serve as the basis for future progress in the knowledge of the Egyptian Hydraenidae. 

  19. A checklist of mammals of Kerala, India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. O. Nameer

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available A checklist of mammals of Kerala State is presented in this paper. Accepted English names, scientific binomen, prevalent vernacular names in Malayalam, IUCN conservation status, endemism, Indian Wildlife (Protection Act schedules, and the appendices in the CITES, pertaining to the mammals of Kerala are also given. The State of Kerala has 118 species of mammals, 15 of which are endemic to Western Ghats, and 29 species fall under the various threatened categories of IUCN.  

  20. Implementation of an Electronic Checklist to Improve Patient Handover From Ward to Operating Room

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Münter, Kristine H; Møller, Thea P; Østergaard, Doris

    2017-01-01

    risk factors. The aim of this study was to describe the implementation process and completion rate of a new preoperative, ward-to-OR checklist. Our goal was a 90% fulfillment. METHOD: This study is a prospective, observational study in a Danish University Hospital including all patients undergoing......OBJECTIVE: Research has identified numerous safety risks in perioperative patient handover. In handover from ward to operating room (OR), patients are often transferred by a third person. This adds to the risk of loss of important information and of caregivers in the OR not identifying possible...... surgery in 2013. The checklist was a screen page with 27 checkboxes of information relevant for a safe handover. The checklist should be completed in the ward before handover to the OR and should be checked in the OR before receiving the patient. The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle method was used...

  1. A report on developing a checklist to assess company plans focused on improving safety awareness, safe behaviour and safety culture: final report

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Steijger, N.; Starren, H.; Keus, M.; Gort, J.; Vervoort, M.

    2003-01-01

    This report describes the process of developing a checklist to asses company plans focused on improving safety awareness, safe behaviour and safety culture. These plans are part of a programme initiated by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment aiming at improving the safety performance of

  2. Integrating Assessment into Teaching Practices: Using Checklists for Business Writing Assignments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vice, Janna P.; Carnes, Lana W.

    2002-01-01

    Explains how to use checklists as a tool for developing, implementing, and evaluating business writing assignments. Gives an example of their use with memoranda, short reports, and analytical field reports. (SK)

  3. Implementing a lessons learned process at Sandia National Laboratories

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fosshage, Erik D.; Drewien, Celeste A.; Eras, Kenneth; Hartwig, Ronald Craig; Post, Debra S.; Stoecker, Nora Kathleen

    2016-01-01

    The Lessons Learned Process Improvement Team was tasked to gain an understanding of the existing lessons learned environment within the major programs at Sandia National Laboratories, identify opportunities for improvement in that environment as compared to desired attributes, propose alternative implementations to address existing inefficiencies, perform qualitative evaluations of alternative implementations, and recommend one or more near-term activities for prototyping and/or implementation. This report documents the work and findings of the team.

  4. Web-based computational chemistry education with CHARMMing I: Lessons and tutorial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Benjamin T; Singh, Rishi P; Schalk, Vinushka; Pevzner, Yuri; Sun, Jingjun; Miller, Carrie S; Boresch, Stefan; Ichiye, Toshiko; Brooks, Bernard R; Woodcock, H Lee

    2014-07-01

    This article describes the development, implementation, and use of web-based "lessons" to introduce students and other newcomers to computer simulations of biological macromolecules. These lessons, i.e., interactive step-by-step instructions for performing common molecular simulation tasks, are integrated into the collaboratively developed CHARMM INterface and Graphics (CHARMMing) web user interface (http://www.charmming.org). Several lessons have already been developed with new ones easily added via a provided Python script. In addition to CHARMMing's new lessons functionality, web-based graphical capabilities have been overhauled and are fully compatible with modern mobile web browsers (e.g., phones and tablets), allowing easy integration of these advanced simulation techniques into coursework. Finally, one of the primary objections to web-based systems like CHARMMing has been that "point and click" simulation set-up does little to teach the user about the underlying physics, biology, and computational methods being applied. In response to this criticism, we have developed a freely available tutorial to bridge the gap between graphical simulation setup and the technical knowledge necessary to perform simulations without user interface assistance.

  5. Web-based computational chemistry education with CHARMMing I: Lessons and tutorial.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Benjamin T Miller

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available This article describes the development, implementation, and use of web-based "lessons" to introduce students and other newcomers to computer simulations of biological macromolecules. These lessons, i.e., interactive step-by-step instructions for performing common molecular simulation tasks, are integrated into the collaboratively developed CHARMM INterface and Graphics (CHARMMing web user interface (http://www.charmming.org. Several lessons have already been developed with new ones easily added via a provided Python script. In addition to CHARMMing's new lessons functionality, web-based graphical capabilities have been overhauled and are fully compatible with modern mobile web browsers (e.g., phones and tablets, allowing easy integration of these advanced simulation techniques into coursework. Finally, one of the primary objections to web-based systems like CHARMMing has been that "point and click" simulation set-up does little to teach the user about the underlying physics, biology, and computational methods being applied. In response to this criticism, we have developed a freely available tutorial to bridge the gap between graphical simulation setup and the technical knowledge necessary to perform simulations without user interface assistance.

  6. The Value of a Checklist for Child Abuse in Out-of-Hours Primary Care: To Screen or Not to Screen.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schouten, Maartje Cm; van Stel, Henk F; Verheij, Theo Jm; Houben, Michiel L; Russel, Ingrid Mb; Nieuwenhuis, Edward Es; van de Putte, Elise M

    2017-01-01

    To assess the diagnostic value of the screening instrument SPUTOVAMO-R2 (checklist, 5 questions) for child abuse at Out-of-hours Primary Care locations (OPC), by comparing the test outcome with information from Child Protection Services (CPS). Secondary, to determine whether reducing the length of the checklist compromises diagnostic value. All children (abuse (32.8%). The positive predictive value (PPV) of the checklist for child abuse was 8.3 (95% CI 3.9-15.2). The negative predictive value (NPV) was 99.1 (98.8-99.3), with 52 false negatives. When the length of the checklist was reduced to two questions closely related to the medical process (SPUTOVAMO-R3), the PPV was 9.1 (3.7-17.8) and the NPV 99.1 (98.7-99.3). These two questions are on the injury in relation to the history, and the interaction between child and parents. The checklist SPUTOVAMO-R2 has a low detection rate of child abuse within the OPC setting, and a high false positive rate. Therefore, we recommend to use the shortened checklist only as a tool to increase the awareness of child abuse and not as a diagnostic instrument.

  7. Reporting Experiments in Homeopathic Basic Research—Description of the Checklist Development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B. Stock-Schröer

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this study was to develop a criteria catalogue serving as a guideline for authors to improve quality of reporting experiments in basic research in homeopathy. A Delphi Process was initiated including three rounds of adjusting and phrasing plus two consensus conferences. European researchers who published experimental work within the last 5 years were involved. A checklist for authors provide a catalogue with 23 criteria. The “Introduction” should focus on underlying hypotheses, the homeopathic principle investigated and state if experiments are exploratory or confirmatory. “Materials and methods” should comprise information on object of investigation, experimental setup, parameters, intervention and statistical methods. A more detailed description on the homeopathic substances, for example, manufacture, dilution method, starting point of dilution is required. A further result of the Delphi process is to raise scientists' awareness of reporting blinding, allocation, replication, quality control and system performance controls. The part “Results” should provide the exact number of treated units per setting which were included in each analysis and state missing samples and drop outs. Results presented in tables and figures are as important as appropriate measures of effect size, uncertainty and probability. “Discussion” in a report should depict more than a general interpretation of results in the context of current evidence but also limitations and an appraisal of aptitude for the chosen experimental model. Authors of homeopathic basic research publications are encouraged to apply our checklist when preparing their manuscripts. Feedback is encouraged on applicability, strength and limitations of the list to enable future revisions.

  8. Biomimicry as a route to new materials: what kinds of lessons are useful?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reed, Emily J; Klumb, Lisa; Koobatian, Maxwell; Viney, Christopher

    2009-04-28

    We consider the attributes of a successful engineered material, acknowledging the contributions of composition and processing to properties and performance. We recognize the potential for relevant lessons to be learned from nature, at the same time conceding both the limitations of such lessons and our need to be selective. We then give some detailed attention to the molecular biomimicry of filamentous phage, the process biomimicry of silk and the structure biomimicry of hippopotamus 'sweat', in each case noting that the type of lesson now being learned is not the same as the potential lesson that originally motivated the study.

  9. Development and Reliability of the Comprehensive Crisis Plan Checklist

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aspiranti, Kathleen B.; Pelchar, Taylor K.; McCLeary, Daniel F.; Bain, Sherry K.; Foster, Lisa N.

    2011-01-01

    It is of vital importance that children are educated in a safe environment. Every school needs to have a well-developed crisis management document containing plans for prevention, intervention, and postvention. We developed the Comprehensive Crisis Plan Checklist (CCPC) to serve as a valuable tool that can be used to assist practitioners with…

  10. Stability of the pregnancy obsessive compulsive personality disorder symptoms checklist

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Broekhoven, K.E.M.; Karreman, A.; Hartman, E.E.; Pop, V.J.M.

    2018-01-01

    Because stability over time is central to the definition of personality disorder, aim of the current study was to determine the stability of the Pregnancy Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) Symptoms Checklist (N = 199 women). Strong positive correlations between assessments at 32 weeks

  11. Prose Checklist: Strategies for Improving School-to-Home Written Communication

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nagro, Sarah A.

    2015-01-01

    Effective communication enhances school-family partnerships. Written communication is a common, efficient way of communicating with families, but potential barriers to effective communication include readability level, clarity of presentation, complexity of format, and structural components. The PROSE Checklist presented in this article can…

  12. The effect of physician feedback and an action checklist on diabetes care measures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schectman, Joel M; Schorling, John B; Nadkarni, Mohan M; Lyman, Jason A; Siadaty, Mir S; Voss, John D

    2004-01-01

    The objective was to evaluate whether physician feedback accompanied by an action checklist improved diabetes care process measures. Eighty-three physicians in an academic general medicine clinic were provided a single feedback report on the most recent date and result of diabetes care measures (glycosylated hemoglobin [A1c], urine microalbumin, serum creatinine, lipid levels, retinal examination) as well as recent diabetes medication refills with calculated dosing and adherence on 789 patients. An educational session regarding the feedback and adherence information was provided. The physicians were asked to complete a checklist accompanying the feedback on each of their patients, indicating requested actions with respect to follow-up, testing, and counseling. The physicians completed 82% of patient checklists, requesting actions consistent with patient needs on the basis of the feedback. Of the physicians, 93% felt the patient information and intervention format to be useful. The odds of urine microalbumin testing, serum creatinine, lipid profile, A1c, and retinal examination increased in the 6 months after the feedback. The increase was sustained at 1 year only for microalbumin and retinal exams. There was no significant change in refill adherence for the group overall after the feedback, although adherence did improve among patients of physicians attending the educational session. No significant change was noted in lipid or A1c levels during the study period. In conclusion, a simple physician feedback tool with action checklist can be both helpful and popular for improving rates of diabetes care guideline adherence. More complex interventions are likely required to improve diabetes outcomes.

  13. Guidelines and checklist for the energetic optimization of municipal waste incinerator plants; Anleitung mit Checkliste zur Energieoptimierung von Kehrichtverbrennungsanlagen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Egli, S.

    2005-07-01

    In municipal waste treatment plants energy is produced by burning the waste in a boiler. The hot flue gases from the boiler are cooled when they transfer their heat energy to steam passing through nearby pipes. This heated steam, in turn, not only transfers its energy to a turbogenerator to produce electricity, but is also used for district heating (hot water and/or steam). The electricity from the turbogenerator is used for the plant's own needs and surplus power is sold to the public grid. The overall energy efficiency of individual plants vary from under 20% for pure generation of electricity to over 70% for combined heat and power generation and year-round utilisation of heat. A rough evaluation of the existing statistical data of Swiss waste treatment plants shows that both the generation of electricity and implementation of district heating have a considerable potential for optimisation. The generation of electricity has a considerable optimisation potential realisable by not only lowering the plant's own electricity consumption, but also by increasing the efficiency of the electricity generation itself. This report offers a summary of solutions for overall optimisation and provides a catalogue of measures including checklists for the individual plant areas, allowing improvement measures to be systematically determined. The checklists are thus an aid allowing fast estimation of the optimisation potential. (author)

  14. [Evaluation of the quality of clinical practice guidelines published in the Annales de Biologie Clinique with the help of the EFLM checklist].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wils, Julien; Fonfrède, Michèle; Augereau, Christine; Watine, Joseph

    2014-01-01

    Several tools are available to help evaluate the quality of clinical practice guidelines (CPG). The AGREE instrument (Appraisal of guidelines for research & evaluation) is the most consensual tool but it has been designed to assess CPG methodology only. The European federation of laboratory medicine (EFLM) recently designed a check-list dedicated to laboratory medicine which is supposed to be comprehensive and which therefore makes it possible to evaluate more thoroughly the quality of CPG in laboratory medicine. In the present work we test the comprehensiveness of this check-list on a sample of CPG written in French and published in Annales de biologie clinique (ABC). Thus we show that some work remains to be achieved before a truly comprehensive check-list is designed. We also show that there is some room for improvement for the CPG published in ABC, for example regarding the fact that some of these CPG do not provide any information about allowed durations of transport and of storage of biological samples before analysis, or about standards of minimal analytical performance, or about the sensitivities or the specificities of the recommended tests.

  15. The COURAGE Built Environment Outdoor Checklist: an objective built environment instrument to investigate the impact of the environment on health and disability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quintas, Rui; Raggi, Alberto; Bucciarelli, Paola; Franco, Maria Grazia; Andreotti, Alessandra; Caballero, Francisco Félix; Olaya, Beatriz; Chatterji, Somnath; Galas, Aleksander; Meriläinen-Porras, Satu; Frisoni, Giovanni; Russo, Emanuela; Minicuci, Nadia; Power, Mick; Leonardi, Matilde

    2014-01-01

    A tool to assess the built environment, which takes into account issues of disability, accessibility and the need for data comparable across countries and populations, is much needed. The Collaborative Research on Ageing in Europe (COURAGE) in Europe Built Environment Outdoor Checklist (CBE-OUT) helps us to understand when features of the neighbourhood environment have either a positive or negative impact on the accessibility of neighbourhoods for healthy ageing. The CBE-OUT is composed of 128 items that can be recorded when present in the evaluated environment. Audits were performed in households randomly selected from each cluster of the sample for Finland, Poland and Spain, following precise rules defined by experts. Global scores were computed both section by section and in the overall checklist, rescaling the resulting scores from 0 (negative environment) to 100 (positive). The total number of completed CBE-OUT checklists was 2452 (Finland, 245; Poland, 972; and Spain, 1235). Mean global score for our sample is 49.3, suggesting an environment composed both of facilitating and hindering features. Significant differences were observed in the built environment features of the three countries and in particular between Finland and the other two. The assessment of features of built environment is crucial when thinking about ageing and enhanced participation. The COURAGE in Europe project developed this tool to collect information on built environment in an objective evaluation of environmental features and is a recommended methodology for future studies. The CBE-OUT checklist is an objective evaluation of the built environment and is centred on technical measurement of features present in the environment and has its foundations in the concepts of disability and accessibility operating in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) model. The CBE-OUT checklist can be analysed using both the total score and the single section score

  16. Using a Checklist to Access Communication Skills in Last Year Medical Students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mitra Amini

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available Background and purpose: Available data indicate the quality of doctor-patient communication has a significant impact on patient satisfaction, medical outcomes, medical costs, and the likelihood of a physician experiencing a malpractice claim. Assessment of communication skills is a very important issue. Since a good assessment can show strengths and weaknesses of this process and feedback can improve the behavior, this study was designed to measure communication skill of last year medicalstudents (interns in Jahrom medical school by an observational checklist.Methods: This study is a cross sectional study to access communication skills of interns of Jahrom medical school in southeast Iran, a checklist was designed for this purpose. Checklist completed with direct observation by an educated general practitioner. The researcher observed the interns inMotahari and Peymanie,(2 teaching hospitals of Jahrom medical school.The interns ignored about checklist material to prevent observational bias. Findings were analyzed using SPSS software.Results: 32(55%of medical interns were female and 26(45% were male. under category of interview conduction the best results was due to acceptable appearance of interns that 48 interns(82.8%hadacceptable appearance. nearly half of the interns didn’t say hello to patients and great them. none of the interns introduce themselves to patients. . Under category of interview conduction the bestresults was due to responding properly to patient questions. Under category of interview completion the results showed that the behavior of interns in this part was not acceptable and this part of communication was the worst part.Conclusion: The results of our study reflect that it is necessary to introduce a sustained, coherent and integrated communication skill training program into the medical curriculum.Key words: COMMUNICATION SKILLS, INTERNS, ASSESSMENT

  17. Collecting lessons learned : How project-based organizations in the oil and gas industry learn from their projects

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Buttler, T.

    2016-01-01

    Project-based organizations collect lessons learned in order to improve the performance of projects. They aim to repeat successes by using positive lessons learned, and to avoid repeating negative experiences by using negative lessons learned. Cooke-Davies (2002) claimed that the ability to learn

  18. Rock slopes and reservoirs - lessons learned

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moore, D.P.

    1999-01-01

    Lessons learned about slope stability in the course of four decades of monitoring, and in some cases stabilizing, slopes along British Columbia's hydroelectric reservoirs are discussed. The lessons are illustrated by short case histories of some of the more important slopes such as Little Chief Slide, Dutchman's Ridge, Downie Slide, Checkerboard Creek and Wahleach. Information derived from the monitoring and other investigations are compared with early interpretations of geology and slope performance. The comparison serves as an indicator of progress in slope stability determination and as a measure of the value of accumulated experience in terms of the potential consequences to safety and cost savings over the long life-span of hydroelectric projects.14 refs., 2 tabs., 15 figs

  19. Checklist of the flower flies of Ecuador (Diptera, Syrphidae)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marín-Armijos, Diego; Quezada-Ríos, Noelia; Soto-Armijos, Carolina; Mengual, Ximo

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Syrphidae is one of the most speciose families of true flies, with more than 6,100 described species and worldwide distribution. They are important for humans acting as crucial pollinators, biological control agents, decomposers, and bioindicators. One third of its diversity is found in the Neotropical Region, but the taxonomic knowledge for this region is incomplete. Thus, taxonomic revisions and species checklists of Syrphidae in the Neotropics are the highest priority for biodiversity studies. Therefore, we present the first checklist of Syrphidae for Ecuador based on literature records, and provide as well the original reference for the first time species citations for the country. A total of 201 species were recorded for Ecuador, with more than 600 records from 24 provinces and 237 localities. Tungurahua, Pastaza, and Galápagos were the best sampled provinces. Although the reported Ecuadorian syrphid fauna only comprises 11.2 % of the described Neotropical species, Ecuador has the third highest flower fly diversity density after Costa Rica and Suriname. These data indicate the high species diversity for this country in such small geographic area. PMID:29200924

  20. Checklist of the flower flies of Ecuador (Diptera, Syrphidae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Diego Marín-Armijos

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Syrphidae is one of the most speciose families of true flies, with more than 6,100 described species and worldwide distribution. They are important for humans acting as crucial pollinators, biological control agents, decomposers, and bioindicators. One third of its diversity is found in the Neotropical Region, but the taxonomic knowledge for this region is incomplete. Thus, taxonomic revisions and species checklists of Syrphidae in the Neotropics are the highest priority for biodiversity studies. Therefore, we present the first checklist of Syrphidae for Ecuador based on literature records, and provide as well the original reference for the first time species citations for the country. A total of 201 species were recorded for Ecuador, with more than 600 records from 24 provinces and 237 localities. Tungurahua, Pastaza, and Galápagos were the best sampled provinces. Although the reported Ecuadorian syrphid fauna only comprises 11.2 % of the described Neotropical species, Ecuador has the third highest flower fly diversity density after Costa Rica and Suriname. These data indicate the high species diversity for this country in such small geographic area.

  1. Regulatory inspection of the egyptian gamma irradiator using a proposed inspection checklist

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abdel-Ghani, A.H.

    2000-01-01

    Regulatory inspections are one of the most important elements of a regulatory programme. It shall be performed in all areas of the regulatory responsibility and during all phases of siting, design, construction, commissioning, operation, maintenance and decommissioning of an irradiator facility. The egyptian mega gamma irradiator operating since december 1979 has a Co-60 source of about 400 kilo curies and is used mainly for sterilization of medical supplies and pharmaceuticals and for preservation of some food stuffs. The constructor (Nordion international Inc.) recommended an extensive inspection programme. In accordance with the international and national (2.3) regulations as well as the licensing conditions, the competent authority (NCNSRC) shall perform regulatory inspections both announced and unannounced. In order to facilitate the inspection task and to harmonize the inspection reports a checklist for inspection is proposed which can be used also as an inspection report form

  2. An Annotated Checklist of the Mammals of Kuwait

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter J. Cowan

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available An annotated checklist of the mammals of Kuwait is presented, based on the literature, personal communications, a Kuwait website and a blog and the author’s observations. Twenty five species occur, a further four are uncommon or rare visitors, six used to occur whilst another two are of doubtful provenance. This list should assist those planning desert rehabilitation, animal reintroduction and protected area projects in Kuwait.

  3. Development of a Checklist for Assessing Good Hygiene Practices of Fresh-Cut Fruits and Vegetables Using Focus Group Interviews.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Araújo, Jane A M; Esmerino, Erick A; Alvarenga, Verônica O; Cappato, Leandro P; Hora, Iracema C; Silva, Marcia Cristina; Freitas, Monica Q; Pimentel, Tatiana C; Walter, Eduardo H M; Sant'Ana, Anderson S; Cruz, Adriano G

    2018-03-01

    This study aimed to develop a checklist for good hygiene practices (GHP) for raw material of vegetable origin using the focus groups (FGs) approach (n = 4). The final checklist for commercialization of horticultural products totaled 28 questions divided into six blocks, namely: water supply; hygiene, health, and training; waste control; control of pests; packaging and traceability; and hygiene of facilities and equipment. The FG methodology was efficient to elaborate a participatory and objective checklist, based on minimum hygiene requirements, serving as a tool for diagnosis, planning, and training in GHP of fresh vegetables, besides contributing to raise awareness of the consumers' food safety. The FG methodology provided useful information to establish the final checklist for GHP, with easy application, according to the previous participants' perception and experience.

  4. Connecting polar research to NGSS STEM classroom lessons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brinker, R.; Kast, D.

    2016-12-01

    Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are designed to bring consistent, rigorous science teaching across the United States. Topics are categorized as Performance Expectations (PE), Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI), Cross-Cutting Concepts (CCC), and Science and Engineering Practices (SEP). NGSS includes a focus on environmental science and climate change across grade levels. Earth and planetary sciences are required at the high school level. Integrating polar science lessons into NGSS classrooms brings relevant, rigorous climate change curriculum across grade levels. Polar science provides opportunities for students to use current data during lessons, conduct their own field work, and collaborate with scientists. Polar science provides a framework of learning that is novel to most students. Inquiry and engagement are high with polar science lessons. Phenomenon related to polar science provide an excellent tool for science teachers to use to engage students in a lesson, stimulate inquiry, and promote critical thinking. When taught effectively, students see the connections between their community, polar regions and climate change, regardless of where on the planet students live. This presentation describes examples of how to effectively implement NGSS lessons by incorporating polar science lessons and field research. Examples of introductory phenomenon and aligned PEs, CCCs, DCIs, and SEPs are given. Suggested student activities, assessments, examples of student work, student research, labs, and PolarTREC fieldwork, use of current science data, and connections to scientists in the field are provided. The goals of the presentation are to give teachers a blueprint to follow when implementing NGSS lessons, and give scientists an understanding of the basics of NGSS so they may be better able to relate their work to U.S. science education and be more effective communicators of their science findings.

  5. Preliminary checklist of amphibians and reptiles from Baramita, Guyana

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reynolds, R.P.; MacCulloch, R.D.

    2012-01-01

    We provide an initial checklist of the herpetofauna of Baramita, a lowland rainforest site in the Northwest Region of Guyana. Twenty-five amphibian and 28 reptile species were collected during two separate dry-season visits. New country records for two species of snakes are documented, contributing to the knowledge on the incompletely known herpetofauna of Guyana.

  6. A nuclear power plant certification test plan and checklist

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Halverson, S.M.

    1989-01-01

    Regulations within the nuclear industry are requiring that all reference plant simulators be certified prior to or during 1991. A certification test plan is essential to ensure that this goal is met. A description of each step in the certification process is provided in this paper, along with a checklist to help ensure completion of each item

  7. Situation Awareness in Sea Kayaking: Towards a Practical Checklist

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aadland, Eivind; Vikene, Odd Lennart; Varley, Peter; Moe, Vegard Fusche

    2017-01-01

    Ever-changing weather and sea conditions constitute environmental hazards that sea kayakers must pay attention to and act upon to stay safe. The aim of this study was to propose a tool to aid sea kayakers' situation awareness (SA). We developed a checklist guided by theory on the concept of SA and expert problem detection, judgement and…

  8. Investing in the use of a checklist during differential diagnoses consideration: what's the trade-off?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chew, Keng Sheng; van Merrienboer, Jeroen J G; Durning, Steven J

    2017-11-29

    A key challenge clinicians face when considering differential diagnoses is whether the patient data have been adequately collected. Insufficient data may inadvertently lead to premature closure of the diagnostic process. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that the application of a mnemonic checklist helps to stimulate more patient data collection, thus leading to better diagnostic consideration. A total of 88 final year medical students were assigned to either an educational intervention group or a control group in a non-equivalent group post-test only design. Participants in the intervention group received a tutorial on the use of a mnemonic checklist aimed to minimize cognitive errors in clinical decision-making. Two weeks later, the participants in both groups were given a script concordance test consisting of 10 cases, with 3 items per case, to assess their clinical decisions when additional data are given in the case scenarios. The Mann-Whitney U-test performed on the total scores from both groups showed no statistical significance (U = 792, z = -1.408, p = 0.159). When comparisons were made for the first half and the second half of the SCT, it was found that participants in the intervention group performed significantly better than participants in the control group in the first half of the test, with median scores of 9.15 (IQR 8.00-10.28) vs. 8.18 (IQR 7.16-9.24) respectively, U = 642.5, z = -2.661, p = 0.008. No significant difference was found in the second half of the test, with the median score of 9.58 (IQR 8.90-10.56) vs. 9.81 (IQR 8.83-11.12) for the intervention group and control group respectively (U = 897.5, z = -0.524, p = 0.60). Checklist use in differential diagnoses consideration did show some benefit. However, this benefit seems to have been traded off by the time and effort in using it. More research is needed to determine whether this benefit could be translated into clinical practice after repetitive

  9. Applying lessons learned to enhance human performance and reduce human error for ISS operations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nelson, W.R.

    1998-09-01

    A major component of reliability, safety, and mission success for space missions is ensuring that the humans involved (flight crew, ground crew, mission control, etc.) perform their tasks and functions as required. This includes compliance with training and procedures during normal conditions, and successful compensation when malfunctions or unexpected conditions occur. A very significant issue that affects human performance in space flight is human error. Human errors can invalidate carefully designed equipment and procedures. If certain errors combine with equipment failures or design flaws, mission failure or loss of life can occur. The control of human error during operation of the International Space Station (ISS) will be critical to the overall success of the program. As experience from Mir operations has shown, human performance plays a vital role in the success or failure of long duration space missions. The Department of Energy`s Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) is developed a systematic approach to enhance human performance and reduce human errors for ISS operations. This approach is based on the systematic identification and evaluation of lessons learned from past space missions such as Mir to enhance the design and operation of ISS. This paper describes previous INEEL research on human error sponsored by NASA and how it can be applied to enhance human reliability for ISS.

  10. [Creating a "Health Promotion Checklist for Residents" Attempt to promote healthy activities].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abe, Akemi; Masaki, Naoko; Fukuizumi, Maiko; Hashimoto, Shuji

    2015-01-01

    To create a "Health Promotion Checklist for Residents" to help promote healthy habits among local residents. First, we investigated items for a health promotion checklist in the Health Japan 21 (2(nd) edition) and other references. Next, we conducted a questionnaire survey including these checklist items in August 2012. The study subjects were randomly selected Hatsukaichi city residents aged ≥20 years. Anonymous survey forms explaining this study were mailed to the investigated subjects and recovered in return envelopes. Data were compared by sex and age group. We created a checklist comprising a 23-item health promotion evaluation index with established scoring. There were 33 questions regarding health checkups; cancer screenings; dental checkups, blood pressure; glycated hemoglobin or blood glucose; dyslipidemia; body mass index; number of remaining teeth; breakfast, vegetable, fruit, and salt intake; nutrient balance; exercise; smoking; drinking; sleep; stress; and mental state. There were also questions on outings, community involvement, activities to improve health, and community connections. The questions were classified into six categories: health management, physical health, dietary and exercise habits, indulgences, mental health, and social activities. Of the 4,002 distributed survey forms, 1,719 valid responses were returned (recovery rate, 43.0%). The mean score by category was 1.69 (N=1,343) for health management, 6.52 (N=1,444) for physical health, 12.97 (N=1,511) for dietary and exercise habits, and 2.29 (N=1,518) for indulgences, all of which were higher for women, and 5.81 (N=1,469) for mental health, which was higher for men. The health management scores were higher among subjects in their 40s and 50s. The physical health score increased gradually with age from the 70 s and older to the 20 s, whereas the dietary and exercise habits increased gradually from the 20 s to the 70 s and older. The 20 s had high scores for indulgences, while mental

  11. Entrepreneurial Checklist Tool for Beginning Farm and Home-Based Businesses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rafie, A. R.; Nartea, Theresa

    2012-01-01

    Extension educators entertain frequent questions on beginning a farm or starting a home-based business. Retired, unemployed, and displaced workers consider starting a small farm or home-based business. Determining educational needs or individual business aptitude is time consuming. Lengthy and comprehensive skill-based checklists exist for…

  12. Transformative, Mixed Methods Checklist for Psychological Research with Mexican Americans

    Science.gov (United States)

    Canales, Genevieve

    2013-01-01

    This is a description of the creation of a research methods tool, the "Transformative, Mixed Methods Checklist for Psychological Research With Mexican Americans." For conducting literature reviews of and planning mixed methods studies with Mexican Americans, it contains evaluative criteria calling for transformative mixed methods, perspectives…

  13. Psychometric properties of the child PTSD checklist in a community sample of South African children and adolescents.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mark E Boyes

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: The current study assessed the basic psychometric properties of the Child PTSD Checklist and examined the structure of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD in a large sample of South African youth. METHODOLOGY: The checklist was completed by 1025 (540 male; 485 female South African youth (aged between 10 and 19 years. The factor structure of the scale was assessed with a combination of confirmatory and exploratory techniques. Internal consistencies for the full scale and all subscales were evaluated with Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega. Validity was assessed by comparing PTSD scores obtained by children who had and had not experienced a traumatic event, and by examining associations between total PTSD scores and known correlates of PTSD. RESULTS: Scores on the Child PTSD Checklist clearly discriminated between youth who had experienced a traumatic event and those who had not. Internal consistencies for the full scale (and all subscales were acceptable to good and hypothesized correlations between PTSD, depression, anxiety, somatic symptoms, and age were observed. Two of the reported fit statistics for the tripartite DSM-IV-TR model of PTSD did not meet traditional criteria and further exploratory analyses revealed a four-factor structure (broadly consistent with Simms and colleagues' Dysphoria Model of PTSD symptoms which provided a better fit to the observed data. CONCLUSION: Given the continued use of the Child PTSD Checklist in South Africa, findings offer an important first step in establishing the reliability and validity of the checklist for use with South African youth. However, further evaluation of the checklist in South African samples is clearly required before conclusions regarding its use as diagnostic tool in this context can be made.

  14. Psychometric Properties of the Child PTSD Checklist in a Community Sample of South African Children and Adolescents

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boyes, Mark E.; Cluver, Lucie D.; Gardner, Frances

    2012-01-01

    Objective The current study assessed the basic psychometric properties of the Child PTSD Checklist and examined the structure of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a large sample of South African youth. Methodology The checklist was completed by 1025 (540 male; 485 female) South African youth (aged between 10 and 19 years). The factor structure of the scale was assessed with a combination of confirmatory and exploratory techniques. Internal consistencies for the full scale and all subscales were evaluated with Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega. Validity was assessed by comparing PTSD scores obtained by children who had and had not experienced a traumatic event, and by examining associations between total PTSD scores and known correlates of PTSD. Results Scores on the Child PTSD Checklist clearly discriminated between youth who had experienced a traumatic event and those who had not. Internal consistencies for the full scale (and all subscales) were acceptable to good and hypothesized correlations between PTSD, depression, anxiety, somatic symptoms, and age were observed. Two of the reported fit statistics for the tripartite DSM-IV-TR model of PTSD did not meet traditional criteria and further exploratory analyses revealed a four-factor structure (broadly consistent with Simms and colleagues’ Dysphoria Model of PTSD symptoms) which provided a better fit to the observed data. Conclusion Given the continued use of the Child PTSD Checklist in South Africa, findings offer an important first step in establishing the reliability and validity of the checklist for use with South African youth. However, further evaluation of the checklist in South African samples is clearly required before conclusions regarding its use as diagnostic tool in this context can be made. PMID:23056523

  15. Elaboration and Validation of the Medication Prescription Safety Checklist 1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pires, Aline de Oliveira Meireles; Ferreira, Maria Beatriz Guimarães; do Nascimento, Kleiton Gonçalves; Felix, Márcia Marques dos Santos; Pires, Patrícia da Silva; Barbosa, Maria Helena

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT Objective: to elaborate and validate a checklist to identify compliance with the recommendations for the structure of medication prescriptions, based on the Protocol of the Ministry of Health and the Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency. Method: methodological research, conducted through the validation and reliability analysis process, using a sample of 27 electronic prescriptions. Results: the analyses confirmed the content validity and reliability of the tool. The content validity, obtained by expert assessment, was considered satisfactory as it covered items that represent the compliance with the recommendations regarding the structure of the medication prescriptions. The reliability, assessed through interrater agreement, was excellent (ICC=1.00) and showed perfect agreement (K=1.00). Conclusion: the Medication Prescription Safety Checklist showed to be a valid and reliable tool for the group studied. We hope that this study can contribute to the prevention of adverse events, as well as to the improvement of care quality and safety in medication use. PMID:28793128

  16. An investigation of diagnostic accuracy and confidence related to diagnostic checklists as well as gender biases in relation to mental disorders

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jan Christopher Cwik

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available This study examines the utility of checklists in attaining more accurate diagnoses in the context of diagnostic decision-making for mental disorders. The study also aimed to replicate results from a meta-analysis indicating that there is no association between patients’ gender and misdiagnoses. To this end, 475 psychotherapists were asked to judge three case vignettes describing patients with Major Depressive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Borderline Personality Disorder. Therapists were randomly assigned to experimental conditions in a 2 (diagnostic method: with using diagnostic checklists vs. without using diagnostic checklists x 2 (gender: male vs. female case vignettes between-subjects design. Multinomial logistic and linear regression analyses were used to examine the association between the usage of diagnostic checklists as well as patients’ gender and diagnostic decisions.The results showed that when checklists were used, fewer incorrect co-morbid diagnoses were made, but clinicians were less likely to diagnose MDD even when the criteria were met. Additionally, checklists improved therapists’ confidence with diagnostic decisions, but were not associated with estimations of patients’ characteristics. As expected, there were no significant associations between gender and diagnostic decisions.

  17. An Investigation of Diagnostic Accuracy and Confidence Associated with Diagnostic Checklists as Well as Gender Biases in Relation to Mental Disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cwik, Jan C; Papen, Fabienne; Lemke, Jan-Erik; Margraf, Jürgen

    2016-01-01

    This study examines the utility of checklists in attaining more accurate diagnoses in the context of diagnostic decision-making for mental disorders. The study also aimed to replicate results from a meta-analysis indicating that there is no association between patients' gender and misdiagnoses. To this end, 475 psychotherapists were asked to judge three case vignettes describing patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Borderline Personality Disorder. Therapists were randomly assigned to experimental conditions in a 2 (diagnostic method: with using diagnostic checklists vs. without using diagnostic checklists) × 2 (gender: male vs. female case vignettes) between-subjects design. Multinomial logistic and linear regression analyses were used to examine the association between the usage of diagnostic checklists as well as patients' gender and diagnostic decisions. The results showed that when checklists were used, fewer incorrect co-morbid diagnoses were made, but clinicians were less likely to diagnose MDD even when the criteria were met. Additionally, checklists improved therapists' confidence with diagnostic decisions, but were not associated with estimations of patients' characteristics. As expected, there were no significant associations between gender and diagnostic decisions.

  18. Checklist of the earthworms (Oligochaeta) of Kerala, a constituent of Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, India.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Narayanan, S Prasanth; Sathrumithra, S; Christopher, G; Thomas, A P; Julka, J M

    2016-11-15

    A checklist of earthworm species hitherto known from Kerala, a constituent of the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot in India, is presented. In total, 88 species and subspecies are recorded, of which 55 are Kerala endemics, 9 near endemics, 14 exotics and 10 native peregrines. These belong to 26 genera and 9 families. The checklist includes the literature citation to the original description, type locality, any significant subsequent generic placements, and the district distributional pattern for each species/ subspecies.

  19. The surgical safety checklist and patient outcomes after surgery: a prospective observational cohort study, systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abbott, T E F; Ahmad, T; Phull, M K; Fowler, A J; Hewson, R; Biccard, B M; Chew, M S; Gillies, M; Pearse, R M

    2018-01-01

    The surgical safety checklist is widely used to improve the quality of perioperative care. However, clinicians continue to debate the clinical effectiveness of this tool. Prospective analysis of data from the International Surgical Outcomes Study (ISOS), an international observational study of elective in-patient surgery, accompanied by a systematic review and meta-analysis of published literature. The exposure was surgical safety checklist use. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality and the secondary outcome was postoperative complications. In the ISOS cohort, a multivariable multi-level generalized linear model was used to test associations. To further contextualise these findings, we included the results from the ISOS cohort in a meta-analysis. Results are reported as odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals. We included 44 814 patients from 497 hospitals in 27 countries in the ISOS analysis. There were 40 245 (89.8%) patients exposed to the checklist, whilst 7508 (16.8%) sustained ≥1 postoperative complications and 207 (0.5%) died before hospital discharge. Checklist exposure was associated with reduced mortality [odds ratio (OR) 0.49 (0.32-0.77); P<0.01], but no difference in complication rates [OR 1.02 (0.88-1.19); P=0.75]. In a systematic review, we screened 3732 records and identified 11 eligible studies of 453 292 patients including the ISOS cohort. Checklist exposure was associated with both reduced postoperative mortality [OR 0.75 (0.62-0.92); P<0.01; I 2 =87%] and reduced complication rates [OR 0.73 (0.61-0.88); P<0.01; I 2 =89%). Patients exposed to a surgical safety checklist experience better postoperative outcomes, but this could simply reflect wider quality of care in hospitals where checklist use is routine. Copyright © 2017 British Journal of Anaesthesia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Framework for Grading of Cyber Security Check-List upon I and C Architecture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shin, Jin Soo; Heo, Gyunyong; Son, Han Seong

    2016-01-01

    Cyber-attack can threaten research reactors as well as NPPs since the goal of cyber-attack is not only to make a catastrophic accident such as radiation exposure against public health but also to make chaos or anxiety among the public. Moreover, there is more probability to occur in research reactors than NPPs since research reactors has more users than NPPs. The nuclear regulatory agencies such as U.S.NRC and KINAC (Korea Institute of Nuclear Nonproliferation and Control) have published regulatory guides for rules against cyber-attack to maintain cyber security of nuclear facilities. U.S.NRC has published a regulatory guide (U.S.NRC / RG-5.71) and KINAC has developed a regulatory standard (KINAC / RS-015) to establish a cyber security for nuclear facilities. However, these regulatory documents represent check-list for cyber security regardless of reactor type such as NPPs or research reactors. The proposed framework in this paper was grading of cyber security check-lists with BBN by I and C architecture such as NPPs and research reactors. First, the BBN model was developed to apply I and C system architecture of target nuclear facility. The architecture model calculates the cyber security risk with structural architecture, vulnerability, and mitigation measure. Second, cyber security check-lists are defined in cyber security documents. It is, then, used with the consideration of mitigation measures of BBN model in order to apply architectural characteristic. Third, after assuming cyber-attack occurs to I and C system, the model calculates the posterior information using Bayesian update. Finally, the cyber security check-lists for nuclear facilities are graded upon I and C architecture with the posterior information for mitigation measures

  1. Framework for Grading of Cyber Security Check-List upon I and C Architecture

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shin, Jin Soo; Heo, Gyunyong [Kyunghee University, Yongin (Korea, Republic of); Son, Han Seong [Joongbu University, Geumsan (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-05-15

    Cyber-attack can threaten research reactors as well as NPPs since the goal of cyber-attack is not only to make a catastrophic accident such as radiation exposure against public health but also to make chaos or anxiety among the public. Moreover, there is more probability to occur in research reactors than NPPs since research reactors has more users than NPPs. The nuclear regulatory agencies such as U.S.NRC and KINAC (Korea Institute of Nuclear Nonproliferation and Control) have published regulatory guides for rules against cyber-attack to maintain cyber security of nuclear facilities. U.S.NRC has published a regulatory guide (U.S.NRC / RG-5.71) and KINAC has developed a regulatory standard (KINAC / RS-015) to establish a cyber security for nuclear facilities. However, these regulatory documents represent check-list for cyber security regardless of reactor type such as NPPs or research reactors. The proposed framework in this paper was grading of cyber security check-lists with BBN by I and C architecture such as NPPs and research reactors. First, the BBN model was developed to apply I and C system architecture of target nuclear facility. The architecture model calculates the cyber security risk with structural architecture, vulnerability, and mitigation measure. Second, cyber security check-lists are defined in cyber security documents. It is, then, used with the consideration of mitigation measures of BBN model in order to apply architectural characteristic. Third, after assuming cyber-attack occurs to I and C system, the model calculates the posterior information using Bayesian update. Finally, the cyber security check-lists for nuclear facilities are graded upon I and C architecture with the posterior information for mitigation measures.

  2. Examining the link between burnout and medical error: A checklist approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Evangelia Tsiga

    2017-09-01

    Conclusions: The Medical Error Checklists developed in this study advance the study of medical errors by proposing a comprehensive, valid and reliable self-assessment tool. The results highlight the importance of hospital organizational factors in preventing medical errors.

  3. Going digital: a checklist in preparing for hospital-wide electronic medical record implementation and digital transformation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scott, Ian A; Sullivan, Clair; Staib, Andrew

    2018-05-24

    Objective In an era of rapid digitisation of Australian hospitals, practical guidance is needed in how to successfully implement electronic medical records (EMRs) as both a technical innovation and a major transformative change in clinical care. The aim of the present study was to develop a checklist that clearly and comprehensively defines the steps that best prepare hospitals for EMR implementation and digital transformation. Methods The checklist was developed using a formal methodological framework comprised of: literature reviews of relevant issues; an interactive workshop involving a multidisciplinary group of digital leads from Queensland hospitals; a draft document based on literature and workshop proceedings; and a review and feedback from senior clinical leads. Results The final checklist comprised 19 questions, 13 related to EMR implementation and six to digital transformation. Questions related to the former included organisational considerations (leadership, governance, change leaders, implementation plan), technical considerations (vendor choice, information technology and project management teams, system and hardware alignment with clinician workflows, interoperability with legacy systems) and training (user training, post-go-live contingency plans, roll-out sequence, staff support at point of care). Questions related to digital transformation included cultural considerations (clinically focused vision statement and communication strategy, readiness for change surveys), management of digital disruption syndromes and plans for further improvement in patient care (post-go-live optimisation of digital system, quality and benefit evaluation, ongoing digital innovation). Conclusion This evidence-based, field-tested checklist provides guidance to hospitals planning EMR implementation and separates readiness for EMR from readiness for digital transformation. What is known about the topic? Many hospitals throughout Australia have implemented, or are planning

  4. Annotated checklist of fungi in Cyprus Island. 1. Larger Basidiomycota

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miguel Torrejón

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available An annotated checklist of wild fungi living in Cyprus Island has been compiled broughting together all the information collected from the different works dealing with fungi in this area throughout the three centuries of mycology in Cyprus. This part contains 363 taxa of macroscopic Basidiomycota.

  5. Accessibility in Public Buildings: : Efficiency of Checklist Protocols

    OpenAIRE

    Andersson, Jonas E; Skehan, Terry

    2016-01-01

    In Sweden, governmental agencies and bodies are required to implement a higher level of accessibility in their buildings than that stipulated by the National Building and Planning Act (PBL). The Swedish Agency for Participation (MFD, Myndigheten för delaktighet) develops holistic guidelines in order to conceptualize this higher level of accessibility. In conjunction to these guidelines, various checklist protocols have been produced. The present study focuses on the efficiency of such checkli...

  6. A Lesson about the Circular Flow. Active Learning Lessons. Economics International.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Landfried, Janet

    This lesson plan was developed through "Economics International," an international program to help build economic education infrastructures in the emerging market economies. It provides a lesson description; appropriate grade level; economic concepts; content standards and benchmarks; related subjects; instructional objectives; time…

  7. A checklist and adult key to the Chinese stonefly (Plecoptera) genera.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Zhi-Teng; Du, Yu-Zhou

    2018-01-23

    The first checklist of the known stonefly genera of China is presented. Using relevant literature and available specimens, a diagnostic key to the ten families representing 65 genera is provided. In addition, illustrations for the key characters are provided.

  8. Bird checklist, Guánica Biosphere Reserve, Puerto Rico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wayne J. Arendt; John Faaborg; Miguel Canals; Jerry Bauer

    2015-01-01

    This research note compiles 43 years of research and monitoring data to produce the first comprehensive checklist of the dry forest avian community found within the Guánica Biosphere Reserve. We provide an overview of the reserve along with sighting locales, a list of 185 birds with their resident status and abundance, and a list of the available bird habitats....

  9. The use of a written assessment checklist for the provision of emergency contraception via community pharmacies: a simulated patient study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Schneider CR

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Background: The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia recommends use of a written assessment checklist prior to supply of emergency contraception by pharmacists. Objective: The aim of this research was to determine the prevalence of use of a written assessment checklist by community pharmacists and secondly, to ascertain the effect of the checklist on appropriate assessment and supply.Methods: Three female simulated patients visited 100 randomly selected pharmacies requesting supply of ‘the morning after pill’. Information provided when assessed by the pharmacist was that she had missed one inactive pill of her regular hormonal contraception. The amount of assessment provided and the appropriateness of supply were used as comparative outcome measures.Results: Eighty-three pharmacies used a written assessment checklist. Twenty-four of the pharmacies visited provided the appropriate outcome of non-supply. Pharmacies that used a written assessment checklist provided a greater quantity and consistency of assessment (11.3 ±2.5 v. 6.5 ±3.8 questions, p<0.0001 but this did not result in an improved frequency of an appropriate outcome (20%, n=16 v. 23%, n=3. Conclusions: While a written patient assessment checklist improved the quantity and consistency of patient assessment, it did not improve the advice provided by community pharmacies when handling requests for emergency contraception.

  10. Classroom Management and Lesson Planning(4)

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2006-01-01

    Lesson PlanningTask 1As teachers,we all need to plan our lessons before we teach.Make a list of things that you think need tobe included in a lesson plan.Then compare and discuss your list with another teacher.Also think about reasonswhy we need to plan our lessons.

  11. Factor Structure of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version in German Female and Male Detainees and Community Adolescents

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sevecke, Kathrin; Pukrop, Ralf; Kosson, David S.; Krischer, Maya K.

    2009-01-01

    Substantial evidence exists for 3- and 4-factor models of psychopathy underlying patterns of covariation among the items of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) in diverse adult samples. Although initial studies conducted with the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV) indicated reasonable fit for these models in incarcerated male…

  12. Constellation Program Lessons Learned. Volume 2; Detailed Lessons Learned

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rhatigan, Jennifer; Neubek, Deborah J.; Thomas, L. Dale

    2011-01-01

    These lessons learned are part of a suite of hardware, software, test results, designs, knowledge base, and documentation that comprises the legacy of the Constellation Program. The context, summary information, and lessons learned are presented in a factual format, as known and described at the time. While our opinions might be discernable in the context, we have avoided all but factually sustainable statements. Statements should not be viewed as being either positive or negative; their value lies in what we did and what we learned that is worthy of passing on. The lessons include both "dos" and "don ts." In many cases, one person s "do" can be viewed as another person s "don t"; therefore, we have attempted to capture both perspectives when applicable and useful. While Volume I summarizes the views of those who managed the program, this Volume II encompasses the views at the working level, describing how the program challenges manifested in day-to-day activities. Here we see themes that were perhaps hinted at, but not completely addressed, in Volume I: unintended consequences of policies that worked well at higher levels but lacked proper implementation at the working level; long-term effects of the "generation gap" in human space flight development, the need to demonstrate early successes at the expense of thorough planning, and the consequences of problems and challenges not yet addressed because other problems and challenges were more immediate or manifest. Not all lessons learned have the benefit of being operationally vetted, since the program was cancelled shortly after Preliminary Design Review. We avoid making statements about operational consequences (with the exception of testing and test flights that did occur), but we do attempt to provide insight into how operational thinking influenced design and testing. The lessons have been formatted with a description, along with supporting information, a succinct statement of the lesson learned, and

  13. Classroom Management and Lesson Planning(4)

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2006-01-01

    @@ Lesson Planning Task 1 As teachers,we all need to plan our lessons before we teach.Make a list of things that you think need to be included in a lesson plan.Then compare and discuss your list with another teacher.Also think about reasons why we need to plan our lessons.

  14. Implementation of the surgical safety checklist in Switzerland and perceptions of its benefits: cross-sectional survey.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stéphane Cullati

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVES: To examine the implementation of the Surgical Safety Checklist (SSC among surgeons and anaesthetists working in Swiss hospitals and clinics and their perceptions of the SSC. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey at the 97th Annual Meeting of the Swiss Society of Surgery, Switzerland, 2010. Opinions of the SSC were assessed with a 6-item questionnaire. RESULTS: 152 respondents answered the questionnaire (participation rate 35.1%. 64.7% respondents acknowledged having a checklist in their hospital or their clinic. Median implementation year was 2009. More than 8 out of 10 respondents reported their team applied the Sign In and the Time Out very often or quasi systematically, whereas almost half of respondents acknowledged the Sign Out was applied never or rarely. The majority of respondents agreed that the checklist improves safety and team communication, and helps to develop a safety culture. However, they were less supportive about the opinion that the checklist facilitates teamwork and eliminates social hierarchy between caregivers. CONCLUSIONS: This survey indicates that the SSC has been largely implemented in many Swiss hospitals and clinics. Both surgeons and anaesthetists perceived the SSC as a valuable tool in improving intraoperative patient safety and communication among health care professionals, with lesser importance in facilitating teamwork (and eliminating hierarchical categories.

  15. Lesson Planning the Kodaly Way.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boshkoff, Ruth

    1991-01-01

    Discusses the contribution of Zoltan Kodaly to music lesson planning. Emphasizes preparation, presentation, and practice as the three important strategies in teaching concepts and skills to be included in a lesson plan. Includes a sample lesson plan covering a semester and advice on choosing song material. (DK)

  16. A social media self-evaluation checklist for medical practitioners.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Visser, Benjamin J; Huiskes, Florian; Korevaar, Daniel A

    2012-01-01

    Increasing numbers of medical practitioners and medical students are using online social and business-related networking websites such as Facebook, Doc2doc and LinkedIn. These rapidly evolving and growing social media have potential to promote public health by providing powerful instruments for communication and education. However, evidence is emerging from studies, legal cases, and media reports that the use of these new technologies is creating several ethical problems for medical practitioners as well as medical students. Improper online activities may harm not only individual reputations and careers, but also the medical profession as a whole, for example by breach of patient confidentiality, defamation of colleagues and employers, undisclosed conflict of interests that bias the medical practitioner's medical advice, posting of advice/information without an evidence base, and infringement of copyright. We developed a self-evaluation checklist for medical practitioners using social media. The checklist addresses three key elements in the use of social media: personal information and accessibility, connections, and postings. It contains questions specifically formulated to evaluate a medical practitioner's social media profile, to prevent unintended, improper online activities and to promote professional online behaviour.

  17. Preliminary Checklist for Reporting Observational Studies in Sports Areas: Content Validity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chacón-Moscoso, Salvador; Sanduvete-Chaves, Susana; Anguera, M. Teresa; Losada, José L.; Portell, Mariona; Lozano-Lozano, José A.

    2018-01-01

    Observational studies are based on systematic observation, understood as an organized recording and quantification of behavior in its natural context. Applied to the specific area of sports, observational studies present advantages when comparing studies based on other designs, such as the flexibility for adapting to different contexts and the possibility of using non-standardized instruments as well as a high degree of development in specific software and data analysis. Although the importance and usefulness of sports-related observational studies have been widely shown, there is no checklist to report these studies. Consequently, authors do not have a guide to follow in order to include all of the important elements in an observational study in sports areas, and reviewers do not have a reference tool for assessing this type of work. To resolve these issues, this article aims to develop a checklist to measure the quality of sports-related observational studies based on a content validity study. The participants were 22 judges with at least 3 years of experience in observational studies, sports areas, and methodology. They evaluated a list of 60 items systematically selected and classified into 12 dimensions. They were asked to score four aspects of each item on 5-point Likert scales to measure the following dimensions: representativeness, relevance, utility, and feasibility. The judges also had an open-format section for comments. The Osterlind index was calculated for each item and for each of the four aspects. Items were considered appropriate when obtaining a score of at least 0.5 in the four assessed aspects. After considering these inclusion criteria and all of the open-format comments, the resultant checklist consisted of 54 items grouped into the same initial 12 dimensions. Finally, we highlight the strengths of this work. We also present its main limitation: the need to apply the resultant checklist to obtain data and, thus, increase quality indicators of

  18. Preliminary Checklist for Reporting Observational Studies in Sports Areas: Content Validity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Salvador Chacón-Moscoso

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Observational studies are based on systematic observation, understood as an organized recording and quantification of behavior in its natural context. Applied to the specific area of sports, observational studies present advantages when comparing studies based on other designs, such as the flexibility for adapting to different contexts and the possibility of using non-standardized instruments as well as a high degree of development in specific software and data analysis. Although the importance and usefulness of sports-related observational studies have been widely shown, there is no checklist to report these studies. Consequently, authors do not have a guide to follow in order to include all of the important elements in an observational study in sports areas, and reviewers do not have a reference tool for assessing this type of work. To resolve these issues, this article aims to develop a checklist to measure the quality of sports-related observational studies based on a content validity study. The participants were 22 judges with at least 3 years of experience in observational studies, sports areas, and methodology. They evaluated a list of 60 items systematically selected and classified into 12 dimensions. They were asked to score four aspects of each item on 5-point Likert scales to measure the following dimensions: representativeness, relevance, utility, and feasibility. The judges also had an open-format section for comments. The Osterlind index was calculated for each item and for each of the four aspects. Items were considered appropriate when obtaining a score of at least 0.5 in the four assessed aspects. After considering these inclusion criteria and all of the open-format comments, the resultant checklist consisted of 54 items grouped into the same initial 12 dimensions. Finally, we highlight the strengths of this work. We also present its main limitation: the need to apply the resultant checklist to obtain data and, thus, increase

  19. Preliminary Checklist for Reporting Observational Studies in Sports Areas: Content Validity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chacón-Moscoso, Salvador; Sanduvete-Chaves, Susana; Anguera, M Teresa; Losada, José L; Portell, Mariona; Lozano-Lozano, José A

    2018-01-01

    Observational studies are based on systematic observation, understood as an organized recording and quantification of behavior in its natural context. Applied to the specific area of sports, observational studies present advantages when comparing studies based on other designs, such as the flexibility for adapting to different contexts and the possibility of using non-standardized instruments as well as a high degree of development in specific software and data analysis. Although the importance and usefulness of sports-related observational studies have been widely shown, there is no checklist to report these studies. Consequently, authors do not have a guide to follow in order to include all of the important elements in an observational study in sports areas, and reviewers do not have a reference tool for assessing this type of work. To resolve these issues, this article aims to develop a checklist to measure the quality of sports-related observational studies based on a content validity study. The participants were 22 judges with at least 3 years of experience in observational studies, sports areas, and methodology. They evaluated a list of 60 items systematically selected and classified into 12 dimensions. They were asked to score four aspects of each item on 5-point Likert scales to measure the following dimensions: representativeness, relevance, utility, and feasibility. The judges also had an open-format section for comments. The Osterlind index was calculated for each item and for each of the four aspects. Items were considered appropriate when obtaining a score of at least 0.5 in the four assessed aspects. After considering these inclusion criteria and all of the open-format comments, the resultant checklist consisted of 54 items grouped into the same initial 12 dimensions. Finally, we highlight the strengths of this work. We also present its main limitation: the need to apply the resultant checklist to obtain data and, thus, increase quality indicators of

  20. A checklist of South African theses and dissertations on Shakespeare

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This checklist is in two parts. The first lists South African Shakespearean theses and dissertations, as well as some work on Shakespeare completed abroad by South Africans recently or currently active in the country. A few items in which Shakespeare is an important subordinate focus are included. The second list is ...

  1. An updated and annotated list of Indian lizards (Reptilia: Sauria based on a review of distribution records and checklists of Indian reptiles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P.D. Venugopal

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Over the past two decades many checklists of reptiles of India and adjacent countries have been published. These publications have furthered the growth of knowledge on systematics, distribution and biogeography of Indian reptiles, and the field of herpetology in India in general. However, the reporting format of most such checklists of Indian reptiles does not provide a basis for direct verification of the information presented. As a result, mistakes in the inclusion and omission of species have been perpetuated and the exact number of reptile species reported from India still remains unclear. A verification of the current listings based on distributional records and review of published checklists revealed that 199 species of lizards (Reptilia: Sauria are currently validly reported on the basis of distributional records within the boundaries of India. Seventeen other lizard species have erroneously been included in earlier checklists of Indian reptiles. Omissions of species by these checklists have been even more numerous than erroneous inclusions. In this paper, I present a plea to report species lists as annotated checklists which corroborate the inclusion and omission of species by providing valid source references or notes.

  2. Analysing the integration of engineering in science lessons with the Engineering-Infused Lesson Rubric

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peterman, Karen; Daugherty, Jenny L.; Custer, Rodney L.; Ross, Julia M.

    2017-09-01

    Science teachers are being called on to incorporate engineering practices into their classrooms. This study explores whether the Engineering-Infused Lesson Rubric, a new rubric designed to target best practices in engineering education, could be used to evaluate the extent to which engineering is infused into online science lessons. Eighty lessons were selected at random from three online repositories, and coded with the rubric. Overall results documented the strengths of existing lessons, as well as many components that teachers might strengthen. In addition, a subset of characteristics was found to distinguish lessons with the highest level of engineering infusion. Findings are discussed in relation to the potential of the rubric to help teachers use research evidence-informed practice generally, and in relation to the new content demands of the U.S. Next Generation Science Standards, in particular.

  3. With Interest It Comes To...Unconscionable Clauses in Sales Contracts. A Student's Lesson Plan [and] A Teacher's Lesson Plan [and] A Lawyer's Lesson Plan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Howard, Estelle; And Others

    One of a series of secondary level teaching units presenting case studies with pro and con analysis of particular legal problems, the document presents a student's lesson plan, a teacher's lesson plan, and a lawyer's lesson plan on unconscionable clauses in sales contracts. The unit acquaints students with the operation of sales contracts and…

  4. Checklists, safety, my culture and me.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raghunathan, Karthik

    2012-07-01

    The world is not flat. Hierarchy is a fact of life in society and in healthcare institutions. National, specialty-specific and institutional cultures may play an important role in shaping today's patient-safety climate. The influence of power distance on safety interventions is under-studied. Checklists may make power distance-hampered negotiations easier by providing a standardised aviation-like framework for communications and by democratising the environment. By using surveys and simulation, we might discover patterns of potentially hidden yet problematic interactions that might foster maintenance of the error swamp. We need to understand how people interact as members of a group as this is crucial for the development of generalisable safety interventions.

  5. The Persian Checklist of Pleasant Events (PCPE: ‎Development, Validity and Reliability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sepideh Bakht

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Objective: Experiencing ‎pleasant events during daily life ‎has a significant positive role in ‎the personal mental health and ‎acts as a keystone for “behavioral ‎activation” (BA interventions. ‎There are serious differences in ‎the pleasant event schedules in ‎different cultures and countries. ‎We aimed to develop a Persian ‎checklist of pleasant events ‎‎(PCPE to provide and validate a ‎culturally compatible checklist for ‎Iranians.‎Methods: To develop a checklist ‎of pleasant events, inspired by ‎Pleasant Events Schedule (PES ‎‎(MacPhillamy & Lewinsohn, ‎‎1982, we held three focused ‎group discussions with 24 normal ‎healthy participants from both ‎genders (female = 12 and asked ‎them to mention as much ‎pleasant events as possible. ‎When the list reached saturation ‎level, the inappropriate items with ‎respect to legal, cultural and ‎religious concerns were omitted. ‎The final checklist of PCPE ‎consists of two subscales: ‎Frequency (frequency of events ‎during last month and ‎pleasantness (perceived ‎pleasantness of events. The total ‎score consists of frequency ‎multiplied by pleasantness. To ‎test the reliability and validity of ‎the checklist, the PCPE, ‎Depression, Anxiety and Stress ‎Scale (DASS, the Persian ‎version of WHO Quality of Life ‎and the Demographic ‎Questionnaire were administered ‎in a sample of 104 participants ‎‎(50 male and 54 female.‎Results: Frequency, ‎pleasantness and the total scores ‎of PCPE showed high levels of ‎internal consistency (Cronbach’s ‎alpha, .976, .976 & .974, ‎respectively. Further support for ‎the convergent validity of the ‎PCPE was obtained via ‎moderate negative correlations ‎with depression, anxiety, stress ‎scores in DASS and positive ‎correlation with quality of life as ‎well as respondent’s perceived ‎happiness. There were negative ‎correlations between

  6. ICF-DOC: the ICF dedicated checklist for evaluating functioning and disability in people with disorders of consciousness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leonardi, Matilde; Covelli, Venusia; Giovannetti, Ambra M; Raggi, Alberto; Sattin, Davide

    2014-09-01

    Clinicians need a comprehensive description of patients' functioning state to capture the complex interaction between symptoms and environmental factors, and to determine the actual level of functioning in patients in a vegetative state or a minimally conscious state. The aim of this study is to develop an International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) checklist for patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC) so as to capture and describe, with a tailored list of categories, the most common health, disability, and functioning issues of adult patients with DOC. The WHO ICF checklist was used as a basis for collecting data. This was an observational, cross-sectional, multicenter study conducted in 69 Italian centers. Specific methodological procedures were used to identify the most appropriate categories for DOC patients to be added to or deleted from the ICF checklist so as to develop the ICF-DOC checklist. A total of 566 adult patients were enrolled: 398 in a vegetative state and 168 in a minimally conscious state. A total of 127 ICF categories reached the threshold of 20% concerning the presence of a problem: 37 categories from the body functions chapter, 13 from the body structures chapter, 46 from the activities and participations chapter, and 31 from the environmental factors chapter. ICF categories identified in this study can be useful guidelines for clinicians and researchers to collect data on functioning and disability of adult patients with DOC. The new ICF-DOC checklist allows monitoring of the effects of interventions on functional areas and possible changes in each patient in follow-up studies.

  7. Effect of Clinically Discriminating, Evidence-Based Checklist Items on the Reliability of Scores from an Internal Medicine Residency OSCE

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daniels, Vijay J.; Bordage, Georges; Gierl, Mark J.; Yudkowsky, Rachel

    2014-01-01

    Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) are used worldwide for summative examinations but often lack acceptable reliability. Research has shown that reliability of scores increases if OSCE checklists for medical students include only clinically relevant items. Also, checklists are often missing evidence-based items that high-achieving…

  8. Checklist of vertebrate animals of the Cascade Head Experimental Forest.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chris Maser; Jerry F. Franklin

    1974-01-01

    Three months, April and August 1971 and August 1972, were spent studying the vertebrate fauna of Cascade Head Experimental Forest. The resulting annotated checklist includes 9 amphibians, 2 reptiles, 35 birds, and 40 mammals. A standardized animal habitat classification is presented in an effort to correlate the vertebrates in some meaningful way to their environment...

  9. Evaluating Checklist Use in Companion Animal Wellness Visits in a Veterinary Teaching Hospital: A Preliminary Study

    OpenAIRE

    Nappier, Michael T.; Corrigan, Virginia K.; Bartl-Wilson, Lara E.; Freeman, Mark; Werre, Stephen; Tempel, Eric

    2017-01-01

    The number of companion animal wellness visits in private practice has been decreasing, and one important factor cited is the lack of effective communication between veterinarians and pet owners regarding the importance of preventive care. Checklists have been widely used in many fields and are especially useful in areas where a complex task must be completed with multiple small steps, or when cognitive fatigue is evident. The use of checklists in veterinary medical education has not yet been...

  10. Analysis of QA audit checklist for equipment suppliers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tian Xuehang

    2012-01-01

    Eleven aspects during the equipment manufacturing by the suppliers, including the guidelines and objectives of quality assurance, management department review, document and record control, staffing and training, design control, procurement control, control of items, process control, inspection and testing control, non-conformance control, and internal and external QA audit, are analyzed in this article. The detailed QA audit checklist on these above mentioned aspects are described and the problems found in real QA audit are listed in this article. (authors)

  11. Lessons for Teaching Art Criticism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barrett, Terry, Ed.; Clark, Gilbert, Ed.

    This collection of lessons is meant to be a practical guide to help teachers engage children in art criticism. The lessons generally follow a similar format. Most suggest an age group but may be modified for use with younger or older students. Several authors suggest variations and extensions for lessons that include studio activities. A broad…

  12. "Frankenstein." [Lesson Plan].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simon, Melanie

    Based on Mary Shelley's novel "Frankenstein," this lesson plan presents activities designed to help students understand that active readers interpret a novel (its characters, plot, setting, and theme) in different ways; and the great literature can be and has been adapted in many ways over time. The main activity of the lesson involves students…

  13. Check for Safety: A Home Fall Prevention Checklist for Older Adults

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... for Safety A Home Fall Prevention Checklist for Older Adults For more information, contact: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 770-488-1506 www.cdc.gov/injury “Making changes in ... AT HOME Each year, thousands of older Americans fall at home. Many of them are ...

  14. Genome-Wide Association Study of the Child Behavior Checklist Dysregulation Profile

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mick, Eric; McGough, James; Loo, Sandra; Doyle, Alysa E.; Wozniak, Janet; Wilens, Timothy E.; Smalley, Susan; McCracken, James; Biederman, Joseph; Faraone, Stephen V.

    2011-01-01

    Objective: A potentially useful tool for understanding the distribution and determinants of emotional dysregulation in children is a Child Behavior Checklist profile, comprising the Attention Problems, Anxious/Depressed, and Aggressive Behavior clinical subscales (CBCL-DP). The CBCL-DP indexes a heritable trait that increases susceptibility for…

  15. Phagocytosis: history's lessons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garg, Manish; Chandawarkar, Rajiv Y

    2013-01-01

    The assimilation of lessons from the past is an essential component of education for scientists of tomorrow. These lessons are not easy to find. History books on science are few and usually highly dramatized and biographies of scientists tend to exaggerate the pomp of scientific discovery. Both underplay the hard and laborious work that is integral to any scientific pursuit. Here we illustrate one such example. A century ago, the Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to two scientists: Ilya Metchnikoff, a Russian zoologist, for the discovery ofphagocytosis-a cell-mediated ingestion ofmicrobes; and Paul Ehrlich, a distinguished physician-scientist, for discovering a highly antigen-specific serum-derived antibody-based immune defense. These two diametrically opposing views of the host-pathogen interaction set the stage for a strife that led to seminal advancements in immunology. Mirrored in this journey are important lessons for scientists today--ubiquitously as applicable to modern scientific life as they were a century ago. This commentaryhighlights these lessons--a fitting centenary to a well-deserved recognition.

  16. REVISED AND COMMENTED CHECKLIST OF MAMMAL SPECIES OF THE ROMANIAN FAUNA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dumitru Murariu

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Due to the permanent influences of different factors (habitat degradation and fragmentation, deforestation, infrastructure and urbanization, natural extension or decreasing of some species’ distribution, increasing number of alien species etc., from time to time the faunistic structure of a certain area is changing. As a result of the permanent and increasing anthropic and invasive species’ pressure, our previous checklist of recent mammals from Romania (since 1984 became out of date. A number of 108 taxa are mentioned in this checklist, representing 7 orders of mammals: Insectivora (10 species, Chiroptera (30 sp., Lagomorpha (2 sp., Rodentia (35 sp., Cetacea (3 sp., Carnivora (19 sp., Artiodactyla (8 sp.. In this list are mentioned the scientific and vernacular names (in Romanian and English languages, species distribution and conservation status, according to the Romanian regulations. Thus, only 21 species have stable populations while 76 have populations in decline or in drastic decline. Other categories are not evaluated or even present an increase in their population.

  17. Lesson 6: Signature Validation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Checklist items 13 through 17 are grouped under the Signature Validation Process, and represent CROMERR requirements that the system must satisfy as part of ensuring that electronic signatures it receives are valid.

  18. A data infrastructure for the assessment of health care performance: lessons from the BRIDGE-health project.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bernal-Delgado, Enrique; Estupiñán-Romero, Francisco

    2018-01-01

    The integration of different administrative data sources from a number of European countries has been shown useful in the assessment of unwarranted variations in health care performance. This essay describes the procedures used to set up a data infrastructure (e.g., data access and exchange, definition of the minimum common wealth of data required, and the development of the relational logic data model) and, the methods to produce trustworthy healthcare performance measurements (e.g., ontologies standardisation and quality assurance analysis). The paper ends providing some hints on how to use these lessons in an eventual European infrastructure on public health research and monitoring. Although the relational data infrastructure developed has been proven accurate, effective to compare health system performance across different countries, and efficient enough to deal with hundred of millions of episodes, the logic data model might not be responsive if the European infrastructure aims at including electronic health records and carrying out multi-cohort multi-intervention comparative effectiveness research. The deployment of a distributed infrastructure based on semantic interoperability, where individual data remain in-country and open-access scripts for data management and analysis travel around the hubs composing the infrastructure, might be a sensible way forward.

  19. Lessons Learned from Ares I Upper Stage Structures and Thermal Design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmed, Rafiq

    2012-01-01

    The Ares 1 Upper Stage was part of the vehicle intended to succeed the Space Shuttle as the United States manned spaceflight vehicle. Although the Upper Stage project was cancelled, there were many lessons learned that are applicable to future vehicle design. Lessons learned that are briefly detailed in this Technical Memorandum are for specific technical areas such as tank design, common bulkhead design, thrust oscillation, control of flight and slosh loads, purge and hazardous gas system. In addition, lessons learned from a systems engineering and vehicle integration perspective are also included, such as computer aided design and engineering, scheduling, and data management. The need for detailed systems engineering in the early stages of a project is emphasized throughout this report. The intent is that future projects will be able to apply these lessons learned to keep costs down, schedules brief, and deliver products that perform to the expectations of their customers.

  20. Violence Risk Assessment and Facet 4 of the Psychopathy Checklist: Predicting Institutional and Community Aggression in Two Forensic Samples

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walters, Glenn D.; Heilbrun, Kirk

    2010-01-01

    The Psychopathy Checklist and Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL/PCL-R) were used to predict institutional aggression and community violence in two groups of forensic patients. Results showed that Facet 4 (Antisocial) of the PCL/PCL-R or one of its parcels consistently achieved incremental validity relative to the first three facets, whereas the…

  1. GAP-REACH: a checklist to assess comprehensive reporting of race, ethnicity, and culture in psychiatric publications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lewis-Fernández, Roberto; Raggio, Greer A; Gorritz, Magdaliz; Duan, Naihua; Marcus, Sue; Cabassa, Leopoldo J; Humensky, Jennifer; Becker, Anne E; Alarcón, Renato D; Oquendo, María A; Hansen, Helena; Like, Robert C; Weiss, Mitchell; Desai, Prakash N; Jacobsen, Frederick M; Foulks, Edward F; Primm, Annelle; Lu, Francis; Kopelowicz, Alex; Hinton, Ladson; Hinton, Devon E

    2013-10-01

    Growing awareness of health and health care disparities highlights the importance of including information about race, ethnicity, and culture (REC) in health research. Reporting of REC factors in research publications, however, is notoriously imprecise and unsystematic. This article describes the development of a checklist to assess the comprehensiveness and the applicability of REC factor reporting in psychiatric research publications. The 16-item GAP-REACH checklist was developed through a rigorous process of expert consensus, empirical content analysis in a sample of publications (N = 1205), and interrater reliability (IRR) assessment (N = 30). The items assess each section in the conventional structure of a health research article. Data from the assessment may be considered on an item-by-item basis or as a total score ranging from 0% to 100%. The final checklist has excellent IRR (κ = 0.91). The GAP-REACH may be used by multiple research stakeholders to assess the scope of REC reporting in a research article.

  2. Brentwood Lessons Learned Project Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rivkin, Carl H. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Caton, Melanie C. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Ainscough, Christopher D. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Marcinkoski, Jason [Dept. of Energy (DOE), Washington DC (United States)

    2017-09-26

    The purpose of this report is to document lessons learned in the installation of the hydrogen fueling station at the National Park Service Brentwood site in Washington, D.C., to help further the deployment of hydrogen infrastructure required to support hydrogen and other fuel cell technologies. Hydrogen fueling is the most difficult infrastructure component to build and permit. Hydrogen fueling can include augmenting hydrogen fueling capability to existing conventional fuel fueling stations as well as building brand new hydrogen fueling stations. This report was produced as part of the Brentwood Lessons Learned project. The project consisted of transplanting an existing modular hydrogen fueling station from Connecticut to the National Park Service Brentwood site. This relocation required design and construction at the Brentwood site to accommodate the existing station design as well as installation and validation of the updated station. One of the most important lessons learned was that simply moving an existing modular station to an operating site was not necessarily straight-forward - performing the relocation required significant effort and cost. The station has to function at the selected operating site and this functionality requires a power supply, building supports connecting to an existing alarm system, electrical grounding and lighting, providing nitrogen for purging, and providing deionized water if an electrolyzer is part of the station package. Most importantly, the station has to fit into the existing site both spatially and operationally and not disrupt existing operations at the site. All of this coordination and integration requires logistical planning and project management. The idea that a hydrogen fueling station can be simply dropped onto a site and made immediately operational is generally not realistic. Other important lessons learned include that delineating the boundaries of the multiple jurisdictions that have authority over a project for

  3. Checklist and scoring system for the assessment of soft tissue preservation in CT examinations of human mummies. Application to the Tyrolean Iceman

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Panzer, Stephanie [Trauma Center Murnau (Germany). Dept. of Radiology; Trauma Center Murnau and Paracelsus Medical Univ. Salzburg, Murnau (Germany). Inst. of Biomechanics; Pernter, Patrizia [Central Hospital, Bozen (Italy). Dept. of Radiodiagnostics; Piombino-Mascali, Dario; Jankauskas, Rimantas [Vilnius Univ. (Lithuania). Dept. of Anatomy, Histology and Anthropology; Zesch, Stephanie; Rosendahl, Wilfried [Reiss-Engelhorn Museen, Mannheim (Germany). German Mummy Project; Hotz, Gerhard [Natural History Museum of Basel (Switzerland). Anthropology; Zink, Albert R. [EURAC-Institute for Mummies and the Iceman, Bolzano (Italy)

    2017-12-15

    Soft tissues make a skeleton into a mummy and they allow for a diagnosis beyond osteology. Following the approach of structured reporting in clinical radiology, a recently developed checklist was used to evaluate the soft tissue preservation status of the Tyrolean Iceman using computed tomography (CT). The purpose of this study was to apply the ''Checklist and Scoring System for the Assessment of Soft Tissue Preservation in CT Examinations of Human Mummies'' to the Tyrolean Iceman, and to compare the Iceman's soft tissue preservation score to the scores calculated for other mummies. A whole-body (CT) (SOMATOM Definition Flash, Siemens, Forchheim, Germany) consisting of five scans, performed in January 2013 in the Department of Radiodiagnostics, Central Hospital, Bolzano, was used (slice thickness 0.6mm; kilovolt ranging from80 to 140). For standardized evaluation the ''CT Checklist and Scoring System for the Assessment of Soft Tissue Preservation in Human Mummies'' was used. All checkpoints under category ''A. Soft Tissues of Head and Musculoskeletal System'' and more than half in category ''B. Organs and Organ Systems'' were observed. The scoring system accounted for a total score of 153 (out of 200). The comparison of the scores between the Iceman and three mummy collections from Vilnius, Lithuania, and Palermo, Sicily, as well as one Egyptian mummy resulted in overall higher soft tissue preservation scores for the Iceman. Application of the checklist allowed for standardized assessment and documentation of the Iceman's soft tissue preservation status. The scoring system allowed for a quantitative comparison between the Iceman and other mummies. The Iceman showed remarkable soft tissue preservation.

  4. Checklist and scoring system for the assessment of soft tissue preservation in CT examinations of human mummies. Application to the Tyrolean Iceman

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Panzer, Stephanie

    2017-01-01

    Soft tissues make a skeleton into a mummy and they allow for a diagnosis beyond osteology. Following the approach of structured reporting in clinical radiology, a recently developed checklist was used to evaluate the soft tissue preservation status of the Tyrolean Iceman using computed tomography (CT). The purpose of this study was to apply the ''Checklist and Scoring System for the Assessment of Soft Tissue Preservation in CT Examinations of Human Mummies'' to the Tyrolean Iceman, and to compare the Iceman's soft tissue preservation score to the scores calculated for other mummies. A whole-body (CT) (SOMATOM Definition Flash, Siemens, Forchheim, Germany) consisting of five scans, performed in January 2013 in the Department of Radiodiagnostics, Central Hospital, Bolzano, was used (slice thickness 0.6mm; kilovolt ranging from80 to 140). For standardized evaluation the ''CT Checklist and Scoring System for the Assessment of Soft Tissue Preservation in Human Mummies'' was used. All checkpoints under category ''A. Soft Tissues of Head and Musculoskeletal System'' and more than half in category ''B. Organs and Organ Systems'' were observed. The scoring system accounted for a total score of 153 (out of 200). The comparison of the scores between the Iceman and three mummy collections from Vilnius, Lithuania, and Palermo, Sicily, as well as one Egyptian mummy resulted in overall higher soft tissue preservation scores for the Iceman. Application of the checklist allowed for standardized assessment and documentation of the Iceman's soft tissue preservation status. The scoring system allowed for a quantitative comparison between the Iceman and other mummies. The Iceman showed remarkable soft tissue preservation.

  5. Data for the elaboration of the CIPROS checklist with items for a patient registry software system: Examples and explanations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Doris Lindoerfer

    2017-10-01

    The data presented per checklist item provide the relevant textual information (examples and a first qualitative summary (explanation. The examples and explanations provide the background information on CIPROS. They elucidate how to implement the checklist items in other projects. The literature list and the selected texts serve as a reference for scientists and system developers.

  6. Human Capital: A Self-Assessment Checklist for Agency Leaders. Version 1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Comptroller General of the U.S., Washington, DC.

    This document presents and discusses a self-assessment checklist that the General Accounting Office (GAO) developed to enable agency leaders to examine their human capital efforts through a process consisting of the following stages: analyze and plan; implement change; and evaluate and continuously improve. The preface defines the term "human…

  7. International Space Station Passive Thermal Control System Analysis, Top Ten Lessons-Learned

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iovine, John

    2011-01-01

    The International Space Station (ISS) has been on-orbit for over 10 years, and there have been numerous technical challenges along the way from design to assembly to on-orbit anomalies and repairs. The Passive Thermal Control System (PTCS) management team has been a key player in successfully dealing with these challenges. The PTCS team performs thermal analysis in support of design and verification, launch and assembly constraints, integration, sustaining engineering, failure response, and model validation. This analysis is a significant body of work and provides a unique opportunity to compile a wealth of real world engineering and analysis knowledge and the corresponding lessons-learned. The analysis lessons encompass the full life cycle of flight hardware from design to on-orbit performance and sustaining engineering. These lessons can provide significant insight for new projects and programs. Key areas to be presented include thermal model fidelity, verification methods, analysis uncertainty, and operations support.

  8. Assessment of a Standardized Pre-Operative Telephone Checklist Designed to Avoid Late Cancellation of Ambulatory Surgery: The AMBUPROG Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sonia Gaucher

    Full Text Available To assess the impact of a standardized pre-operative telephone checklist on the rate of late cancellations of ambulatory surgery (AMBUPROG trial.Multicenter, two-arm, parallel-group, open-label randomized controlled trial.11 university hospital ambulatory surgery units in Paris, France.Patients scheduled for ambulatory surgery and able to be reached by telephone.A 7-item checklist designed to prevent late cancellation, available in five languages and two versions (for children and adults, was administered between 7 and 3 days before the planned date of surgery, by an automated phone system or a research assistant. The control group received standard management alone.Rate of cancellation on the day of surgery or the day before.The study population comprised 3900 patients enrolled between November 2012 and September 2013: 1950 patients were randomized to the checklist arm and 1950 patients to the control arm. The checklist was administered to 68.8% of patients in the intervention arm, 1002 by the automated phone system and 340 by a research assistant. The rate of late cancellation did not differ significantly between the checklist and control arms (109 (5.6% vs. 113 (5.8%, adjusted odds ratio [95% confidence interval] = 0.91 [0.65-1.29], (p = 0.57. Checklist administration revealed that 355 patients (28.0% had not undergone tests ordered by the surgeon or anesthetist, and that 254 patients (20.0% still had questions concerning the fasting state.A standardized pre-operative telephone checklist did not avoid late cancellations of ambulatory surgery but enabled us to identify several frequent causes.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01732159.

  9. On-The-Job Training: A Practical Guide for Food Service Supervisors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hospital Research and Educational Trust, Chicago, IL.

    The on-the-job training guide was developed to assist food service supervisors in preparing, presenting, and evaluating a Job Instruction Training (JIT) lesson, a method which employs step-by-step learning of job-related tasks. Part 1, preparing for a JIT lesson, discusses the checklist of duties, the job description, the skills inventory, the…

  10. Lesson study in prospective mathematics teacher education: didactic and paradidactic technology in the post-lesson reflection

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rasmussen, Klaus

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents a detailed analysis of the post-lesson reflection, carried out in the context of eight cases of lesson study conducted by teams of Danish, lower secondaryprospective teachers and their supervisors. The participants, representing different institutions, were all new to the less...... and concern to the whole profession of mathematics teachers and the analysis adds to our insight into the potential of lesson study in prospective education as a meeting place where pertinent actors contribute to the expansion and dissemination of shared professional knowledge......This paper presents a detailed analysis of the post-lesson reflection, carried out in the context of eight cases of lesson study conducted by teams of Danish, lower secondaryprospective teachers and their supervisors. The participants, representing different institutions, were all new to the lesson...... study format. Nevertheless, it is demonstrated how their interaction shape the development of discourse about mathematical learning. The anthropological theory of the didactic is employed as the theoretical approach to analyse the mathematical and primarily didactical praxeologies developed...

  11. Compilation of a preliminary checklist for the differential diagnosis of neurogenic stuttering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mariska Lundie

    2014-06-01

    Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe and highlight the characteristics of NS in order to compile a preliminary checklist for accurate diagnosis and intervention. Method: An explorative, applied mixed method, multiple case study research design was followed. Purposive sampling was used to select four participants. A comprehensive assessment battery was compiled for data collection. Results: The results revealed a distinct pattern of core stuttering behaviours in NS, although discrepancies existed regarding stuttering severity and frequency. It was also found that DS and NS can co-occur. The case history and the core stuttering pattern are important considerations during differential diagnosis, as these are the only consistent characteristics in people with NS. Conclusion: It is unlikely that all the symptoms of NS are present in an individual. The researchers scrutinised the findings of this study and the findings of previous literature to compile a potentially workable checklist.

  12. Current practices in clinical neurofeedback with functional MRI-Analysis of a survey using the TIDieR checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Randell, Elizabeth; McNamara, Rachel; Subramanian, Leena; Hood, Kerenza; Linden, David

    2018-04-01

    A core principle of creating a scientific evidence base is that results can be replicated in independent experiments and in health intervention research. The TIDieR (Template for Intervention Description and Replication) checklist has been developed to aid in summarising key items needed when reporting clinical trials and other well designed evaluations of complex interventions in order that findings can be replicated or built on reliably. Neurofeedback (NF) using functional MRI (fMRI) is a multicomponent intervention that should be considered a complex intervention. The TIDieR checklist (with minor modification to increase applicability in this context) was distributed to NF researchers as a survey of current practice in the design and conduct of clinical studies. The aim was to document practice and convergence between research groups, highlighting areas for discussion and providing a basis for recommendations for harmonisation and standardisation. The TIDieR checklist was interpreted and expanded (21 questions) to make it applicable to neurofeedback research studies. Using the web-based Bristol Online Survey (BOS) tool, the revised checklist was disseminated to researchers in the BRAINTRAIN European research collaborative network (supported by the European Commission) and others in the fMRI-neurofeedback community. There were 16 responses to the survey. Responses were reported under eight main headings which covered the six domains of the TIDieR checklist: What, Why, When, How, Where and Who. This piece of work provides encouraging insight into the ability to be able to map neuroimaging interventions to a structured framework for reporting purposes. Regardless of the considerable variability of design components, all studies could be described in standard terms of diagnostic groups, dose/duration, targeted areas/signals, and psychological strategies and learning models. Recommendations are made which include providing detailed rationale of intervention design in

  13. Validation of the Family Meeting Behavioral Skills Checklist. An Instrument to Assess Fellows' Communication Skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gustin, Jillian L; Way, David P; Wells-Di Gregorio, Sharla; McCallister, Jennifer W

    2016-08-01

    Fellows in pulmonary and critical care medicine are required to show competency in facilitating family meetings for critically ill patients. There are many assessment measures available for evaluating physician-patient communication (e.g., the SEGUE Framework [Set the stage, Elicit information, Give information, Understand the patient's perspective, End the encounter]) and some designed for family meetings. However, no validated measure exists that is specifically designed to assess communication skills during family meetings with surrogate decision makers in intensive care settings. We developed the Family Meeting Behavioral Skills Checklist (FMBSC) to measure advanced communication skills of fellows in family meetings of critically ill patients based on a literature review and consensus of an interdisciplinary group of communications experts. We evaluated the psychometric properties of the FMBSC. We digitally recorded 16 pulmonary/critical care fellows performing a simulated family meeting for a critically ill patient at the end of 1 year of fellowship training. Two clinical health psychologists evaluated each recording independently using the FMBSC Rating Scale and the SEGUE Framework. Judges recorded the number of skills performed using the checklist and employed a summary rating scale to judge the level of performance for each of nine subsets of skills. Each instrument was scored and converted to percentage scores. The FMBSC and SEGUE Framework items were summed and converted to percentage scores for each category and as a total for each instrument. The rating scale items on the FMBSC were also summed and converted to a percentage score. Four primary analyses were conducted to evaluate interjudge reliability, internal consistency, and concurrent validity. Interrater reliability was higher for the FMBSC (intraclass correlation [ICC2,2] = 0.57) than for the SEGUE instrument (ICC2,2 = 0.32) or the FMBSC Rating Scale (ICC2,2 = 0.23). The FMBSC

  14. Standardization of Safety Checklists for Sport Fields in Schools

    OpenAIRE

    S. Arghami; G. Zahirian; T. Allahverdi

    2015-01-01

    Introduction: Nowadays in all human societies, sport is considered as a human-training matter, which often occurs in sport fields. Many people, including students in schools, occasionally deal with these fields. Therefore, a standard tool is required to frequently inspection of sport fields. The aim of this study was to standardize checklists for sport fields in schools. .Material and Method: This study is a kind of tool and technique evaluation was done in Zanjan in 2013. The studied populat...

  15. A checklist approach to caring for women seeking pregnancy testing: effects on contraceptive knowledge and use.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Jessica; Papic, Melissa; Baldauf, Erin; Updike, Glenn; Schwarz, E Bimla

    2015-02-01

    To assess how a checklist reminding clinicians to deliver a bundled intervention affects contraceptive knowledge and use 3 months after women seek walk-in pregnancy testing. Pre-intervention, an inner-city family planning clinic provided unstructured care; during the intervention period, clinic staff used a checklist to ensure women received needed services. Women seeking walk-in pregnancy testing who wished to avoid pregnancy for at least 6 months were asked to complete surveys about their contraceptive knowledge and use immediately after and 3-months after visiting the study clinic. To assess the significance of changes over time, we used logistic regression models. Between January 2011 and May 2013, over 1500 women sought pregnancy testing from the study clinic; 323 completed surveys (95 pre-intervention and 228 during the intervention period). With this checklist intervention, participants were more likely to receive emergency contraception (EC) (22% vs. 5%, [aOR 4.66 (1.76-12.35)], [corrected] have an intrauterine device or implant placed at the time of their clinic visit (5% vs. 0%, p=0.02), or receive a contraceptive prescription (23% vs. 10%, pcontraception and were more likely to report at 3-month follow-up a method of contraception more effective than the method they used prior to seeking pregnancy testing from the study clinic (aOR=2.02, 95% CI=1.03-3.96). The authors would like to apologize for any inconvenience caused. [corrected]. Women seeking walk-in pregnancy testing appear more likely to receive EC and to have switched to a more effective form of birth control in the 3 months following their visit when clinic staff used a 3-item checklist and provided scripted counseling. A checklist reminding clinic staff to assess pregnancy intentions, provide scripted counseling about both emergency and highly-effective reversible contraception, and offer same-day contraceptive initiation to women seeking walk-in pregnancy testing appears to increase use of

  16. Hazard identification checklist: Occupational safety and health issues associated with green building

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Terwoert, J.; Ustailieva, E.

    2013-01-01

    This checklist accompanies the e-fact on the same topic and aims to help identify the potential hazards to workers’ safety and health associated with the planning and construction of green buildings, their maintenance, renovation (retrofitting), demolition, and on-site waste collection. It also

  17. Peer video review and feedback improve performance in basic surgical skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vaughn, Carolyn J; Kim, Edward; O'Sullivan, Patricia; Huang, Emily; Lin, Matthew Y C; Wyles, Susannah; Palmer, Barnard J A; Pierce, Jonathan L; Chern, Hueylan

    2016-02-01

    Incorporation of home-video assessments allows flexibility in feedback but requires faculty time. Peer feedback (PF) may provide additional benefits while avoiding these constraints. Twenty-four surgical interns completed a 12-week skills curriculum with home-video assignments focused on knot tying and suturing. Interns were randomized into 2 groups: PF or faculty feedback (FF). Peers and faculty provided feedback on home videos with checklists, global rating, and comments. Learners' skills were assessed at baseline, during, and at the conclusion of the curriculum. Performance of the 2 groups as rated by experts was compared. FF and PF were compared. Both groups improved from baseline, and the highest rated scores were seen on their home-video assessments. The PF group performed better at the final assessment than the FF group (effect size, .84). When using a checklist, there was no significant difference between scores given by peers and faculty. The PF group performed better at the final assessment, suggesting reviewing and analyzing another's performance may improve one's own performance. With checklists as guidance, peers can serve as raters comparable to faculty. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. A checklist of macroparasites of Liza haematocheila (Temminck & Schlegel) (Teleostei: Mugilidae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kostadinova, Aneta

    2008-12-31

    The mugilid fish Liza haematocheila (syn. Mugil soiuy), native to the Western North Pacific, provides opportunities to examine the changes of its parasite fauna after its translocation to the Sea of Azov and subsequent establishment in the Black Sea. However, the information on macroparasites of this host in both ranges of its current distribution comes from isolated studies published in difficult-to-access literature sources. Data from 53 publications, predominantly in Chinese, Russian and Ukrainian, were compiled from an extensive search of the literature and the Host-Parasite Database maintained up to 2005 at the Natural History Museum, London. The complete checklist of the metazoan parasites of L. haematocheila throughout its distributional range comprises summarised information for 69 nominal species of helminth and ectoparasitic crustacean parasites, from 45 genera and 27 families (370 host-parasite records in total) and includes the name of the parasite species, the area/locality of the host capture, and the author and date of the published record. The taxonomy is updated and the validity of the records and synonymies are critically evaluated. A comparison of the parasite faunas based on the records in the native and introduced/invasive range of L. haematocheila suggests that a large number of parasite species was 'lost' in the new distributional range whereas an even greater number was 'gained'. Although the present checklist provides information that will facilitate future studies, the interesting question of macroparasite faunal diversity in L. haematocheila in its natural and introduced/invasive ranges cannot be dealt with the current data because of unreliability associated with the large number of non-documented and questionable records. This stresses the importance of data quality analysis in using host-parasite database and checklist data.

  19. A checklist of macroparasites of Liza haematocheila (Temminck & Schlegel (Teleostei: Mugilidae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kostadinova Aneta

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The mugilid fish Liza haematocheila (syn. Mugil soiuy, native to the Western North Pacific, provides opportunities to examine the changes of its parasite fauna after its translocation to the Sea of Azov and subsequent establishment in the Black Sea. However, the information on macroparasites of this host in both ranges of its current distribution comes from isolated studies published in difficult-to-access literature sources. Materials and methods Data from 53 publications, predominantly in Chinese, Russian and Ukrainian, were compiled from an extensive search of the literature and the Host-Parasite Database maintained up to 2005 at the Natural History Museum, London. Results The complete checklist of the metazoan parasites of L. haematocheila throughout its distributional range comprises summarised information for 69 nominal species of helminth and ectoparasitic crustacean parasites, from 45 genera and 27 families (370 host-parasite records in total and includes the name of the parasite species, the area/locality of the host capture, and the author and date of the published record. The taxonomy is updated and the validity of the records and synonymies are critically evaluated. A comparison of the parasite faunas based on the records in the native and introduced/invasive range of L. haematocheila suggests that a large number of parasite species was 'lost' in the new distributional range whereas an even greater number was 'gained'. Conclusion Although the present checklist provides information that will facilitate future studies, the interesting question of macroparasite faunal diversity in L. haematocheila in its natural and introduced/invasive ranges cannot be dealt with the current data because of unreliability associated with the large number of non-documented and questionable records. This stresses the importance of data quality analysis in using host-parasite database and checklist data.

  20. Vertebrate fauna of the San Joaquin Experimental Range, California: a checklist

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas F. Newman; Don A. Duncan

    1973-01-01

    This report updates an earlier checklist, published in 1955, of vertebrate fauna found on the San Joaquin Experimental Range, in Madera County, California. Nineteen new species have been recorded since 1955. This report records the occurrences of seven fish, eight amphibians, 19 reptiles, 38 mammals, and 149 buds. References to research on individual species are...

  1. Is it possible for chronic urticaria diagnostic approach to be simplified? A clinical data checklist

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iván Chérrez-Ojeda

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Background: Existing clinical guidelines do not offer an efficient alternative for the collection of data on relevant clinical traits during history and physical of the patient with chronic urticaria. Objective: Our aim was to provide a clinical data checklist together with its guide to allow for thorough information to be obtained and for a physical exam that identifies the main features and triggering factors of the disease to be carried out. Methods: A search was conducted for relevant literature on chronic urticaria in Medline, the Cochrane library and PubMed. Results: We developed an easy-to-use clinical data checklist with its corresponding clinical guide, comprised by 42 items based on two components: essential clues for history taking and chronic urticaria diagnosis (typical symptoms according to subgroups, etiology and laboratory results. Some components are the time of disease onset, wheals’ duration, shape, size, color and distribution, associated angioedema, atopy, triggering factors and others. Conclusions: The clinical data checklist and its guide constitute a tool to focus, guide and save time in medical consultation, with the main purpose to aid physicians in providing better diagnosis and management of the disease.

  2. Recommended reporting standards for test accuracy studies of infectious diseases of finfish, amphibians, molluscs and crustaceans: the STRADAS-aquatic checklist

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gardner, Ian A; Whittington, Richard J; Caraguel, Charles G B; Hick, Paul; Moody, Nicholas J G; Corbeil, Serge; Garver, Kyle A.; Warg, Janet V.; Arzul, Isabelle; Purcell, Maureen; St. J. Crane, Mark; Waltzek, Thomas B.; Olesen, Niels J; Lagno, Alicia Gallardo

    2016-01-01

    Complete and transparent reporting of key elements of diagnostic accuracy studies for infectious diseases in cultured and wild aquatic animals benefits end-users of these tests, enabling the rational design of surveillance programs, the assessment of test results from clinical cases and comparisons of diagnostic test performance. Based on deficiencies in the Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy (STARD) guidelines identified in a prior finfish study (Gardner et al. 2014), we adapted the Standards for Reporting of Animal Diagnostic Accuracy Studies—paratuberculosis (STRADAS-paraTB) checklist of 25 reporting items to increase their relevance to finfish, amphibians, molluscs, and crustaceans and provided examples and explanations for each item. The checklist, known as STRADAS-aquatic, was developed and refined by an expert group of 14 transdisciplinary scientists with experience in test evaluation studies using field and experimental samples, in operation of reference laboratories for aquatic animal pathogens, and in development of international aquatic animal health policy. The main changes to the STRADAS-paraTB checklist were to nomenclature related to the species, the addition of guidelines for experimental challenge studies, and the designation of some items as relevant only to experimental studies and ante-mortem tests. We believe that adoption of these guidelines will improve reporting of primary studies of test accuracy for aquatic animal diseases and facilitate assessment of their fitness-for-purpose. Given the importance of diagnostic tests to underpin the Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement of the World Trade Organization, the principles outlined in this paper should be applied to other World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)-relevant species.

  3. TMI-2 lessons have been learned

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Long, R.L.

    1994-01-01

    This paper is an introduction to the more detailed papers which are presented in this session titled ''Advanced Light Water Reactors -- 15 Years After TMI.'' Many of the advances in the design, operation and maintenance of nuclear power plants are the direct result of applying lessons learned from the 1979 TMI-2 accident. The authors believe the ''reality awakening'' which occurred following the accident should never be forgotten. Thus, this paper briefly reviews the TMI-2 accident and identifies the broad lessons learned following the accident. Then it describes briefly some indicators which show the very impressive improvements in nuclear power plant performance that have occurred over the past 10-15 years. This sets the stage for Dr. Ransom's paper which shows the continuing need for nuclear power, Dr. Beckjord's paper which describes the ''final'' TMI-2 research project and the subsequent papers which focus on advanced light water reactor developments

  4. Checklist of mammals from Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Walfrido Moraes Tomas

    Full Text Available Abstract We updated the checklist of mammals from Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil based on primary records only. One hundred and sixty-six mammal species were listed as occurring in the state, 47 of them being medium to large, 47 small mammal and 73 bat species. The listed species are distributed in 31 families: Didelphidae (17 spp., Dasypodidae (7 spp., Myrmecophagidae (2 spp., Cebidae (1 sp., Callithrichidae (2 spp., Aotidae (1 sp., Pitheciidae (1 sp., Atelidae (1 sp., Leporidae (1 sp., Felidae (7 spp., Canidae (4 spp., Mustelidae (5 spp., Mephitidae (2 spp., Procyonidae (2 spp., Tapiridae (1 sp., Tayassuidae (2 spp., Cervidae (4 spp., Sciuridae (1 sp., Cricetidae (22 spp., Erethizontidae (1 sp., Caviidae (3 spp., Dasyproctidae (1 sp., Cuniculidae (1 sp., Echimyidae (4 spp., Phyllostomidae (41 spp., Emballonuridae (2 spp., Molossidae (16 spp., Vespertilionidae (9 spp., Mormoopidae (1 sp., Noctilionidae (2 spp., and Natalidade (1 sp.. These numbers represent an increase of fourteen species with primary records for the state in comparison with the previously published checklist. However, it is evident the scarcity of information at several regions of the state, and the need of implementation of regional zoological collections. The state of Mato Grosso do Sul represent only 4.19% of the Brazilian territory, but the number of mammal species reach 24.13% of the known species occurring in the country.

  5. Annotated checklist of the living sharks, batoids and chimaeras (Chondrichthyes) of the world, with a focus on biogeographical diversity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weigmann, S

    2016-03-01

    An annotated checklist of the chondrichthyan fishes (sharks, batoids and chimaeras) of the world is presented. As of 7 November 2015, the number of species totals 1188, comprising 16 orders, 61 families and 199 genera. The checklist includes nine orders, 34 families, 105 genera and 509 species of sharks; six orders, 24 families, 88 genera and 630 species of batoids (skates and rays); one order, three families, six genera and 49 species of holocephalans (chimaeras). The most speciose shark orders are the Carcharhiniformes with 284 species, followed by the Squaliformes with 119. The most species-rich batoid orders are the Rajiformes with 285 species and the Myliobatiformes with 210. This checklist represents the first global checklist of chondrichthyans to include information on maximum size, geographic and depth distributions, as well as comments on taxonomically problematic species and recent and regularly overlooked synonymizations. Furthermore, a detailed analysis of the biogeographical diversity of the species across 10 major areas of occurrence is given, including updated figures for previously published hotspots of chondrichthyan biodiversity, providing the detailed numbers of chondrichthyan species per major area, and revealing centres of distribution for several taxa. © 2016 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

  6. Screening for pragmatic language impairment: The potential of the children's communication checklist

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ketelaars, M.P.; Cuperus, J.M.; Daal, J.G.H.L. van; Jansonius-Schultheiss, K.; Verhoeven, L.T.W.

    2009-01-01

    The present study examines the validity of the Dutch Children's Communication Checklist (CCC) for children in kindergarten in a community sample, in order to assess the feasibility of using it as a screening instrument in the general population. Teachers completed the CCC for a representative sample

  7. Predicting Recidivism with the Psychopathy Checklist: Are Factor Score Composites Really Necessary?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walters, Glenn D.; Wilson, Nick J.; Glover, Anthony J. J.

    2011-01-01

    In two previous studies on general and violent recidivism (Walters & Heilbrun, 2010; Walters, Knight, Grann, & Dahle, 2008), the summed composite antisocial facet of the Psychopathy Checklist displayed incremental validity relative to the other 3 facets (interpersonal, affective, lifestyle), whereas the other 3 facets generally failed to…

  8. Effects of checklist interface on non-verbal crew communications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Segal, Leon D.

    1994-01-01

    The investigation looked at the effects of the spatial layout and functionality of cockpit displays and controls on crew communication. Specifically, the study focused on the intra-cockpit crew interaction, and subsequent task performance, of airline pilots flying different configurations of a new electronic checklist, designed and tested in a high-fidelity simulator at NASA Ames Research Center. The first part of this proposal establishes the theoretical background for the assumptions underlying the research, suggesting that in the context of the interaction between a multi-operator crew and a machine, the design and configuration of the interface will affect interactions between individual operators and the machine, and subsequently, the interaction between operators. In view of the latest trends in cockpit interface design and flight-deck technology, in particular, the centralization of displays and controls, the introduction identifies certain problems associated with these modern designs and suggests specific design issues to which the expected results could be applied. A detailed research program and methodology is outlined and the results are described and discussed. Overall, differences in cockpit design were shown to impact the activity within the cockpit, including interactions between pilots and aircraft and the cooperative interactions between pilots.

  9. The individual teacher in lesson study collaboration

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skott, Charlotte Krog; Møller, Hanne

    2017-01-01

    used in lesson study research. Design/methodology/approach The authors use collective case studies. By being participant observers the authors provide detailed descriptions of two selected teachers’ lived experiences of lesson study collaboration. In addition to gain first-hand insights, the authors...... in the participation of each of the two teachers during a two-year lesson study project. By comparing these shifts the authors identify significant conditions for their individual learning. Research limitations/implications Although the study is small scale, both the insights into the different ways in which teachers...... participated and the theoretical insights might be valuable for other lesson study research approaches. Practical implications This paper provides valuable insights into conditions that might influence teachers’ participation in lesson study activities, especially in cultures with little experience of lesson...

  10. From local checklists to online identification portals: a case study on vascular plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martellos, Stefano; Nimis, Pier Luigi

    2015-01-01

    Checklists, the result of time-consuming exploration and painstaking bibliographic research, can be easily converted into online databases, which have the advantage of being updatable online in real time, and of reaching a much wider audience. However, thousands of local checklists (Natural Parks, protected areas, etc.) are still available on paper only, and most of those published online appear as dry lists of latin names, which strongly reduces their outreach for a wider audience. The University of Trieste has recently started the publication of several local checklists in a way that may be more appealing for the general public, by linking species' names to archives of digital resources, and especially to digital identification tools produced by software FRIDA (FRiendly IDentificAtion). The query interfaces were developed on the basis of feedback from a wide range of users. The result is no longer a simple list of names accessible on the Web, but a veritable multimedial, interactive portal to the biodiversity of a given area. This paper provides an example of how relevant added value can be given to local lists of taxa by embedding them in a complex system of biodiversity-related resources, making them usable for a much wider audience than a restricted circle of specialists, as testified by the almost 1.000.000 unique visitors reached in 2014. A critical mass of digital resources is also put at disposal of the scientific community by releasing them under a Creative Commons license.

  11. What Happens at the Lesson Start?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saloviita, Timo

    2016-01-01

    Transitional periods, such as lesson starts, are necessary steps from one activity to another, but they also compete with time for actual learning. The aim of the present study was to replicate a previous pilot study on lesson starts and explore possible disturbances. In total, 130 lesson starts in Finnish basic education in grades 1-9 were…

  12. Lessons learned from radiological accidents at medical exposures in radiotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fagundes, J.S.; Ferreira, A.F.; Lima, C.M.A.; Silva, F.C.A. da

    2017-01-01

    An exposure is considered accidental in radiotherapy when there is a substantial deviation in the prescription of treatment. In this work, an analysis of published radiological accidents, both in Brazil and internationally, was performed during medical exposures in radiotherapy treatments, removing the main lessons learned. Of the research carried out, we highlight Brazil with four radiological accidents and one death in the period between 2011 and 2014; the United States of America with 169 accidents with two deaths from 2000 to 2010 and France from 2001 to 2014 had 569 deaths without patients. Lessons learned have been described, for example, that maintenance personnel training should specify limitations or restrictions on the handling or adjustment of critical parts on the accelerator. It is recommended to apply the 10 main lessons learned due to radiological accidents during medical exposures in radiotherapy treatments to avoid future events

  13. Reporting the characteristics of the policy context for population-level alcohol interventions: a proposed 'Transparent Reporting of Alcohol Intervention ContExts' (TRAICE) checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holmes, John; Meier, Petra S; Booth, Andrew; Brennan, Alan

    2014-11-01

    Effectiveness of alcohol policy interventions varies across times and places. The circumstances under which effective polices can be successfully transferred between contexts are typically unexplored with little attention given to developing reporting requirements that would facilitate systematic investigation. Using purposive sampling and expert elicitation methods, we identified context-related factors impacting on the effectiveness of population-level alcohol policies. We then drew on previous characterisations of alcohol policy contexts and methodological-reporting checklists to design a new checklist for reporting contextual information in evaluation studies. Six context factor domains were identified: (i) baseline alcohol consumption, norms and harm rates; (ii) baseline affordability and availability; (iii) social, microeconomic and demographic contexts; (iv) macroeconomic context; (v) market context; and (vi) wider policy, political and media context. The checklist specifies information, typically available in national or international reports, to be reported in each domain. The checklist can facilitate evidence synthesis by providing: (i) a mechanism for systematic and more consistent reporting of contextual data for meta-regression and realist evaluations; (ii) information for policy-makers on differences between their context and contexts of evaluations; and (iii) an evidence base for adjusting prospective policy simulation models to account for policy context. Our proposed checklist provides a tool for gaining better understanding of the influence of policy context on intervention effectiveness. Further work is required to rationalise and aggregate checklists across interventions types to make such checklists practical for use by journals and to improve reporting of important qualitative contextual data. © 2014 The Authors. Drug and Alcohol Review published by Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd on behalf of Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and

  14. The Phase of Illness Paradigm: A Checklist Centric Model to Improve Patient Care in the Burn Intensive Care Unit

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-04-01

    checklist changes to support improved communication. Tools can help teams change. Our previous use of daily checklists and read -back task lists...hemodynamic instability psot OR Task Task: Nurse: assess EKG Task Task: Nurse: Assess EKG , notify resident of changes Task Task: Nurse: Assess...medication Task Task: Nurse: Give specified nutrition Task Task: Nurse: Maintain adequate MAP Task Task: Nurse: monitor EKG for changes Task Task: Nurse

  15. Organizational safety factors research lessons learned

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ryan, T.G.

    1995-01-01

    This Paper reports lessons learned and state of knowledge gained from an organizational factors research activity involving commercial nuclear power plants in the United States, through the end of 1991, as seen by the scientists immediately involved in the research. Lessons learned information was gathered from the research teams and individuals using a question and answer format. The following five questions were submitted to each team and individual: (1) What organizational factors appear to influence safety performance in some systematic way, (2) Should organizational factors research focus at the plant level, or should it extend beyond the plant level to the parent company, rate setting commissions, regulatory agencies, (3) How important is having direct access to plants for doing organizational factors research, (4) What lessons have been learned to date as the result of doing organizational factors research in a nuclear regulatory setting, and (5) What organizational research topics and issues should be pursued in the future? Conclusions based on the responses provided for this report are that organizational factors research can be conducted in a regulatory setting and produce useful results. Technologies pioneered in other academic, commercial, and military settings can be adopted for use in a nuclear regulatory setting. The future success of such research depends upon the cooperation of regulators, contractors, and the nuclear industry

  16. Lesson study i Danmark?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mogensen, Arne

    2009-01-01

    Der beskrives et japansk lesson study forløb, og det diskuteres i hvilket omfang, de gode japanske erfaringer kan overføres til dansk matematikundervisning.......Der beskrives et japansk lesson study forløb, og det diskuteres i hvilket omfang, de gode japanske erfaringer kan overføres til dansk matematikundervisning....

  17. An Assessment of Need for Instructional Professional Development for Middle School Science Teachers Using Interactive Lessons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burton, Amanda

    Numerous studies on the impact of interactive lessons on student learning have been conducted, but there has been a lack of professional development (PD) programs at a middle school focusing on ways to incorporate interactive lessons into the science classroom setting. The purpose of this case study was to examine the instructional practices of science teachers to determine whether the need for an interactive lessons approach to teaching students exists. This qualitative case study focused on teachers' perceptions and pedagogy to determine whether the need to use interactive lessons to meet the needs of all students is present. The research question focused on identifying current practices and determining whether a need for interactive lessons is present. Qualitative data were gathered from science teachers at the school through interviews, lesson plans, and observations, all of which were subsequently coded using an interpretative analysis. The results indicated the need for a professional development (PD) program centered on interactive science lessons. Upon completion of the qualitative study, a detailed PD program has been proposed to increase the instructional practices of science teachers to incorporate interactive lessons within the science classroom. Implications for positive social change include improved teaching strategies and lessons that are more student-centered resulting in better understanding and comprehension, as well as performance on state-mandated tests.

  18. Exercise intensities during a ballet lesson in female adolescents with different technical ability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guidetti, L; Gallotta, M C; Emerenziani, G P; Baldari, C

    2007-09-01

    To investigate the exercise intensity during a typical grade five ballet lesson, thirty-nine dancers (13 - 16 yrs) were divided into three different technical proficiency groups: low level (n = 13), intermediate level (n = 14), and high level (n = 12). A progressively incremented treadmill test was administered to determine VO(2max), individual ventilatory threshold (IVT), and the individual anaerobic threshold (IAT). Oxygen uptake (VO(2)), heart rate (HR) and blood lactate (La) were then evaluated during a grade five ballet lesson. Oxygen uptake at IVT, IAT and maximal oxygen uptake were greater (p ballet lesson were similar among groups. During the ballet lesson, low technical level dancers had more V.O (2) and La values above (p < 0.05) the IAT than the other groups. Correlation analysis revealed that the number of exercises performed above IAT was positively related to anthropometric characteristics (BMI, %FM; r = 0.36, p < 0.05; r = 0.46, p < 0.01), negatively related to fitness parameters (VO(2IVT), VO(2IAT), VO(2max); r between - 0.43 and - 0.69; p < 0.001) and to technical level (r = - 0.70; p < 0.001). The subjects classified as having low technical abilities had lower fitness levels and performed more exercises above IAT than the more skilled dancers.

  19. Postoperative Adverse Events Inconsistently Improved by the World Health Organization Surgical Safety Checklist: A Systematic Literature Review of 25 Studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Jager, Elzerie; McKenna, Chloe; Bartlett, Lynne; Gunnarsson, Ronny; Ho, Yik-Hong

    2016-08-01

    The World Health Organization Surgical Safety Checklist (SSC) has been widely implemented in an effort to decrease surgical adverse events. This systematic literature review examined the effects of the SSC on postoperative outcomes. The review included 25 studies: two randomised controlled trials, 13 prospective and ten retrospective cohort trials. A meta-analysis was not conducted as combining observational studies of heterogeneous quality may be highly biased. The quality of the studies was largely suboptimal; only four studies had a concurrent control group, many studies were underpowered to examine specific postoperative outcomes and teamwork-training initiatives were often combined with the implementation of the checklist, confounding the results. The effects of the checklist were largely inconsistent. Postoperative complications were examined in 20 studies; complication rates significantly decreased in ten and increased in one. Eighteen studies examined postoperative mortality. Rates significantly decreased in four and increased in one. Postoperative mortality rates were not significantly decreased in any studies in developed nations, whereas they were significantly decreased in 75 % of studies conducted in developing nations. The checklist may be associated with a decrease in surgical adverse events and this effect seems to be greater in developing nations. With the observed incongruence between specific postoperative outcomes and the overall poor study designs, it is possible that many of the positive changes associated with the use of the checklist were due to temporal changes, confounding factors and publication bias.

  20. Psychometric properties of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Checklist as a screening instrument for children with a developmental co-ordination disorder

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schoemaker, MM; Smits-Engelsman, BCM; Jongmans, MJ

    Background. The Checklist of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (M-ABC) was developed to screen children for movement difficulties in the school situation. However, the psychometric properties of the Checklist have not been investigated in detail. Aim. The psychometric properties of the

  1. The Value of Identifying and Recovering Lost GN&C Lessons Learned: Aeronautical, Spacecraft, and Launch Vehicle Examples

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dennehy, Cornelius J.; Labbe, Steve; Lebsock, Kenneth L.

    2010-01-01

    Within the broad aerospace community the importance of identifying, documenting and widely sharing lessons learned during system development, flight test, operational or research programs/projects is broadly acknowledged. Documenting and sharing lessons learned helps managers and engineers to minimize project risk and improve performance of their systems. Often significant lessons learned on a project fail to get captured even though they are well known 'tribal knowledge' amongst the project team members. The physical act of actually writing down and documenting these lessons learned for the next generation of NASA GN&C engineers fails to happen on some projects for various reasons. In this paper we will first review the importance of capturing lessons learned and then will discuss reasons why some lessons are not documented. A simple proven approach called 'Pause and Learn' will be highlighted as a proven low-impact method of organizational learning that could foster the timely capture of critical lessons learned. Lastly some examples of 'lost' GN&C lessons learned from the aeronautics, spacecraft and launch vehicle domains are briefly highlighted. In the context of this paper 'lost' refers to lessons that have not achieved broad visibility within the NASA-wide GN&C CoP because they are either undocumented, masked or poorly documented in the NASA Lessons Learned Information System (LLIS).

  2. A Unified Checklist for Observational and Experimental Research in Software Engineering (Version 1)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wieringa, Roelf J.

    2012-01-01

    Current checklists for empirical software engineering cover either experimental research or case study research but ignore the many commonalities that exist across all kinds of empirical research. Identifying these commonalities, and explaining why they exist, would enhance our understanding of

  3. St. Louis FUSRAP Lessons Learned

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eberlin, J.; Williams, D.; Mueller, D.

    2003-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to present lessons learned from fours years' experience conducting Remedial Investigation and Remedial Action activities at the St. Louis Downtown Site (SLDS) under the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP). Many FUSRAP sites are experiencing challenges conducting Remedial Actions within forecasted volume and budget estimates. The St. Louis FUSRAP lessons learned provide insight to options for cost effective remediation at FUSRAP sites. The lessons learned are focused on project planning (budget and schedule), investigation, design, and construction

  4. A Relevant Lesson: Hitler Goes to the Mall

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gerwin, David

    2003-01-01

    A "Motivation" eliciting the "Aim" of each lesson initiates each lesson in the orthodox "developmental lesson-plan" that has dominated classroom instruction in NYC public schools for at least the past half-century. An action-research study of 38 lesson-plans (over 5 each from 5 teachers) drawn from student-teaching…

  5. Sloan Digital Sky Survey: Performance and Lessons Learned from the First Two Years of Operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boroski, William N.; Gunn, James E.; Kron, Richard G.; Peoples, John, Jr.

    2002-12-01

    Over a 5-year observing period, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) will acquire data to construct a digital 5-color photometric map of the Northern Galactic sky to about 23rd magnitude, and a correspondingly large and homogeneous spectroscopic survey. The SDSS is in a unique class of projects, in that all aspects of the SDSS infrastructure, from the telescopes and instruments, to software and operations staffing, were designed and assembled specifically to conduct this Survey. To ensure success, observing operations are run in production mode and performance metrics are used to measure progress over time. The methodology of preparing the performance baseline plan, and an assessment of Survey progress after two full years of operation, are reviewed and some lessons learned discussed. In particular, the SDSS has benefited greatly by asking peers in the field to participate in external reviews that periodically assess performance and offer independent, fresh views of potential areas of concerns. Additionally, difficulties caused by the absence of an experienced systems-engineering staff during the final phase of construction and commissioning are reviewed. The challenges of building a production machine out of complex and state-of-the-art sub-systems cannot be overstated. In the case of the SDSS, insufficient systems engineering led to problems meeting initial image quality requirements, primarily because of problems with the thermal performance of the telescope and its environment. A concerted campaign to deal with these issues was successful, but that success came rather later than we would have liked. The improvements made to address the situation, and the resulting increase in operational performance, are discussed.

  6. Comparing the use of the Childhood Autism Rating Scale and the Autism Behavior Checklist protocols to identify and characterize autistic individuals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santos, Thaís Helena Ferreira; Barbosa, Milene Rossi Pereira; Pimentel, Ana Gabriela Lopes; Lacerda, Camila Andrioli; Balestro, Juliana Izidro; Amato, Cibelle Albuquerque de la Higuera; Fernandes, Fernanda Dreux Miranda

    2012-01-01

    To compare the results obtained in the Autism Behavior Checklist with those obtained in the Childhood Autism Rating Scale to identify and characterize children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Participants were 28 children with psychiatric diagnosis within the autism spectrum that were enrolled in language therapy in a specialized service. These children were assessed according to the Autism Behavior Checklist and Childhood Autism Rating Scale criteria, based on information obtained with parents and therapists, respectively. Data were statistically analyzed regarding the agreement between responses. Results indicating high or moderate probability of autism in the Autism Behavior Checklist were considered concordant with the results indicating mild-to-moderate or severe autism in the Childhood Autism Rating Scale. Results indicating low probability of autism in the Autism Behavior Checklist and without autism in the Childhood Autism Rating Scale were also considered concordant. There was agreement on most of the responses. Cases in which there was disagreement between results obtained on both protocols corroborate literature data, showing that the instruments may not be sufficient, if applied alone, to define the diagnosis. The Childhood Autism Rating Scale may not effectively diagnose autistic children, while the Autism Behavior Checklist may result in over- diagnose, including within the autism spectrum children with other disorders. Therefore, the associated use of both protocols is recommended.

  7. Strategic Management and Innovation: A Checklist for Readiness Evaluation of AACSB Standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kundu, Goutam Kumar; Bairi, Jayachandra

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of a checklist, focusing on the detailed analysis of the requirement of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) standards related to strategic management and innovation area, for evaluation of implementation readiness in a business school setting.…

  8. An Annotated Checklist of the Vascular Flora of Guinea-Bissau (West Africa)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Catarino, L.; Martins, E.S.; Pinto Basto, M.F.; Diniz, M.A.

    2008-01-01

    A Checklist of Guinea-Bissau’s vascular flora is presented, based on the inventory of herbarium material and on recent collections. In addition to the name, we cite for each taxon the basionym and synonyms, the life form and habitat, as well as the chorology, Raunkiaer’s biological type, phenology

  9. Beautiful Beads: A Lesson in Making Beads with Friendly Clay. AMACO[R] Lesson.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gamble, Harriet; Gamble, David

    This lesson resource includes a brief summary of the history of bead making and historic fascination with beads as adornment. A focus on design elements, color theory, craftsmanship, and technical skill in bead making is encouraged. The plan includes lesson goals and objectives; background preparation; a glossary of terms; a list of supplies; and…

  10. A checklist of land snails from the west coast islands of Sabah, Borneo (Mollusca, Gastropoda

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chee-Chean Phung

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Sabah, situated in one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, has the largest number of islands in Malaysia with more than 500 of various sizes and degrees of isolation. However, information on the islands’ biodiversity is limited. This study provides an up-to-date checklist of land snail species found on 24 west coast islands in Sabah. A total of 67 species (nearly 20% of the total number of land snail species in the state representing 37 genera and 19 families is enumerated based on systematic field surveys of 133 sampling plots, BORNEENSIS database records and species checklists published between 2000 and 2016. The number of species on the islands ranges from four to 29. Labuan Island has the highest number of species (29, followed by Tiga Island (25, Mantanani Besar Island (24 and Gaya Island (23. However, the populations of some land snail species may have declined as several previously recorded species on the islands were not found in a recent systematic field sampling. This checklist is provided as a baseline inventory for future island land snail studies and to better inform biodiversity conservation plans of marine parks and other islands on the Sabah west coast.

  11. QA lessons learned for parameter control from the WIPP Project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Richards, R.R.

    1998-01-01

    This paper provides a summary of lessons learned from experiences on the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WJPP) Project in implementation of quality assurance controls surrounding inputs for performance assessment analysis. Since the performance assessment (PA) process is inherent in compliance determination for any waste repository, these lessons-learned are intended to be useful to investigators, analysts, and Quality Assurance (QA) practitioners working on high level waste disposal projects. On the WIPP Project, PA analyses for regulatory-compliance determination utilized several inter-related computer programs (codes) that mathematically modeled phenomena such as radionuclide release, retardation, and transport. The input information for those codes are the parameters that are the subject of this paper. Parameters were maintained in a computer database, which was then queried electronically by the PA codes whenever input was needed as the analyses were run

  12. A Comprehensive Quality Assurance Program for Personnel and Procedures in Radiation Oncology: Value of Voluntary Error Reporting and Checklists

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kalapurakal, John A.; Zafirovski, Aleksandar; Smith, Jeffery; Fisher, Paul; Sathiaseelan, Vythialingam; Barnard, Cynthia; Rademaker, Alfred W.; Rave, Nick; Mittal, Bharat B.

    2013-01-01

    Purpose: This report describes the value of a voluntary error reporting system and the impact of a series of quality assurance (QA) measures including checklists and timeouts on reported error rates in patients receiving radiation therapy. Methods and Materials: A voluntary error reporting system was instituted with the goal of recording errors, analyzing their clinical impact, and guiding the implementation of targeted QA measures. In response to errors committed in relation to treatment of the wrong patient, wrong treatment site, and wrong dose, a novel initiative involving the use of checklists and timeouts for all staff was implemented. The impact of these and other QA initiatives was analyzed. Results: From 2001 to 2011, a total of 256 errors in 139 patients after 284,810 external radiation treatments (0.09% per treatment) were recorded in our voluntary error database. The incidence of errors related to patient/tumor site, treatment planning/data transfer, and patient setup/treatment delivery was 9%, 40.2%, and 50.8%, respectively. The compliance rate for the checklists and timeouts initiative was 97% (P<.001). These and other QA measures resulted in a significant reduction in many categories of errors. The introduction of checklists and timeouts has been successful in eliminating errors related to wrong patient, wrong site, and wrong dose. Conclusions: A comprehensive QA program that regularly monitors staff compliance together with a robust voluntary error reporting system can reduce or eliminate errors that could result in serious patient injury. We recommend the adoption of these relatively simple QA initiatives including the use of checklists and timeouts for all staff to improve the safety of patients undergoing radiation therapy in the modern era

  13. Checklist for One Health Epidemiological Reporting of Evidence (COHERE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meghan F. Davis

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available One Health is defined as the intersection and integration of knowledge regarding humans, animals, and the environment, yet as the One Health scientific literature expands, there is considerable heterogeneity of approach and quality of reporting in One Health studies. In addition, many researchers who publish such studies do not include or integrate data from all three domains of human, animal, and environmental health. This points to a critical need to unify guidelines for One Health studies. This report details the Checklist for One Health Epidemiological Reporting of Evidence (COHERE to guide the design and publication format of future One Health studies. COHERE was developed by a core writing team and international expert review group that represents multiple disciplines, including human medicine, veterinary medicine, public health, allied professionals, clinical laboratory science, epidemiology, the social sciences, ecohealth and environmental health. The twin aims of the COHERE standards are to 1 improve the quality of reporting of observational or interventional epidemiological studies that collect and integrate data from humans, animals and/or vectors, and their environments; and 2 promote the concept that One Health studies should integrate knowledge from these three domains. The 19 standards in the COHERE checklist address descriptions of human populations, animal populations, environmental assessment, spatial and temporal relationships of data from the three domains, integration of analyses and interpretation, and inclusion of expertise in the research team from disciplines related to human health, animal health, and environmental health.

  14. Using the modified checklist for autism in toddlers in a well-child clinic in Turkey: adapting the screening method based on culture and setting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kara, Bülent; Mukaddes, Nahit Motavalli; Altınkaya, Isılay; Güntepe, Dilek; Gökçay, Gülbin; Özmen, Meral

    2014-04-01

    We aimed to adapt the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers to Turkish culture. The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers was filled out independently by 191 parents while they were waiting for the well-child examination of their child. A high screen-positive rate was found. Because of this high false-positive rate, a second study was done in which the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers was administered by health-care staff in a short interview with two groups of parents. The first group (the high-risk group) comprised 80 children aged 18-36 months, who were initially diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorders. The second group (the low-risk group) comprised 538 children of the same age, who were followed regularly by the well-child clinic. Two screen positives were found in the low-risk group. These two children, a random sample of 120 children from the low-risk group, and all the high-risk group were invited to a clinical evaluation. The diagnostic power of the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers was assessed against clinical diagnosis and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale. The positive predictive value of the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers was found to be 75%. Our findings led us to conclude that the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers is a useful tool in Turkey for screening of pervasive developmental disorders in primary care, but in our culture, it is completed more accurately when health-care personnel ask the parents the questions. This study shows that Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers screening should be adapted based on culture and setting.

  15. Checklist for transition to new highway fuel(s).

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Risch, C.; Santini, D.J. (Energy Systems)

    2011-12-15

    Transportation is vital to the U.S. economy and society. As such, U.S. Presidents have repeatedly stated that the nation needs to reduce dependence on petroleum, especially for the highway transportation sector. Throughout history, highway transportation fuel transitions have been completed successfully both in United States and abroad. Other attempts have failed, as described in Appendix A: Historical Highway Fuel Transitions. Planning for a transition is critical because the changes can affect our nation's ability to compete in the world market. A transition will take many years to complete. While it is tempting to make quick decisions about the new fuel(s) of choice, it is preferable and necessary to analyze all the pertinent criteria to ensure that correct decisions are made. Doing so will reduce the number of changes in highway fuel(s). Obviously, changes may become necessary because of occurrences such as significant technology breakthroughs or major world events. With any and all of the possible transitions to new fuel(s), the total replacement of gasoline and diesel fuels is not expected. These conventional fuels are envisioned to coexist with the new fuel(s) for decades, while the revised fuel and vehicle infrastructures are implemented. The transition process must analyze the needs of the primary 'players,' which consist of the customers, the government, the fuel industry, and the automotive industry. To maximize the probability of future successes, the prime considerations of these groups must be addressed. Section 2 presents a succinct outline of the Checklist. Section 3 provides a brief discussion about the groupings on the Checklist.

  16. Being Prepared for Climate Change: Checklists of Potential Climate Change Risks, from Step 3

    Science.gov (United States)

    The Being Prepared for Climate Change workbook is a guide for constructing a climate change adaptation plan based on identifying risks and their consequences. These checklists (from Step 3 of the workbook) help users identify risks.

  17. A commented check-list of the Ephemeroptera of Mongolia

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Soldán, Tomáš; Enktaivan, S.; Godunko, R. J.

    2009-01-01

    Roč. 31, suppl. 1 (2009), s. 653-670 ISSN 0165-0424. [International Perspectives in Mayfly and Stonefly Research. Proceedings of the International Conference on Ephemeroptera /12./ and International Symposium on Plecoptera /16./. Stuttgart, 08.06.2008-14.06.2008] R&D Projects: GA AV ČR 1QS500070505; GA ČR GA206/08/1389 Grant - others:USA NSF Biotic Survey and Inventories(US) DEB 0206674 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50070508 Keywords : Ephemeroptera * Mongolia * checklist Subject RIV: EG - Zoology Impact factor: 0.311, year: 2009

  18. Analysing the Integration of Engineering in Science Lessons with the Engineering-Infused Lesson Rubric

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peterman, Karen; Daugherty, Jenny L.; Custer, Rodney L.; Ross, Julia M.

    2017-01-01

    Science teachers are being called on to incorporate engineering practices into their classrooms. This study explores whether the Engineering-Infused Lesson Rubric, a new rubric designed to target best practices in engineering education, could be used to evaluate the extent to which engineering is infused into online science lessons. Eighty lessons…

  19. Is it time to use checklists in mental health care auditing?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abramowitz, Moshe Z; Polackiewicz, Jacob; Grinshpoon, Alexander

    2011-02-22

    A key strategy for improving the quality of mental health care is the design and implementation of a mechanism for on-site inspection and clinical auditing. We discuss the use of checklists in auditing providing an objective, comprehensive system for recording and analyzing multi-disciplinary, clinical auditing in mental health services. We believe such an approach can identify potential risks and allow for better decision making.

  20. Is it time to use checklists in mental health care auditing?

    OpenAIRE

    Jacob Polackiewicz; Alexander Grinshpoon; Moshe Z. Abramowitz

    2011-01-01

    A key strategy for improving the quality of mental health care is the design and implementation of a mechanism for on-site inspection and clinical auditing. We discuss the use of checklists in auditing providing an objective, comprehensive system for recording and analyzing multi-disciplinary, clinical auditing in mental health services. We believe such an approach can identify potential risks and allow for better decision making.

  1. The Fernald Closure Project: Lessons Learned

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murphy, Cornelius M.; Carr, Dennis

    2008-01-01

    -state determinations; - Interaction with stakeholders; - The balanced approach - on-site and off-site waste-disposal alternatives; - The contracting model; - Site safety performance; - Effectiveness of cleanup remedies; - Worker training and transition; - Client interface; - Cost and schedule performance; - Legacy management. Lessons learned can be applied: While each site and project has its own issues, the various lessons learned from the Fernald Closure Project, when taken from a global perspective, can be applied to similar efforts so that pitfalls are avoided and efficiencies realized

  2. Validity of the Aberrant Behavior Checklist in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaat, Aaron J.; Lecavalier, Luc; Aman, Michael G.

    2014-01-01

    The Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) is a widely used measure in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) treatment studies. We conducted confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses of the ABC in 1,893 children evaluated as part of the Autism Treatment Network. The root mean square error of approximation was .086 for the standard item assignment, and in…

  3. Elaboration and Validation of the Medication Prescription Safety Checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pires, Aline de Oliveira Meireles; Ferreira, Maria Beatriz Guimarães; Nascimento, Kleiton Gonçalves do; Felix, Márcia Marques Dos Santos; Pires, Patrícia da Silva; Barbosa, Maria Helena

    2017-08-03

    to elaborate and validate a checklist to identify compliance with the recommendations for the structure of medication prescriptions, based on the Protocol of the Ministry of Health and the Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency. methodological research, conducted through the validation and reliability analysis process, using a sample of 27 electronic prescriptions. the analyses confirmed the content validity and reliability of the tool. The content validity, obtained by expert assessment, was considered satisfactory as it covered items that represent the compliance with the recommendations regarding the structure of the medication prescriptions. The reliability, assessed through interrater agreement, was excellent (ICC=1.00) and showed perfect agreement (K=1.00). the Medication Prescription Safety Checklist showed to be a valid and reliable tool for the group studied. We hope that this study can contribute to the prevention of adverse events, as well as to the improvement of care quality and safety in medication use. elaborar e validar um instrumento tipo checklist para identificar a adesão às recomendações na estrutura das prescrições de medicamentos, a partir do Protocolo do Ministério da Saúde e Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária. pesquisa metodológica, conduzida por meio do processo de validade e análise de confiabilidade, com amostra de 27 prescrições eletrônicas. análises realizadas confirmaram a validade de conteúdo e a confiabilidade da versão do instrumento. A validade de conteúdo, obtida por meio da avaliação de juízes, foi considerada satisfatória por contemplar itens que representam a adesão às recomendações na estrutura das prescrições de medicamentos. A confiabilidade, avaliada por interobservadores, apresentou-se excelente (ICC=1,00) e de concordância perfeita (K=1,00). o instrumento Lista de Verificação de Segurança na Prescrição de Medicamentos demonstrou-se válido e confiável para o grupo estudado. Espera

  4. Screening for pragmatic language impairment: the potential of the children’s communication checklist

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ketelaars, M.P.; Cuperus, J.; van Daal, J.; Jansonius, K.; Verhoeven, L.

    2009-01-01

    The present study examines the validity of the Dutch Children's Communication Checklist (CCC) for children in kindergarten in a community sample, in order to assess the feasibility of using it as a screening instrument in the general population. Teachers completed the CCC for a representative sample

  5. Psychometric validation and clinical validity of the Minor Melancholia Mood Checklist (MMCL-32)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bech, Per; Christensen, Ellen Margrethe; Vinberg, Maj

    2012-01-01

    BACKGROUND: The Minor Melancholia Mood Checklist (MMCL-32) was developed to identify sub-threshold states of major depression. The MMCL-32 can be considered as the counterpole to the Hypomanic Check List (HCL-32). METHODS: Principal component analysis (PCA) without rotation was used to identify a...

  6. Testing the 8-syndrome structure of the child behavior checklist in 30 societies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ivanova, Masha Y; Dobrean, Anca; Dopfner, Manfred

    2007-01-01

    There is a growing need for multicultural collaboration in child mental health services, training, and research. To facilitate such collaboration, this study tested the 8-syndrome structure of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) in 30 societies. Parents' CBCL ratings of 58,051 6- to 18-year-olds ...

  7. Lessons learned in terms of crisis management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2006-01-01

    This document outlines that nobody was prepared to the crisis which occurred after the Chernobyl accident, whether in Russia, Europe or France. In order to illustrate the fact that crisis management has been different from one country to another, the report describes how the crisis has been managed in Norway (which has been quickly reached by fallouts and with a rather high level) and in Switzerland. It comments radioactivity measurements performed in France during spring 1986 by the SCPRI, the CEA and the ISPN. It discusses the lessons drawn in France in terms of emergency situation management regarding the protection of the population, crisis management, and the French post-accidental doctrine. It comments the lessons drawn in eastern European countries, with the cooperative implication of the IRSN. International projects are evoked: the Chernobyl Centre, the French-German Initiative, the European projects (EURANOS, NERIS, FARMING, STRATEGY, MOSES and SAMEN)

  8. ADVANTAGES, DISADVANTAGES, AND LESSONS LEARNED FROM MULTI-REACTOR DECOMMISSIONING PROJECTS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morton, M.R.; Nielson, R.R.; Trevino, R.A.

    2003-01-01

    This paper discusses the Reactor Interim Safe Storage (ISS) Project within the decommissioning projects at the Hanford Site and reviews the lessons learned from performing four large reactor decommissioning projects sequentially. The advantages and disadvantages of this multi-reactor decommissioning project are highlighted

  9. Lessons from independence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hauptfuhrer, R.R.

    1990-01-01

    The recent history of Oryx provides invaluable lessons for those who plan future energy strategies, relates the author of this paper. When Oryx became an independent oil and gas company, its reserves were declining, its stock was selling below asset values, and the price of oil seemed stuck below $15 per barrel. The message from Oryx management to Oryx employees was: We are in charge of our own destiny. We are about to create our own future. Oryx had developed a new, positive corporate culture and the corporate credit required for growth. This paper points to two basic principles that have guided the metamorphosis in Oryx's performance. The first objective was to improve operational efficiency and to identify the right performance indicators to measure this improvement. It states that the most critical performance indicator for an exploration and production company must be replacement and expansion of reserves at a competitive replacement cost. Oryx has cut its finding costs from $12 to $5 per barrel, while the BP acquisition provided proven reserves at a cost of only $4 per barrel. Another performance indicator measures Oryx's standing in the financial markets

  10. STS-31 crewmembers review checklist with instructor on JSC's FB-SMS middeck

    Science.gov (United States)

    1988-01-01

    STS-31 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, Mission Specialist (MS) Bruce McCandless II (left) and Pilot Charles F. Bolden (right) discuss procedures with a training instructor on the middeck of JSC's fixed-based (FB) Shuttle Mission Simulator (SMS). The three are pointing to a checklist during this training simulation in the Mission Simulation and Training Facility Bldg 5.

  11. Vegetation map and plant checklist of Ol Ari Nyiro ranch and the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Ol Ari Nyiro is a 360 km2 ranch of the Laikipia Plateau, in a semi-arid part of Kenya. The vegetation of the ranch and nearby Mukutan Gorge was mapped, and a preliminary check-list of fungi and vascular plants compiled. The vegetation was classified in 16 different types. A total of 708 species and subspecies were ...

  12. Comparison of Child Behavior Checklist subscales in screening for obsessive-compulsive disorder

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Pia Aaron Skovby; Bilenberg, Niels

    2012-01-01

    Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a prevalent psychiatric disorder in children and adolescents associated with significant functional impairment. Early and correct diagnosis is essential for an optimal treatment outcome. The purpose of this study was to determine which of four subscales...... derived from the Child Behavior Checklist best discriminates OCD patients from clinical and population-based controls....

  13. Checklist for Excellence in Science Teaching and Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ediger, Marlow

    2016-01-01

    Science teachers need to evaluate their lessons and units of study, frequently, to stay abreast of recommended trends in the curriculum. Self evaluation is involved here. A quality science program must be implemented in order to assist learners to achieve as optimally as possible. Which guidelines should then serve in self evaluation?

  14. Checklist of the benthic marine macroalgae from Algeria. I. Phaeophyceae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ould-Ahmed, Nora

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The seaweed diversity of the Mediterranean is still not completely known, especially in some areas of its African coasts. As an effort to complete a more detailed catalogue to fill such gap, an updated checklist of the brown seaweeds (Phaeophyceae from Algeria, based on updated literature records, is provided using as starting point the checklist of Perret- Boudouresque & Seridi published in 1989. As a result, the total number of taxa at specific and infraspecific levels accepted for Algeria, under current taxonomy and nomenclature, is 93.La diversidad de las algas marinas del Mediterráneo no es del todo conocida, especialmente en algunas áreas de su costa africana. Como parte de un esfuerzo para completar un catálogo más detallado, que permita reducir esta carencia, se aporta una lista crítica de las algas pardas (Phaeophyceae de Argelia mediante la recopilación y actualización de todas las citas publicadas, tomando como punto de partida la de Perret-Boudou - resque & Seridi publicada el año 1989. Como resultado, el número total de táxones, a nivel específico e infraespecífico, aceptado para las costas de Argelia es de 93, de acuerdo con la taxonomía y la nomenclatura actuales

  15. TU-C-201-03: The Use of Checklists and Audit Tools for Safety and QA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Prisciandaro, J. [University of Michigan (United States)

    2015-06-15

    Recent use of HDR has increased while planning has become more complex often necessitating 3D image-based planning. While many guidelines for the use of HDR exist, they have not kept pace with the increased complexity of 3D image-based planning. Furthermore, no comprehensive document exists to describe the wide variety of current HDR clinical indications. This educational session aims to summarize existing national and international guidelines for the safe implementation of an HDR program. A summary of HDR afterloaders available on the market and their existing applicators will be provided, with guidance on how to select the best fit for each institution’s needs. Finally, the use of checklists will be discussed as a means to implement a safe and efficient HDR program and as a method by which to verify the quality of an existing HDR program. This session will provide the perspective of expert HDR physicists as well as the perspective of a new HDR user. Learning Objectives: Summarize national and international safety and staffing guidelines for HDR implementation Discuss the process of afterloader and applicator selection for gynecologic, prostate, breast, interstitial, surface treatments Learn about the use of an audit checklist tool to measure of quality control of a new or existing HDR program Describe the evolving use of checklists within an HDR program.

  16. Angst en depressie bij craniomandibulaire dysfunctie. Het gebruik van de Symptom Checklist 90

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Broersma-van der Meulen, M. J.; Sprangers, M. A.; Naeije, M.

    1994-01-01

    Anxiety and depression of CMD-patients in a Clinic for Special Dental Care were assessed with the Symptom Checklist-90. The results of the female patients did not differ from the general population; the men showed significantly higher scores. Approximately one third of the patients scored 'high' or

  17. A checklist of Ropalidiini wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistinae in Indochina

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pham Phong Huy

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available As a basis for intensive study of the taxonomy and biogeography of Ropalidiini wasps in Indochina (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistinae, a checklist of Ropalidiini wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae is presented. A total of 57 Ropalidiini species and subspecies belonging to three genera from Indochina are listed, together with information of the type material deposited in the Natural History Collection, Ibaraki University, Japan (IUNH and the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources (IEBR. References of their distribution in Indochina are also provided.

  18. Lessons Learned for Decommissioning Planning

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sohn, Wook; Kim, Young-gook; Kim, Hee-keun

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to introduce the U.S. nuclear industrial's some key lessons learned especially for decommissioning planning based on which well informed decommissioning planning can be carried out. For a successful decommissioning, it is crucial to carry out a well-organized decommissioning planning before the decommissioning starts. This paper discussed four key factors which should be decided or considered carefully during the decommissioning planning period with introduction of related decommissioning lessons learned of U.S. nuclear industry. Those factors which have been discussed in this paper include the end state of a site, the overall decommissioning strategy, the management of the spent fuels, and the spent fuel pool island. Among them, the end state of a site should be decided first as it directs the whole decommissioning processes. Then, decisions on the overall decommissioning strategy (DECON vs. SAFSTOR) and the management of the spent fuels (wet vs. dry) should follow. Finally, the spent fuel pool island should be given due consideration because its implementation will result in much cost saving. Hopefully, the results of this paper would provide useful inputs to performing the decommissioning planing for the Kori unit 1

  19. Simple and Practical Efficiency Lessons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kolpin, Van

    2018-01-01

    The derivation of conditions necessary for Pareto efficient production and exchange is a lesson frequently showcased in microeconomic theory textbooks. Traditional delivery of this lesson is, however, limited in its scope of application and can be unnecessarily convoluted. The author shows that the universe of application is greatly expanded and a…

  20. Checklist for imaging methods. Vol. 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wenz, W.

    1988-01-01

    The checklists in current medicine are intended as a source of information and reference. The first part of this issue explains examination techniques in practice and in hospitals. The second part deals with aetiology, pathogenesis and clinical symptomatology, with findings and examination techniques leading to the specific diagnosis, and, where appropriate, with differential diagnosis and conservative therapy of the various diseases. The third part gives concise information on possible surgery, surgical principles and techniques, which in this context means interventional radiology. The chapters of the second part each discuss a specific body area or disease, such as the abdominal cavity, the extraperitoneal region, the retroperitoneum, acute abdomen, acute abdominal trauma, acute affections of the abdominal wall, the stomach, the post-surgery stomach, duodenum, the small intestine, the colon, sigma and rectum, the gallbladder and bile ducts, the liver, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, and the peritoneum. (orig./MG) With 256 figs., 24 tabs [de

  1. Application of a good manufacturing practices checklist and enumeration of total coliform in swine feed mills

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Debora da Cruz Payao Pellegrini

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available A cross-sectional study in four swine feed mills aimed to evaluate the correlation between the score of the inspection checklist defined in the Normative Instruction 4 (IN 4/ Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply, and the enumeration of total coliforms throughout the manufacturing process. The most of non-conformities was found in the physical structure of the feed mills. Feed mill B showed the lowest number of unconformities while units A and D had the largest number of nonconformities. In 38.53% (489/1269 of the samples the presence of total coliform was detected, however no significant difference in the bacterial counts was observed between sampling sites and feed mills. The logistic regression pointed higher odds ratio (OR for total coliforms isolation at dosing (OR = 9.51, 95% CI: 4.43 to 20.41, grinding (OR = 7.10, 95% CI = 3.27 to 15.40 and residues (OR = 6.21, 95% CI: 3.88 to 9.95 In spite of having the second score in the checklist inspection, feed mill C presented the highest odds for total coliforms isolation (OR= 2,43, IC 95%: 1,68-3,53. The data indicate no association between the score of checklist and the presence of hygienic indicators in feed mills.

  2. Planning geometry lessons with learning platforms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tamborg, Andreas Lindenskov

    mathematics teachers’ joint planning of a lesson in geometry with a learning platform called Meebook is analyzed using the instrumental approach. It is concluded that the interface in Meebook orients the teachers work toward what the students should do rather than what they should learn, although the latter......This paper investigates how mathematics teachers plan lessons with a recently implemented Danish learning platform designed to support teachers in planning lessons in line with a recent objective-oriented curriculum. Drawing on data from observations of and interviews with teachers, three...... is a key intention behind the implementation of the platform. It is also concluded that when the teachers succeed in using learning objectives actively in their planning, the objectives support the teachers in designing lessons that correspond with their intentions. The paper concludes with a discussion...

  3. Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers: Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation in Spain

    Science.gov (United States)

    Canal-Bedia, Ricardo; Garcia-Primo, Patricia; Martin-Cilleros, Maria Victoria; Santos-Borbujo, Jose; Guisuraga-Fernandez, Zoila; Herraez-Garcia, Lorena; Herraez-Garcia, Maria del Mar; Boada-Munoz, Leticia; Fuentes-Biggi, Joaquin; Posada-de La Paz, Manuel

    2011-01-01

    Early detection and treatment have been shown to be effective in reducing disability severity caused by Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). As Spanish pediatricians have no detection tool, the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) was first translated into and culturally adapted to Spanish. Validity and reliability studies were…

  4. Internalizing Behaviors among Kindergarten Children: Measuring Dimensions of Social Withdrawal with a Checklist

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thijs, Jochem T.; Koomen, Helma M. Y.; de Jong, Peter F.; van der Leij, Aryan; van Leeuwen, Mirella G. P.

    2004-01-01

    Three studies examined whether different types of withdrawal among young children could be assessed with a short checklist. In Study 1, kindergarten teachers rated 487 children on a modified version of the Behavior Questionnaire for Two- to Six-Year-Olds (BQTSYO). Exploratory factor analyses yielded 2 withdrawal factors, Social Inhibition and…

  5. Masterwork Art Lesson: Kandinsky Watercolors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    LiPira, Michael

    2003-01-01

    Presents an art lesson used with sixth-grade students which also can be used with other grade levels. Explains that the artwork of Wassily Kandinsky served as inspiration for this lesson. Explains that the students learned about abstract art and used watercolors to create their own paintings in the style of Kandinsky. (CMK)

  6. Bead Game Simulation. Lesson Plan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ripp, Ken

    This lesson plan offers students the opportunity to participate in the three basic economic systems (market, command, and tradition). By working in each of the systems, students will internalize the fundamental values present in each system and will gain insights into the basic advantages and disadvantages of each system. The lesson plan provides…

  7. 78 FR 18425 - Proposed Information Collection VA Police Officer Pre-Employment Screening Checklist); Comment...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-26

    ... techniques or the use of other forms of information technology. Title: VA Police Officer Pre-Employment... Police Officer Pre-Employment Screening Checklist); Comment Request AGENCY: Office of Operations... approved collection. Abstract: VA personnel complete VA Form 0120 to document pre- employment history and...

  8. Latent class analysis shows strong heritability of the Child Behavior Checklist-Juvenile Bipolar Phenotype.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Althoff, R.; Rettew, D.C.; Faraone, S.V.; Boomsma, D.I.; Hudziak, J.

    2006-01-01

    Background: The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) has been used to provide a quantitative description of childhood bipolar disorder (BPAD). Many have reported that children in the clinical range on the Attention Problems (AP), Aggressive Behavior (AGG), and Anxious-Depressed (A/D) syndromes

  9. The empirical versus DSM-oriented approach of the child behavior checklist: Similarities and dissimilarities

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wolff, M.S. de; Vogels, A.G.C.; Reijneveld, S.A.

    2014-01-01

    The DSM-oriented approach of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) is a relatively new classification of problem behavior in children and adolescents. Given the clinical and scientific relevance of the CBCL, this study examines similarities and dissimilarities between the empirical and the

  10. The Empirical Versus DSM-Oriented Approach of the Child Behavior Checklist Similarities and Dissimilarities

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Wolff, Marianne S.; Vogels, Anton G. C.; Reijneveld, Sijmen A.

    2014-01-01

    The DSM-oriented approach of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) is a relatively new classification of problem behavior in children and adolescents. Given the clinical and scientific relevance of the CBCL, this study examines similarities and dissimilarities between the empirical and the

  11. A preliminary checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae of Andorra

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abel Bernadou

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Within the last decade, checklists of the ant fauna of several European countries have been published or updated. Nevertheless, no ant checklists have hitherto been published for the principality of Andorra, a small landlocked country located in the eastern part of the Pyrenees. This work presents a critical list of the ant species of Andorra based on a review of the literature and on the biological material we collected during several field campaigns conducted in Andorra since the year 2005. Seventy-five species belonging to 21 genera of Formicidae were recorded. Nine species were recorded for the first time in Andorra: Aphaenogaster gibbosa (Latreille, 1798, Camponotus lateralis (Olivier, 1792, Camponotus piceus (Leach, 1825, Formica exsecta Nylander, 1846, Lasius piliferus Seifert, 1992, Tapinoma madeirense Forel, 1895, Temnothorax lichtensteini (Bondroit, 1918, Temnothorax niger (Forel, 1894, Temnothorax nigriceps (Mayr, 1855. The most speciose genera were Formica Linnaeus, 1758 and Temnothorax Forel, 1890 with 14 and 12 species, respectively. The ant fauna of Andorra is mostly dominated by Central European species (some are typical cold climate specialists; however species belonging to the Mediterranean ant fauna were also found. This can be explained by the particular geographic situation of Andorra which is characterized by a high mountain Mediterranean climate.

  12. Annotated checklist of the recent and extinct pythons (Serpentes, Pythonidae), with notes on nomenclature, taxonomy, and distribution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schleip, Wulf D.; O’Shea, Mark

    2010-01-01

    Abstract McDiarmid et al. (1999) published the first part of their planned taxonomic catalog of the snakes of the world. Since then, several new python taxa have been described in both the scientific literature and non-peer-reviewed publications. This checklist evaluates the nomenclatural status of the names and discusses the taxonomic status of the new taxa, and aims to continue the work of McDiarmid et al. (1999) for the family Pythonidae, covering the period 1999 to 2010. Numerous new taxa are listed, and where appropriate recent synonymies are included and annotations are made. A checklist and a taxonomic identification key of valid taxa are provided. PMID:21594030

  13. IVHS Institutional Issues and Case Studies, Analysis and Lessons Learned, Final Report

    Science.gov (United States)

    1994-04-01

    This 'Analysis and Lessons Learned' report contains observations, conclusions, and recommendations based on the performance of six case studies of Intelligent Vehicle-Highway Systems (IVHS) projects. Information to support the development of the case...

  14. Lesson Study and History Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halvorsen, Anne-Lise; Kesler Lund, Alisa

    2013-01-01

    This article examines the experiences of a group of fifth-grade teachers who used lesson study, a teacher-driven form of professional development, to teach history in a project supported by a Teaching American History Grant. The project addressed the following questions: What does a lesson study cycle for history education look like? What…

  15. Value pricing pilot program : lessons learned

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-08-01

    This "Lessons Learned Report" provides a summary of projects sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA's) Congestion and Value Pricing Pilot Programs from 1991 through 2006 and draws lessons from a sample of projects with the richest an...

  16. Students’ motivation in a disc golf-lesson and a soccer-lesson: An experimental study in the Physical Education setting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kristian Vernegaard

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available One of the purposes of physical education (PE in both Norway and Denmark is that PE should inspire to a lifelong active lifestyle. Based on the self-determination theory, the aim of the present study was to compare students’ intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and perceived competence in a lifestyle sport inspired PE-lesson (disc golf to a traditional PE-lesson (soccer and general PE. In addition, we aimed to investigate whether differences in motivation and perceived competence were conditional of the students’ relative attitude toward PE. The result of the study revealed that perceived competence was higher in the disc golf-lesson compared to the soccer-lesson and general PE. No overall differences in intrinsic motivation were found. However, when investigating differences in intrinsic motivation according to the students’ relative attitude toward PE, the results indicated that the students with a negative attitude toward PE was significantly more intrinsically motivated in disc golf-lesson compared to soccer-lesson and general PE. The findings may be seen as further recommendations to physical educators to vary the activity choices in physical education classes.

  17. Sharing Lessons Learned Between Industries in EU

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Muehleisen, A.; Strucic, M.

    2012-01-01

    Recent events in nuclear industry remind us on importance of continuous sharing of the knowledge and experience gained through evaluations of incidents and accidents. We frequently use experience from our daily life activities to improve our performance and avoid some mistakes or unwanted events. In the similar way we can use other industries experience. These experiences can be applied to improve nuclear safety. For example, Safety Culture, which has a great influence on the level of nuclear power plants safety, is similarly presented in other industries. Mechanisms which led to accidents from weak safety culture in one branch of other industry could be comparable to those in nuclear industry. Some other industries have many more cumulative years of experience than nuclear industry. Aviation and Oil industries are typical representatives. Part of their experience can be used in nuclear industry too. Number of reports from nuclear power plants showed us that not only specific equipment related causes lay behind accidents; there are also other causes and contributors which are more common for all industries. Hence lessons learned in other industry should be assessed and used in nuclear industry too. In the European Union, a regional initiative has been set up in 2008 in support of EU Member State nuclear safety authorities, but also EU technical support organizations, international organizations and the broader nuclear community, to enhance nuclear safety through improvement of the use of lessons learned from operational experience of nuclear power plants (NPPs). The initiative, called ''the EU Clearinghouse on Operational Experience Feedback for NPP'', is organized as a network operated by a centralized office located at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. The reduction of occurrence and significance of events in NPPs and their safe operation is its ultimate goal. Among others EU Clearinghouse provides services such as technical and scientific

  18. [On-site quality control of acupuncture randomized controlled trial: design of content and checklist of quality control based on PICOST].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Hong-Jiao; He, Li-Yun; Liu, Zhi-Shun; Sun, Ya-Nan; Yan, Shi-Yan; Liu, Jia; Zhao, Ye; Liu, Bao-Yan

    2014-02-01

    To effectively guarantee quality of randomized controlld trial (RCT) of acupuncture and develop reasonable content and checklist of on-site quality control, influencing factors on quality of acupuncture RCT are analyzed and scientificity of quality control content and feasibility of on-site manipulation are put into overall consideration. Based on content and checklist of on-site quality control in National 11th Five-Year Plan Project Optimization of Comprehensive Treatment Plan for TCM in Prevention and Treatment of Serious Disease and Clinical Assessment on Generic Technology and Quality Control Research, it is proposed that on-site quality control of acupuncture RCT should be conducted with PICOST (patient, intervention, comparison, out come, site and time) as core, especially on quality control of interveners' skills and outcome assessment of blinding, and checklist of on-site quality control is developed to provide references for undertaking groups of the project.

  19. Rating the methodological quality in systematic reviews of studies on measurement properties: a scoring system for the COSMIN checklist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Terwee, Caroline B; Mokkink, Lidwine B; Knol, Dirk L; Ostelo, Raymond W J G; Bouter, Lex M; de Vet, Henrica C W

    2012-05-01

    The COSMIN checklist is a standardized tool for assessing the methodological quality of studies on measurement properties. It contains 9 boxes, each dealing with one measurement property, with 5-18 items per box about design aspects and statistical methods. Our aim was to develop a scoring system for the COSMIN checklist to calculate quality scores per measurement property when using the checklist in systematic reviews of measurement properties. The scoring system was developed based on discussions among experts and testing of the scoring system on 46 articles from a systematic review. Four response options were defined for each COSMIN item (excellent, good, fair, and poor). A quality score per measurement property is obtained by taking the lowest rating of any item in a box ("worst score counts"). Specific criteria for excellent, good, fair, and poor quality for each COSMIN item are described. In defining the criteria, the "worst score counts" algorithm was taken into consideration. This means that only fatal flaws were defined as poor quality. The scores of the 46 articles show how the scoring system can be used to provide an overview of the methodological quality of studies included in a systematic review of measurement properties. Based on experience in testing this scoring system on 46 articles, the COSMIN checklist with the proposed scoring system seems to be a useful tool for assessing the methodological quality of studies included in systematic reviews of measurement properties.

  20. Evaluation of the Teaching Methods Used in Secondary School Biology Lessons

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Porozovs Juris

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The teacher’s skills in conducting the lesson and choice of teaching methods play an essential role in creating students’ interest in biology. The aim of the research was to study the opinion of secondary school students and biology teachers regarding the most successful teaching methods used in biology lessons and viable options to make biology lessons more interesting. The research comprised polling students and biology teachers from several schools, namely: 2 secondary schools in Jelgava, 2 in Riga and 1 in Vecumnieki. The responses revealed that 58% of students find biology lessons interesting. 56% of students indicated that their ability to focus attention during biology lessons depends on the task presented to them. Most of all they prefer watching the teacher’s presentations, listening to their teacher telling about the actual topic as well as performing laboratory work and group-work. Many students like participating in discussions, whereas a far smaller number would do various exercises, individual tasks, fill out worksheets or complete projects. Least of all students wish to work with the textbook. The methods most frequently applied by teachers are as follows: lecture, explanation, demonstration, and discussion. Teachers believe that their students prefer laboratory work and discussions as well as listening to their teacher and watching presentations or films. They also indicate at the necessity to link theory with practice and to involve information technologies. While teaching their subject biology teachers try to establish relationship between theory and real life in order to develop their students’ interest in natural processes.

  1. Learning to observe mathematical learning in lesson studies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rasmussen, Klaus; Østergaard, Camilla Hellsten; Foss, Kristian Kildemoes

    2016-01-01

    This poster deals with lesson study (LS) in pre-service teacher education. In particular how to prepare for, carry out, and reflect upon, observations of pupil learning. Observation is of crucial importance to the lesson study process, and here we present a study of observation features which ena...... enable or hinder fruitful lesson study. While substantial research has been carried out in the general field of bserving pupils’ learning processes and teachers’ pedagogical practice, little is known about this in the particular setting of lesson study....

  2. Testing the 8-Syndrome Structure of the Child Behavior Checklist in 30 Societies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ivanova, Masha Y.; Dobrean, Anca; Dopfner, Manfred; Erol, Nese; Fombonne, Eric; Fonseca, Antonio Castro; Frigerio, Alessandra; Grietens, Hans; Hannesdottir, Helga; Kanbayashi, Yasuko; Lambert, Michael; Achenbach, Thomas M.; Larsson, Bo; Leung, Patrick; Liu, Xianchen; Minaei, Asghar; Mulatu, Mesfin S.; Novik, Torunn S.; Oh, Kyung Ja; Roussos, Alexandra; Sawyer, Michael; Simsek, Zeynep; Dumenci, Levent; Steinhausen, Hans-Christoph; Metzke, Christa Winkler; Wolanczyk, Tomasz; Yang, Hao-Jan; Zilber, Nelly; Zukauskiene, Rita; Verhulst, Frank C.; Rescorla, Leslie A.; Almqvist, Fredrik; Weintraub, Sheila; Bilenberg, Niels; Bird, Hector; Chen, Wei J.

    2007-01-01

    There is a growing need for multicultural collaboration in child mental health services, training, and research. To facilitate such collaboration, this study tested the 8-syndrome structure of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) in 30 societies. Parents' CBCL ratings of 58,051 6- to 18-year-olds were subjected to confirmatory factor analyses,…

  3. Erstellung einer Checkliste zur Beurteilung des Arbeitsplatzes eines Physiotherapeuten nach ergonomischen Gesichtspunkten

    OpenAIRE

    Gauermann, Christoph

    2013-01-01

    Einleitung: Arbeitsbedingte Erkrankungen des Muskel-Skelett-Systems sind unter Physiotherapeuten sehr häufig. Die präventive Forschung hat diese Berufsgruppe bisher kaum untersucht. In diesem Zusammenhang stellt die Veränderung des Arbeitsumfeldes einen vielversprechenden Ansatz für die Verhinderung arbeitsbedingter Erkrankungen dar. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist die Erstellung einer Checkliste zur Bewertung des Arbeitsplatzes eines Physiotherapeuten zu erstellen. Material und Methoden: ...

  4. A checklist of chiggers from Brazil, including new records (Acari: Trombidiformes: Trombiculidae and Leeuwenhoekiidae)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacinavicius, Fernando de Castro; Bassini-Silva, Ricardo; Mendoza-Roldan, Jairo Alfonso; Pepato, Almir Rogério; Ochoa, Ronald; Welbourn, Cal; Barros-Battesti, Darci Moraes

    2018-01-01

    Abstract A checklist of the family Trombiculidae and Leeuwenhoekiidae is presented, containing 63 species in 30 genera of chiggers from 80 different hosts and 146 localities in Brazil. The type locality and depository are provided, including new locality and host records for the country. PMID:29670435

  5. Increasing Direct Care Staff Compliance to Individualized Physical Therapy Body Positioning Prescriptions: Prescriptive Checklists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lattimore, Jennifer; And Others

    1984-01-01

    The study confirmed previous research indicating that workshop training by itself is an ineffective method of increasing direct care staff compliance to treatment prescriptions, and that providing direct staff supervisors with a training and management tool (prescriptive checklists) may be an effective alternative for serving multihandicapped…

  6. 78 FR 18865 - Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement: Proposal Adequacy Checklist (DFARS Case 2011...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-28

    ... inconsistencies with your established estimating and accounting principles and procedures?'' Checklist item 4 is... costs?'' and now includes the list of eight sample factors that appear in the definition of ``cost or... 10 has added the phrase ``including breakdown by year'' after ``consistent with your cost accounting...

  7. Global checklist of species of Grania (Clitellata: Enchytraeidae with remarks on their geographic distribution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alessandro Prantoni

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available A checklist of all currently accepted species of Grania Southern, 1913 (Annelida, Clitellata, Enchytraeidae is presented. The genus is widespread over the world and comprises 81 species described to date. Remarks on their geographical distribution, habitat, synonymies and museum catalogue numbers are provided.

  8. Best-practice checklists for tephra collection, analysis and reporting - a draft consensus from the Tephra 2014 workshop

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wallace, K.; Bursik, M. I.; Kuehn, S. C.

    2015-12-01

    The Tephra 2014 Workshop (3-7 August 2014) discussed major developments, best practices, future directions, and critical needs in tephra studies from both volcanological and tephrochronological perspectives. In a consensus-seeking session held at the end of the workshop, the international group of over 70 tephra scientists focused on two complementary themes: (A) the need for common best practices in tephra data collection and reporting among different scientific disciplines, and (B) the need to establish common, accessible mechanisms for tephra data archiving and retrieval. Tephra is the focus of a wide range of research in volcanology, petrology, tephrochronology and tephrostratigraphy (with applications in studies of environmental/climate change, surface processes, paleolimnology, etc.), ash dispersion and fallout modeling, and archaeology, paleoanthropology, and human origins. Researchers in each field have specific objectives that may or may not overlap. The focus on best practices is a first step towards standardized protocols for the collection, analysis and reporting of tephra data across and within disciplines. Such uniformity will facilitate the development and population of useful tephra databases. Current initiatives include the development of best practice checklists as a starting point for ensuring uniformity and completeness. The goals of the checklists are to: 1) ensure consistency among tephra scientists, regardless of research focus, 2) provide basic, comprehensible, metadata requirements, especially those who collect tephra as a peripheral part of their research, 3) help train students, and 4) help journal editors to know which essential metadata should be included in published works. Consistency in tephra sample collection, analysis, and reporting attained by use of these checklists should ultimately aid in improving correlation of tephras across geographically large areas, and facilitate collaborative tephra research. Current and future

  9. Keiko, Killer Whale. [Lesson Plan].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Discovery Communications, Inc., Bethesda, MD.

    This lesson plan presents activities designed to help students understand that Keiko, the killer whale, lived for a long time in an aquarium and had to be taught to live independently; and that computer users can get updates on how Keiko is doing. The main activity of the lesson involves middle school students working in small groups to produce a…

  10. Psychometric Evaluation of the Diabetes Symptom Checklist-Revised (DSC-R)-A Measure of Symptom Distress

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Arbuckle, R.A.; Humphrey, L.; Vardeva, K.; Arondekar, B.; Scott, J.A.; Snoek, F.J.

    2009-01-01

    Objective: To assess the psychometric validity, reliability, responsiveness, and minimal important differences of the Diabetes Symptoms Checklist-Revised (DSC-R), a widely used patient-reported outcome measure of diabetes symptom distress. Research Design and Methods: Psychometric validity of the

  11. A Multimedia Child Developmental Screening Checklist: Design and Validation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Hsin-Yi Kathy; Chen, Li-Ying; Cheng, Chih-Hsiu; Ju, Yan-Ying; Chen, Chia-Ling; Tseng, Kevin C

    2016-10-24

    Identifying disability early in life confers long-term benefits for children. The Taipei City Child Development Screening tool, second version (Taipei II) provides checklists for 13 child age groups from 4 months to 6 years. However, the usability of a text-based screening tool largely depends on the literacy level and logical reasoning ability of the caregivers, as well as language barriers caused by increasing numbers of immigrants. The objectives of this study were to (1) design and develop a Web-based multimedia version of the current Taipei II developmental screening tool, and (2) investigate the measurement equivalence of this multimedia version to the original paper-based version. To develop the multimedia version of Taipei II, a team of experts created illustrations, translations, and dubbing of the original checklists. The developmental screening test was administered to a total of 390 primary caregivers of children aged between 4 months and 6 years. Psychometric testing revealed excellent agreement between the paper and multimedia versions of Taipei II. Good to excellent reliabilities were demonstrated for all age groups for both the cross-mode similarity (mode intraclass correlation range 0.85-0.96) and the test-retest reliability (r=.93). Regarding the usability, the mean score was 4.80 (SD 0.03), indicating that users were satisfied with their multimedia website experience. The multimedia tool produced essentially equivalent results to the paper-based tool. In addition, it had numerous advantages, such as it can facilitate active participation and promote early screening of target populations. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02359591; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02359591 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6l21mmdNn).

  12. A checklist of the bats of Peninsular Malaysia and progress towards a DNA barcode reference library.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, Voon-Ching; Ramli, Rosli; Bhassu, Subha; Wilson, John-James

    2017-01-01

    Several published checklists of bat species have covered Peninsular Malaysia as part of a broader region and/or in combination with other mammal groups. Other researchers have produced comprehensive checklists for specific localities within the peninsula. To our knowledge, a comprehensive checklist of bats specifically for the entire geopolitical region of Peninsular Malaysia has never been published, yet knowing which species are present in Peninsular Malaysia and their distributions across the region are crucial in developing suitable conservation plans. Our literature search revealed that 110 bat species have been documented in Peninsular Malaysia; 105 species have precise locality records while five species lack recent and/or precise locality records. We retrieved 18 species from records dated before the year 2000 and seven species have only ever been recorded once. Our search of Barcode of Life Datasystems (BOLD) found that 86 (of the 110) species have public records of which 48 species have public DNA barcodes available from bats sampled in Peninsular Malaysia. Based on Neighbour-Joining tree analyses and the allocation of DNA barcodes to Barcode Index Number system (BINs) by BOLD, several DNA barcodes recorded under the same species name are likely to represent distinct taxa. We discuss these cases in detail and highlight the importance of further surveys to determine the occurences and resolve the taxonomy of particular bat species in Peninsular Malaysia, with implications for conservation priorities.

  13. Checklist of sea turtles endohelminth in Neotropical region

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Werneck M. R.

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a list of parasites described in sea turtles from the Neotropical region. Through the review of literature the occurrence of 79 taxa of helminthes parasites were observed, mostly consisting of the Phylum Platyhelminthes with 76 species distributed in 14 families and 2 families of the Phylum Nematoda within 3 species. Regarding the parasite records, the most studied host was the green turtle (Chelonia mydas followed by the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata, olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea, loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta and leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea. Overall helminths were reported in 12 countries and in the Caribbean Sea region. This checklist is the largest compilation of data on helminths found in sea turtles in the Neotropical region.

  14. Mini-Lessons on Language (The Round Table).

    Science.gov (United States)

    English Journal, 1993

    1993-01-01

    Describes several successful lessons that provide students with new awareness of the English language. Includes lessons focusing on language change, onomatopoeia, slang, word origin, dialect, and language functions. (MM)

  15. Brief Report: Checklist for Autism Spectrum Disorder--Most Discriminating Items for Diagnosing Autism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mayes, Susan D.

    2018-01-01

    The smallest subset of items from the 30-item Checklist for Autism Spectrum Disorder (CASD) that differentiated 607 referred children (3-17 years) with and without autism with 100% accuracy was identified. This 6-item subset (CASD-Short Form) was cross-validated on an independent sample of 397 referred children (1-18 years) with and without autism…

  16. Examination of the Korean Modified Checklist of Autism in Toddlers: Item Response Theory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seung, HyeKyeung; Ji, Juye; Kim, Soo-Jin; Sung, Inkyung; Youn, Young-Ah; Hong, Gyunghun; Lee, Hyeonjin; Lee, Young Hwan; Lee, Hyunsuk; Youm, Hyun Kyung

    2015-01-01

    The study examined the clinical utility and psychometric properties of the Korean Modified Checklist of Autism in Toddlers (K-M-CHAT)-2. A sample of 2300 parents of 16- to 36-month-old children was recruited across South Korea. A phone interview was utilized to follow up with participants who initially screened positive for autism spectrum…

  17. CVISN operational and architectural compatibility handbook (COACH). Part 1, Operational concept and top-level design checklists

    Science.gov (United States)

    1999-04-22

    The CVISN Operational and Architectural Compatibility Handbook (COACH) provides a comprehensive checklist of what is required to conform with the Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and Networks (CVISN) operational concepts and architecture. It is...

  18. Problems reported by parents of children in multiple cultures: the Child Behavior Checklist syndrome constructs

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    A.A.M. Crijnen (Alfons); T.M. Achenbach (Thomas); F.C. Verhulst (Frank)

    1999-01-01

    textabstractOBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare syndromes of parent-reported problems for children in 12 cultures. METHOD: Child Behavior Checklists were analyzed for 13,697 children and adolescents, ages 6 through 17 years, from general population

  19. Validity of a Checklist for the Design, Content, and Instructional Qualities of Children's Books

    Science.gov (United States)

    Çer, Erkan; Sahin, Ertugrul

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop a checklist whose validity has been tested in assessing children's books. Participants consisted of university students who had taken a course in children's literature. They were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned into experimental and control groups. Participants in the…

  20. An Anesthesia Preinduction Checklist to Improve Information Exchange, Knowledge of Critical Information, Perception of Safety, and Possibly Perception of Teamwork in Anesthesia Teams.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tscholl, David W; Weiss, Mona; Kolbe, Michaela; Staender, Sven; Seifert, Burkhardt; Landert, Daniel; Grande, Bastian; Spahn, Donat R; Noethiger, Christoph B

    2015-10-01

    An anesthesia preinduction checklist (APIC) to be performed before anesthesia induction was introduced and evaluated with respect to 5 team-level outcomes, each being a surrogate end point for patient safety: information exchange (the percentage of checklist items exchanged by a team, out of 12 total items); knowledge of critical information (the percentage of critical information items out of 5 total items such as allergies, reported as known by the members of a team); team members' perceptions of safety (the median scores given by the members of a team on a continuous rating scale); their perception of teamwork (the median scores given by the members of a team on a continuous rating scale); and clinical performance (the percentage of completed items out of 14 required tasks, e.g., suction device checked). A prospective interventional study comparing anesthesia teams using the APIC with a control group not using the APIC was performed using a multimethod design. Trained observers rated information exchange and clinical performance during on-site observations of anesthesia inductions. After the observations, each team member indicated the critical information items they knew and their perceptions of safety and teamwork. One hundred five teams using the APIC were compared with 100 teams not doing so. The medians of the team-level outcome scores in the APIC group versus the control group were as follows: information exchange: 100% vs 33% (P safety: 91% vs 84% (P improves information exchange, knowledge of critical information, and perception of safety in anesthesia teams-all parameters contributing to patient safety. There was a trend indicating improved perception of teamwork.